If you've perused our site before you know that we think very highly of Purple and Awara, but for different reasons. Awara is a budget natural mattress that's made specifically for people that want certain eco-friendly materials. Purple, on the other hand, is one of the top three most popular mattress brands online, mostly because their beds are unlike anything you've tried before. We will analyze the main reasons why Awara is better than Purple, and vice versa.

Awara mattress VS. Purple Hybrid mattress
$1,398 – $2,198Price Range$1,699 – $2,599
$200 Off + $499 in AccessoriesOffer $200 Off Applied In Cart
  • People that want a hybrid mattress
  • If you have a tough time making up your mind (full-year trial period and free returns)
  • Mostly back and stomach sleepers
Best For
  • If you’re looking for a unique, responsive mattress with a different type of feel
  • All types of sleepers (particularly back and stomach)
365 NightsTrial Period100 Nights
ForeverWarranty10 Years
Free Shipping and ReturnsShipping Options Free Shipping and Returns
Shop Now Shop Now

In this section we typically discuss the company policies if you were to purchase Purple or Awara. This time, however, we want to streamline the review and discuss the main commonalities for these two brands.

  • Delivery — Both brands offer totally free shipping inside the 48 contiguous United States. Generally, there is a fee for those that live in Alaska and Hawaii, and residents of Mexico and Canada.
  • Test It Out — You can try Awara and Purple for 365 nights and 100 nights, respectively, before you need to make a final decision.
  • Returns — You can get a full refund inside the trial window with both Awara and Purple. That means it’s basically risk free to try out their mattresses.
  • Coil Options — Awara and Purple both make coil mattresses. Awara and Purple use 9″ and 7.5″ pocketed coils, respectively. As such, both beds will work for petite, average-build, and heavyset individuals.
  • Hot Sleepers — While we absolutely love Purple for hot sleepers, Awara is a really nice mattress as well. If you tend to warm up at night, either bed should be a good option.

In the sections below we will discuss the key differentiators for Purple and Awara. Spoiler: it all comes down to firmness, sleeping positions, price, and feel preferences.

Awara
Awara
Why it’s Great
One of the most affordable natural mattresses online is Awara. It has 9″ pocketed coils and 4″ of latex foam. It also comes with a full-year trial period and free returns.
Best for
People that want a hybrid mattress
If you have a tough time making up your mind (full-year trial period and free returns)
Mostly back and stomach sleepers
Sleep Positions
Back, Side and Stomach
Product Details
Firmness
Firm
Type
Latex Foam
Temp
Neutral
Free Shipping
and returns
Trial Period
365 Nights
Warranty
Forever

$200 OFF + $499 IN ACCESSORIES

$200 Off + $499 in Accessories

Why You Should Get Awara — As we mentioned earlier, Awara is a natural/organic mattress without the boutique retail store price. The main reasons to get Awara are that it’s a firm mattress with plenty of support and it also has certain eco-friendly materials. More on all of this below.

There’s no denying that Awara is a great value, especially for the natural mattress space

Design Of The Bed — Awara has a simple construction, but we think plenty of people will like it. It starts with 9″ support coils and then has a single comfort layer that is Dunlop latex foam. On top is a really nice, super-soft cover that’s made in part of organic cotton.

Given Awara’s straightforward two-layer construction, it’s not hard to imagine its firmness rating. We place Awara on the firmer side of the spectrum in what we internally call a “medium-firm+” meaning it’s a little firmer than the average bed we give the “medium-firm” designation to.

awara mattress review firmness rating

While we think Purple Hybrid is a great option for stomach and back sleepers, Awara is firmer and therefore specifically appeals to a group of consumers that want a firm, supportive bed. We wouldn’t go as far as saying that Awara is better than Purple for stomach and back sleepers, it’s just at a different firmness level, so it will attract different shoppers.

Pricing — It’s hard to beat Awara on price. For the queen bed, Awara sells for around $1,200 after discount, which is a great price. You can check the current price on Awara’s website. Our guess, though, is that Awara will always be more affordable than the Purple Hybrid models, which range in price from around $1,600 to $3,000.

If you exclude the Purple Hybrid models and just focus on Purple Original, the pricing is basically the same for the two brands. In other words, the Original Purple mattress is also around $1,000-$1,100—and if they do run a promotion it’s typically around $900-$1,000 (if they are actually offering cash discounts).

It might be worth it to check pricing and offers on Purple’s website to see if they are publicizing any sales today. The bottom line, however, is that if you compare apples to apples (i.e. Awara vs Purple Hybrid), Awara is more affordable.

Purple Hybrid
Purple Hybrid
Why it’s Great
Purple Hybrid is a coil mattress that features a proprietary comfort layer called Hyper-Elastic Polymer. It’s a unique mattress thats comfortable and great for hot sleepers.
Best for
If you’re looking for a unique, responsive mattress with a different type of feel
All types of sleepers (particularly back and stomach)
Sleep Positions
Back, Side and Stomach
Product Details
Firmness
Medium
Type
Unique
Temp
Breathable
Free Shipping
and returns
Trial Period
100 Nights
Warranty
10 Years
Made in
USA

$200 OFF APPLIED IN CART

$200 Off Applied In Cart

Why You Will Prefer Purple — The main reason why people end up trying a Purple mattress is something called Hyper-Elastic Polymer, a proprietary gel-like material that you’ll only see on Purple beds. To be frank, it’s not for everyone, but in our experience about 50% of people do end up really liking the material, even though it doesn’t seem like it would go well on a mattress.

new purple mattress review purple 3
A look at the Purple Hybrid mattress (2″ of Hyper-Elastic Polymer)

Hyper-Elastic Polymer — Close your eyes and imagine a mattress-size Dr. Scholl’s insole. That’s essentially what all Purple mattresses have, albeit in various thicknesses. The material is squishy and stretchy, but almost always cool-to-the-touch. We’ve posted an entire article about the Purple Mattress Topper that you might find helpful in understanding what the material is like.

video thumbnail

As you can see in our demo above, the material bends and flexes to fit the shape of the hand. What’s interesting about Hyper-Elastic Polymer is that it almost feels soft and firm at the same time. A good way to exemplify this is that side sleepers will experience pressure relief under their shoulders and hips, but the rest of your body will feel buoyant.

Sleeping Styles — Between Original Purple, Purple Hybrid, and Purple Hybrid Premier, there is a mattress for every type of sleeper. That is in contrast to Awara which targets stomach and back sleepers.

  • Purple Original — We rate it as a “medium” so it’s good for all sleep styles.
  • Purple Hybrid — About a medium-firm, which makes it the best Purple bed for stomach and back sleepers. Just for reference, this bed used to be known as the New Purple 2.
  • Purple Hybrid Premier 3″ — Close to a true “medium” on our soft/firm scale. All sleeping positions. This bed used to be called the New Purple 3.
  • Purple Hybrid Premier 4″ — Also about a “medium” but especially good for side sleepers. This mattress used to go by New Purple 4.

The biggest difference between Purple and Awara is firmness and feel. Awara is firmer, while Purple can be anywhere from “medium” to “medium-firm.” Also, both beds have an extra-responsive feel, but Purple feels more squishy and soft, while Awara feels more supportive and firm.

Bottom line, we would rather side sleepers buy a Purple mattress than Awara. You will just get more pressure relief for your hips, shoulders, and upper back.

Review team

  • kenzie
    McKenzie Dillon

    Combo Sleeper

  • dillon lopez slumber yard
    Dillon Lopez

    Combo Sleeper

  • Dillon Payne

    Combo Sleeper

  • reynoso
    Jack Reynoso

    Combo Sleeper

So, What Should You Do?

We never tell consumers what to do. We want you to make the decision after having most of the relevant information. As it relates to Purple and Awara, here are the main questions you need to answer.

What’s my budget for a new bed? If you are stuck at around $1,100, you should look mostly at Purple Original and Awara.

How much do you value natural and organic materials? If you find yourself at local health foods stores, you might prefer Awara. Purple is perfectly safe, but doesn’t have that “eco-friendly” branding that Awara does.

What’s your favorite sleeping position? If you’re a stomach or back sleeper, you’ll prefer Awara or Purple Hybrid. If you’re a side sleeper (about 70% of people), Purple Original and Purple Hybrid Premier are your best options.

How much do you weigh? If you’re over ~230 lbs, you’ll want to avoid the Original Purple bed because it does not have coils.

Are you an especially hot sleeper? If so, you’re in luck with both brands.

Do you want a more traditional feeling mattress? Or are you willing to try something new, such as Purple mattress. Either way, you get free returns.

Hopefully you found this mattress comparison helpful. We invest countless man hours into testing and researching products as well as writing mattress reviews. Thanks for visiting The Slumber Yard!