Your Overnight Guests Will Love Snoozing on These Excellent Air Mattresses

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Having an insta-bed on hand—or two—is a lifesaver whether it's for travel, camping, or hosting guests in a home without a designated guest room. Air mattresses are a relatively inexpensive investment that are a major step up from a sleeping bag, and if you buy one that’s high-quality and store it well, you can expect to get several years’ use out of it. Whether you’re in the market for a budget buy or something more luxe, the right air mattress will be convenient and comfortabel without being costly.

Best Air Mattresses

What to Consider

The most important factors to take into account before you shop is who will be sleeping on the air mattress and how much you’re planning to use it. If you often have guests, you might want to spend more on one with a built-in pump, at the very least, and adjustable firmness. If older folks will be sleeping on the bed, an option that’s 18 inches or higher may be easier for them to get in and out of.

The majority of air mattresses are made of PVC and many have a soft, suede-like material on top known as “flocking” that helps keep fitted sheets from sliding off. Some feature inner coil system construction, which is generally preferable if you’re looking for a more supportive mattress, though they’re typically pricier. A few of the mattresses we cover are waterproof, indoor-outdoor air beds that are appropriate for camping. There are also options with headboards and steel frames. In terms of maximum weight capacity, air mattresses for adults can often support between 500 and 600 pounds.

How We Selected

All of the air mattresses in our selection have average user ratings of four stars or more. During our research, we combed through customer reviews and consulted expert sources, including Good Housekeeping and Wirecutter. We included options in a range of styles, and across multiple price points, from budget-friendly to high-end, as well as highlighting the most notable features as mentioned above and providing basic stats for each air mattress we cover.

For more great bedding buys, check out our picks for the best mattresses, foam mattresses, and bed-in-a-box sets.

Dream Series Air Mattress

SoundAsleep makes high-quality air mattresses that check boxes across the board for comfort, quality, and ease of setup—this Dream series model lives up to the brand's reputation. It offers firm support thanks to 40 interior coils and a built-in pump that's quiet while inflating and deflating. The velvety top holds bed sheets in places and offers a more luxurious feel than plastic. It's designed for in-home use, but has become popular for car campers wanting some extra comfort on the road.

Customers say this mattress is exceptionally comfortable and testers from the Good Housekeeping labs agree: testers noted this mattress feels like it conforms to their body and provided cushioned support. Some mention that it's a bit tricky to fold down but fits into the bag after a couple of initial tries.

Dura-Beam Series Pillow Rest Air Mattress

If you’re in the market for an inexpensive air mattress with a built-in pump and good overall quality, this option from Intex is your best bet. It doesn’t have an interior coil system like some higher-end models, though it does give decent support with a bottom ring for added stability and a dense network of interior polyester fibers that provide strength and durability.

It's also water-resistant and comes with a few nice extra features, such as a built-in raised pillow rest, soft flocking on top, and a carrying bag. Another bonus is that it’s fairly lightweight at roughly 12.5 pounds.

Raised Air Mattress with Never Flat Pump

Serta's air mattress ensures no uncomfortable sagging throughout the night thanks to a two-pump system: one used for initial inflating, and the other that stays on al night to keep the mattress firm. It has three firmness settings for customized comfort and the flocked finish feels more like a standard mattress and less like a blow-up plastic pool toy.

Customers report a quick setup with the queen size only needed a couple of minutes to fully inflate. This mattress does need to be plugged in the whole night for the second pump to stay fully inflated so campers should opt for another mattress.

Luxury Air Mattress with Built-in Pump

Whether you're tall and tired of having your feet hang over the edge or just want to give your guests the hotel treatment, this California king air mattress has more going for it than just size. It has a flocked finish all over to grip bed sheets and eliminate that plastic feel. The built-in pillow isn't a replacement for the real thing but does give a bit of height for those that like to sleep in a propped-up position. It's backed by a one-year warranty and customers mention the brand's customer service is helpful and responsive.

The comfort and quality of material impressed customers, with many saying it mimics the feel of a real bed. They also mention it's easy to set up and pack down despite the large size; it's available in smaller sizes if you want the comfort and don't need the extra room.

Airbed with Built-in Electric

This air mattress gives users customizable comfort with an attached control switch that toggles between seven firmness settings; it also allows you to seamlessly inflate and deflate the bed using the built-in pump. Forty individual inner air coils add to the superior comfort along with a velvety, flocked top to keep sheets in place. The pump automatically shuts off to ensure it doesn't overheat or over inflate.

The included carrying bag is slightly oversized to make packing away easy. Although customers like the long cord of the attached remote control, they mention it can be a hassle to pack but twist ties will keep things tidy.

Dura-Beam Ultra Plush Pillow Top Air Mattress

It isn’t easy to find an air mattress that is supportive and comfortable with a plush headboard but this one has it all. Thanks to a flocked pillow top and dense network of inner polyester fibers, this air mattress offers strength and durability while giving you a sleeping experience that's closer to traditional bed. Other highlights include a built-in pump and a knob to adjust the mattress’s firmness.

Customers say this bed is great for long-term uses as it doesn't sag over time. The headboard keeps pillows from falling off for those that move a lot at night and there's room between the headboard and mattress for a fitted sheet. This weighs a bit more than other models—23 pounds—but that's a small increase considering the large headboard.

Self-Inflating Air Mattress

The steel frame gives this air mattress extra stability, plus it has the nifty feature of automatically unfolding as it inflates and folding when it deflates. This model includes a built-in pump and 16 powder-coated legs and jointed crossbars that make up the base, and the mattress is made of heavy-duty waterproof PVC with a flocked top.

Another major highlight is that it stows inside a durable wheeled suitcase with a side handle. It’s also 80 inches long, which is a plus for taller folks.

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