Which Mattresses are Most Compatible with an Adjustable Base?
How well will your mattress work on an adjustable base?

If you're considering an adjustable base to allow the bed to bend into upright or other positions, be sure to choose a mattress that will perform as you'd expect when used in this manner.

An adjustable base replaces your regular foundation under your mattress and allows you to raise the head/foot and make other adjustments to the position of your bed. (See our guide to Adjustable Bases  for information on the benefits and types of these special foundations.)

Not all mattresses, however, are made in such a way that they can be used on an adjustable base. Innerspring mattresses in particular can be problematic, as many have a metal cable that runs around the perimeter of the bed at the top and bottom meant to support the edge. If you try to use such a bed on an adjustable base, it may bend, but it won't bend back.

In general, we have found that latex mattresses as a group tend to be amongst the most adjustable base friendly due to their flexibility, weight, and durability. All-foam mattresses, including memory foam mattresses, are also a reliable choice. Pocket spring mattresses can be more variable but tend to work quite well overall. Air mattresses are hit and miss on this front, and not surprisingly, their compatibility can depend on what firmness setting you are using.

How Do I Know If a Mattress is Adjustable Base Compatible?

In assessing adjustable base compatibility, the first and most important thing to determine is whether the manufacturer says it's compatible. This will tell you whether this mattress was designed in such a way that is intended to be bent or flexed, as well as whether your warranty will remain valid if you choose to use this mattress on an adjustable base. If it's not easily available in the product materials, you'll find that information in the mattress warranty itself, where the manufacturer will spell out which types of foundations can be used with the mattress. In general, most brands see adjustable-base compatibility as a selling feature, so they don't tend to hide this information.

Many online mattress brands like Casper and Purple sell their own adjustable base as an option, so in that case, you know their mattress will work on one.

How Does GoodBed Evaluate Adjustable Base Compatibility?

As part of our mattress review process, we make sure to test each mattress on a standard adjustable base. We're looking for how well the mattress conforms to the base when we move it into an articulated position. We look for what happens when we get out of the bed but leave it in the folded position (does it stay in the shape of the base or spring up?). And we look for anything strange, uncomfortable, or potentially damaging that occurs when the mattress is used in an elevated position.

In most cases, a brand new mattress won't conform completely. You can see in the example below that the foot of the bed is lifting up from the base a little. This is normal when a mattress is new. Over time, the bed will break in and better conform to the bends of the base.

We also assess whether there are any unusual negative side effects of bending this mattress. For example, some mattresses with a foam perimeter for edge support will experience bowing of this foam when the mattress is used on an adjustable base. Likewise, we look at what happens on the surface of the mattress when the head and foot are elevated – on some mattresses, it bunches up in a way that could be potentially uncomfortable. 

Based on all of these factors, we assign an aggregate adjustable base compatibility rating to each mattress on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest level of performance on an adjustable base.

Which Mattresses Work Best with an Adjustable Base?

All of the mattresses we've covered in our GoodBed Expert Reviews are compatible with an adjustable base. Most didn't conform perfectly to the curves of the base right away (especially at the foot), but we expect all of them to conform better after a break in period.

Two real standouts in our testing were the Loom & Leaf mattress and the Tomorrow Hybrid mattress, both of which conformed to our base extremely well right out of the box.