Purple Mattress vs Tempur-Pedic – Which Is Best?

We receive free products to review and participate in affiliate programs. See our disclosure page for more information.

Looking for a uniquely comfortable mattress? Then the original Purple and Tempur-Cloud mattress are probably on your radar. The Purple features a unique squishy yet firm feel while the Tempur-Cloud offers (you guessed it!) cloud-like softness.

These distinct mattresses will appeal to different kinds of sleepers, so check out our full Purple vs Tempur-pedic comparison to learn who might like the Purple and what kind of sleepers might love the Tempur-Cloud.

Product
Firmness
Score
Purple Mattress
Medium-firm: 6.5/10
4.1/5
TEMPUR-Cloud Mattress
Medium-firm: 6.5/10
3.6/5
Product
Purple Mattress
Firmness
Medium-firm: 6.5/10
Score
4.1/5
Product
TEMPUR-Cloud Mattress
Firmness
Medium-firm: 6.5/10
Score
3.6/5

Purple vs Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Cloud Mattress: General Overview

Both of these mattresses stand out among a sea of other quality mattress options, thanks to their unique feels. But they’re going to appeal to different kinds of sleepers.

Who Should Choose the Purple? Who Should Choose the Tempur-Pedic Mattress?
Stomach sleepers, who need plenty of spinal and hip support Fans of memory foam who like to sink into their mattress
Hot sleepers looking for a mattress that sleeps cool Side sleepers who will benefit from plenty of pressure relief
Folks who want to save money on their purchase Folks who want a higher-end mattress

Purple vs Tempur-Cloud Mattress: Video Comparison

Take a deep dive into these beds with our in-depth video review! Our reviewer Marten will detail each mattress’ construction and share his experiences with both the Purple and Tempur-Cloud.

 

Purple vs Tempur-Cloud: Similarities and Differences

Check out our handy chart to learn more about what these beds have in common and how they differ.

Similarities Differences
They both come from very popular mattress companies. In our experience, the Tempur-Cloud is softer than the Purple mattress.
Both companies offer great customer service terms. The mattresses feature different materials in their top layers, so there are major differences in feel between these two beds.
The Purple and Tempur-Cloud mattresses feature a firm base foam in their support layers. The Tempur-Cloud costs more than the Purple mattress.
They both offer a balance of comfort and support for back sleepers. The Purple is more breathable and should sleep cooler than the Tempur-Cloud.

Firmness and Feel Differences

When trying to decide between two or more mattresses, it’s critical to consider the firmness and feel of each bed. So let’s break down these factors for both the Purple and Tempur-Cloud.

How Firm Are the Purple and Tempur-Cloud Mattresses?

We ranked the Purple around a 6.5/10 on the mattress firmness scale and the Tempur-Cloud around a 6/10. The industry standard for medium firmness is 6.5, so this suggests that the Tempur-Cloud is just a touch softer than medium-firm while the Purple is right around medium-firm.

Note that the firmness of a bed can vary a bit depending on the sleeper in question. Heavier folks tend to perceive firmness more quickly, while lighter-weight sleepers might find beds to be softer.

Sleeping on the Tempur-Cloud and Purple Mattresses (Sleeping Positions)

Now, let’s discuss how it felt to sleep in different positions on both mattresses:

Purple

We found the Purple to be a fantastic match for back-sleeping. The mattress’s gel grid collapses under the butt and hips for some pressure relief, and it stays upright everywhere else so the spine feels supported.

While side-sleeping on the Purple, heavier folks activated the gel grid, and the mattress cradled their pressure points. However, lighter-weight folks might not activate the grid, which could make the mattress feel too firm in this position.

Purple Mattress - Side Sleeping

Moving to our stomach, we found that the Purple gives us the support we need; the gel grid supports the hips so they stay elevated and aligned with the spine.

Tempur-Cloud

While back-sleeping on the Tempur-Cloud, we felt fantastic. We slowly sank into the memory foam comfort layer to enjoy body-contouring and pressure relief. At the same time, our hips remained supported and in line with the spine.

Moving to our side, we felt great pressure relief. There was very little pressure on the shoulders and hips, which are common hot spots for side sleepers. See our list of the best mattresses for side sleepers for more options like the Tempur-Cloud.

Tempur-Cloud - Side Sleeping

We found the Tempur-Cloud to be too soft for stomach-sleeping. The hips bowed into the mattress, which throws the spine out of alignment and can lead to back pain.

What Do the Purple and Tempur-Cloud Mattresses Feel Like?

The original Purple has a unique, squishy but firm feel, thanks to its hyper-elastic gel polymer grid. When enough pressure is applied, the grid collapses to offer pressure relief. Otherwise, it remains upright to offer support. The grid is very responsive and bouncy, which makes it easy to move around on this bed.

The Tempur-Cloud has a very slow-moving memory foam feel. Sleepers sink into the memory foam for body-contouring and pressure relief, and it has a slow response to pressure. Because sleepers sink into the mattress, it’s not particularly easy to move around on this bed. To get a better idea of what this feels like, see our list of the best memory foam mattresses.

Average Weight Sleepers: 130 lb–230 lb

The Purple is a great match for average-weight back sleepers, because its gel grid provides a mixture of support and comfort. The grid might not activate enough to provide adequate pressure relief to average-weight side sleepers, however. It should be supportive enough for average-weight stomach sleepers.

The Tempur-Cloud should also be a solid match for average-weight back sleepers, because it offers a nice balance of body contouring and spinal support. Side sleepers should feel very comfortable on this bed, as the memory foam offers plenty of pressure relief around the shoulders and hips. The Tempur-Cloud is probably not supportive enough for average-weight stomach sleepers.

Heavyweight Sleepers: Over 230 lb

The Purple could be supportive enough for heavyweight sleepers who are close to 230 lb. (Heavier folks should seek out a mattress with coils.) The Purple could be a great match for heavyweight side sleepers, who will activate the gel grid to enjoy pressure relief around the shoulders and hips. The Purple might be supportive enough for some heavyweight stomach sleepers, but much heavier folks will probably want a more supportive mattress.

Folks who are close to 230 pounds could find a balance of comfort and support while back sleeping on the Tempur-Cloud; however, folks who are much heavier than that will probably need a more supportive mattress with coils. The Tempur-Cloud might not be ideal for heavyweight side sleepers, who could press through the softer comfort layers into the firmer support layers underneath. Heavyweight stomach sleepers will want to look for a more supportive mattress.

Lightweight Sleepers: Under 130 lb

The Purple could suit lightweight back sleepers who like a firm bed, but most people will probably feel that it’s too firm for this position. Same goes for lightweight side sleepers, who won’t activate the gel grid and could feel a lot of pressure on their side. The Purple’s firmer, more supportive feel could make it a good match for lightweight stomach sleepers, who need plenty of support under the hips and spine.

The Tempur-Cloud should provide body contouring and spinal support to lightweight back sleepers. It will also offer plenty of pressure relief to lightweight side sleepers. This bed might be too soft to adequately support stomach sleepers’ spinal alignment.

Make sure to check out our list of the best mattresses for lightweight sleepers.

Mattress Construction Differences

Now that we know what it feels like to lie on top of the Purple and Tempur-Cloud mattresses, let’s take a closer look at what’s inside of them! We’ll review each bed’s construction here, and in the next section we’ll assess how these constructions impact the beds’ performance.

Purple

Layer Description
Cover A SoftFlex cover wraps around the entire Purple mattress. As the name implies, it’s soft, breathable, and flexible enough to move with the Purple’s gel grid.
Comfort Layer # 1 The Purple’s primary comfort layer consists of 2″ of the brand’s proprietary Purple Grid. It’s made from a hyper-elastic gel polymer that’s bouncy and firm until enough pressure is applied, at which point it collapses a bit to create cradling pressure relief. A thick foam encasement surrounds the top layer, which strengthens the mattress’s edge support.
Comfort Layer # 2 There’s also a foam transition layer underneath the grid.
Support Layer Underneath the Purple’s foam transition layer, there’s a base layer of firmer, more supportive foam.

Nectar

Layer Description
Cover The Tempur-Cloud has a 360-degree cover that’s very soft. It’s designed to be breathable, which allows for some air flow through the top of the mattress.
Comfort Layer # 1 The Tempur-Cloud’s main comfort layer is its (appropriately named) Tempur Comfort layer. The Tempur-Pedic brand says this is a new formulation of the popular TEMPUR material that’s soft and pressure-relieving.
Comfort Layer # 2 Below this, there’s a Tempur Support transition layer that’s firmer than the Tempur Comfort layer while still offering some pressure relief.
Support Layer The Tempur-Cloud’s base layer is made from a high-density foam that strengthens the bed’s structure and durability.

Mattress Height

The Purple is 9.5″ tall, and the Tempur-Cloud is a touch taller at 10″. Tempur-Cloud is 10″ tall.

Purple vs. Tempur-Cloud Mattress Size Options and Price

Check out the following charts for the most up-to-date mattress size and pricing options for the Purple and Tempur-Cloud.

Purple

Size Dimensions Price
Twin 38" x 75" $999.00
Twin XL 38" x 80" $1099.00
Full 54” x 75” $1399.00
Queen 60" x 80" $1499.00
King 76" x 80" $1999.00
California King 72" x 84" $1999.00

Tempur-Cloud

Size Dimensions Price
Twin 38" x 74" $1699.00
Twin Long 38" x 80" $1699.00
Full 53" x 74" $1899.00
Queen 60" x 80" $1999.00
King 76" x 80" $2399.00
California King 72" x 84" $2399.00
Product
Firmness
Score
Purple Mattress
Medium-firm: 6.5/10
4.1/5
TEMPUR-Cloud Mattress
Medium-firm: 6.5/10
3.6/5
Product
Purple Mattress
Firmness
Medium-firm: 6.5/10
Score
4.1/5
Product
TEMPUR-Cloud Mattress
Firmness
Medium-firm: 6.5/10
Score
3.6/5

Purple and Tempur-Cloud Performance Differences

We put each of these mattresses through a range of tests to see how they stack up when it comes to temperature regulation, motion transfer, edge support, and more. Let’s see how they did!

Sleeping Hot Or Cold

Purple is the clear winner here. The gel grid allows for plenty of air flow and helps the mattress sleep temperature neutral, while the breathable cover further supports air flow.

Motion Transfer

The Tempur-Cloud takes the win. Its memory foam comfort layer absorbs motion and has a slow response to pressure, which helps minimize motion transfer across the mattress.

Edge Support

We called this a tie – both mattresses provide decent edge support.

Durability

Close call! Both feature high-density materials that should last for a while.

Off-Gassing

We didn’t notice any mattress off-gassing with the Purple, but we did notice some from the Tempur-Cloud (This should dissipate in a couple of days).

Noise

Another tie – we didn’t observe any notable noise from either mattress.

Sex

When people seek out a mattress for sex, they’re typically concerned about how easy it is to move around. Based on that criterion, the Purple is the clear winner. It’s much more responsive than the Tempur-Cloud, which makes it easy to shift positions on top of the mattress.

Warranty Info

The Tempur-Cloud comes with a 10-year warranty and a 90-day sleep trial. The Purple comes with a 10-year warranty and a 100-night sleep trial.

Other Models from Purple and Tempur-Pedic

We have been focusing on a comparison of the Purple Original and Tempur-Cloud mattress, but we would like to take some time to discuss the other models from these two brands.

The Tempur-Cloud mattress is the company’s most affordable model and is designed for quick, easy, delivery. It’s only available in a Medium firmness. Their other models are going to be pricier with some more advanced features.

  • TEMPUR-Adapt: This mattress is one next step up and features the original formulation of TEMPUR material that was found in some of the earliest Tempur-Pedic models. It is available in both all-foam and hybrid versions, but both only come in a Medium firmness. Both models start at $2199 for a Queen size.
  • TEMPUR-ProAdapt: These mattresses feature an exclusive layer of TEMPUR-APR material – this is designed to offer even more pressure relief than the TEMPUR-Adapt mattresses. The ProAdapt comes in Soft, Medium, Medium Hybrid, and Firm models, and they all cost $2999 for a Queen size.
  • TEMPUR-LuxeAdapt: These mattresses contain a more advanced layer of TEMPUR-APR called TEMPUR-APR+. It offers the same excellent pressure relief as the TEMPUR-APR but adds 30% more contouring. There are Soft and Firm models, and they both cost $3699 for a Queen.
  • TEMPUR-Probreeze: The Probreeze mattresses are all about cooling and feature Phase Change Material and TEMPUR-CM+, which is designed to dissipate heat. Overall, the Probreeze mattresses are supposed to sleep 3 degrees cooler than the TEMPUR-Adapt mattresses. They are available in Medium and Medium Hybrid and both cost $3999 for a Queen.
  • TEMPUR-LUXEbreeze: The TEMPUR-LUXEbreeze mattresses boast the cooling features of the ProBreeze mattresses plus a layer of ventilated TEMPUR-APR in the support layer. There are Soft and Firm models and both cost $4699 for a Queen size.

See our in-depth article on the entire Tempur-Pedic mattress line.

Tempur-Cloud and Purple Mattress FAQs

Now, let’s answer some frequently asked questions regarding the Tempur-Cloud and Purple mattresses:

Is Tempur-Cloud or Purple better?

Neither mattress is inherently better than the other one, but they are better for different types of sleepers. The Tempur-Cloud is well suited to fans of memory foam, side sleepers, and folks who want a higher-end mattress. The Purple is a solid match for stomach sleepers, hot sleepers looking to sleep cool, and folks who want to save money.

Is Purple better than memory foam?

The Purple's gel grid isn't necessarily better than memory foam; it's just different. Some people prefer the slow-moving, body contouring feel of memory foam, while others prefer the bouncier, squishy-but-firm feeling of the Purple. The Purple also tends to sleep cooler than a lot of memory foam beds.

Which mattress is more affordable, the Tempur-Cloud or Purple?

The Purple is significantly more affordable - it costs more than $800 less than the Tempur-Cloud.

Marten Carlson

Marten is the Lead Reviewer at Mattress Clarity. He is a Certified Sleep Science Coach and covers the mattress industry as well as sleep science news. He is specifically interested in the connection between sleep and overall health. Marten has written for media publications like Consequence of Sound and received a master’s degree in Film Studies from Emory University. He comes from Franklin, Indiana, and spends all the time he can writing, directing, and acting in films.