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Whether your mattress is too firm, soft, hot, or painful on your joints and muscles, the best mattress toppers can address your sleep concerns and add extra comfort at a lower cost than completely replacing your bed.
We've tested nearly 30 toppers and pads and interviewed several medical professionals and sleep scientists to find the best mattress toppers. Our top pick is the Parachute Down Mattress Pad; it's machine washable, comfortable, supportive, and dissipates heat well. For extra pressure relief, you'll want to consider the Nolah Mattress Topper; it's cushy without causing too much sinkage, breathable and doesn't slide around. Side and back sleepers will benefit the most from it. For those after the best Twin XL mattress toppers, all of our picks are available in this dorm-standard size too.
A mattress topper or pad can be an invaluable way to tailor your bed to your specific needs, especially for those living in college dorms or furnished rentals. They're also useful for adding extra cushion atop stiff sofa beds or to pack along when camping. That said, if your existing bed is sagging, lumpy, or no longer supportive, a topper will not solve your problems, and you should consider investing in one of our recommendations for the best mattress.
Learn more about how Insider Reviews tests and reviews home products.
Top picks for mattress toppers
Best overall: Parachute Down Mattress Pad - See at Parachute
Best budget: Lucid Bamboo Charcoal Memory Foam Mattress Topper - See at Amazon
Best for back pain: Tempur-Pedic TEMPUR-Adapt Mattress Topper - See at Tempur-Pedic
Best for pressure relief: Nolah Mattress Topper - See at Nolah
Best cooling: GhostBed Memory Foam Topper - See at Amazon
Best hotel-style: Marriott Mattress Topper - See at Amazon
Best latex: Avocado Eco Organic Mattress Topper - See at Avocado
Best overall
The Parachute Down Mattress Pad was one of the best in every category we tested, including heat dissipation, motion isolation, comfort, support, and fit.
- Excellent heat dissipation
- Comfortable and supportive
- Made in the US
- Attaches to your mattress like a fitted sheet
- Machine washable
- Best motion isolation
- Warranty void if tag removed
- Deep pockets cause the skirt to hang down on thinner beds
- Not a good solution for people with down allergies
The Parachute Down Mattress Pad did well in every category we tested. The only category in which it was just "good" was the surface temperature immediately after getting up. Yet two minutes after getting up, it registered cooler temps than before I laid down. It was one of only two toppers to dissipate heat this well.
Parachute recommends machine washing your Down Mattress Pad before you sleep on it. Once it's ready, the topper goes on your mattress like a fitted sheet and has deep pockets to fit mattresses up to 18 inches thick. I liked that it stayed in place well and didn't shift. However, the deep pockets cause the skirt to hang down the sides of thinner mattresses, creating an unattractive appearance. You'll want to try to tuck the extra fabric under the mattress.
The topper follows a featherbed design and is made of a thick layer of European white down and feather fibers in a sateen cotton shell with a baffle-box construction to resist shifting. The down of the topper kept me cool while offering plush comfort. I fell asleep quickly each night and woke up feeling refreshed. I preferred to sleep on my side, but it wasn't overly soft, so I felt good on my back and stomach as well.
The Parachute Down Mattress Pad is also a smart choice for couples because it performed the best in our motion transfer tests.
My biggest negative is related to the warranty. The tag on the pad states that the warranty is void if removed.
I recommend the down-alternative pad for allergy sufferers. It didn't cool as well and felt a little too soft for stomach and back sleepers, but the pad was similar in other areas and cost $80 less.
Best budget
The Lucid Bamboo Charcoal Memory Foam Mattress Topper incorporates bamboo and charcoal for its moisture-wicking and odor-neutralizing properties.
- Excellent cooling properties
- Great motion isolation
- Made of CertiPUR-US certified foam
- Stays in place
- Easy to set up
- May be too soft for some sleeping styles and body types
- Plush design hinders movement
The first thing I noticed when I lay on the Lucid Bamboo Charcoal Memory Foam Mattress Topper was how much I sunk in. The topper is available in 2-, 3-, and 4-inch thicknesses. I tested the 3-inch-thick model, which was a little too soft for me, and I like soft. Unless you require the softest of the soft, I'd recommend trying the 2-inch style instead to ensure you are keeping your spine aligned correctly.
Despite the overbearing plushness, which made sleeping on my stomach uncomfortable, I woke up feeling refreshed after each night I slept on the Lucid Bamboo Charcoal topper.
The topper is nothing more than a slab of CertiPUR-US certified, bamboo charcoal-infused memory foam. There is an option to add a cover for certain sizes. Several holes help with heat dissipation, which works since the Lucid topper never got very hot in my tests. When I got up from it, the heat dissipated quickly.
The thick foam also helped with motion transfer, causing this model to register one of the lowest scores on the vibration meter I used for this test. Despite not attaching to the bed, it stayed in place as I slept on it.
There weren't any instructions for setup, and I was confused by the low-grade fabric covering that came on the topper. (I assumed it was for shipping purposes and tossed it.) The topper had a strong initial odor and was compressed, but it expanded and was odor-free by bedtime.
Best for back pain
If you suffer from chronic lower back pain, you'll appreciate the body-contouring foam of the Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Adapt Topper.
- Made of supportive and pressure-relieving memory foam
- Good heat dissipation
- Removable and machine-washable cover
- 10-year warranty
- Easy to set up
- No trial period
- Shifts a bit in the night
- Hard to put the cover back on after washing it
We've long appreciated the supportive feel of Tempur-Pedic's proprietary memory foam, and if you want the Tempur-Material without splurging on an entirely new mattress, the Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Adapt mattress topper is your best alternative. It slowly adjusted to the contours of my body and kept my spine aligned no matter what position I slept in.
Since we first tested this topper, Tempur-Pedic has updated the model to address an issue we had with it shifting around during the night. The topper now has straps to keep it in place, and we were able to test the updated version. The new straps did help lessen shifting, though it still tends to migrate a few inches over the week.
The pad features a washable poly-blend cover primarily made of polyester that zips off. Removing and washing the cover was easy, but putting it back on was a different story. It took me about 10 minutes to slide the cover on the floppy pad. I recommend just putting a mattress protector over it (and your mattress) to save the hassle.
Setting up the Tempur-Topper Adapt was intuitive. There was minimal initial odor, which completely dissipated by bedtime. It did take several hours to inflate to its full size, so make sure to leave some time before hopping into bed. The topper also did a good job of staying cool, and when I got up from it, the heat dissipated quickly.
Unfortunately, you can't return the topper once you receive it. However, there is an impressive 10-year warranty, so you can get a replacement if there are manufacturing defects. The motion isolation is also just average.
Best for pressure relief
Nolah’s two-inch mattress topper, available in two firmnesses, adds a cushy layer to your bed that won’t leave you feeling trapped and provides excellent pressure relief.
- Extremely comfortable, with two firmness levels to choose from
- Sleeps temperature-neutral and doesn’t trap heat
- Straps to connect
- May be too soft for stomach sleepers
- Slightly smaller than surface area of the bed
- Spot clean only
I've been sleeping with the Nolah Mattress Topper intermittently for nearly two years when I stay at my parents' house. While I found it immediately comfortable when my back was healthy, it also offered immense relief while I recovered from the worst back pain of my life.
Nolah's two-inch topper is the perfect cushioning layer to add foam to your bed without enveloping you or making it difficult to shift positions. It's available in two comfort options — plush and luxury firm — and features Nolah's proprietary "AirFoam," a temperature-neutral polyfoam (CertiPUR-US-certified, of course) that doesn't trap heat and offers excellent pressure relief. An organic cotton cover incorporates an extra layer of breathability. As a back sleeper, I found comfort and support with the firmer option, which still feels soft and cradling without making me feel trapped. Whether on my back or side, I never felt pressure build up on my shoulders or hips or around my lower back, helping both with alignment and easing aches and pains.
I also put the Nolah mattress topper through our range of tests. My vibrometer app registered low vibrations when I dropped a 10-pound weight and bounced around to test motion transfer, indicating good motion isolation (but keep in mind the true degree of motion isolation will be determined by the mattress underneath). When measuring heat dissipation, the Nolah dropped about eight degrees in two minutes, which suggests slightly below-average heat dissipation compared to other toppers my colleagues have reviewed. Fortunately, I never felt too warm on this topper, and while it won't actively cool you, you won't wake up sweaty either.
The design incorporates elastic straps to hold the topper in place. Third-party reviews mention that the topper can shift on the bed, and I can see it being a little floppy, but I found that a good-fitting mattress protector kept everything snugly in place. This is even more necessary because the Nolah topper is spot-clean only. My biggest concern is that the topper is slightly smaller than the standard dimensions of a full-size bed, stopping short at about three-quarters of an inch on either side, exposing the mattress below, and limiting the surface area of the topper. Again, once that mattress protector covers it, you don't notice this as much, nor does it seem to affect the edge support of my existing bed, but this is frustrating nonetheless. —Jaclyn Turner, senior home editor
Best cooling
The GhostBed Memory Foam Topper, with its unique airflow-promoting design, did an outstanding job of dissipating heat in our tests while providing soothing comfort for side sleepers.
- Excellent cooling and heat dissipation
- Plush comfort
- Great motion isolation
- Stays in place
- Zoned support for good pressure relief
- Made of CertiPUR-US certified gel-infused foam
- May be too soft for stomach sleepers, back sleepers, and heavier individuals
- No home trial
The GhostBed Memory Foam Topper is our pick for the best cooling topper because it did a good job of staying cool and an outstanding job of dissipating heat in our tests. The temperature-regulating CertiPUR-US certified gel memory foam material and unique airflow-promoting design kept me cool and comfy all night long.
The GhostBed topper has five different zones to provide pressure relief and support where you need it most. The soft feel was great when sleeping on my side, but it may be a little too soft for stomach sleepers, back sleepers, and heavier individuals. The GhostBed Memory Foam Topper has impressive motion isolation registering among the best in our vibrometer tests.
I like that it comes with a cover that goes over the topper and mattress to keep the topper in place and provide waterproof protection for your mattress. I recommend using the cover since the mattress pad is spot clean only.
GhostBed didn't skimp on material. The topper goes right to the edge of the bed to add to the comfort. Setup was a breeze. You just remove it from the vacuum-sealed packaging and lay it out on your bed with the patterns facing up. The process took less than five minutes, and the pad was odor-free and fully expanded by bedtime.
The biggest negative is you can't return the topper if it isn't right for you. However, it's covered by a 5-year warranty.
Read our guide to the best cooling mattress toppers for more picks for hot sleepers.
Best hotel-style
If you're trying to recreate the experience of sleeping in a hotel bed at home, Marriott's Mattress Topper is a plush, comfortable option that will smooth out your bed without drastically changing the look and feel of your mattress.
- Plush and comfortable
- Sleeps cool
- Fits mattresses up to 15-inches thick
- Minimal shifting in the night
- Thinner than most toppers
- Short trial/return window
I spent over 150 nights away from home in the last year. After so much time sleeping in hotel beds, I began noticing all the tiny details I didn't like about my mattress at home. And during the nights I slept at home, I started to miss the dialed-in comfort of a hotel bed. When I realized you could actually buy the mattress toppers they use in Marriott brand hotels, I leaped at the chance to try it and see if it would make a difference on my own bed.
The Marriott Topper is a bit thinner than most other toppers and, by some accounts, might be considered a mattress pad. It features polyester fill in a scalloped baffle box construction to distribute the fill evenly throughout the topper. It's lightweight and as easy to put on the bed as a fitted sheet. It had no trouble fitting over my 15" thick mattress, although it says it has a 13-inch pocket depth.
The plush fill gives that cozy hotel bed feeling and makes it super easy to fall asleep. Since it's on the thinner side, there are no concerns with motion isolation or overheating. However, it does have a tendency to flatten out a bit in the night. This topper won't make a drastic difference in the feel of your bed but instead adds a nice plush layer for extra coziness. It's also a great option if your mattress has prominent tufting that you find difficult to sleep on; the Marriott Topper provides a nice, consistent sleeping surface.
Keep in mind that you'll pay an absurd amount for shipping if you order from Marriott (up to $30). You're much better off purchasing from Amazon. —Lauren Savoie, deputy executive editor
Best latex
The Avocado Eco Organic Mattress Topper is made from organic latex, and adds both support and comfort to your bed. It’s available in two heights and firmnesses.
- Combines comfort and support
- Different thickness and firmness options
- Good heat dissipation Good motion isolation and heat dissipation
- Cover is replaceable
- Doesn't shift
- No straps to secure in place
- Spot clean only
- Slow shipping
I'm a big fan of natural latex as a sustainable, responsive material. The soft rubber-like foam offers cushioning around the hips and shoulders while supporting your lower back and neck. You don't sink in like with memory foam; instead, there's more bounce.
Avocado's Eco Organic Mattress Topper is available in two and three-inch thicknesses, in medium (made with GOLS Dunlop) or plush (made with FSC-certified Talalay) firmness options. A base two-inch medium, which is recommended for back and side sleepers starts at $199; but it does go up in cost if you opt for the three-inch, which is suited for side sleepers.
Avocado's toppers are made of high-quality materials and feature a slew of eco-friendly certifications including OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100 and MADE SAFE as well as featuring organic certified materials. Avocado offers a 100-night free trial period and one-year warranty. It's the longest trial of any of the options of our list, but it's also the shortest warranty.
Our tester tried the three-inch plush mattress topper; avocado said the three-inch is its most popular offering. It was supportive and pressure-relieving, as well as comfortable on her side, back and stomach. It was also good at dampening motion.
It also slept pretty cool and didn't retain heating. The mattress topper didn't get anywhere near the average surface temperature of 89 degrees Farenheit, but rather closer to 84. It also went back to the room's ambient temperature in about 13 minutes
Read our Avocado Eco Organic Mattress Topper review.
What else we recommend
Bear Pro: Previously, the Bear Pro Topper was our pick for the best cooling mattress topper. It's made of copper-infused CertiPUR-US certified foam, stays in place well, and has excellent pressure relief. However, our new cooling topper pick, the GhostBed, did better at dissipating heat. However, the Bear does come with a 30-day trial, which is appealing if you want to judge the cooling properties for yourself.
Saatva Graphite Memory Foam Mattress Topper: Its average firmness was comfortable and supportive to sleep on, no matter my position, but it just wasn't the best in any of our categories. It does a good job of dissipating heat and features straps to secure it to your bed. However, it still shifted, and the topper has poor motion isolation.
Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Adapt + Cooling: This is supposed to be a high-end, better-cooling version of our best topper for back pain, but it didn't perform as well in our tests. Despite its name, it was also inferior at cooling and costs $100 more than the other Tempur-Pedic topper. However, it was comfortable to sleep on, has a removable, machine-washable cover, and is backed by a 10-year warranty.
Birch Plush Organic Latex Mattress Topper: While offering an extremely comfortable and responsive layer for back, stomach, and side sleepers; it just doesn't come in an many customizations as the Avocado Eco Organic Topper, and costs significantly more for less material. It also got pretty warm when we slept on it. It does however, have a lengthy trial and even more impressive warranty. The cover is also made with thermoregulating wool, while Avocado's is strictly organic cotton.
What to look for in a mattress topper
Here are the main attributes we looked for and how we tested them:
Setup: I timed how long it took me to unbox each mattress topper and if there were any unusual or non-intuitive steps. Aside from the Sleep Number and Eight Sleep toppers, each model took less than five minutes to set up. I noted if the topper came vacuum-sealed, had an initial odor, and if any smell dissipated by bedtime.
Fit: Once fully expanded, I measured each topper to see if it covered an 80-inch-by-60-inch queen mattress. After sleeping on the topper, I noted whether it stayed in place or shifted and if a fitted sheet with 13-inch-deep pockets could cover the topper and our 10-inch-thick test mattress. The fitted sheet stayed on through the night with all models we tested.
Heat dissipation: I used an infrared thermometer to measure the surface temperature of the part of the bed where my torso would be before lying on it for at least an hour, right after getting up, and two minutes after getting up. I compared the temperatures to determine which models were best at heat dissipation. I performed these tests several times until I felt confident in the measurements.
Support: This is a subjective test based on my four years of testing sleep products. Each morning, I would record any soreness I felt and how comfortable the topper felt the previous night. I'd then look at my sleep stats collected using the Garmin Forerunner 945 Smart Watch and note which positions felt most comfortable.
Motion isolation: I placed my phone with the Vibration Meter app open on the bed, about 12 inches from the right side. Next, I lifted a 15-pound bowling ball above my head and dropped it onto the topper so that it landed about 12 inches from the left side of the bed (and 36 inches from the phone). I performed this test five times and kept the median score.
Trial and warranty: Ideally, you can return a topper if it's not suitable for your body type and sleeping style. I looked at each topper's return policy/trial period and looked for any loopholes, like shipping costs. The median trial period for the models we tested was 30 nights, and I docked points if a topper didn't have a trial period. Also, since you want your topper to last, we looked at the warranties. The median warranty length is three years.
How we test mattress toppers
I tested all of the mattress toppers in this guide. In addition to sleeping on them, there are several objective tests I put each one through. The most important factors to consider when picking a topper are comfort, bed fit, and heat dissipation. I used the same queen-size mattress with each topper for consistency.
Test results for the main attributes we tested:
| Attribute | Parachute Down Pad | Lucid Bamboo Charcoal | GhostBed | Tempur-Pedic TEMPUR-Adapt | Nolah | Avoado Eco Organic |
| Firmness (1 softest to 10 firmest) | 4 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 5 | Varies |
| Motion isolation (1 awful to 10 best) | 10 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 8 |
| Heat dissipation (1 traps heat to 10 stays cool) | 9 | 9 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 9 |
| Size of queen | 60" x 75.5" | 58.5" x 77.5" x 3" | 59.5" x 79" x 3" | 58" x 77.5" x 3" | 60" x 80" x 2" | 80" x 60" x 2" (or 3" |
| Trial period | 60 nights | 30 nights | None | None | 30 nights | 100 nights |
| Warranty | 3 years | 3 years | 5 years | 10 years | 10 years | 1 year |
Mattress topper FAQs
What are the benefits of a mattress topper?
Mattress toppers are most commonly used to make beds more comfortable. They generally make mattresses feel softer, not firmer, so buy a topper if you're looking to give your mattress a softer feel. A topper also works well in an RV, as a sleeping mat, or as a guest bed in a pinch.
What is the difference between a mattress topper and a mattress pad?
A mattress topper can significantly alter a bed's feel and is typically made of foam or latex. Many mattress toppers are between two and four inches thick and sit on top of your mattress. Mattress pads are usually filled with down, down alternative fibers or wool and add a thin plush layer to your bed, but won't necessarily add more support. They go over your mattress like a fitted sheet and are usually easy to wash and can protect your mattress from dirt and extra wear and tear. Though for waterproofing and protection from bedbugs, dust mites, and dander, you'll want to use either along with one of the best mattress protectors.
Should you buy a new mattress or a mattress topper?
Mattresses should last 8 to 10 years. If you've had an uncomfortable bed for less than that, a mattress topper can reintroduce comfort to your sleep. Mattress toppers are great for softening a bed that's too firm, increasing motion isolation, and, in some instances, introducing cooling features, but if your bed is sagging, lumpy, or no longer supportive, a mattress topper is only a bandaid fix. If your bed is older than 10 years, look for a replacement in our best mattress guide.
How do you clean a mattress topper?
Most mattress toppers are not machine washable. Messes should be spot-cleaned with a damp towel and mild detergent in most cases. Then let the pad dry completely before covering it. When in doubt, consult the topper's user manual, tags, or the manufacturer's website.
Which mattress topper is suitable for your sleeping style?
Back sleepers tend to benefit from firmer mattress toppers, side sleepers prefer softer toppers, and stomach sleepers should choose a topper that doesn't sink in too much. The goal is to keep your spine aligned.
Is down ethical?
Found in many bedding products, including mattress pads and featherbeds, down does not come from the feathers of birds. Instead, it comes from the soft underbelly of a goose or duck raised for food. Because of this, down is a sustainable byproduct. Look for Responsible Down Standard certification to ensure the Five Freedoms of animal welfare are followed.
How do you keep a mattress topper from sliding?
The simplest solution is to use a fitted sheet or mattress protector that tightly covers the mattress and topper. Sheet suspenders can help with this. Non-skid mats also stop sliding. Velcro strips, safety pins, carpet tape, and duct tape also work but could cause damage to your mattress and topper.
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Disclosure: Written and researched by the Insider Reviews team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our partners. We may receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at [email protected].
