Best Non Memory Foam Mattress

It’s quite hard to find mattresses without memory foam today — foam is an extremely popular material and this popularity is fully justified. However, all-foam mattresses are certainly not perfect — they often have bad edge support, they typically get hot at night, and they usually have that off-gassing smell when new. Here, we will help you choose the best mattress without memory foam — we have found the best mattresses that contain latex, natural cotton, and innerspring layers. They are not cheap at all (especially the last product by Royal-Pedic), but that’s the price you pay for high-quality materials and for a very high comfort level. Let’s start!

P.S If you’re searching for an innerspring-only mattress, we have some bad news for you. The thing is, there are lots of hybrid mattresses that have both coils and memory foam nowadays — but it’s extremely rare to find a mattress that has only innerspring layers in 2021.

• Price (Queen/Twin): $2,249/$1,649
• Thickness: 12 inches
• Firmness: Medium/Firm
• Brief overview: This is an all-natural non-memory foam mattress that consists of natural latex, wool, and cotton. These materials make Botanical Bliss an extremely comfortable mattress that works perfectly for hot sleepers. If you don't like this mattress, you'll be able to return it for free during the first 100 nights. PlushBeds offers a 25-year warranty and free shipping.

Pros and cons

This mattress is very customizable — you can buy a 9, 10, or 12-inch version and you can choose two firmness options (medium and firm). The latex layer provides great pressure relief, the wool layer makes the mattress very breathable, and the cotton cover makes the sleeper feel cool at night. This is a 100% natural product created without any synthetic chemicals so if you're searching for an eco-friendly mattress, you need to think of buying the Botanical Bliss. It's comfortable, it feels cool, it's durable (that's how all latex mattresses work), and it's a great choice for those who are looking for pressure relief.

It's quite expensive — but that's how it works, you just can't find a cheap mattress made of natural latex. The second problem with this mattress is that it's quite heavy — the Queen-sized 12-inch mattress weighs 172 lbs, so it might be difficult to move it.

• Price (Queen/Twin): $1,599/$1,049
• Thickness: 12.5 inches
• Firmness: Medium/Plush/Firm
• Brief overview: This is a great no foam mattress that contains a natural latex layer and an innerspring layer. It comes with a lifetime warranty and with a 100-day trial (you can return the mattress during the first 100 days if you don't like it). This hybrid latex mattress is made in the US (Nest Bedding owns a factory in Phoenix, Arizona).

Pros and cons

This mattress is available in 3 firmness options - plush, medium, and firm. The natural latex support layer provides perfect pressure relief, the pocketed coils provide great support, and the cotton cover makes this mattress feel great even if you're a hot sleeper. Another advantage is that the buyers say that Nest Bedding has great customer service. The last thing you need to know is that this Natural Hybrid mattress works perfectly for all the sleeping positions — combination, back, and side sleepers will love the medium firmness option; lightweight side sleepers will feel great on a plush version of the mattress, and stomach sleepers will be happy with the Lux Firm version.

The most common problem of this mattress, according to the reviews, is that even the Plush version is not actually that plush (it's rather "medium-soft" than "plush"). Another problem is related to stomach sleepers — some of them say this mattress lacks spine support.

• Price (Queen/Twin): $2,200/$1,200
• Thickness: 10 inches
• Firmness: Medium-soft/Medium-firm
• Brief overview: This is a luxurious hybrid mattress that will be delivered to your home for free (Saatva offers a free White Glove delivery). This mattress is all-natural, it's healthy both for you and for the planet, and it's very comfortable.

Pros and cons

The cover of this mattress is made of organic cotton and this (along with the natural latex layers) makes this mattress a perfect option for hot sleepers. The 1.5-inch wool layer provides additional comfort and a lot of softness, and the latex layers provide support and firmness. Thanks to the support and to the multiple firmness options, the Zenhaven mattress is a perfect choice for back and stomach sleepers.

However, this mattress is not perfect. For example, it's quite expensive - latex mattresses are always costly, but $2,200 for a Queen-size mattress still feels like a little too much. Another problem is that this mattress is quite bouncy — some people like it, the others don't, and if you are from the latter category, the Zenhaven mattress is not the right choice for you.

• Price (Queen/Twin): $1,400/$900
• Thickness: 11 inches
• Firmness: Medium
• Brief overview: Avocado Green is a 100% natural non-foam mattress that consists of natural latex, wool, cotton, and an innerspring layer (more than 1,400 individually encased coils). If you're searching for an eco-friendly mattress that works great for side or back sleepers, you just can't miss Avocado Green!

Pros and cons

This mattress is eco-friendly, bouncy, and very comfortable. According to the reviews, Avocado Green is a perfect option for back and side sleepers because of great support and for combo sleepers because the combination of springs and latex leads to a perfect mobility and bounciness. Like any other latex/innerspring mattress, Avocado Green is just great for hot sleepers because of its perfect air circulation.

This mattress is very close to perfect, but it still has some drawbacks. For instance, it lacks contouring so if you want to find a mattress that would conform to your body while you sleep, this hybrid mattress is not the right option for you. Another problem is the motion isolation — unfortunately, this mattress isn't perfect for couples because it transfers motion instead of reducing it.

• Price (Queen/Twin): $4,386/$3,279
• Thickness: 9.5 inches
• Firmness: Firm
• Brief overview: What connects 7 US Presidents including Ronald Reagan and John F. Kennedy, professional athletes, and lots of American celebrities? Their love for Royal-Pedic mattresses. This is a premium mattress brand for those who think that the mattress must be made of high-quality organic materials. All Cotton mattress is the best non-memory foam mattress on our list — it’s extremely comfortable (firmer than most mattresses), and it’s what is usually called "a different level".

Pros and cons

This mattress consists of cotton layers, an innerspring unit that provides support, and a cotton cover, and such construction makes it extremely supportive. The edge support is also great here and this is one of the main reasons why this mattress is so durable. If you're searching for a 100% organic firm mattress, this Royal Pedic product is something you just can't ignore. It feels extremely comfortable and it has no off-gassing (it doesn't smell when new).

It's not that soft — this is one of the firmest mattresses by Royal-Pedic so if you're searching for a plush mattress, you need to buy an additional Royal-Cloud pillowtop pad. The second problem is the price — it's a premium-level mattress and the pricing strategy of this brand is obviously premium, too. Everything else is perfect about Royal-Pedic All Cotton Mattress.

So, why do you need a mattress without memory foam? Here, you’ll find the three most common reasons why users prefer latex and latex/innerspring hybrid mattresses over memory foam mattresses.

Memory foam mattresses often feel very hot at night. Memory foam mattresses often have problems with retaining body heat because this material is very dense and it just can't provide good air ventilation. Modern memory foam mattress manufacturers add cooling gel into the upper foam layers but even the gel-infused mattresses can't compete with latex, innerspring, or hybrid ones.

Many memory foam mattresses sag and wear out after 5-7 years of use — this happens because the material is worn down and you can't do anything with this. Hybrid mattresses and latex mattresses are not immune to this problem but they are typically more durable, especially if we're talking about the premium mattresses (they can last up to 20 years).

That’s called “off-gassing” and that’s the problem of almost all new memory foam mattresses — when you bring them home, they start smelling because of the release of VOCs. These chemicals are usually not dangerous, but this smell may take days or even weeks to disappear. Latex and other organic mattresses don’t have this problem at all.

1. Price. If you can afford to spend $3,000-$5,000 on a mattress, you can expect to get a perfect luxurious mattress (think Royal-Pedic or Tempurpedic), but even if you plan to spend about $1,500-$2,500, you can still get a great product. Most mattresses on our list fall into this price range and all of them are almost perfect. If you want to spend $500-$1,000 you can still get a good hybrid or innerspring mattress without memory foam — just don’t expect to get a premium product for this price.
2. Firmness and thickness. Most mattresses are 8-12 inches thick — that's a standard mattress thickness and it works great for the majority of sleepers. 8-9 inch mattresses are called slim/low profile and most people buy them for guest rooms because they are typically cheaper and not as comfortable as 10-12 inch mattresses. Thicker mattresses (12-16 inches) are usually quite expensive but they work best for heavyweight side sleepers because they provide more cushioning and support. As for the firmness, it's also simple — most mattresses fall within the 5-6 range on the firmness scale and such firmness is perfect for the absolute majority of sleepers except for "strict" side sleepers (they need softer mattresses) and heavyweight stomach sleepers often prefer firmer mattresses.
3. The mattress type. Latex mattresses are very popular (more popular than innerspring-only mattresses), they are bouncy, durable, they work great for hot sleepers, combo sleepers, and for almost all sleeping positions. The main problem with latex mattresses is that they don't provide as much pressure relief as memory foam and innerspring mattresses. Hybrid mattresses, in turn, have a more balanced feel and work perfectly for back and combo sleepers. Hybrid mattresses are both bouncy and supportive, but they are often not the best option for side sleepers. Innerspring mattresses provide great support and work well for hot sleepers because of great air circulation (but they are quite rare to find).

Pick your option today online or in a store, get your new mattress delivered, and enjoy your best night’s sleep!