Even if your current mattress is the same hard-as-rock floor model that you've been passing out on for the last decade, the best mattress toppers out there can uniformly boost your cushion and support without you needing to go all out on a fancy new model. Mattress toppers are traditionally hunks of memory foam (some with cooling technology, some without) that you can slap onto your bed to add a degree of separation between your bones and the innersprings that are so old they're practically jutting into your side. But the most recent class of mattress toppers even involve down feathers, natural latex, cooling gel, and beyond if you're inclined to branch out. Before you embark on your own hunt for a superior mattress topper, there are a couple of things you should mull over before smashing that buy button. 

The Best Mattress Toppers, at a Glance

To get right to the core of the story, here's a quicklist of our favorites that we've tested and parsed out below. 

The Best Mattress Topper For Most People: The Company Store Legends Hotel Down-Alternative, $249The Best Firm Mattress Topper: Tuft & Needle, $250 $188The Best Cooling Mattress Topper: Tempur-Pedic TEMPUR-Adapt, $419 $251 The Best Organic Mattress Topper: Birch Living Plush, $499 $374What to consider when shopping for a mattress topper

People sleep in all kinds of positions, this is a fact of life. Think about who will be sleeping on the mattress topper and if it’s not just you, first run the idea by your sleeping buddy. Find out what they love and less-than-love about the mattress and take notes on their preferred sleeping position and bed feel. Do the same for yourself and find the common ground. Are you a bunch of side sleepers in desperate need of a top layer with extra cushioning? Do you tend to burn up at night and need some sweat-wicking surface beneath you? Are you a dedicated back sleeper in need of some pressure-relieving to counter your too-soft mattress? It’s all important for deciding what kind of topper you'll gravitate towards. 

Types of mattress toppers

Speaking of, there are generally four main types of mattress toppers out there: cooling, firm, cushiony, and pillow-soft. Most mattress toppers are made of memory foam, but you will find others filled with feathers, microfiber, and cooling gel. Memory foam is great because it conforms to your body and adds a level of customization that other materials can’t offer as readily.

Still others are infused with temperature regulation technology to ward off night sweats. More often than not, this means the topper is woven with copper, a material which is naturally cooling. If you're worried about dust mites and allergens, you can also opt for hypoallergenic mattress toppers, or spring for something organic if you're fussy about how eco-friendly your bedding is.

How we tested 

After a few months of disciplined bed-making, working up a sweat wrestling toppers out of cardboard boxes, and sleeping on various mattress toppers we consider ourselves bonafide experts on the subject. Each mattress topper was tested by this writer and her husband for at least a week and a half each—keeping in mind each topper's breathability and heat dispersion, how our bodies felt every morning, the amount of support each topper had for easing back pain, any motion transfer issues that would rattle sensitive sleepers, and—one of the most important elements—how easy the thing was to get on and off the bed. Below, we rustled up our top picks for the best mattress toppers, from cooling options for summer to a surprisingly comfortable budget selection.

The Best Mattress Topper For Most People: The Company Store Legends Hotel Down-Alternative

The Company Store Legends Hotel down alternative mattress topper$249

The Company Store

Materials: Cotton shell and polyester fill

Care: Spot clean or professional dry clean

Warranty: Lifetime guarantee

Sleep Trial:  None

Vivid childhood memories of sinking into a brand-new twin-sized pillow-top mattress for the first time rushed back after sprawling out on this topper—minus the, uh, mid-calf socks and mesh jersey this time around. The Company Store's Legends Hotel Down Alternative topper, which is packed with polyester fill and ensconced in a cotton twill cover, is great for those sensitive to down. It may not be as sleek as other options—the plush cushion creates an ocean-y wave beneath your fitted sheet—but the fact that it doesn't slide around while you're sleeping helped bump it to the top of the list. 

One detail that takes this topper, ahem, over the top is how good we felt the next morning…and the next…and the next. It provides ample softness for comfortable side-sleeping, while offering just enough firmness on top of our usual mattress for sturdy back support. Blessedly, there was no weird smell (off-gassing!) when the thing was unboxed and it took less than three minutes to get on the bed. One minor ding: It's sadly spot-clean only, which is pretty standard for toppers, but considering it's backed by a lifetime guarantee, we think that more than makes up for the delicate cleaning situation.

The Best Firm Mattress Topper: Tuft & Needle

Tuft & Needle mattress topper$250

Tuft & Needle

Materials: Open-cell foam

Care: Spot clean only

Warranty: 10-year limited warranty

Sleep Trial: 100 nights

Mattress toppers will never be cot-at-summer-camp firm. The point is to add a bit of support, but memory foam and polyester fill are soft by nature. This particular topper is made of open-cell foam, making it super breathable for hot sleepers. The overall look is pretty minimal—an important factor if you’re going to have to store it in plain site when it's not in use—and the extra two inches of padding are designed to relieve pressure points across the body, particularly in the hips and shoulders. 

The mattress topper fit beautifully on the first night, but we did notice some sliding on our mattress after two more evenings, despite the silicone beading along the back that’s meant to discourage exactly that. It was a relatively quick fix of scooting the topper back into place under the fitted sheet, but still something to keep in mind. There was also a bit of off-gassing that occurred after the topper was unboxed. But after about an hour of it expanding and breathing, all was well. The topper didn't make a noticeable difference to our existing sleep setup, but this writer's partner gave it two thumbs up. 

The Best Cooling Mattress Topper: Tempur-Pedic TEMPUR-Adapt 

Tempur-Pedic cooling TEMPUR-Adapt topper$419 $335

Tempur-Pedic

Materials: Foam-like TEMPUR 

Care: Cover is washable, core material is not

Warranty: 10-year limited warranty

Sleep Trial: None

We'll go ahead and get the worst part about this topper out of the way first: Skip your workout, getting the thing into the removable cover will be your cardio of the day. We recommend recruiting a buddy, as the memory foam pad needs to be placed in its outer shell and zipped up before use (so it’s worse than tackling a fitted sheet). Despite the sweaty introduction, this option proved to be massively cooling during a week of unseasonably warm winter nights in Brooklyn. The mattress topper fit great under our sheets and we only noticed a small amount of slippage over the testing period. Plus, the cover can be removed and machine-washed with cold water if you do end up schvitzing at night—just spot clean the mattress topper core.

There were a few hours of off-gassing after unboxing this thing, but the work and the wait was well-worth it. Coming in at nearly $300 (the temperature regulation option will cost you an additional 60 bones), it is more expensive than other options, but the cooling design was well worth the extra money. As a hot sleeper who normally wakes up once or twice to remove a layer, this tester was very surprised at how soundly she slept. 

The Best Latex Mattress Topper: Birch Living Plush 

Birch Living Plush Organic mattress topper$499 $374

Birch

Materials: Cotton, wool, and latex

Care: Spot clean only

Warranty: 10-year limited warranty

Sleep Trial: 100 nights

Organic mattress toppers are made of eco-friendly, naturally-occurring materials, not the standard memory foam we generally see in these designs, which would explain the premium price point the Birch Plus Organic sells for. This topper is made of cotton, wool, and latex that provides a soft landing after a long day. The plush, high-quality design gives it extra room for airflow, and the breathability was definitely noticeable for dissipating body heat on warmer nights. Plus, there was absolutely no off-gassing to speak of. Once we finagled the two-inch pad on the bed, we detected the smallest amount of stretch underhand. This was actually a big plus, since it meant that a good morning stretch wouldn't completely pull the topper out of alignment on top of the bed. 

The latex construction also ended up being a major perk, since it helps mimic the body-contouring effects of a memory foam option. The fact is, it’s never going to be as soft as a foamy topper, but it’s a small sacrifice for a slightly more luxe organic construction. Also notable is Birch Living’s 100-night sleep trial period, which allows customers to return the topper for a full refund if they aren’t happy with it, plus the 10-year warranty that sets you up for success from the very beginning. Just don’t throw it in the dryer—like most other toppers, this is a spot-clean only situation. For a splurge-y, sustainable purchase that'll help you sleep better at night, this one's right on the money. But for most people who don't have $500 to spend on a mattress, the Company Store option is still our top pick for value and its unbeatable lifetime warranty.

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