Purple and Casper are two of the biggest names in the online mattress game. These bed-in-a-box brands have gained massive followings thanks to their super cozy and popular bedding options. But which one makes the mattress that’s right for you and your unique slumber needs?
In this Purple vs Casper mattress comparison, we’re going to compare how these beds feel, how they sleep, and how they’re built so we can figure out which one is going to be the best mattress for you.
Ready to get started? Then read on below. Or, skip to my review summary at the end of this page.
Purple vs Casper
Product
Firmness
Score
Purple vs Casper
Purple vs Casper Mattress Overview
Here’s a brief overview of the strong points of the Purple and Casper, as well as which type of sleepers are best suited for them.
| Purple is best for… | Casper is best for… |
| Hot sleepers | Couples |
| Back sleepers | Seniors |
| Side sleepers | Back pain |
Purple vs Casper Mattress Comparison Video
Need a quick rundown of each mattress and who I recommend them for? Check out my Purple vs Casper video review below.
Purple vs Casper: Top Similarities
- Variety: Both Purple and Casper sell a ton of different mattresses, though we’re only focusing on their original all-foam models in this comparison. Later on, we’ll briefly go over some of their other respective offerings.
- Cooling: The Original Purple and Casper mattresses both sleep fairly cool, so if you overheat at night, you should feel extra comfortable on these beds.
- Pricing: I’d also say these mattresses are competitively priced. If pricing is a major deal breaker for you, know that there’s not a huge cost difference between the two.
Purple vs Casper: Top Differences
- Feel: The Purple has a slightly unconventional feel to it, so if you want more of a traditional foam vibe, I’d recommend going with the Casper.
- Pressure Relief: Though they have similar medium-firm feels, the Casper offers slightly deeper pressure relief, marking it as a better option for folks with aches and pains.
- Responsiveness: If you’re looking for some extreme lift, the Purple could be the one for you as it’s much bouncier than the Casper mattress.
Purple vs Casper: Construction & Feel Differences
Now it’s time to focus on what the Purple and Casper mattresses actually feel like. I’ll evaluate various factors, including firmness, pressure relief, bounce, and sinkage. Before we begin, I’d like to note that these factors are highly subjective and can vary significantly based on individual body size, shape, and weight.
What’s the Firmness Difference?
It’s important to understand that, when it comes to mattresses, firmness isn’t a one-size-fits-all scenario. Your size, weight, shape, and other factors all determine your ideal level of firmness. So your preferences might not be the same as mine. When testing a mattress for firmness, we try to capture the variance different people might feel. I test every bed with colleagues of various body shapes, types, and sizes, then average those responses to determine the final firmness score.
My colleagues and I gave both mattresses a 7 out of 10 on the firmness scale, putting them slightly above the industry standard. We rate firmness on a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being the softest and 10 being the firmest. For reference, the industry standard for a medium-firm mattress is a 6.5 on the firmness scale.
What Does Each Mattress Feel Like?
Both beds are technically medium-firm; however, you’re probably most curious about how the hyper-elastic Purple Grid™ feels. As you move around the mattress, you’ll likely notice that the grid walls collapse and rise to contour to the curves of your body. This creates a seamless sleeping experience in which you’re always pretty comfortable. That being said, the Purple mattress is a touch firmer than medium-firm, so will probably work best for back and combination sleepers. Strict side sleepers may find that the mattress isn’t able to provide the deep pressure relief they need at the shoulders, hips, and lower back.
One of my favorite attributes of the Purple mattress is how cool it sleeps. The spaces between the grid walls allow for a ton of airflow throughout the structure, which helps to lower temps as you snooze. If you’re someone who struggles with overheating at night, you could benefit a lot from the ultra-cooling Purple mattress. I’d also say it could be an especially good fit for anyone who wants to feel positioned squarely “on top” of their bed.
Though both the Casper and Purple mattresses received 7 out of 10’s from me, that doesn’t mean they feel the same. The Casper has more of a balanced foam feel, which provides both pressure relief and support. The combination of latex, memory foam, and high-density poly foam work together to bring targeted relief to pressure points across the body, resulting in a gentle yet supportive sleeping experience that could work for a wide range of sleepers. I particularly like it for back sleepers, especially those who struggle with back pain at the hips and lower back.
Like the Purple, I’d also say that the Casper sleeps pretty cool. Though it’s perhaps not as temperature neutral as its Purple counterpart, the Casper benefits from a breathable top layer of Airscape™ foam, which features small perforations on its surface to promote airflow throughout the mattress. Hot sleepers should be pleased by the soothing, cooling nature of the Casper mattress.
How Does The Construction Differ?
Purple vs Casper Per Body Type
Every mattress will feel different to sleepers depending on individual attributes and preferences, such as body weight and sleeping position. Up next, I’ll compare how the Purple and Casper mattresses perform for various sleepers.
Purple Body Weight Scale
| Body Weight | Side | Back | Stomach |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light (under 130lbs) |
good | good | good |
| Average (130-250lbs) |
unpleasant | excellent | unpleasant |
| Heavy (over 250lbs) |
unpleasant | unpleasant | unpleasant |
| Body Weight: Light (under 130lbs) | |
|---|---|
| Side Sleeper | good |
| Back Sleeper | good |
| Stomach Sleeper | good |
| Body Weight: Average (130-150lbs) | |
| Side Sleeper | unpleasant |
| Back Sleeper | excellent |
| Stomach Sleeper | unpleasant |
| Body Weight: Heavy (over 250lbs) | |
| Side Sleeper | unpleasant |
| Back Sleeper | unpleasant |
| Stomach Sleeper | unpleasant |
Casper Body Weight Scale
| Body Weight | Side | Back | Stomach |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light (under 130lbs) |
unpleasant | good | good |
| Average (130-250lbs) |
good | good | unpleasant |
| Heavy (over 250lbs) |
unpleasant | unpleasant | unpleasant |
| Body Weight: Light (under 130lbs) | |
|---|---|
| Side Sleeper | unpleasant |
| Back Sleeper | good |
| Stomach Sleeper | good |
| Body Weight: Average (130-150lbs) | |
| Side Sleeper | good |
| Back Sleeper | good |
| Stomach Sleeper | unpleasant |
| Body Weight: Heavy (over 250lbs) | |
| Side Sleeper | unpleasant |
| Back Sleeper | unpleasant |
| Stomach Sleeper | unpleasant |
Purple vs Casper Comparing Mattress Performance
Temperature
Several factors contribute to a mattress’s cooling ability. First and foremost, I consider its construction. Since both mattresses are hybrid models, there’s plenty of room for air to flow through them and keep them cool.
I tested both mattresses’ cooling features using our thermal gun. During this test, I found that the Purple performed much better overall. When I laid on the Purple for five minutes, its temperature only increased by 4.8 degrees, making it one of our best cooling mattresses.
After lying for five minutes on the Casper, its baseline temperature increased 8.4 degrees. This is still pretty good, considering foam mattresses have a harder time staying cool than hybrid mattresses or innersprings. When considering the thermal gun score and the construction, I wouldn’t recommend the Casper over the Purple to hot sleepers.
Motion Isolation
Next, let’s chat about motion isolation. Motion isolation refers to how likely you are to feel your bed mate’s movements throughout the night. We’re looking for high motion isolation (or low motion transfer) here, meaning the bed dissipates motion evenly across the structure. While everyone will want to pay attention to this measure, it could be especially useful for couples!
To ensure that I’m not just speaking from my experience, I perform a few tests to determine if a bed is good at isolating motion. One of those tests consists of dropping a steel ball from various heights and measuring the disturbance it causes using a seismometer.
During this test, I found that both mattresses do not transfer a lot of motion to the other side of the bed. However, I would give the Purple mattress the slight edge here, likely due to its dense support layer helping to isolate those smaller movements that tend to travel from the impact site.
Edge Support
What the Casper lacks in cooling, it makes up for in edge support. When testing the edge support on the Purple, I felt a lot of sinkage around the edges and corners. I thought the Casper mattress did better between the two, as I didn’t feel it collapse as much as the Purple beneath me. The Casper is on par with other memory foam mattresses — I felt supported while lying along the edge, but noticed some sinkage while sitting on it. Overall, I would say the Casper outperforms the Purple in this category.
Pressure Relief
Both beds did well on our pressure map test, however the Purple outperformed the Casper in this category, especially for side sleepers.
For this test, we use a specialized mat to measure how much pressure the materials are putting on different parts of the body. The mat then creates a graphic or “map” of the body using color-coded imagery. Areas with low pressure buildup are blue and green, and areas with high pressure buildup are yellow and red.
As you can see on the map below, there is a lot of blue, indicating that the Purple mattress is good at relieving pressure.
Similarly, there is a good amount of green and blue on the pressure map below, meaning the Casper had good test results. However, you can see that there is a bit more pressure buildup than the Purple, especially around the shoulders for side sleepers.
Pain Relief
The results of the pressure relief test can indicate whether these mattresses aid in reducing pain in specific areas. I think the Purple and Casper are good options for most back sleepers. However, side sleepers, especially those with sensitive joints, should definitely go with the Purple.
Durability
I would say the Casper is more durable than the Purple. The Casper has better edge support, meaning it’s less likely to sag prematurely. On the other hand, the Purple mattress scored higher on our firmness scale and has a layer of dense support foam at its base which should add some longevity to it.
Company Policies
Purple Policies
- Trial Period – 100 nights
- Shipping – Free shipping
- Mattress Warranty – 10-year warranty
Casper Policies
- Trial Period – 100 nights
- Shipping – Free
- Mattress Warranty – 10-year warranty
Purple Customer Service Rating
- Stellar: Purple got a Stellar rating because I was paired with a support specialist right away. She answered my questions quickly and helpfully. Purple had one of the fastest customer support response times I’ve experienced. Although Purple’s warranty and trial period are lacking compared to other brands, their responsive and helpful customer service representatives help take them to the next level.
Casper Customer Service Rating
- Stellar: When contacting Casper’s customer service, I was immediately paired with a helpful agent who answered all my questions about Casper’s warranty thoroughly and transparently. When I did ask a question, it was answered politely and in detail.
Comparing Purple vs Casper Price
When deciding between the Purple and Casper mattresses, your decision may come down to price. Let’s take a peek at how much these beds cost in our pricing chart. Keep in mind that you can always visit our Purple and Casper mattress coupon pages for deals.
Prices listed will be before discount or offer for each size.
| Size | Purple | Casper |
| Twin | $999.00 | $895.00 |
| Twin XL | $1,099.00 | $995.00 |
| Full | $1,399.00 | $1,195.00 |
| Queen | $1,499.00 | $1,295.00 |
| King | $1,999.00 | $1,695.00 |
| California King | $1,999.00 | $1,695.00 |
Other Purple and Casper Mattress Comparisons
Wondering how the Purple and Casper stack up to some of their competitors from other online mattress companies? Take a look at some of our other comparisons below.
Purple vs
- Tuft & Needle vs Purple
- Purple vs Tempurpedic
- Leesa vs Purple
- Layla vs Purple
- Ghostbed vs Purple
- Purple vs Puffy
Casper vs
- Casper vs Helix
- Casper vs Leesa
- Casper vs WinkBeds
- Casper vs Purple
- Casper vs DreamCloud
- Casper vs Endy
- Casper vs Lull
- Casper vs Puffy
- Casper vs Layla
- Casper vs Brooklyn Bedding
- Casper vs Saatva
- Casper vs GhostBed
Comparing Other Mattress Models
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| Purple Mattress | Casper Original Mattress | Saatva Mattress | Puffy Cloud Mattress | Helix Midnight Mattress | DreamCloud Original Mattress | WinkBed Mattress | |
| Rating | |||||||
| Firmness | Medium-firm: 6.5/10 | Firm: 7/10 | Multiple firmness options | Medium-soft: 6/10 | Medium-firm: 6.5/10 | Firm: 7/10 | Firm: 7/10 |
| Material | Hybrid | Foam | Innerspring | Foam | Hybrid | Hybrid | Hybrid |
| Cooling | ✓ | -- | ✓ | -- | -- | ✓ | ✓ |
| Sleep Position | Combination | Back | Back & Stomach | Back & Side | Back & Side | Back | Combination |
Purple vs Casper Frequently Asked Questions
How do the Purple and Casper mattresses ship?
Purple and Casper both offer free shipping on all their mattresses.
What are the return policies for the Purple and Casper mattresses?
Both brands offer a 100-night sleep trial. If you decide you don’t like your mattress within this period, you can return it for a full refund (minus some shipping costs).
Is the Purple softer than the Casper mattress?
No, the Purple is not softer than the Casper Cloud mattress. We gave both beds a rating of 7 out of 10, with 1 being the softest and 10 being the firmest. While both mattresses have the same firmness, the Purple feels much different because of its unique grid construction.
Are the Purple and Casper mattresses good for hot sleepers?
The Purple did much better than the Casper on our cooling tests. Hot sleepers will likely get too toasty on the Casper due to its traditional memory foam construction.
Before we wrap up this comparison, I’d like to highlight what I like most about the Purple and point out some of my complaints.
As we finish this comparison, I’ll leave you with what I like most about the Casper and point out some of my complaints.
Our Review Process
Our Sleepopolis reviewers personally test each mattress. We start by unboxing the mattress to figure out how difficult (or easy) it is to get the mattress from the box to the bed. Then, we spend time laying on the bed in different positions, taking time to assess it on our backs, stomachs, and sides. Next, we perform our Sleepopolis tests, using specialized tools to measure qualities like motion transfer, bounce, and pressure relief. Our last step is to open up the mattress and take a look at each layer. These steps allow us to give our final verdict on the mattress.
