Purple Hybrid vs. Casper Mattress Comparison

This article was originally published on Mattress Finder.

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Before we dive into the comparison, let’s cover a few of the items that Casper and Purple have in common. It’s not a long list, but there are a few areas where they are pretty much even.

Overall, however, this is going to be a longer post in which we cover the major pros/cons of each bed.

Purple Hybrid mattress review

Purple mattresses are good for:

• if you’re looking for a unique, responsive mattress with a different type of feel
• all types of sleepers

Details:

• free shipping and returns
• 100-night trial period
• 10-year warranty
• made in the USA

Purple makes some of the most interesting beds that you can purchase online. Unlike most beds, Purple doesn’t use memory foam or latex foam or a proprietary foam for their top layer.

Instead, they use a grid of their patented Hyper-Elastic Polymer, which is purple in color and obviously where the company gets its name.

Purple Hybrid mattress top layer

The Hyper-Elastic Polymer technology does a wonderful job of keeping the mattress cool, and it can be both firm and soft with ample pressure relief and support.

It has an odd feel — like nothing you’ve ever experienced on a bed before — but we think it’s a good thing. However, it will take some getting used to and some people may not like it. It’s one of those things that you just need to try for yourself to see if it’s for you.

Here’s us showing how responsive the top layer is. You can also learn more about the top layer by shopping around Purple’s website.

You can see just how quickly the material bounces back into shape. Unlike certain foam or hybrid beds, we have not had a Purple mattress leave a body impression yet.

It’s also very easy to switch positions during the night (i.e. you never feel stuck in the mattress). Here’s us showing (at a small scale) what the Purple grid is like. It’s similar to a gel material, but it’s not gel.

RELATED: Check current promotions on Purple.com

What’s new with Purple Hybrid and Purple Hybrid Premier?

You can learn more in our individual reviews, but essentially Purple has taken out the layers of polyurethane foam on the original Purple Mattress and replaced that with 7.5-inch pocketed coils, similar to what you’ll see on Helix Sleep and Leesa Hybrid.

The only practical difference between Purple Hybrid and Hybrid Premier is the thickness of that top layer. As you no doubt guessed, the number just refers to the thickness in inches of that top layer.

In other words, Purple Hybrid has a 2-inch layer of Hyper-Elastic Polymer (just like the original Purple Mattress), the Purple Hybrid Premier has a 3-inch layer or 4-inch layer. Now, the thickness of the top layer does also affect the weight and price of the bed (as well as the feel, clearly).

As for the weight of the mattresses, the Purple Hybrid ranges from 77 pounds for a Twin XL up to 149 pounds for a King. The Purple 3-inch goes from 91 pounds up to 176 pounds.

And Purple Hybrid Premier ranges from 105 pounds all the way up to a whopping 204 pounds, which means you better have a buddy if you plan on moving this bad boy.

Purple Hybrid mattress pricing

Below is a pricing breakdown for the new Purple mattresses. Purple tends to be one of the more expensive bed-in-a-box mattress brands, however, the 3.0 and 4.0 are creeping up there into luxury mattress territory.

So, if you’re on a budget, definitely think about the original Purple Mattress, Purple Hybrid, or Casper.

Purple Hybrid pricing:

Purple Hybrid Premier pricing:

Prices valid as of September 23, 2020

Purple almost never offers strict promo codes or coupon codes on their beds. In fact, we haven’t seen one in over a year. Instead, Purple offers certain bundles during major holidays. For example, we’ve seen them bundle in a free seat cushion or sheets before.

You can check on Purple.com for current mattress promotions.

Casper, on the other hand, does offer certain promo codes (as well as bundles, occasionally).

You can check on Casper.com for current mattress promotions.

Purple Hybrid sleeps cooler than Casper

While Casper does not sleep hot, Purple — in our experience — does sleep cooler thanks to the breathable cover and gel-like top layer.

The Purple just does a wonderful job of allowing in plenty of airflow and doesn’t conduct and retain heat like foams do (and it’s certainly better than traditional memory foam… not even close).

The addition of pocketed coils also helps to increase airflow through the bed. You probably won’t notice much of a difference over the OG Purple Mattress, but coils in general help with breathability.

One interesting thing about Purple mattresses is that they sleep cool, but they don’t feel cool.

What I mean is that they’re not cool to the touch like the Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Mattress is, for example. Now, you might want an extra cool mattress, but we do appreciate that Purple stays cool without being cold.

Purple Hybrid is preferable for those over 240 pounds

Because the new Purple models are thicker and incorporate coils, they are the better option for heavier individuals, say 240 pounds or more. They’re just going to provide more support.

This is, however, in contrast to the OG Purple bed, which didn’t have the same support that Purple Hybrid and Hybrid Premier do. The coils will also help to extend the useful life of the bed since, in general, innerspring beds seem to keep their shape better than all-foam beds do over a period of 10 or more years.

It is important to note that Casper has actually changed its mattress somewhat as of early 2018.

When they first introduced the Casper Wave mattress, they also debuted a new concept — at least in the bed-in-a-box world — where they varied the density and support level of the foams based on the location on the mattress.

For example, Casper increases the density and support level of the foam in the center third of the 2018 Casper Original Mattress as well as the Casper Wave. This provides noticeably more support for your hips and trunk and prevents sagging.

Before, we were able to bottom out the mattress simply by sitting in one location — that’s no longer true. You have far better support with the 2018 version of the Casper Mattress.

Having said that, we still believe the amount of support that you get from Purple Hybrid and Hybrid Premier makes them better suited when it comes to accommodating those over 240 pounds.

Edge support is better with Purple beds than on Casper

One area where the original Purple Mattress could improve is edge support. This go-around, with Purple Hybrid and Hybrid Premier, they’ve paid close attention to edge support, adding dense foam around the edges of the mattress to prevent that “roll off” sensation.

Edge support is particularly important for couples who are sleeping on a smaller bed such as a Full or Queen where space is in short supply. We’ve tested plenty of mattresses that simply have poor edge support to where you feel like you’re going to roll off of the bed if you sleep near the edges.

Now, Casper has pretty decent edge support, but it’s simply not as effective as the system on the new Purple beds. If you get Casper, you won’t hate the edge support, but it’s not world class.

Unique feel of Purple Hybrid bed vs. Casper

This is a subjective point, but you may honestly prefer the feel of Purple to Casper. This will clearly differ from person to person, but if you don’t want a foam bed and you’re open to trying a new and unique mattress, Purple is the way to go.

As mentioned before, we do really like the feel and comfort of Purple, but it may take some getting used to. It’s different, but in a good way.

Purple Hybrid will work for all types of sleepers

Purple claims the Purple Hybrid is the firmest of the three since there’s less polymer between you and the coils. In theory this would be better for back and stomach sleepers because you’ll feel a little more of the support coming from the coil system.

Likewise, they claim the Purple Hybrid Premier is the softest since there’s 4 inches of that polymer, but to be honest, we think Purple Hybrid and Hybrid Premier can accommodate all types of sleepers.

Side sleepers will get ample pressure relief and back and stomach sleepers will get enough support, but no added pressure on their chest cavity. Even combo sleepers that rotate positions at night should be good on the Purple Hybrid and Hybrid Premier.

Casper mattress review

Casper mattresses are good for:

• people who like memory foam
• hot sleepers on a limited budget
• people who like firmer beds

Details:

• free shipping and returns
• 100-night trial period
• 10-year warranty
• made in the USA

Casper is more affordable than Purple beds

Casper Original has the more affordable bed. See the table below for a breakdown of Casper Original’s pricing:

Prices valid as of September 23, 2020

We also have a coupon when you shop at Casper.

Purple Hybrid is heavy, Casper is not

You’re going to need a partner to help you move, unroll, and setup Purple beds, while Casper is relatively lightweight and therefore can be managed by one person (who does not have back issues).

This is a somewhat moot point if you opt for the white glove delivery and setup with Purple, but worth mentioning that Casper is far easier to move and setup.

One area where the weight is especially important is with making the bed. The Purple Hybrid is fairly heavy. That makes lifting each corner to make the bed more of a chore (far more) than it is with Casper.

Casper is great at deadening motion

Casper is the better bed for limiting cross-mattress motion. For example, if you or your partner is particularly active in your sleep, with certain beds, that can really disrupt the other partner.

With Casper (and a lot of all-foam beds) the layers of foam do a great job of limiting that motion transfer. If you’re really concerned with motion transfer, go with Casper.

Having said that, Purple does use pocketed coils specifically to limit motion transfer with the new beds. We’ve seen in the past that the pocketed coils are better than a traditional innerspring system, but just not quite on par with an all-foam mattress.

You may love the soft, foam feel of Casper

You can’t really ignore the fact that Casper is comfortable. This could be one of the most comfortable beds out there.

Casper has more of that standard foam feel that you may be used to and prefer, while Purple is totally new and will feel foreign at first. Again, this is subjective, but there are definitely people out there who will want the foam experience, and you’ll get that with Casper, not Purple.

Casper is good for back, stomach, and side sleepers

Just like Purple, Casper is good for all types of sleepers. It’s about a 4.75 to 5.75 on the soft to firm scale with 0 being silky soft and 10 being as hard as your pet rock.

Casper does a good job of offering enough support (thanks to the new reinforced center third) while also having plenty of pressure relief for your shoulders. Bottom line is that if you want an accommodating foam mattress, Casper is hard to beat.

Purple Hybrid vs. Casper mattress shipping, returns, etc.

Like most bed-in-a-box mattresses, both Casper and Purple Hybrid will ship their beds directly to your home.

The original Purple Mattress will ship rolled up in a purple bag via FedEx, while the Purple Hybrid and Purple Hybrid Premier will come with free white glove delivery, which basically means a local delivery company will bring it by and set it up for you.

Purple does this mostly because of the weight of the new mattresses, which can be up to 204 pounds. Purple doesn’t want you throwing out your back before you even test your new mattress.

Casper, on the other hand, will ship in a box and can be unrolled and set up by one person, which honestly is nice. It’s a much lighter mattress.

Beyond that, both brands offer free returns and a 100-night risk-free trial whereby you can test the bed for yourself. If you like it, keep it. That’s the dream (pun intended).

If you decide you want to try another, call the brand up and get a full refund (as long as you’re within the first 100 nights). If you decide to keep the mattress, though, it comes with a 10-year warranty. For the record, all of this is standard for the online mattress industry, but still worth mentioning.

The Mattress Finder team is composed of certified professionals who are passionate about helping consumers improve their sleep. We thoroughly test each mattress we review through a series of practical, hands-on inspections and assessments. We write every review expecting that our closest friends and family members rely on us for their mattress and sleep product decisions, so honesty and authenticity are core principles of our inspection process.