Written by Bridget Chapman, Senior Product Editor
In this review, we’ll be comparing two very popular — but quite different — mattresses: the Saatva classic mattress and Leesa original mattress. One bed’s all foam, while the other has coils-on-coils. They have distinct feels and materials, so which one is the best for you?
That’s the question we’re here to help answer. I’m going to compare various components of both these mattresses, from their constructions to their firmness levels. I want to note that the Saatva comes in three firmness options: Plush Soft, Luxury Firm, and Firm. In this comparison, I’ll be referring to the Saatva in the Luxury Firm version.
If you don’t have time to read my full comparison, you can jump down to my review summary. Otherwise, let’s get started!
Saatva vs Leesa
Product
Firmness
Score
Saatva vs Leesa
Saatva vs Leesa Mattress Overview
Here’s a brief overview of the strong points of the Saatva and Leesa, as well as which type of sleepers are best suited for them.
| Saatva is best for… | Leesa is best for… |
| Stomach sleepers | Seniors |
| Sleepers with back pain | Back sleepers |
| Seniors | Side sleepers |
Saatva vs Leesa Video Review
Need a quick rundown of each mattress and who I recommend them for? Check out my Saatva vs Leesa video review below.
Saatva vs Leesa: Top Similarities
- Shipping: Both can be ordered online and ship free to your door. The Leesa is a bed-in-a-box model that arrives compressed and rolled in a box. The Saatva is not a compressed model, but the brand offers free white-glove delivery and set-up.
- Firmness: Both mattresses are around the medium-firm range, which is the most popular firmness level for most sleepers. However, the Leesa is a little softer than the Saatva.
- Pressure relief: Neither of these mattresses offer adequate pressure relief for side sleepers. The best mattress for side sleepers will often be soft enough to provide sinkage and pressure relief around the hips and shoulder.
Saatva vs Leesa: Top Differences
- Price: The Leesa is a cheaper option than the Saatva mattress. A queen-sized Leesa Original costs $1,332, while a queen-sized Saatva Classic costs $2,095.
- Construction: The Leesa is an all-foam bed, while the Saatva classic is an innerspring mattress with a Euro pillow top.
- Warranty: The Saatva offers a lifetime warranty, while the Leesa comes with a 10-year limited warranty.
Saatva vs Leesa: Construction & Feel Differences
Now that we have the basic similarities and differences out of the way, let’s get to the good part. It’s time to focus on what these beds feel like. In the following sections, I’ll get into the nitty-gritty of both beds and discuss various factors like firmness, pressure relief, bounce, and sinkage.
Before we begin, I’d like to note that these factors are highly subjective and can vary significantly based on individual body size, shape, and weight.
What’s the Firmness Difference?
When it comes to mattresses, firmness isn’t a one-size-fits-all scenario. Your size, weight, shape, and other factors all determine your ideal level of firmness. So your preferences might not be the same as mine. When testing a mattress for firmness, we try to capture the variance different people might feel. I test every bed with colleagues of various body shapes, types, and sizes, then average those responses to determine the final firmness score.
My colleagues and I gave the Saatva a 7 out of 10 on the firmness scale. We rate firmness on a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being the softest and 10 being the firmest. For reference, the industry standard for a medium-firm mattress is a 6.5 on the firmness scale, so the Saatva mattress is a bit on the firmer side.
The Leesa is a much softer bed than the Saatva, landing at 5.5 out of 10 on the firmness scale, below the industry standard.
What Does Each Mattress Feel Like?
The Saatva is an innerspring mattress, meaning most people should find it supportive and responsive. When testing the Saatva, I felt a good amount of support on this mattress, which isn’t surprising since it has two layers of coils.
I also noticed that the Saatva is very bouncy and responsive. Lots of bounce is good for combination sleepers who toss and turn to find the perfect position throughout the night.
However, good bounce often means worse motion isolation and the Saatva is no exception. I found that the Saatva mattress had pretty high motion transfer results, which means you’re likely to feel your partner moving on the other side of the bed.
On the other hand, the Leesa is an all-foam bed. It’s much softer than the Saatva and has a doughy, cushiony feel. This makes the Leesa mattress a great choice for side sleepers, who need extra sinkage and pressure relief. Stomach sleepers might find this bed a bit too soft for their liking.
How Does The Construction Differ?
Saatva vs Leesa Per Body Type
Every mattress will feel different to sleepers depending on individual attributes and preferences, such as body weight and sleeping position. Up next, I’ll compare how the Saatva and Leesa mattresses perform for various sleepers.
Saatva Body Weight Scale
| Body Weight | Side | Back | Stomach |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light (under 130lbs) |
unpleasant | good | good |
| Average (130-250lbs) |
good | excellent | good |
| Heavy (over 250lbs) |
unpleasant | excellent | unpleasant |
| Body Weight: Light (under 130lbs) | |
|---|---|
| Side Sleeper | unpleasant |
| Back Sleeper | good |
| Stomach Sleeper | good |
| Body Weight: Average (130-150lbs) | |
| Side Sleeper | good |
| Back Sleeper | excellent |
| Stomach Sleeper | good |
| Body Weight: Heavy (over 250lbs) | |
| Side Sleeper | unpleasant |
| Back Sleeper | excellent |
| Stomach Sleeper | unpleasant |
Leesa Body Weight Scale
| Body Weight | Side | Back | Stomach |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light (under 130lbs) |
good | excellent | good |
| Average (130-250lbs) |
good | excellent | unpleasant |
| Heavy (over 250lbs) |
unpleasant | unpleasant | unpleasant |
| Body Weight: Light (under 130lbs) | |
|---|---|
| Side Sleeper | good |
| Back Sleeper | excellent |
| Stomach Sleeper | good |
| Body Weight: Average (130-150lbs) | |
| Side Sleeper | good |
| Back Sleeper | excellent |
| Stomach Sleeper | unpleasant |
| Body Weight: Heavy (over 250lbs) | |
| Side Sleeper | unpleasant |
| Back Sleeper | unpleasant |
| Stomach Sleeper | unpleasant |
Saatva vs Leesa Comparing Mattress Performance
Temperature
Many factors impact a mattress’s cooling ability, with construction at the forefront. Typically, innerspring beds and hybrid mattresses are better at cooling because they leave plenty of room for air to flow through them. Memory foam mattresses, on the other hand, tend to trap heat and get hotter overnight.
I tested both mattresses’ cooling features and after resting on each for a few minutes and measuring how much heat each one trapped, I found that the Saatva performed a little bit better overall, likely due to its innerspring construction.
However, I was surprised at the Leesa’s cooling features. While it is a memory foam bed, I think its materials are very breathable, which helps it stay cool. The Leesa Original’s comfort layer also features breathable foam to promote airflow and help mitigate some of the heat-trapping tendencies you tend to see in other memory foam mattresses.
Motion Isolation
Motion Isolation refers to amount of movement that is felt across a mattress when you, your partner, kids, or pets move around. After testing a fair share of mattresses, I’ve found that most innerspring beds have a lot of bounce, and the Saatva is no exception. The Saatva is super responsive, meaning it’s easy to switch between different positions and get in and out of bed. The only drawback is that folks with restless partners will likely feel all of their wiggly bedmate’s movements.
Meanwhile, the Leesa Original is just the opposite. When testing the motion isolation on this mattress with a colleague, I couldn’t feel anything they were doing on their side of the bed.
To ensure that I’m not just speaking from my experience, I perform a few tests to determine if a bed is good at isolating motion. One of those tests consists of dropping a steel ball from various heights and measuring the disturbance it causes using a seismometer.
During this test, I found that the Saatva Classic transfers a lot of motion to the other side of the bed, while the Leesa absorbs and isolates nearly all of the movement to the impact site. In other words, you probably won’t feel your partner tossing and turning on the Leesa mattress.
Edge Support
When testing the edge support on both mattresses, I didn’t find much sinkage as I sat on the edge of the Saatva. The Saatva uses a reinforced edge support system that combines coils and firm polyfoam–and it shows. When I measured the sinkage with a yardstick, the layers of the Saatva sank less than a half inch under my weight.
However, the Leesa was another story. Since the Leesa is a super soft memory foam mattress, I felt a lot of sinkage as I sat on its edges and corners, which is typical of an all-foam bed.
Pressure Relief
The Saatva did a great job on our pressure map test. During this test, we use a specialized mat to measure how much pressure the materials put on different body parts. The mat then creates a graphic or “map” of the body using color-coded imagery.
Areas with low pressure buildup are blue and green, and areas with high pressure buildup are yellow and red. As you can see on the map below, there is a lot of blue and green, indicating that this bed is good at relieving pressure.
There is also a good amount of green and blue on the pressure map below, meaning the Leesa had good test results as well. However, you can see that there is a bit more pressure buildup than the Saatva, especially for side sleepers around the shoulders.
Pain Relief
The results of the pressure relief test can indicate whether these mattresses aid in reducing pain in specific areas. I think the Saatva and Leesa are good options for most back sleepers. However, side sleepers, especially those with shoulder pain, should go with the Saatva or one of our best mattresses for side sleepers.
Durability
I would say the Saatva is more durable than the Leesa. The Saatva is firmer and has better edge support, meaning it’s less likely to sag prematurely. The Saatva also has two layers of pocketed coils, which should add to that durability.
Company Policies
Saatva Policies
- Trial Period – 365-night trial
- Shipping – Free shipping and white glove delivery
- Mattress Warranty – Lifetime warranty
Leesa Policies
- Trial Period – 100-night trial
- Shipping – Free shipping
- Mattress Warranty – 10-year warranty
Saatva Customer Service Rating
- Good: I gave Saatva this rating because I had to wait 25 minutes to be paired with a live agent using their website’s live chat function. Although my question was answered, they took longer than I would have liked. I also considered the bed’s warranty and trial period in my rating. Saatva’s 365-night trial and lifetime warranty (as high as you’ll find in the sleep industry) help them out quite a bit here.
Leesa Customer Service Rating
- Satisfactory: I gave Leesa a satisfactory score because they didn’t have someone manning their chat feature when I reached out (it was an automatic response with suggested answers), but I was able to get through to an agent when I called their help number.
Comparing Saatva vs Leesa Price
When deciding between the Saatva and Leesa mattresses, your decision may come down to price. Let’s take a peek at how much these beds cost in our pricing chart. Keep in mind that you can always visit our Saatva mattress coupon page for a nice discount.
Prices listed will be before discount or offer for each size.
| Size | Saatva | Leesa |
|---|---|---|
| Twin | $887 | $849 |
| Twin XL | $1,148 | $899 |
| Full | $1,595 | $1,099 |
| Queen | $1,695 | $1,199 |
| King | $2,095 | $1,399 |
| California King | $2,095 | $1,399 |
Saatva vs Leesa
Product
Firmness
Score
Saatva vs Leesa
Other Saatva and Leesa Mattress Comparisons
Wondering how the Saatva and Leesa stack up to some of their competitors from other online mattress companies? Take a look at some of our other comparisons below.
Saatva
- Saatva vs Beautyrest
- Saatva vs Helix
- Saatva vs Amerisleep
- Saatva vs Loom & Leaf vs Zenhaven
- Saatva vs Purple
- Saatva vs DreamCloud
- Saatva vs Aireloom
- Saatva vs Allswell
- Saatva vs Loom and Leaf
- Saatva vs WinkBeds
- Saatva vs Casper
- Saatva vs Avocado
- Saatva vs Tempur-Pedic
Leesa
- Leesa vs Layla
- Leesa vs Nectar
- Leesa vs Leesa Hybrid
- Leesa vs Brooklyn Bedding
- Leesa vs Helix
- Leesa vs GhostBed
- Leesa vs Purple
- Leesa vs Loom and Leaf
- Leesa vs Tempurpedic
- Leesa vs Tuft & Needle
- Leesa vs Yogabed
Comparing Other Mattress Models
Saatva vs Leesa Frequently Asked Questions
How do the Saatva and Leesa mattresses ship?
Saatva and Leesa both offer free shipping on all their mattresses. Saatva also offers a white glove delivery service, where they will deliver and move your new mattress for free.
What are the return policies for the Saatva and Leesa mattresses?
Saatva offers a 365-night trial for their beds, and Leesa offers a 100-night trial. If you don’t like your mattress within this period, you can return it for a full refund (minus some shipping costs).
Is the Saatva softer than the Leesa mattress?
No, the Saatva is not softer than the Leesa. We gave the Saatva rating of 7 out of 10, with 1 being the softest and 10 being the firmest. Using the same scale, we rated the Leesa a 5.5 out of 10.
Are the Saatva and Leesa mattresses good for hot sleepers?
Since the Saatva uses pocketed coils, it should do a decent job of keeping you cool through the night. The Leesa Original is an all-foam bed, meaning it will likely trap too much heat. Neither mattress has exclusive cooling features, so I would suggest that extra hot sleepers check out one of our best cooling mattresses.
Before we wrap up this comparison, I’d like to highlight what I like most about the Saatva and point out some of my complaints.
As we finish this comparison, I’ll leave you with what I thought the Lessa did right and some areas where it missed the mark.
Our Review Process
Our Sleepopolis reviewers personally test each mattress. We start by unboxing the mattress to figure out how difficult (or easy) it is to get the mattress from the box to the bed. Then, we spend time laying on the bed in different positions, taking time to assess it on our backs, stomachs, and sides. Next, we perform our Sleepopolis tests, using specialized tools to measure qualities like motion transfer, bounce, and pressure relief. Our last step is to open up the mattress and take a look at each layer. These steps allow us to give our final verdict on the mattress.