Best Innerspring Mattress Reviews 2020: Top 10 Comparison

By Richard Morse @insidebedroom

What is the most traditional type of mattress? Mattresses have developed from the original straw-filled and then feather-filled bags! Innerspring mattresses offer the bounce and support most people wanted. Want a bit of bounce at night - use a spring mattress!

Our best innerspring mattress reviews 2020 will help anybody wanting to buy an innerspring mattress to choose the mattress best suited to their needs. Most people have a rough idea of the type of mattress they need, and have decided on an innerspring design rather than a foam mattress. This comparison guide of innerspring mattresses will help you make an informed choice, rather than just a guess!

Here is what you will learn from this guide:

  • What is an innerspring mattress?
  • What different types on innerspring mattresses are available on the market?
  • How important is the type of coil in the mattress?
  • What are the best brands of such mattresses available online?

Best Innerspring Mattress Table of Contents

First: Our Best Innerspring Mattress Reviews 2019

Here is our opinion of the best innerspring mattresses available in 2020. In addition to the spring type we provide information on the number/type of comfort layers and the overall weight of the mattress. Weight is important for those that want to turn or flip their mattresses - as you should for maximum life.

What is an Innerspring Mattress?

An innerspring mattress is one containing springs rather then just foam. Many types of inner spring mattress also include one or more layers of foam, generally for comfort, although the bulk of the support comes from the springs. While they might not be as popular today as some latex or memory foam mattresses, spring mattresses are still preferred by many people. That can be extremely comfortable if used together with a latex or memory foam topper.

However, let's first have a look at our best Innerspring Mattress Reviews 2020 that provides you with our opinion of the best mattresses of this type. Once we have discussed our top 10 innerspring mattresses, we shall provide you with a Buyer's Guide that explains the various options and spring types available.

Here are more details on each of these listed above:

1. Aviya Mattress (Queen, Luxury Firm)

The Aviya mattress is a high quality mattress available in various sizes and levels of comfort. The quality of this mattress is reflected in its price, but we have placed it top of our list because it is a truly excellent innerspring mattress with other layers designed to provide various levels of comfort. We are reviewing here the Luxury Firm version, although we will also mention the other options as we proceed.

The Aviya Queen-size mattress is constructed using a support base of 800 individually pocketed 8" tall steel springs. This provides a strong base that not only enables each sleeping partner to be isolated from the movement of the other, but also provides individual support for each pressure point in the body. Your shoulders, lower back, hips and knees are all independently supported for maximum comfort and pain reduction if you have arthritis or other joint issues.

The innerspring unit is wrapped with 3 inches of foam. This increases the strength of the edges of the mattress, and the overall structure provides superb lumbar support and provides an extremely restful sleep. The soft quilted layer provides extra comfort.

Editor's Notes: This is a high quality mattress, but by no means the most expensive mattress on the market. Its structure provides a comfortable mattress in a range of hardness and comfort levels. You have 100 nights to check it out, and you can easily change it to a different level of hardness during that period. In addition to the Luxury Firm version, you can also choose from the Firm and Plush versions.

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2. Signature Sleep Signature 13 Inch Independently Encased Coil Mattress

The Signature Sleep Signature 13-inch independently encased coil mattress has a central support layer of independently encased steel coils that is covered all round with a number of cushioned layers. A layer of 3-zone foam forms a soft pillow top that is covered with bamboo rayon ticking material.

The pocketed coils and 3-Zone foam work together to ensure true motion separation and equal distribution of your weight over the mattress. This provides a comfortable yet firm base for your pressure points to provide support where it is most needed. The mattress is fire-resistant to Federal Flammability Standard 16 CFR 1633, and CertPUR-US certified to be very low in VOCs, chlorinated hydrocarbons, heavy metals and residual odor. It is constructed using 9.8" 15 gauge encased coil springs round the perimeter for durability, and 9.8" 13.5 gauge encased coils in the center for comfort.

Editor's Notes: The 3-Zone foam referred to comprises a lower high density support foam, a firm center for support to your hips and lower back, and a top pillow foam layer to offer an overall very comfortable mattress to sleep on. The separation of movement between partners is good, and like most innerspring mattresses, it offers good bounce and support for most night-time activities.

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3. Night Therapy Spring 13 Inch Deluxe Euro Box Top Spring Mattress

The Night Therapy 13-inch Euro Box Spring Mattress provides a combination of comfort and customized support. Manufactured by Zinus, this innerspring mattress not only keeps your spine in the correct alignment while sleeping, but it also helps to reduce the transfer of motion between you and your partner.

Construction: The core of the Night Therapy Spring mattress comprises 13-inch pocketed springs.

Here are the pros and cons of this mattress:

Editor's Notes: Most people who use this mattress find it good for them. There is sometimes an issue with innerspring mattresses with those more used to foam mattresses. The negative reviews relating to hardness may be related to this. If you prefer a mattress that is not too soft, and offering excellent support accompanied with good separation of movement between partners, then is this is ideal for you. Check the terms of the short one-year warranty.

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4. Classic Brands 11-Inch Engage Hybrid Mattress

This mattress is a hybrid, consisting of an innerspring core with a gel memory foam outer layer. The innerspring core consists of individually pocketed 6-inch steel springs that provide excellent support. Round this is wrapped a layer of gel memory foam that not only provides support for your joints and other pressure points, but also keeps you cool. Neck support is also provided as your shoulders sink into the memory foam and are supported by the pocketed springs, leaving your neck supported by the foam and comfort layer as it should be.

The gel absorbs body heat so you do not experience the temperature increases that many do with regular memory foams. The individually pocketed spring coils separates the motion of partner, so you are not disturbed when your partner moves around on the bed. Topping all of this is a quilted layer that adds to your comfort while in bed.

Editor's Notes: This mattress has received its position in our best innerspring mattress reviews 2020 list because it combines pocketed springs with memory foam. It should therefore be good for those needing proper support, particularly for their hips, shoulders and neck. Although it is fundamentally an innerspring mattress, some find it too soft, so try it before you buy it if possible.

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5. Beautyrest Recharge Simmons Luxury Firm Pillow Top Mattress

The Beautyrest Recharge Simmons Pillow Top Luxury Firm mattress is around 14 inches thick. It is a multi-layer mattress with a core of individually pocketed coil springs. The springs offer a firm base, while the top layers provide a luxury feel to what is an intrinsically foam mattress with excellent support properties.

The various layers are:

1) A 1.25 inch layer of fire-resistant fiber
2) A 1 inch layer of luxury Airfeel foam that helps keep you cool while sleeping.
3) A 0.5 inch layer of gel foam that provides comfort, and also helps keep you cool by absorbing your body heat.
4) A 0.5 inch layer of Plush comfort foam to add to your comfort.
5) A firm central core of pocketed coils.

Editor's Notes: This mattress would have been placed at #2 in our best innerspring mattress reviews 2020 were it not so new. It has only 3 reviews, and all of them were positive. No reason was given for the 4* review not being 5* - it was positive with no issues reported.

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6. Signature Sleep Contour 10 Inch

This 10" mattress consists of a core of independently encased/pocketed coils to ensure that the motion of each partner in the bed does not affect the other. It is also fitted with a 2.5-inch layer of foam each side to make it truly reversible. The high-density foam offers extra support and provides a comfortable sleeping surface. The foam ensures that your weight is distributed evenly along the mattress to remove excess pressure on your hips, shoulders and other pressure points.

Editor's Notes: The Signature Contour 10-inch mattress, like those above, is an innerspring mattress that relies on a core of pocketed springs or coils as opposed to interconnected springs. This not only leads to improved comfort, but also more independence for each sleeper. The independently encased coils separate the movement of each partner so that one does not disturb the sleep of the other when they move in bed.

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7. Zinus Sleep Master Ultima Comfort 13 Inch Deluxe Euro Box Top Spring

This mattress comprises a core of 7.5-inch steel iCoil pocketed springs which, like those above, not only support the contours of your body, but also isolate you from the movements of your partner. Over the springs are two layers of foam: one of a high density foam, and another of a pressure-relieving comfort foam. Together, these three layers offer a strong core with a comfortable top that ensures maximum support with maximum comfort.

Editor's Notes: The comfort layers of this mattress could perhaps be slightly thicker, but otherwise it is highly supportive, offering good separation of movement between partners.

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8. Classic Brands Mercer 12 Inch Hybrid Cool Gel Memory Foam and Innerspring Mattress

The 12-inch Mercer Hybrid Gel Memory Foam Innerspring Mattress has a core of steel coil innersprings that are individually wrapped to compress independently. This is ensures that those sleeping on it are not affected by the movement of their partner. The 5-inches of gel memory foam topping not only provide all the body support benefits of memory foam, but also absorb heat into the gel while you are sleeping. This ensures that you keep cool during the night - or during the day if you work at nights.

There are two further layers of ¼ inch regular memory foam below that plus an addition ½ inch of memory foam on top of the support innerspring layer to maximize your comfort while sleeping. The whole mattress is covered with a quilted pillow top knit cover that allows that mattress to breathe and to provide a good level of air circulation. This would have been listed higher had its warranty not been so obscure.

Editor's Notes: When offering a 10-year warranty, a company should provide details of that warranty on every sales site they use. This company does not - but once you have discovered the manufacturing website you can contact the firm's Customer Service by email or phone. This mattress appears to do what it says, and gets many good reviews along with the few percent that complain about the mattress sagging or becoming lumpy over time. Most love it!

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9. Sealy Posturepedic Hybrid Copper Cushion Firm Mattress

This Sealy Posturepedic firm mattress is constructed using a cooling get memory foam top over a pocketed coil support base that provides support for your body shape and pressure areas such as your shoulders and hips. Like the other pocketed spring systems listed above you also get good separation of partner movement that is augmented by the memory foam top. Because this foam contains gel particles that absorb body heat, this mattress also keeps you cool while sleeping. No more waking up sweating.

Editor's Notes: This mattress will probably figure much higher in future reviews, but for now it is placed where it is due to its relative short history. Once more people have purchased and commented on this Posturepedic Copper Cushion Mattress we will be able to provide more user information to help you. However, for now it seems to be an excellent product, providing practically all you would expect of a high quality innerspring mattress.

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10. Englander Intrigue 7-Inch Quilted Innerspring Mattress

The Englander Intrigue 7-inch quilted mattress consists of an innerspring base (not pocketed) with a quilted top. It consists of 390 13.5 gauge steel coils designed to provide a long-life mattress. The coils are surrounded by layers of insulation, and are topped with a plush quilted surface that emits no volatile VOCs. It meets the federal flammability standard 16 CFR 1636 and comes with a 1-year warranty.

Editor's Notes: This is basic low-cost mattress for those seeking a guest room mattress or a 'first' adult mattress for a child. It is simple, but also comfortable to the majority of those who have purchased it. That may be partially due to the padding and quilted top that are of very good quality, providing a plush feel to the sleeping surface.

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Best Innerspring Mattress: Buyer's Guide

Commonly referred to as a 'spring mattress', an innerspring mattress is one with a base or core comprising of steel springs or coils. Innerspring mattresses also have at least one comfort layer and a top cover.

Spring Core (Support Layer)

This is the core of the mattress, providing most of the support. It consists of literally hundreds of coiled springs, also known as coils. These can take several different forms as described below. Many are of an hour glass shape, known as Bonell coils, while others are simple straight coils. There are three fundamental types of innerspring setup:

Open Coils: this type of spring layer consists of numerous individual coils tied together. This arrangement is generally found in less expensive mattresses. Motion isolation or the separation of movement of each partner is low with this type of mattress because compressing even one coil can affect the whole of the mattress. Such mattresses are durable and bouncy, and some people prefer them for these reasons.

Continuous Coils: A continuous coil spring is made from long lengths of wire twisted into coil shapes down the length or across the width of the mattress. Isolation of motion is again limited and they can be found in low to medium priced mattresses.

Pocketed Coils: With this arrangement, individual coils are held secure in their own fabric pocket. The best mattresses are usually of this type, with hundreds and sometimes thousands of springs compressing independently of each other. This arrangement, also known as 'encased coils', offers maximum motion separation and body support, particularly of individual pressure points such as your shoulders, hips and lower back.

Other Spring Arrangements: There are other possible arrangements of springs, such as offset coils, where individual springs are hinged together rather than tied, so that individual springs have more independence of movement. There are also patented systems that some manufacturers use only for their own mattresses.

Coil Size, Gauge and Count: The gauge of a coil is its thickness, so as would be expected, the thicker the wire the more support it offers. The gauge is referenced by a number, usually between 12 and 18 with low numbers indicating thicker wire than high numbers. A hard mattress would typically contain 12 gauge coils with 15 tending to the soft side. You usually have to request this information since it is not usually provided in advertising.

Coil count refers to the number of coils in the mattress. Most stated counts generally refer to a Queen Size mattress, the size I have used for this best mattress review. 500-800 is common, while some higher-end mattress contain up to 2,000 coils.

However, you should not purchase a mattress based on any one of the above variables. While coil count is important, so too are their gauge - and the design can be even more important. Pocketed coils generally provide a better sleeping surface than continuous or open Bonell coils. This is another factor for which you may have to request information: "what type of coils does this mattress have?"

Many spring mattresses are not flippable, but can be turned 180 degrees so the bottom becomes the top, so check that before you purchase.

Comfort Layer

A spring mattress can be uncomfortable to lie on without a comfort layer. The spring layer is the base core of the mattress, while the comfort layer, or layers, provide a comfortable sleeping surface. These are made from a number of different foams: latex, polyurethane, memory foams or gel memory foam that provides a unique cooling effect. Mattress #4, 8 and 9 in our list offer a gel memory foam layer.

Mattress Cover

The mattress cover encases the entire mattress, and can be made from synthetic yarns such as polyester or natural fiber such as wool or bamboo ( #2 Signature 13-inch) - most covers wick away moisture to keep the mattress dry. They are also generally patterned and provide a soft surface. Many have quilted or pillow tops to offer a plusher sleeping surface.

Mattress Thickness

Thickness is a matter of preference. Thinner mattresses tend to be firmer than the thicker mattresses, while larger or heavier people will be more comfortable with a thicker mattress of 10" or more. Most innerspring mattresses can be used on any base support, but if you are also purchasing a base for the mattress, then check with the supplier or manufacturer regarding the best type. If you purchase a recommended type, then you will have fewer issues if you have problems with the mattress.

Frequently Asked Questions

Best Innerspring Mattress Reviews 2020: Summary

In spite of the growing popularity of memory foam, innerspring mattresses are still preferred by many people. If you enjoy the memory foam experience then many of the innerspring mattresses I have reviewed come with a memory foam comfort or top layer. You can then enjoy the memory foam experience while getting the benefits of innerspring support.

Summary