Written by Amelia Jerden, Senior Staff Writer
If you’re here, you’re likely deciding whether to buy the Nectar or Purple mattress. I get it — it really is a tough decision.
Both of these beds are super popular and come highly recommended by both experts and customers. But although the Nectar and the Purple may share a certain level of credibility on the internet, these bed-in-a-box mattresses couldn’t be more different. So, which one is right for you? Keep reading to find out.
The Sleepopolis team put these mattresses against one another in a full-on slumber party smackdown. That’s right — we’ve compared and contrasted their unique constructions and feel profiles so you can decide, once and for all, which one of these mattresses is the best fit for you.
Without further ado, let’s dive into my Nectar vs Purple comparison. Short on time? Skip down to my comparison summary.
Nectar vs Purple Mattress Overview
Here’s a brief overview of the strong points of the Nectar and Purple, as well as which type of sleepers are best suited for them.
Nectar vs Purple
Product
Firmness
Score
Nectar vs Purple
| Nectar is best for… | Purple is best for… |
| People suffering from hip or joint pain | Hot sleepers |
| Back and side sleepers | Combination sleepers |
| Budget shoppers | Couples |
Nectar vs Purple Video Review
Looking for a quick breakdown of each mattress and who I recommend them for? Check out my Nectar vs Purple video review below.
Nectar vs Purple: Top Similarities
- Shipping: Both Nectar and Purple offer free shipping on their mattresses.
- Motion isolation: The Nectar and the Purple both performed well on our motion transfer test, so you’re unlikely to be disturbed by a partner, pet, or child tossing and turning next to you.
- Pressure relief: Both mattresses are excellent at relieving pressure around sensitive joints, and both should be good options for sleepers struggling with pain.
Nectar vs Purple: Top Differences
- Construction: The Nectar has 2 inches of gel memory foam in the comfort layer. The Purple has 2 inches of Purple’s Hyper-Elastic Polymer grid.
- Feel: The Nectar has a typical memory foam feel, and the Purple has a bouncier and more buoyant feel.
- Trial and Warranty: Nectar offers a 365-night sleep trial and a lifetime warranty, while Purple offers a 100-night sleep trial and a 10-year warranty.
Nectar vs Purple: Construction & Feel Differences
Now that we’ve gone over these two mattresses’ main similarities and differences, let’s figure out how these beds actually feel. To do this, I’ll examine these mattresses for different feel factors, such as firmness, pressure relief, bounce, and sinkage.
Before we start, it’s important to note that all of these factors are inherently subjective, and they can change a lot depending on one’s body size, shape, and weight.
What’s the Firmness Difference?
We recognize that identifying a mattress’s firmness is somewhat of a subjective process that depends on facts such as body type, weight, and individual process. That’s why I always get the opinion of several different Sleepopolis colleagues. The way it works is simple: I lie down on a mattress and rate it on a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 being the softest and 10 being the firmest. My coworkers then do the same, and I average our scores for the final number.
My coworkers and I rated the Nectar as a 6 out of 10 on the firmness scale. Our industry standard for a medium-firm mattress is a 6.5 on the firmness scale, so the Nectar mattress leans just a touch softer.
The Purple is a firmer mattress, so it snagged a score of 7 out of 10 on the firmness scale. Again, when compared to the industry standard of 6.5 for medium firmness, this bed is solidly firm.
What Does Each Mattress Feel Like?
The Nectar is constructed primarily with plush memory foam that’s meant to offer deep pressure relief, and that was certainly my experience when testing it out. I got a lot of contouring at my shoulders, hips, and lower back, and found the bed to be quite gentle and comforting overall. Of course, everyone interacts with memory foam differently — some sleepers sink straight through the material, while others take a bit longer to do so. Nevertheless, I think most sleepers will likely feel more “in” the Nectar than “on top” of it, just as I did.
This feel and level of plushness could work for many folks, but is especially helpful for side sleepers and back sleepers who prefer a softer bed. On the other hand, stomach and combination sleepers may find that the Nectar is a bit too soft for their needs. I didn’t feel especially supported in the prone position or when trying to switch sleeping positions.
Like the Nectar mattress, the Purple’s overall feel is dominated by a single material — its patented Purple Grid. However, where the Nectar’s memory foam layers produce a ton of sinkage, body contouring, and pressure relief, the Purple’s grid feels more bouncy, supportive, and firm. This could be a slam dunk for combination sleepers, who usually need to move around and change positions multiple times throughout the night.
Back and stomach sleepers may also enjoy the firm lift they should receive from the Purple mattress. On the other hand, side sleepers likely won’t get the pressure relief they need at the shoulders and hips from the Purple. I suggest that these sleepers check out our roundup of the best mattresses for side sleepers.
How Does The Construction Differ?
Nectar vs Purple: Body Type
Every mattress will feel different to sleepers depending on their individual preferences and attributes, like body weight and sleeping position. Below, we’ll take a look at how the Nectar and Purple mattresses perform for a variety of sleepers.
Nectar
| Body Weight | Side | Back | Stomach |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light (under 130lbs) |
unpleasant | good | good |
| Average (130-250lbs) |
excellent | excellent | 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 | excellent |
| Back Sleeper | excellent |
| Stomach Sleeper | unpleasant |
| Body Weight: Heavy (over 250lbs) | |
| Side Sleeper | unpleasant |
| Back Sleeper | unpleasant |
| Stomach Sleeper | unpleasant |
Purple
| 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 |
Nectar vs Purple: Comparing Mattress Performance
Temperature
Both mattresses felt pretty cool when I laid down on them. This was especially surprising for the Nectar, considering that it’s made entirely of foam — a material known for its density and heat retention. But if I had to choose (which I do!), I’d say the Purple is the better choice for hot sleepers. Although the Nectar has some cooling features, like their gel-infused comfort foam, the grid construction in the Purple mattress adds additional room for airflow.
I also got a more formal read on each bed’s temperature-regulating abilities with a device called a thermal gun, which uses thermal imaging to show how much a mattress heats up after five minutes of lying down on it. 15 degrees Fahrenheit or higher indicates poor cooling,10 to 15 degrees indicates decent cooling, 5 to 10 degrees indicates good cooling, and less than 5 degrees indicates excellent cooling.
The Nectar heated up 5.2 degrees, showing that it has good cooling capabilities. The Purple heated up 4.8 degrees, showing that it has excellent cooling capabilities. Although the difference is somewhat negligible, the Purple still has the edge.
Motion Isolation
When it comes to motion isolation (a bed’s ability to prevent movement from rippling across its surface), I gave both the Nectar and Purple the same score of 4.5 out of 5. I arrived at this number using a few different tests, including lying down next to a coworker and seeing how much we could feel each other’s movements. On both the Nectar and the Purple, we couldn’t feel each other rolling around or getting in and out of bed.
For the next step of the test, we put a wine glass between us and looked at how much the liquid sloshed around when we moved. In both cases, I saw little movement. Finally, I dropped a steel ball from three different heights onto the surface of each bed and measured the vibrations with a seismometer. Neither the Purple nor the Nectar showed huge spikes in movement. With all that in mind, you can’t go wrong with either option when it comes to motion isolation, even though the Purple has a bouncier feel. If you sleep with a partner, you’re unlikely to feel each other tossing and turning on both of these mattresses.
Edge Support
Unfortunately, I was not impressed with the edge support on either of these mattresses. There was quite a bit of sinkage when I sat on the perimeter of these beds, and I could feel the layers collapsing beneath me. The Nectar’s edge support was slightly better than the Purple’s, but a mattress with reinforced edges or steel coils typically has better edge support.
Pressure Relief
The Nectar performed well on our pressure relief test. The pressure map displays areas with low pressure buildup in blue and green and areas with high pressure buildup in yellow and red. As you can see on the map below, there is a lot of blue and green, indicating that this bed is good at relieving pressure.
The Purple has excellent pressure relief results. There is an overwhelming amount of blue on the pressure map below. This shows that the Purple mattress is stellar at relieving pressure.
Pain Relief
The results of the pressure relief test can indicate whether these mattresses aid in reducing pain in specific areas. I think the Nectar is excellent for relieving back pain, especially for back sleepers, and can also help sleepers with shoulder pain. The Nectar can help with hip pain, but you may need more sinkage if you have severe hip problems (note the slight yellow in the hip region on the pressure map).
Since there was almost zero pressure buildup on the Purple mattress, it’s a safe bet that this bed can help with back pain, hip pain, and shoulder pain. The grid layer really helps here; it cradles every area of the body.
Durability
I would say the Nectar is more durable than the Purple. For one thing, the edge support on the Nectar was slightly better, which tells me it likely won’t sag prematurely. The Nectar is also built with denser foams that aren’t as likely to buckle under repeated pressure. Finally, the brand has a lifetime warranty. While this is by no means a guarantee that the bed won’t sag, it is a testament to the brand’s confidence in the mattress’s ability to withstand the test of time.
The Purple, on the other hand, has foams that are less dense, with more gaps in the construction from the flexible grid. It also only has a 10-year warranty. Both traits (along with the weaker edge support) tell me that it may not be as durable as the Nectar.
Company Policies
Nectar Policies
- Trial Period – 365-night trial
- Shipping – Free shipping
- Mattress Warranty – Lifetime warranty
Purple Policies
- Trial Period – 100-night trial
- Shipping – Free shipping
- Mattress Warranty – 10-year warranty
Nectar Customer Service Rating
- Great: I gave Nectar this rating because I was immediately paired with a helpful agent after asking a question in their chat function. This agent answered my questions thoughtfully and even offered to hop on the phone to help me place my order. The lifetime warranty also contributed to my rating.
Purple Customer Service Rating
- Great: When I went on the Purple website, the customer service chat function immediately popped up to ask if I had any questions. When I did ask a question, it was answered politely and in detail. Overall, the experience was slightly speedier than Nectar’s website, but because the warranty is much shorter at 10 years, I gave the brands the same customer service rating.
Nectar vs Purple: Comparing Price
When deciding between the Nectar and Purple 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 Nectar coupon page or Purple coupon page to save big on both of these mattresses.
Prices listed will be before discount or offer for each size.
| Size | Nectar | Purple |
|---|---|---|
| Twin | $798 | $699 |
| Twin XL | $968 | $899 |
| Full | $1,198 | $1,099 |
| Queen | $1,298 | $1,299 |
| King | $1,598 | $1,699 |
| California King | $1,598 | $1,699 |
Nectar vs Purple
Product
Firmness
Score
Nectar vs Purple
Other Nectar and Purple Mattress Comparisons
Wondering how the Purple and Nectar stack up to some of their competitors from other online mattress companies? Take a look at some of our other comparisons below.
Nectar
- Nectar vs Casper
- Nectar vs GhostBed
- Nectar vs DreamCloud
- Nectar vs Leesa
- Nectar vs Puffy
- Nectar vs Tuft & Needle
Purple
- Casper vs Purple
- Purple vs Puffy
- Leesa vs Purple
- Purple vs Tempur-pedic
- Layla vs Purple
- DreamCloud vs Purple
- Nectar vs Purple
Comparing Other Mattress Models
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| Nectar Mattress | Purple Mattress | Nectar Lush Mattress | Nectar Premier Mattress | Purple Hybrid Mattress | Purple Hybrid Premier Mattress | |
| Rating | ||||||
| Firmness | Medium-soft: 6/10 | Medium-firm: 6.5/10 | Soft: 5.5/10 | Medium-soft: 6/10 | Firm: 7/10 | Medium-soft: 6/10 |
| Material | Foam | Hybrid | Foam | Foam | Hybrid | Hybrid |
| Cooling | -- | ✓ | -- | -- | ✓ | ✓ |
| Sleep Position | Back & Side | Combination | Back & Side | Back & Side | Back & Stomach | Back & Side |
Nectar Vs Purple: Frequently Asked Questions
How do the Nectar and Purple mattresses ship?
The Nectar and Purple mattresses both ship for free.
What are the return policies for the Nectar and Purple mattresses?
The Purple has a 21-day break-in period. This means they’d like you to give the mattress a chance for 21 days before returning it. After 21 days, you can return the mattress if you’re still within the 100-night trial window. Similarly, Nectar will allow you to request a return no earlier than 30 days after delivery and no later than 365 days after delivery.
Is the Nectar softer than the Purple mattress?
The Nectar is softer than the Purple. We gave the Purple a rating of 7 out of 10, with 1 being the softest and 10 being the firmest. Using the same scale, we rated the Nectar a 6 out of 10, so it is just a tad softer than the Purple.
Are the Nectar and Purple mattresses good for hot sleepers?
The GelFlex Grid in the Purple mattress allows for more airflow and cooling, which makes it a better choice for hot sleepers. The Nectar mattress is constructed with cooling technology, like the gel-infused comfort foam, but its all-foam construction leaves little room for airflow.
Before we wrap up this comparison, I’d like to highlight what I like most about the Nectar and point out some of my complaints.
As we finish this comparison, I’ll leave you with what I like most about the Nectar 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. Click here to learn more about our mattress-testing methodology, or jump back to our mattress picks.
Amelia Jerden
Senior Staff Writer
About Author
Amelia is a Senior Staff Writer for Sleepopolis. She primarily covers bedding and sleep accessory products in reviews, how-to guides, and more. You can also find her over on the Sleepopolis YouTube channel. Amelia is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with double majors in media and journalism and in dramatic art. Outside of work, Amelia can usually be found on a hike, traveling to a new city, or at her local thrift store.
Back Sleeper
