Innerspring mattresses feel responsive. Memory foam beds contour the body. The Purple mattress, however, is completely unique. Made with the company’s proprietary gel grid, the Purple mattress feels squishy and firm at the same time.
This versatile mattress adapts to each individual’s body type and sleeping position, but will it meet all of your sleep needs? Keep reading our unbiased Purple mattress review to find out! We personally tested this mattress and assessed its firmness, feel, durability, cooling features, price point, and more.
Purple Mattress
Material
Hybrid
Trial Period
100 nights
Shipping Method
Free shipping
Firmness
Medium-firm: 6.5/10
Warranty
10-year warranty
Price Range
$799 - $1998
We recommend this mattress for the following sleeper types:
Hot Sleepers
If you often overheat while you sleep, this mattress should help you stay cool.
Back Sleeping
Ideal for lightweight and average weight back sleepers.
Side Sleeping
Ideal for lightweight and average weight side sleepers.
Stomach Sleeping
Ideal for lightweight stomach sleepers.Financing Options
Financing options are available for this mattress.
Purple Mattress
Purple is an innovative mattress that is a great fit for all three sleeping positions and doesn’t sleep hot.
Material
Hybrid
Warranty
10-year warranty
Firmness
Medium-firm: 6.5/10
Shipping Method
Free shipping
Trial Period
100 nights
Price Range
$799 - $1998
We recommend this mattress for the following sleeper types:
Hot Sleepers
If you often overheat while you sleep, this mattress should help you stay cool.
Back Sleeping
Ideal for lightweight and average weight back sleepers.
Side Sleeping
Ideal for lightweight and average weight side sleepers.
Stomach Sleeping
Ideal for lightweight stomach sleepers.Financing Options
Financing options are available for this mattress.
Purple Mattress
Purple is an innovative mattress that is a great fit for all three sleeping positions and doesn’t sleep hot.
Material
Hybrid
Firmness
Medium-firm: 6.5/10
Trial Period
100 nights
Warranty
10-year warranty
Shipping Method
Free shipping
Price Range
$799 - $1998
We recommend this mattress for the following sleeper types:
Hot Sleepers
If you often overheat while you sleep, this mattress should help you stay cool.
Back Sleeping
Ideal for lightweight and average weight back sleepers.
Side Sleeping
Ideal for lightweight and average weight side sleepers.
Stomach Sleeping
Ideal for lightweight stomach sleepers.Financing Options
Financing options are available for this mattress.
Purple Mattress Review: An Overview
There’s nothing quite like the Purple mattress. The purple grid offers support and pressure relief, and for some types of sleepers, it’s comfortable in all three sleeping positions. It’s also quite durable, so if you’re looking for a long-lasting mattress, this bed fits the bill.
Purple sells a variety of mattresses and sleep accessories, but for this review, we’ll focus specifically on the original Purple mattress. Here’s a quick overview of who may want to get this one-of-a-kind bed.
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Who Might Like the Purple Mattress? |
Who Might Not Like the Purple Mattress? |
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Back sleepers who require plenty of spinal support and pain relief |
Lightweight and medium weight side sleepers may think the Purple mattress feels too firm. |
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Heavyweight side sleepers who will activate the Purple’s gel grid |
People who want a mattress with a traditional feel |
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Hot sleepers who are looking for a mattress that sleeps cool |
Those who want to sink into their mattress |
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Those who want one of the best mattresses for the money |
Purple Mattress Video Review
Want to take a closer look at the original Purple mattress? Check out our in-depth video review!
Purple Mattress Firmness and Feel
When shopping for a new mattress, it’s critical to consider a bed’s firmness and feel. These factors have a big impact on whether a mattress will feel comfortable for different types of sleepers.
RELATED: Best Pillows for Every Type of Sleeper
How Firm Is the Purple Mattress?
We ranked the Purple a 6.5/10 on our firmness scale, which is also the industry standard for medium-firm mattresses.
Because the Purple grid adapts to each person’s body weight, the mattress feels different to different types of people. Heavier people tend to compress the grid quite a bit, while lightweight people do not. That’s why many heavy people think the mattress feels medium-firm, while some lightweight people think the bed feels firm.
Sleeping on the Purple Mattress
I’m a heavier person, so the Purple mattress felt great when I rested on my back. The Purple Grid collapsed under my pressure points and stayed upright everywhere else, creating a great balance of comfort and support.
When I switched to my side, I experienced some great pressure relief around my hip and shoulder. Lighter folks might not experience as much pressure relief in this sleeping position because they may not compress the gel grid as much.
The Purple mattress felt like a great match when I rested on my stomach. It offered plenty of support and kept my hips elevated and in the proper alignment. That’s why it made the lists of our best mattresses for stomach sleepers and best mattresses for combination sleepers.
What Does the Purple Feel Like?
The original Purple mattress has a unique feel that’s simultaneously squishy and firm. This is thanks to the mattress’s proprietary hyper-elastic gel polymer grid, which collapses when pressure is applied and stays upright everywhere else. This helps sleepers get the proper amount of pressure relief and lumbar support they need. There’s no other mattress that feels quite like this one.
Average Weight Sleepers – 130 lb – 230 lb
Most average-weight sleepers should find the original Purple to be a great mattress for back sleeping, though folks who weigh less than 170 lb might not get enough pressure relief. Side sleepers who weigh more than 170 lb should be heavy enough to collapse the gel grid and feel pressure relief around the shoulder and hip. All average weight stomach sleepers should feel supported on the Purple mattress.
RELATED: Best Mattress for Back Pain
Heavyweight Sleepers – Over 230 lb
The Purple mattress works well for most heavyweight back sleepers. However, back sleepers who weigh more than 300 lb might need to look for a more supportive mattress with coils.
Heavyweight side sleepers should feel plenty of pressure relief on the Purple, because they’ll activate the gel grid enough to collapse it and feel pressure relief. Side sleepers who weigh more than 300 lb may want to consider getting one of the best mattresses for heavy people.
The Purple works well for stomach sleepers who weigh less than 300 lb, but heavier people will want to find a firmer mattress.
Lightweight Sleepers – Under 130 lb
Lightweight back and side sleepers will likely think the original Purple feels too firm because they aren’t heavy enough to collapse the gel grid and get the pressure relief they need. The Purple should provide plenty of support for lightweight stomach sleepers. In fact, it is the best mattress for lightweight sleepers who prefer something firm.
Purple is an innovative mattress that is a great fit for all three sleeping positions and doesn’t sleep hot.
Save up to $800 on mattress sets
Purple Mattress Construction
Now that we’ve assessed what it feels like to lie on top of the Purple, let’s take a look under the hood (or, er, fabric cover). We’ll assess the original Purple’s construction and review how these construction elements affect performance.
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Layer |
Description |
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Cover |
The Purple SoftFlex cover is thin, breathable, and stretchy enough to move with the Purple’s gel grid. This means it shouldn’t interfere with the grid’s performance. |
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Comfort Layer #1 |
The first main comfort layer is composed of 2″ of the proprietary Purple Grid. The grid is made from a hyper-elastic gel polymer that remains firm and supportive until enough pressure is applied, at which point the grid collapses and offers pressure relief. There’s a foam encasement wrapped around the edges of the gel grid, strengthening the mattress’s edge support. |
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Comfort Layer #2 |
Next, there’s a layer of soft, responsive foam. This layer offers some additional pressure relief. |
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Support Layer |
The original Purple’s base layer is made from a firm, supportive foam that provides structure and support for the mattress overall. |
Mattress Height
The original Purple mattress is 9.25″ tall.
Purple Mattress Size Options and Price
To see the most up-to-date size and pricing information for the original Purple mattress, check out the chart below.
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Size |
Dimensions |
Price |
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Twin |
38" x 75" |
$799.00 |
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Twin XL |
38" x 80" |
$999.00 |
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Full |
54” x 75” |
$1199.00 |
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Queen |
60" x 80" |
$1399.00 |
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King |
76" x 80" |
$1799.00 |
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California King |
72" x 84" |
$1799.00 |
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Split King |
76" 80" |
$1998.00 |
Purple is an innovative mattress that is a great fit for all three sleeping positions and doesn’t sleep hot.
Save up to $800 on mattress sets
Purple Mattress Performance
Here’s where the rubber really meets the road! We put the original Purple mattress through a range of tests to assess its temperature regulation, motion transfer, edge support, and more. Let’s see how well it performed.
RELATED: Purple Pillow Review
Sleeping Hot or Cold
The Purple regulates temperature well. In fact, it should provide a temperature neutral sleeping surface. The gel grid and breathable cover allow tons of room for airflow, so this mattress shouldn’t overheat. This makes it ideal for folks who are prone to sleeping hot. See our list of the best cooling mattresses for more options.
Motion Transfer
Because the gel grid is responsive and fairly bouncy, the mattress doesn’t absorb motion well. Couples might feel their partner’s movements transfer to their side of the bed.
Edge Support
The Purple mattress has a foam encasement around the perimeter, which adds extra edge support. We could sit and lie down near the edge while still feeling secure. This is great news for couples because it allows each person to fully take up space on their side of the bed.
Durability
Thanks to the durable hyper-elastic polymer grid, the Purple mattress should last a long time. We expect it to last at least 10 years. For reference, most mattresses only last five to seven years.
Off-Gassing
With some newly unboxed memory foam mattresses, it’s common to notice a chemical smell. Fortunately, we didn’t observe any significant off-gassing when we unboxed the Purple mattress.
Noise
This isn’t a noisy mattress at all. We didn’t hear any sound when we moved around or changed positions at night.
Sex
When people seek out one of the best mattresses for sex, they’re typically looking for a bed that’s easy to move around on top of. The Purple mattress is a great fit because its bouncy and responsive feel allows partners to easily switch positions.
Purple Mattress Company Policies
Now I’ll walk you through the policies that come with the Purple mattress. You never know, the fine print may have a bigger impact on your purchase decision than expected.
Warranty
The Purple mattress comes with a 10-year warranty. Learn more about the warranty on Purple’s website.
Sleep Trial
A 100-night sleep trial will give you enough time to decide whether or not the Purple mattress is the right fit for you.
Return Policy
If you’ve slept on the Purple mattress for at least 21 days and still don’t love it, you may return the mattress within the 100-night sleep trial. If the Purple mattress is clean and undamaged, you will be refunded the full product price of the mattress minus the value of any discount, interest accrued, and/or shipping charges.
Purple Mattress Complaints
Many people love the Purple mattress because it contours their body and offers excellent support in all three sleeping positions. However, some lightweight people have complained that the mattress doesn’t offer enough pressure relief. Lightweight people don’t compress the gel grid very much, which can make the mattress feel particularly firm.
Some people were not fans of the Purple mattress’s feel. This bed doesn’t have a tufted pillow top or slow-moving memory foam comfort layer like many other mattresses do. For some people, the Purple’s squishy gel grid felt too unusual. We suggest reviewing our mattress guides before deciding what’s best for your body type and sleep habits.
Purple is an innovative mattress that is a great fit for all three sleeping positions and doesn’t sleep hot.
Save up to $800 on mattress sets
How Does the Purple Compare to Other Mattresses?
Anyone who’s considering the Purple mattress probably took a peek at other major brands in the bed-in-a-box space, such as Casper or Nectar. Let’s review how the Purple stacks up against these other popular options.
Compare Purple to other mattresses on our mattress comparison page.
Casper vs Purple
The Casper and Purple mattresses vary significantly. The original Casper mattress features an all-foam construction and a zoned support system that’s firmer near the middle of the mattress and softer near the head and foot. As noted above, the Purple is primarily constructed from the brand’s proprietary hyper-elastic gel polymer.
These construction differences make the mattresses feel significantly different. The original Casper has a balanced foam feel, while the Purple has a squishy-yet-firm feel.
These mattresses also differ in firmness levels. We ranked the Purple at 6.5/10, while we ranked the Casper at 7/10.
The mattresses are most similar when it comes to price. Depending on discounts and coupons, both mattresses should cost around $1399.00 for a queen.
Who Should Get the Casper?
- Folks who like a balanced foam feel
- Back sleepers
- Lightweight and average weight combination sleepers
Who Should Get the Purple?
- Hot sleepers
- Folks who want a more durable mattress
- Heavier side sleepers
Curious about the Casper? Learn more in our in-depth Casper mattress review.
Nectar vs Purple
The Nectar and Purple mattresses have very different constructions and materials, which is most evident in their comfort layers. The Nectar features multiple layers of memory foam, while the Purple has a hyper-elastic gel polymer grid.
These materials create different feels. Thanks to its memory foam, the Nectar has a slow-moving feel that offers plenty of pressure relief and body contouring. The Purple is bouncy, responsive, and simultaneously squishy and firm.
The firmness ranking for these mattresses depends a bit on the weight of the sleeper in question, but we ranked both of these beds around 6.5/10.
RELATED: Purple vs Tuft and Needle
Who Should Get the Nectar?
- Folks who like a memory foam feel
- Lightweight sleepers
- Side sleepers who need plenty of body contouring
Who Should Get the Purple?
- Heavier-weight sleepers
- Folks who want a more durable mattress
- Combination sleepers
Want to know more about the Nectar? Check out our comprehensive Nectar mattress review.
Purple is an innovative mattress that is a great fit for all three sleeping positions and doesn’t sleep hot.
Save up to $800 on mattress sets
Overall Rating
Purple Mattress FAQs
Still have questions? We’ve got answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about the original Purple mattress.
What is the Purple mattress made of?
The Purple mattress is made with hyper-elastic gel polymer. This forms the proprietary Purple Grid that is breathable, supportive, and comfortable at the same time. This rests on two layers of foam.
How much does the Purple mattress weigh?
It does depend on which size mattress you purchase, but a queen-size Purple mattress weighs 110 lb.
How long do Purple mattresses last?
Purple mattresses are very durable thanks to the gel grid. They should last at least 10 years.
Do you need a box spring with a Purple mattress?
Nope! You do not need to use a box spring with a Purple mattress. It's okay to put it directly on a base.
Can you flip a Purple mattress?
No, the Purple mattress is not flippable. Flipping the mattress would result in sleeping on the firmer base layer instead of the gel grid, which wouldn’t feel comfortable.
