Best Innerspring Mattress
By Sarah Anderson, Certified Sleep Science Coach 
Innerspring mattresses are one of the oldest and most popular beds on the market. They’re often made from steel springs and a padded pillow top filled with feathers or cotton.
Innerspring beds stay relevant for their support and breathability compared to newer beds. They also provide cushioning comparable to foam mattresses, so there’s a lot to love about them.
Our guide goes over the best innerspring mattress and how to choose the right bed for you.
Best Innerspring Mattress: Zoma Boost
The best spring mattresses often combine responsive coil support with a pillowy surface, and the Zoma Boost is no exception. We went above and beyond to establish an instantly cooling surface that’s quick to relax sleepers, cushioning and supporting their bodies for lengthy, unbroken rest.
With its innovative design, the Zoma Boost features a hybrid construction that combines the best of both worlds. The top layers of quilted hypersoft foam, graphite-infused memory foam, and Reactiv™ foam work together to provide cushioning and pressure relief, while the support core of durable pocketed coils conforms to your body and minimizes strain.
Pocketed coils are usually considered superior to traditional coils because they have individual wrappings. These wrappings allow the coils to react individually to movements, so your motion would be carried across the mattress and jar a partner out of sleep.
Along with the contouring and responsive coils, the Zoma Boost features a thicker top than what many classic innerspring mattresses would have. The quilted top foam layer and underlying graphite-infused memory foam compress for full-body pressure relief, while Reactiv™ provides the light pushback needed to keep sleepers from sinking too far and feeling uncomfortable.
Completing the Zoma Boost is a premium cooling cover fabric, delivering chilly comfort like a relaxing cool compress on the skin. Its light on delicate skin, yet durable enough to withstand years of use.
With the Boost’s top-of-the-line construction and superior comfort, you’ll wake up feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day. For shoppers’ security, the Zoma Boost and all of our mattresses come with a 10-year warranty and a 100-night sleep trial.
Best Affordable Innerspring Mattress: Zoma Hybrid
The best innerspring mattress for those on a tighter budget is the Zoma Hybrid. We built it to soothe pain, boost physical performance, and foster deeper sleep. Whether you’re an athlete, work a demanding job, or want extra rest and restoration, the Zoma Hybrid can improve your nights.
The Zoma Hybrid is 12 inches thick and has a medium-soft feel, which is about a 4 out of 10 on a mattress firmness scale. It’s a great choice for people seeking a mattress for athletes. We also recommend it for joint pain sufferers, side sleepers, hot sleepers, and petite people.
We wrapped the Zoma Hybrid with our proprietary AirCloth cover. This stretchy fabric draws away body heat and keeps you dry while you sleep.
At the top of the Zoma Hybrid is gel memory foam with cooling air perforations. The memory foam cushions your curves to soothe pain and pressure points. With it, the gel and perforations keep you cool and promote air circulation.
Under the first layer of foam is our Reactiv™ transition foam. This layer keeps you cool, adapts to your body, and distributes your body weight. The Reactiv™ foam also adds a needed bounce to the bed.
The Zoma Hybrid features pocketed steel coils for excellent spinal support and bounce. The coils on the sides of the mattress are firm for added edge support, making it easy to climb in and out of bed.
We produce the Zoma Hybrid right here in the USA. It’s CertiPUR-US® certified, so the foam is free of heavy metals, phthalates, formaldehyde, and low in VOCs.
When you purchase the Zoma Hybrid, we provide free shipping, free returns, a 100-night sleep trial, and a 10-year warranty.
What to Look For in an Innerspring Mattress
When shopping for an innerspring bed, there are several key points to look for. Compare different coil types, coil counts, and comfort layers.
Coil Type
The type of coils in your innerspring mattress affect how it performs and how long the bed will last. Still, coil type isn’t the end-all-be-all of finding a good innerspring mattress.
The four main types of coil systems are Bonnell, offset, continuous, and pocketed:
- Bonnell coils: Bonnell coils are one of the oldest and cheapest types of coils on the market. The coils are bound by helical wires and reinforced with a thick wire around their perimeter. Bonnell coils are firm, supportive, and have high weight capacities.
- Offset coils: Offset coils are like Bonnell coils, only they have more of an hourglass shape. The bottom of the coils is flat and hinges when you lay on your mattress. This allows for optimal contouring and motion isolation.
- Continuous coils: Continuous coils are a set of coils made from a single piece of wire. While they’re inexpensive, the coils cause motion transfer and won’t contour to your body well. They’re also most likely to break and squeak.
- Pocketed coils: Pocketed coils are generally the best type of coil. Each coil is wrapped in a lightweight fabric to prevent breakage and contour to your body. Since pocketed coils have such a unique design, they’re the priciest option.
Coil Count
Coil count is useful to determine what innerspring mattress is most supportive. Coil count refers to how many coils are in a single mattress and will vary depending on how a mattress’s size. For a queen size mattress, you can expect to see somewhere around 1000 coils inside of it.
Generally, more coils equal a better mattress, but this isn’t always the case. Some brands may inflate the number of coils in their beds by using thin, low-quality coils. So, don’t use coil count as your only factor when choosing a bed. If you’re unsure whether a mattress has high-quality coils, refer to its coil type.
Comfort Layer
The top layers in traditional innerspring mattresses are usually pillow tops or Euro tops.
A pillow top is a comfort layer sewn on top of an innerspring mattress. They’re easy to identify since they look like large pillows on your bed. There’s also an indent between the pillow top and the rest of the bed. Pillow tops are made from fibrous materials such as down, organic cotton, wool, or feathers.
One of the issues with pillow tops is that they may shift out of place with time. So, another comfort layer option is the Euro top. Unlike pillow tops, Euro tops are sewn under the mattress’s cover and are flush with the rest of the layers. Not only does it look nicer, but the comfort layer is less likely to shift out of place this way. Euro tops are made from foam or foam blends.
Benefits of an Innerspring Mattress
Nothing beats the support and breathability of an innerspring mattress. You may want an innerspring mattress for the support, springiness, low cost, or cool feel.
Supportive
Innerspring mattresses provide a supportive sleeping surface thanks to their sturdy coils. Proper spinal support is crucial when sleeping to prevent pain, stiffness, and discomfort. Poor spinal alignment also disrupts your sleep, leaving you fatigued when waking up.
Breathable
Since innerspring mattresses are made up of steel coils, there’s a lot of space for air to flow. Good airflow prevents the mattress from overheating, keeping you cool while you sleep. A cool mattress is less likely to form mold or mildew, meaning you can use it for longer.
Affordable
Innerspring beds are one of the most affordable mattress options across the board. While you can find luxury innerspring mattresses, there are also budget innerspring mattresses.
An innerspring mattress can cost as little as $100 or up to $2000 or more. Generally, you can get a good, queen size innerspring bed for around $500. See our guide on how much a mattress costs for an in-depth comparison of the main types of mattresses.
Responsive
One of the great things about innerspring beds is their bounce and adaptability. They respond well under your body weight, but won’t leave you feeling unable to move in bed. Restless sleepers will enjoy how they can roll around without feeling “stuck.”
Who Should Use an Innerspring Mattress?
While anyone can use an innerspring bed, there are several groups that do best on these beds. This includes hot sleepers, back pain sufferers, and large people.
Hot Sleepers
Innerspring beds are popular for how cool they stay throughout the night. Air flows through each coil, preventing you and the mattress from getting hot while you sleep. After all, a cool environment is optimal for deep, undisturbed sleep.
While foam mattresses are breathable, innerspring mattresses are one of the most reliable cooling mattress for hot sleepers.
People With Back Pain
If you deal with chronic back pain, the high support of an innerspring mattress may help you. The coils in innerspring beds provide excellent spinal support to reduce back pain. Innerspring beds have comfort layers to prevent any tightness around your lower back.
However, some sleepers may prefer another type of bed when seeking a mattress for back pain. For many, a memory foam mattress for back pain is an affordable and comfortable way to reduce pain.
When seeking a mattress for back pain, always be sure to consider mattress firmness. The ideal firmness level to reduce pain varies based on your sleeping position. For instance, back sleepers are most comfortable on medium-firm beds. Similarly, stomach sleepers should consider firm options.
Plus-Sized People
Heavier people often sink into foam mattresses, leaving them feeling unsupported and uncomfortable. Innerspring mattresses keep plus-sized people lifted and prevent the bed from “bottoming out.” Beds generally offer more support than other beds, which larger people need when shopping for a mattress for heavy sleepers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does an innerspring mattress need a box spring?
People usually use box springs with their innerspring beds, but this isn’t necessary. Low profile box springs are boxes that absorb shock, prevent wear, and help your mattress last. They also lift your mattress up for people who prefer high-profile beds.
If you only have a traditional bed frame, you’ll need a box spring for your innerspring mattress. However, if you have a platform bed, a solid foundation, or a slatted foundation, you can skip the box spring. You can place box springs over these foundations for added height, but it isn’t necessary.
Can you put an innerspring mattress directly on slats?
Yes, innerspring mattresses work on slatted foundations and platform beds with slats. Generally, the slats should be no more than 2 to 3 inches apart to support your innerspring mattress.
Review your manufacturer’s warranty and see what foundations they approve for your innerspring bed. Using the wrong foundation is the easiest way to void your warranty.
Do innerspring mattresses sag?
Yes, all mattresses sag with age, including innerspring mattresses. After 6 to 8 years, your innerspring bed may develop an indent towards the center, feel lumpy, soft, and yes, saggy. No mattress lasts forever when you use it nightly.
If you notice your new innerspring bed sagging within a few months, it’s likely defective. Most warranties cover sags, so reach out to the manufacturer to have it repaired or replaced.
Are innerspring mattresses better than foam mattresses?
There’s no definitive answer to whether innerspring or foam mattresses are better. The best mattress type is ultimately subjective.
Foam mattresses last longer than innerspring mattresses (8 to 10 years versus 6 to 8 years). Still, many people prefer the bounce and cooler feel of an innerspring bed. Conversely, other people prefer the pressure relief of memory foam mattresses.
Innerspring and foam mattresses have different price ranges and all types of firmnesses.
What’s the difference between innerspring mattresses and hybrid mattresses?
While hybrids and innerspring mattresses may seem similar, they have several key differences. Hybrid beds must contain pocketed coils and foam layers thicker than 2 inches. Innerspring beds might contain pocketed coils and don’t always contain foam.
Hybrid and innerspring mattresses last around 6 to 8 years. Even then, hybrid mattresses are much costlier than innerspring ones.
Conclusion
The traditional innerspring mattress holds a special place in many people’s hearts. If you want an innerspring bed, look for one with durable coils and a sturdy comfort layer to ensure it’ll last as long as possible. Use our guide as a resource when comparing different innerspring mattresses so you find the best one for you.
This article is for informational purposes and should not replace advice from your doctor or other medical professional.
Sarah Anderson, Certified Sleep Science Coach
Sarah Anderson is a sleep, health, and wellness writer and product reviewer. She has written articles on changing and improving your sleep schedule, choosing the right mattress for chronic pain conditions, and finding the best pillow for you. Sarah Anderson has her Bachelor of Arts degree from Arizona State University in Journalism and Mass Communications. Prior to working for Zoma, she wrote for a variety of news publications. Sarah's work has been featured on Bustle, PureWow, and other publications.
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