Written by Natalie Grigson, Fortune Recommends Writer
Tuft & Needle has made a name for itself with its high-quality but affordable mattresses. These beds are responsibly crafted and guaranteed to have low chemical emissions, boasting both GREENGUARD and CertiPUR-US® certifications. (1, 2) This is partly because Tuft & Needle uses a unique, proprietary material: the T&N Adaptive® Foam. Like memory foam, this foam provides excellent pressure relief where you need it most, but it also has an open-cell structure for more flexibility and less heat.
Tuft & Needle has three options to meet sleepers’ needs: The Original, The Mint, and The Mint Hybrid. We’ve tested each of these mattresses (and then some) to bring you this complete review of Tuft & Needle as a brand overall. After testing each mattress in the categories of performance, comfort and support, value, customer experience, and health and safety, we’ve chosen the Essential T&N Original as the best mattress overall.
Our favorite Tuft & Needle Mattress
Our favorite Tuft & Needle mattress overall is the Essential T&N Original. This all-foam mattress is a mix of supportive and contouring that we think is especially well suited for back and side sleepers. It also comes at an affordable price, making it ideal for budget shoppers.
Our picks for the best Tuft & Needle mattresses
Compare Tuft & Needle mattresses
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| Tuft & Needle Essential T&N Original | Tuft & Needle T&N Mint | Tuft & Needle T&N Mint Hybrid | |
| Rating | |||
| Price (queen) | $895 | $1,495 | $1,995 |
| Material | Foam | Foam | Foam |
| Sleep style | Back & side | Back | All |
| Firmness | Soft-Medium | Medium | Medium |
| Cooling | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Tuft & Needle Essential T&N Original
Key product features
What you should know
The Essential T&N Original Mattress is Tuft & Needle’s most popular and affordable option. It is simply designed, consisting of just two layers of foam, but for side and back sleepers who don’t want all the bells and whistles, we think it’s a great option.
- This bed feels like a 6 or 7 out of 10 in terms of firmness, but there is a lot of sinkage, so it may feel softer over time.
- At less than $1,000 for a queen, this all-foam mattress has a great overall value.
- We think side and back sleepers will love this bed. It may sink too much for stomach sleepers.
- This is a great choice for couples because it offers excellent motion isolation.
- The trial and the warranty are on the lower side, at 100 nights and 10 years, respectively.
Tuft & Needle Essential T&N Original overview
The Essential T&N Original is an all-foam mattress with a simple construction. Even without all the bells and whistles, this bed features a surprising amount of spinal support, pressure relief, and even cooling, which can be hard to find in an all-foam mattress.
Here’s what we loved about the Essential T&N Original:
The construction: This bed is simply made, with just two layers of foam. The top comfort layer is made from three inches of the brand’s proprietary Adaptive® foam. It feels responsive, but as you lie in one position, you’ll feel it contour around your body’s curves. It also includes some cooling gel and graphite, which prevents heat from building up. This is important because many memory foam beds tend to sleep hot.
The second layer is made from seven inches of high-density poly foam. This material is quite firm, and it establishes a supportive and durable foundation for the entire mattress.
The cover is made from polyester and feels breathable.
The motion isolation: This all-foam mattress isolates motion extremely well. This means when your bed partner (be it a human or pet) moves on one side of the bed, you’re less likely to feel it on your side. Research shows that beds with better motion isolation reduce the risk of you waking up, not just from your partners’ movements but also from things like late-night noises. (3)
Side and back sleeping: Our mattress tester felt the most comfortable on this bed when lying on her back and side. She described this mattress as about a 5.5 to 6 out of 10 in terms of firmness, saying, “It feels softer because of the sinkage, but would feel firmer otherwise.” This meant that lying on her side, our tester felt her shoulder and hip sink comfortably into the top layers of this bed. When lying on her back, she still felt well-supported. This means this mattress should work for a wide swath of sleepers since side and back sleeping are the two most common sleep positions. (4)
Overall value: It can be hard to find a quality mattress under $1,000 these days, but we think the Tuft & Needle delivers. This bed feels supportive and durable, and the queen costs just $895. That’s when it’s not on sale, too, and Tuft & Needle offers frequent discounts online.
Of course, the Essential T&N Original isn’t perfect, and our mattress testers don’t recommend it for everyone.
Heavy-weight & stomach sleepers: This all-foam mattress doesn’t feel quite supportive enough for sleepers over 250 pounds. Likewise, it’s too soft to keep the hips aloft when stomach sleeping. Overall, most experts don’t recommend stomach sleeping because of the stress it can put on the neck and spine. (5) If you are going to sleep on your stomach, though, you’ll want a firm and supportive mattress. This one is just too soft for most sleepers.
Warranty and trial: Tuft & Needle offers a 10-year limited warranty and a 100-night sleep trial. These aren’t bad, per se, but they pale compared to other brands offering a year-long sleep trial or a lifetime warranty.
Edge support: One last thing to be aware of regarding the original Tuft & Needle is its lack of edge support. It’s not uncommon for all-foam mattresses to lack sturdy edges, and this one is no exception. This means it may be harder for folks with mobility issues to get up and out of bed.
What customers are saying
On Amazon, the Essential T&N Original mattress has an overall star rating of 4.4 out of 5 with over 16,000 reviews. Shoppers who love this bed seem to appreciate its quality and value, and those who rated it poorly tend to mention its firmness, support, and heat level.
“I love the firmness of the mattress, and even after years of having memory foam toppers and squishier mattresses, this one is a godsend. I can sleep on my back or side without neck pain in the morning. I also have TMJ and I have noticed less jaw-clenching occurs while I’m sleeping (I wake up with no soreness/migraines).”
Hayley Lizz, Verified Amazon purchaser
Another Amazon purchaser, “DZKimmi,” said this, “I absolutely love this bed. I am a 5’4” thin woman. This bed is the absolute best bed ever. I have never slept this well in my entire life,” adding, “I don’t work for Tuft & Needle, I didn’t get the mattress at a discount, this an honest, true evaluation!”
However, she specifies that this bed isn’t for everyone. “Now—my husband is heavy and has a bad back. This bed has pretty much incapacitated him. He is comfortable while lying on the bed, but as soon as he gets up his back locks up and he can barely walk. We have tried it for two weeks because everyone says it takes time for some people to adjust to it. The poor guy, he is in incredible pain.”
Specs
| Price (queen) | $895 |
| Material | Foam |
| Trial | 100 nights |
| Warranty | 10 years |
| Shipping | Free |
| Height | 9.5 inches |
| Weight | 66 pounds |
Who the Tuft & Needle Original mattress is recommended for:
- Back sleepers: This bed offers a surprising amount of spinal support for a simple, all-foam mattress. It relieves a good amount of pressure from the lower back when lying on the back and contours nicely to the spine.
- Side sleepers: When lying on the side, the Essential T&N Original provides a gentle hug around the hip and shoulder. Light- to average-weight sleepers should sink into the bed’s top comfort layers just enough to feel comfortable in this position.
- Shoppers on a budget: At less than $1,000 for a queen, this is one of the better prices for a quality foam mattress.
- Couples: Couples should enjoy this bed’s excellent motion isolation– especially sensitive sleepers who share the bed.
Who the Tuft & Needle Original mattress is not recommended for:
- Heavy-weight sleepers: This bed doesn’t feel supportive or firm enough for those who weigh over 250 pounds or so. Instead, we’d recommend a hybrid mattress, which includes springs as well as foam for more support.
- Stomach sleepers: Stomach sleepers need a firm mattress that won’t allow the hips to sink down and throw the spine out of alignment. This bed isn’t it. Instead, we’d recommend one of these more supportive beds, specifically designed for stomach sleepers.
- Those with mobility issues: When sitting on the edge of this mattress, it does sink down quite a bit. This isn’t uncommon for an all-foam bed, but it may make it harder for those with mobility issues to get in and out of bed.
How we rated the Tuft & Needle Original mattress
Our mattress testing methodology relies on research and hands-on experience. Our team comprises certified sleep science coaches, industry experts, and real-world consumers overseeing each stage of mattress testing, reviewing, and fact-checking. We start by testing each mattress and ranking it between one and five in several categories: performance, comfort and support, value, customer experience, and health and safety. From there, our team narrows things down to our top-ranking picks– in this case, the best Tuft & Needle mattress, the T&N Original.
Here’s how it ranked in each category:
Support/spinal alignment: 3.5 out of 5
This bed offers a nice mix of softness and firmness while supporting the different joints of the body. Our testers say that the spine felt well supported but not in all sleep positions.
Edge support: 3 out of 5
Our testers found that the edge support on this bed was “not good in any sleep position.”
Cooling: 4 out of 5
Our testers could feel the impact of this bed’s breathable cover, cooling gel, and graphite.
Motion isolation: 4 out of 5
The motion isolation on the T&N Original is excellent. It’s a great choice for couples who don’t want to disturb each other during the night.
Bounce/responsiveness: 3.5 out of 5
Since it is an all-foam mattress, there isn’t a whole lot of bounce to this bed. The top layer has a more of a “sinking” rather than “bouncy” feel.
Pressure relief: 4.5 out of 5
When lying on their sides, our mattress testers rated this bed a 4 out of 5 in terms of pressure relief. When lying on their backs, they rated it a 5 out of 5—though they did note that there was a slight buildup of pressure around the hips in this position.
Trial: 3.5 out of 5
This bed has a 100-night sleep trial, which is shorter than some other beds that offer 120 or 365 nights.
Warranty: 3.5 out of 5
This bed comes with a 10-year warranty, which is shorter than some beds that offer a 15-year or lifetime warranty.
Materials: 4 out of 5
The materials used in this bed feel high-quality and durable.
Overall value: 4 out of 5
With a price tag of just $895 for a queen, this bed has a good overall value. You can also find it on sale often on the Tuft & Needle website or Amazon.
Tuft & Needle Original mattress pricing and sizing
| Twin | $645 |
| Twin XL | $695 |
| Full | $795 |
| Queen | $895 |
| King | $1,295 |
| California king | $1,295 |
Warranties and policies
Warranty: Each Tuft & Needle mattress comes with a 10-year limited warranty. This limited warranty gives you specific legal rights and covers all manufacturing defects.
Shipping and returns: Shipping for Tuft & Needle mattresses is free within the contiguous U.S., and the mattress should arrive three to seven business days after placing your order. If you’re dissatisfied and want to return your mattress during your 100-night sleep trial, you can contact T&N customer support to arrange your return.
Only one return per household per year is allowed.
Trial period: Tuft & Needle offers a 100-night sleep trial for every Tuft & Needle mattress. If you’re unhappy with your purchase for any reason, you can return it for a full refund within this 100-night period. Do note that if you live in Alaska or Hawaii and pay for shipping, your shipping costs will not be refunded.
Tuft & Needle T&N Mint
Key product features
What you should know
The Tuft & Needle Mint is an all-foam bed like the Original. However, instead of two foam layers, this one has three. The top foam layer feels bouncier and more responsive than the Original’s, so this could be a better option for combination sleepers.
- This mattress feels like a 6.5 out of 10 in terms of firmness. When you lie on it, it sinks in a bit, then bounces right back.
- At $1,495 for a queen, it does cost more than the T&N Original, but it is still considered a mid-range mattress.
- We think this bed is best suited for back sleepers.
- The bouncier foam top layer gives this bed slightly poorer motion isolation than the Original.
Tuft & Needle T&N Mint Hybrid
Key product features
What you should know
The T&N Mint Hybrid is the only mattress from Tuft & Needle to feature innerspring coils as well as top layers of foam. This makes for a bed that’s much more supportive and can accommodate heavier sleepers. Plus, this model has the edge support that its all foam counterparts lack.
- The T&N Mint Hybrid feels immediately sturdier and bouncier.
- At $1,995 for a queen, it’s Tuft & Needle’s most expensive model.
- This bed should work well for all body types and all sleep positions.
- Because it includes springs, it won’t have the motion isolation of the all-foam beds, but it does have far superior edge support.
Tuft & Needle Original Mattress vs. competitors
The Tuft & Needle Original Mattress is a medium-firm all-foam mattress, ideal for back and side sleepers. It’s also one of the most affordable options, as you’ll see in the comparison below.
Which mattress is right for you will depend heavily on your budget, your preferred sleep position, and your body type. For those who are light- to average-weight, all-foam beds should work just fine. Heavier folks will likely want something that includes springs to adequately support the spine.
Likewise, back and stomach sleepers can opt for a slightly firmer bed, whereas side sleepers need something softer and more cushioning for their shoulder and hip. Below, we’ll discuss the differences between the T&N Original and a few of its competitors.
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| Tuft & Needle Essential T&N Original | Nectar Classic Memory Foam | Casper The One | Purple Mattress® | DreamCloud The DreamCloud Hybrid | |
| Rating | |||||
| Price (queen) | $895 | $1,387 | $999 | $1,499 | $1,483 |
| Material | Foam | Foam | Foam | GelFfex Grid® | Hybrid (foam & coils) |
| Sleep style | Back & side | Back & side | Back & stomach | Back & side | Back |
| Firmness | Soft-Medium | Medium-firm | Medium-firm | Medium | Medium-firm |
| Cooling | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
Tuft & Needle vs. Nectar
The Tuft & Needle Original is similar to the Nectar Mattress in some key areas: They have a similar price point, they are both made entirely of foam, and they both sleep cooler than other all-foam beds. The main difference is that the Nectar is slightly firmer than the T&N, but both should work well for back and side sleepers. Plus, the Nectar offers a year-long trial and a Forever Warranty™, compared to Tuft & Needle’s trial of 100 nights and a 10-year warranty.
To learn more about Nectar, visit our full Nectar mattress review.
Tuft & Needle vs. Casper
The Casper mattress is also slightly firmer than the Essential T&N Original bed, so it should be a better fit for back and stomach sleepers, whereas the T&N is a good fit for back and side sleepers. The Casper costs about $100 more and offers the same warranty and trial period as the Tuft & Needle. The Casper also seems to trap more heat, as it doesn’t include cooling gel and graphite like the Tuft & Needle.
See our complete Casper mattress review for more information.
Tuft & Needle vs. Purple
The main difference between Tuft & Needle and Purple is that Tuft & Needle is made from a material similar to memory foam, and Purple beds are made with the brand’s proprietary GelFlex Grid®. This unique material looks and feels kind of like a giant waffle, and it’s designed to sleep very cool. Both are medium firm, but the Purple will feel springier and tauter, and the T&N, more “sinking.” The Purple is significantly more expensive than the Tuft & Needle at $1,499 for a queen.
If you are interested in Purple, read our Purple mattress review.
Tuft & Needle vs. DreamCloud
The T&N Original and DreamCloud both include cooling properties—and that’s about all they have in common. The DreamCloud is a hybrid bed, meaning it includes a layer of innerspring coils. This makes it a more supportive bed, ideal for all body types. It feels firmer and less “sinking” than the T&N, and we think it’s a good pick for back sleepers.
The T&N, on the other hand, may be a good pick for side and back sleepers who love the contouring feel of foam. Tuft & Needle’s bed is clearly on the more budget-friendly side at $895, whereas DreamCloud costs $1,483 for the same size bed (queen). That said, this DreamCloud does come with a Forever Warranty and a year-long trial.
Check out the DreamCloud mattress review to learn more.
FAQs
How long do Tuft & Needle mattresses last?
If you buy an all-foam mattress from Tuft & Needle, you can expect it to last about 10 years, depending on how you care for it, how many people sleep in the bed, and your body type. Likewise, a Tuft & Needle hybrid mattress should last about seven to 10 years. (6)
Is Tuft & Needle a good mattress?
Tuft & Needle is a surprisingly supportive mattress, considering its simple all-foam construction. It also sleeps cooler than a traditional memory foam bed. This, plus its reasonable price tag, makes Tuft & Needle an excellent mattress for those looking for something simple.
Are Tuft & Needle mattresses good for back pain?
Studies show that a medium-firm mattress is best for those with back pain. (7) With that in mind, Tuft & Needle’s Original mattress is a good option, given its firmness. Since it is made entirely of foam, it won’t be quite supportive enough for heavy-weight sleepers. Instead, heavy-weight sleepers can opt for the hybrid option or choose one of the best mattresses for heavy people.
Does Tuft & Needle have fiberglass?
No, Tuft & Needle’s Original, Mint, and Mint Hybrid mattresses do not contain fiberglass. Instead, Tuft & Needle uses a knit blend of polyester and cotton treated with salt as a fire barrier. (8)
Our experts
Lola Ravid, BSN, RN
Lola Ravid is a Registered Nurse with a Public Health Certification who is passionate about research and education. She has over ten years of combined experience working with children and caregivers in hospitals and public schools. She is a contributing writer and educator for La Leche League International (LLLI) and Selective Mutism Association (SMA). Lola also serves on the Review Team for La Leche League International. She has published on sites like The Good Man Project, California Health Report, and Allnurses.com.
Krista Manning
Krista Manning is an accomplished medical copy editor and fact-checker who stands out in the pharmaceutical, health, and wellness domains. With a meticulous eye for detail and a command of medical language, Krista ensures the accuracy and clarity of content. Beyond her professional expertise, Krista is an advocate for mental health awareness. Recognizing the crucial intersection of psychological and physical well-being, she actively contributes to projects that promote mental health awareness within the healthcare narrative. Krista’s commitment extends beyond the pages she edits, emphasizing the holistic nature of health communication.
Natalie Grigson
Fortune Recommends Sleep Writer
About Author
Natalie is a writer for Fortune Recommends with a deep passion for all things health and a fascination with the mysterious activity that is sleep. Outside of writing about sleep, she is a bestselling author, improviser, and creative writing teacher based out of Austin.