If you like foam, you’ll love the comparison we have for you here. Both Puffy and Purple are bed-in-a-box foam mattresses known for quality workmanship. It can be hard to decide which is best for you when both choices have advantages. But that’s what I’m here for!
I’m about to take you through every inch of these two options. By the end, you’ll have a clearer picture of what makes them different, and what makes one of them the perfect mattress for you!
Let’s get this thing started!
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What’s Similar?
The Puffy and Purple are similar in some important ways. Here are some of the most important features they share.
- Foam, foam, foam – Both the Puffy and the Purple are bed-in-a-box mattresses that feature foam. Fortunately, they both stay away from the pitfalls that normally reduce the quality of all-foam bedding (too much give, less durability, sleeping hot). I should mention that while the Puffy is an all-foam bed, the Purple technically is not, as it features an important layer of hyper-elastic polymer between its foam layers.
- Durability – The construction in both of these mattresses is sturdy. Each support layer is made of thick, high density poly foam that really hold the rest of the product together.
- Price range – You may find a slight difference in price depending on which company is having a sale. Keep up with Sleepopolis, because we get coupon codes you can use for discounts! Overall, the Puffy and Purple retail for about the same price (high $500s to mid $1200s).
What are These Mattresses Made Of?
Now that you know what makes the Puffy and Purple similar, let’s dig deeper into their differences. In our assessment, we will take each bed layer by layer and call out the unique features. We also have more in-depth resources on each bed if you want more info. Your Puffy and Purple reviews are right here; just click the links after you finish with this comparison!
Puffy
Cover – The polyester and lycra mix in the Puffy cover is often used in athletic clothing. It’s a flexible mix that gives the cover a comforting stretch.
Comfort – They call it Cooling Cloud Foam, but this layer is really just 2” of gel memory foam. It’s not a bad mix, but it’s not a proprietary one, either. The memory foam provides a comfortable pressure relief while the gel dissipates heat away from the sleeper.
Transition – 2” of high-density poly foam helps to cradle the body with a slightly firmer feel. The quick response to pressure keeps you from sinking into the mattress too far.
Base – 6” of HD poly foam shapes the Puffy and provides the final level of support. This is par for the course with bed-in-a-box mattresses, but if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Thoughts: The layering in the Puffy is meant to provide a balance between comfort and support. Though there is no proprietary technology in this mattress, it achieves its goal with high quality materials and good craftsmanship. Side sleepers will probably have the best experience on the Puffy for a number of reasons, which we’ll explore more below.
Purple
Cover – Purple uses a combo of polyester and lycra with a bit of viscose to create a thin, breathable surface. The viscose is the semi-synthetic fiber that helps the cover sleep cool with a thick, plush feel.
Comfort Layer – 2” of proprietary hyper-elastic polymer give the sleeper a quick response to pressure and a medium firmness feel. Its grid structure creates walls that strategically collapse to release pressure in your hotspots (usually shoulders and hips) while retaining support everywhere else. It’s quite bouncy, sleeps cool, and it curves around your body like memory foam.
Transition – The slightly firmer 3.25” HD poly foam layer cradles under the comfort layer to give full body support. You don’t have to worry about sinking into the mattress, but you shouldn’t lose any of the comforting give of the hyper-elastic layer.
Base – The base layer in the Purple is a fairly common addition of firm high-density poly foam (although the purple coloring isn’t common). This 4” layer shapes the mattress, providing foundational support and durability.
Thoughts: The Purple gives a “customizable” sleep experience, centered around its hyper-elastic polymer comfort layer. The mattress is great for combo sleepers, because you get approximately the same kind of feel regardless of your positioning.
Puffy vs. Purple Head to Head
The Puffy goes the extra mile to ensure comfort. Even so, it can’t quite provide the support for strict back or stomach sleepers. Initially, many sleepers might like the feel of the cover and comfort layers on the Puffy. However, without any real firm support, back and stomach sleepers may find their hips, shoulders, and lower back misaligned.
The Purple is a balanced sleeping experience that works best for people who can’t quite decide how they like to sleep. That’s ok. With the Purple’s great mix of lift and give, you don’t have to! The smart grid of the comfort layer keeps the material from losing the bounce that is more typical of innerspring mattresses. The bounce improves mobility, which makes switching positions comfortable. The mobility to switch and comfort after switching is certainly a good combo, which is why combo sleepers will love this mattress.
The Puffy and the Purple are going for slightly different things. Puffy wants to feel like a cloud, and follows the template to do so. Purple wants a personalized experience for its sleepers, and it has the proprietary tech (its hyper-elastic polymer comfort grid layer) to make it happen. Strict side sleepers and people who just like to sink into their mattresses will love the Puffy. Back and stomach sleepers, especially heavier ones, may need the support of the Purple.
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Which Mattress Has the Best Feel?
The Puffy and the Purple have slightly different builds, but how does this really translate into the feel of each mattress? Everyone will answer this question differently, but we try to be as scientific as possible.
Feel is based on body weight, shape, and size. I run my tests with my co-workers of different body types to get the best assessment possible. We each try both mattresses and average our results for the final rate. Firmness gets rated on a scale of 1 to 10, with 6.5 the industry standard balance between lift and give.
Puffy
The Puffy gave us an average firmness rating of 6.5/10, which is right in line with the industry standard for medium firmness. There’s great support here for changing positions, although that support seems to pull back the longer you stay in one place. At 190 lbs., I thought the Puffy felt a little too soft when on my back or stomach. When I was on my side, this give translated well into comforting pressure relief for my hips and shoulders.
Side sleepers may not feel the need to move much on the Puffy, which is good news. If this is your sleep style, then you may have found heaven in a box.
[A small note: We are looking at the namesake Puffy in this review. The company also sells softer and firmer mattresses under the same name. If you have a different sleep style, those mattresses may be better for you.]
Purple
We gave the Purple an average firmness score of 6/10. Although the 6 may seem like a soft score, different body types respond to the polymer grid layer very differently. Some may feel it is soft; others may experience firmness.
The feeling of sleeping on top of the mattress is interesting for a primarily foam construction This is what the Purple gave me, and it has certain advantages because of this. I almost feel as though the bed has coils, because it has some bounceback when I move around in it. It’s no trampoline, but it’s fun.
The Purple had more surprises for me as I turned onto my side. The grid style of the comfort layer gave me some much-needed shoulder and hip pressure relief. It also felt kind of like a waterbed in some moments! The personalized pressure relief is a good idea; it just isn’t a completely perfected one yet. It works better when I’m on my stomach. The body is more level in this position, and the grid doesn’t have to “work” as much to provide different support levels.
Other Models
The Puffy and the Purple have been properly perused. Perchance, do these powerful pads produce when presented with other prosperous products? Let’s compare the Puffy and the Purple to slightly more luxurious versions of themselves to see if they give good value for the money.
Puffy Lux
- Just like the Puffy, the Puffy Lux is an all-foam bed-in-a-box. Its claim to fame is the extra foam layer for more sinkage and pressure relief.
- Great construction in the Lux gets the most out of this layer. Sleepers will feel a plush thickness that is great for strict side sleepers.
- The Lux is more expensive than the Puffy, with a range between $1,245-$1,795.
- Read all about this luxury option from Puffy at my Puffy Lux full review.
New Purple
- The New Purple combines the proprietary hyper-elastic polymer comfort layer with pocketed coils.
- The New Purple mattresses are numbered from 2 to 4. The numbers correspond to the height of the grid layer. The taller layers give a softer feel to the mattress (4 is the softest).
- Purple 2 works well for stomach sleepers, Purple 3 is great for combo sleepers, and the 4 keeps side sleepers happy.
- The New Purple mattresses are more expensive than the namesake Purple, with the price ranging between $1,299 – $3,499.
- Read all about it at my New Purple mattress full review.
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Which Mattress is the Winner?
We have come to the end of our Puffy vs. Purple comparison! You’ve had a close look at the layering of each bed, how the construction affects the feel, and comparisons to luxury Puffy and Purple brands. Let’s sum everything up here and bring it all together.
Considering everything, the Puffy is probably the better choice for side sleepers and people who just feel like “sleeping on a cloud.” If you move around a lot during the night, you will probably need more support from your mattress. The Purple’s hyper-elastic polymer gives good pressure relief, but the Puffy is just a bit better because its construction is focused on bringing pressure relief in the side position. Memory foam is also a better material for a softer overall feel.
On the contrary, the Purple will work with you if you are a restless sleeper. It also works quite well for sleepers who tend to heat up during the night. You may get the same performance on your side from the Puffy and Purple, but the latter is going to endear itself to a wider range of sleepers, especially those who like to move between positions in the night.
Both the Puffy and the Purple are bed-in-a-box mattresses, so you should let them decompress for a few hours before sleeping on them. They both offer 100-day trials, so you will have plenty of time to see if the one you pick is right for you.
FAQ: What’s the difference between Innerspring & Memory Foam mattresses?
My favorite features for each mattress will close out this comparison. After that, you should have all the information you need to make your decision.
Puffy
- Considering its gentle construction, I’d say the Puffy could be an excellent choice for side sleepers after deep pressure relief at the shoulders and hips.
- If you want to sleep in a cloud, Puffy is your choice as it embodies that classic memory foam feel.
As the name suggests, the Puffy mattress sleeps like a cloud! Get $300 off your purchase with code SLEEPOPOLIS300.
Purple
- The Purple is a mobile mattress, which is a great feature for an all-foam mattress. You won’t have to strain yourself to switch positions!
- You will sleep very cool with the Purple. The proprietary hyper-elastic foam does a great job of dissipating heat!
The Purple has nice bounce as well as a medium mix of support and pressure relief that makes it a great pick for the combo sleepers out there.
How Much Do the Puffy and Purple Cost?
| Size | Purple | Puffy |
|---|---|---|
| Twin | $649 | $495 |
| Twin XL | $699 | $525 |
| Full | $899 | $695 |
| Queen | $999 | $850 |
| King | $1299 | $1,050 |
| California King | $1299 | $1,050 |
We’re all done with the Puffy vs. Purple comparison! We love to continue the discussion in the comments section. Leave any notes or questions you have below!
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