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In-Depth The Original Purple vs. Purple Hybrid Bed Comparison for 2024

Please note: The Purple Hybrid is no longer available. 

Purple has made a name for itself in the bedding industry with witty commercials in which the company boasts how their mattress can withstand the “egg test” or how their Hyper-Elastic Polymer™ is superior to memory foam. Today, Purple goes head to head, not with memory foam, but with itself in our Purple vs. Purple Hybrid mattress comparison.

While these beds share similarities, they also have important structural differences that can affect the support and feel of these mattresses. To help you determine the best choice for your needs and preferences, we’ll break down those key differences and share our thoughts on who will benefit the most from each model.

Purple Mattress

Product Image of Purple Mattress

The Purple’s unique structure uses polymer to align your spine and keep temperatures neutral

Score 4.0/5
Read Purple Mattress Review
CHECK PRICE
SA Brand Icon MattressMaterial

Material

Hybrid

SA Brand Icon PropertyTrialPeriod

Trial Period

100 nights

SA Brand Icon PropertyShipping

Shipping Method

Free shipping

SA Brand Icon PropertyFirmness

Firmness

Soft: 4/10

SA Brand Icon MattressWarranty

Warranty

10-year warranty

SA Brand Icon PropertyPrice

Price Range

$$$$$

We recommend this mattress for the following sleeper types:

SA sleeper type hot sleepers
Hot Sleepers
If you often overheat while you sleep, this mattress should help you stay cool.
SA sleeper type back sleepers
Back Sleeping
Ideal for lightweight and average weight back sleepers.
SA sleeper type side sleepers
Side Sleeping
Ideal for lightweight and average weight side sleepers.
SA sleeper type stomach sleepers
Stomach Sleeping
Ideal for lightweight stomach sleepers.

Financing Options

Financing options are available for this mattress.

Average Customer Rating
4.6/5
Watch Our Video Review

Purple Mattress

Product Image of Purple Mattress

The Purple’s unique structure uses polymer to align your spine and keep temperatures neutral

Score 4.0/5
Read Purple Mattress Review
SA Brand Icon MattressMaterial

Material

Hybrid

SA Brand Icon MattressWarranty

Warranty

10-year warranty

SA Brand Icon PropertyFirmness

Firmness

Soft: 4/10

SA Brand Icon PropertyShipping

Shipping Method

Free shipping

SA Brand Icon PropertyTrialPeriod

Trial Period

100 nights

SA Brand Icon PropertyPrice

Price Range

$$$$$

We recommend this mattress for the following sleeper types:

SA sleeper type hot sleepers
Hot Sleepers
If you often overheat while you sleep, this mattress should help you stay cool.
SA sleeper type back sleepers
Back Sleeping
Ideal for lightweight and average weight back sleepers.
SA sleeper type side sleepers
Side Sleeping
Ideal for lightweight and average weight side sleepers.
SA sleeper type stomach sleepers
Stomach Sleeping
Ideal for lightweight stomach sleepers.

Financing Options

Financing options are available for this mattress.

Average Customer Rating
4.6/5
Watch Our Video Review
Product Image of Purple Mattress

Purple Mattress

The Purple’s unique structure uses polymer to align your spine and keep temperatures neutral

Score 4.0/5
Read Purple Mattress Review
SA Brand Icon MattressMaterial

Material

Hybrid

SA Brand Icon PropertyFirmness

Firmness

Soft: 4/10

SA Brand Icon PropertyTrialPeriod

Trial Period

100 nights

SA Brand Icon MattressWarranty

Warranty

10-year warranty

SA Brand Icon PropertyShipping

Shipping Method

Free shipping

SA Brand Icon PropertyPrice

Price Range

$$$$$

We recommend this mattress for the following sleeper types:

SA sleeper type hot sleepers
Hot Sleepers
If you often overheat while you sleep, this mattress should help you stay cool.
SA sleeper type back sleepers
Back Sleeping
Ideal for lightweight and average weight back sleepers.
SA sleeper type side sleepers
Side Sleeping
Ideal for lightweight and average weight side sleepers.
SA sleeper type stomach sleepers
Stomach Sleeping
Ideal for lightweight stomach sleepers.

Financing Options

Financing options are available for this mattress.

Average Customer Rating
4.6/5
Watch Our Video Review

Who I’d Recommend the Purple For

  • Value seekers – This mattress is roughly half the price of the Hybrid model but offers many of the same comfort features that make these products so unique.
  • People who enjoy an all-foam feel – This bed gives sleepers the foam feeling that they may be used to, and the foam base should provide plenty of support while simultaneously helping relieve pressure in areas like the hips and shoulders.
  • People who need more versatility – While the Purple Hybrid offers more firmness and bounce, this mattress is great because it fits the needs of a broader range of individuals. So, if you and a partner have varying sleep preferences, this could better suit what both of you are looking for.

Purple Hybrid Mattress

purple hybrid product

This hybrid bed combines a unique grid layer with a traditional innerspring layer to create a supportive and comfortable mattress.

Score 4.3/5
Read Purple Hybrid Mattress Review
CHECK PRICE
SA Brand Icon MattressMaterial

Material

Hybrid

SA Brand Icon PropertyTrialPeriod

Trial Period

100 nights

SA Brand Icon PropertyShipping

Shipping Method

Free shipping

SA Brand Icon PropertyFirmness

Firmness

Firm: 7/10

SA Brand Icon MattressWarranty

Warranty

10-year warranty

SA Brand Icon PropertyPrice

Price Range

$$$$$

We recommend this mattress for the following sleeper types:

SA sleeper type hot sleepers
Hot Sleepers
If you often overheat while you sleep, this mattress should help you stay cool.
SA sleeper type back pain
Back Pain
This bed is perfect for anyone suffering from back pain.
SA sleeper type back sleepers
Back Sleeping
Ideal for lightweight back sleepers.
SA sleeper type stomach sleepers
Stomach Sleeping
Ideal for lightweight and average weight stomach sleepers.

Financing Options

Financing options are available for this mattress.

Average Customer Rating
4.8/5

Purple Hybrid Mattress

purple hybrid product

This hybrid bed combines a unique grid layer with a traditional innerspring layer to create a supportive and comfortable mattress.

Score 4.3/5
Read Purple Hybrid Mattress Review
SA Brand Icon MattressMaterial

Material

Hybrid

SA Brand Icon MattressWarranty

Warranty

10-year warranty

SA Brand Icon PropertyFirmness

Firmness

Firm: 7/10

SA Brand Icon PropertyShipping

Shipping Method

Free shipping

SA Brand Icon PropertyTrialPeriod

Trial Period

100 nights

SA Brand Icon PropertyPrice

Price Range

$$$$$

We recommend this mattress for the following sleeper types:

SA sleeper type hot sleepers
Hot Sleepers
If you often overheat while you sleep, this mattress should help you stay cool.
SA sleeper type back pain
Back Pain
This bed is perfect for anyone suffering from back pain.
SA sleeper type back sleepers
Back Sleeping
Ideal for lightweight back sleepers.
SA sleeper type stomach sleepers
Stomach Sleeping
Ideal for lightweight and average weight stomach sleepers.

Financing Options

Financing options are available for this mattress.

Average Customer Rating
4.8/5
purple hybrid product

Purple Hybrid Mattress

This hybrid bed combines a unique grid layer with a traditional innerspring layer to create a supportive and comfortable mattress.

Score 4.3/5
Read Purple Hybrid Mattress Review
SA Brand Icon MattressMaterial

Material

Hybrid

SA Brand Icon PropertyFirmness

Firmness

Firm: 7/10

SA Brand Icon PropertyTrialPeriod

Trial Period

100 nights

SA Brand Icon MattressWarranty

Warranty

10-year warranty

SA Brand Icon PropertyShipping

Shipping Method

Free shipping

SA Brand Icon PropertyPrice

Price Range

$$$$$

We recommend this mattress for the following sleeper types:

SA sleeper type hot sleepers
Hot Sleepers
If you often overheat while you sleep, this mattress should help you stay cool.
SA sleeper type back pain
Back Pain
This bed is perfect for anyone suffering from back pain.
SA sleeper type back sleepers
Back Sleeping
Ideal for lightweight back sleepers.
SA sleeper type stomach sleepers
Stomach Sleeping
Ideal for lightweight and average weight stomach sleepers.

Financing Options

Financing options are available for this mattress.

Average Customer Rating
4.8/5

Who I’d Recommend the Purple Hybrid For

  • Extra-hot sleepers – Purple beds already sleep extremely cool because of the open polymer design. The brand enhanced the cooling in this model by swapping out the foam layers and replacing them with a breathable pocket coil unit to promote additional airflow through the bed.

  • People who enjoy lots of bounce – Sleepers who love bouncier mattresses should enjoy the innerspring system in this product. It should perform well for repositioning and extracurricular nighttime activities with a sleeping partner.

  • Stomach sleepers -Those who regularly sleep on their stomachs will likely find this bed’s slightly firmer feel more appealing. Explore more mattresses for stomach sleepers.

Comparing Purple vs Purple Hybrid: Top Similarities

  • GelFlex® Grid – Both beds feature 2 inches of Purple’s signature GelFlex® Grid for enhanced ventilation and pressure relief.
  • Trial and Warranty – Since these mattresses are from the same brand, they also come with identical trial and warranty deals, which include a 100-night sleep trial and a 10-year limited warranty.

Comparing Purple vs Purple Hybrid: Key Differences

  • Mattress type – While the Purple has an all-foam structure, the Purple Hybrid comes with foam and coils. However, as mentioned above, both beds also feature the GelFlex® Grid.
  • Price – The Purple Hybrid costs about twice as much as the Purple.
  • Firmness – The Purple has a medium-firm feel to it, with a 6 out of 10 firmness rating. On the other hand, the Purple Hybrid has a firmer feel, with a 7 out of 10 rating.

Comparing Firmness, Support & Feel

Firmness

Mattress firmness is subjective since a mattress will feel softer to a heavier individual than it will to a lightweight individual, so it’s helpful to keep this in mind when mattress shopping.

At Sleep Advisor, we rate mattress firmness on a scale from 1 to 10, with a 10 being as hard as concrete and 1 just the opposite: extremely plush. The Purple scores at a 6 or medium-firm feel, while the Hybrid model scores at a 7 for a slightly firm feel.

firmness comparison of purple original and hybrid

Support

Support is a key category for mattress shoppers because this is a measure of how well the bed is able to bear your weight and keep your spine in a neutral alignment. Both options should fulfill most consumers’ needs, so the choice may come down to preference. The Hybrid should work best for stomach sleepers because of its firmer feel, while the slightly softer and more universal firmness of the Purple might be a better option for combination and side sleepers.

Feel

Purple’s GelFlex® Grid is highly responsive; it springs back into place immediately when pressure is released. However, if sleepers want a more responsive bed, the Hybrid should work best because of the innerspring unit.

Comparing Sinkage and Bounce

The Purple should cradle sleepers nicely and contour to their curves. Beneath the polymer layer, are the supportive foams that give way to very slight sinkage, and the responsive top layer may help with repositioning.

As far as bounce goes, the Hybrid model has increased amounts of bounce due to the pocket coils, so if that is something you are looking for, you can expect this option to perform better in this category. This buoyancy in the springs simplifies repositioning by giving the sleeper assistance as they push into the bed.


Comparing Motion Transfer

Stopping motion transfer can be important for folks who share a bed and sleep light. Nobody likes being woken up because they can feel every movement as their sleeping partner gets in and out of bed.

Both of these options perform exceptionally well with motion transfer. Very little motion makes it across the surface of either mattress, so waking up should hardly be a concern.

These two beds are pretty comparable, but if there had to be a winner it would be the all-foam Purple. Although the pocket coils do help isolate motion, they also provide more bounce.


Comparing Cooling

The hyper-elastic polymer grid that is used in the comfort system of both the Purple and Purple Hybrid is temperature neutral, so heat shouldn’t build up around your body while you’re sleeping. Additionally, each mattress is constructed with a breathable cover to promote cooling at the surface.

While both beds come with cooling capabilities, the Purple Hybrid has the advantage because of the addition of coils. Incorporating an innerspring unit naturally brings more airflow and temperature regulation to a mattress. This makes the Purple Hybrid the clear-cut winner for extra-hot sleepers.

Comparing Construction (Materials & Quality)

Purple Construction

This bed is tightly compressed into a box for facilitated shipping and setup. Simply set it on your bed frame of choice, unbox it, and allow it to expand.

Browse: Best Mattress in a Box

Encasing this 9.5-inch bed is the company’s stretch cover. In 2019, the company updated the material to better complement the unique grid system. It’s a polyester blend called SoftFlex.

Purple Construction Layers
  • The top layer is 2 inches of their GelFlex® Grid made from their exclusively patented Hyper-Elastic Polymer™. This highly durable material provides comfort by evenly distributing weight to wash away pressure points.
  • The middle layer is 3.5 inches of medium-soft poly foam. This layer helps ease the body into the supportive foam beneath and acts as a comfort layer.
  • The base layer is a medium-firm 4-inch poly foam designed to provide support and serve as a durable foundation for the bed.

Purple Hybrid Construction

This cover is an enhanced version of the original Purple’s, providing more stretch. The brand calls it their Premium StretchMax Cover. This breathable material is a blended fabric comprised of polyester, viscose, and lycra. In total, this mattress is 11 inches high.

Layers of the Purple Hybrid bed
  • The top layer consists of a 2-inch GelFlex® Grid made from the Hyper-Elastic Polymer™. Like the original Purple, this temperature-neutral grid is designed to evenly distribute weight and minimize pressure points.
  • The next layer introduces a .75-inch polyurethane foam that helps transition both the bed and sleeper from the GelFlex® Grid into the coil layer beneath.
  • The third layer is the 7.5-inch support system that is made up of responsive support coils. These have been individually wrapped to create a noiseless sleep experience and reduce motion transfer.
  • This layer is highly supportive and helps foster bounce.
  • The base is a .75-inch thick layer of poly foam designed as an additional transitional layer beneath the coils.

Comparing Company Policies & Price

  • Warranty – Both Purple mattresses come with a 10-year limited warranty.
  • Shipping – Shipping is free within the contiguous United States and available for an additional fee to Hawaii and Alaska. Purple also partners with Sleep Country Canada to ship there.
  • Trial Period – You’ll get a 100-night sleep trial with any Purple mattress.
  • Returns – If either mattress doesn’t meet your needs, you can send it back for a full refund. Purple will also pick up the mattress return at no additional charge.
  • Price – The Purple Hybrid is significantly more expensive compared to the all-foam Purple at roughly double the price.

Final Thoughts

These two online brands are comfortable and durable but accomplish their missions in different ways. Which one sounds more like your style?

Although both mattresses are made from high-quality materials and should last years, preference-based features can help you figure out which one would be better for you.

More Purple Comparisons:

Jill Zwarensteyn

Jill Zwarensteyn

Editor

About Author

Jill Zwarensteyn is the Editor for Sleep Advisor and a Certified Sleep Science Coach. She is enthusiastic about providing helpful and engaging information on all things sleep and wellness.

Combination Sleeper