Nectar, Purple, and Casper are some of the most popular mattresses. All three are highly-rated and described by many customers as “comfortable.” But people have different standards for what feels comfortable, and most customers haven’t tried all three to compare. So how are you supposed to figure out which mattress is right for you?
We’re here to go deeper into the unique features of the Nectar, Purple, and Casper mattresses. Towards the end, we’ll explain which type of mattress is best for which type of sleeper, and other factors to consider. We’ll also tell you about our high-quality mattress, Hush, which we believe will give you the best value compared to these other mattresses.
At a glance:
Luxury Mattress at Half The Price: Hush Cooling Hybrid
We designed the Hush mattress to compete with the most expensive options from Nectar, Purple, and Casper, but without the high-end price tag.
For a direct comparison, check out the Casper Nova Hybrid below. Both the Nova and our Hush Hybrid offer durable hybrid construction, cloud-like foam comfort, and excellent cooling tech.
(Fun fact: On average, the Hush mattress will feel 3 degrees cooler than your bedroom’s air temp!)
The real difference between The Casper mattress and ours is price. The Hush starts at $800 USD while the Nova starts at $1,795 USD — more than double the price!
Check out the Hush Mattress product page to learn more, then take advantage of the 100-night sleep trial and test the bed in person!
Nectar Mattress: Best Budget Option
Nectar makes three relatively budget-friendly all-foam mattresses. In fact, Nectar offers two of the cheapest mattresses on this list. Note that because Nectar’s mattresses are so inexpensive, they don’t offer a hybrid. Hybrid designs are usually only offered in more expensive mattresses, like we’ll see from other brands later on.
In general, Nectar mattresses tend to get very mixed reviews. Some say their mattresses are soft, while others find the same model very firm.
That’s par for the course for budget memory foam mattresses in our experience. Usually, budget-friendly mattresses cheap out on transition layers, so they’ll basically just have a couple layers of soft, inexpensive foam on top of a rock-hard base.
Lightweight sleepers often find these kinds of mattresses very soft, because they just feel the top layers of foam. Heavier sleepers then sink directly to the base layer and call the same mattress very firm.
All sleepers usually say memory foam mattresses sleep warm, and tend to sink and divot over time.
Nectar has a few tricks up their sleeve to fix these problems though, especially in their higher end models:
The Nectar Mattress
If you like the feeling of a memory foam mattress, the original Nectar mattress is one of the best value options on this list.
The first two layers of the Nectar mattress are run-of-the mill. Specifically, you’ll find a quilted cover and two inches of high-density, gel-infused memory foam. Both are meant to keep you cool, but are in line with what you’ll find in other budget options (meaning they’re still pretty warm).
The third layer is what sets this mattress apart, featuring four inches of medium-density foam split into multiple layers, with grooves in between. The split layers in this section of the mattress are meant to provide breathability and support, as well as bounce and rebound.
This third layer does make the Nectar feel a bit more supportive than other pure memory foam mattresses, but a few grooves aren’t going to change the mattress drastically. After several minutes, your body is going to compress all the mattress layers together and you won’t feel as much of a difference.
Finally, the base layer includes six inches of standard, sturdy, support foam as well as a shift-resistant cover to keep everything in place.
This mattress is a solid choice for those on a budget and who prefer an all-foam mattress. All sizes smaller than the king mattress are under $1,000 USD (and the three king size mattress options are only slightly more than $1,000 USD).
The Nectar Premier Mattress
If you like all-foam mattresses but tend to sleep hot, you may be interested in the Nectar Premier, which features proprietary cooling technology not included in the original. For $400 USD more it offers extra layers and cushion, but it’s still less expensive than many others on this list.
The Nectar Premier mattress includes all the same layers as the original, but the second layer of gel memory foam features ActiveCool HD cooling technology that uses phase change material. This material reacts to temperature changes, working to keep you at a consistently cool temperature throughout the night.
Still, for the same price as the Nectar Premier, you can also try our Hush mattress, which features better cooling and support from the hybrid design.
The Nectar Premier Copper Mattress
The Nectar Premier Copper mattress includes the most advanced cooling technology of all the Nectar mattresses — and the price tag reflects this. Every size of this mattress costs more than $1,000 USD, making this more expensive than our luxurious hybrid Hush mattress, though it’s still less expensive than other foam mattresses we’ll look at later.
Compared to the Nectar and standard Nectar Premier, the Nectar Premier Copper adds extra cooling tech in the first layer. Specifically, it features heat-conductive copper fibers (hence the name) meant to pull heat away from your body.
Copper generally does a good job of pulling heat away from your body, though the all-foam design of this mattress will still heat up after a few hours. At this price point, we’d recommend most sleepers check out a hybrid design instead, like you’ll find from Casper or our own Hush mattress.
Purple Mattress: GelFlex Grid Offers a Unique Feel
As you’ll soon see, all Purple mattresses include a proprietary GelFlex grid that offers a mattress feel you won’t find anywhere else. Some people describe it as like laying on Jello, or a high-class airbed. GelFlex generally offers solid pressure relief, while also being a bit more “bouncy” than other mattresses.
It’s hard to really understand how a Purple mattress feels until you lay on it. Luckily they’re available in some MattressFirm showrooms if you want to give them a try.
Purple Mattress
The classic Purple Mattress is all foam besides the GelFlex grid. It’s their least expensive option, and the price is comparable to some of the other budget-friendly mattresses on this list: The smaller sizes are less than $1,000 USD.
The top layer features a knit cover designed to be soft and responsive followed by two inches of GelFlex grid. The lower half of the mattress features two additional layers: a third layer of soft, cushioning foam, and a base layer of firm, supportive foam. Both types of foam are high-density, meaning they’ll provide long-lasting support.
Purple Plus Mattress
The Purple Plus Mattress is an upgraded version of the original mattress. It’s $400 USD more expensive and features an additional two-inch layer of premium comfort foam in between the Purple GelFlex grid and the base layers. This comfort foam provides additional cushioning and pressure relief compared to the original.
Purple Hybrid Mattress
The least expensive of the company’s hybrid mattresses, the classic Purple Hybrid Mattress replaces the two base layers of comfort foam in the original foam mattresses with a layer of responsive support coils, surrounded on both sides by a small layer of transition foam.
The coils are individually-wrapped to limit motion transfer and made of stainless steel. The fabric surrounding the coils is designed to be noise-reducing, so you don’t have to worry about the coils squeaking when you move around on the mattress.
This mattress also features an upgraded and ultra-breathable side panels to encourage more airflow than you’ll get from the foam mattresses. When you combine these features with the extra open space around each spring, you get a significantly cooler mattress than the original Purple.
Still, this mattress is $500 USD more expensive than the Purple Plus, putting it in the upper tier of mattress prices. The smallest sizes are well over $1,000 USD.
Purple Hybrid Premier 3 Mattress
Another $500 USD price jump gives you the Purple Hybrid Premier 3 Mattress, which includes all the same features as the original hybrid mattress but with three inches of the Purple GelFlex grid instead of just two (hence the name). This provides even more cushioning and responsiveness and creates additional circulation for airflow.
Purple Hybrid Premier 4 Mattress
Finally, the Purple Hybrid Premier 4 Mattress is the most expensive mattress that Purple offers — and one of the most expensive mattresses on this whole list. As you may have already guessed, these mattresses feature four inches of the Purple GelFlex grid, providing the most cushioning, responsiveness, and airflow of all of their mattresses.
Note the price jump: These mattresses are $800 USD more expensive than the Purple Hybrid Premier 3. But if you have the budget, love the signature Purple feeling, and want a luxurious hybrid, this could be the mattress for you.
Kid’s Purple Mattress
Last but not least, Purple makes a mattress specifically for young children: the Kid’s Purple Mattress. It’s essentially the same as the original Purple mattress but softer, designed to support younger bodies, and it’s available only as a twin-size mattress. Purple doesn’t recommend this mattress for teens or adults.
Casper Mattress: Good Quality, High Markups
Casper is arguably the most well-known brand in the mattress in a box space, and charge premium prices as a result. That said, Casper’s products are generally high-quality and come with modern cooling tech. Still, they’re not the best value.
Casper Original Mattress
The Original Casper mattress is an all-foam mattress. It’s Casper’s least expensive mattress, and the price is comparable to some of the less-expensive foam mattresses on this list.
The unique selling point of the Casper mattress is the proprietary AirScape foam featured in the top layer. This foam is perforated, with thousands of tiny holes to increase circulation and provide airflow.
The second layer includes memory foam with zoned support: It’s firmer in the middle under your torso but softer around the edges under your head and feet.
Finally, the durable base layer offers a denser foam to provide additional support and prevent sinking and sagging.
The Casper Original isn’t a bad mattress by any means, but the space in the AirScape foam gets squished when you lay on it, so it’s not even as cool as other memory foam mattresses. Plus, with a twin starting at $895 USD, even this basic mattress is more expensive than our higher-end Hush!
Casper Original Hybrid Mattress
Casper’s Original Hybrid mattress includes the same layers as the original, but features a layer of resilient springs under the second layer of memory foam. It’s also about $400 USD more expensive than the original.
Note that the resilient springs are connected, so they won’t provide as much motion isolation as individually-wrapped coils, but they are generally supportive. The bottom layer also provides extra edge support to keep the mattress from sagging around the edges.
Casper Nova Hybrid Mattress
A price jump of over $600 USD brings us to the next tier: the Casper Nova Hybrid mattress. This mattress includes an upgraded version of the AirScape technology with even more perforations to push hot air away from you so you stay cool.
This tech works well with the hybrid design because hot air can move down through the perforations into the open pockets around the coils. Once there, the air dissipates, leaving you nice and cool (we know because we designed our Hush mattress to work in a similar manner!).
Additionally, this mattress features an additional layer of foam on top of the coils. This extra layer has seven support zones with unique contours to provide even more targeted support to every part of your body and ergonomically align your spine.
As mentioned earlier, this mattress is the most comparable to our Hush mattress out of any on this list. Both mattresses offer excellent cooling, a great balance of support and cushion, and will work for almost any kind of sleeper. The big difference is price. If you’re interested in the Nova, check out the Hush!
Casper Wave Hybrid Mattress
Next, we have the Casper Wave Hybrid mattress, which is $600 USD more expensive than the already-pricey Nova! Compared to the Nova, the Wave features more cooling gel, and more Airscape material.
But the most unique feature in this mattress is a layer of foam containing pockets of gel, called “gel pods.”
The gel pods are designed to sit under your waist and lower back, adding more support while helping your spine stay aligned in any sleep position. These gel pods are placed specifically under your lower back and torso to help keep them aligned, while your lighter feet and head get softer foam for extra comfort.
Casper Wave Hybrid Snow Mattress
Finally, for an upgrade of about $500 CAD, you can get the company’s most expensive offering: Casper Wave Hybrid Snow mattress. This is the most cooling of all of Casper’s mattresses.
In addition to all the layers of the original Wave, the Snow mattress includes phase change material, and proprietary “HeatDelete bands.” It’s not clear what the HeatDelete bands are actually made of, but it is clear that Casper threw every feature they could at this mattress.
At this point, most sleepers are going to hit a point of diminishing returns. In our experience, this mattress is not going to sleep significantly cooler than the Wave, or even Nova. In short, this mattress likely isn’t worth the price tag for most people.
Nectar vs Purple vs Casper: Which Is Right for You?
As we’ve seen, you have no shortage of high-quality mattresses to choose from. So how do you make that choice?
Foam vs Hybrid
It may be helpful to consider whether you’d prefer a hybrid or an all-foam mattress before making your decision. Sleepers who enjoy the feeling of being hugged throughout the night may prefer foam mattresses, whereas those who need more support — e.g. those who suffer from back pain or other injuries — may prefer a hybrid.
Hybrids are considered more luxurious in part because they tend to last longer. An all-foam mattress is more likely to start sagging after a few years. So while they tend to be more expensive, they’re really an investment: A luxury hybrid will last longer on average than an all-foam mattress.
With this in mind, the Hush may be a good choice even if you prefer foam. It does include foam (like all hybrids), it’ll last longer, and it’s also less expensive than some of the pure foam mattresses on this list. But if you really just want that sinky, memory foam feeling, aren’t concerned with durability, and want to spend as little money as possible, go with Nectar.
And if you don’t think you want a typical foam or hybrid mattress, consider going with Purple, whose Purple GelFlex grid offers one of the most unique feelings you’ll get from a mattress. You might enjoy Purple if you like the feeling of a water bed (but don’t want to wake up soaked when the mattress gets punctured).
Cool vs Hot Sleepers
Additionally, you’ll want to consider your cooling needs. Many people tend to sleep hot, and it’s well-established that cooler temperatures are better for sleep. If you’re a hot sleeper who doesn’t want to wake up sweaty, look for special cooling tech in your mattress. But if you don’t sleep hot, then there’s no reason to pay extra for cooling tech.
In fact, if you know you have a tendency to sleep cool, you may want to actively avoid cooling tech. That said, if you sleep with a partner who wants cooling tech, you may be able to tolerate it if you wear heavier pajamas. It’s always easier to add layers than subtract layers, so it’s a good idea to go with the coolest option both people can tolerate.
If you want serious cooling action, go with Hush or Casper Nova mattresses. If you want serious cooling action and don’t mind getting the most expensive mattress, try Casper Wave Snow. All these options feature phase change material, which actively regulates your temperature.
Budget-friendly vs More Expensive Options
Of course, you’ll also want to consider your budget. Foam mattresses tend to be less expensive than hybrids, but you can find hybrids that are more affordable. Keep in mind larger mattresses are more expensive, so a good way to keep your choice budget-friendly is to go with a smaller mattress, like a full-size mattress instead of a queen or king.
Nectar offers some very budget-friendly foam mattresses, but Hush is easily the most budget-friendly hybrid you’ll find — and it’s even less expensive than some of the other foam mattresses on this list. But if price is not a concern for you, then you might try some of the more expensive Purple or Casper mattresses.
Quick Summary
So, for all-foam mattresses, go with Nectar, Purple, or Casper. For the least expensive foam mattress, go with Nectar. For the most cooling mattress money can buy, go with the Casper Wave Snow. For a luxurious hybrid mattress, go with Purple, Casper, or Hush. And for the best value hybrid mattress, go with Hush.
Our Hush mattress is less expensive than other hybrids, but offers many luxurious features you’ll usually only find in a much more expensive mattress:
- Proprietary Iced Cooling Tech with phase change material to keep you cool all night long;
- Individually-wrapped coils to eliminate motion transfer; and
- Triple zoned support to give you an extra lift where it’s needed most.
Though we only offer one mattress, it’s ideal for all types of sleepers. Back sleepers, stomach sleepers, side sleepers, and those who like to switch positions will all be happy to know this mattress will work well for them. Additionally, it provides excellent relief for back pain.
