By many, Saatva is considered one of the nicest and most affordable innerspring mattresses online. The brand Helix Sleep, on the other hand, offers a very versatile concept for a mattress — they allow you to select from over 10 different models to find the bed that is best for you. In this Saatva vs. Helix review, we will nitpick both beds in an effort to highlight the factors that will drive your decision.
We like to keep things organized, so before we dive in, let’s run through a brief overview of the post.
- Concept — Saatva one innerspring mattress with three different firmness options — and Helix has a sleep quiz to line you up with the right bed.
- Sleeping Positions — Both brands will be able to manage all sleep styles, meaning they both should have a suitable option for you.
- Pricing — While they’re close on price, in most cases Helix Sleep offers more affordable beds.
- Heavy People — Helix Plus and Saatva are both solid mattresses for heavy people.
 | VS. |  |
|---|---|---|
| $935 – $2,195 | Price Range | $799 – $1,449 |
| Up To $250 Off Applied In Cart | Offer | $100 Off + 2 Free Pillows Code: SLUMBER100 |
| Best For |
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| 365 Nights | Trial Period | 100 Nights |
| Lifetime | Warranty | 10 Years |
| Free Shipping and Returns | Shipping Options | Free Shipping and Returns |
| Shop Now | Shop Now |
Saatva vs. Helix Construction
There are plenty of ways with which Saatva differentiates itself, especially in its construction.
- Base layer — Saatva’s main support system is a traditional innerspring chassis.
- Support layer — On top of this, however, is a layer of pocketed coils, which help with support, but also do a much better job of limiting motion transfer than the innersprings. All in all, the two layers of coils mean Saatva will be one of the most supportive, resilient beds sold online.
- Comfort layers — Next up is a thin layer of comfortable memory foam within the pillow top, and works together with the pillow top to make an airy, comfy feel.
- Cover — Perhaps our favorite element of the mattress is the organic cotton cover. Not only will it give Saatva a luxurious, healthy appearance, but also it will lend the bed an earthy smell rather than the typical “clean factory” smell that accompanies so many of these online mattresses.
How does Helix match up in terms of construction? Even though Helix makes over 10 different models, all of them have largely the same overall construction. Here’s a look inside the 12” Helix Midnight mattress, which is their most popular bed.
- Base layer — They all start with dense foam and pocketed coils for support.
- Transition layer — A layer of polyfoam to help neutralize the pocketed coils below.
- Comfort layer — A slab of gel memory foam to cradle and contour around your curves, but not in a stuck-in-the-mud type way.
Firmness and Feel
We like Saatva’s model of offering numerous firmness levels and we appreciate that they’re all slightly firmer than you’d expect.
For instance, the “Plush Soft” is closer to a proper medium than a truly soft mattress. The “Luxury Firm” is really closer to a medium-firm, but we wanted to show it as a firmer bed since we do not think it’s right for side sleepers — though it’s a wonderful mattress for stomach and back sleepers.
The “Firm” model is truly firm, and will be the best option for heavy people that spend the night on their stomach or back.
Helix spans the entire spectrum with beds that range from really soft to really firm, and they even offer beds for special situations. Here’s a look at how its core models compare in firmness.
If you aren’t sure what mattress to pick, don’t worry. As we mentioned earlier, Helix has a sleep quiz which pairs you with your perfect Helix mattress based on your answers.
The Famous “Helix Sleep Quiz”
The entire Helix brand has largely been built off of the concept of offering individually tailored mattresses rather than going with a one-size-fits-all mattress like Leesa or Casper. As such, a sleep quiz has been a big part of what Helix offers to consumers.
You can take the sleep quiz on Helix’s website for free and it will suggest a mattress that’s best suited for your body type and sleeping style. It asks questions about your weight, preferred sleeping positions, and more. It only takes a few minutes, but it makes a big difference in terms of helping to steer you in the right direction.
Sleeper Type Analysis
The position you sleep in should help you dictate how firm or soft your mattress should be.
Body Type Analysis
Spoiler alert: your weight also plays a part in choosing a mattress. It plays a role in how soft or firm you perceive a mattress to be.
Helix vs. Saatva Pricing
Helix is the more affordable mattress, before and after discounts. For instance, the MSRP of the queen-size Saatva mattress is about $1,575 (not bad), but Helix Midnight is about $1,099. And, if you find a coupon code, Helix drops down to closer to $900, while Saatva is pretty much staunchly opposed to offering discounts. You can check HelixSleep.com and SaatvaMattress.com to see their current offerings and look for deals if there are any. In most cases, you will end up saving around $100-$300 with Helix versus Saatva. So, yes, we have to admit that this price difference will be significant for some buyers, but we aren’t really convinced that you should base your decision on price. It should be part of your calculus, but not the deciding factor.
Other Factors to Consider
Some of the less important, but still worthy of consideration mattress characteristics, are motion isolation, edge support, and temperature regulation. If you sleep hot or share a bed with a partner (or both), these sections are for you.
Temperature
Neither Helix or Saatva are going to sleep cool, but we don’t think they retain heat either. Saatva especially, since it’s built with so many innerspring layers, is good at promoting airflow. Though, they aren’t cooling beds by any means.
Motion isolation
We think Helix beds are slightly better at isolating motion because Saatva is so bouncy and springy. However, that isn’t to say Saatva is horrible at isolating movement. We wouldn’t call it a deal breaker if you love the sound of Saatva but sleep with a partner.
Edge support
We think the edge support on both mattresses are good. During our mattress testing, the edges felt sturdy enough that we weren’t going to feel like we were rolling off the bed in the middle of the night.
Conclusion on Helix vs. Saatva
Whether you get Saatva or Helix, we bet you’ll be happy. These aren’t fly-by-night companies nor are these two-layer memory foam beds that you bought at Walmart. These are both well-established brands with very nice mattresses. That said, you’re obviously only picking one, so here are the main things to think about:
- Are you ok with potentially having to pay a return fee? If not, Saatva is out. Again, we don’t think their fee is out-of-line, but some people just hate fees.
- Would you prefer to pick from three firmness levels or take a sleep quiz?
- How much do you weigh? If you’re over 250 lbs., you should look at Saatva or Helix Plus (which is more than their standard models).
- How important is price? If it’s the deciding factor, in many situations, Helix will be more affordable than Saatva.
- Do you feel comfortable setting up your own mattress? For people that live in high rise apartments or are injured or frail, Saatva wins because they offer white glove delivery by default.
Ultimately, we can only guess which bed would be right for you. I’m sure you can tell by our generally positive tone, we like both Saatva and Helix very much. Everything just hinges on what you want in a new bed. If you’re still searching for answers, make sure to read our full review of each of the beds, or you can peruse one of our many other mattress comparisons.
Why Trust Us
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The Review Team
That depends on the type of mattress you’re looking for. If you want a luxurious innerspring mattress that’s bounce and durable, we think Saatva is a great pick. Helix, on the other hand, is good for soft foam lovers who want to utilize a sleep quiz that pairs you with your ideal mattress.
Truthfully, we think it offers a great value. It’s a really nice, premium mattress that’s built to last. Not to mention it’s suitable for all body and sleeper types. The price tag really isn’t bad for the quality you’re getting.
No problem, each brand offers a risk-free trial that allows you to test your mattress before you’re fully committed.
How We Select the Best Mattresses
The Slumber Yard has been around since the beginning of the bed in a box craze. Our team has personally tested over 175 mattresses so far, and we keep more than 150 beds in our office so we can compare them (and take afternoon naps).
When testing mattresses, we evaluate the following factors:
- Construction: We cut mattresses open to see what’s inside and how it’s made.
- Feel: We check if it has a stuck in the mud memory foam feel, or if it’s more of a neutral-foam or a plush pillow top, etc.
- Firmness: We have our own firmness scale and evaluate how that may vary depending on your body and sleeper type.
- Pressure relief: We test what’s the sweet spot for different body and sleeper types. We also look at support and how that changes by body/sleeper type.
- Edge support: This is important for couples who share a bed. Would you roll out of the bed or can you sleep confidently close to the edges?
- Motion isolation: We use the water glass test to see how the bed fares with motion transfer. This is another important factor for couples that don’t want to wake up one another when they move.
- Temperature regulation: We use a temperature gun to evaluate if the bed warms up, stays neutral, or actively cools while you are sleeping.
- Noise: This could be an issue in beds with coils or innerspring.
- Off-gassing: Some beds could have a smell for a few weeks after unpacking, and we try to warn you about it.
- Company policies: We also take into account policies such as shipping, returns, trial period, and warranty.
- Value: We look at a bed’s price in the context of what it offers in terms of features and quality of materials and construction.
After considering all these factors, our team picks the best beds for each category. Besides category-specific criteria, like firmness level or construction, we look for mattresses with the highest quality and that offer some unique features that make them stand out. And the last decisive factor is price and discounts, we always aim to find the best and most affordable options, since we feel it offers more value for the consumer.