Purple are one of the most popular mattress brands on the market at the moment.
But is a Purple mattress worth the money in 2022?
A Purple mattress is almost certainly worth the extra money when compared to cheaper memory foam, spring, and polyfoam mattresses because the higher density memory foam (1.8-2.0 PCF) and proprietary 2″ Hyper-Elastic Polymer™ layers are likely to be more durable and last longer than the inferior quality materials typically found in cheaper mattresses – giving you more for your money long-term.
Below is a more in-depth comparison of the pros and cons of the Purple Original mattress with mention of the Purple Hybrid and Purple Hybrid Premier mattresses where appropriate to help you decide if a Purple mattress is the right purchase for you.
Alternatively: if you don’t want to buy a Purple mattress, then see my list of the best mattresses to buy online in 2022 for a range of high-quality alternatives.
Should You Buy a Purple Mattress?
You should consider buying a Purple mattress if the pros outweigh the cons listed below:
Pros
Below is a look at the potential benefits of the Purple Original mattress to help you identify how this mattress could meet your specific sleeping requirements:
1: Ideal for Back Sleepers
If you sleep mainly on your back and weigh less than 230 lbs then the Purple Original mattress could be ideal for you because the medium-firm feel combines with the ‘Purple Grid’ 2″ hyper-elastic gel layer to provide adaptive support for your spine and joints to help maintain good posture and potentially prevent back pain.
2: Can Help You to Sleep Cool
If you’re a warmer sleeper then the hyper-elastic gel layer in the Purple Original could help you to sleep cool because the grid design allows the warmer air to dissipate and be replaced by cooler ambient air as you move around – thus potentially helping to regulate your temperature better than mattresses that have a solid polyfoam or memory foam top layer.
3: Good For Couples
If you sleep as a couple and you’re fed up of waking each other up during the night as you move around then the polymer gel combined with the high-density polyfoam transition and base layers do an excellent job of dampening movements and cross-mattress transfer so that you can both sleep more soundly.
4: Less Shoulder and Hip Pressure for Side Sleepers
Even though the Purple Original is a medium-firm mattress, the pressure relief afforded by the polymer gel combined with the adaptive foam support means that you should experience excellent pressure relief on your hips and shoulders if you’re a side sleeper in the 130 – 230 lbs weight range.
5: Improved Edge Support for Edge Sleepers
The updated version of the Purple Original mattress now includes a layer of foam around the perimeter to help provide more edge support so that you won’t feel like you’re rolling out when you sleep closer to the edge of the bed.
6: Restless Sleepers Can Switch Positions Easily
If you’re the type of restless sleeper that switches positions often during the night, then not only can the polymer gel help to reduce the pressure points that may be causing you to shuffle around uncomfortably, the resilience of the material combined with the medium-firm feel means that you can turn over without getting suck in the materials as you might do in a memory foam mattress.
7: Non-Toxic and Hypoallergenic
The Purple Original is made from non-toxic materials, is CertiPUR-US® certified to ensure low odor-causing VOCs, and is hypoallergenic to minimize the chance of you experiencing an allergic reaction when sleeping on the mattress.
8: Something Different
If you’ve already tried memory foam, spring, and latex foam mattresses and you’ve not been impressed, then you might really enjoy the temperature neutral and springy feel of the hyper-elastic polymer top layer.
9: 100 Nights to Return the Mattress
Purple offers a 100-night sleep trial that allows you to sleep on the mattress for up to 100 nights (with a minimum trial period of 21 nights) and return it for a full refund (less original shipping fees and any accrued interest from financing if applicable) which means that you can try the Purple mattress with confidence.
Considerations
Before you buy the Purple Original mattress, you should consider the following points and their potential solutions:
1: Unique Feel
Because all of Purple’s mattresses have the same polymer gel material in the upper comfort layer arranged in the form of a grid (it looks like a waffle), then when you lie on the mattress, you’ll experience a rather unique feeling of the columns collapsing and rising in response to your body weight as you move around.
Some sleepers may be fine with this unique feel, whilst others might not be so keen – just remember that you have the 100-night sleep trial to fall back on if you decide that you want to return the mattress.
2: Heavier Stomach Sleepers May Prefer the Purple Hybrid
If you weigh more than 230 lbs and sleep strictly on your stomach then you might find that you sink a bit too far into the materials which may put pressure on your lower back; in which case you would be better off going for the Purple Hybrid because it’s a touch firmer and has coils in the lower support core to guard against sinkage whilst also providing adaptive support for your spine and joints.
3: Lighter Side Sleepers May Prefer the Purple Hybrid Premier
If you’re a lighter weighted side sleeper then you may be better off buying the Purple Hybrid Premier mattress because it has the option of a thicker, 3 or 4-inch grid height which means that you can experience deeper sinkage so that your body weight is distributed more evenly and so the pressure that you would feel in your joints on a thinner mattress is thus dispersed more effectively to increase comfort.
4: Heavier Sleepers Over 230 lbs May Prefer the Purple Hybrid Premier
If you weigh more than 230 lbs then the deeper 3 or 4-inch layer of the grid in the upper comfort layer combined with the responsive support coils in the core means that your weight will be better supported in the Purple Hybrid Premier than the Purple Original.
5: Couples Need to Agree!
Although the motion isolation and lack of springs make the Purple Original mattress ideal for couples that want to sleep undisturbed, you each need to ensure that you’re happy with the unique feel of the polymer gel and the medium-firm feel (there’s a 100-night sleep trial which means that you can return the Purple mattress if you or your partner don’t like it).
How Does Purple Compare to Other Mattresses?
Below is a summary of how the Purple Original mattress compares to the other types of mattresses on the market at the moment:
1: Purple vs Memory Foam Mattresses
The Purple Original mattress feels more springy and responsive than most memory foam mattresses due to the resilience of the proprietary polymer gel in the upper comfort layer that contrasts with the deeper and more enveloping feel of memory foam.
This means that you’ll probably prefer the Purple Original mattress over a standard memory foam mattress if you’re a combination sleeper that doesn’t want to get bogged down in the materials, or a warmer sleeper that needs a more breathable sleep surface that can dissipate heat and regulate your temperature better.
2: Purple vs Spring Mattresses
Although the Purple Original mattress is quite bouncy, it won’t feel as springy as a traditional coil or hybrid spring mattress because the lower transition and support layers are made from high-density polyfoam which has more ‘give’ to it.
This means that if you’re a heavier sleeper over 230 lbs that needs more bounce and support, then you should go for the Purple Hybrid with its spring core instead of the Purple Original.
3: Purple vs Latex Mattresses
It could be argued that the Purple Original mattress resembles a latex foam mattress more than any other type of mattress because both are breathable, responsive, and hypoallergenic.
However, you will probably find that the Purple Original mattress is cheaper than most latex mattresses (especially the organic versions).
4: Purple vs Cheaper Mattresses
It’s fairly likely that the higher-density polyfoam (1.8-2.0 PCF) and the proprietary polymer gel are longer lasting than the lower density foam used in cheap polyfoam and memory foam mattresses – so you could potentially see your money being better invested in a Purple mattress over the long run.
5: Purple vs More Expensive Mattresses
The Purple Original mattress may prove to be both cheaper and equal in (or better) quality when compared to more expensive higher-end memory foam, latex foam, or even hybrid spring mattresses.
Conclusion: Money Better Spent Long Term
Overall, a Purple mattress may be worth the extra initial cost because the materials are probably going to last longer than those found in cheaper mattresses and so the relative cost of each night’s sleep will be lower over the long run.
But if you’re not convinced or you don’t think that a Purple mattress is right for you, then click the button below to see my list of the best mattresses to buy online for a range of different sleeping positions, styles, and requirements.
Image Attribution and Licencing
Main image provided by Purple.com – used with permission as per the terms set out in line with a private affiliate deal.
Dan is the founder and head content creator at Bedroom Style Reviews.
He has been working as a professional online product reviewer since 2015 and was inspired to start this website when he ended up sleeping on a memory foam mattress that was too soft and gave him backache.
Through in-depth research and analysis, Dan’s goal with this website is to help others avoid such pitfalls by creating the best online resource for helping you find your ideal mattress, bedding, and bedroom furniture.
Dan is a qualified NVQ Level 2 Fitness Instructor with 6 years’ experience helping clients improve their health through diet, exercise, and proper sleep hygiene.
He also holds several college and university-level qualifications in health sciences, psychology, mathematics, art, and digital media creation – which helps him to publish well researched and informative product reviews as well as articles on sleep, health, wellbeing, and home decor.
Dan also has direct personal experience with insomnia, anxiety, misophonia (hypersensitivity to sounds), and pain from both acute and long-standing sporting injuries – he enjoys writing insightful articles around these subjects to help fellow sufferers of such conditions.
Learn more about Dan here.