An honest review of the best Purple mattresses we've tried— and the one you should skip

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Over the last six years, I've tested over 90 mattresses for our guide to the best mattresses, and Purple is a truly unique brand. From its unusual hyper-elastic gel grid to its bizarre Purple Boys commercials, Purple certainly has a style all its own. 

Purple is known for its iconic GelFlex Grid, and the long story short is people either love it or hate it. It immediately adjusts to your body's contours and has an open structure promoting airflow. However, the feel of the grid is off-putting to some and takes some getting used to. Another downside is the grid makes for a heavy, floppy bed that's hard to set up and move around.

Below, I'll share my experiences testing three of Purple's mattresses and other products from the brand. The best Purple mattress you can buy is the Purple Restore Plus Hybrid; it's comfortable for all sleep styles, dissipates heat well, and has the best motion isolation across the brand.

Purple Overview

All Purple mattresses come with free shipping and a 100-night trial. If you sleep on the bed for at least 21 nights and don't like it during the trial period, Purple "will refund the full product price of the mattress less the value of any discount, interest accrued, and shipping charges." Purple mattresses are backed by a 10-year warranty, and you can try them out in stores nationwide.

All Purple mattresses are certified Clean Air Gold, and the foams are CertiPUR-US-certified.

Review of the Purple Mattress

The original Purple Mattress is my least favorite Purple mattress I've tested. The medium firmness makes it ideal for side sleeping, my preferred position. Yet, I couldn't get comfortable. On my side, the bed felt slightly too firm. On my stomach and back, it wasn't firm enough. Consequently, I shifted frequently, trying to get comfortable, and awoke with minor aches in my neck and back. The sleep stats gathered by my Garmin Forerunner 945 watch backed this up: I had less deep sleep than my long-term average on 13 of the 14 nights.

The 9.25-inch Purple Mattress features a 2-inch gel grid that adjusts to your body. Below is a layer of pressure-relieving comfort foam and base foam for support and durability. It's part of the Essential Collection, sandwiched between the value-facing PurpleFlex, a firmer option with the same gel grid atop a support base foam, and the Purple Plus with its enhanced comfort foams and a thicker support base at 11 inches. 

Like the other Purple mattresses, the base model had great heat dissipation. I had no trouble staying cool. 

I would not recommend the Purple Mattress to couples. The motion isolation was awful. I test by dropping a bowling ball from 4 feet above the mattress so that it falls a foot away from a soda can. If the can stays upright, the bed has great motion isolation. If it tips, the motion transfer could use improvements. The can fell over immediately during every iteration of the test. The edge support was also subpar. I felt like I would fall off the bed when I lay on the edge, and it sank significantly as I sat. On the plus side, the bed has incredible bounce. 

Review of the Purple RestorePlus Mattress

The Purple Restore and Rejuvenate lines feature a base mattress, Plus, and Premier, in order of price and, according to Purple, quality of pressure relief and support. The mattresses in these lines come with free in-home setup, a major plus since they are incredibly heavy.

All Restore hybrid mattresses come in soft and firm options. I tested the RestorePlus in soft. It felt a little softer than your average mattress, but I felt comfortable no matter my position. The 3-inch polymer grid immediately adjusted to the contours of my body, providing impressive pressure relief. The layer below that is pressure-relieving comfort foam, which provides breathability. The base's pocket coils offer targeted support where you need it most.

Previous Purple mattresses I'd tested all had poor motion isolation. The RestorePlus reversed that trend with outstanding motion isolation, a plus when sharing a bed with someone who moves about a lot. The edge support was also great, making this an ideal option for couples.

Sleeping on the RestorePlus tended to be warmer than most beds, but the heat dissipated quickly when I changed spots in the bed. The RestorePlus is my favorite Purple mattress.

Read our full Purple RestorePlus Mattress review. 

Review of the Purple RejuvenatePlus Mattress

Positioned as Purple's "luxe collection," the Rejuvenate hybrid mattresses feature a zoned-support coil system. Zoned support provides pressure relief and support in the areas you need it most, specifically the hips and shoulders. It helps to keep my spine optimally aligned, thus providing a more restorative, uninterrupted sleep. This was the case with the RejuvenatePlus I tested.

The RejuvenatePlus has several layers, including a cooling, pillowy Euro Top. Below is pressure-relieving comfort foam, followed by the high-density gel grid, which balances comfort and support. The grid is surrounded by dense edge support foam. Two more layers of responsive comfort foam are below. At the base are the zoned-support coils.

The RejuvenatePlus is the softest in the line, and my side-sleeping body loved this as I achieved sleep scores much higher than average, including plenty of deep and REM sleep. However, since it's so soft, I wouldn't recommend it for back or stomach sleepers, who generally prefer firmer beds.

The RejuvenatePlus tended to get hotter than your average bed and did a mediocre job of dissipating that heat once I got up from it. It failed our bowling ball test, but my vibrometer readings were better than average, suggesting adequate motion isolation. Lastly, the edge support was better than most beds. I felt comfortable even lying on the very edge of the mattress.

At $6,495 before discounts, this is an expensive mattress. I'd only recommend it to side sleepers and petite individuals who want to spend a little extra for plush, luxurious comfort.

Other Purple products we love

Purple Mattress Protector: I objectively tested 21 products to find the best mattress protectors, and the Purple Mattress Protector came out on top. It remained waterproof after five washings, was comfortable to sleep on, easy to put on, and came with a 10-year warranty. If you want to protect your mattress, choose this protector.

Purple Premium Smart Adjustable Base: I've used this base for two years and haven't had any trouble with it. I recommend it as one of our best adjustable bed frames, and at $1,195, it's relatively affordable. You can use the remote to customize positions or adjust the head and foot to your desired position. It's great for reading in bed. And, it provides a supportive foundation for any mattress, not just Purple.

Purple Harmony Pillow: I tested The Harmony Pillow for our guide to the best pillows, and we think it is among the best pillows for side sleepers, though all sleep types can benefit since it's available in low, medium, and high lofts.   It combines a hyper-elastic polymer grid wrapped around a latex core, one of my favorite materials because of its responsiveness while sleeping exceptionally cool. 

Purple Pillow: I tested the Purple Pillow for our guide to the best pillows for neck pain. It features the same polymer grid as the beds with two adjustable foam booster layers. I felt it did a great job of cradling my neck as I slept on my side. However, I didn't like how heavy it was (10 pounds), making it hard to adjust at night. It may also be too high profile for petite individuals and people who sleep on their stomachs or back.

Purple Freeform Pillow: A newer pillow from Purple, the Freeform has a gel grid feel similar to the flagship Purple Pillow, but it's much lighter and more customizable. It's my favorite pillow from the brand because you can easily remove the fill to adjust the height and softness. Unlike other adjustable pillows, the Freeform features neck roll chambers, where you can add extra fill for added support around your neck. When testing softer mattresses, this is the pillow I reach for as it keeps my spine aligned just right when lying on my side.