You’ve probably noticed that in most of our product roundups, we mention our extensive vetting process and how each product is carefully evaluated before it’s included in our articles.
Here, we break down our thought process when it comes to vetting mattresses and discuss the criteria behind our scoring system.
Healthline’s rigorous vetting process makes sure that you’ll only see recommendations for products and brands we stand behind.
Every product we recommend and every brand we work with is thoroughly vetted by our team for:
- medical credibility
- product quality
- company reputation
- good business practices
Every mattress we consider must first go through our vetting process. Here’s what our Healthline experts consider:
- product composition
- material and textile certifications
- health claims
- company or brand reputation
If a mattress passes vetting, we then put it through our scoring rubric. From there, we give it a Healthline score based on the following factors:
- affordability
- warranty
- shipping
- trial period
- additional features
- size availability
- user ratings
- quality of materials
The higher the score is for a mattress, the greater the value of the product in our eyes. We break these down for you below.
Affordability
We use queen-size mattress prices to determine affordability.
Based on the variety of mattresses we have vetted, the standard price of a mattress is about $1,500–$2,000. So when considering affordability, we set the higher end of that price range as our baseline. Mattresses that fall under $2,000 are awarded a maximum of four points, while those above are given three points.
Financing is always a plus, so we award brands with that option an extra point.
| Price | Points |
|---|---|
| under $2,000 | 4 |
| over $2,000 | 3 |
| financing options available | 1 |
Warranty
Warranties can vary widely in the world of mattresses. So we award points based on the length of the warranties. Lifetime warranties get the most points.
Standard warranties for most mattress brands range from 10–25 years. We broke up that range, and we award more points to the brands with longer warranties.
| Warranty | Points |
|---|---|
| lifetime | 5 |
| 25+ years | 4 |
| 16–24 years | 3 |
| 10–15 years | 2 |
| 0–9 years | 1 |
| none | 0 |
Shipping
Most mattress companies offer free shipping and free returns, which we see as a bonus. But a select few will ask you to pay a fee to return the mattress — in that case, we deduct a point. Some companies will also require you to return the mattress within a certain time frame, outside of the warranty period.
| Shipping | Points |
|---|---|
| free shipping | 2.5 |
| free returns | 2.5 |
| free shipping and returns with limitations (within X days) | -1 |
Trial period
When it comes to finding the best mattress for you, you may need time to decide if it actually suits your lifestyle. Brands with a 1-year trial period score a 5/5 in our book because they offer the luxury of time.
Many brands offer 100 days to trial a mattress, which is probably long enough to get a sense for whether you like the product.
Some mattress brands offer a trial period between 100 days and a year, so we keep that in mind when awarding points.
| Trial Period | Points |
|---|---|
| 365+ days | 5 |
| 101–364 days | 4 |
| 51–100 days | 3 |
| 0–50 days | 2 |
| none | 0 |
Additional features
Yeah, mattresses are cool, but are they actually cooling? Can they adjust with you? Are they smart?
These are just some of the questions we ask when vetting mattresses. If they have additional features, that’s great — extra points for them! If not, that’s fine too.
| Feature | Points |
|---|---|
| cooling technology | 1.5 |
| compatible with adjustable base | 1.5 |
| smart bed technology | 2 |
Size availability
Standard mattress sizes are twin, full, queen, king, and California king. But other sizes are available, which may come as a surprise to some mattress shoppers. These sizes include split kings, full XL mattresses, and more.
The more sizes a brand offers, the more points we award it.
Some mattress brands have specialty mattress series that are only available in one or two sizes. In those cases, we rate them one point for every size of mattress available. For example, if a Healthline Preferred Golden Mattress existed and had only a queen and king size available, we’d award two points to ourselves.
| Availability | Points |
|---|---|
| 5+ | 5 |
| 4 | 4 |
| 3 | 3 |
| 2 | 2 |
| 1 | 1 |
User ratings
Mattresses are an investment, and when it comes to picking where you’re going to rest your head for a recommended 7–9 hours, you want to make sure that you’re buying the right one.
That’s why reviews are important — you can learn from those who bought before you. So, when vetting a mattress or brand, we review user ratings on Trustpilot and score them based on the average star ratings.
Quality of materials
The quality of materials can make a big difference in how good of an investment a mattress is, especially if you’re looking for an organic or allergen-resistant mattress.
We assess mattresses for quality in the following three areas: certifications, durability, and allergen resistance.
| Quality consideration | Points |
|---|---|
| certifications | 2 |
| durability | 2 |
| allergen resistance | 1 |
Certifications
There are a number of organizations that third-party test mattresses and have strict requirements in place to earn their stamp of approval. Most of these certifications make sure that the materials are not toxic for people.
When selecting mattresses to feature, we look for those with any of the following certifications:
Durability
Latex mattresses score the most points because they offer good value and have a couple of other solid features.
They’re durable and have a life span of over 20 years, compared with hybrid and memory foam mattresses, which last for 10–15 years, and spring mattresses, with a life span of 5–8 years.
Natural latex is also an eco-friendly material, and it provides a natural cooling effect, which many mattress types don’t have.
Latex mattresses also conform to your body but bounce back when you move in your sleep or get up.
| Material | Points |
|---|---|
| latex | 2 |
| hybrid/memory foam | 1 |
| coils, spring, other | 0 |
Allergen resistance
When selecting mattresses to feature in our articles, we also ask: Is the product made out of an allergy-resistant material that includes memory foam, latex, or natural materials? If so, we give it a point.
Only mattress brands that meet our strict criteria pass our vetting process.
This helps make sure that as you’re researching and shopping for a mattress, you’re able to determine the best product for your needs, priorities, and budget.