7 of the Best Soft Mattresses of 2025

Over our years of mattress testing, we’ve created tests that we use to rate mattresses on key factors.

Firmness and feel

You can think of firmness as how firm or soft a mattress is when you lie on it. We’ve tested hundreds of mattresses and have an extensive catalog to compare with every new bed we test.

When we rate for sensation, we deal with the bed. As we push the bed, we watch what the material does. Does it take a second to bounce back like traditional memory foam, or is it quick and bouncy like latex foam?

Endurance

Mattresses don’t last forever, and you want to buy one that does. Based on its construction, we estimate how well a mattress will hold up to nighttime use. Beds that have steel coils as a foundation will generally last longer than all-foam mattresses.

Traffic isolation

Motion isolation is how well a mattress suppresses movement across the surface. This is a big deal for people who sleep with a partner or a pet that moves around at night. We bounce and bounce on the motion isolation mattress and see how much motion is detected. We also place a glass of water on the edge of the bed and roll and bounce near it. If it doesn’t roll over, the mattress has good movement isolation.

Edge support

Mattress edge support is how firm the perimeter of the bed is. We lie down and sit on the edge of the mattress and assess how firm it feels. If we feel like we’re going to fall, then the bed doesn’t have good edge support.

temperature

Hot sleepers should look for mattresses with cooling technology. Many mattresses claim to have it, but we know the difference between marketing and a cooling construction that will actually cool you.

Our CNET Sleep editors chose the beds and other products we write about based on editorial merit. When you buy through our links, we may receive a commission. Learn more about how we test mattresses.