Tempur-Pedic is one of the oldest and most popular mattress brands out there, and unfortunately, it's also one of the more expensive mattress brands out there. Proven benefits and thirty years of brand recognition lead to premium pricing, but since these mattresses can last for decades, the investment can be more than worth it — so long as you buy the right one.

Tempur-Pedic's current online mattress lineup includes six mattresses — plus a truly over-the-top $10,000+, fan-cooled Tempur ActiveBreeze Smart Bed system for those who sleep hotter than nuclear reactors — and it can be challenging to dial in which best fits your sleep style and your body type. In this mattress guide, I'll go over the features all Tempur-Pedic mattresses share and then get into the benefits of each series and individual mattress to help demystify the Tempur-Pedic lineup.

Video: Tempur-Pedic mattress review

Watch me review the Tempur-Pedic mattresses.

A brief history of Tempur-Pedic

Tempur-Pedic was the first brand to popularize the use of memory foam in mattresses, which the brand now often calls "Tempur Material." This type of foam was originally developed by NASA to help improve the cushioning provided by cushions for aircraft that subjected people to G-forces. It was also used in medical settings to help prevent pain and bed sores of patients who needed to be immobilized for extended periods of time.  

Eventually, memory foam entered the public domain in the early 1990s. Tempur-Pedic thought the material would work well in consumer mattresses, and it was clearly right to think so because Tempur-Pedic is still one of the biggest, most popular mattress brands to this day. 

What will you get with Tempur-Pedic no matter what?

Tempur-Pedic mattress feel

There are quite a few things all six Tempur-Pedic mattresses have in common, the biggest thing being the mattress feel. All of the Tempur-Pedic mattresses, from the more affordable Cloud mattress to the expensive Luxe Breeze, all share a classic, dense memory foam feel.

When you first lie down on a mattress with this type of feel, it will feel pretty firm at first (especially if your room is cold), and then you'll slowly start to sink into the top layers of foam as it conforms to your body's shape. It has a body-conforming quality that can relieve pressure on joints like your hips, shoulders and even your lower back.

The hallmark of a classic memory foam feel like this is its lack of responsiveness. When you press down on it and remove your hand, the foam takes a significant amount of time to snap back into its original shape. This can deter some sleepers from tossing and turning at night, which can lead to more restful sleep, but conversely, some sleepers sometimes report feeling "stuck" in a memory foam bed like Tempur-Pedic. It really comes down to personal preference with a distinct feel like this.

I was never a fan of this type of feel, but after sleeping on the Tempur Pro Breeze for close to a year, it's grown on me a lot. I find that most nights I fall asleep in one position and wake up in the same position. My sleep tracker has a "restless moments" statistic and my score is almost always rated as "excellent" on the Pro Breeze, which you'll get with any Tempur-Pedic bed.

Tempur-Pedic motion isolation

The other big thing you'll get with any Tempur-Pedic mattress is excellent motion isolation performance. You may remember these old commercials from Tempur-Pedic showing off this feature. It recently started running ads with a similar purpose called the "jiggle test," and I have to say these beds live up to the hype. 

In fact, the main reason I made the switch to a Tempur-Pedic at home was that my partner is a light sleeper and struggled with waking up in the middle of the night on our previous mattress. The Tempur Pro Breeze has solved that issue and any of these Tempur-Pedic mattresses should do the same. 

This type of memory foam performs the best at deadening the impact of your partner tossing and turning. For this reason, Tempur-Pedic is popular for couples. 

Tempur-Pedic mattress lineup

Tempur Cloud mattress

The Tempur Cloud mattress is the most affordable bed in the brand's lineup and it is pretty unique as well because of its delivery method. It is the only bed from Tempur-Pedic that ships rolled up in a bag or box instead of being delivered flat through "white glove delivery." 

The Tempur Cloud is meant to be the brand's answer to bed-in-a-box brands like Casper, Leesa and Nectar. It's available in only one firmness option -- a medium -- so it will be generally accommodating for all sleeping positions: back, stomach, side and combination. 

The Tempur Cloud is also available in a hybrid for extra cost, which subs the dense support foam for individually wrapped pocketed coils. The coil model will be slightly more responsive than the foam version and is a better option for heavier people because it provides more long-term durability. 

This is the most affordable mattress available from Tempur-Pedic, with the Cloud retailing at $1,999 for a queen-size. Despite its more affordable price, it is not the one I recommend to most sleepers because it does a below-average job at regulating sleeping temperature, especially in comparison to the rest of the Tempur-Pedic beds. I have seen the Tempur Cloud go on steep discount, bringing the queen-size price down to $1,399, which then makes it a much better option, but at full retail price I don't recommend this bed.

Tempur Adapt mattress

The Tempur Adapt mattress is the second most affordable bed from Tempur-Pedic, and in my opinion, it is also the best value. It has a very similar construction to the Tempur Cloud, with a foam and coil option. It has the same firmness profile, but it has a cover that is noticeably cool to the touch to aid in temperature regulation.  It also comes with complimentary white glove delivery and removal of your old mattress for only $2,199, which is only $200 more than the Cloud mattress. 

I think the benefits of the Tempur Adapt are well worth the extra $200, and the main reason someone would want to get the Cloud instead is if they want the "bed-in-a-box" shopping experience. 

Tempur ProAdapt mattress

The Tempur ProAdapt is an upgraded version of the base model Tempur Adapt. The mattress is a bit thicker, with more material (12 inches versus 11 inches). It has a slightly stronger cooling factor and the cover itself can be unzipped to help mitigate the cooling factor, which is nice in the winter months when you don't necessarily want or need a cooling mattress. I took advantage of this feature sleeping on the Pro Breeze mattress.

The biggest differences between the ProAdapt and the Adapt are firmness and pricing. The ProAdapt is available in three firmness options, with soft, medium and firm models, as well as a hybrid in the medium model only. If you want a Tempur-Pedic mattress that's especially soft or firm, the ProAdapt is one of the few beds that has those firmness options. 

I think the ProAdapt is better than the base model Adapt, but it comes at a significant cost. A queen-size ProAdapt retails for $3,399, which is about $1,200 more than the Adapt. 

Tempur LuxeAdapt mattress

To be honest, I don't fully understand why someone would choose the LuxeAdapt mattress over the ProAdapt mattress. The features are nearly identical, the differences being the LuxeAdapt having an extra inch of material and a slightly stronger cooling factor. 

Also, for some reason, the LuxeAdapt only has a medium firmness profile in a hybrid model, while the ProAdapt has a medium profile in both hybrid and foam models.

The LuxeAdapt is also significantly more expensive than the already pricey ProAdapt, coming in at $4,299 for a queen-size. In my opinion, if you have that kind of budget for a new mattress, you might as well look at the Breeze models. 

Tempur ProBreeze mattress

The ProBreeze mattress is the first of two mattresses in the "Breeze Collection" and it's the mattress I've been sleeping on for just shy of a year. 

Its construction is ever so slightly different from the LuxeAdapt to make the ProBreeze one of the coolest sleeping beds we've ever tested. According to Tempur-Pedic, the ProBreeze will sleep up to five degrees cooler than the average mattress -- I cannot vouch for that specific temperature, but it does sleep very cool, and it was probably the only reason I was able to get OK sleep during a several-week window during the summer without working air conditioning. 

The ProBreeze is only available in a medium and medium hybrid model for some reason, but it is also not much more expensive than the LuxeAdapt and it has a stronger cooling factor which many sleepers are looking for, and I think most people should look at the ProBreeze and ProAdapt over the LuxeAdapt.

Tempur LuxeBreeze mattress

The LuxeBreeze mattress is the most high-end, expensive mattress available from Tempur-Pedic and I think it's the best. It has a stronger cooling factor than the ProBreeze; according to Tempur-Pedic, it has double the cooling and is available in soft, medium-firm hybrid, and firm models. 

I don't fully understand why the medium is only available with coils while the Pro Breeze, Adapt and ProAdapt have a medium firmness profile with a foam support layer. 

The LuxeBreeze is significantly more expensive than the already expensive ProBreeze, retailing for $5,600 in a queen size, which makes the LuxeBreeze one of the most expensive beds we have ever tested. 

Tempur-Pedic mattress costs

The Tempur-Pedic mattress models are not cheap. At the low end, there's an entry-level model for those who want to save money but still get a Tempur-Pedic bed, but you're still going to have to fork out over $1,000 for it. The more premium the mattress, the higher the cost; the Breeze mattresses are some of the most expensive beds I've ever seen. You can get your Tempur-Pedic mattress for less if you purchase around a holiday or major promo time. 

Prices below are without discounts, which they do offer every now and then:

• Tempur-Cloud: Prices start at around $1,699 for a twin and go up to about $2,399 for a king.
• Tempur-Adapt: Prices start at $1,699 for a twin and go up to $2,899 for a king.
• Tempur-ProAdapt: Prices start at $2,899 for a twin and go up to $4,099 for a king.
• Tempur-LuxeAdapt: Prices start at $3,799 for a twin long and go up to $4,999 for a king.
• Tempur ProBreeze: Prices start at $4,099 for a twin long mattress and go up to $5,299 for a king.
• Tempur LuxeBreeze: Prices start at $5,099 for a twin long mattress and go up to $

Tempur-Pedic mattresses are expensive and are often out of budget. Tempur-Pedic often offers generous deals on its best-selling mattresses.

Tempur-Pedic mattress policies

Free shipping

You won't be paying any extra upfront cost for shipping any Tempur-Pedic mattress, but its delivery method is different than most beds. It might still arrive in a box, but it won't be rolled packed in plastic, and a local delivery team will do all the heavy lifting to set up the bed and will even take away your old mattress if you want them to. 

The only exception to this is the Tempur Cloud which has more of a "bed-in-a-box" experience where you have to unbox it yourself.

90-night trial 

All Tempur-Pedic mattresses come with a slightly shorter than standard 90-night trial period to determine if you actually like the mattress and want to keep it long-term. 

Keep in mind that it can take a month or longer for your body to adjust to a new mattress, no matter how well-suited it is to your sleeping preferences. It took about a month and a half for me to get used to sleeping on the Pro Breeze, and I knew in the first two months that I wouldn't be replacing it, so I think 90 nights is enough, but other brands offer longer trials. 

Return policy

At any point after the first 30 nights post-delivery you decide the mattress isn't for you for any reason, you can return it and get a refund minus a return fee of at least $175, which is steeper than what we usually see with brands that don't have free returns.

Warranty

All Tempur-Pedic mattresses are backed by a standard 10-year warranty. If you buy a mattress online, a 10-year warranty is the minimum you should expect.

Which Tempur-Pedic mattress should you get?

I think the vast majority of people interested in Tempur-Pedic will be more than happy with the base model Tempur Adapt mattress. Most sleepers enjoy a mattress with a medium firmness profile or can at least get by on it, and the Tempur Adapt gives you the dense memory foam feel associated with Tempur-Pedic at a reasonable price with better temperature regulation than the only slightly more affordable Cloud mattress. 

If you are dead set on Tempur-Pedic but know you want a firm or soft mattress, then I would save up for the ProAdapt mattress for the additional firmness options -- and if budget isn't a huge factor in your mattress choice than the LuxeBreeze will keep you sleeping comfortably cool for the foreseeable future.

I never used to understand the hype around Tempur-Pedic mattresses, which is part of the reason I wanted to try one for an extended period at home, and I have to say, I get it now. I find the Tempur ProBreeze mattress to be incredibly comfortable, and because of the slow-to-respond memory foam, I find myself getting very restful sleep. I barely toss and turn at night and more often than not, I will wake up feeling legitimately well-rested. 

How does Tempur-Pedic compare to similar mattress brands?

Tempur-Pedic vs. Nectar Sleep

The Nectar brand makes six different mattresses and recently did a large update of its mattress line. There's the Nectar Classic and Classic Hybrid, the Premier and Premier Hybrid and the Luxe and Luxe Hybrid. All six mattresses use memory foam as the primary comfort layer and provide a feel similar to that of Tempur-Pedic. The beds from Tempur-Pedic have a more traditional, classic memory foam feel like the new Nectars are a bit more responsive. 

Tempur-Pedic beds are high quality overall, but the Nectar lineup is drastically more affordable than Tempur-Pedic, with the Nectar Classic as low as $649 for a queen-size. The Nectar Luxe Hybrid is priced lower than the Tempur Cloud mattress. It's great for someone who wants a memory foam feel in their mattress but doesn't have the budget for a Tempur-Pedic mattress. 

Tempur-Pedic vs. Puffy 

The Puffy brand makes four different mattresses that all feature a significant amount of memory foam. The Puffy Lux Hybrid specifically is the one that feels the most similar to a Tempur-Pedic to me, and the Puffy Monarch which has some latex foam in its construction feels the least like a Tempur-Pedic.

After a discount, the Puffy Lux Hybrid is more affordable than even the Tempur Cloud mattress but the Puffy Royal and Monarch are comparably priced to Tempur-Pedic.