Casper vs. Purple: A Data Driven Comparison

Casper and Purple offer high-quality mattresses that scored well in our performance tests, with high-quality materials and a comfortable feel. How do these brands compare from top to bottom? We’re about to find out.

This guide is going to highlight the most important factors in determining if either Casper or Purple offers the right mattress for you.

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. Purple.

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

Factor	Casper	Casper Nova Hybrid	Casper Original	Casper Original Hybrid	Casper Select	Casper Snow	Casper Snow Hybrid	Casper Wave Hybrid	Purple	Purple Flex	Purple Plus	Purple Restore	Purple Restore Plus	Purple Restore Premier
Overall Score	8.08	8.59	8.16	8.62	8.07	8.72	8.51	8.55	8.99	7.69	8.49	8.31	8.88	8.47
Cooling	8.0	8.0	8.0	9.0	8.0	10	10	8.0	10	8.0	9.0	9.0	9.0	9.0
Motion Transfer	8.2	7.7	7.2	7.4	7.0	7.5	8.7	6.5	10	6.5	7.0	6.0	7.2	6.7
Response	9.6	9.9	9.6	9.9	9.0	7.5	5.0	9.6	10	10	10	10	10	10
Edge Support	7.7	8.4	9.1	9.5	9.1	9.4	9.4	8.9	5.1	7.1	7.3	8.9	10	9.9
Sex	7.3	9.0	8.7	8.3	7.5	8.5	8.9	9.3	8.8	9.1	9.1	9.6	9.9	8.8
Pressure Relief	8.0	10	8.0	9.0	8.0	9.0	9.0	10	9.0	6.0	9.0	8.0	9.0	9.0
Off-Gassing	6.7	5.0	5.8	5.8	8.1	8.1	4.4	6.9	8.9	8.9	6.9	6.1	7.2	2.8
Company	8.5	8.5	8.5	8.5	8.5	8.5	8.5	8.5	8.5	8.5	8.5	8.5	8.5	8.5

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	Casper Nova Hybrid	Casper Original	Casper Original Hybrid	Casper Select	Casper Snow	Casper Snow Hybrid	Casper Wave Hybrid	Purple	Purple Flex	Purple Plus	Purple Restore	Purple Restore Plus	Purple Restore Premier
Price (Queen)	$995	$2,295	$1,295	$1,495	$695	$2,399	$1,995	$2,895	$1,399	$1,095	$1,595	$2,295	$2,595	$3,495
Cooling	Good	Good	Good	Excellent	Good	Outstanding	Outstanding	Good	Outstanding	Good	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent
Sinkage – Depth	1.75″	2.46″	1.69″	1.91″	1.63″	2.14″	2.36″	2.38″	2.24″	1.66″	2.03″	1.90″	1.99″	1.82″
Sinkage – Feel	Minimal	Deep	Very Minimal	Minimal	Very Minimal	Moderate	Deep	Deep	Moderate	Very Minimal	Moderate	Minimal	Minimal	Minimal
Motion Transfer – Acceleration	8.91 m/s²	10.07 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	2.23 m/s²	12.72 m/s²	11.62 m/s²	13.90 m/s²	11.27 m/s²	12.36 m/s²
Response Time – Mostly Recovered	0.2 sec.	0.2 sec.	0.2 sec.	0.2 sec.	0.3 sec.	0.6 sec.	2.8 sec.	0.2 sec.	0.2 sec.	0.2 sec.	0.2 sec.	0.2 sec.	0.2 sec.	0.2 sec.
Response Time – Fully Recovered	0.8 sec.	0.4 sec.	0.7 sec.	0.4 sec.	0.9 sec.	1.2 sec.	5.1 sec.	0.8 sec.	0.3 sec.	0.3 sec.	0.3 sec.	0.3 sec.	0.3 sec.	0.3 sec.
Bounce – Height	6.53″	10.46″	9.80″	8.21″	6.93″	8.73″	9.54″	10.78″	12.79″	11.29″	11.28″	14.42″	12.20″	9.46″
Bounce – Feel	Low	High	Moderate	Moderate	Low	Moderate	Moderate	High	Very High	High	High	Extremely High	Very High	Moderate
Edge Support – Sitting	4.25″	4.00″	3.75″	2.25″	3.75″	3.25″	3.25″	3.25″	7.75″	4.50″	5.00″	4.00″	2.75″	3.25″
Edge Support – Lying	Fair	Good	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent	Good	Mediocre	Mediocre	Fair	Excellent	Outstanding	Outstanding
Comfort Layer Thickness	3.0″	5.0″	3.5″	3.5″	4.5″	3.0″	3.0″	5.0″	5.5″	2.0″	4.0″	3.0″	5.0″	3.0″
Mattress Thickness	9.0″	12.0″	10.5″	10.5″	12.0″	12.0″	11.5″	12.0″	9.5″	8.0″	11.0″	11.0″	13.0″	13.0″
Off-Gassing – Smell	Strong	Strong	Strong	Strong	Strong	Strong	Strong	Strong	Strong	Strong	Strong	Strong	Strong	Strong
Off-Gassing – Days	12 days	18 days	15 days	15 days	7 days	7 days	20 days	11 days	4 days	4 days	11 days	14 days	10 days	26 days
Trial	100 nights	100 nights	100 nights	100 nights	100 nights	100 nights	100 nights	100 nights	100 nights	100 nights	100 nights	100 nights	100 nights	100 nights
Warranty	10 years	10 years	10 years	10 years	10 years	10 years	10 years	10 years	10 years	10 years	10 years	10 years	10 years	10 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 Purple to be better suited for your needs.

Factor	Winner	Score
Best Overall	Purple	8.99
Best Cooling	Casper Snow, Casper Snow Hybrid, Purple	10
Most Sinkage	Casper Nova Hybrid	2.46″
Least Sinkage	Casper Select	1.63″
Lowest Motion Transfer	Purple	10
Fastest Response Time	Purple, Purple Flex, Purple Plus, Purple Restore, Purple Restore Plus, Purple Restore Premier	10
Most Bounce	Purple Restore	14.42″
Least Bounce	Casper	6.53″
Best Edge Support	Purple Restore Plus	10
Best for Sex	Purple Restore Plus	9.9
Best Pressure Relief	Casper Nova Hybrid, Casper Wave Hybrid	10
Least Off-Gassing	Purple, Purple Flex	8.9
Best Company	Casper, Purple	8.5

We test 10 different factors that impact the comfort, performance, feel, 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

Casper & Purple Models We’re Comparing

Casper and Purple both have a pretty variety of mattresses in their collection. For the sake of simplicity, 3 mattresses from each brand have been selected to focus on within the performance comparison.

The exact mattresses featured in the tests below include:

1. Casper Original Hybrid
2. Casper Wave Hybrid
3. Casper Snow Hybrid
4. Purple Original
5. Purple Restore Plus
6. Purple Restore Premier

The Casper Select, Casper Original, and The Casper were excluded due to their lower performance. On average, these three mattresses scored 0.38 of a point lower than the Casper hybrid mattresses.

The Purple Flex was also excluded due to its lower performance, scoring 0.93 of a point lower than all other Purple mattresses, on average. In most cases, if you’re looking for the Purple experience, you’d be better off going with the Purple Original or one of the hybrids over the Newday.

So with that in mind, let’s dive into the performance tests.

Between Casper and Purple, both brands have good cooling, but Purple slightly edges out Casper with a performance average of 9.0 compared to the Casper cooling average of only 8.63.

Cooling Test	Score	Baseline	Max Temp	Ending Temp
Casper Original Hybrid	9.0	68.8°	86.5°	75.0°
Casper Snow Hybrid	10	73.8°	88.1°	78.2°
Casper Wave Hybrid	8.0	77.8°	91.0°	83.8°
Purple	10	79.7°	89.2°	84.0°
Purple Restore Plus	9.0	81.7°	91.7°	84.7°
Purple Restore Premier	9.0	83.0°	91.3°	86.2°

• 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

Purple’s use of their patented Purple gel pad is one of the most influential factors when it comes to cooling performance. The grid combined with the pocketed coil base allows for more breathability and limited heat retention.

The Casper Snow scores a perfect 10, and takes a lot of design initiatives to improve cooling. Some of the most notable specs include:

• Hybrid design with coil base
• Limited 3″ foam comfort layer
• Cooling spray coating
• “HeatDelete” bands
• Cooling cover

All of these design decisions result in a very cool mattress that performs well.

Compare the Models

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.

Sinkage between Casper and Purple ranges from Minimal to Deep.

• Casper: Minimal, Moderate, or Deep (0.47″ range)
• Purple: Minimal to Moderate (0.42″ range)

On average, Casper has slightly deeper sinkage than Purple. The sinkage average of Casper is 2.15″ and the average of Purple is 2.01″.

Sinkage Test	Sinkage Feel	Sinkage Depth
Casper Original Hybrid	Minimal	1.91″
Casper Snow Hybrid	Deep	2.36″
Casper Wave Hybrid	Deep	2.38″
Purple	Moderate	2.24″
Purple Restore Plus	Minimal	1.99″
Purple Restore Premier	Minimal	1.82″

For comparison, the average level of sinkage across mattresses tested to date is 2.17″.

The mattress with the least amount of sinkage is the Casper Original Hybrid at 1.91″ and the mattress with the deepest sinkage is the Casper Wave Hybrid at 2.38″.

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

Both Casper and Purple have high levels of motion transfer, with the only exception being the Purple Original all-foam mattress.

Motion transfer levels are important, especially for sleepers who have partners who are easily disturbed by movements during the night.

Motion Transfer Test	Score	Acc. Range
Casper Original Hybrid	7.4	10.87 m/s²
Casper Snow Hybrid	8.7	7.95 m/s²
Casper Wave Hybrid	6.5	12.88 m/s²
Purple	10	2.23 m/s²
Purple Restore Plus	7.2	11.27 m/s²
Purple Restore Premier	6.7	12.36 m/s²

The average level of motion transfer across all mattresses tested to date is 8.34 m/s².

Using this average as a benchmark, the only mattress that performed better than average is the Purple Original (75% better than average).

The mattress with the highest levels of motion transfer is the Casper Wave Hybrid with 12.88 m/s² of motion.

The Purple Original had the best performance and lowest level of motion transfer with only 2.23 m/s² of motion. That is less motion transfer than 95% of all mattresses we’ve tested to date (180+ mattresses compared).

The level of motion transfer on the Casper vs. Purple mattresses is also documented in the videos below.

Moving along, let’s talk about response time. Comparing Casper and Purple, both mattresses had great performance and very fast material response times.

Response Test	Score	Mostly Recovered	Completely Recovered
Casper Original Hybrid	9.9	0.2 seconds	0.4 seconds
Casper Snow Hybrid	5.0	2.8 seconds	5.1 seconds
Casper Wave Hybrid	9.6	0.2 seconds	0.8 seconds
Purple	10	0.2 seconds	0.3 seconds
Purple Restore Plus	10	0.2 seconds	0.3 seconds
Purple Restore Premier	10	0.2 seconds	0.3 seconds

The average material response time is 0.4 seconds to be mostly recovered and 0.9 seconds for complete recovery.

All three Purple mattresses featured here tied for the fastest response time, matching the fastest times we’ve seen to date across all mattresses tested.

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

The Casper Original Hybrid was not terribly far behind in numbers with a complete recovery by 0.4 seconds.

The slowest material recovery comes from the Casper Snow, which took 0.6 seconds to be mostly recovered and 1.2 seconds for complete recovery. But even these numbers are still quite fast.

Slow recovery would be considered for mattresses that take over 1 second for material recovery and multiple seconds for complete recovery.

Memory foam tends to struggle with this more, as the slowest mattresses we’ve tested to date utilize traditional memory foam comfort layer (Dreamcloud and Nectar).

Considering both brands, Purple has higher levels of bounce than Casper. Casper has a bounce average 9.24″ and Purple has a bounce average of 11.48″.

Bounce Test	Bounce Feel	Bounce Height
Casper Original Hybrid	Moderate	8.21″
Casper Snow Hybrid	Moderate	9.54″
Casper Wave Hybrid	High	10.78″
Purple	Very High	12.79″
Purple Restore Plus	Very High	12.20″
Purple Restore Premier	Moderate	9.46″

For comparison, the average level of bounce across all mattresses tested to date is 9.64″.

The Purple all-foam, Purple Restore Plus, and Casper Wave Hybrid, have more bounce than average.

The Casper Original Hybrid, Casper Snow, and Purple Restore Premier have less bounce than average.

Comparing edge support, both Casper and Purple offer good performance with the one exception being the Purple Original. On the foam + gel grid Purple mattress, edge support really struggled, which is likely due to its lack of support coils.

The average level of sinkage across all mattresses tested to date is 4.25″.

Check out the table below for a full rundown of edge support between Casper and Purple mattresses.

Edge Support Test	Score	Sitting Sinkage	Lying Support
Casper Original Hybrid	9.5	2.25″	Excellent
Casper Snow Hybrid	9.4	3.25″	Excellent
Casper Wave Hybrid	8.9	3.25″	Good
Purple	5.1	7.75″	Mediocre
Purple Restore Plus	10	2.75″	Outstanding
Purple Restore Premier	9.9	3.25″	Outstanding

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

Next up, let’s discuss sex performance.

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 Purple mattresses.

Sex Test	Sex Score	Bounce	Edge Support	Noise	Pressure Relief	Cooling
Casper Original Hybrid	8.3	7.6	10	10	9.0	9.0
Casper Snow Hybrid	8.9	8.5	9.7	10	9.0	10
Casper Wave Hybrid	9.3	9.2	9.7	10	10	8.0
Purple	8.8	10	4.1	10	9.0	10
Purple Restore Plus	9.9	10	10	10	9.0	9.0
Purple Restore Premier	8.8	8.4	9.7	10	9.0	9.0

In all reality, both Casper and Purple mattresses are great for enhancing sex performance.

Within this comparison, the best mattresses for sex include the Casper Wave Hybrid, the Purple Restore Plus, and the Purple Restore Premier, all of which maintain high bounce and good edge support.

All other mattresses in this comparison had pretty good scores as well. The lowest-scoring mattress is the Purple Original, which had high levels of bounce but also really poor edge support.

Considering pressure relief, both Casper and Purple have great performance, all with scores from 9.0 – 10 out of 10.

Pressure Relief Test	Score	Comfort Layer	Support Layer
Casper Original Hybrid	9.0	3.5″	7.0″
Casper Snow Hybrid	9.0	3.0″	8.5″
Casper Wave Hybrid	10	5.0″	7.0″
Purple	9.0	5.5″	4.0″
Purple Restore Plus	9.0	5.0″	8.0″
Purple Restore Premier	9.0	3.0″	10.0″

For comparison, the average level of comfort material across all mattresses tested to date is 4.19″.

The Casper Wave Hybrid, Purple Original, and Purple Restore Plus all have more comfort material than average.

The Casper Original Hybrid, Casper Snow, and Purple Restore Premier have less comfort material than average but still have good pressure relief performance overall.

For most sleepers, we recommend a minimum of 3″ of comfort material (with 4″ or more being ideal). Anything less than that is more likely to create pressure relief issues for sleepers, excluding lightweight sleepers.

Generally speaking, moderate to heavier-weighted sleepers require more comfort material for sufficient pressure relief. Where there is more comfort material, there is more opportunity to relieve pressure before engaging with the support layer.

Right out of the box, off-gassing odors were strong for both Casper and Purple. But the real difference came in the length of time it took for each mattress to dissipate that odor.

Off-Gassing Test	Score	Initial Smell	Smell Duration
Casper Original Hybrid	5.8	Strong	15 days
Casper Snow Hybrid	4.4	Strong	20 days
Casper Wave Hybrid	6.9	Strong	11 days
Purple	8.9	Strong	4 days
Purple Restore Plus	7.2	Strong	10 days
Purple Restore Premier	2.8	Strong	26 days

The odor from Casper mattresses lasted anywhere from 7-15 days before fully dissipating. Purple mattresses took as little as 4 days (Purple Original) or as long as 26 days (Purple Restore Premier) to fully off-gas.

Of the 180+ mattresses tested to date, 26 days is the longest off-gassing period we’ve ever seen.

When it comes to company policy, it’s a wash between Casper and Purple.

Company	Casper	Purple
Score	8.5	8.5
Trial Period	100 nights	100 nights
Warranty	10 years	10 years
Shipping	$0	$0
Returns	$0	$0
Trust	Good	Good
Country of Origin	USA	USA

Both companies have a 100-night trial period and a 10-year warranty. Shipping and returns are free and both brands are manufactured and shipped within the US.

Looking at firmness, Casper ranges from 4.5 to 6.5 out of 10 and Purple ranges from 5 to 6.5. Casper has the greater firmness range between these two brands.

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

Firmness	Rating	Feel
Casper	6	Medium-Firm
Casper Nova Hybrid	4.5	Soft
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
Purple	5	Medium
Purple Flex	6.5	Medium-Firm
Purple Plus	6	Medium-Firm
Purple Restore	5, 7	Medium, Slightly Firm
Purple Restore Plus	5, 7	Medium, Slightly Firm
Purple Restore Premier	4, 6	Soft, Medium-Firm

Both Casper and Purple have great support and are suited for a wide range of sleeping positions and sleeper weights. Softer mattresses, like the Casper Nova Hybrid, are generally better suited for lighter sleepers or those who sleep on their side.

Heavier sleepers tend to prefer the feel of a firmer mattress, like the Purple Restore Plus, the firmer version, 7 out of 10. The Purple Newday or the Casper Select may also be good choices, both of which have a firmness of 6.5 out of 10.

Use the table below to better determine which firmness may be right for you.

Design

Casper offers all-foam or hybrid mattresses. Purple is classified as a specialty mattress in the NapLab rating system, due to the uniqueness of the gel pad Purple grid material used within the comfort layer.

The table below details all of the mattress types we have tested in-house by each brand.

Design	Type	Mattress Thickness
Casper Original Hybrid	Hybrid	10.5″
Casper Snow Hybrid	Memory Foam Hybrid	11.5″
Casper Wave Hybrid	Hybrid	12.0″
Purple	Specialty	9.5″
Purple Restore Plus	Specialty	13.0″
Purple Restore Premier	Specialty	13.0″

Materials

Here is a breakdown of the insides of Casper vs. Purple:

The Purple Grid material is a huge part of the overall design approach by Purple. The hyper-elastic material provides higher levels of bounce, deeper sinkage, and great material response time as well.

Furthermore, every Purple mattress has a layer of the Purple Grid (ranging from 2 – 4″ thick).

While Casper uses a blend of multiple different materials, Purple mattresses have a more unique feel due to the gel grid layer.

Casper vs. Purple: Which Should You Buy?

Still not sure which mattress is right for you? Check out the table below for quick specs and recommendations for each mattress we’ve reviewed.

Is Casper The Right Mattress For You?

Casper Mattresses	Score	Best For	Firmness	Check Price
Casper	8.08	Under $1,000	Medium-Firm (6)	Check Price
Casper Nova Hybrid	8.59	Deep Sinkage, Fast Response, Soft Feel	Soft (4.5)	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 Select	8.07	Cheaper than The Casper, but I still recommend The Casper over Casper Select	Medium-Firm (6.5)	Check Price
Casper Snow	8.72	Best Overall Casper, Great Cooling, Phase Change Coating, Slightly Softer Feel	Medium (5)	Check Price
Casper Snow Hybrid	8.51	Hybrid alternative, Great Cooling, Phase Change Coating, Slightly Softer Feel	Medium (5)	Check Price
Casper Wave Hybrid	8.55	Pressure Relief, Gel Pod Layer, 12″ Thick	Medium (5.5)	Check Price

Is Purple The Right Mattress For You?

Purple Mattresses	Score	Best For	Firmness	Check Price
Purple	8.99	Least Expensive (Good) Purple	Medium (5)	Check Price
Purple Flex	7.69	None, buy Purple Original instead.	Medium-Firm (6.5)	Check Price
Purple Plus	8.49	Foam Support Layer, Thicker Than Purple Original	Medium-Firm (6)	Check Price
Purple Restore	8.31	None, buy Purple Restore Plus instead.	Medium (5), Slightly Firm (7)	Check Price
Purple Restore Plus	8.88	Best Performance from Purple, Arguably Best Value	Medium (5), Slightly Firm (7)	Check Price
Purple Restore Premier	8.47	None, buy Purple Restore Plus instead.	Soft (4), 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.