The Best King Size Mattress
- Best King Size Mattress :Leesa Sapira HybridStarting at $1199 Shop Now
- Best Soft King Mattress :Nest Bedding SparrowStarting at $949 Shop Now
- Best King Size Bed For Heavy People :WinkBeds ClassicStarting at $1149 Shop Now
- Best Custom King Bed :Helix MidnightStarting at $799 Shop Now
Best King Sized Beds Overview
Ah, the king size mattress. A clear indication that you’re either an adult in a relationship or you’re tall. Regardless, you’re obviously looking to step up (or replace) your mattress game. Well, we’re here to help.
Keep reading for more reviews about what you should look for in a new mattress. Hopefully, with the help of this buyer guide, you’ll be able to upgrade your bedroom and get the best king size bed for you.
Compare The Best King Size Mattresses
Best Overall
The Leesa Hybrid is the coil version of the Leesa mattress, and, therefore, it not only costs more, but also is more supportive. In fact, for individuals weighing over 250 lbs, we definitely recommend the hybrid over the flagship mattress. It still has a neutral, comfy feel, but it mixes in pocketed coils for added durability.
In terms of firmness, the hybrid model comes in at about a medium+, although softness/firmness is a subjective element and will differ from person to person.
The heavier you are, the softer a bed will feel—and, in the case of the Leesa Hybrid, the closer the bed will feel to being a medium on the softness scale. Regardless, it responds quickly to pressure and has zero of that stuck-in-the-mud feeling. Though, it is more expensive than the original Leesa and retails around $1,900 for a queen.
Why We Chose The Leesa Hybrid Mattress
While there are cheaper mattresses out there, the Leesa Hybrid made the list because it’s a safe pick. This is especially true if you’re a heavy sleeper looking for more support, or if you sleep on your back or stomach at night.
Best Softer Option
Nest Sparrow is a pillow top mattress that comes in multiple firmness options and is backed by a lifetime warranty.
The Nest Bedding Sparrow mattress is on a short list of beds that almost always gets people to say “Wow, this is unbelievably comfy!” Now, to be fair, most new beds are immediately comfortable, but there’s something about this particular bed that’s not normal—in a good way.
While the bed does have memory foam—albeit a minor amount—it has a neutral feel, almost like an oversized pillow. We found the Medium option (most popular) to be between a medium-soft and medium on the softness scale.
We think it’s plenty soft and plenty pressure relieving enough for side sleepers. It wouldn’t be our favorite option for back and stomach sleepers, but that’s why they offer the firmer model.
Price wise, this mattress is around $1,600 for a queen.
Why We Chose The Nest Sparrow Mattress
The Nest Bedding Sparrow Mattress is on a short list of beds that almost always gets people to say “Wow, this is unbelievably comfy!” It’s also available in three different firmness levels, making it suitable for all sleeper types. In addition, its hybrid design makes it ideal for any body type, petite to heavy.
Best Bed For Heavy People
The WinkBed is a 14.5″ thick bed that incorporates two layers of coils, proprietary foams, and a plant-based tencel cover. It’s one of the most durable, supportive, and luxurious mattresses the online mattress industry has to offer.
Regardless of which firmness level you select (they offer three), WinkBed has a neutral, pillow-top feel. It’s a bit like Nest Alexander, but more airy. It’s fluffy and comfy, yet almost unmatched in terms of support.
It’s actually surprising to see this caliber of a mattress for under $1,500, and that’s before any discounts.
Why We Picked The WinkBed Mattress
WinkBed belongs in an extremely nice hotel or in the home of some rich celebrity—that’s how nice it looks and feels. It might not be our favorite bed to move (it’s heavy), but it’s one of our favorites overall. This mattress is one of the best for heavy people, or those who want a bed with maximum support.
Best Custom Beds
When we mention the Helix mattress, we’re usually referencing a collection of beds, not just one. This is really the engine behind their “custom” mattress concept. Helix makes around 13 mattress models for individuals of all shapes and sizes.
Now, that might seem confusing, but what Helix does is run consumers through a sleep quiz on their site to narrow their search to the most optimal mattress. It really is a clever concept and it’s one of the reasons that Helix is so popular.
The most popular model that Helix makes is called Midnight. It’s about a medium on the softness scale and also about a medium in terms of overall support. It’s a nice bed, but Helix recognizes that it’s not for everyone, which is why they offer a range of firmness/support levels.
If you’re looking for a firm, supportive bed, they make that. If you want a super soft, pressure relieving bed, they also make that. If you want a mattress with a big, comfy cover, they have that also. Plus they do it all at prices that are substantially below the competition, like a king mattress for about $1,250 before discounts.
All of the Helix core models, regardless of what you choose, will have a 12” construction with 8” pocketed coils and 4” of foam. They also have a soft, neutral feel that doesn’t conform to your body as much as memory foam does. We think it’s very comfortable!
Why We Chose The Helix Mattress
The whole goal of Helix is to offer a bed for everyone, and it’s a concept that not many mattress brands take on. We think it’s paid off for them; they’ve made quality hybrid mattresses and won’t cost as much as the other king mattresses on this list.
What Do We Know About Mattresses?
A lot, actually! Here at the Slumber Yard, we’ve reviewed upwards of 150 mattresses, and published many of them on our mattress reviews page. For every review we test feel, firmness, edge support, temperature regulation, motion isolation, and more.
We’re not interested in proving a company’s buzzy marketing claims, we just want to report accurate information about the best king mattress. Which is why we do our best to be transparent in our testing methods and relationships with various companies.
It’s important to us that our readers know we can be trusted and know that we try to only recommend the best rated mattress. We work independently of the brands we test, so even if we’re gifted a mattress, we have full control of content. We’ll never oversell a product and we’ll never sell it short either.
What Is A King Size Mattress?
A king size mattress is a size up from a queen mattress, but not as long as a California king. It’s the bed you get when your new room is extra spacious, the bed you put in your first home as a married couple, the bed you finally get to stretch out on.
Compared to a queen, a king mattress will get you an additional 16” in width (about 25% overall), though both sizes are 80” in length. That’s part of the reason a king mattress is the best rated size overall.
You can see a breakdown of standard mattress dimensions in the table below:
What Is The Best King Size Mattress?
How do you know when it’s time to get yourself a king size mattress? Here are a few indicators:
- You keep falling out of bed because your mattress is too narrow.
- You can’t find your tiny queen size bed in your giant bedroom.
- You and your partner want to share a bed, but you don’t want to cuddle or touch at all.
Jokes aside, if you have the space in your room, a king size bed is a great option for tall folks. For example, our resident tall guy, JD at 6’5”, sleeps diagonally on a king mattress. We also suggest a king size mattress for people with wider builds. It’s easy to feel cramped on a full size or a queen, especially if you’re sharing the bed. Lastly, a king bed is also really nice for couples because, as much as you love your partner, sometimes you really do just need your space to sleep well.
Consider Body Type When Mattress Shopping
We touched on body type in relation to the best rated king size beds a bit in the above section, but let’s expand and talk about body type in relation to mattresses in general.
When you’re reading up on a bed’s feel and firmness, always keep in mind that these things are relative to your body weight. The heavier you are, the softer a mattress will feel for you, and the lighter you are, the firmer that same mattress will feel for you.
It’s also a good idea to consider your body type when deciding on what type of mattress construction you want. We generally suggest that heavier folks look for coil spring mattresses for added support, durability, and airflow.
Sleeper Type Impacts Mattress Feel
Your sleeper type plays an important role in choosing a mattress that’s right for you. There are four categories of sleepers that we talk about in our content: back, stomach, side, and combination sleepers.
Back And Stomach Sleepers
Back sleepers and stomach sleepers need to look for a bed that will provide enough support for their shoulders and hips. If these heavier parts of the body aren’t properly supported, the spine can arch, causing you to wake up with aches and pains. Typically, these sleepers will prefer a firmer overall bed—obviously the king size mattress—as opposed to something on the soft side of the spectrum.
Side Sleepers
Side sleepers, on the other hand, need proper pressure relief for the hip, arm, and shoulder. If the bed is too dense or doesn’t have enough give in those areas, it will feel like the surface of the mattress is fighting against your body, rather than accommodating it. Again, this can cause a sore wake up in the morning.
Combination Sleepers
Combo sleepers are less defined because some combos spend a lot of time on their back, others spend most of the night on their side, and some split all positions evenly. If you’re a combo sleeper, we suggest you cater to your predominate sleeping position, while considering your body type. We also suggest looking for a mattress with good responsiveness so that you don’t ever feel stuck in the mattress and turning over is easy.
Considerations For Couples
We thought we should talk about couples in this post because most mattress buyers are looking for a king mattress so that they can share it.
There are a couple of mattress factors that we always like to highlight when it comes to couples: edge support and motion isolation. These will be important when it comes to finding the best rated mattress.
Edge Support
Edge support refers to the sturdiness of the sides of a bed. Some mattresses are very soft around the sides, but others are quite stiff. We prefer the stiff edges because they allow you to sleep right on the edge of the bed without feeling like you’re going to roll off onto the floor.
For couples, this is something to think about because it’s fairly common for one partner to hog the middle and the other to end up confined to the mattress’s outside inches.
Motion Isolation
Motion isolation is another key component of getting a restful night’s sleep while sharing a bed. If a bed has good motion isolation, that means it deadens cross-bed motion. So if one partner tosses and turns all night (or is a light sleeper), or likes to sneak out of bed for a midnight snack, it won’t jostle the other person awake.
If you get a king mattress, in large part, you don’t have to worry so much about the motion isolation and edge support issues since your bed is at least 25% larger in terms of overall space. Put simply, the king mattress is the best option if you share your bed.
Comparing Mattress Sizes
King vs Cal King Mattress
The difference between what we call king size beds (also called Eastern king) and California king size (also called Western king) is the dimensions of each mattress. The king bed is 76 inches wide and 80 inches long, but the Cal king is just 72 inches wide, but 84 inches long.
The king mattress has a total surface area of 6080 square inches, but the Cal king has a total surface area of 6048 square inches. The two seem similar, but there are pros and cons to consider with each.
Pros And Cons
The obvious pros of each are made apparent by their size. The king mattress, with four more inches of width is ideal for couples who want more sleeping room. The Cal king, with its four extra inches of length is ideal for taller sleepers who are more than 6 feet tall.
Both mattresses are too large for rooms that are smaller than 12 feet by 12 feet, and both are heavy and quite difficult to move. Both also typically have the same price from the same manufacturer. On the con side for the Cal king mattress is that bedding and accessories can be hard to find.
King vs Queen Mattress
Of course, the primary difference between the king size mattress and the Queen size mattress is the dimensions. A standard king mattress is 76 inches wide by 80 inches long, while a queen mattress is 60 inches wide by 80 inches long.
While most couples can be comfortable on either mattress, that 16 inch difference in width is pretty substantial. Couples who tend to move a lot while sleeping could find a queen mattress to be slightly constricting.
Pros And Cons
The queen is of course more affordable than the king, and is a large factor for why someone might want a queen over keen. The queen mattress will also be easier to move since it is less heavy, and takes up less space in a smaller room.
Overall both are a good choice for most couples. If you move a lot, or if you might have a pet or small child climbing regularly into bed with you, you might want to go with a king mattress over a queen mattress.
Common Mattress Materials
Memory Foam
Memory foam was developed in the 1970s by NASA for trips into space and it has become one of the most popular mattress materials thanks to its contouring and pressure relieving qualities. One downside to memory foam is its tendency to hold heat.
Latex Foam
Latex foam can be either natural or synthetic, and in either case it is bouncy, supportive, and responsive. The natural latex is also antimicrobial and hypoallergenic. Latex is long-lasting, but also tends to be more expensive than other materials.
Polyurethane Foam
Like memory foam, polyurethane foam is both contouring and pressure relieving. Unlike memory foam, it doesn’t tend to hold body heat as much. We refer to this type as “neutral-foam”
Proprietary Foam
These are foams made specifically by a company for its own use. They are typically similar to memory foam but may be more supportive, or breathable, or less heat absorbing. Each has its own special characteristic to differentiate it, and the mattress brand, from competitors.
Innerspring
These are beds where the bulk of the support and construction is based on steel coils. Think of the old beds you probably found in the spare room at your grandparent’s house.
Hybrid
Hybrid mattresses combine two materials in their construction, usually innerspring coils and one or more types of foam. By combining materials they can provide more support than your standard foam bed.
Hyper-Elastic Polymer
This is a proprietary material made by Purple for their mattresses. It is a gel-like material that isn’t foam and that people either really love or hate.
King Size Mattress Price Comparison Table
| Mattress | Twin | Twin XL | Full | Queen | King/Cal King |
| Leesa Hybrid | $849 | $999 | $1.199 | $1,424 | $1,599 |
| Nest Alexander | $949 | $1,149 | $1,349 | $1,599 | $1,799 |
| Wink Bed | $1,049 | $1,149 | $1,299 | $1,599 | $1,799 |
| Helix Sleep | $600 | $700 | $850 | $999 | $1,249 |
Best King Size Mattress Overview
| Mattress | Best Of Title | Firmness Level |
| Leesa Hybrid | Best King Size Mattress | Medium to Medium-Firm |
| Nest Alexander | Best Softer Option Mattress | Hybrid Plush – Soft to Medium-Soft Medium – Medium to Medium-Soft Luxury Firm – Medium-Firm |
| Wink Bed | Best Bed for Heavy People | Softer – Medium-Soft Luxury Firm – Medium Firmer – Medium-Firm |
| Helix Sleep | Best Custom Beds | Soft, Medium, and Firm |
About Our King Mattress Reviews
It is worth nothing that this list contains the best rated king mattresses, but we have also posted reviews about many more. Not only that, but we’ve included links to our full reviews for our top picks that way you can learn more if you’d like. We want to make sure that you’re 100% happy with your new bed!
A king mattress is 76″ wide and 80″ long.
The king is wider, but shorter than the California king. The king is 76″ W x 80″ L while the California king is 72″ W x 84″ L.
Prices range from about $1,000 to $3,000 for a king mattress.
The king size mattress is designed just for couples.
Why Trust Us
Get the kind of sleep you’ve only dreamed of with some help from our team of mattress experts. We personally test more than 175 of the best sleep solutions from over 60 leading brands on site, so you can be sure you’re getting unbiased reviews, fair comparisons and personalized recommendations.
