Firm and medium-firm mattresses are most suitable for back and stomach sleeping. If you sleep on your back or stomach, you'll want a mattress with enough firmness to keep your lumbar supported and your spine straight. However, a mattress's support performance depends on your weight, and mattresses with the same firmness level don't necessarily provide the same amount of support. We recently updated our testing methodology to allow you to see a mattress's support and pressure relief performance based on your sleeping position and weight. For a full explanation of the updates, check out the Test Bench 1.1 Changelog.
We've tested over 45 mattresses, and below, you'll find our recommendations for the best firm and medium-firm mattresses. Also, check out the best mattresses for a broader look at the mattress market. If you're looking for the hugging, contouring feel of memory foam, see the best memory foam mattresses.
Quick Look
We've recently started testing mattresses. We independently purchase each unit from major retailers, just like you, to keep our reviews free from manufacturer influence. Each mattress goes through the same tests to measure objective data for characteristics like firmness, cooling, and motion isolation, so you can easily compare the results. Since we buy all our mattresses, we can tear them down layer by layer and isolate the mechanical properties of every component: quilted tops, foams, coils, and any special materials.
Want to learn more about how we operate? Check out our about us page.
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Best Firm Mattress
Cooling8.6Motion Dissipation7.8Responsiveness9.6Firmness LevelFirm (60 Pa/mm)Longevity8.3See all our test resultsSupport7.7The best firm mattress we've tested is the Saatva Latex Hybrid. This mattress offers good support for average-weight individuals and great support for lighter people, so it's a great option for back and stomach sleepers in those weight categories. It's also supportive enough for heavier back sleepers, although you may want more support for stomach sleeping. Its pocket coil support layer and latex comfort layers give it a highly bouncy and responsive feel, so it pushes back against your movements, making it feel easy to move around in your sleep. It also uses dense, high-quality latex that will resist forming permanent indentations or sagging for longer compared with most mattresses we've tested.
The sides of the support layer are reinforced with firmer pocket coils that don't compress easily, so you can comfortably sleep near the edge without feeling at risk of sliding off. Its great cooling performance makes it a good choice for hot sleepers as well. Its motion isolation isn't the best, but it's still good. You won't feel every little move your partner makes, but you will feel bigger movements, and motion dissipates somewhat slowly. When your partner rolls over, you may feel like you're bouncing around for a moment afterwards.
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Best Upper Mid-Range Firm Mattress
Cooling7.8Motion Dissipation7.7Responsiveness9.0Firmness LevelFirm (61 Pa/mm)Longevity6.2See all our test resultsSupport6.4The Winkbeds The Winkbed is the best firm mattress in the upper mid-range that we've tested. This mattress offers decent support for lighter people and adequate support for average-weight individuals. Since it's also decently conforming for average-weight people, it's a good option for side or combination sleepers in that weight category, as well as lighter back/stomach sleepers. You won't sink very deeply into its upper comfort layers, but they are highly contouring, which helps with pressure relief without creating an enveloping feel. It's also bouncy and responsive, so it feels easy to move around on.
It also offers good motion isolation, so you won't feel every small move a sleeping partner makes, and its great edge support means you can sit or sleep comfortably on the side of the bed. While its cooling performance isn't quite strong enough for hot sleepers, it dissipates heat efficiently enough to keep most people comfortable.
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Best Mid-Range Firm Mattress
Cooling8.1Motion Dissipation7.5Responsiveness9.3Firmness LevelFirm (81 Pa/mm)Longevity8.9See all our test resultsSupport8.1The best mid-range firm mattress is the Sleep On Latex Pure Green Organic. This very firm, all-latex mattress offers impressive support for most people. Unlike many mattresses, even 'Firm' ones, it's supportive enough for heavier back and stomach sleepers, as well as average-weight and lighter ones. As you might expect, it doesn't offer enough pressure relief for most side sleepers, although if you're in the heavier weight category, it has decent body conformity, so it's a suitable option if you spend just part of the night side-sleeping. It's also very durable, since it's entirely made of high-quality latex.
Its latex layers give it a springy, responsive feel that makes it easy to change sleeping positions. You'll hardly sink into it at all, but it's very contouring, which helps add a bit of pressure relief. It's cooling enough for hot sleepers and has very sturdy edges, so it's a good option if you need a solid surface when getting in and out of bed. Motion dissipation isn't its strongest suit, but it's still good, so you won't feel all of your partner's movements. Also, while it's certainly supportive enough for lighter back and stomach sleepers, you can find softer mattresses with similar support but a plusher overall feel, which you might prefer.
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Best Budget Firm Mattress
Cooling7.9Motion Dissipation8.2Responsiveness8.8Firmness LevelMedium-Firm (51 Pa/mm)Longevity4.0See all our test resultsSupport7.1If you're looking for a less expensive option, the Beautyrest Mattress is the best medium-firm mattress in the budget category that we've tested. This hybrid model is best suited for lighter back and stomach sleepers, as well as average-weight and heavier side sleepers. Its quilted layer allows you to sink in a little, but doesn't contour around you closely, and has a responsive feel, so you don't feel hugged or stuck in place.
It's a great option for sleeping with a partner. You'll feel bigger movements, but not for very long, so they aren't as likely to wake you. It also offers a very good cooling performance. If you consider yourself a hot sleeper, you may want a mattress with slightly better cooling, but its performance is good enough to keep most people comfortable. Unfortunately, while it includes one layer of good-quality polyfoam, most of its foam layers are made of lower-quality and less durable materials.
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Best Cheap Firm Mattress
Cooling7.8Motion Dissipation7.4Responsiveness9.5Firmness LevelMedium-Firm (53 Pa/mm)Longevity2.8See all our test resultsSupport6.8The best cheap firm mattress we've tested is the Beautyrest Silver BRS900. This inexpensive mattress has a 'Medium-Firm' feel but isn't quite as supportive as the Beautyrest Mattress, so it's a good choice for lighter back and stomach sleepers, but really only suitable for side sleepers in the average-weight and heavier-weight categories. Otherwise, it offers a solid performance at a low price. Its highly responsive comfort layers help make it feel easy to change sleeping positions. You'll sink into it a little, but it doesn't have an overly hugging feel.
It offers a solid overall performance as well, with fantastic edge support, making it a good choice if you need a solid surface for getting in and out of bed. It's not ideal for hot sleepers, but it still has a very good cooling performance and won't make most people feel overheated. Its motion dissipation is a bit of a weak point: motion dissipates quickly, but you'll still feel most movements your partner makes. It's also the least durable mattress recommended here: none of its foam layers are made of good-quality foam.
Recent Updates
Jan 26, 2026:
We've reorganized the article to make recommendations based on price. The Saatva Latex Hybrid, Winkbeds The Winkbed, Beautyrest Mattress, and Beautyrest BRS900 have been added as picks.
Nov 25, 2025:
We've added picks for the best options under $1,000: the Novaform Legacy as the 'Best Firm Mattress,' and the Sealy Posturepedic Plus Mount Auburn as the 'Best Medium-Firm.' We've also named the Purple Mattress the 'Best Firm Mattress For Cooling' and moved the Sleep On Latex Pure Green Organic to the Notable Mentions section.
Oct 23, 2025:
We replaced the Beautyrest Silver BRS900 with the Beautyrest Mattress as the budget pick, since it offers a similar feel and a slightly better performance. We also added the Novaform Legacy as a slightly plusher alternative to the Sleep On Latex Pure Green Organic.
All Reviews
Our recommendations above are what we think are currently the best firm mattresses for most people. We factor in the price, feedback from our visitors, and availability.
That said, everyone has different needs and preferences when it comes to mattresses. If none of our picks seem 'just right,' here's a list of all of our reviews of firm and medium-firm mattresses so you can find your best option.