Best Twin/Twin XL Size Mattresses with Our Budget Friendly Pick

The difference between twin and twin xl mattresses is small but significant. Today we’re going to take a look at the best twin mattresses (and the best twin xl mattresses) on the market.

We’re going to review several twin and twin xl products in a huge amount of detail to tell you what we like (and what we don’t like) about them with our usual unforgiving honesty.

Let’s get started.

Difference Between a Twin and Twin XL Mattress

These kinds of mattress are both commonly found in dorm rooms across the country. They are reasonably similarly sized, but it’s important to know the difference between them.

• Twin mattresses are 39 inches wide and 75 inches long
• Twin Xl mattresses are 39 inches wide and 80 inches long

Overall Best Twin Size Mattress – The DreamCloud

We’ve found loads of great twin and twin XL mattresses on the market that we want to recommend. We’re going to list some of the others below in various price related categories (and in our runners-up section too). But in our opinion, the overall best twin mattress you’re going to find right now is this product from DreamCloud.

This mattress is the very definition of quality and luxury. It has a super thick profile of 15 inches, and it has an incredible 8 layers of material inside of it – all of which are of an exceptional quality.

Eurotop Cover

We love eurotop mattresses, we’re not sure why more brands don’t include them in their designs. A eurotop is essentially a large pillow that’s attached to the top of your mattress. This one is filled with a huge amount of cashmere blend wool, and it feels divine. The sense of luxury it provides is second to none, and customers regularly comment on it in their reviews.

Cooling Gel Memory Foam

Cooling gel is one of the best ways that engineers have come up with to try and solve the issue of overheating that normal memory foam has become slightly infamous for. Cooling gel doesn’t actually cool the mattress down (despite the name), it just spreads the heat out.

Because cooling gel is an excellent thermal conductor, it absorbs the heat before it has the chance to penetrate into the memory foam and cause hotspots. When it absorbs the heat it spreads it out to all the other gel in the product – which makes it much more evenly distributed. This results in a cooler sensation for the sleeper, and it is very effective at keeping things feeling cooler for longer.

Quilted Memory Foam

This is a comfort layer that provides very little support – but we don’t care, because it feels great. The quilted nature of this memory foam adds a little bit of loftiness to the product that makes you feel like you are floating on top of the mattress instead of sinking into it. It works hand in hand with the eurotop to provide the feeling of luxury that we mentioned earlier.

Natural Latex

We love how this single layer completely changes the entire feel of the product. One of the problems that foam-based products can have is that you sink into them too much when you get into bed – there’s no pushback or bounce from the mattress whatsoever. It’s a small little issue, but it’s one that annoys some people. Latex, however, has a lovely reassuring bounce and responsiveness to it, and by adding a thick latex layer in this product – the DreamCloud benefits from it noticeably.

This is also a highly ventilated kind of foam and will allow any internal heat in the mattress to escape out into the bedroom reasonably easily. It’s a great addition, and without this layer, we’d be talking about a very different product today.

Dream Plush Memory Foam

Despite the fancy name DreamCloud like to use for this layer, it’s just a layer of normal medium firm memory foam. It’s a decent quality material, and it has no cooling technology inside of it.

Super Dense Super Soft Memory Foam

This is another layer with a fancy name that means nothing. It’s a slightly firmer version of the memory foam used in the layer above. These two layers are a transition section that creates a smooth gradient between the soft comfort layers above and the firm support section we’re about to discuss below.

Best Rest Coils

This layer of independent coils is very interesting, it’s the most important layer in the entire mattress.

The way independent coils work is very different from the old innerspring mattresses that people sometimes confuse them with.

In an innerspring mattress, all the coils are connected to one another (and an external frame) to make a solid piece. In an independent mattress, the coils are not connected to each other in any way.

This is a small, but a hugely important difference.

When you apply pressure to an innerspring product most of the coils will compress slightly – even if you’re not applying pressure to them directly (because they are all connected). This means the shape that is created in the layer is more of a “dip” than your actual body shape, which is not very supportive.

Because independent coils only compress if you’re directly lying down on them they create a shape that is much more representative of your body shape. It’s much more supportive, and it’s much more comfortable too.

The other interesting thing about this layer is quite unique.

The coils have been divided into separate zones, each of which has a different level of density. By doing this DreamCloud have managed to customize the amount of support that is provided at different points along the surface of the mattress. This allows them to promote proper spinal alignment in a way that standard mattresses cannot.

It sounds simple, but it’s a design pattern that’s rarely used. However, more and more brands are adopting the idea – because the levels of support and comfort it provides are off the charts.

High-Density Support Foam

This is a reasonably boring bottom layer that is made from a super high-density support foam. It’s made from quality materials, it’s durable, and it provides the strong and stable base the product needs to function properly.

Pros And Cons

Pros

• Very luxurious
• Eurotop section
• Zoned support system
• Cooling gel memory foam
• Quilted memory foam
• Independent coils
• Good levels of support

Cons

• Great value for money, but could be cheaper

Best Twin Mattress For Under $2000 – The Solay

From top to bottom this mattress gives you advanced technologies and incredibly effective design patterns. For example, the covering of the Solay is made from Tencel – one of the best natural materials used in the mattress industry. It’s breathable, it’s soft, it’s eco-friendly, it wicks sweat away well, and it fights odor-causing bacteria too.

The coiled section in this product is of an exceptionally high quality, and it provides impressive amounts of support while contouring to your body exceptionally well. The only thing it is missing is a zoned support system like the DreamCloud (but don’t hold this against Solay – not many mattresses are as advanced as the DreamCloud).

There’s a couple of memory foam layers in here, one of which has excellent cooling gel infused into it (in a very even distribution pattern). This cooling gel is enough to cool the product down on its own, but when you combine it with the huge amount of ventilation you get from the coiled section (which is mainly just open air) – it becomes a super cool sleeping surface.

It’s a premium product with a premium price tag, but we think it’s worth every penny.

Best Twin Mattress Under $1000 – The Nectar

The Nectar is a pure foam product that uses a variety of different kinds of memory foam to create one of the most famous and widely respected mattresses on the market.

Hi Core memory foam is used instead of a coil section in this product, which is something that we really like. Not many brands use hi core memory foam, mainly because it so expensive. It has some pretty impressive properties though, and it contours more efficiently, quickly, and accurately than normal memory foam.

The cooling gel that is infused in the top layers of memory foam in this product are of an exceptional quality, and the gel has been distributed evenly to ensure it works with maximum efficiency. The quilted layer of cooling gel memory foam towards the top of the Nectar works in a similar way to the quilted layer in the DreamCloud and it provides a loft and luxury that makes you feel like you’re floating on top of the product.

There’s a good reason why this product is widely regarded as being one of the most successful mattresses of all time by those in the know. You should definitely check it out if you’re looking for a high-performance twin mattress that’s going to give you good value for money.

Best Budget-Friendly Twin Mattress (Under $500) – Zinus Green Tea Memory Foam

The Zinus is our budget pick today, and it’s a great product available in twin and twin xl sizes.

It’s a pure foam mattress that has some pretty standard yet reasonably high-quality materials inside of it. The only special thing about this product is the green tea infusion that’s been applied to the top layer. This removes the infamous off-gassing smell that all memory foam products suffer from when they are new, and it keeps smells at bay for the lifetime of the mattress – but that’s about it.

It’s a decent product, but quite honestly, if you can afford just a little bit more – we’d recommend you check out the Nectar instead.

You’re not going to use any other product in your home more than your mattress (8 hours a day for 10 years). You’re getting a whole lot more mattress with the Nectar for not that much more cash (especially in twin and twin xl sizes).

If you can find any possible way of coming up with the extra funds for the Nectar, you’re not going to regret the additional investment.

4 More Really Good Twin and Twin XL Size Mattresses

Here are 4 more products that we think you should check out if you didn’t like the options we provided above.

The Puffy

This is a super advanced mattress at a very reasonable price point. The Puffy is one of the coolest sleeping surfaces on the planet thanks to the Comfort Cloud material the brand spent 4 years developing. It’s supportive and it contours like memory foam, but it does it quicker and it is much more durable too. We strongly recommend you check this out before committing to another product.

The Muse

This is another great brand that’s using some innovative technologies in clever design patterns. The cover of this product is exceptional, they have woven metal strands into it (that you can’t feel) to dissipate heat before it has the chance to enter the mattress. It’s another one to add to the shortlist for sure.

Modway Aveline

This is another cheap twin mattress (that’s also available in twin xl). It’s a basic product that uses two layers of foam, but if you’re on a budget – it’s a good option. There’s no bells and whistles, but it provides levels of comfort and support that other products in this price range struggle to achieve.

Signature Sleep

This is a coil based mattress that’s reversible too. It’s not got any memory foam in it, and the high-density foam that covers the coils on both sides can be a little bit firm for some people’s tastes. But if you like a firmer sleeping surface, this could be a good option for your next twin xl mattress.

Conclusion

Those are the best twin mattresses that are also available in twin xl on the market right now.

These reasonably small products can have huge levels of performance, and good things can truly come in small packages in the mattress world.

Any of the products we have talked about today are going to give you years of excellent performance and support – without breaking the bank.

Sweet dreams.