Purple and Tempur-Pedic are two of the biggest names in the mattress industry. While the former made a splash in the bed-in-a-box boom of the mid-2010s, the latter has been causing waves since the early ‘90s when it first turned sleepers on to its tech-heavy mattresses.
Though these two brands sell incredibly different beds, their focus on creative product innovation has set them apart amid a sea of companies trying to disrupt the market. But which has the better mattress, you ask? Well, there’s only one way to find out!
To see how these companies fare when pitted against one another, continue reading on for my full Purple vs Tempur-Pedic mattress comparison. In a pinch? Continue to my review summary.
A small note, for the purpose of this comparison, I’ll mainly be focusing on the Original Purple mattress and the Tempur-Cloud.
Purple vs Tempur-Pedic
Product
Firmness
Score
Purple vs Tempur-Pedic
Purple vs Tempur-Pedic Mattress Overview
Here’s a brief overview of the strong points of the Purple and Tempur-Pedic, as well as which type of sleepers are best suited for them.
| Purple is best for… | Tempur-Pedic is best for… |
| Hot sleepers | Couples |
| Back sleepers | Seniors |
| Side sleepers | Back pain |
Purple vs Tempur-Pedic Video Review
Need a quick rundown of each mattress and who I recommend them for? Check out my Purple vs Tempur-Pedic video review below.
Purple vs Tempur-Pedic: Top Similarities
- Popularity: As I mentioned up top, Purple and Tempur-Pedic are two of the most popular mattress companies in the game. They’ve stayed ahead of the curve with interesting tech that’s made their products stand out from the pack.
- Variety: Both brands also boast several different types of mattresses. I’ll go over some of these other beds later on in this comparison, but think it’s important to point out that this diversification endears these companies to a wider range of sleepers.
- Construction: So, the Purple technically utilizes a polymer material in its comfort layer, but it’s worth noting that neither of these beds use pocketed coils, which gives them a different feel than a hybrid mattress or traditional innerspring mattress. However, the brands do implement hybrid structures in their other beds.
Purple vs Tempur-Pedic: Top Differences
- Responsiveness: The differing comfort layers quickly establish the respective feels each bed is going for. In the Purple, the buoyant section of hyper-elastic polymer makes for an immediately bouncy bed that’ll keep the sleeper positioned on top of the structure. Conversely, the thick layer of memory foam in the Cloud produces a plush vibe of deep sinkage and body contouring.
- Support: These unique feels are further accentuated by the support layers in the mattresses. In the Tempur-Pedic, we see the soft memory foam layers bolstered by sections of firm polyurethane foam, which extend the contouring of the top sections deep into the mattress. The Purple doubles down on its bounce with dense poly foam, which helps to give the bed its characteristic spring.
Purple vs Tempur-Pedic: Construction & Feel Differences
Now that the main similarities and differences between the Purple and Tempur-Pedic are out of the way, let’s focus on what these mattresses 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 beds a 7 out of 10 on the firmness scale. 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?
As I mentioned earlier, the Purple is a 7 on the firmness scale, meaning I found its mix of pressure relief and support made for a solidly medium-firm structure. While you’re likely to experience some nice sinkage as the grid walls collapse under your weight, I think the bounce from the hyper-elastic polymer coupled with the firmness level of the high-density poly foam is going to keep you lifted on top of the mattress. This feel should satisfy a wide range of sleepers but could be especially beneficial for combo sleepers who need to change positions in the night.
I’d also add that the Purple is incredibly breathable. As you push into the bed’s smart grid, you can actually hear the air passing through it, resulting in a cool-to-the-touch structure.
On the other hand, I thought the TEMPUR-Cloud’s memory foam-heavy construction felt gentle and plush. There’s not a lot of bounce to the Tempur-Pedic Cloud, so I think many sleepers will feel as though they are sleeping more “in” the mattress than “on top” of it. While this may not be an ideal feel for back or stomach sleepers, it could do wonders for side sleepers who need to feel a bit of contouring pressure relief at their shoulders and hips.
Pushing into the mattress, I was struck by just how deeply I sank into its layers. This sinkage resulted in some intense cushiony support along my spine, resulting in a snug sleeping experience.
How Does The Construction Differ?
Purple vs Tempur-Pedic 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 Tempur-Pedic 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 |
TEMPUR-Cloud Body Weight Scale
| Body Weight | Side | Back | Stomach |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light (under 130lbs) |
excellent | excellent | unpleasant |
| Average (130-250lbs) |
excellent | excellent | unpleasant |
| Heavy (over 250lbs) |
unpleasant | unpleasant | unpleasant |
| Body Weight: Light (under 130lbs) | |
|---|---|
| Side Sleeper | excellent |
| Back Sleeper | excellent |
| Stomach Sleeper | unpleasant |
| 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 vs Tempur-Pedic 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. After laying on each for a few minutes and measuring how much heat each one trapped, I found that the Purple performed 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.
In contrast, I do not recommend the TEMPUR-Cloud for hot sleepers at all. Most traditional foam beds tend to retain a lot of heat, and this model by Tempur-Pedic is no exception. As its plush memory foam hugged my body, I noticed that it also limited airflow between myself and the mattress.
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 Tempur-Pedic mattress the slight edge here, likely due to its traditional memory foams isolating those smaller movements that tend to travel from the impact site.
Edge Support
Unfortunately, neither bed has very good edge support. When testing the edge support on both mattresses, I felt a lot of sinkage around the edges and corners. However, I thought the Tempur-Pedic mattress did better between the two, as I didn’t feel it collapse as much as the Purple beneath me.
Pressure Relief
Both mattresses performed well on our pressure map test, however the Purple outperformed the Tempur-Pedic Cloud in this category. 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 and green, 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 TEMPUR-Cloud had good test results. However, you can see that there is a bit more pressure buildup than the Purple, especially around the hips and shoulders.
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 TEMPUR-Cloud 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 TEMPUR-Cloud is more durable than the Purple. The TEMPUR-Cloud has better edge support, meaning it’s less likely to sag prematurely. On the other hand, the Purple mattress 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
Tempur-Pedic Policies
- Trial period – 90-night sleep trial
- Shipping – Free shipping
- 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.
Tempur-Pedic Customer Service Rating
- Stellar: I gave Tempur-Pedic a Stellar rating because I was immediately connected to a helpful representative when using the site’s chat function. The website’s chat feature also clearly listed different phone numbers for various departments, and I appreciated that I could connect with whatever team I required assistance from. Tempur-Pedic even has a dedicated line of sleep experts to help you choose a mattress model.
Comparing Purple vs Tempur-Pedic Price
When deciding between the Purple and Tempur-Pedic 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 Tempur-Pedic mattress coupon pages for deals.
Prices listed will be before discount or offer for each size.
| Size | Purple | TEMPUR-Cloud |
| Twin | $999.00 | $1,699.00 |
| Twin XL | $1,099.00 | $1,699.00 |
| Full | $1,399.00 | $1,899.00 |
| Queen | $1,499.00 | $1,999.00 |
| King | $1,999.00 | $2,399.00 |
| California King | $1,999.00 | $2,399.00 |
Other Purple and Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparisons
Wondering how the Purple and Tempur-Pedic 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
Tempur-Pedic vs
- Tempur-Pedic vs Purple
- Tempur-Pedic vs Tuft & Needle
- Tempur-Pedic vs Amerisleep
- Tempur-Pedic vs Leesa
- Tempur-Pedic vs Casper
- Tempur-Pedic vs Loom & Leaf
- Tempur-Pedic vs Aireloom
Comparing Other Mattress Models
Purple vs Tempur-Pedic Frequently Asked Questions
How do the Purple and Tempur-Pedic mattresses ship?
Purple and Tempur-Pedic both offer free shipping on all their mattresses.
What are the return policies for the Purple and Tempur-Pedic mattresses?
Purple offers a 100-night sleep trial, while Tempur-Pedic only offers 90 nights. 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 Tempur-Pedic mattress?
No, the Purple is not softer than the Tempur-Pedic Cloud mattress. We gave both beds a rating of 7 out of 10, with 1 being the softest and 10 being the firmest. However, the Purple feels much different overall due to its unique grid-like inner layers.
Are the Purple and Tempur-Pedic mattresses good for hot sleepers?
The Purple did much better than the Tempur-Pedic on our cooling tests. Hot sleepers will likely get too toasty in the TEMPUR-Cloud 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 Tempur-Pedic and point out what misses the mark for me.
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.
