Casper vs. GhostBed: An Objective & Data-Driven Comparison

In This Comparison
Compare the Models | Performance Tests | Firmness | Support & Sleeping Positions | Design | Materials | Summary

At NapLab, we put each mattress to the test.

We score each mattress using a series of performance tests. Here is a full comparison of all current models we’ve tested between Casper vs. GhostBed.

This first table shows the category scoring of all current models that we have tested:

Factor	Casper Dream	Casper Dream Max	Casper Nova Hybrid	Casper One	Casper Original	Casper Original Hybrid	Casper Select	Casper Snow	Casper Snow Hybrid	Casper Wave Hybrid	Ghostbed 3D Matrix	Ghostbed Classic	Ghostbed Flex	Ghostbed Luxe
Overall Score	8.63	8.68	8.59	7.83	8.16	8.62	8.07	8.72	8.51	8.55	9.02	8.76	9.15	9.19
Cooling	9.0	9.0	8.0	8.0	8.0	9.0	8.0	10	10	8.0	10	8.0	9.0	9.0
Motion Transfer	8.0	8.1	7.7	8.0	7.2	7.4	7.0	7.5	8.7	6.5	8.0	10	9.7	10
Response	9.9	9.7	9.9	9.9	9.6	9.9	9.0	7.5	5.0	9.6	9.0	8.5	8.7	10
Edge Support	8.9	8.4	8.4	8.2	9.1	9.5	9.1	9.4	9.4	8.9	8.9	8.6	9.4	9.1
Sex	9.1	9.7	9.0	8.3	8.7	8.3	7.5	8.5	8.9	9.3	8.7	7.8	9.2	8.3
Pressure Relief	8.0	9.0	10	6.0	8.0	9.0	8.0	9.0	9.0	10	10	9.0	9.0	9.0
Off-Gassing	7.8	4.7	5.0	6.7	5.8	5.8	8.1	8.1	4.4	6.9	4.7	9.4	8.9	8.6
Company	8.5	8.5	8.5	8.5	8.5	8.5	8.5	8.5	8.5	8.5	9.2	9.0	9.2	9.2

This second table shows the testing data from each test. In many cases, the difference between scores can be minimal, but this table helps to highlight these differences in a visible way.

Factor	Casper Dream	Casper Dream Max	Casper Nova Hybrid	Casper One	Casper Original	Casper Original Hybrid	Casper Select	Casper Snow	Casper Snow Hybrid	Casper Wave Hybrid	Ghostbed 3D Matrix	Ghostbed Classic	Ghostbed Flex	Ghostbed Luxe
Price (Queen)	$1,495	$2,495	$2,495	$995	$1,295	$1,495	$530	$2,399	$1,995	$2,495	$1,998	$848	$998	$1,548
Cooling	Excellent	Excellent	Good	Good	Good	Excellent	Good	Outstanding	Outstanding	Good	Outstanding	Good	Excellent	Excellent
Sinkage – Depth	1.89″	2.41″	2.46″	1.77″	1.69″	1.91″	1.63″	2.14″	2.36″	2.38″	2.26″	2.34″	2.15″	2.90″
Sinkage – Feel	Minimal	Deep	Deep	Minimal	Very Minimal	Minimal	Very Minimal	Moderate	Deep	Deep	Moderate	Deep	Moderate	Extremely Deep
Motion Transfer – Acceleration	9.48 m/s²	9.26 m/s²	10.07 m/s²	9.42 m/s²	11.30 m/s²	10.87 m/s²	11.73 m/s²	10.55 m/s²	7.95 m/s²	12.88 m/s²	9.52 m/s²	4.80 m/s²	5.61 m/s²	4.90 m/s²
Response Time – Mostly Recovered	0.2 sec.	0.2 sec.	0.2 sec.	0.2 sec.	0.2 sec.	0.2 sec.	0.3 sec.	0.6 sec.	2.8 sec.	0.2 sec.	0.3 sec.	0.4 sec.	0.4 sec.	0.2 sec.
Response Time – Fully Recovered	0.4 sec.	0.6 sec.	0.4 sec.	0.4 sec.	0.7 sec.	0.4 sec.	0.9 sec.	1.2 sec.	5.1 sec.	0.8 sec.	0.9 sec.	1.0 sec.	0.8 sec.	0.3 sec.
Bounce – Height	10.73″	12.73″	10.46″	8.77″	9.80″	8.21″	6.93″	8.73″	9.54″	10.78″	9.52″	8.00″	10.65″	8.58″
Bounce – Feel	High	Very High	High	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Low	Moderate	Moderate	High	Moderate	Low	High	Moderate
Edge Support – Sitting	4.00″	4.00″	4.00″	3.50″	3.75″	2.25″	3.75″	3.25″	3.25″	3.25″	4.00″	4.50″	3.25″	3.75″
Edge Support – Lying	Excellent	Good	Good	Fair	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent	Good	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent
Comfort Layer Thickness	3.0″	4.5″	5.0″	3.0″	3.5″	3.5″	4.5″	3.0″	3.0″	5.0″	4.5″	3.5″	2.0″	5.5″
Mattress Thickness	11.5″	13.5″	12.0″	10.0″	10.5″	10.5″	12.0″	12.0″	11.5″	12.0″	11.5″	11.0″	11.5″	13.0″
Off-Gassing – Smell	Strong	Strong	Strong	Strong	Strong	Strong	Strong	Strong	Strong	Strong	Strong	Strong	Strong	Strong
Off-Gassing – Days	8 days	19 days	18 days	12 days	15 days	15 days	7 days	7 days	20 days	11 days	19 days	2 days	4 days	5 days
Trial	100 nights	100 nights	100 nights	100 nights	100 nights	100 nights	100 nights	100 nights	100 nights	100 nights	101 nights	101 nights	101 nights	101 nights
Warranty	10 years	10 years	10 years	10 years	10 years	10 years	10 years	10 years	10 years	10 years	25 years	20 years	25 years	25 years

Best Mattress For

Before we get into the gritty details, let’s honor some specific mattresses first. The mattresses noted below are recognized as the best for each respective performance category.

Depending on what exactly you’re looking for, you may find Casper or GhostBed better suited for your needs.

Factor	Winner	Score
Best Overall	Ghostbed Luxe	9.19
Best Cooling	Casper Snow, Casper Snow Hybrid, Ghostbed 3D Matrix	10
Most Sinkage	Ghostbed Luxe	2.90″
Least Sinkage	Casper Select	1.63″
Lowest Motion Transfer	Ghostbed Classic, Ghostbed Luxe	10
Fastest Response Time	Ghostbed Luxe	10
Most Bounce	Casper Dream Max	12.73″
Least Bounce	Casper Select	6.93″
Best Edge Support	Casper Original Hybrid	9.5
Best for Sex	Casper Dream Max	9.7
Best Pressure Relief	Casper Nova Hybrid, Casper Wave Hybrid, Ghostbed 3D Matrix	10
Least Off-Gassing	Ghostbed Classic	9.4
Best Company	Ghostbed	9.2

We test 10 different factors that impact the performance, comfort, and value of the mattress. Testing categories include:

1. Cooling
2. Sinkage
3. Motion Transfer
4. Response
5. Bounce
6. Edge Support
7. Sex
8. Pressure Relief
9. Off-Gassing
10. Company

In the following side-by-side tests we focused our comparisons on 6 mattress models, 3 from Casper and 3 from Ghostbed. We choose the models that were the most popular from each brand.

Cooling performance on Casper and GhostBed mattresses are nearly equal, but GhostBed has a slightly higher cooling average.

Based on the 6 mattresses compared in this review, Casper has an average cooling score of 9.16 while GhostBed has a cooling average of 9.33.

Cooling Test	Score	Baseline	Max Temp	Ending Temp
Casper Original	8.0	64.2°	85.2°	73.3°
Casper Original Hybrid	9.0	68.8°	86.5°	75.0°
Casper Wave Hybrid	8.0	77.8°	91.0°	83.8°
Ghostbed Classic	8.0	84.0°	92.7°	87.5°
Ghostbed Flex	9.0	73.2°	85.7°	76.1°
Ghostbed Luxe	9.0	83.5°	89.7°	86.3°

• Baseline Temperature – the temperature of the mattress before anyone lies on it
• Maximum Temperature (0 minute) – the temperature of the mattress after lying on it for 15 minutes
• Ending Temperature (after 5 minutes) – the temperature of the mattress after being lied upon and having no one on it for 5 minutes

That being said, Casper has one mattress, not included in this side-by-side, which outperforms all mattresses listed here with a perfect score of 10 out of 10—the Casper Snow.

Below, you can watch a video of how the heat dissipates on each mattress during our cooling test. For this test, we lie on the mattress for 15 minutes, get off the mattress, and then take periodic surface-level temperature measurements.

Comparing Casper and GhostBed, Casper has mattress options with less sinkage overall (1.69″ – 2.38″), while GhostBed has deeper sinkage overall (2.15″ – 2.90″).

Sinkage Test	Sinkage Feel	Sinkage Depth
Casper Original	Very Minimal	1.69″
Casper Original Hybrid	Minimal	1.91″
Casper Wave Hybrid	Deep	2.38″
Ghostbed Classic	Deep	2.34″
Ghostbed Flex	Moderate	2.15″
Ghostbed Luxe	Extremely Deep	2.90″

For comparison, the average level of sinkage across mattresses tested to date is 2.18″.

The Casper Original, Casper Original Hybrid, and GhostBed Flex all have less sinkage than average.

The Casper Wave Hybrid, GhostBed Classic, and GhostBed Luxe have deeper sinkage than average.

The level of sinkage for each mattress is documented in the images and table below.

Looking at motion transfer, GhostBed is the clear winner, with significantly lower levels of motion transfer than we see on Casper.

Motion Transfer Test	Score	Acc. Range
Casper Original	7.2	11.30 m/s²
Casper Original Hybrid	7.4	10.87 m/s²
Casper Wave Hybrid	6.5	12.88 m/s²
Ghostbed Classic	10	4.80 m/s²
Ghostbed Flex	9.7	5.61 m/s²
Ghostbed Luxe	10	4.90 m/s²

The average level of motion transfer across all mattresses tested to date is 8.15 m/s².

All GhostBed mattresses were significantly lower than that, with the best-performing GhostBed being the GhostBed Classic at only 4.80 m/s².

All Casper mattresses had higher levels of motion transfer than average, with the most motion transfer coming from the Casper Wave Hybrid—12.88 m/s², 42% more than the average level of motion.

The level of motion transfer on each mattress is also documented in the videos below.

For material response time, both Casper and GhostBed mattresses had good performance, all at average or faster than average.

Response Test	Score	Mostly Recovered	Completely Recovered
Casper Original	9.6	0.2 seconds	0.7 seconds
Casper Original Hybrid	9.9	0.2 seconds	0.4 seconds
Casper Wave Hybrid	9.6	0.2 seconds	0.8 seconds
Ghostbed Classic	8.5	0.4 seconds	1.0 seconds
Ghostbed Flex	8.7	0.4 seconds	0.8 seconds
Ghostbed Luxe	10	0.2 seconds	0.3 seconds

The average speed of material response time is 0.4 seconds to be mostly recovered and 0.9 seconds to be fully recovered.

These mattresses all contain responsive materials that return to their original shape quickly and do not leave sleepers feeling “stuck”.

The level of responsiveness for each mattress is documented in the videos below.

While bounce is a bit more of a preferential factor than these other testing categories, we do see some differences between Casper and GhostBed.

Casper has moderate to high bounce, with a range of 2.57″. GhostBed has a slightly wider spread, with a bounce range of 2.65″.

Bounce Test	Bounce Feel	Bounce Height
Casper Original	Moderate	9.80″
Casper Original Hybrid	Moderate	8.21″
Casper Wave Hybrid	High	10.78″
Ghostbed Classic	Low	8.00″
Ghostbed Flex	High	10.65″
Ghostbed Luxe	Moderate	8.58″

The average level of bounce is 9.63″, comparing all mattresses tested to date.

The Casper Wave Hybrid has the highest level of bounce by any Casper mattress tested to date (closely followed by the Casper Nova Hybrid at 10.46″.)

The GhostBed Classic has the lowest level of bounce, with only 8.0″ of bounce. Both the Casper Original Hybrid, GhostBed Classic, and GhostBed Luxe all have lower levels of bounce than the average.

The level of bounce for each mattress is documented in the videos below.

Concerning edge support, both Casper and GhostBed have some mattresses that are exceptional.

Check out the table below to see how each mattress compares regarding bounce levels.

Edge Support Test	Score	Sitting Sinkage	Lying Support
Casper Original	9.1	3.75″	Excellent
Casper Original Hybrid	9.5	2.25″	Excellent
Casper Wave Hybrid	8.9	3.25″	Good
Ghostbed Classic	8.6	4.50″	Excellent
Ghostbed Flex	9.4	3.25″	Excellent
Ghostbed Luxe	9.1	3.75″	Excellent

The average score for edge support is 9.1, with a max sitting sinkage of 4.19″.

Of these six mattresses, only one falls below the average edge support performance, the GhostBed Classic.

In this comparison, both foam and hybrid mattresses had good performance, regardless of mattress type.

The mattress with the absolute best edge support among all mattresses in this comparison is the Casper Original Hybrid. The Original Hybrid has only 2.25″ of sinkage when seated directly at the edge of the mattress and excellent support when lying.

The level of edge support of all mattresses is documented in the images below.

Although sleep preferences are largely individual, the reality is that many couples share a bed together.

This part of our scoring looks at the mattress expected sex performance based on a number of performance factors.

The best mattresses for sex have high bounce, good edge support, quiet materials, and good pressure relief and cooling.

These 5 factors make up the NapLab sex performance score and from these factors, we can generate a sex score, unique to each mattress.

The table below shows how sex performance varies between Casper and GhostBed mattresses.

Sex Test	Sex Score	Bounce	Edge Support	Noise	Pressure Relief	Cooling
Casper Original	8.7	8.6	9.1	10	8.0	8.0
Casper Original Hybrid	8.3	7.6	10	10	9.0	9.0
Casper Wave Hybrid	9.3	9.2	9.7	10	10	8.0
Ghostbed Classic	7.8	7.5	8.1	10	9.0	8.0
Ghostbed Flex	9.2	9.1	9.7	8.0	9.0	9.0
Ghostbed Luxe	8.3	7.8	9.1	10	9.0	9.0

As you can see, sex performance on both Casper and GhostBed mattresses ranges from good to great.

Performance on the hybrids tends to be better than foam mattresses, thanks to generally higher levels of bounce and better edge support.

But as we see with the Casper Original, a foam mattress with high bounce and good edges can perform as high as any comparable hybrid.

Pressure relief is a combination of a quality comfort layer, a sufficient support layer, and high-quality materials that promote spinal alignment, regardless of your sleeping position.

Pressure Relief Test	Score	Comfort Layer	Support Layer
Casper Original	8.0	3.5″	7.0″
Casper Original Hybrid	9.0	3.5″	7.0″
Casper Wave Hybrid	10	5.0″	7.0″
Ghostbed Classic	9.0	3.5″	7.5″
Ghostbed Flex	9.0	2.0″	9.5″
Ghostbed Luxe	9.0	5.5″	7.5″

In the case of Casper vs. GhostBed, it was a bit of a wash, as both brands had good pressure relief for the most part. They have thick comfort layers and thick support layers as well.

Having thicker layers increases the chance of heavier sleepers finding these mattresses to be comfortable and supportive.

For comparison, the average level of comfort material across all mattresses tested to date is 4.15″.

The mattress with the highest score in this comparison is the Casper Wave Hybrid (10 out of 10 score). This mattress has a 5.0″ comfort layer and a 7.0″ support base.

The mattress with the lowest pressure relief score is the Casper Original (9 out of 10 score). The Original has only a 3.5″ comfort layer followed by a 7.0″ support layer. This comfort layer and support layer are both thinner than others in this comparison.

At the end of the day, it’s the thinner profile that hurts the Casper Original when it comes to pressure relief.

Right out of the box, off-gassing odors are strong on both Casper and GhostBed mattresses.

But that being said, the odor lingers significantly longer on the Casper mattresses.

Off-Gassing Test	Score	Initial Smell	Smell Duration
Casper Original	5.8	Strong	15 days
Casper Original Hybrid	5.8	Strong	15 days
Casper Wave Hybrid	6.9	Strong	11 days
Ghostbed Classic	9.4	Strong	2 days
Ghostbed Flex	8.9	Strong	4 days
Ghostbed Luxe	8.6	Strong	5 days

The average off-gassing period is 4 days. On GhostBed, their brand average is 3.6 days. But on Casper, their brand average is 13.6 days. This is nearly 4X the time it takes GhostBed to off-gas.

Both Casper and GhostBed have similar company scores, but GhostBed does outperform in trial (by 1 night) and warranty (by 10-15 years).

Company	Casper	Ghostbed
Score	8.5	9.2
Trial Period	100 nights	101 nights
Warranty	10 years	25 years
Shipping	$0	$0
Returns	$0	$0
Trust	Good	Excellent
Country of Origin	USA	USA

The average trial period is 174 nights. Both Casper and GhostBed are shorter than the average, but that still gives sleepers over 3 months to decide if they like the mattress.

For most sleepers, that should be more than sufficient, although a longer trial is always a perk.

What about the warranty?

Among all mattresses tested to date, 23% have lifetime warranties. The average of the other 77% of mattresses is 13 years.

Based on these numbers, Casper is shorter than most mattresses. GhostBed is longer than 77% of mattresses, but shorter than the 23% of mattresses that boast a lifetime warranty.

Looking at all available mattresses, Casper ranges in firmness from 4.5 to 6.5 out of 10 and GhostBed mattresses range from 6 to 6.5 out of 10.

Of these two brands, Casper has the greater firmness range.

Check the table below to see the details of each mattress.

Firmness	Rating	Feel
Casper Dream	6	Medium-Firm
Casper Dream Max	4.5	Soft
Casper Nova Hybrid	4.5	Soft
Casper One	6	Medium-Firm
Casper Original	6	Medium-Firm
Casper Original Hybrid	6	Medium-Firm
Casper Select	6.5	Medium-Firm
Casper Snow	5	Medium
Casper Snow Hybrid	5	Medium
Casper Wave Hybrid	5.5	Medium
Ghostbed 3D Matrix	5	Medium
Ghostbed Classic	6.5	Medium-Firm
Ghostbed Flex	6	Medium-Firm
Ghostbed Luxe	6	Medium-Firm

Casper and GhostBed mattresses are equally capable of providing great support in most cases. While there are mattress models that perform better than others for certain sleepers, there are really no mattresses that stand out as just being totally unacceptable.

Not sure which firmness is right for you?

Use the table below to better determine the firmness range that may be best suited for you, based on your personal weight and preferred sleeping position.

Note: Heavier sleepers may do better on a mattress with a thicker profile, as they tend to have better support. For these sleepers, I would recommend the Casper Snow, Casper Wave Hybrid, GhostBed Luxe or GhostBed Flex.

Design

Both Casper and GhostBed have a mix of 100% foam or hybrid mattresses. Also, they both use a blend of foams. Mattresses with a blend of materials tend to have a more balanced feel compared to 100% memory foam mattresses or coil-on-coil mattresses.

Design	Type	Mattress Thickness
Casper Original	Foam	10.5″
Casper Original Hybrid	Hybrid	10.5″
Casper Wave Hybrid	Hybrid	12.0″
Ghostbed Classic	Foam	11.0″
Ghostbed Flex	Hybrid	11.5″
Ghostbed Luxe	Memory Foam	13.0″

Materials

Here is a look inside Casper vs. GhostBed mattresses.

Casper vs. GhostBed: Which Should You Buy?

Alright, so bottom line, between Casper and GhostBed which mattress is right for you?

Here is a recap of each mattress score as well as quick-pick recommendations for who may be best suited for each.

Mattresses	Score	Best For	Firmness	Check Price
Casper Original	8.16	None; Opt for The Casper for Lower Price	Medium-Firm (6)	Check Price
Casper Original Hybrid	8.62	Low Profile Hybrid, 10.5″ Thick, Best Value	Medium-Firm (6)	Check Price
Casper Wave Hybrid	8.55	Pressure Relief, Gel Pod Layer, 12″ Thick	Medium (5.5)	Check Price
Ghostbed Classic	8.76	Budgets under $900 (queen)	Medium-Firm (6.5)	Check Price
Ghostbed Flex	9.15	Edge Support, 13″ Thick, Best Overall	Medium-Firm (6)	Check Price
Ghostbed Luxe	9.19	Deep sinkage, Memory foam feel, 2nd Best Overall	Medium-Firm (6)	Check Price

Disclosure – Derek Hales has a history with Casper that some may view as relevant to his reviews of Casper products. In 2016, Casper Sleep sued Derek Hales in federal court over his reviews of its products. In 2017, the lawsuit ended with a settlement. See here for more information.