The 8 Best Air Mattresses of 2024, According to Testing

Best Overall

Englander Air Mattress

View On Amazon $126 View On Walmart $84

After multiple rounds of testing, the Englander Air Mattress is our top pick. It sits 20 inches off the ground for more support and comfort for one or two people. It’s made from a waterproof, microfiber fabric that is easy to clean and use for camping.

We really liked how quickly this mattress inflated and deflated. It took just over two minutes to fill completely, an impressive feat for an air mattress this big. It’s also easy to travel with thanks to its oversized carrying case with large handles. 

The only issue we had with this air mattress was a learning curve using the air valve. The valve needs to be shut as quickly as possible after inflation, and it must be shut tightly to prevent any air from escaping. The first couple of uses lead to a deflated air mattress, but once we got used to shutting the valve tightly and quickly enough, this mattress held its inflation well through the night.

How It Performed After Two Months

Between ourselves and our guests, we slept on the mattress overnight six times in our long-term testing period. The mattress didn’t change quality after multiple uses, though we noticed it lost minimal air overnight. However, we didn’t notice any hissing or leaking noises.

Product Details: Size: Twin, queen, California king | Height: 20 inches | Weight Capacity: 600 pounds | Inflation Method: Built-in pump

Best Budget

Bestway Tritech Air Mattress

View On Walmart $27

When you have some last-minute guests headed your way or you’re packing for a road trip and can’t find your old air mattress, you may not have a big budget to spend on the unexpected cost of buying a new air mattress. Luckily, you don’t have to break the bank to score the Bestway Tritech Air Mattress, a reliable air mattress complete with a built-in pump for easy inflation.

This bed is pretty firm, which can be a nice, supportive feature in an air mattress. Although it didn’t cave in much with two people lying on it, this air mattress did deflate a couple inches during an overnight test. This is the thinnest mattress we tested, which allowed for quick inflation and deflation—less than two minutes each. However, a thinner mattress won’t provide as much support or insulation as a thicker one.

The mattress comes with a fabric storage bag and we didn’t have any trouble fitting the folded mattress in.

How It Performed After Two Months

We slept on this air mattress four times over the course of two months. Overnight, we found it gradually lost some air, making it less comfortable than when we initially lay on it. However, for the affordable price, we think this would make for a suitable guest mattress for a night or two.

Product Details: Sizes: Twin, full, queen | Height: 12 inches | Weight Capacity: 661 pounds | Inflation Method: Built-in pump

Best Splurge

Insta-Bed Raised Air Mattress With NeverFlat Pump

View On Amazon $135 View On Wayfair $150 View On Walmart $115

If you want a comfortable, customizable air mattress, the Insta-Bed raised, pillowtop air mattress may be the ideal choice for you. This pillowtop mattress rises to an impressive 18 inches and offers an adjustable setting on the built-in inflation pump, so you can set the firmness to plush, medium, or firm.

The pump offers more impressive features than the adjustable firmness. It also includes sensors and a quiet, second pump that will inflate the bed if it begins to lose air overnight. It sounds too good to be true, so we put it to the test.

It takes less than three minutes to inflate and to deflate this large air mattress. We loved the auto shut-off feature, which prevented the bed from overinflating. The tester and their partner were also able to lay on this comfortably, and it didn’t sink or shake when one person rolled or adjusted their sleeping position.

The downside to this air mattress is the carrying case, which was a little small, making it hard to fit both the deflated air mattress and included mattress topper back into after use. We thought the case and its handles didn’t feel very durable, so it could be hard to travel with this air mattress unless you bought a different container to store it in.

How It Performed After Two Months

We used this air mattress multiple times, both for movie nights and overnight for our guests. Even after supporting two people for a few hours, the mattress remained firm and didn’t lose any air. After sleeping on it overnight, we didn’t notice any loss of support, though we’d need to add in additional air if we were to use it a second night in a row.

Product Details: Size: Queen | Height: 18 inches | Weight Capacity: 500 pounds | Inflation Method: Built-in pump

Best with Built-in Pump

Beautyrest Lumbar Support Air Mattress

View On Target $130 View On Wayfair $156 View On Walmart $123

The Beautyrest Lumbar Support Air Mattress is our top pick for an air mattress with a built-in pump, because in addition to the easy-to-use inflator, this mattress has contours for better lumbar support. The design has added internal supports and a contoured, velvety surface for better support, especially for the lower back. 

Because of the added support, this bed is comfortable for one or two people, who can both lie down without feeling each other’s movements too much. We were also impressed with the minimal air loss in this mattress.

We found this air mattress was quiet to lie on, but it was very noisy during inflation. It made a humming noise while inflating, but it also had a high-pitched whine that could be disruptive for some users.

One drawback is that this tall, queen-sized air mattress takes nearly five minutes to inflate and four minutes to deflate. In the grand scheme of things, that’s not very long, but it was longer than the inflation and deflation times for similarly-sized products we tested.

How It Performed After Two Months

In our three sleeps on this mattress, it mattress stayed inflated and supportive all night, even with two sleepers. The quality hasn’t dipped after multiple uses, though we found the carrying case low quality and difficult to fit the mattress into.

Product Details: Size: Queen | Height: 18 inches | Weight Capacity: 750 pounds | Inflation Method: Built-in pump

Best Twin

Coleman SupportRest Rechargeable Air Mattress

View On Walmart $105 View On Coleman.com View On Coleman.com

The Coleman SupportRest Double-High Rechargeable Air Mattress wins the best twin air mattress category, thanks to its easy-to-use pump and unique features, like the antimicrobial fabric.

One of the best features of this twin-sized air mattress is the inflation pump, which takes only about 2.5 minutes to inflate and deflate the mattress. It connects to the air mattress, and the user simply turns it on and it shuts off when the bed is full enough. You can leave the pump attached to the bed while you sleep on it, then simply deflate it in the morning before removing the pump. The pump stashes away in the carrying case with the air mattress, and the case is spacious enough to also fit other accessories, like a pillow or throw blanket.

Because the pump is USB-rechargeable, it’s easy to charge ahead of time to take with you while camping, rather than needing to find an electrical outlet.

This air mattress didn’t have raised edges like some other models, and it felt like it would be easy to roll off the bed in the night. For adults, this may not be a problem, but it may not be the best choice for younger kids to use.

How It Performed After Two Months

The mattress stayed inflated well overnight, and we think it’s most comfortable for back sleepers. In our long-term testing, we had a harder time deflating the mattress than in our original lab tests, so you may need to allow yourself a few extra minutes of cleanup time in the morning.

Product Details: Size: Twin | Height: 14 inches | Weight Capacity: 300 pounds | Inflation Method: External Pump Included

Best for Two People

Brookstone Perfect Queen Air Mattress

View On Amazon $140

Air mattresses can be tricky to sleep two people. While there are plenty of full-, queen-, and even some king-sized options that theoretically have room for two, air mattresses that lack enough support and durability will quickly become a nightmare for one or both people trying to get a good night’s rest. As one person moves, the entire mattress can shift, causing the other person to bounce or roll toward the center of the mattress. 

But with the Brookstone Perfect Queen Air Mattress, we didn’t have much trouble whether one or two people were sleeping on it. There was some minor motion transfer, but both parties stayed on their sides of the mattress throughout the testing period.

Additionally, this mattress comes with some handy perks, like an automatic inflate and deflate mode that allows the user to fully fill the mattress without fear of overfilling it. It automatically shuts off once it has fully inflated the bed. It also includes a fitted sheet that fits right into the roomy carrying case with the air mattress, although we had a difficult time getting the fitted sheet on the bed properly.

Like other air mattresses we tested, we had trouble folding it down to a compact size to easily fit into its case. In addition, the handles on this case are short, making it less portable than we had hoped.

How It Performed After Two Months

We used this mattress for five nights: four with our guests and one ourselves. The night we slept on it ourselves, we packed two sleepers and our dogs onto the mattress to put its capacity and durability to the true test. All four sleepers found the mattress to be comfortable overnight, and it retained air well.

Product Details: Sizes: Twin, full, queen | Height: 18 inches | Weight Capacity: 650 pounds | Inflation Method: Built-in pump

Most Comfortable

Serta Raised Air Mattress

View On Amazon $160 View On Walmart $70 View On Kohls.com $247

It’s not always easy to find a comfortable air mattress that won’t slowly deflate overnight nor feel too firm and bouncy. But the Serta Raised Air Mattress strikes the right balance of inflation with its built-in pump that keeps the bed inflated to your ideal firmness all night long.

This cushy bed took only about 2.5 minutes to inflate and deflate, and we liked that the bed remained filled to our ideal firmness setting, medium, during the test. While the pump did make some noise, it wasn’t quite as loud as some of the other air mattress pumps we tested.

While testing, we referred to this bed as the “Goldilocks of mattresses” when set to the medium setting. It was comfy enough to lay on a side, stomach, or back, making it suitable for any type of sleeper. Slightly raised edges help prevent rolling off, and extra horizontal and vertical reinforcements give the bed more structure for better support.

It does have its limitations, though. The carrying case for the Serta air mattress has short handles, making it awkward to carry around and more difficult to travel with. Also, our reviewer noted that when the air mattress is plugged in, even if the pump is turned off, it makes a humming sound that may disrupt sleep. Be sure to unplug it after inflating or deflating the bed.

How It Performed After Two Months

The mattress was put through a true durability test during our child’s sleepovers, where multiple kids slept, lounged, and even ran on the inflated mattress. It held up well, and we’re confident it will last for years to come. One feature we noted during our long-term testing is that the fabric lining on top of the mattress felt breathable compared to other options we tried, making this a strong pick for warmer months.

Product Details: Sizes: Twin, queen | Height: 18 inches | Weight Capacity: 500 pounds | Inflation Method: Built-in pump