Simmons and Serta are two of the most dominant sleeping mattress brands in the US – almost to the point that they’re household names. With their product lines being similar on the surface, and their prices quite high, lots of consumers often get torn when choosing which brand to go with.
Fortunately, I’ve done my fair share of research about major league mattress brands, so that I’m aware of the underlying differences between them. As for the Simmons vs Serta debate, here’s a comparison highlighting the similarities and divergences between the two.
Simmons Mattress
A historical breakdown
Currently based in Atlanta, Georgia, Simmons is a true pioneer in innerspring technology in the US. They started out in 1870, being the first to mass produce woven wire bedspring mattresses. The company expanded across North America in the 1910s, and by 1925 they had developed automated machinery for making coils.
The pocket coil introduced in this manner forms the basis of their flagship mattress line, Beautyrest, even today. Post World War II, the company refocused on its mattress business, and around a decade later, formed an R&D facility that worked upon earlier sleep studies conducted by Simmons in the ‘30s. By 1958, they were the first manufacturer of King and Queen size mattresses in the US – intended to provide more sleeping space in the bedroom. The decades that followed involved the relocation of the HQ to Georgia, the settling of the company’s R&D at Simmons Institute for Technology and Education, all amidst a series of mergers and acquisitions.
The company added memory foam based products into their lineup when they acquired Comfort Products’ Comfort-Pedic series in 2007.
The Pros and Cons
Pros
- All products exude a touch of luxury, even the least expensive ones.
- Focused on reliability, durability and comfort.
- Pocketed coil technology is top of the line.
Cons
- Somewhat limited selection.
- Expensive.
Simmons Product Line
BeautySleep
This is the manufacturer’s hybrid series that combines the durable, dense innerspring technology Simmons is known for with cooling gel foam, to provide both conformity and flexible deep support.
A number of high end features are involved:
- AirFeel™ foam for promoting ventilation and durability.
- Dedicated foam-encased edge support for providing you a strong seating edge and increasing sleeping area.
- AirCool® Gel Memory foam for conforming support and enhancing movement isolation.
- Wrapped coils that move independently of each other to align with your body shape, while offering isolated deep support.
- GelTouch® Foam (on select models) for improved cooling.
- SurfaceCool® is a fiber used right underneath the mattress’s fabric to transport heat away from your surface, so that an optimum sleeping temperature is achieved.
- The overarching inclination, with this product line, is towards support, comfort and durability.
See BeautySleep Price on Amazon
Beautyrest Silver
The lowest priced of Simmons’ flagship mattress line (starting at $799), the Silver series offers several premium features to a wider segment of the consumer base. Like its more expensive sibling, the Platinum series, it is available in two variants: regular Silver, and Silver Hybrid.
The regular line uses the staple pocketed coil base supplemented by multiple layers of memory foam (AirCool® Gel, Geltouch®, Airfeel®), and an extra 490 coil count layer present in the center third of the mattress to enhance the contouring support yielded by the memory foam layers.
The foam layers have been designed to remain as cool as possible, but to improve temperature regulation even further, the very top layer of these mattresses is a special silver-containing fiber that does away with both heat and moisture, and also prevents the growth of odor causing bacteria, molds and mildew.
The Hybrid series eliminates the extra coil layer, and places only different foam layers on top of the pocketed coil base to provide a more soft, sinking feel, while retaining the essential regulatory, and anti-bacterial properties of the vanilla line.
Ultimately, the Silver series as a whole is a mainstream solution that provides conforming pressure relief and ample back support to a much greater degree than barebones budget offerings in the market.
See BeautyRest Silver price on Amazon
BeautyRest Platinum
The Platinum series has a standard innerspring / memory foam hybrid category that uses several of Simmons’ signature features to provide a slightly more affordable (beginning at $1,499), yet still justifiably lavish sleeping experience:
Salient features include AirCool™ foam and SurfaceCool™ fiber for better heat dissipation and temperature regulation, with the former also used to provide improved pressure point relief and free movement. The support system consists of hundreds of Pocket Coil® springs that respond individually to your body, to provide accurate and isolated pressure point relief.
Besides the regular lineup, there’s an even more hybrid offshoot (aptly called Platinum Hybrid) that utilizes latex in its comfort layer in addition to the memory foam. It uses a more efficient cooling system too – called PlatinumICE™, in conjunction with the regular AirCool™. The core of the mattress is pretty much identical to the regular Platinum models.
See Beautyrest Platinum price on amazon
Beautyrest Black
This hybrid lineup offers the ultimate in terms of restorative, personalized support, with a luxurious finish that doesn’t have many rivals in the market.
- Advanced Pocketed Coil® technology is used at its core – and is exclusive to this lineup. The coils are triple stranded for providing superior durability to regular wrapped coils, while also providing ample pressure relief, motion isolation, and back support.
- Alongside the pocketed coils, there’s proprietary Micro Diamond™ memory foam that offers generous conforming support, while also aiding in thermal dissipation.
- Some of the models use an augmented layer of memory foam, called BlackICE™, which is an augmented version of Micro Diamond™, infused with a breathable gel that optimizes sleep temperature even further.
SurfaceCool™ Plus fiber is used right under the mattress fabric to improve both airflow and heat dissipation. - Evidently, the Black series goes the length to justify its hefty price tag (starts at $1,999), through multiple active temperature regulation mechanisms; extra durable, individualized pocket coils; and the latest in memory foam innovation – all of this pointing to a no holds barred luxury item.
See beautyrest black price on amazon
Guarantee of Quality
Simmons expressly states that they are committed to the design and testing of their products through scientific means, and that their products have been continuously evolving based on scientific research since 1925. The manufacturer states all this to solidify their commitment to the consumers sleeping soundly on their products for years.
That said, the products still carry a standard limited warranty that covers defects in materials and manufacturing. Some of the models have coverage for the removable fabric cover too.
Standout Characteristics
After browsing through the mattress collections of both manufacturers, I have deduced the following general trends:
Simmons has recently assimilated and reorganized their product range into two highly focused lines: Beautysleep and Beautyrest, both of which combine the manufacturer’s signature pocketed coil technology with multiple layer of memory foam designed to provide comfort, contouring and thermal regulation.
This manufacturer’s priority is reliable, time tested innerspring support with enough innovation in the comfort layer (thanks to memory foam and, in one case, latex foam) that pain relief and contouring is achieved.
That said, their products are generally more expensive as compared to Serta, and so should appeal to a smaller segment of the consumer market.
Serta Mattress
A historical breakdown
Based in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, Serta is presently the largest mattress maker in the United States. Its history dates back to 1931, where 13 independent mattress makers licensed the name ‘Serta’ and started using it as a cooperative. Later on, it went under the ownership of National Bedding Company, until it was eventually taken up by two private equity groups – Ares Management and Teachers’ Private Capital in 2005.
Serta offers regular innerspring, gel foam, Talalay latex, and hybrid mattresses in its present lineup, with a huge number of its products being utilized in the lodging industry.
A bit of trivia
Interestingly, the private equity groups that acquired Serta, also acquired Simmons in 2009 – so that the two brands have a single parent company i.e. Serta Simmons Holdings, LLC. Effectively, this makes them sister brands, that are presently owned by Advent International, who purchased them from the two private equity groups in a multi-billion dollar deal.
The Pros and Cons
Pros
- Caters to a wide range of budgets.
- Greater variety in terms of support cores.
- Offers hotel style bedding.
- Highly innovative memory foam solutions.
Cons
- Budget focused products won’t have the quality expected from a high end brand.
Sertapedic
This the budget lineup from Serta, encompassing both innerspring and memory foam products, and offering reliable performance minus the typical cost associated with big brands.
The innerspring products start at around $149, which is incredibly low for a mattress coming from Serta. Don’t expect any of the fanciness associated with the luxury offerings from Simmons that I’ve covered above, or the ones from Serta I’ll be discussing below.
This is a traditional continuous coil innerspring mattress that works for back and stomach sleepers, but won’t offer much conforming support / pain relief for side sleepers or back ache sufferers.
The memory foam mattress is pretty standard fare too – just a decent foam comfort layer backed by polyurethane foam. It offers the expected contouring comfort of memory foam at a price starting at just $299, making it a true budget option, but don’t expect this performance to last long.
See Sertapedic prices on amazon
Perfect Sleeper
This is Serta’s mid-tier collection, comprising of innerspring, memory foam and hybrid offerings; according to the manufacturer, it tackles five common sleep issues: tossing and turning, lack of support, irregular temperature, partner disturbance, and mattress roll off and sagging.
The innerspring lineup, starting at $399, uses a continuous coil design to minimize side to side motion transfer and is quite durable too, but does not offer much in terms of conformity. It definitely captures the feel of a traditional innerspring mattress, while enhancing the comfort with some of Serta’s own innovations in the comfort layer.
The memory foam mattresses use an advanced gel foam comfort layer with a polyfoam base to achieve both contouring support, and thermal dissipation. These models start at $699.
The hybrid products are, as expected, the priciest in the lineup, since they incorporate an individually wrapped innerspring support core in conjunction with an all foam comfort layer. This results in both contouring surface support and springy deep support.
The general impression from Perfect Sleeper is a series attempting to provide comfort, pain relief, and sound sleep, to the consumer looking for something better than the lowest tier.
See Perfect sleeper price on amazon
iComfort
The iComfort series is Serta’s response to consumer complaints about heating from typical memory foam options. It uses gel-infused foam (referred to by the manufacturer as TempActiv™ Technology) to provide unparalleled cooling, along with the usual conforming soft support expected of a premium memory foam mattress.
There’s also a hybrid offshoot that uses a uniquely chambered gel foam configuration called EverFeel™ Triple Effects™ for luxurious contouring and optimum temperature control, in conjunction with individually wrapped Duet® Coil (coil in coil) innersprings for lasting deep support. The overall feel is a bit harder than what the all-foam variant has to offer.
Both the regular and hybrid variants start at a price of $1,299, so they’re true luxury grade commodities.
Hotel Collection
The Hotel mattress collection is geared towards the lodging industry – as mentioned before – and also for those domestic consumers who crave the luxurious comfort of suite-grade bedding. These innerspring mattresses, depending on the price (starting at $975), use either the manufacturer’s continuous coil support core, or the individual coil support core, and are dual sided to maximize their useful life.
The Bellagio at Home series is a specific subcategory of this collection, containing actual products found in Bellagio hotels. Available in both innerspring and hybrid variants, at a moderately costly starting point of $799 and $1,299 respectively, these are quite similar to the Perfect Sleeper innerspring and hybrid products in terms of their feature set. The only thing that sets them apart is that they have been custom designed for use in Bellagio suites.
Guarantee of Quality
The manufacturer maintains that their objective is to provide the best in terms of quality and durability, as well as comfort and healthfulness. They back this claim through the Serta Quality Assurance Program, which – in their own words – is one of the most stringent such initiatives in the industry, designed to ensure that their products yield long lasting performance as is expected from their brand.
Should their products contain a defect in craftsmanship or material, the consumer can get a compensation via the Serta Limited Warranty. Although the exact extent of the coverage varies from product to product, it is very clearly explained in their warranty brochure, which can be accessed at will – the indication of a manufacturer who wants to keep their policies transparent for their clientele.
As one can expect, the higher end products often carry more extensive warranties – both in terms of items covered, and in the duration of coverage.
Standout Characteristics
After browsing through the mattress collections of both manufacturers, I have deduced the following general trends:
True to its present status as the biggest mattress manufacturer in the United States, Serta offers a much more diverse lineup that encompasses traditional innerspring, pocketed coil, memory foam and hybrid mattresses.
While the quality of most of their products is on par with that of any high end brand, their primary focus seems to be continuous development in the memory foam department – to ensure that conforming, soft support is obtained with as little of the typical heating issues as possible.
Being a major supplier for the lodging industry too, they offer exclusive dual sided hotel style bedding products that aren’t present in Simmons’ lineup. Furthermore, the starting price for Serta’s offerings is much lower than Simmons’, so they are accessible to a much wider consumer segment – even those who are on a very tight budget.
Simmons vs. Serta Comparison Table
| Simmons | Serta |
|---|---|
| Focused on hybrids combining durable, supportive pocketed coil technology with memory foam | Focused on innovating memory foam to provide optimum cooling, and providing hotel grade bedding to consumers |
| Generally expensive and luxurious products | Products range from very cheap to highly extravagant |
| Almost all mattresses are of the hybrid variety | Traditional innerspring, pocketed coil, memory foam, and hybrid offerings are all available |
Conclusion
Both of these brands are pretty high end, so it wouldn’t be sensible to call one of them universally better than the other. They are compatible in terms of quality and reliability, but they diverge in the exact nature of the features their mattresses offer. Therefore, much boils down to personal requirements.
If you’re looking for luxurious hybrid mattresses that combine the peak of development in terms of pocketed coil technology, with memory foam that stays cool and comfortable throughout the night, then Simmons is the way to go.
However, if you want more options open to you in terms of budget, or want a traditional innerspring mattress without lots of bells and whistles, or maybe the latest in terms of cooling gel foam technology, then I’d recommend Serta. It goes without saying that fans of hotel suite bedding will favor Serta too, because of their exclusive deals with big names in the lodging industry!
Let me know what you think in the comments section below, and make sure you share this with your friends who are looking to buy a new premium mattress.