Tuft & Needle Original vs. Helix Midnight Mattress Comparison

Overall Rating

7.7

Tuft & Needle Original

Bottom Line

The Tuft & Needle is constructed with cushy, breathable foam layers for a nice balance of pressure relief and temperature control.

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Full Mattress Review

VS

Overall Rating

9.1

Helix Midnight

Bottom Line

The Helix Midnight is a foam hybrid with an approachable sticker price and a pressure-relieving design ideal for side sleeping.

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25% off sitewide

Full Mattress Review

Shoppers seeking the cushion of foam and the pushback of pocketed coils in one bed are often drawn to hybrid mattresses. The Tuft & Needle Original Hybrid and the Helix Midnight are hybrids that sell for comparable prices, leaving people curious about their similarities and differences.

Both beds are manufactured by U.S.-based companies that prioritize the use of organic materials. Tuft & Needle was founded in 2012 and has since been purchased by Serta Simmons. Helix was founded in 2015 and continues to be privately owned. Both companies assemble their beds in the US.

To help you decide whether the Tuft & Needle Original Hybrid or the Helix Midnight might work best for your needs, we evaluated both beds in our Seattle Test Lab. We also compared their companies’ policies and researched related customer reviews online.

Our Testing Team’s Take

Over the last decade, our testing team has evaluated nearly 2,000 mattresses in our Seattle Test Lab. Through this hands-on testing, we’ve developed a unique product research methodology that forms the backbone of our mattress rating system. 

Using cutting-edge technology, we pressure map each bed to identify where pressure points may form. We use similarly advanced tools to measure motion transfer across each mattress’ surface and heat retention.

We also have testing team members take mattresses home for weeks at a time, allowing them to mimic real-world use. Because our team members represent a variety of body weights and sleep position preferences, their perspectives can help you identify which might be the best mattress for you.

Our Verdict  

The Tuft & Needle Original Hybrid and the Helix Midnight offer a mixture of bounce and contouring that appeals to sleepers who want a little “hug” from their bed, but not to the degree that all-foam mattresses provide. 

Both beds receive very high ratings in terms of pressure relief and edge support. Pressure relief is often especially appealing to side sleepers and people seeking relief from back pain. Edge support ensures the bed’s edges won’t buckle when a sleepers lies near them or sits on the edge of the bed.

Mary Fenton

Head of Product Content

Combination

150 pounds

Sleeps with a noise machine

“The Tuft & Needle Original Hybrid Mattress strikes a nice balance between cushioning and support, and I appreciate how the foam layers relieve pressure while the coils add some bounce. While it’s been great for back sleeping, I occasionally feel a bit of sinkage when I sleep on my stomach, but overall it’s a solid, comfortable choice.”

Because these beds are so similar, they are sold at comparable price-points and only have a few distinguishing features. The Helix Midnight sleeps a little cooler than the Tuft & Needle Original Hybrid. It’s also a little firmer and, as a result, may appeal to a wider audience.

Side sleepers of all body weights and back sleepers weighing less than 230 pounds rate both beds highly. Back sleepers over 230 pounds are more likely to find support on the Helix Midnight, and stomach sleepers of all body weights find the Tuft & Needle too soft to support them.

Jackson Lindeke

Executive Product Director

Side

180 pounds

Showers before bed

“What Helix gets so spot on is in their understanding that comfort is not universal; mattress firmness is personal. Outside of being tailored to your preferences and needs, I think the Helix beds are really well-rounded — they do so many things well from a quality support system, pressure relieving comfort layers that also don’t lead to heat buildup.”

Construction and Materials

The Tuft & Needle Original Hybrid and the Helix Midnight share very similar constructions and materials. Both are hybrid mattresses featuring memory foam and polyfoam comfort systems, polyfoam transitional layers, and pocketed coil support cores.

Tuft & Needle Original Hybrid Breakdown 

The Tuft & Needle Original Hybrid rates 5 out of 10 on our firmness scale. It measures 12 inches thickn and contains six layers. The first layer is the cover, made of polyester and cotton and designed with cooling technology. Beneath the cover sits 1 inch of memory foam, which has been infused with both carbon fiber and graphite. The company calls this T&N Flex^TM foam and it conforms to the body.

Next is a 2-inch layer of graphite and gel-infused polyfoam called T&N Release^TM foam, which further conforms to the body and helps relieve pressure. Below that sits another 2 inches of polyfoam. This is the transitional layer and the company calls it T&N AdaptiveⓇ foam. The transitional polyfoam layer promotes spinal alignment and keeps sleepers from sinking down to the support core.

The bed’s support core is a 6-inch layer of pocketed coils. This layer contributes to the mattress’ supportiveness, and a reinforced perimeter around it adds to edge support. Beneath the coils is a 1-inch layer of polyfoam that adds stability and keeps the coils in place. The bed is free from fiberglass and has received GreenGuard Gold certification.

Helix Midnight Breakdown 

With a medium firm (6) firmness rating, the Helix Midnight is a bit firmer than the Tuft & Needle Original Hybrid. It has a similar profile measuring 11.5 inches. In this space, it has six layers, though shoppers may add on an additional cooling GlacioTex^TM pillow-top layer for a fee. The mattress’ cover is a polyester knit designed to allow for airflow.

The upper-most comfort layer in the Helix Midnight is a memory foam layer that provides some “hug” and relieves pressure. Beneath it is a polyfoam comfort layer that provides contouring that side sleepers in particular may enjoy. This layer cushions the body, while allowing heavier body parts to sink in a bit, promoting proper spinal alignment. Next, a transitional polyfoam layer prevents sleepers from sinking all the way down to the support core. 

The support core in the Helix Midnight is a layer of 8-inch thick pocketed coils sitting above another layer of polyfoam. The coils provide firmness and bounce, while allowing for cooling airflow. The polyfoam keeps the coils in place.

Mattress Sizing and Weight 

Both beds are available in twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, and California king sizes. Helix also makes the Midnight in less common sizes, like short queen and RV king.
These mattresses share nearly identical profiles, which are well-suited to standard fitted sheets. They also both weigh about 100 pounds, which, for most people, means they shouldn’t be lifted without the help of a buddy.

Performance Ratings 

Both beds stand out in terms of edge support, but the Helix Midnight has an exceptionally high score. Edge support is important for people who tend to sleep near the edge of the bed, as well as when a person sits on the edge of the bed or uses the edge to get in or out of bed. Both beds also stand out in terms of pressure relief. Hybrid beds don’t always rate high on this measure, but these do, thanks to their multiple memory foam and polyfoam comfort layers.

Temperature control is another strength of these beds, though, again, the Helix Midnight slightly edges out the Tuft & Needle Original Hybrid score-wise. Motion can tend to transfer on hybrid mattress models, but both of these score above-average on motion isolation, thanks to their vibration-absorbing foam comfort layers. These conforming layers can impede ease of movement on the beds’ surfaces, though, making them feel more like all-foam beds in this regard.

While these mattresses score similarly across many features, they do have differences in terms of which sleepers are best suited to them. For the Tuft & Needle Original Hybrid, all side sleepers can find adequate support on the bed, but those under 230 pounds find it most comfortable. Back sleepers weighing less than 230 pounds can also find comfort and support on the Tuft & Needle, but stomach sleepers usually cannot. 

The Helix Midnight scores exceptionally well for all side sleepers and for back sleepers weighing between 130 and 230 pounds. Back sleepers outside of that range can also find adequate support on the bed, as can stomach sleepers weighing between 130 and 230 pounds.

Full Reviews: Other Tuft & Needle and Helix Models

Tuft & Needle Original

Overall Rating:

7.7 /10

Price Range:

$745 – $1,395

Mattress Type:

Foam

Firmness Options:

Medium Firm (6)

Tuft & Needle Mint

Overall Rating:

8.3 /10

Price Range:

$1,095 – $2,095

Mattress Type:

Foam

Firmness Options:

Medium Firm (6)

Helix Elite Mattress Collection

Overall Rating:

9.2 /10

Price Range:

$1,874 – $3,374

Mattress Type:

Hybrid

Firmness Options:

Soft (3), Medium Soft (4), Medium Firm (6), Firm (7), Firm (8)

Helix Luxe Mattress Collection

Overall Rating:

8.1 /10

Price Range:

$1,099 – $2,299

Mattress Type:

Latex Hybrid

Firmness Options:

Soft (3), Medium Soft (4), Medium Firm (6), Firm (7), Firm (8)

Helix Core Mattress Collection

Overall Rating:

9.0 /10

Price Range:

$749 – $1,399

Mattress Type:

Hybrid

Firmness Options:

Soft (3), Medium Soft (4), Medium Firm (6), Firm (7), Firm (8)

Mattress Pricing 

The Tuft & Needle Original Hybrid and the Helix Midnight mattresses usually sell for prices within $100 of one another, with the Tuft & Needle costing a bit more. Their prices are likely so comparable because the beds contain similar materials and have similar profiles. Tuft & Needle and Helix also offer similar policies.

What Customers Are Saying

Both the Tuft & Needle Original Hybrid and the Helix Midnight boast excellent online ratings from thousands of satisfied customers, as well as hundreds of positive written reviews. Reviewers often refer to both beds as “perfect,” or “ideal,” saying that they sleep better than ever on them. In addition to praising the beds for their comfort, reviewers also note that they are easy to set up and worth the money. 

Complaints about both beds are uncommon, but similar — reviewers tend to mention the firmness level, either complaining that it’s too firm or too soft. These negative reviews are a good reminder to consider your body weight and sleep position preference, as well as a bed’s firmness, before making a purchase.

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