Nectar vs. Purple: 12 Mattresses Objectively Compared

Our Testing & Selection Process

This guide highlights the most important factors in determining if Nectar or Purple offers the right mattress for you.

In This Comparison
Compare the Models | Performance Tests | Firmness | Support

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 Nectar vs. Purple.

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

Compare Nectar Scores

Factor	Nectar Hybrid	Nectar Hybrid Premier	Nectar Hybrid Premier Copper	Nectar Original	Nectar Premier	Nectar Premier Copper
Overall Score	7.87	8.48	8.87	7.95	8.64	8.78
Cooling	9.0	9.0	9.0	8.0	9.0	9.0
Motion Transfer	6.0	5.6	7.7	10	10	10
Response	5.0	9.1	9.2	5.0	8.7	9.4
Edge Support	8.7	8.2	9.6	6.0	6.4	7.5
Sex	8.4	9.6	8.6	6.0	6.8	6.3
Pressure Relief	8.0	9.0	9.0	9.0	9.0	9.0
Off-Gassing	9.2	8.9	9.4	8.9	8.9	9.2
Company	9.0	9.0	9.0	9.0	9.0	9.0

Compare Purple Scores

Factor	Purple	Purple Flex	Purple Plus	Purple Restore	Purple Restore Plus	Purple Restore Premier
Overall Score	8.99	7.69	8.49	8.31	8.88	8.47
Cooling	10	8.0	9.0	9.0	9.0	9.0
Motion Transfer	10	6.5	7.0	6.0	7.2	6.7
Response	10	10	10	10	10	10
Edge Support	5.1	7.1	7.3	8.9	10	9.9
Sex	8.8	9.1	9.1	9.6	9.9	8.8
Pressure Relief	9.0	6.0	9.0	8.0	9.0	9.0
Off-Gassing	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

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 visibly.

Compare Nectar Data

Factor	Nectar Hybrid	Nectar Hybrid Premier	Nectar Hybrid Premier Copper	Nectar Original	Nectar Premier	Nectar Premier Copper
Price (Queen)	$799	$1,099	$1,349	$659	$949	$1,249
Cooling	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent	Good	Excellent	Excellent
Sinkage – Depth	1.70″	2.35″	1.99″	2.03″	2.23″	2.22″
Sinkage – Feel	Minimal	Deep	Minimal	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate
Motion Transfer – Acceleration	14.00 m/s²	14.73 m/s²	10.04 m/s²	2.67 m/s²	2.80 m/s²	1.88 m/s²
Response Time – Mostly Recovered	2.5 sec.	0.3 sec.	0.3 sec.	3.0 sec.	0.4 sec.	0.3 sec.
Response Time – Fully Recovered	6.8 sec.	0.8 sec.	0.7 sec.	5.0 sec.	0.8 sec.	0.5 sec.
Bounce – Height	8.83″	13.11″	9.30″	4.76″	7.10″	5.14″
Bounce – Feel	Moderate	Very High	Moderate	Very Low	Low	Very Low
Edge Support – Sitting	3.50″	4.25″	3.75″	6.25″	7.25″	6.25″
Edge Support – Lying	Good	Good	Outstanding	Mediocre	Good	Excellent
Comfort Layer Thickness	3.0″	4.0″	5.0″	5.0″	6.0″	5.0″
Mattress Thickness	12.0″	13.0″	14.0″	12.0″	13.0″	14.0″
Off-Gassing – Smell	Strong	Strong	Moderate	Moderate	Strong	Strong
Off-Gassing – Days	3 days	4 days	2 days	4 days	4 days	3 days
Trial	365 nights	365 nights	365 nights	365 nights	365 nights	365 nights
Warranty	Lifetime	Lifetime	Lifetime	Lifetime	Lifetime	Lifetime

Compare Purple Data

Factor	Purple	Purple Flex	Purple Plus	Purple Restore	Purple Restore Plus	Purple Restore Premier
Price (Queen)	$1,399	$1,095	$1,595	$2,295	$2,595	$3,495
Cooling	Outstanding	Good	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent
Sinkage – Depth	2.24″	1.66″	2.03″	1.90″	1.99″	1.82″
Sinkage – Feel	Moderate	Very Minimal	Moderate	Minimal	Minimal	Minimal
Motion Transfer – Acceleration	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.	0.2 sec.	0.2 sec.
Response Time – Fully Recovered	0.3 sec.	0.3 sec.	0.3 sec.	0.3 sec.	0.3 sec.	0.3 sec.
Bounce – Height	12.79″	11.29″	11.28″	14.42″	12.20″	9.46″
Bounce – Feel	Very High	High	High	Extremely High	Very High	Moderate
Edge Support – Sitting	7.75″	4.50″	5.00″	4.00″	2.75″	3.25″
Edge Support – Lying	Mediocre	Mediocre	Fair	Excellent	Outstanding	Outstanding
Comfort Layer Thickness	5.5″	2.0″	4.0″	3.0″	5.0″	3.0″
Mattress Thickness	9.5″	8.0″	11.0″	11.0″	13.0″	13.0″
Off-Gassing – Smell	Strong	Strong	Strong	Strong	Strong	Strong
Off-Gassing – 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
Warranty	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 Nectar or Purple to be better suited for your needs.

Factor	Winner	Score
Best Overall	Purple	8.99
Best Cooling	Purple	10
Most Sinkage	Nectar Hybrid Premier	2.35″
Least Sinkage	Purple Flex	1.66″
Lowest Motion Transfer	Nectar Original, Nectar Premier, Nectar Premier Copper, 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	Nectar Original	4.76″
Best Edge Support	Purple Restore Plus	10
Best for Sex	Purple Restore Plus	9.9
Best Pressure Relief	Nectar Hybrid Premier, Nectar Hybrid Premier Copper, Nectar Original, Nectar Premier, Nectar Premier Copper, Purple, Purple Plus, Purple Restore Plus, Purple Restore Premier	9.0
Least Off-Gassing	Nectar Hybrid Premier Copper	9.4
Best Company	Nectar	9

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

Which Mattresses Are We Comparing?

Nectar manufactures three main mattresses (the Original, the Premier, and the Premier Copper). All three of these styles are available as a foam mattress or a hybrid.

Due to their popularity, this review will focus on the foam versions.

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 Newday were excluded based on their lower overall performance scores.

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

Comparing cooling, Purple has better performance had better performance, with an overall cooling average of 9.00. For comparison, Nectar’s cooling average is only 8.83.

Cooling Test	Score	Baseline	Max Temp	Ending Temp
Nectar Original	8.0	83.0°	90.6°	85.0°
Nectar Premier	9.0	80.7°	90.5°	86.6°
Nectar Premier Copper	9.0	84.4°	90.6°	87.2°
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

Both brands have good cooling, but comparing Nectar’s memory foam construction with Purple’s foam and gel grid layers, Purple does have an advantage.

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 Nectar and Purple, Nectar has deeper sinkage than Purple, on average. All three Nectar mattresses tested in this review have between 2.03 – 2.22″ of sinkage (a moderate level). Purple mattresses, on the other hand, have an average sinkage level between 1.82 – 2.24″.

The Purple Restore Plus and Purple Restore Premier have a minimal level of sinkage, with less than 2″ of sinkage.

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

Sinkage Test	Sinkage Feel	Sinkage Depth
Nectar Original	Moderate	2.03″
Nectar Premier	Moderate	2.23″
Nectar Premier Copper	Moderate	2.22″
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.

Looking at motion transfer, we saw better performance from Nectar all-foam mattresses and the Purple Original than we saw from the Purple hybrids.

These results aren’t too shocking given that coil-based mattresses oftentimes have higher levels of bounce and motion transfer. And Nectar’s use of memory foam gives their mattresses the clear upper hand in this test.

Motion Transfer Test	Score	Acc. Range
Nectar Original	10	2.67 m/s²
Nectar Premier	10	2.80 m/s²
Nectar Premier Copper	10	1.88 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

For reference, the average level of motion transfer across all mattresses tested to date is 8.54 m/s².

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

Looking at material response time, Purple takes the win here. All Purple mattresses have faster material response time than all Nectar mattresses tested here.

Again, we see Nectar’s memory foam playing a big role here. This material is known for its viscoelasticity and ability to provide deep, pressure-relieving contour. But the trade-off is that Nectar is quite slow to respond.

For Nectar with a faster material response time, you may want to check out the Nectar hybrids.

Response Test	Score	Mostly Recovered	Completely Recovered
Nectar Original	5.0	3.0 seconds	5.0 seconds
Nectar Premier	8.7	0.4 seconds	0.8 seconds
Nectar Premier Copper	9.4	0.3 seconds	0.5 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 speed of material response time is 0.4 seconds to be mostly recovered and 0.8 seconds to be fully recovered.

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

Nectar mattresses have low or very low levels of bounce, ranging from 4.76″ – 7.10″. Purple mattresses have much higher bounce levels, ranging from 9.46″ – 12.79″.

Bounce Test	Bounce Feel	Bounce Height
Nectar Original	Very Low	4.76″
Nectar Premier	Low	7.10″
Nectar Premier Copper	Very Low	5.14″
Purple	Very High	12.79″
Purple Restore Plus	Very High	12.20″
Purple Restore Premier	Moderate	9.46″

The average level of bounce is 9.62″, comparing all mattresses tested to date.

Bounce is a bit of a preferential factor, but generally speaking anything between 7-10″ is in the moderate range.

Nectar and Purple fall at opposite ends of the spectrum so you’ll really want to consider how much bounce you want before choosing one of these brands.

Higher bounce makes the mattress easier to move around on, gives it a more traditional feel, and greatly improves sex. By contrast, lower bounce can make it harder to move around on, inhibits sex, but also reduces motion transfer.

The mattress with the lowest amount of bounce is the Nectar Original and the mattress with the highest amount of bounce is the Purple Original.

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

Edge support is best on the Purple hybrids, moderate on the Nectar all-foam mattresses, and worst on the Purple Original.

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

Edge Support Test	Score	Sitting Sinkage	Lying Support
Nectar Original	6.0	6.25″	Mediocre
Nectar Premier	6.4	7.25″	Good
Nectar Premier Copper	7.5	6.25″	Excellent
Purple	5.1	7.75″	Mediocre
Purple Restore Plus	10	2.75″	Outstanding
Purple Restore Premier	9.9	3.25″	Outstanding

The average score for edge support is 8.56, with a max sitting sinkage of 4.14″. By this metric, the only mattresses to score better than average are the Purple Restore Plus and Purple Restore Premier.

The Nectar hybrids also have better edge performance than average and were notably better than all of the all foam versions of Nectar.

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

Comparing Nectar and Purple, Purple has better sex performance. Purple offers higher levels of bounce and better edge support (excluding the Purple Original), which helps Purple to have better performance in this area.

The table below shows how sex performance varies between the 6 mattresses included in this comparison.

Sex Test	Sex Score	Bounce	Edge Support	Noise	Pressure Relief	Cooling
Nectar Original	6.0	5.4	5.9	10	9.0	8.0
Nectar Premier	6.8	6.9	4.7	10	9.0	9.0
Nectar Premier Copper	6.3	5.7	5.9	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

How Do We Determine Sex Score?

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.

Pressure relief is an important part of how a sleeper engages with a mattress.

Both Nectar and Purple have great performance regarding pressure relief. All of these mattresses have a thicker-than-average comfort layer (except for the Purple Restore Premier) followed by a sufficiently thick support layer.

Both of these layers are important to maintain optimal pressure relief.

Pressure Relief Test	Score	Comfort Layer	Support Layer
Nectar Original	9.0	5.0″	7.0″
Nectar Premier	9.0	6.0″	7.0″
Nectar Premier Copper	9.0	5.0″	9.0″
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″

Off-gassing is strong on all of these mattresses, except for the Nectar Original, but the off-gassing duration differs.

Off-Gassing Test	Score	Initial Smell	Smell Duration
Nectar Original	8.9	Moderate	4 days
Nectar Premier	8.9	Strong	4 days
Nectar Premier Copper	9.2	Strong	3 days
Purple	8.9	Strong	4 days
Purple Restore Plus	7.2	Strong	10 days
Purple Restore Premier	2.8	Strong	26 days

Nectar mattresses take between 3-4 days to off-gas whereas the Purple mattresses take anywhere from 4-26 days.

For reference, the average off-gassing period is 5 days. So Nectar off-gasses faster than average and Purple off-gassing is significantly slower than average (excluding the Purple Original).

Between Nectar and Purple, Nectar comes with more favorable trial and warranty policies.

Company	Nectar	Purple
Score	9	8.5
Trial Period	365 nights	100 nights
Warranty	Lifetime	10 years
Shipping	$0	$0
Returns	$0	$0
Trust	Good	Good
Country of Origin	China	USA

The average trial length is 163 nights, longer than Purple’s 100-night trial by 63%.

By comparison, Nectar gives you a complete year to decide if the mattress is the right pick for you.

Nectar also has a lifetime warranty while Purple’s is only 10 years. Only 25% of the mattresses we’ve tested (over 197+ tested to date) have lifetime warranties. The average of the other 75% is 14 years, 4 years longer than the Purple warranty.

Looking at all available mattresses, Nectar ranges in firmness from 5 to 6.5 out of 10 and Purple mattresses range from 4 to 7 out of 10.

Of these two brands, Purple has the wider firmness range and is a better option if you’re looking for a soft mattress (Purple Restore Premier) or a slightly firm mattress (Purple Restore Plus). For a medium-firm mattress, either Purple or Nectar could work.

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

Firmness	Rating	Feel
Nectar Hybrid	6.5	Medium-Firm
Nectar Hybrid Premier	6	Medium-Firm
Nectar Hybrid Premier Copper	6.5	Medium-Firm
Nectar Original	6.5	Medium-Firm
Nectar Premier	5.5	Medium
Nectar Premier Copper	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 Nectar and Purple offer supportive mattresses that are suitable for a wide range of sleeping positions.

Lighter-weighted sleepers or side sleepers may benefit from a softer feel like the Purple Restore Premier (softer version), the Purple Original, or the Nectar Premier Copper. This selection includes a firmness range between 4 – 5 out of 10.

Heavier-weighted sleepers or those who sleep on their back or stomach oftentimes benefit from a firmer feel, like the feel provided by the Purple Restore Plus (firmer version).

All that said, most sleepers prefer a medium-firm feel, which is a 6-6.5 out of 10 on our scale. Mattresses at this level include the Nectar Hybrid, Nectar Hybrid Premier, Nectar Hybrid Premier Copper, Nectar Original, Nectar vs. Purple, Purple Plus, and Purple Restore Premier (medium-firm version).

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.

Design

Nectar mattresses can be all-foam or hybrid construction, with both options having a memory foam comfort layer and feel.

Purple mattresses are also foam or hybrids. The comfort layer on Purple mattresses is their patented Purple gel pad, which is designed to improve pressure relief, limit motion transfer, and give the mattress a bit of a floating feel with a more generalized contour.

Design	Type	Mattress Thickness
Nectar Original	Memory Foam	12.0″
Nectar Premier	Memory Foam	13.0″
Nectar Premier Copper	Memory Foam	14.0″
Purple	Specialty	9.5″
Purple Restore Plus	Specialty	13.0″
Purple Restore Premier	Specialty	13.0″

Materials

Here is a look inside Nectar vs. Purple mattresses.

Nectar vs. Purple: Which Should You Buy?

So bottom line, between Nectar and Purple, 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.

Nectar Mattresses

Nectar Mattresses	Score	Best For	Firmness	Check Price
Nectar Hybrid	7.87	Good Edge Support, Memory Foam + Bounce	Medium-Firm (6.5)	Check Price
Nectar Hybrid Premier	8.48	Excellent Pressure Relief, Memory Foam with Fast Response	Medium-Firm (6)	Check Price
Nectar Hybrid Premier Copper	8.87	Top Performing Nectar, excellent edge support	Medium-Firm (6.5)	Check Price
Nectar Original	7.95	Lowest Price, Good Edge Support, 12″ Thick	Medium-Firm (6.5)	Check Price
Nectar Premier	8.64	Best Value Nectar, good all-around mattress	Medium (5.5)	Check Price
Nectar Premier Copper	8.78	Slightly Softer Feel, 14″ Thick	Medium (5)	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	Best Soft Purple	Soft (4), Medium-Firm (6)	Check Price