Saatva Contour5 vs Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Cloud: Which memory foam mattress should you buy this Black Friday?

The Saatva Contour5 Mattress on a bed frame (left) and the Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Cloud Mattress (right)
(Image credit: Saatva / Tempur-Cloud)

In this Saatva Contour5 vs Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Cloud mattress comparison, we're looking at two of the most luxurious memory foam mattresses from two of our favorite premium sleep brands. These high-end mattresses come with a hefty price tag, so which one should you invest in?

Saatva and Tempur-Pedic are two of our favorite sleep brands, responsible for some of the best mattresses for all sleep positions on the market. The Contour5 and Tempur-Cloud are both all-foam models, with dense, sumptuous foams that provide impressive pressure relief.

The Black Friday mattress deals and sales are live, with Saatva and Tempur-Pedic both offering some of their biggest discounts of the year. You can save $400 on all sizes of the Contour5 at Saatva, while Tempur-Pedic is offering a generous 30% off the Tempur-Cloud today. But which one is the right mattress for you? Let’s look at Saatva Contour5 vs Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Cloud in more detail.

Saatva Contour5 vs Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Cloud Mattress: Price & Trial

  • Contour5 is a super premium model with regular sales
  • Tempur-Cloud is an upper mid-range model in the 30% sale
  • Saatva’s extras are far more generous than Tempur-Pedic’s

Saatva mattress sales happen throughout the year, with the biggest discounts historically saved for major sales events. The Saatva Black Friday mattress deals are now live, and you can save $400 on all sizes off the Contour5 with our Saatva sale link. This reduces a queen from $2,995 to $2,595 — still a premium mattress, but a significant saving. If you have your eye on a queen Contour5, you might want to wait for a 15% off sale, but be aware these deals are fleeting.

At full price, the Tempur-Cloud is a premium mattress. But time your shop to coincide with a Tempur-Pedic mattress sales and it falls into the upper mid-range bracket. In the Tempur-Pedic Black Friday mattress sales, we've seen the return of 30% off the Tempur-Cloud. With this hefty sale, a queen size Tempur-Cloud is just $1,399.30 (was $1,999). The 30% off deal does appear regularly throughout the year, but often as a flash sale.

Extras wise, Saatva gives you a 365-night trial and lifetime warranty, while Tempur-Pedic only offers a rather pitiful 90-night trial and 10-year warranty. You’ll also get free white glove delivery with the Saatva, while the Tempur-Cloud, like all the best mattresses in a box, is shipped free to your door.

Saatva Contour5 Mattress: from $1,895 $1,495 at Saatva

Saatva Contour5 Mattress: from $1,895 $1,495 at Saatva
The Saatva Contour5 is a luxury memory foam mattress available in both Medium and Firm feels. Frequent Saatva sales mean you shouldn’t ever need to pay full price and, right now, there's $400 off all sizes with our link. This takes a queen size down to $2,595 from $2,995. You’ll also get a 365-night trial, lifetime warranty and free white glove delivery.

Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Cloud: from $1,699 $1,189.30 at Tempur-Pedic

Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Cloud: from $1,699 $1,189.30 at Tempur-Pedic
If you want the pressure relieving ‘hug’ of a Tempur-Pedic mattress but can’t stretch to one of the brand’s flagship options, the Tempur-Cloud is the brand’s ‘cheapest’ option and is particularly suited to side sleepers. In the 30% off sale, a queen is $1,399.30 (was $1,999). The mattress comes with a 90-night trial, 10 year warranty and free shipping to your door.

Saatva Contour5 vs Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Cloud Mattress: Materials & Design

  • The Saatva Contour5 is 12.5” high and has a dense foam core
  • The Tempur-Cloud is 10” high with Tempur-Material foams
  • Both mattresses are luxury all-foam

The Saatva Contour5 starts with a naturally breathable organic cotton cover, treated with the brand’s exclusive Guardin antimicrobial treatment. Directly below this is a flame barrier made with nontoxic cellulose fibers.

Up next is Saatva’s CoolVent System with Lumbar Zone and Phase Change Material (PCM). The PCM helps to absorb and dissipate body heat, and it's zoned to the lumbar region to help limit lower back pain. Underneath this is a layer of gel-infused memory foam with airflow channels to prevent heat becoming trapped.

The core of the mattress is a layer of dense ultra-premium 5lb memory foam for pressure relief, followed by a transition layer available in either a Medium or Firm firmness. The mattress is finished off with a high-density foam base.

The Tempur-Cloud starts with a 360 degree stretch cover, designed to be breathable and to wick away sweat (although our testers found it slept warm, which we'll cover later). Underneath is a comfort layer of Tempur-Material memory foam, to deliver the famous body-hugging feel and slow moving pressure relief Tempur-Pedic is known for.

Next up is a firmer support layer of foam to contour to your body in any sleeping position. The mattress is finished off with a base layer of high-density polyfoam for stability and structure. It’s a fairly basic design, but let's be honest; you’re essentially paying for the premium Tempur-Material foams.

Saatva Contour5 vs Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Cloud Mattress: Comfort & Support

  • Contour5 is available in medium (5-7/10) and firm (8/10)
  • The Tempur-Cloud is a medium firm mattress rated at 6.5/10
  • Both mattresses offer plenty of pressure relief

The Saatva Contour5 is one of the best memory foam mattresses you can buy, offering body-hugging pressure relief and a choice of firmness options to suit different sleepers. It's available in a Medium feel (rated 5-7 out of 10 by Saatva with 10 indicating firmest) and a Firm feel (8 out of 10).

In our Saatva Contour5 mattress review, we tested the Medium but found it close to medium-firm. The mattress contours to the body, keeping your spine aligned and pressure points cushioned in all sleeping positions. Our tester did sink into the mattress, but never felt unsupported. Stomach sleepers will probably prefer the Firm options, as it adds more support around the hips. And, as the version we tested was more of a medium firm feel, lightweight side sleepers may find the mattress too firm overall.

The Tempur-Pedic Tempur Cloud mattress on. blue fabric frame in a blue bedroom

(Image credit: Tempur-Pedic)

The Tempur-Cloud is available in one medium-firm option and overall, our Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Cloud mattress review agreed with that assessment. However, the top layer of this mattress does have a lot of sinkage before you get to the firmer support underneath.

This is a mattress for those who appreciate the true ‘hug’ of traditional memory foam. When lying down, our testers found themselves held in one position. Some people love this cozy cushioning but it does make it tricky to move around in the night (and results in excellent motion isolation — something the Contour5 also excels at).

The Tempur-Cloud mattress does provide plenty of pressure relief and is particularly suited to side sleepers, thanks to the cushioning at the shoulders and hips. It’s not supportive enough for back or stomach sleepers, as our testers found the lower back sank uncomfortably in these positions. Check out our Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Adapt Mattress review for a bed better in these sleep positions.

Saatva Contour5 vs Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Cloud Mattress: Temperature Regulation

  • Contour5 has superb temperature regulation for an all-foam bed
  • Tempur-Cloud is not good for hot sleepers, as it traps heat
  • Memory foam will still usually sleep warmer than hybrid mattresses

The Contour5 does an excellent job of regulating temperature, particularly for an all-foam mattress. It uses gel-infused memory foam, a breathable cotton cover, ventilated memory foam and PCM to absorb and dissipate heat. The combination does an excellent job, although if you’re a very hot sleeper you might find one of the best cooling mattresses a better option.

A hand rests on the surface of the Saatva Contour5 Mattress, testing the pressure relief

(Image credit: Future)

The Tempur-Cloud, on the other hand, didn’t keep our testers cool at all. The mattress was tested in a basement bedroom that was cooler than the rest of the house, with outside temperatures of 30-60F through the testing period. Despite this, our hotter sleepers struggled to stay cool on the mattress, with some waking up in the night from overheating.

Saatva Contour5 vs Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Cloud Mattress: Which should I buy?

Buy the Saatva Contour5 Mattress if…

You’re a hot sleeper: Despite being an all-foam mattress the Contour5 does a great job of keeping sleepers cool with ventilated and gel-infused foams, a cotton cover and PCM to help dissipate heat away from the body.

You suffer with back pain: Saatva’s enhanced lumbar support helps the spine remain comfortably aligned overnight, with a cooler central third to ease aches and pains.

You want customization options: The Contour5 is available in Medium and Firm options, so you can pick the right firmness to suit your sleeping style. We recommend Medium for side and back sleepers, Firm for front sleepers.

Buy the Tempur-Cloud Mattress if…

You sleep on your side: The Tempur material offers great pressure relief around the shoulders and hips when sleeping on the side, allowing you to sink into the foam and feel supported.

You share your bed with a restless sleeper: The Tempur-Cloud is a great choice for those sharing their bed with a restless partner. The sinkage from the top layer means that you’ll find it difficult to change position, thus minimizing motion transfer.

You want a proper memory foam ‘hug’: Sinkage on the top layer of the Tempur-Cloud is pronounced, meaning you benefit from superior contouring and pressure relief.

Jo Plumridge
Mattress tester and sleep writer

Jo Plumridge is an experienced mattress reviewer with several years' experience covering all things mattresses and sleep, and who tests memory foam, hybrid and organic mattresses. What Jo doesn't know about a boxed mattress isn't worth knowing, so naturally we tasked her with producing a series of features for Tom's Guide looking at all aspects of mattresses, from how to pick between latex and memory foam (it's a tricky one), to the seven mistakes people make when buying a mattress for the first time. When testing the DreamCloud Luxury Hybrid for Tom's Guide, Jo said: "I loved the back support and pressure relief it offered. Plus, it looks far more expensive than it is." When she isn’t writing about sleep, Jo also writes extensively on interior design, home products and photography.