GhostBed vs. Purple: 9 Mattresses Compared

Both Ghostbed and Purple are high-performance mattresses. However, their design ethos and material choices dramatically differ. Ghostbed mattresses are a mix of memory foam, poly foam, latex foam, and coils, while Purple mattresses use a blend of gel pads (the Purple Grid), poly foam, and coils.

This gives each mattress brand a specific and unique feel. How does Ghostbed vs. Purple performance compare? And which is best for you? Let’s find out now.

Our Testing & Selection Process

This guide highlights the most important factors in determining if GhostBed 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 GhostBed vs. Purple.

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

Factor	Ghostbed 3D Matrix	Ghostbed Classic	Ghostbed Flex	Ghostbed Luxe	Purple	Purple Flex	Purple Plus	Purple Restore	Purple Restore Plus	Purple Restore Premier
Overall Score	9.07	8.76	9.15	9.19	8.99	7.69	8.49	8.31	8.88	8.47
Cooling	10	8.0	9.0	9.0	10	8.0	9.0	9.0	9.0	9.0
Motion Transfer	8.0	10	9.7	10	10	6.5	7.0	6.0	7.2	6.7
Response	9.0	8.5	8.7	10	10	10	10	10	10	10
Edge Support	8.9	8.6	9.4	9.1	5.1	7.1	7.3	8.9	10	9.9
Sex	8.7	7.8	9.2	8.3	8.8	9.1	9.1	9.6	9.9	8.8
Pressure Relief	10	9.0	9.0	9.0	9.0	6.0	9.0	8.0	9.0	9.0
Off-Gassing	5.8	9.4	8.9	8.6	8.9	8.9	6.9	6.1	7.2	2.8
Company	9.2	9.0	9.2	9.2	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	Ghostbed 3D Matrix	Ghostbed Classic	Ghostbed Flex	Ghostbed Luxe	Purple	Purple Flex	Purple Plus	Purple Restore	Purple Restore Plus	Purple Restore Premier
Price (Queen)	$1,998	$842	$1,687	$1,598	$1,399	$1,095	$1,595	$2,295	$2,595	$3,495
Cooling	Outstanding	Good	Excellent	Excellent	Outstanding	Good	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent
Sinkage – Depth	2.26″	2.34″	2.15″	2.90″	2.24″	1.66″	2.03″	1.90″	1.99″	1.82″
Sinkage – Feel	Moderate	Deep	Moderate	Extremely Deep	Moderate	Very Minimal	Moderate	Minimal	Minimal	Minimal
Motion Transfer – Acceleration	9.52 m/s²	4.80 m/s²	5.61 m/s²	4.90 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	0.3 sec.	0.4 sec.	0.4 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	0.9 sec.	1.0 sec.	0.8 sec.	0.3 sec.	0.3 sec.	0.3 sec.	0.3 sec.	0.3 sec.	0.3 sec.	0.3 sec.
Bounce – Height	9.52″	8.00″	10.65″	8.58″	12.79″	11.29″	11.28″	14.42″	12.20″	9.46″
Bounce – Feel	Moderate	Low	High	Moderate	Very High	High	High	Extremely High	Very High	Moderate
Edge Support – Sitting	4.00″	4.50″	3.25″	3.75″	7.75″	4.50″	5.00″	4.00″	2.75″	3.25″
Edge Support – Lying	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent	Mediocre	Mediocre	Fair	Excellent	Outstanding	Outstanding
Comfort Layer Thickness	4.5″	3.5″	2.0″	5.5″	5.5″	2.0″	4.0″	3.0″	5.0″	3.0″
Mattress Thickness	11.5″	11.0″	11.5″	13.0″	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
Off-Gassing – Days	15 days	2 days	4 days	5 days	4 days	4 days	11 days	14 days	10 days	26 days
Trial	101 nights	101 nights	101 nights	101 nights	100 nights	100 nights	100 nights	100 nights	100 nights	100 nights
Warranty	25 years	20 years	25 years	25 years	10 years	10 years	10 years	10 years	10 years	10 years

Best Mattress For

Before diving into the specific tests, let’s highlight some of the best models for specific needs. The table below marks some honorable mentions for a number of factors that may be important to you.

Depending on what exactly you’re looking for, you may find GhostBed or Purple to be best suited for your needs.

Factor	Winner	Score
Best Overall	Ghostbed Luxe	9.19
Best Cooling	Ghostbed 3D Matrix, Purple	10
Most Sinkage	Ghostbed Luxe	2.90″
Least Sinkage	Purple Flex	1.66″
Lowest Motion Transfer	Ghostbed Classic, Ghostbed Luxe, Purple	10
Fastest Response Time	Ghostbed Luxe, Purple, Purple Flex, Purple Plus, Purple Restore, Purple Restore Plus, Purple Restore Premier	10
Most Bounce	Purple Restore	14.42″
Least Bounce	Ghostbed Classic	8.00″
Best Edge Support	Purple Restore Plus	10
Best for Sex	Purple Restore Plus	9.9
Best Pressure Relief	Ghostbed 3D Matrix	10
Least Off-Gassing	Ghostbed Classic	9.4
Best Company	Ghostbed	9.2

We test 10 different factors that impact the comfort and feel of the mattress, as well as assessing the company as a whole. 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

Which Mattresses Are We Comparing?

GhostBed offers three flagship mattresses, two foam and one hybrid.

1. GhostBed Classic (foam)
2. GhostBed Luxe (memory foam)
3. GhostBed Flex (hybrid)

Purple manufactures a mix of foam and hybrid options, all of which include their patented Purple gel pad. In this comparison, we’ll be looking at the following models:

1. Purple Original (foam + Purple gel pad)
2. Purple Restore Plus (hybrid + Purple gel pad)
3. Purple Restore Premier (hybrid + Purple gel pad)

The Purple Original is a foam + Purple gel pad mattress and the Restore mattresses are both hybrids.

Lower-scoring mattresses including the Purple Plus, Purple Restore, and Purple Flex were excluded based on their lower overall performance scores.

So with that context in mind, let’s get started.

Between GhostBed and Purple, Purple has the higher average cooling, although both brands really do a great job in this area.

Cooling Test	Score	Baseline	Max Temp	Ending Temp
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°
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

The cooling average on Purple and Ghostbed is 9.00. For the absolute best cooling performance, the Purple Original takes the win here, with a perfect score of 10 out of 10.

The GhostBed Classic has the lowest score, but still 9 out of 10, offering solid performance.

GhostBed mattresses have deeper sinkage than most Purple mattresses. At the deepest end of the spectrum is the GhostBed Luxe at 2.90″ and on the opposite end of the spectrum is the Purple Restore Premier with only 1.82″.

For reference, the average level of signage across all mattresses tested to date is 2.18″.

Sinkage Test	Sinkage Feel	Sinkage Depth
Ghostbed Classic	Deep	2.34″
Ghostbed Flex	Moderate	2.15″
Ghostbed Luxe	Extremely Deep	2.90″
Purple	Moderate	2.24″
Purple Restore Plus	Minimal	1.99″
Purple Restore Premier	Minimal	1.82″

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

Motion transfer levels are lower on the GhostBest mattresses than Purple, with the one exception being the Purple Original (which scored a 10 out of 10).

Across all mattresses we’ve tested to date, the average motion transfer is 8.34 m/s². Anything below 5.00 m/s² could be considered low motion, but that doesn’t mean that a lower number wouldn’t be better.

Motion Transfer Test	Score	Acc. Range
Ghostbed Classic	10	4.80 m/s²
Ghostbed Flex	9.7	5.61 m/s²
Ghostbed Luxe	10	4.90 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

Of this chart, the mattress with the lowest level of motion transfer is the Purple Original—2.23 m/s².

The mattress with the highest motion transfer is the Purple Restore Premier at 12.36 m/s².

The level of motion transfer on the GhostBed vs. Purple mattresses is shown in the videos below.

Regarding response time, both the GhostBed and Purple have mattresses with a perfect 10 score. The majority of these mattresses are mostly recovered by 0.2 seconds and fully recovered by 0.3 seconds—incredibly fast.

Response Test	Score	Mostly Recovered	Completely Recovered
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
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 Ghostbed Luxe and Purple mattresses are tied as the fastest-responding mattresses we’ve tested to date. On average, we see a mostly recovered response time of 0.4 seconds and a fully recovered time of 0.8 seconds. Ghostbed’s Luxe and the Purple mattresses are all significantly better than the average.

A closer visual of the level of responsiveness for each mattress is documented in the videos below.

The GhostBed Classic and GhostBed Flex are a little slower (and closer to average). The GhostBed Classic was mostly recovered by 0.4 seconds and completely recovered by 1.0 seconds. The GhostBed Flex was slightly faster, mostly recovered by 0.4 seconds and fully recovered by 0.8 seconds.

Talking through bounce, it’s important to mention that bounce is largely preferential. Some sleepers will enjoy higher levels of bounce while others are looking for more subdued bounce. There is no right or wrong answer here.

Bounce Test	Bounce Feel	Bounce Height
Ghostbed Classic	Low	8.00″
Ghostbed Flex	High	10.65″
Ghostbed Luxe	Moderate	8.58″
Purple	Very High	12.79″
Purple Restore Plus	Very High	12.20″
Purple Restore Premier	Moderate	9.46″

Comparing GhostBed to Purple, the Purple has higher levels of bounce on all of their mattresses. GhostBed has a bounce average of 9.07″ and Purple has a bounce average of 11.48″.

For comparison, the average level of bounce across all mattresses tested to date is 9.65″.

The GhostBed Classic, GhostBed Luxe, and Purple Restore Premier all have less bounce than average.

The GhostBed Flex, Purple Original, and Purple Restore Plus all have more bounce than average.

Between GhostBed and Purple, GhostBed took the lead for edge support, at least comparing all models on average. However, the Purple Restore Plus was the single best model when it comes to edge support.

Ghostbed’s average edge support sinkage was 4.13″, while Purple’s average sinkage came in at 5.17″. This is compared to the average edge support sinkage on all mattresses we’ve tested to date, which is 4.58″.

When it comes to edge support, being average isn’t where you want to be. 4.0″ or less is what I would call great edge support. Much worse than that and it starts to feel less than great when it comes to both support and comfort.

Check out the table below for a full rundown of edge support on the complete collection:

Edge Support Test	Score	Sitting Sinkage	Lying Support
Ghostbed Classic	8.6	4.50″	Excellent
Ghostbed Flex	9.4	3.25″	Excellent
Ghostbed Luxe	9.1	3.75″	Excellent
Purple	5.1	7.75″	Mediocre
Purple Restore Plus	10	2.75″	Outstanding
Purple Restore Premier	9.9	3.25″	Outstanding

The GhostBed Flex, GhostBed Luxe, Purple Restore Plus, and Purple Restore Premier all had better edge support than the 4.0″ threshold. The GhostBed Classic and Purple Original had more edge sinkage than 4.0″.

This part of our scoring looks at the 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 for each mattress.

The table below shows how sex performance varies between these two brands.

Sex Test	Sex Score	Bounce	Edge Support	Noise	Pressure Relief	Cooling
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
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

GhostBed has a sex average of 8.50 and Purple has an average of 9.22 out of 10.

Bounce has a lot to do with these results since higher levels of bounce are often associated with better quality sex. Mattresses that have higher levels of bounce score better in this category.

Since both of the GhostBed models are 100% foam, they’re just not going to be able to match the bounce levels that the Purple mattresses are able to put up.

That being said, they were still very active and engaging surfaces and they excelled in the other sex sub-categories—great edge support, minimal noise, excellent pressure relief, and fantastic cooling.

The same can generally be said about the Purple mattresses too. With the exception of the edge support on the original Purple mattress, which dipped down to a score of 8.8. However, the rest of the categories were pretty great for sex, generally speaking.

Pressure relief is good on all of these mattresses in this comparison, with consistent scores of 9.0 out of 10 among all mattresses.

Pressure Relief Test	Score	Comfort Layer	Support Layer
Ghostbed Classic	9.0	3.5″	7.5″
Ghostbed Flex	9.0	2.0″	9.5″
Ghostbed Luxe	9.0	5.5″	7.5″
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″

When thinking about the overall pressure relief of a mattress, we mainly consider the thickness of the comfort layer compared to the total thickness of the mattress.

Generally, we want to see at least 3.0″ of comfort material and at least 9-10″ of mattress thickness (for adults). Mattresses with a thicker comfort layer (like the Purple Original) can sometimes get away with a thinner total thickness.

The amount of comfort material and total mattress thickness are two of the most important factors when considering pressure relief.

Off-gassing is pretty strong with both GhostBed and Purple right out of the box, but GhostBed mattresses off-gas faster than Purple on average.

Off-Gassing Test	Score	Initial Smell	Smell Duration
Ghostbed Classic	9.4	Strong	2 days
Ghostbed Flex	8.9	Strong	4 days
Ghostbed Luxe	8.6	Strong	5 days
Purple	8.9	Strong	4 days
Purple Restore Plus	7.2	Strong	10 days
Purple Restore Premier	2.8	Strong	26 days

All versions of the GhostBed mattress off-gas between 2-5 days. Purple mattresses range from 4-26 days to fully dissipate any odors that are packed in the box.

When it comes to company policy, GhostBed and Purple are similar. They both have about the same length of trial, but GhostBed is technically longer at 101 nights versus only 100 nights with Purple.

Warranty is the other difference. Purple warranties their mattresses for 10 years, but GhostBed warranties for up to 25 years.

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

Shipping and returns are free for both mattress brands. In addition, both Ghostbed and Purple mattresses are made in the USA.

For comparison, the average trial period is 165 nights and the average warranty is 14 years (excluding 23% of all mattresses which offer lifettime warranties.)

Compared to the average, both GhostBed and Purple have shorter trial periods than average.

Both GhostBed and Purple offer a range of firmnesses. Check the table below to see the full range.

Firmness	Rating	Feel
Ghostbed 3D Matrix	5	Medium
Ghostbed Classic	6.5	Medium-Firm
Ghostbed Flex	6	Medium-Firm
Ghostbed Luxe	6	Medium-Firm
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

For a softer feel, opt for the Purple Restore Premier (soft version), which has a firmness of 4 out of 10.

For a medium feel, go for the Purple Original, Purple Restore (soft version), or the Purple Restore Plus (soft version), which all have a firmness of 5 out of 10.

For a medium-firm feel, any of the GhostBed mattresses will be good options—the GhostBed Classic, GhostBed Luxe, or GhostBed Flex, with firmnesses of 6 out of 10. The Purple Newday, Purple Plus, and Purple Restore Premier (firm version) would also fall in this category.

For a slightly firm feel, the Purple Restore (firm version) or the Purple Restore Plus (firm version) would be good picks, with a firmness of 7 out of 10.

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.

Almost all Ghostbed and Purple mattresses have a medium to medium-firm feel. At this firmness range they are ideal for a vast majority of sleepers, all sleeping positions, and all body types.

Sleeper Weight	Stomach Sleepers	Side Sleepers	Back Sleepers
Under 150 lbs.	Yes	Yes	Yes
150-250 lbs.	Yes	Yes	Yes
250-300 lbs.	Yes	Yes	Yes

People who may not like this firmness includes:

• Lightweight side sleepers: If you are a lightweight side sleeper the Purple Original or the softer Purple Restore Premier would likely be the best option from GhostBed or Purple. The softer feel of these mattresses allows for easier contour that better supports your body on its side.
• Heavy weight back or stomach sleepers: If you are a heavier weight back or stomach sleeper and want to go with Purple or GhostBed, the best models are going to be the GhostBed Classic or Purple Restore Plus (firmer version). These have a medium-firm to slightly firm feel, which has the best chance of creating the best support dynamic.

Regardless of personal preference, both the GhostBed and Purple mattresses are good options for a wide range of sleepers (and sleeping positions), outside of the few exceptions mentioned above.

Design

Both Purple and GhostBed offer a mix of foam and hybrid options. Here’s a quick overview of the mattresses covered in this comparison:

Design	Type	Mattress Thickness
Ghostbed Classic	Foam	11.0″
Ghostbed Flex	Hybrid	11.5″
Ghostbed Luxe	Memory Foam	13.0″
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 GhostBed vs. Purple:

GhostBed vs. Purple: Which Should You Buy?

So bottom line, between GhostBed and Purple, which mattress is right for you? Here is a recap of each mattress score as well as our recommendation

GhostBed Mattresses

Ghostbed Mattresses	Score	Best For	Firmness	Check Price
Ghostbed 3D Matrix	9.07	For Cooling Performance	Medium (5)	Check Price
Ghostbed Classic	8.76	Budget Sleepers, Low Motion Transfer	Medium-Firm (6.5)	Check Price
Ghostbed Flex	9.15	Hybrid design, Best GhostBed Performance	Medium-Firm (6)	Check Price
Ghostbed Luxe	9.19	Deeper Sinkage, More Contour, Better Edge Support	Medium-Firm (6)	Check Price

Purple Mattresses

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

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