Best Gel Mattress for 2024

The mattresses above were personally hand-picked by our CNET Sleep editors and proved to be the best-performing gel mattresses among the 200-plus beds they've tested. With that being said, with so many to choose from, there are bound to be a few quality mattresses that miss the cut. Below are other mattresses tested by the CNET Sleep team that are worth mentioning as some of the best gel foam beds. 

Lucid 10-inch Gel Memory Foam mattress: As an ultra wallet-friendly mattress, budget shoppers may really enjoy the Lucid mattress. It has a slow-responding, viscous feel that's typical of traditional memory foam. It comes in a large range of height options and three firmness levels, so most sleeping positions can find a Lucid Gel that suits their preferences. I don't recommend this to people who weigh over 230 pounds. It's not going to be as durable or supportive as a hybrid mattress that contains coils.

DreamCloud mattress: As the name implies, the DreamCloud mattress is an ultra-luxurious mattress that feels like a cloud when you sleep on it. I'd compare it to a fancy, five-star hotel mattress. It's made with gel memory foam, but the fluffy pillow top on the cover of the bed makes it feel more neutral and bouncy. It's incredibly thick and made with supportive pocketed coils in the bottom, so it's perfect for all body types. It also has an accommodating firmness level; it's rated around a medium or a five out of 10, making it fitting for all sleeping positions from back, side, stomach and combination. 

Our team of sleep experts has tested hundreds of mattresses. We've established different tests and assessments we put each mattress through during that process. While testing, we consider firmness, feel, motion isolation, durability and edge support. 

Firmness and feel

Think about firmness as how hard or soft a mattress is. Our experience testing mattresses has given us an extensive collection to compare a new bed to, allowing us to determine where it falls on the firmness scale. 

Feel is where we get hands-on with the bed. We roll around on it and describe how it feels. We also pay close attention to how materials respond to weight and pressure. We note how quickly a bed snaps back when weight is lifted off it. 

Durability 

No mattress will last forever, but you want to choose one that you'll get the expected seven to 10 years out of. We hypothesize how long a mattress will last based on its construction. Beds with coils will stand the test of time better than foam, which may sag over years. 

Motion isolation

Motion isolation may not seem like a big deal at face value, but it matters if you have a partner or pet who moves around a lot. The last thing you want is someone waking you up while they toss and turn. 

To test motion isolation, two team members move around on the bed and gauge how well each bed dampens movement. We also place a glass of water on the edge of the bed and move around near it. The bed doesn't have good motion isolation if the glass turns over. 

Edge support

Edge support is how strong the edge of the bed is. It's a key factor if you sleep on the edge of the bed. We test this by sitting and lying along the border. If we feel like we will fall off because the mattress is folding under the weight, it doesn't have good edge support. 

Our CNET Sleep editors picked the beds and other products we write about based on editorial merit. When you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Find out more about how we test mattresses.

Before shopping for a gel mattress, consider four key factors: your sleeping position, body type, budget and cooling technology expectations. This will help you weed out beds that won't fit your needs and leave you with only suitable options to narrow down to one. 

Sleeping position 

Your sleeping position matters for which firmness level you should choose. The various sleeping positions need different things from a mattress. 

• Side sleepers need a soft to medium mattress with enough cushion to cradle their curves. Getting a bed that's too firm as a side sleeper will result in pressure points at the shoulders, hips and knees. 
• Back and stomach sleepers need a medium to firm, supportive mattress to keep their spine aligned all night. When you sleep on a bed that's too soft, your spine will curve and you'll wake up with back pain. 
• Combination sleepers should choose a firmness based on the position they spend the most time in at night. 

Body type

Your body type also matters because it decides how firm a mattress feels. People who weigh more will put more pressure on the bed, which means it will feel softer to them. The opposite is true for petite body types; it will feel firmer. 

People over 230 pounds should go with a mattress with plenty of support, like an innerspring or hybrid mattress. 

Cooling technology 

Some of the best gel memory foam mattresses have cooling technology built into them, which is a must for hot sleepers. Look for a bed with cooling covers like GhostBed or foam layers with copper or graphite. Mattresses with latex foam also are naturally more breathable. 

Budget 

Mattresses are a significant investment. Establishing how much you can spend on your next bed will help narrow your options. The average price of an online mattress is between $850 to $1,200. Some beds are under $500 and luxury mattresses are over $2,000. 

Third-party certifications 

Gel foam is a synthetic material and manufacturers often don't disclose the exact ingredients. For this reason, it's wise to look for certifications like CertiPUR-US to ensure that all the materials in your mattress are safe.