Tom's Guide Verdict
The Purple Plus mattress is a luxurious step up from the Purple Original, adding two extra inches of foam while retaining the body-contouring comfort of its predecessor's GelFlex Grid. Both soft and firm at the same time, it delivers cushioning where you need relief and stability where you need support, with a plush finish that creates a surprisingly cozy feel. The edge support could be improved, but the breathable build makes it a winner for hot sleepers who prefer a mattress with a plush finish.
Pros
- +
Superior cooling
- +
Customized comfort
- +
Beautifully soft and firm
Cons
- -
Middling edge support
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Purple Plus mattress review in brief
- More cushioning and pressure-relieving than the Original model
- Purple's GelFlex grid promotes airflow
- Medium softness sleep feel
The Purple Plus mattress launched in August 2021 as an upgraded version of the brand's award-winning Purple Mattress, in a similar price bracket. It features an additional two inches of premium foam below Purple's proprietary Purple Grid, plus enhanced breathability and improved cooling. Overall, it's rated a medium firmness, but Purple also promises an 'adaptive' feel – soft where you want a mattress to feel soft, and firmer where you need extra support.
For our Purple Plus mattress review, we slept on this mattress for over two weeks and performed a series of tests to see if it deserves a place in our best mattress guide. Below is our in-depth Purple Plus mattress review, but if you're short on time and want to know if the Purple Plus is the right choice, here are the highlights.
Type: 'GelFlex' hybrid
Materials: Premium foam, GelFlex Grid
Firmness: Medium (we'd rate it a 6-7.5)
Depth: 11 inches
Trial period: 100 nights
Warranty: 10 years
Price bracket: Premium
The cooling benefit of the Purple Plus is phenomenal. It's one of the best cooling mattresses we've tried. One of our reviewers, who frequently needs to kick one or both feet out of the covers nightly to catch relief from the heat, didn’t have to do that when sleeping on the Purple Plus. And it stays cool while maintaining a plusher feel, even though soft beds can have a habit of trapping heat.
The Purple Plus is also great at relieving pressure points, and all sleep positions were well-suited on this mattress. It feels soft and cradled under your head, neck, arms, and legs, but is firmer under the hips and lumbar region (we rate it amongst the best mattresses for back pain). We don’t claim to know how they accomplished this soft-where-you-need-it, firm-where-you-want-it feat, but Purple says it’s physics.
Bed sharers kept awake by a restless partner should be pleased with the motion isolation here, which even exceeds the Original. Where the Purple Plus comes up a little short is edge support. One of our review team found sleeping close to the edge could result in a "downward roll feeling", indicating that edge support is a little lackluster.
The Purple Plus costs between $400 and $500 more than the Original, with a starting price of $1,499 for a twin. This is a premium bed, but the Purple feel is unique — if you want that soft-yet-firm build, you'll have to pay Purple prices. You can frequently find ways to save with Purple Mattress deals or our Purple promo codes.
As with all Purple mattresses, you get a 100-night, risk-free trial, so you have over a full three months to decide if the Purple Plus is right for you. You have to give it at least 21 days, after which your money will be refunded if you decide this isn’t the one for you. Purple warranties their beds for 10 years against defects and permanent body indentations over an inch.
Purple Plus mattress review: price and deals
- Costs $400 to $500 more than the Purple Original
- Competitively priced compared to specialist cooling models
- Watch out for Purple mattress sales to drop the price
The Purple Plus mattress sits at the top of Purple's 'Essential' range, which also comprises the Original (queen MSRP $1,399 ), and the budget-friendly NewDay (launched fall 2022 – queen MSRP $1,095). The brand also makes three 'Premium' hybrid mattresses, all of which cost considerably more than the Plus. The entry-level Purple Hybrid is $2,399 for a queen and its top-of-the-line Hybrid Premier 4 commands $3,799 for the same size.
Purple Mattress deals aren't as ubiquitous as you'll find with other brands, so when they do happen they're worth taking notice of – a discount of $100 is good, but occasionally there'll be up to $400 off. Keep an eye out for the Black Friday mattress deals, but also the Cyber Monday mattress deals for a good price (Purple sometimes bucks the trend by offering bigger discounts on the Monday).
Like many mattress manufacturers, inflation resulted in gradually-rising prices over the course of 2022 and mid-way into 2023, with an increase of $100 to $300 across all sizes of the Purple Plus. A twin Purple Plus mattress is now $1,495 (was $1,199) while a queen costs $1,895 (was $1,699). Here's the official pricing for each size:
- Twin: $1,495
- Twin XL: $1,545
- Full: $1,745
- Queen: $1,895
- King: $2,295
- Cal King: $2,295
- Split King: $3,090
One of Purple's biggest competitors is Tempur-Pedic, which makes a range of Tempur (foam) and hybrid mattresses focusing on many of the same areas, including pressure relief, cooling and zoned support. (To see how they stack up, read our Purple vs Tempur-Pedic mattress comparison.) Tempur-Pedic mattresses tend to cost more than Purple's, with a Tempur-Cloud retailing for $1,999 in queen.
As for how it compares to other top cooling models, the Purple Plus is considerably less than the Casper Wave Hybrid Snow, which starts at $2,295 for a queen. (However, keep in mind that hybrids tend to be more expensive than full-foam mattresses in general.) It's very close in price to the Nectar Premier Copper mattress, which may be a better option for individuals who want more extras included with their purchase and a taller bed (it's 14 inches high, compared to the 11-inch Purple Plus).
Purple Plus mattress review: materials
- 1,400 air channels work together to keep you cool
- GelFlex Grid responds to your every move
- Mix of premium foams to relieve major pressure points
The Purple Plus mattress is constructed of six layers. The softflex knit cover, which is the same great fabric that covers the original bed, followed by two inches of Purple GelFlex Grid, the proprietary gel-like elastic polymer that squishes and springs back once you have rolled into a new sleeping position. This also has thousands of holes that make the Purple Plus more breathable, enabling air to flow more freely and keep you cool during sleep.
Next up is another two inches of Premium Comfort Foam, and here's where you'll find (and feel) the difference between the Purple Plus and the Original. Not only does this layer help you feel more supported, it gives the mattress stability. All of that is followed by a three-layer Premium Foam Base that makes your sleep experience supportive and comfortable.
Purple Plus mattress review: firmness and comfort
- We rate it a 6 out of 10 to a 7.5 out of 10 on the firmness scale
- Great for back, side and stomach sleepers
- Soft and squishy feel, but capable of firm support too
The Purple Plus comes in one variation. They say it’s physics, but to us the mattress feels soft under arms and legs, so we'd rate it a 6 out of 10 on the firmness scale for these areas. We'd rate it a 7.5 out of 10 for the spine and lower lumbar areas. By comparison, we rated the Original a solid 7 (out of 10) on the firmness scale. In short, the Purple Plus mattress is great where you think you need a firm feel, and softer where you don't.
The Purple Plus also feels a little like you float on top of the mattress while sinking in slightly. It’s also deceptively firmer than it first appears. The mattress is comfy and cushioned, and our reviewers enjoyed some restful sleep on it. Our testers are of various body weights and have different sleep styles and cooling needs.
Since mattress firmness is subjective – one person may think a firm feel is great while another thinks soft is better – the Purple Plus may be the Goldilocks mattress capable of pleasing everyone. It’s also a good choice for couples since motion transfer is minimal. As we mentioned earlier in our review, our only complaint is that the edge support could be a little sturdier.
Purple Plus mattress review: performance
- Even our hot sleepers didn't wake up in a sweat on this mattress
- Body weight is evenly distributed, and motion transfer is minimal
- Edge support could be better
We spent two weeks with a queen-size Purple Plus mattress. Abiding by our methodology for mattress research, we tested it in all major areas of performance: pressure relief, motion isolation, temperature regulation, edge support, and durability. We also rated the ease of setup.
Since we're still working off a small sample size in our testing group, we also analyzed certified user reviews to provide a more comprehensive take on how well the Purple Plus performs. Here's what we discovered...
Setup
Score: 4.5/5
This is a heavy mattress. Our delivery driver used a dolly, so you may need to ask a friend or relative to help you shift the Purple Plus mattress up a flight of stairs or into a bedroom. Ours arrived in an oversized and plastic duffle bag with easy-to-use carry handles. To set up the Purple Plus mattress, unzip the duffle bag and roll out the plastic-wrapped mattress.
Once you begin to unpack the vacuum-sealed roll and plop the mattress onto your bed frame or platform, it’s easy enough for one person to handle. You’ll unroll and unroll and unroll until finally out springs the Purple Plus from all the plastic wrapping. It starts growing in size within seconds and is ready to sleep on within 30 minutes.
Off-gassing
Score: 5/5
Despite a vacuum seal process and a lot of plastic wrap, there was no noticeable mattress off-gassing odor in the room either from the plastic bag or the Purple Plus itself.
Purple’s grid material and foam are CleanAir GOLD and CertiPUR-US certified. A third-party quality assurance company confirms that their mattresses meet the standards required to promote minimal VOC exposure and are 100% non-toxic.
Pressure relief
Score: 4.5/5
We give the Purple Plus high marks in pressure relief due to its unique blend of softness and firmness that will appeal to a wide variety of firmness preferences. Pressure point relief under your shoulders, hips, lumbar spine, and knees were excellent for our reviewers. We also placed a 50lb kettlebell weight in the middle of the mattress to test how much sinkage occurs.
While the weight sinks in noticeably, it was significantly less than expected gauging by the soft feel of the Purple Plus.
When it comes to a real live person lying on the mattress whose weight is distributed throughout five or six feet, we think Purple Plus held up well giving us a cushiony feel but not sinking into that top layer too deeply. Whether you sleep on your side, back or front, Purple Plus withstands weight easily and provides excellent contouring along all the pressure points.
Motion transfer
Score: 4.5/5
We reviewed a queen-sized Purple Plus, so there was plenty of opportunities to test whether motion transfer felt adequate. That’s when your partner tosses, turns, or gets up and how easily you feel what they’re doing on your side of the bed. (Don’t tell anyone but we also had a 45lb dog between us.)
The Purple Plus does a great job of keeping motion transfer to a minimum. Certainly, it’s as solid a job as the original mattress. We also performed a couple of drop tests to measure the motion transfer.
We placed an empty wine glass on one side of the bed and dropped a 10lb weight on the other side, simulating a partner tossing and turning. To simulate the effect of regular tossing-and-turning, we dropped the weight from 4in above the mattress. And to recreate the effect of a partner getting in or out of bed, we dropped the weight from 8in above the mattress.
The wine glass didn’t budge when the 10lb weight was dropped from 4-inches, which means you won't even feel your partner’s movements in the night. As for the 8-inch drop, the wineglass stirred slightly, indicating you may feel only the slightest motion when your partner gets out of bed.
Temperature regulation
Score: 5/5
Our reviewers gave major props to the Purple Plus on its cooling effects. The mattress stays cool to the touch throughout the night, and both reviewers say they never got hot sleeping in the Purple Plus like sometimes happens with foam mattresses.
The proprietary grid material with its thousands of cooling airholes and the new more breathable layer of foam in Purple Plus is responsible for the phenomenal heat dissipation effects. They also use a higher density foam than in the original Purple, which Purple says is 2-3 times more breathable with better air flow.
One reviewer said it’s the most cooling mattress they’ve ever slept on. If you’re a hot sleeper, the cooling element of Purple Plus will please you.
We also got a hold of a set of Purple sheets. Instead of crisp hotel-like cotton, they’re a rayon blend of stretchy fabric, sort of like your coziest sweatshirt. They fit snugly over the corners and will never pop off due to their stretch capabilities.
Edge support
Score 3.5/5
The reviewers thought Purple Plus was a little lacking in edge support. One reviewer said when you get too close to the edge, there’s a definite downward feel. So, we put it to the test by placing our 56lb weight on the edge of the bed in the middle of the perimeter where someone would sit. The mattress compressed about 2 inches, from 11 inches. The weight also started to roll off the bed when not held tightly.
Then we had a tester sit on the edge of the bed as you would tend to do sometimes, and the bed sank in and compressed significantly to about 6 inches. While sitting on the edge is fine for a few minutes, it’s not somewhere you’d be comfortable sitting for extended periods.
For a medium price point luxe mattress, the edge support was a little disappointing. Frankly, we’ve tested less expensive foam mattresses that have better edge support.
Durability
Score: 5/5
Since we’ve only been sleeping on the Purple Plus a short while, we haven’t noticed any indentations or signs of wear. It’s still soft and cushiony yet firm where we need it. It also remains cool to the touch and feel. Purple's GelFlex material stretches and springs back constantly to prevent wear issues.
The Purple Plus is brand new so we’re not likely to see any complaints when it comes to durability or problems with it holding up well for quite some time.
Purple Plus mattress: User reviews
Since mattress reviews are subjective, it’s important to remember the things that influence reviewers: an individual’s preference for mattress softness or firmness, their ideal temperature, their height, weight, preferred sleep position, and experience with a particular mattress.
Though we reviewed the Purple Plus and gave you our expert opinion, we have our preferences and sleep needs just like you. So, to round out our review, we like to carefully analyze user reviews too.
Purple merges reviews of the Purple Plus on its site with reviews of its other mattresses, making it difficult to decipher which mattress specifically customers are referencing. From our research at the time of updating this review (May 2023), from out of over 11,000 reviews on the Purple site, reviewers give the Purple mattress a 4.5 out of 5 star rating overall.
Should you buy the Purple Plus mattress?
The Purple Plus mattress is an excellent mattress for anyone who sleeps hot and is intrigued by the notion that one firmness rating doesn’t tell the story of a mattress. It's softer around the periphery of the body and firmer under pressure points like the lumbar spine and hips, aiding in even weight distribution.
The additional two inches of breathable foam in the Plus make a remarkable difference in cooling and comfort compared to the original. Motion isolation is also very stable, and couples should appreciate not feeling every move their partner makes.
However, it does cost up to $500 more than a Purple Original mattress. That's to be expected – the Purple Plus is a more luxurious version of its predecessor. On the other hand, it is much cheaper than the Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Breeze or Casper Waye Hybrid Snow. It's also a more affordable option than any of Purple's Hybrid beds, which can easily fetch thousands of dollars, depending on the size and model.
But if you like your mattress to have a firm feeling where it counts and a softer sink-in feeling where it doesn’t – along with superior cooling to keep you comfortable and dry throughout the night – then the Purple Plus mattress will certainly suit you. It's also great if you share a bed with a restless co-sleeper, as the excellent motion transfer will limit any interruptions from their tossing and turning.
Bottom line, whether you sleep on your back, side, or front the Purple Plus will leave you cool, comfortable, rested and refreshed every night, which is what you would expect from a luxury mattress.
First reviewed: November 2021
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