Casper vs Purple mattress: which bed in a box is best for your sleep?

Casper and Purple are two of the biggest names in the sleep industry. Their original all-foam mattresses are extremely popular and are amongst some of the best mattresses we’ve tested and rated for comfort, deep pressure relief and motion isolation. But when it comes to Casper vs Purple, how do you decide between them when they’re both so good? Well, that’s where our in-depth comparison comes in.

Specifically, here we’re looking at the Casper Original and the Purple Mattress – the original mattresses from both brands. These popular mattresses in a box are packed with premium materials and tech to help you sleep better, and they each have high user review scores. But which, if either, is right for your sleep? 

The first thing to note is that Casper and Purple are similarly priced, with the Casper Original costing from $895 and the Purple mattress priced from $799. However, monthly mattress sales often lower the price on both models and we have both Purple promo codes and Casper promo codes available here on Tom's Guide, meaning you can usually find discounts to make either model even more affordable. Let’s now see how else they compare now in terms of spec, comfort, support, design and user reviews.

• Should you buy the Purple Mattress in the Black Friday sales? I'm a sleep writer — here's my advice

Casper vs Purple mattress: At a glance

Both Casper and Purple have plenty to offer sleepers looking for good levels of cooling and pressure relief during sleep. The Casper Original offers a very traditional memory foam mattress feel, with good sinkage and full-body support. 

The Purple Mattress relies on the brand’s patented Purple Grid technology, which gives a slightly more unconventional feel but makes the mattress surprisingly bouncy for an all-foam bed. 

There are sales most months from both brands, as well as superb savings on bundles to lower those prices. For the latest Casper savings, see our guide to the best Casper mattress sales and deals. For the cheapest Purple mattress prices, use our round-up of the latest Purple Mattress sales.

Shipping and returns are free with each manufacture, and you'll get a 100-night sleep trial on both the Casper and the Purple. That's over three months to make sure the mattress suits your body and sleep style.

Casper vs Purple mattress: Side by side

Casper vs Purple mattress: Prices and trials

There’s little price difference between the Casper Original and the Purple Mattress with the smaller sizes. Whilst the Purple starts off cheaper at $799 for a twin compared to Casper’s $895, it does become slightly more expensive as the size of the mattress increases. A queen mattress (the most popular size) is $1,399 at Purple compared to $1,295 at Casper.

Both brands offer a 100-night mattress trial and 10-year warranties, plus with free shipping and free returns if you decide the bed isn’t right for you.

 There’s also the option with both brands to purchase premium delivery to a room of your choice, with the new mattress installed for you and your old mattress taken away (learn more about how to dispose of a mattress). 

Casper vs Purple winner: While both mattresses are fairly evenly priced and offer exactly the same options for trials, warranties and delivery, Casper is the slightly cheaper of the two and great value for money.

Casper vs Purple mattress: Build and materials

The Casper Original comes with zoned support designed to promote neutral spinal alignment. The three zones have softer foam at the shoulders for pressure relief and to help keep your sleep position correct, while there’s firmer foam at the hips, waist and lower back to provide a higher level of support.

You’ll also find an AirScape layer designed to keep you cool at night that features thousands of perforations to help promote airflow and a durable foam base to support the entire mattress.

The Casper Original mattress is also a good choice for people looking for environmentally friendly materials, as it boasts a cover made with up to 57 recycled bottles, alongside recycled polyester and upcycled cotton, rayon and lycra.

All foams are CertiPUR certified, meaning they are made without mercury, lead and other heavy metals, carcinogenic chemicals and phthalates. The Casper Original is also hypoallergenic. (For more information on these types of materials, take a look at our best organic mattress guide).

The unique selling point of the Purple Mattress is the brand’s patented Purple Gel Grid technology. The 2” layer of Hyper Elastic polymer has a waffle-like design and leaves sleepers feeling as if they’re floating on the mattress. 

Purple’s grid is like nothing else on the market, with a soft and stretchy feel that provides great pressure relief. The grid is backed up by a transition layer of polyurethane foam to provide support and a base layer of polyfoam to give the bed support and durability. The whole mattress is encased in a soft cover that’s extremely breathable.

Like the Casper Original, all the foams in the Purple Mattress are CertiPUR certified and the mattress is also hypoallergenic. 

Casper vs Purple winner: It’s a close one, but the Purple Original just edges Casper with its innovative Grid technology that gives the mattress its unique feel. However if you want zoned support that's softer in some placed and firmer in others, the Casper is still an excellent choice. 

Casper vs Purple mattress: Support and comfort

If you’re a dedicated back sleeper or prone to suffering from back or shoulder pain, the Casper Original is an excellent choice. Zoned Support helps to keep the spine aligned, meaning sleepers will wake up without any aches or pains. Lighter to average weight stomach sleepers should also find the mattress supportive, with the soft support at the shoulders helping to keep them in a comfortable position.

The Purple Mattress is also a great choice for anyone dealing with joint pain as the Grid technology delivers constant pressure relief for the back, hips and neck. It would also appeal to combi sleepers as the grid makes the mattress bouncy and easy to move around on – that’s why we also recommend it as one of the best mattresses for side sleepers.

If you don’t like the traditional ‘hug’ of an all-foam mattress, then we’d definitely recommend the Purple over the Casper as the grid leaves sleepers feeling like they’re lying on top of the bed rather than sinking in.

Both beds do an excellent job of keeping sleepers cool at night. Purple’s gel grid is made with a waffle-like design that helps to promote airflow and keep sleepers’ temperatures regulated throughout the night. In a similar manner, Casper’s AirScape layer features thousands of perforations in the foam to prevent body heat from building up. 

Casper vs Purple winner: We’re declaring this a draw, as both mattresses offer a very different feel that's tough to compare. If you’re a back sleeper and like the ‘hug’ of memory foam, the Casper is the obvious choice. But combi sleepers will love the Purple for the ease of movement it offers. 

Casper vs Purple mattress: User reviews

The Casper Original has over 20,000 reviews, with an average overall rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars. Positive comments focus on how well customers sleep but the focus is often on how much the mattress reduces aches and pains. One user review explained how, “This has really helped me get better quality sleep and has reduced my back pain at night.”

As with all mattresses, the Casper doesn’t suit everyone, and even with its cooling properties some sleepers found the mattress far too hot (read our best cooling mattress guide for people who overheat at night). And the Casper’s slightly firmer feel didn’t please some customers, who felt that the mattress was too hard and unyielding.

The Purple Mattress has over 30,000 user reviews to date, with an overall rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars. Sleepers praise the Purple Grid saying, “It moves with you, creating comfortable places for those pressure points and feels comfortable and cozy where needed”. Lots of customers also praise the mattress for helping to relieve pain, just like the Casper Original. 

Again, not all customers enjoyed the Purple Mattress. Some user reviews complained that it was too bouncy to be supportive, while others said it was too thin. There were also some sleepers who said that the mattress started to sag after a few years of use. 

Casper vs Purple winner: Both Casper and Purple have a high number of positive user reviews, as well as a strong overall rating, but the Casper seemed to fare better among users overall with repeated praise for its comfort versus value for money.

Casper vs Purple mattress: Which should you buy?

Casper and Purple are two of the top-rated mattress in a box brands in America, and their two original mattresses are similarly priced – but that’s where a lot of the comparisons end as they rely on quite different technologies to keep you comfy and cool during sleep.

If you’re a dominant back sleeper, we’d recommend the Casper Original as this is particularly good for back pain. The Casper is also a great choice if you share a bed with a restless partner because it dishes out high levels of motion isolation, so you shouldn’t feel each other moving around so much.

The Purple Mattress, on the other hand, offers a very unique feel thanks to its Purple Grid technology. The bounce and responsiveness is ideal for combination sleepers who will find it easy to change position through the night. The Grid technology is also great at providing pressure relief, while also stopping sleepers from sinking too far into the mattress. This should reduce your chances of throwing your spine out of alignment. 

Casper and Purple each offers a 100-night risk-free trial and a 10-year warranty, so there are no differences in those perks. Which mattress you choose comes down to how you prefer to sleep and whether you enjoy the ‘hug’ of memory foam or a bouncier bed that makes you feel as if you’re sleeping on it rather than in it.

Whichever mattress you decide upon, consider investing in the best mattress protector for safeguarding it from stains and spills. This will help it last longer, saving you money in the longterm.