The Best Mattress Toppers of 2026

Written by
Camryn Rabideau, writer and product tester with over 8 years of experience. Her work has also appeared in Forbes Vetted, People Tested and Buy Side from WSJ.
Esther Bell, Writer and fitness fanatic with two years experience testing equipment and more.

Updated September 12, 2025

Whether you’re looking to add plushness and comfort to your bed or rejuvenate an old mattress, a mattress topper can help. Toppers can add support and comfort and even relieve pressure points while you snooze. Mattress toppers come in a variety of materials and price points, so we gathered popular options and put them head-to-head to see which are worth it.

Other Mattress Toppers We Tested

Easeland Pillow Top Mattress Cover

For an inexpensive mattress pad to add plushness, look no further than the Easeland. It adds a level of coziness that will make your nights oh so comfortable.

It’s thick, but still lightweight and easy to install.

The topper’s elastic skirt prevents it from shifting on your mattress, and it can be thrown in the washer and dryer for easy cleaning. The main downside to this cotton mattress pad is that it didn’t keep me very cool overnight, so it may not be ideal for hot sleepers.

Pros

• Inexpensive

• Easy to wash

• Soft

Cons

• Not enough pressure relief

• Runs hot

Buy now at Amazon

Nolah Mattress Topper

The Nolah mattress topper is made with the company’s signature “Air Foam” material, meant to provide better pressure relief and keep you cooler than memory foam. While it’s comfortable to sleep on, I don’t think it keeps me any cooler or more relaxed than the traditional memory foam toppers on this list.

This topper is available in two firmness options, “plush” and “luxury firm”—I tested the plush. This two-inch topper is thinner than some other options we tested, but it didn’t sacrifice comfort. As a side sleeper, I think it’s very comfortable and provides excellent pressure relief. (Back and stomach sleepers may want to check out the firm option for added support.)

Its corner straps help hold it in place, and I only experienced minor shifting while testing. It may be spot-cleaned as needed.

Pros

• Multiple firmness options

• Excellent pressure relief

• Stays in place

Cons

• Doesn't keep quite as cool

• Spot clean only

Buy now at Nolah Sleep

Linenspa 2 Inch Gel Memory Foam

If you’re looking for a no-frills topper for cheap, check out the Linen Spa. It’s not my favorite on this list, but it gets the job done.

This topper is essentially a two-inch-thick hunk of memory foam, lacking a cover. It’s infused with a “cooling gel” that helps diffuse heat and keeps me chill all night.

My main complaint with this topper is that it’s too squishy for my liking. I sank into it, and not in a good way.

It mostly stayed in place during testing with only some minor shifting, and it easily fits under a standard fitted sheet. You may spot-clean this topper by hand, but make sure to dry it thoroughly before placing it back under your sheets.

Pros

• Affordable

• Temperature regulation

Cons

• Not supportive enough

• No fabric cover

• Spot clean only

Buy now at Amazon

Avocado Green Natural Latex Mattress Topper - Plush

The Avocado topper is extremely comfy to sleep on—it strikes just the right balance between plush comfort and support—but there are still some downsides that led it to fall further down in our rankings.

This topper is heavy and flimsy—at 32 pounds for a full bed, it’s heavier than most other toppers we tested, making unboxing and setting up more of a pain. Once on my mattress, it moved around a lot and created quite a bit of overhang on the sides after a few nights of use.

I love the feel of this topper, and if you’re willing to adjust at least once a week, it may still be worth it, especially if shopping organic is important to you.

Pros

• Extremely plush

• Breathable

Cons

• Heavy

• Shifts off your mattress

Buy now at Avocado Mattress

Sleep on Latex Pure Green Natural Latex - Soft

The Sleep on Latex Pure Green isn’t one of my favorites. Like the Linen Spa topper, the Pure Green is just a rectangle of latex foam, though you can add a cover for a fee, which starts at $50 but varies by mattress size. You can select the thickness—it comes in 1, 2, and 3 inches—as well as a soft, medium, or firm feel.

I tested the medium firm option, but the latex foam doesn’t offer enough support for my liking—I felt myself sinking into the topper too much. It also runs hot and shifts off my mattress considerably during testing.

Pros

• Customizable thickness and firmness

• Bounces back quickly

Cons

• Doesn't prevent overheating

• Shifts off your mattress

• Doesn't offer enough support

Buy now at Amazon

Why You Should Trust Us

We rounded up mattress toppers from popular sleep brands like Saatva, Avocado, and Leesa to see which brands came out on top. I slept on each topper for a week, evaluating everything from the unboxing process to comfort, and also considered care instructions.

We looked for things like: Does the topper have an odor upon unboxing? Did the topper stay in place while testing? Does the topper have any special features?

After using each mattress topper, I scored them numerically and ranked them to help you decide which ones to consider.

Things to Consider About Mattress Toppers

Mattress Topper vs Mattress Pad

As you search for mattress toppers, you’ll likely also get results for mattress pads. These products are pretty similar, and companies often use the terms interchangeably, but there’s a distinct difference between the two.

Mattress toppers are a removable layer of cushioning that you place on top of your mattress. If you bought a firm mattress that seemed okay for a month but now gives you back aches and pains, you can address it with a topper. (The opposite applies if you want to firm up a soft mattress.)

These products are designed to provide additional cushion and/or support, and they’re often purchased by people who want to extend the life of an older mattress or are unhappy with the feel of their current sleep surface (we’re looking at you, college kids).

Generally, mattress pads are between 1 and 4 inches thick and are commonly made from the same materials as mattresses, such as memory foam and latex.

Mattress pads, on the other hand, are essentially a hybrid of a mattress topper and mattress protector. The main distinguishing factors between the two products are the thickness of the pad and the presence of a bed skirt.

Mattress pads provide some added comfort and support, but significantly less so than a mattress topper—they might give you a little extra cushion, but they won’t bring a sagging mattress back to life. They also come with bed skirts that hold them in place, while toppers sit on top of the mattress.

FAQs: Mattress Toppers

How do you keep a mattress topper in place?

You might be thinking, “If a mattress topper doesn’t have a bed skirt, won’t it slide around?” The answer is generally no.

Most mattress toppers are pretty thick and heavy, so just using a sheet over them is enough to keep them in the proper position. A few of the models we tested had straps to anchor the topper to your mattress if you toss and turn, but we found this generally wasn’t necessary.

How do you clean a memory foam mattress topper?

Many people eat and drink in bed, which can pose a problem if you spill something on your mattress topper. Some down-alternative toppers can be tossed in the washing machine, but the process is a bit more cumbersome if you have a memory foam topper.

To clean a memory foam mattress topper, you’ll want to vacuum the surface first. If there are stains, you’ll have to spot-treat them using a mixture of mild soap and water. You’ll then need to use a sponge to rub the solution over the spot gently.

Make sure you let it dry completely before putting the topper back on your bed. Never use bleach or harsh cleaners on memory foam, as it can degrade the material.

To avoid this hassle altogether, you may want to consider a mattress topper that includes a machine-washable cover. Alternatively, you can put a mattress protector over your topper to keep out unwanted liquids.

What makes the best mattress topper for side sleepers?

Side sleepers put extra pressure on their hips and shoulders when they sleep — a softer mattress topper that cradles the body to give extra support to those pressure points can make for a more comfortable, more refreshing night's rest. Look for a mattress topper that skews more soft than firm, especially if you sleep on a firmer mattress. Both latex toppers and memory foam toppers can be a good choice for side sleepers: latex models don't tend to hold onto heat the way memory foam does (important if you run hot when you sleep) and generally offers a more responsive feel; memory foam offers more of a sink-in feel like a hug that can feel great on pressure points. Our pick for the best mattress topper is the Saavta Graphite Memory Foam Topper.

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