Softest Mattress in a Box (2023)

When it comes to picking a mattress in a box, also known as a mattress in a box, one of the biggest hurdles for customers is buying a mattress without knowing how it feels. Will it be too soft or too firm, or will the new bed feel just right?

Reading online descriptions and customer reviews is helpful and narrows your search down. However, it’s also time-consuming. We’ve streamlined the process by selecting our top recommendations for the best mattresses with a softer feel.

Best Soft Mattress in a Box

Amerisleep focuses on creating mattresses that are one of five firmnesses. The firmnesses range from soft to firm, ensuring most sleeper’s needs can be met by one of Amerisleep’s mattresses. The AS5 Mattress is the company’s soft mattress, well-suited for side sleepers.

The AS5 mattress has three foam layers:

• 3 inches of Bio-Pur® foam
• 2 inches of Active Flex 
• 2 inches of Affinity foam with HIVE® technology
• 7 inches of Bio-Core® foam

Bio-Pur® is a plant-based memory foam, made with castor oil and petrochemicals to create a breathable material. The foam releases heat quicker than traditional memory foam, preventing you from sleeping hot. Bio-Pur® is also a highly reactive foam, snapping back into shape seconds after you move away.

What makes the AS5 different from other soft mattresses is its Active Flex layer. This foam performs similarly to latex, being springy and responsive to prevent sinking. At the same time, it enhances the bed’s softness to further relieve pressure. 

The transition layer of Affinity foam is divided into five support zones. Amerisleep’s HIVE® technology implements hexagonal cutouts throughout the foam to cushion sensitive areas and support your spine.

Under your shoulders and hips, the mattress feels softer. That’s because the cutouts have space to expand, improving the bed’s flexible contouring. In the head, back, and feet sections, the cutouts are closer together for a firmer and more supportive feel.

Bio-Core® foam is the supportive base, promoting a longer-lasting mattress. Bio-Core® is so supportive that Amerisleep offers a 20-year warranty instead of the industry-standard 10-year warranty.

A queen size mattress is $1699 and includes free shipping, a 100-night sleep trial, and a 10-year warranty.

SEE ALSO: Amerisleep Mattress Review

The Zoma Mattress has a feel that’s been described as medium, leaning toward medium-soft. Its makers focused on a design that promotes undisturbed sleep for increased recovery.

Pro athletes have benefited from using a Zoma Mattress. However, you don’t have to be physically active to see an improvement in your sleep.

The bed has three foam layers:

• 2 inches of gel memory foam
• 2 inches of Reactiv™ foam
• 8 inches of Support+ foam

The gel memory foam contours to your body for pressure and pain relief. The cooling gels ensure that the foam doesn’t overheat in the night, causing you to wake up sweaty.

This comfort layer also contains Zoma’s unique Triangulex™ technology. Numerous triangles are cut into the mattress’s head and foot sections. This feature increases pressure relief to your shoulders and legs.

The midsection contains no cutouts. This keeps the focus on firm support instead of a flexible cushion.

The middle layer of Reactiv™ foam adapts to your movements. The material prevents you from sinking in too deep and bottoming out on the stiff support core. Its lift also keeps you from waking up with a bad back.

The base layer of Support+ foam provides structure and resists sagging. It creates a more durable mattress.

You have 100 nights to try out your Zoma Mattress once it arrives at your home. If you don’t experience a better night’s rest after a month, you can return the mattress for a full refund.

SEE ALSO: Zoma Mattress Review

Soft mattresses are often more expensive than firm mattresses because they’re thicker with more material. It can be tricky to find a soft yet affordable mattress that’s right for you.

That’s why the Vaya Mattress is our top recommendation when it comes to the best value mattress. The bed is 12 inches tall with a plush feel suitable for all sleepers. Prices range from $349 to $799 depending on your chosen size.

A Vaya Mattress has a simple two-layer design, wrapped in a breathable cover:

• 3 inches of Vaya Comfort Foam
• 9 inches of Vaya Base Foam

Vaya Comfort Foam contours to the body and promotes optimal spinal alignment. The material is quick to regain its shape, a helpful feature when you move in and out of bed. The foam is less dense than traditional memory foam and quick to disperse body heat.

Vaya Base Foam provides support to side, back, and stomach sleepers. The foam is sturdy enough to stand tall even after years of use, promoting mattress longevity.

Every Vaya Mattress includes a 100-night sleep trial and a 10-year warranty.

SEE ALSO: Vaya Mattress Review

The Amerisleep AS5 Hybrid balances a soft, luxurious feel with bouncy, supportive springs. Initially, the AS5 was only available as a memory foam mattress, but Amerisleep has since expanded its selection to include a hybrid model.

We chose to talk about the newer hybrid model for its bounce and breathability. Still, the memory foam model is an excellent option if you want a lower-priced luxury mattress.

An AS5 Hybrid mattress contains four layers:

• 3 inches of Bio-Pur® foam
• 2 inches of Active Flex foam
• 8 inches of pocketed coils
• 1 inch of stiff, supportive foam

As we discussed previously, Bio-Pur® foam is cooler and more responsive than the average memory foam. It’s quick to regain its original shape, making it easier for sleepers to move across the surface.

The Active Flex layer is unique to the AS5 mattress. The material responds to your movements, lifting you to prevent spinal misalignment. Other soft mattresses that don’t have a feature like Active Flex may feel slow to respond to your movements, leaving you feeling stuck in the bed’s plush top.

The bed’s support core is the pocketed coil layer, which Amerisleep divides into three distinct zones. The mattress’s head and foot contain softer coils designed to offer pressure relief. The midsection’s coils create a firm, supportive feel to maintain neutral spine alignment.

Protective foams surround the coils’ perimeter, adding edge support. Edge support makes it possible to sit on your mattress’s side. It also prevents you from rolling off in your sleep.

The foam base gives the coils a surface to bounce off. This surface maintains the coils’ structure and prevents sagging.

As with the AS5, you have 100 nights to try out the AS5 Hybrid after it arrives at your home. You also have a 20-year warranty as a guarantee of the mattress’s quality.

The Zoma Hybrid contains the same restorative foams that made the original Zoma Mattress a classic. It has four layers:

• 2 inches of gel memory foam
• 2 inches of Reactiv™ foam
• 7 inches of pocketed coils
• 1 inch of a firm foam base

Zoma’s first layer keeps the sleeper cool and comfortable with its infused gels and pressure-relieving memory foam.

Reactiv™ foam adds some pushback to the mattress, ensuring you won’t feel trapped. The material also lifts you to maintain neutral spine alignment.

The coils are wrapped in fabric packets to increase motion isolation. Unwrapped coils can let your every movement ripple across the mattress, creating too much bounce. As a bonus, the pocketed coils muffle any squeaks or creaks that might disturb your sleep.

The foam base ensures the coils stand straight, promoting a longer-lasting mattress.

Every Zoma Hybrid comes with a 100-night sleep trial and a 10-year warranty. If you’re not satisfied with your mattress after giving yourself time to adjust to it, you can ask for a full refund.

SEE ALSO: Best Cooling Mattress for Hot Sleepers (2021)

The Purple Hybrid Premier is the mattress-in-a-box company’s most luxurious mattress model. You have your choice of a 3-inch or 4-inch top layer with a support core of pocketed coils and transition foam. We chose to focus on the 4-inch model because it offers what Purple calls a “zero-gravity float.” This mattress is recommended for side sleepers and curvy people.

The hybrid bed’s top layer is Purple Grid™, a unique mattress material. It’s designed to be more breathable and flexible than traditional memory foam. The material limits heat build-up and sleep disturbances.

Purple’s responsive coils lift the mattress, providing enduring support. The coils also increase the bed’s pressure relief, ensuring you wake without any aches and pains.

A cover of Premium StretchMax material encases the mattress. The fabric covers the top and flexes with the bed, allowing you to feel the Purple Grid™’s weight-less support fully. The breathable panels along the mattress’s side maintain a comfortable temperature.

The Purple Hybrid Premier comes with free shipping and returns, a 100-night sleep trial, and a 10-year warranty.

SEE ALSO: Purple Mattress Reviews

When designing their Sparrow Signature Hybrid mattress, Nest Bedding focused not only on comfort and support but also on minimizing environmental impact. A zipper along the top of the mattress opens up the bed, allowing you to replace the comfort layer as it wears down.

This feature not only keeps your mattress out of the landfill but also saves you money. You’ll likely only need to buy a new foam layer instead of a whole new mattress.

The mattress comes in three different firmness levels—plush, medium, and firm. The king sizes can be customized with a different feel on each side. Share a bed without compromising your firmness preference.

The comfort layer is Blue Energex™ foam for consistent coolness. Underneath is an inch of supportive SmartFlow Support foam, followed by 6 inches of bouncy pocketed coils. Thermic Phase Change fabric with gel memory foam encases the mattress, regulating temperature for a cool night’s rest.

The Sparrow Signature Hybrid includes a 365-night sleep trial and a lifetime warranty. During your sleep trial, you can request a different comfort layer if your original choice feels uncomfortable.

SEE ALSO: Mattress Sizes and Dimensions

What is a Mattress in a Box?

Mattresses-in-a-box, are just as the term describes. A mattress is compressed, rolled up, and placed inside a box for easier home delivery. Online mattress companies usually sell mattress-in-a-boxes by default, although some more prominent brands also have brick and mortar stores where you can try a mattress.

These are often one of the best places to buy a mattress as these stores typically strive to match their online prices.

Mattress-in-a-box mattresses come in a variety of feels and contain a range of materials. Often the company will describe how their online mattress feels on the bed’s product page. If not, you might want to skim through customer reviews to understand how the bed feels.

Try not to feel too hesitant about buying a mattress in a box that you haven’t tested. One study suggests that our first impressions of in-store mattresses aren’t as accurate as we’d like to think. According to the study, if participants chose a mattress based only on how a showroom model felt, they were more likely to end up with an unsuitable bed.

Most mattress-in-a-boxes come with the security of a sleep trial. A sleep trial is like an extensive return policy, allowing you a few months to try out a mattress at home to decide if you want to keep it.

Types of Mattress in a Boxes

Technically, mattress-in-a-boxes are not a type of mattress. The term refers to a delivery method for different kinds of mattresses. There are four types of mattresses you’re likely to encounter when browsing mattress-in-a-box options.

Memory Foam

Though a memory foam mattress is known for its conforming cushion, it’s not exclusively soft. Manufacturers make memory foam mattresses in a wide range of firmnesses, ensuring a bed for almost every specific need. For example, many chronic pain sufferers find that a memory foam mattress relieves pressure and pain points.

The drawback to a traditional memory foam mattress is the material’s tendency to hold onto heat. Many modern manufacturers mix in cooling gels and other materials to make more breathable memory foams, reducing heat retention.

Memory foam mattresses are available at all price points. Budget shoppers can find a few excellent memory foam beds when hunting for mattresses under $1000.

Latex

Latex mattresses often feel similar to a memory foam bed. The material contours to your body for pressure relief like memory foam. However, it’s usually springier than memory foam and lifts your body so you feel more “on top” of the mattress. It’s also often cooler and firmer than memory foam, so many latex mattress companies let you add on a soft pillow top.

Natural or organic latex mattresses are perhaps the most durable beds on the market. Latex resists sagging and indentations, easily bouncing back into shape when you get off the mattress. It’s not unheard of for a natural latex mattress to last about 15 years.

However, while natural latex beds are an organic and durable choice, they’re also an expensive mattress type. While a synthetic latex mattress can provide you with a similar feel at a lower price, it won’t possess the same resilience and eco-friendly materials as a natural mattress.

Innerspring

Innerspring mattresses have been around for decades and continue to be widespread and popular. Many people still enjoy innersprings’ bounciness and breathable design. However, others have complained about morning aches and pains because an innerspring mattress doesn’t distribute weight as well as other types.

You’re not likely to find a traditional innerspring mattress as a mattress-in-a-box option. The mattress usually doesn’t compress well, with the bed’s support often damaged in the process.

Manufacturers may make compression easier by using thin coils in the mattress, but this can provide another drawback. Thin coils are less durable and supportive than thick coils, so an innerspring mattress-in-a-box may only last a few short years.

Hybrid

If you enjoy foam mattresses but also miss the bounce of an innerspring bed, you might find that a hybrid mattress provides the perfect compromise. A hybrid mattress has a top foam layer that’s at least 2 to 3 inches thick and a supportive coil base. Higher-quality models usually include a transition layer to improve the bed’s feel.

A hybrid mattress is a good choice if you want a cooling mattress for a hot sleeper. The coil support leaves room for air to circulate and remove heat.

The downside of most hybrid mattresses is their price tag. The beds are a mix of high-quality materials, so they cost more than a foam bed or an innerspring mattress.

Understanding Firmness Options

We’ve recommended some of our top choices for the best plush mattresses. However, we do want to note that a soft bed is not the right choice for everyone. For example, some sleepers need a bed with firmer support to keep their spine aligned.

How do you know what firmness is best for you? You can find the most comfortable mattress by considering your sleep position and body weight.

Sleeping Position

Every sleeping position requires a different mix of support and cushion. For example, a mattress for side sleepers needs some kind of pressure relief, while stomach sleepers benefit from a mattress with extra support.

Side Sleepers

A soft mattress is an excellent choice for a side sleeper. Side sleepers need a pressure-relieving mattress that can mold to their shoulders and hips. A medium to soft mattress can provide the required cushion.

Back Sleepers

A mattress for back sleeping should support the spine while molding to its curves. A medium-firm bed is usually the right mix of supportive and conforming, though some sleepers may prefer a firm mattress. If you want a touch of softness, try a medium mattress with targeted back support.

SEE ALSO: Soft vs. Medium Mattresses

Stomach Sleepers

Stomach sleepers should avoid sleeping on soft mattresses. When a stomach sleeper lies down on a soft mattress, their belly sinks in and moves the spine out of neutral alignment. A firm mattress for stomach sleeping can prevent this sinkage, though we recommend switching to side or back sleeping instead.

When choosing a firm or an extra firm mattress for stomach sleeping, be sure to also consider the mattress’s support and comfort levels to ensure a good night’s sleep.

Body Weight

Your weight determines how much pressure you place on your mattress. A higher body weight equals more pressure, and means conforming materials may let you sink in too deeply. Heavy sleepers weigh more than 230 pounds, while light sleepers weigh less than 130 pounds. If your body weight falls between these two extremes, you’re considered an average sleeper.

A mattress for a heavy sleeper should have a firm feel to resist compression better. When a heavy person lies down a firm mattress, the material should soften up enough to offer pressure relief. A heavy sleeper can consider a soft mattress if the bed contains supportive measures such as transition layers that prevent sinkage or provide targeted back support.

A mattress for a petite sleeper should have a soft feel to offer maximum pressure relief. When light people sleep on a firm mattress, they don’t press down enough for the mattress to conform to their bodies. If the bed can’t conform to their body, then a petite sleeper will likely wake up with aches and pains.

Choosing the Right Mattress Size

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most comfortable mattress in a box?

That is usually a matter of personal preference. We’ve listed some of our top recommendations for soft mattresses-in-a-box, but not everyone finds softness comfortable. Some people prefer firm beds.

Choosing the right mattress-in-box can feel like guesswork at times. That’s why we always recommend buying a mattress with a sleep trial. A sleep trial gives you the option to return an uncomfortable mattress, even after weeks or months.

Can too soft of a bed hurt your back?

If you’re waking up with back pain, it might be because of a too-soft mattress. When you lie down on an overly soft mattress, your spine may sink too deep, creating an unhealthy arch.

If your mattress feels too soft, you can try firming it up with a mattress topper. You might also try switching to side sleeping; side sleepers are most comfortable on a medium, medium-soft, or soft mattress.

Is a plush mattress good for side sleepers?

Yes, side sleepers benefit from sleeping on soft mattresses. Soft beds with conforming top layers can mold to their shoulders and hips for pressure relief. If a side sleeper’s mattress is too firm, their hips and shoulders may raise their spine out of neutral alignment.

What mattress firmness is best for lower back pain?

If you’re experiencing lower back pain, a soft mattress may not be right for you. Instead, studies suggest that you should try a mattress with a medium-firm feel to reduce back pain. You may also want to try sleeping on your back to promote optimal spine alignment.

Still, there are softer mattresses that offer a good blend of support and conforming pressure relief. When you’re considering a mattress for back pain, always look for one with a sleep trial, so you can return or exchange it if needed.

Can you sleep on a mattress in a box right away?

Yes, give your mattress a few minutes and it should expand enough for sleep. Most mattress companies do ask that you give your mattress about a day to expand so it feels as supportive and comfortable as possible. You won’t damage your mattress if you lie down on it sooner than recommended.

What do I do with my old mattress?

Many shoppers don’t want to hang onto their old mattress once they’ve purchased a new one, but they might not know how to get rid of it.

One disposal method is to use white glove delivery. When you buy a new mattress, you can sometimes choose to add on this service. The delivery team will set up your new bed and haul away your old mattress.

You can reach out to local charities, churches, and shelters. Ask if they accept gently used mattresses. If your mattress isn’t fit for sleep anymore, you can search for junk removal services in your area.

Find Your Next Soft Mattress?

When considering the best soft mattress for you, make sure to read up on the bed’s supportive features. If a mattress is too soft and lacks support, you’re likely to wake up with a sore back. Your body’s heavier parts, such as your hips, may sink too far into a low-quality soft mattress. This can increase pressure on your back.

It can be challenging to gauge how soft a mattress-in-a-box feels from online descriptions. We always recommend choosing a mattress with a long sleep trial so you can return or exchange an unsuitable bed.