12 Best Affordable Mattress Toppers Under $100

Not sure if you want soft or firm? This Lucid lets you choose after it arrives.

One side has five raised zones, shaped to give more under the shoulders and hips and more push under the lower back. Flip it over and the flat side is smoother and firmer. I'd call it the safest buy if two people share the bed and can't agree, or if you've never slept on a topper before. Underneath it's 2 inches of ventilated gel memory foam, CertiPUR-US certified and covered for three years. Give it a day or two to puff up after you unroll it.

The new-foam smell is the most common complaint about cheap toppers, and ZINUS tackles it head on. The foam is infused with green tea and charcoal to keep odors and moisture down.

At 2 inches it's a softening layer, not a rescue for a mattress with a dip. Think of it for a firm guest bed, a mattress that's fine but a little hard, or a first apartment where the budget is tight. It fits under regular or deep-pocket sheets, ships in a small box, and has a three-year warranty. For more cooling, the same ZINUS line has a gel version for a few dollars more.

If your mattress feels like sleeping on a board, this is the topper to buy. Linenspa calls this one plush and means it: 3 inches of soft gel memory foam that you sink into, made to soften a too-hard mattress or take the edge off an old one.

Side sleepers get the most out of it, because the shoulders finally have somewhere to go. It's CertiPUR-US certified, expands in 24 to 48 hours, and carries a three-year warranty. At about $90 it costs the most of the foam picks here. Stomach sleepers should skip it, since soft foam lets the hips dip.

Four inches for about $50 sounds too good, so here's how it works. You get two separate pieces: a 2-inch gel memory foam base and a 2-inch quilted pillow top that goes over it.

That split is actually handy. The pillow top is removable and machine washable, and you can use the foam alone in summer if the full stack sleeps warm. The skirt fits mattresses up to 19 inches deep, and the warranty is 10 years, longer than anything else here. The foam is CertiPUR-US certified and the fabric is OEKO-TEX. To me it's the best value on the list if you want both the hug of foam and a soft hotel-bed top.

Most toppers make a bed softer. This one makes it firmer, which is what you need when the mattress has gone saggy and your lower back tells you about it every morning.

It's 2 inches of high-density foam (38D on the listing, denser than typical cheap memory foam) with two sides: firm on top, extra firm if you flip it. Back and stomach sleepers are who it's for. There's no cover, so it goes straight under the fitted sheet, and it's infused with bamboo charcoal for freshness. It won't fill a deep hole in an old mattress, but it evens out a soft one.

Egg crate foam has a reputation from dorm rooms and hospital beds. This is the grown-up version, and it's about $40 for a queen.

The bumps are not just texture. They leave channels for air under you, and the topper is split into five zones that press back differently under shoulders, back, hips and legs. Underneath, it's 2 inches of gel memory foam at a true 60 by 80, CertiPUR-US certified. It's cheap enough to try on a guest bed or a sofa bed, and the bumpy side is what makes it sleep cooler than a flat slab of the same foam.

Hate that stuck-in-the-mud feeling of memory foam? This one is foam made to feel like latex: it springs back quickly, so turning over doesn't mean climbing out of a hole.

Three inches thick and gel-infused, it's CertiPUR-US certified and made in the USA from imported materials. Combination sleepers who switch sides through the night like this feel best. One thing to know before you buy: it measures 78 by 58 inches, a little smaller than a standard 60 by 80 queen, so it leaves a thin strip at the edges. Real latex costs well over $100, so this is the budget way in.

Wake up sweaty on foam? Skip the foam. This BEDLORE is a thick quilted pillow top filled with fiber, and its cover is 40% bamboo viscose, which feels cool and smooth to the touch.

It fits like a fitted sheet, with stretchy deep pockets for mattresses 6 to 18 inches thick, so it never slides off the corners. The whole thing goes in the washing machine, which no foam topper can say. It softens a bed less than 3 inches of memory foam, but it's the comfort upgrade for people who run hot. It comes in dark gray and white.

The hotel-bed feeling, for about $40. SurChic stuffs this one with 1000 GSM of down-alternative fill, about 4 inches of loft when it's fluffed, in box quilting that keeps the fill from sliding into one corner.

The cover is soft microfiber, the skirt stretches over mattresses 8 to 21 inches deep, and it's machine washable on cold. Choose it over the BEDLORE if you want more puff and don't sleep hot; choose the BEDLORE if you do. Both are better for a guest room than a foam topper, since you can wash them between visitors.

Dorm mattresses are thin, hard and covered in vinyl. A twin XL topper is the first thing to pack, and this one is about $35.

Two inches of gel swirl foam with air holes, certified, three-year warranty: the basics are all there. Unroll it flat 48 to 72 hours before the first night so it has time to expand, and don't store it rolled up for long once it's open. For move-in day, a twin XL sheet set with deep pockets keeps it in place.

Sometimes the mattress is fine and it just needs a soft, clean layer. For about $19, this quilted pad adds a little cushion and protects the mattress from spills and sweat.

The shell is poly-cotton, with a hypoallergenic fill sewn into quilted pockets, so the padding stays where it should. The sides stretch over mattresses up to 18 inches deep, and it can go through the washer and dryer, hot cycle included. Don't expect it to fix a hard or saggy bed. Do expect it to make a new mattress last longer, or to sit on top of a foam topper as its washable cover.