The 7 Very Best Cooling Mattress Toppers

Cooling components: Temperature-responsive foam | Thickness: Two inches | Trial and warranty: 30-night trial, two-year warranty

This cooling topper from Nest Bedding costs almost $100 less than our top pick at full price, though it has a much shorter trial period. It comes recommended by Bill Fish, president of Sleep Doctor, who says this cushy topper is more responsive to pressure than other memory-foam toppers he has tried and is designed to feel similar to latex. It’s the same memory foam that tops Nest’s mattresses, including the Sparrow Signature Hybrid mattress that our kitchen-and-dining writer, Emma Wartzman, says relieved her of the “back and neck pain that I was waking up with every morning.” The topper’s cover is made with phase-change material to help regulate your body temperature. Just note that the cover isn’t machine washable, and you’ll have to spot-clean it.

At two inches thick, the Nest Bedding Cooling Topper doesn’t allow as much room to sink into the foam as the ViscoSoft. But that may be preferable for those who want just a little more softness, rather than fully feeling cocooned by foam. This topper also has straps on each corner to secure it to the bed.

[Editor’s note: The Nest Bedding Cooling Topper is currently sold out in all sizes.]

Cooling components: Gel-infused foam | Thickness: Three inches or four inches | Trial and warranty: 90-day money-back guarantee, five-year warranty

Also made by ViscoSoft, this topper is a good choice for a classic memory-foam feel with minimal heat. It’s made with high-density, gel-infused foam. I like high-density foam because it’s usually more durable and supportive as it has a higher weight per cubic foot. The gel infusions are intended to draw heat away from the body. For an added cooling touch, the topper has a temperature-regulating, moisture-wicking bamboo-rayon cover — which has straps on each corner, too.

When I tested this topper, the foam felt firm at first, but the longer I lay on it, the more deeply I sank into it. It contoured around me and provided excellent pressure relief. On my side, I especially liked how well it cushioned my shoulder — I tend to feel my shoulder jamming up easily when I lie on my side, but this topper prevented that. As far as cooling goes, this topper didn’t feel overly cool to the touch, but I didn’t feel it heating up around me excessively, which is sometimes all you can expect with memory foam. The slightly cool feel from the bamboo cover and the gel infusions in the foam work together to keep the topper from overheating. One caveat on the gel infusions in this topper is that Strategist writer Jeremy Rellosa, who runs warm, has noticed they are quite susceptible to the temperature in his bedroom, becoming firmer in cold weather and softer when it’s hot. “Sometimes, it feels a little too plush when it’s warm,” Rellosa explains, despite the high-density foam.

Cooling components: Graphite-infused memory foam | Thickness: Three inches | Trial and warranty: 180-day trial period, one-year limited warranty

Graphite is another common bedding material used to draw heat away from the body. This topper from Saatva — the maker of our favorite mattress — uses graphite-infused memory foam to create a plush but not too hot topper. When I tested it, I loved how thick and dense the foam felt. It contoured around my body with a nice balance of cushioning and support — I didn’t sink in quite as much as I did on the ViscoSoft High-Density topper. This one doesn’t feel cool to the touch, but it also didn’t feel noticeably hot. I like that on top of the graphite infusions, this topper has a breathable organic-cotton cover with straps to secure it in place on your mattress. However, I wish the cover were removable and washable instead of spot-clean only. On the plus side, Saatva offers a very generous 180-day trial period with this topper, so you have plenty of time to decide whether you like it.

Cooling components: Copper gel-infused memory foam | Thickness: Two inches | Trial and warranty: 30-day trial period, five-year warranty

This two-inch topper from Layla features the same copper gel-infused foam used in Layla’s mattresses. Strategist writer Tembe Denton-Hurt sleeps on the Layla Hybrid mattress and says she and her partner never overheat.

While this topper is on the thinner side compared with others on this list, it has fairly dense foam, with a 2.5-pound density level. When I tested it, I sank into the foam quite slowly — it molded around my body the longer I lay on it, ultimately providing excellent pressure relief. As with the ViscoSoft High-Density topper, I felt hugged by this one, but the effect was lessened by the foam’s thinness (two inches versus three or four inches). Because the foam is dense in this topper, it will take a minute for your body to settle into it. Like the other toppers with infusions for cooling, the Layla topper didn’t feel noticeably cool, but I didn’t feel overheated.

Additionally, I like that this topper has a removable cover with straps, but Layla does recommend dry-cleaning the topper’s cover to maintain the softness, which is a little inconvenient.

Cooling components: Open-cell latex | Thickness: Two inches or three inches | Trial and warranty: Not returnable, five-year warranty

Although generally more expensive than toppers made of memory foam or fiberfill, those made of latex foam are great options because they’re all-natural and long-lasting and — most important for cooling — allow for better air circulation. Latex is naturally responsive, offering a bouncier, less sink-y feel than memory foam. This topper from PlushBeds comes recommended by Fish because it’s available in five firmness levels, ranging from soft to extra firm, to easily customize the feel of your bed. Fish also likes this topper because the foam is punched with ventilation holes that allow for additional airflow. It comes in two thicknesses: either two or three inches. While this topper is pricey, it’s on par with similar latex toppers and is certified by the Global Organic Latex Standard, meaning it is pure natural latex. Cheaper latex toppers often use synthetic latex, which is derived from petrochemicals rather than rubber trees and can feel less springy than natural latex.

For an additional cost, you can add an organic-cotton cover — which shouldn’t add any heat since cotton is a breathable fabric. Unfortunately, these toppers are not returnable, so you should be ready to commit if you’re going to go for it.

Cooling components: App-controlled fan cooling | Thickness: Approximately two inches | Trial and warranty: 30-day trial, one-year limited warranty

The Perfectly Snug Smart Topper is app-controlled and customizable so you can warm or cool it to your desired temperature. The topper has two main layers: a one-inch layer of memory foam and a one-inch layer of “3-D mesh,” the plastic layer the air actually flows through. Both of those layers are encased in a breathable mesh fabric. The topper has mini-fans at the corners or the foot of the topper, depending on which size you get, that blow warm or cool air through its surface. I tested a queen size, which had two fans — one in each corner at the foot of the bed. I didn’t notice them much, but they are covered with hard plastic that you could knock a foot against if your feet reach the end of the bed. When I set the temperature and lay down, I could feel that air was flowing underneath me, but I couldn’t feel distinct gusts or currents. The temperature change was obvious, but I never had the feeling of hot or cold air blowing directly on me (like you might feel in a car).

The Perfectly Snug is primarily controlled through an app, but it has physical-button controls on the side of the topper too. With the app, you choose a temperature setting between negative 10 and 10, as well as whether you want the temperature to change at all throughout the night or in the morning. The brand does not provide exact temperatures that correspond to each setting, so you’ll need to experiment a bit to find one that works for you. After sleeping on the topper for about two weeks, I landed on an ideal of between 1 and 3 for warming, or -1 and -3 for cooling. While the app feels a little outdated and isn’t especially intuitive to use, the topper itself is pretty effective. When I set it to a cool temperature, I could immediately feel air coming through the topper, which made for a much speedier temperature adjustment than I’ve felt with the water-powered cooling systems I’ve tested (more on those below). It’s worth noting, though, that the coolness of the cool air is dependent on the room temperature. The Perfectly Snug doesn’t work like air-conditioning to make the air colder; it just blows more air when you crank up the cooling. If the room is hot in the first place, the topper won’t do quite as much to cool you down. The heating option is powered by the same fans and works more like a forced-air space heater, which is nice for preheating your bed before hopping in. I also like that for a queen size and larger, each side of the topper can be set to different temperatures — ideal for partners who differ on their temperature preferences.

The Perfectly Snug is primarily designed for temperature control, but because it has a thin layer of memory foam, it will make your mattress feel slightly cushier. I tested it on our best-in-class mattress, the Saatva Classic, which is springy and somewhat firm, and I definitely felt more give with the Perfectly Snug topper than without. Still, it isn’t as plush or pressure-relieving as most of the other toppers on this list, so if adding softness is your highest priority, I’d go with a less techy topper.