We’ve reviewed most of the gel memory foam mattress toppers available on the market(read about our accurate unbiased method), compared them side-by-side, and scored them according to a range of factors including comfort, pain relief potential, durability, initial odor and heat retention ability.
Below you will find a comparison table(click on the product name to read full review).
| Top ranked toppers | How We Test |
| Our Ranking | #1 | #2 | #3 | ||||||
| Product Name |
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| Editors’ Awards |  |
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| Price |
$129 Buy at Amazon |
$95 Buy at Amazon |
$76 Buy at Amazon |
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| Overall Score |
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| Editors’ Rating |  |
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| User Rating |  |
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| Date Reviewed | April 12, 2015 | April 12, 2015 | April 12, 2015 | ||||||
| Comfort | |||||||||
| Pain relief | |||||||||
| Durability | |||||||||
| No bad odor | |||||||||
| No sleeping hot | |||||||||
| Easy to maintain | |||||||||
| Easy to clean | |||||||||
| Read the Review |
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| MILLIARD Infused Mattress TopperRead the Review |
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| LUCID 2 Inch Gel Infused Ventilated |
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| Sleep Master 2-Inch |
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Gel memory foam mattress toppers are made up of memory foam covered with a gel to provide firmness and cooling effect to users. Memory foam are also one of the most popular and commonly used topper in North America. It is used to add additional comfort to mattress. Users have an option to choose from different thickness and density levels according to their comfort needs.
How it is Constructed?
Memory foam toppers are made up of polyurethane in addition with other chemicals to increase density. The material along with chemicals is called, Visco-Elastic Polyurethane Foam in technical term. The foam is based on millions of tiny spherical and hollow cells that make it light weigh yet dense. Gel memory foam mattress also has a layer of gel around the memory foam to provide additional cooling effect.
Health and Safety
Thicker and higher density toppers are rated exceptionally high for their pain relief potential. 4 inch thick or 5 + lbs of density toppers are suited for people with joint, back, shoulder or hip pain.
Firmness
With different levels of thickness and density, the firmness of gel memory foam pillows also varies. The thicker and most dense toppers are firmer.
Pros
Gel memory foam mattress toppers are highly rated for their cooling effect during summer. They are also most effective toppers for joint, back and shoulder pain relief. They also have an ability to isolate movement that makes them couple friendly. Price is also rated as affordable but thicker and denser toppers are pricy. Life span is less for thinner toppers but more for thicker and dense toppers. Similarly, thinner toppers are light weight but weight increased as they become thicker and dense. More thickness also means more softness. Simple memory foam toppers may be hotter for use but gel memory foam toppers are considered cool and can nullify the effect of memory foam trapping of heat.
Cons
On the thicker memory foam toppers, a lighter partner can roll over towards the heavier partner due to compression. They are also heavy and not easy to carry around. Customers also complained about initial odor. Thicker and denser toppers make it difficult for move around during sleep as they can sink down. For heavier people, thinner toppers may not work. One of the most common complaint is about their initial odor but it fades away in time.
Lifespan and Warranty
In most cases, manufacturer warranty ranges from 2 to 5 years. Average life span is also 3 to 5 years.
Cleaning and Maintenance
They are not easy to clean and maintain as you may need to hand wash the spot you want to clean. Washing memory foam in machine can reduce its the life significantly,
Price Range
Gel memory foam pillows are moderately priced that ranges from $40 to $275. You can get a good topper for an average price of $135.
How to Choose?
Users have an option to choose from 4 different levels of thickness that include 1, 2, 3 and 4 inches. Similarly, these toppers are also available in varying densities of 3 lbs, 4 lbs and 5+ lbs. You can choose according to your comfort level as thicker and denser toppers are firmer.