A mattress topper is like a slice of cheese in a burger: not strictly necessary, but potentially transformative, especially if your bed has all the cosiness of stale bread. Strap a comfy topper on to a hard mattress and it could transform the quality of your sleep at significantly less cost than a new mattress.
That’s the promise, anyway. In my neverending quest for a decent night’s kip, I slept on eight bestselling toppers – not all at once, Princess and the Pea style, but for a few nights, each on top of a firm mattress. I was surprised to find so many topper types available, from thick slabs of memory foam to airy cloudbanks of hollowfibre, with one even containing springs.
Most of my test toppers went to charity straight after testing, but one improved my sleep so much that I hung on to it for weeks like a teenager refusing to acknowledge that the alarm went off hours ago. Here, I’ll reveal which topper turned me into a duvet-hugger and which one I kicked out of bed at 4am.
At a glance
Why you should trust me
I’ve spent three decades reviewing products from smartphones to hay fever remedies, so I’m naturally sceptical of manufacturers’ claims to improve our lives by buying their stuff. I also have a solid background in napping, insomnia and swearing at alarm clocks, so I welcomed the chance to sleep on the job – which has become something of a speciality for me at the Filter.
How I tested
Testing mattress toppers is not unlike testing mattresses – it just swallows up less space in your house – so I followed a similar methodology to that for best mattresses. First, I sourced double size toppers from the manufacturers (or from Mattress Online, in the case of the Silentnight), then allowed them to fully expand. Most of my test samples contain memory foam, so they needed a couple of days to reach the ideal consistency.
Then I sought feedback from people with assorted mattress preferences and sleep styles. I asked my dad (85), my niece (23), my sister and our husbands to join me for a topper-tasting session where we sat, laid down and rolled over on every test sample to compare them side by side. I collected everyone’s scores out of 10 for firmness, breathability and overall comfort, then worked out averages to draw up an initial ranking.
Next, ably assisted by my husband Alan, I ran tests with weights, a heat pad, a thermometer and a glass of water to measure sinkage, temperature regulation and motion isolation. Mattress toppers vary less on these factors than full-size mattresses, but we still collected diverse and occasionally surprising data, especially on heat retention. For instance, when we warmed each topper’s surface to 35C using a microwavable heat pad, Panda’s memory foam topper cooled down even faster than those filled with microfibre or wool – despite containing a notoriously heat-hugging material. Clearly, foam technology is advancing, and we couldn’t make assumptions about toppers based simply on their lists of ingredients.
Then we went to sleep. Alan and I slept on each topper for at least two nights across three weeks in July and August. Night temperatures were around 15C, ideal for sleep but warm enough to test whether, in practice, the foam toppers retained too much body heat for comfort. We attached them to a firm Sealy Posturepedic Elevate Emin mattress, which I’m currently reviewing for the Filter, on a slatted Ikea bed base.
I considered each topper’s environmental credentials, too. Mattress makers are secretive about the lifecycles of their products, but I discovered what I could about the materials used, their manufacture and their potential for recycling.
No mattress toppers were harmed in the testing process, but I struggled to find takers for them at the local refuges and hardship organisations that have collected my test mattresses. So I donated them to a local charity that means a lot to me: Farplace, which raises money for animal rescue.
The best mattress toppers you can buy in 2025
Best mattress topper overall:
Simba Hybrid Topper
My favourite topper is essentially a thin bed-in-a-box hybrid mattress. It arrived vacuum-shrunk and rolled in plastic, and contains layers of memory foam and springs to offer a balance of comfort and support. So far, so similar to the Simba Hybrid Pro mattress – but I found it even more comfortable than its full-size counterpart.
Why we love it
It’s rare for a mattress topper to contain springs, because there’s not much room for them. But Simba’s 6.5cm-deep topper squeezes “up to 1,900” conical titanium microsprings between its top layer of open-cell memory foam and base layer of high-density foam.
My testing panel initially found it too firm, but that’s because they didn’t sleep on it. The foam adapted to the heat and shape of my body over four nights, developing just enough sink-in softness to feel gloriously comfortable without ever lacking support. It even relieved the rib pain that had meddled with my efforts to sleep on a firmer surface.
Simba’s topper ended up going to charity like the others, but not until I’d slept on it for a few more weeks. This isn’t just because I loved it – I also wanted to check that it didn’t get soft in the middle, like my test sample of the Simba Hybrid Pro. It didn’t, possibly because it was attached to such a firm mattress, but I found it stayed most comfortable if I rotated it every week. Simba’s own recommendation is to rotate the topper “at least once per month” in the first three months.
It’s a shame that … temperature regulation wasn’t as good as expected, both in our tests and my experience. The open-cell foam is designed to promote airflow, but like a lot of memory foam it struggles to avoid trapping heat when the nights are warm.
Suitable for: anyone who loves a cosy but supportive sleeping surface and doesn’t want to fork out for an entire hybrid mattress
Type: hybrid (foam and springs)
Depth: 6.5cm
Cover: unzip to wash at 40C
Trial period: 200 nights
Warranty: 10 years
Sustainability credentials: Simba is B Corp certified and aiming for net zero by 2030. Hybrid Topper foam is CertiPur approved
Best budget mattress topper:
Silentnight Airmax 1000
Silentnight’s pillowy topper is just £46 for a double size and can genuinely restore comfort if your bed is too firm. It wins on convenience, too: it’s very light, rolls up small and will survive an electric blanket or washing machine.
Why we love it
The Silentnight topper looks perturbingly like a puffa jacket or bouncy castle. No mattress topper can iron out the bumps in a lumpy bed, but this one looks like it adds them. My testing panel was suitably sceptical. As with the Simba, however, the Silentnight proved its worth when I actually slept on it. The hollowfibre filling compresses under your sleeping body, feeling cosy without being too soft.
This is one of the most breathable toppers I tested. Hollowfibre has none of the heat-trapping properties memory foam is known for, and we both woke up feeling refreshed. Silentnight also claims the filling is antibacterial and anti-allergy, and while I couldn’t test its resistance to dust mites I can confirm it didn’t set off my hay fever.
It’s a shame that … this topper occasionally wears its cheapness on its sleeve. You have to keep plumping it up, and some of the 48 puffs are fatter than others.
Suitable for: adding a comfy, allergy-resistant layer to a hard mattress or sofa bed
Type: hollowfibre
Depth: claims 10cm but I found it closer to 4cm when in regular use
Cover: not removable; wash the whole topper at 40C
Trial period: no
Warranty: two years
Sustainability credentials: Silentnight is zero landfill, aims for net zero by 2040, and says it’s the first sleep brand to publish an Environmental Social Governance (ESG) report
Best cooling mattress topper:
Panda Bamboo
Panda’s topper tackled my night sweats better than any other in our rundown – not what I’d expected from a slab of memory foam. It offers the cosy pressure relief of foam without the cost and commitment of an all-foam mattress.
Why we love it
The Panda has a relatively simple construction, with a flat pad of memory foam inside a removable fabric cover, but it’s full of thoughtful details. I like the tiny rubberised dots on the base to stop it slipping when you get in and out of bed, and it’s the only topper I tested to have adjustable straps, so you can fit it securely to any depth of mattress.
The Panda cooled down faster than any other topper in our heat-retention tests, and when I slept on it in late July, the “temperature-regulating hydro foam” genuinely seemed to emit a cooling sensation from below. The cover also contains bamboo fibre to help avoid overheating.
This is a relatively soft topper and its high-viscosity foam moulds around your body, so it’s ideal for relieving joint pain. It will get softer over months of sleeping, but at 5cm deep it won’t dip far enough to leave you feeling unsupported, providing the mattress underneath it is robust.
It’s a shame that … it will be too soft for some and there’s no bounce whatsoever, but at least that means you won’t feel the fidgeting of a restless partner.
Suitable for: couples who share a bed but crave some peace from each other’s movements and body heat
Type: memory foam
Depth: 5cm
Cover: unzip to wash at 40C
Free trial: 30 days
Warranty: 10 years
Sustainability credentials: FSC-managed bamboo, circle-of-life recycling scheme
Best firm mattress topper:
Origin Contour
If the handsome Origin Hybrid Pro is the James Bond of mattresses, the Origin Contour topper is young Bond: cool, slim and harder than it looks. Its high-density foam softens just enough to leave you feeling neither shaken nor stirred as you sleep.
Why we love it
The Origin is the most orthopaedic-feeling of all the toppers I tested, and this made it my favourite for sitting up to read in bed. My family found it too firm for lying on, but I liked it – not least because it yielded slightly under the weight and warmth of my body over a few nights of sleeping, while remaining very supportive.
The silky cover is described by Origin as “extra-cooling Tencel” and the upper foam layer contains “cooling gel-infused beads” to head off overheating. This topper lets the air circulate better than some, but I didn’t measure the same level of cooling as with the Panda or the Silentnight.
It’s a shame that … some details don’t quite work. For instance, the fabric cover is a little loose and gets caught in the zip, while the straps are too tight for thicker mattresses – such as Origin’s own hulking 31cm-deep Hybrid Pro.
Suitable for: adding gently cushioned support to a bed that’s seen better days, as long as it’s still firm
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Type: memory foam
Depth: 5cm
Cover: unzip to wash at 40C
Free trial: 30 nights
Warranty: three years
Sustainability credentials: foam is CertiPUR approved; returned mattresses go to the British Heart Foundation
The best of the rest
Otty Bamboo with Charcoal
Best for: softening a firm mattress such as the Otty Original Hybrid, and potentially helping you fall asleep faster
Otty’s sumptuous foam topper scored instant wins with my family testing panel, partly because it looks great – its deep-stitched cover is like a 60s space-race-era quilt – but mainly thanks to its instantly comfy plushness.
“Ooh, it’s lovely. There’s a heftiness to it but it feels so comfortable,” said my sister Maeve. My husband Alan added: “It’s moulding to me but I’m not sinking in. The foam springs back fast, like baby skin. It’s making me want to go to sleep.” Indeed, I fell asleep unusually fast on this topper, which also offered brilliant motion isolation to help us both doze in peace.
It didn’t make the final cut because … the topper softened under my sleeping body and I woke up at 4am feeling hot and, frankly, sunk. We dragged it off the bed and went back to sleep. I was also disappointed to find that the fabulous removable cover is dry clean only.
Suitable for: softening a firm bed and potentially helping you fall asleep faster
Type: memory foam
Depth: 5cm
Cover: unzip to dry clean
Free trial: 14 days
Warranty: one year
Sustainability credentials: foam is CertiPUR- and Europur-approved for environmental standards
Dunelm Snuggledown Fresh and Healthy
Best for: adding a breathable top layer to a hybrid or foam mattress
Dunelm’s topper has an antibacterial cover and is filled with microfibre, a denser and more down-like material than the hollowfibre in the Silentnight. This creates a lightweight, breathable and surprisingly firm surface that’s satisfying to lie on because it springs back instantly – and with no bounce to disturb your sleep.
It didn’t make the final cut because … it’s more expensive than it feels
Type: microfibre; depth: 5cm; cover: unzip to wash at 40C; free trial: return within 28 days if unused and with original packaging; warranty: five years; sustainability: Dunelm’s “Good and Circular” initiative aims to reduce environmental impact of its products; 50% CO2 reduction target by 2030 and net zero by 2040
Ikea Nordberget
Best for: couples who want better motion isolation on a sprung mattress
The snug, foamy Nordberget is not a bargain like the Ikea Valevåg mattress. Indeed, it costs around the same as the toppers from Panda and Otty, but couldn’t quite match either of them in my tests. It’s still a good choice to add softness and pressure relief to a mattress that’s too firm. Its motion isolation is outstanding, so it’s a brilliant choice for couples who are fed up with each other’s tossing and turning.
This is one of only two double-sided mattress toppers in my test (the other is the Woolroom below), which means you can flip it over for a fresh surface.
It didn’t make the final cut because … the foam becomes quite soft, and the absence of straps means the topper moves around on your bed.
Type: memory foam; depth: 4.5cm; cover: unzip to wash at up to 60C; double-sided: yes; free trial: none; warranty: one-year guarantee; sustainability: 2025 target of 20% recycled content in all Ikea mattress foams
Woolroom Deluxe
Best for: keeping your bed at a comfortable temperature all year round
Woolroom’s topper reminds me of old-fashioned eiderdown quilts, both in appearance and feel. Its British wool filling compresses beneath your body to create a cosy but flat sleeping surface. The cotton cover and naturally hypoallergenic wool filling did a fantastic job of regulating my temperature on warm nights, and wool acts as a great insulator in winter, too.
It didn’t make the final cut because … it didn’t have a big enough impact on my comfort or sleep to warrant the price tag – and it’s dry clean only.
Type: wool; depth: 4-5cm; cover: not removable, dry clean the whole topper; free trial: 30 nights; warranty: two years; sustainability: Woolroom wool is fully traceable; cotton is 100% organic; bedding is Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certified
What you need to know
What’s the difference between a mattress topper and a mattress protector?
A mattress topper is a layer of foam or similar material, usually around 5-6cm thick, designed to add cushioning and comfort to a mattress that’s too hard. A mattress protector is more like a thick fitted sheet – often quilted, and sometimes waterproof – that helps to keep sweat, spills and dirt away from your mattress. A topper helps to protect your mattress from wear and tear, too, of course.
Will a mattress topper fix a bad mattress?
In most cases, no. If the mattress is “bad” because it’s too hard for your preference, then a mattress topper can fix it by adding a layer of cushioning. It will help prolong the mattress’s life, too. But if the mattress is saggy, torn or lumpy, the topper will simply follow the curve of its surface.
“Where a mattress has lost its support or doesn’t provide enough support for your body shape, a topper won’t solve the problem,” says Hannah Shore, head of sleep science at Mattress Online. “Ultimately the topper will shape itself into those same lumps and bumps.”
Can a topper make my bed feel firmer?
All mattress toppers work best on a solid foundation. A firm topper such as the Origin Contour may briefly make you feel more supported if your mattress is too soft, but it’ll soon sink into the mattress and create an unstable, uneven surface. As a rule of thumb, lower layers should be firmer and upper layers should be softer.
Don’t be tempted to use a mattress topper on the floor, either, says Hannah Shore. “They’re designed to be used in conjunction with an actual mattress. A topper on the floor won’t give you the support and cushioning you need to get a good night’s sleep.”
What should I look for when buying a mattress topper?
That depends why you want a topper. These bed-enhancers come in a surprisingly wide range of materials and tensions, each suited to different needs.
Your bed feels too hard: look for a soft topper, ideally made from memory foam. Brands including Tempur and Simba have their own names for memory foam, but it’s all similar stuff: high-viscosity foam that moulds around your body to provide support as well as plush cushioning. It softens over weeks and months of being slept on, especially when the weather’s warm.
You get too warm in bed: memory foam tends to trap heat, so hollowfibre or wool is traditionally a better choice if you tend to overheat at night. However, sleep brands are competing to devise breathable foam recipes such as Panda’s “HydroFoam”, whose open-cell design and “heat-sentisive micro gel” let the air circulate and draw heat away from your body as you sleep. This helped make the Panda Bamboo the best cooling topper in my test.
You suffer aches and pains: orthopaedic sleeping surfaces can feel too firm, especially if you’re used to a softer surface. I love a firm mattress, but my ribs and shoulders are far happier with a thin, soft comfort layer on top of it, especially when I sleep on my side. The pressure relief of a memory foam topper is also great for soothing painful joints and other musculoskeletal maladies.
You share your bed with a fidget: memory foam is brilliant for absorbing the movement of a sleeping partner, so you’re less disturbed by their tossing and turning.
You suffer from allergies: wool is naturally hypoallergenic and also excels at temperature regulation, but it’s not vegan and is usually dry clean only. As a habitual morning sneezer, I’ve had excellent results with polyester hollowfibre and microfibre toppers that act as a barrier to allergens such as dust mites in my mattress. These toppers are also the easiest to wash in the machine.
Can I wash a mattress topper?
The Woolroom topper and Otty cover in my test are dry clean only, an annoying barrier to keeping them fresh and healthy. You can’t wash or dry clean memory foam, but memory foam toppers usually have removable fabric covers that you can wash in the machine at 40C or even 60C. With polyester hollowfibre and microfibre toppers, you can normally put the whole thing in the machine, although it’ll take a bit longer to dry – much like washing a summer duvet. A heated clothes airer will help when the sun doesn’t shine.
What else should I bear in mind?
Get the right size topper for your mattress: don’t try to save a few pounds by buying a double size topper for a king size mattress. The topper won’t attach securely, so it will move around while you turn in the night and could even slide off the bed.
Mattresses vary in depth, of course, so check the size of straps if you can when buying your topper. Of the toppers on test, the adjustable straps on the Panda were the best, securing tightly to any depth of mattress. The Dunelm’s straps were particularly big, and the Origin’s were particularly small. A non-slip base like the ones on the Otty, Simba and Panda will help keep the topper in place. The double-sided Ikea has no straps or non-slip base at all, so it will need to be secured with a tight fitted sheet.
All but the thinnest toppers will add a couple of inches of height to your mattress, so your sheets may struggle to fit. You can buy extra deep fitted sheets or even adjustable ones like the Pull Me Tight toggled fitted sheet (from £15 at Dunelm). Memory foam toppers add several kilos to the weight of your mattress too, so changing sheets becomes slightly harder work. Foam toppers also shouldn’t be used with electric blankets.
Mattress toppers don’t typically come with the generous free trial periods and warranties that mattresses do, but some can be returned for a refund if you don’t get on with them. Check this before you buy. A good mattress topper will last three to five years if you take good care of it by using a mattress protector and rotating it regularly.
Jane Hoskyn is a features journalist and WFH pioneer with three decades of experience in rearranging bookshelves and “testing” coffee machines while deadlines loom. Her work has made her a low-key expert in all manner of consumables, from sports watches to solar panels. She would always rather be in the woods