
Nectar vs Purple Mattress Comparison
See how two popular online mattress measure-up in this Purple vs Nectar review
Last Updated: January 5, 2021
Jeff RizzoAs two of the most well-known bed-in-a-box brands on the market, we consistently receive requests to compare these two beds. On one hand, you have an affordable memory foam bed in a box, and on the other, you have Purple, which offers four different models that are quite different from the rest of its competitors. In this post, we'll break it all down for you, including which bed is best for which types of sleepers.
Purple Hybrid vs Nectar Mattress Comparison Overview
For those of you that prefer the Cliff Notes story, the primary differences between Nectar vs Purple can be boiled down to a few points:
- Price — Nectar is more affordable than all four Purple models. Pretty straight forward.
- Feel — Nectar has a dense memory foam feel, while the Purple beds use a material called Hyper-Elastic Polymer that has a gel-like feel. This decision really comes down to personal preference.
- Sleep Temperature — If you’re a hot sleeper, the Purple beds allow for much more airflow.
Purple Mattress has captured sleepers by storm with a one-of-a-kind mattress material and feel, while Nectar has a reputation of being one of the most popular memory foam mattresses online. Each of these beds offer something different for the consumer, and we think the choice ultimately comes down to the type of feel you’re looking for, and how much money you plan on spending.
There are reasons why these beds are so received online, you just need to do a little research to find out which one would be best fitting for you. If you want to read a specific part of this review for Nectar or Purple, use our jump-to navigation links below to get you there.
Nectar Vs Purple Mattress Comparison Video
As you might imagine, there’s a lot more to the Purple vs Nectar story than we can fit into a video or a few bullet points. So continue below to learn all about Nectar vs Purple.
Nectar Mattress Review
Most people familiar with the bed-in-a-box industry hear the name Nectar and automatically associate it with budget level beds. And while, Nectar is priced affordably, it’s also a solid mattress in almost all aspects.

However, there is one big factor that kind of makes or breaks the mattress and that’s whether or not you like the feel of memory foam. If you do, great, this bed is for you. If not, you may want to give Purple a try, which we will discuss in detail below.
Nectar Mattress Design & Construction
The Nectar Mattress is 11″ thick and is made with all-foam layers. It starts with a dense slab of polyurethane foam for the base, and is topped with “Adaptive Hi Core Memory Foam,” a dense memory foam transition layer. Finally, this bed is topped with gel memory foam, and there’s a thin layer of gel memory foam woven into the cover.
Nectar Mattress Feel & Firmness
This bed has a little of that typical memory foam feel where you sort of slowly sink in and the bed starts to conform to your body’s shape. You will get a bit of that stuck-in-the-mud feel, however, Nectar is different than a lot of memory foam beds out there in that it’s on the firmer side of the spectrum. As such, we’d categorize Nectar as more of a firmer, dense memory foam bed.

We think it comes in around a medium to medium-firm on the firmness scale. At the end of the day, we think it finds a pretty good balance between support and pressure relief.
Is Nectar A Good Mattress For Couples?
Moving on, we think Nectar is a pretty good option for couples who want a memory foam mattress.
Motion Isolation
It does a good job of limiting motion transfer. This is good news for couples with one partner who likes to toss and turn or get up a lot during the middle of the night because the other person won’t be disturbed.
Edge Support
Also, the Nectar mattress provides pretty solid edge support for an all-foam bed. You really don’t get that roll-off sensation as you approach the edge. This comes into play a lot with couples where one person likes to hog the middle of the mattress and push the other person towards the edge.
Temperature
Nectar will be fine for most sleepers who sleep hot, but it isn’t a mattress that’ll help cool you down wither. In the case of Nectar vs Purple, we think Purple is the way to go if you tend to sleep hot.
Nectar Lush vs Purple Comparison
In addition to their flagship budget mattress, the company also offers a more premium bed called the Nectar Lush. Below is a short video that outlines how the Nectar Lush mattress compares to Purple beds.
Nectar Vs. Nectar Lush Mattress ComparisonWe hope you found the video above helpful. Keep reading for more details regarding Purple mattresses in particular.
- Free Shipping & Returns
- 365 Nights Trial Period
- Forever Warranty
Purple Hybrid Mattress Review
Purple is one of, if not the most, unique online mattress brand on the market. And that designation is primarily due to their patented Hyper-Elastic Polymer material that they use for the top layer on each of their models.

This polymer material was actually invented by the founders of Purple and has a very unique, distinct feel. You can learn more about Hyper-Elastic Polymer on Purple’s website.
Purple Hybrid Mattress Design & Construction
Let’s first start with the original Purple mattress, which is comprised of two layers of polyurethane foam and a 2″ layer of Hyper-Elastic Polymer. This model is the cheapest of the four. If you’re on a budget, this is the best Purple option for you.

The Purple Hybrid, Purple Hybrid Premier 3 and Purple Hybrid Premier 4 (formerly known as the New Purple 2/3/4), on the other hand, incorporate both coils and dense polyurethane foam for their support structure, as opposed to just dense polyurethane foam like the Original Purple. In addition to added support, the coils give these beds a little bounce.
Purple Mattress Feel & Firmness
It sort of feels like a gel material, but it’s not actually gel. It’s very responsive, stretchy, and soft, yet it’s oddly supportive, as well. So now that you understand a little more about Purple’s special material, let’s discuss each of their models a bit more in-depth.

Because of the unique top layer, firmness may differ from a memory foam bed. Our team members rate the Purple Mattress as medium, the Purple Hybrid is medium-firm, and Purple 3 and 4 are between medium and medium-firm.
Is Purple A Good Mattress For Couples?
Although the feel of Purple beds can be divisive, we think their constructions are great for couples.
Edge Support
What’s neat about Purple Hybrid beds is that they contain dense foam side rails to ensure sleepers feel supported around the edges. That’s good news for couples who like to have their own space and not cuddle throughout the night.
Motion Isolation
In addition, the Hyper-Elastic Polymer material surprisingly does a decent job of not transferring motion. So all in all, we think the new Purple mattresses are a viable option for couples.
Temperature
The last point I’d like to bring up about the Hyper-Elastic Polymer relates to temperature regulation. Even though the Purple beds are not cool to the touch, they actually sleep quite cool due to two primary reasons. First, Hyper-Elastic Polymer is just a naturally cooler material than foams since it doesn’t trap heat.
Second, Purple lays out the Hyper-Elastic material in a grid formation, creating columns and rows that allows air to flow freely near the top of the bed. As a result, we’d highly recommend this bed for sleepers who tend to heat up at night.
Nectar vs Purple Pricing
In comparing Nectar vs Purple, Nectar is a traditional memory foam mattress with more budget-friendly pricing. Purple uses a unique polymer topping and hybrid construction, and it costs more than the regular Nectar. If budget isn’t an issue, it might come down to whether you prefer the feel of memory foam or the polymer gel, because both mattresses are suitable for all kinds of sleepers.
Size | Nectar | Purple Hybrid |
Twin | $898 | N/A |
Twin XL | $968 | $1,299 |
Full | $1,098 | 1,499 |
Queen | $1,198 | $1,599 |
King | $1,398 | $1,899 |
California King | $1,398 | $1,899 |
Check our Deals page or the brand’s website for up-to-date promotions.
Nectar vs Purple Sleeper Analysis
If you’re trying to decide between Nectar or Purple, here is how we’d break down their ideal sleeper and body types.
Side Sleepers
You do sort of nestle into Nectar enough to where your hips and shoulders receive good pressure relief when you’re on your side, so we definitely recommend it to side sleepers.
As for the Purple models, the Purple Hybrid Premier 4 is best for side sleepers and will provide the most immersive experience with the Hyper-Elastic material.
Back And Stomach Sleepers
For Nectar, the bed provides a good amount of support for back and stomach sleepers. You don’t sink in too far to the point where your spine is no longer properly aligned.
The base Purple Hybrid, on the flip side, is most ideal for back and stomach sleepers. Purple says this is the firmest option of the three because you’ll feel a little more of the dense support foam and coils below.
Combo Sleepers
Since Nectar offers both support and pressure relief, we do recommend it to combo sleepers but only if you like memory foam. Some combination sleepers might think it’s difficult to change positions with such viscous memory foam.
If you’re more interested in Purple, the Purple Hybrid Premier 3 is recommended for combo sleepers. This model has one extra inch of the polymer material, so sleepers will notice the bed provides a little more pressure relief than the standard Purple Hybrid.
Heavy Individuals
Given coils are in general much more durable and supportive than foams, we’d recommend heavy sleepers go with one of the Purple Hybrid models. However, since Nectar is 11″ thick and firmer than other foam beds, it might be suitable for heavier sleepers who are dying for a foam bed.
Petite Individuals
Petite to average-weighted individuals can get away with any foam beds and most hybrid beds (unless they’re ultra thick supportive), including Nectar and Purple.
Purple Mattress vs Nectar Review Verdict
Overall, we are big fans of Purple and it offers a completely unique experience for consumers. We think the Nectar mattress is a great value for people that like the feel of memory foam. It’s been a staple on our Best Budget Beds list for years.
Now that we’ve broken down these two brands, it’s probably pretty clear how they differ. To us, if you’re trying to pick between Nectar or Purple, the decision really comes down to three questions.
First — Are you on a budget? If so, Nectar is the clear winner. The Nectar mattress is quite a bit cheaper than even the original Purple.
Second — Do you like or prefer the feel of memory foam? Some people do, which would make Nectar the clear choice. If your answer was no or maybe, then you might want to take a look at Purple. There’s a very good chance you’ll love the feel and benefits Purple beds provide.
Last — Do you sleep hot? If so, Purple is going to be the better option given its superior airflow.
- Free Shipping & Returns
- 100 Nights Trial Period
- 10 Years Warranty
- Made in USA

Why Trust Us
Get the kind of sleep you’ve only dreamed of with some help from our team of mattress experts. We personally test more than 150 of the best sleep solutions from over 60 leading brands on site, so you can be sure you’re getting unbiased reviews, fair comparisons and personalized recommendations.
Review team
Dillon Lopez
Combo Sleeper
Dillon Payne
Combo Sleeper
Jack Reynoso
Combo Sleeper
JD Christison
Combo Sleeper
Company Policies
Now that you’ve read all of the juicy information about the mattresses, it’s important we cover all the little details that often go overlooked. The industry standard when it comes to all these company policies is free shipping, free returns, a 100-night trial period, and a 10-year warranty. Below, we’ll cover how Nectar and Purple stack up against the industry and each other.
Purple and standard Hybrid mattresses ships for free and arrives rolled-up and compressed in a protective bag. From there, Purple gives you 100 nights to test out the bed. If for any reason you decide you don’t like the mattress during the trial period, just give customer service a call and they will arrange for someone to come to your house or apartment to pick up the mattress and issue you a full refund. The whole return process shouldn’t take more than 10-14 days.
Purple also backs their mattresses with a 10-year warranty. The one thing you might want to note, though, is that the company offers free white glove delivery and set-up with their Purple Hybrid Premier models. These beds are extremely heavy and can’t be rolled up, so it’s nice that someone else will do the heavy lifting for you.
Nectar, on the other hand, definitely has some of the more customer friendly policies in the industry. Their bed ships for free and it too arrives rolled-up and compressed in a protective bag. From there, Nectar gives you 365 nights to test out the bed. Yes, for a full year you can sleep on this bed and truly decide whether you want to keep it.
Nectar also backs their mattresses with what they call a ‘Forever Warranty’. Basically, in years 1-10, they’ll replace the mattress no questions asked if any defects are found. In years 10+, they’ll repair or re-cover it if any manufacturing defects or material failures are discovered.
FAQs
The main difference is the “feel” of the beds. Nectar has a dense/viscous memory foam feel, while Purple has a squishy/stretchy feel that’s super unique.
Nectar is a little firmer than Purple, though, they’re both around a 5/10 in terms of firmness.
There’s no denying that Purple is the better bed for hot sleepers. It does an incredible job of circulating airflow.
Yes. Both brands offer completely free returns. Nectar has a 365-night trial period and Purple has a 100-night trial period.
They will indeed, but Nectar is a tad firmer than Purple.
Our reviewers liked it, and with a 100-night return policy, you have over three months to try it out. If you’re worried about durability, Consumer Reports says all Purple options have excellent durability.
The life of a mattress depends on many factors, but the Purple mattress comes with a 10-year warranty. Note that the warranty requires you to use the mattress on a firm, non-spring foundation, and it doesn’t cover damage from things like spills or jumping on the mattress.
Nectar has a Forever Warranty that promises to cover any failure from normal use for as long as you own it. Like Purple, Nectar has also received an excellent durability rating from Consumer Reports.