Nectar vs. Purple: What’s a Better Mattress for Your Sleep Needs?
Buying a new mattress can be a difficult decision. You have to consider the price point, the size of the bed, and whether or not it’s going to give you a good night’s sleep. A bed’s firmness levels, ability to absorb motion, and the way it circulates air can be the difference between waking up refreshed or groggy. Here at Sleep Reviews, we make it our mission to find the best mattresses for your sleep needs. Today, we’re going to look at the differences and similarities between the Purple mattress and the Nectar mattress. Will Purple’s famous raw egg demonstration hold up against Nectar’s impressive reputation? Read on to find out how these beds are constructed and if either one will enable you and your partner to wake up feeling refreshed in the morning.
Overview of Nectar and Purple Mattresses
The Nectar bed is one of the most popular bed-in-a-box mattresses on the market today. Nectar is made of all memory foam and is manufactured in China. It has a distinct tencel, cotton, and get woven cover, which makes it especially suitable for hot sleepers. While the bed is all memory foam, the cover and the way it’s constructed leave sleepers without the ‘sunken-in’ feeling of a traditional memory foam mattress. Nectar beds only come in one firmness setting. The only difference between Nectar models is their size.
The beds are also incredibly affordable. While it may seem like a bed of this structure and price may not be the highest quality, that’s not true. Nectar beds are strong and consistently net positive customer reviews for their construction and feel.
You can only purchase a Nectar mattress from their online stores. They offer free shipping to the lower 48 states, with additional charges for select areas. They do not provide a white glove service. We’ll discuss in more detail the Nectar’s construction and how it rates on a firmness scale later on in the review.
Purple mattresses are an affordable option for budget-conscious buyers, as well. These mattresses are handcrafted with combined foam and hyper-elastic polymer composition and structure. Until recently, the bed only came in one firmness setting, but now you can purchase a Purple mattress in soft, medium, and firm settings, called the P2, P3, and P4, respectively. The polymer web design in the Purple mattress helps keep sleepers cool. Purple mattresses also offer rounded contouring that has a similar feel to latex mattresses. But the Purple mattress has a feel and bounce that is highly responsive like most memory foam mattresses. Below, we’ll cover in more detail Purple’s unique construction.
What are the similarities between Purple and Nectar mattresses?
- Both mattresses have similar base layers
- Both beds offer decent support and spinal alignment for pressure relief
What are the fundamental differences between the Nectar and the Purple?
- The Nectar mattress is comprised of memory foam layers.
- The Purple has memory foam and a proprietary gel grid within its composition.
- The Nectar mattress gives sleepers a traditional, cushiony memory foam feel.
- Purple mattresses give sleepers a springy, gel feel that is similar to a latex mattress.
- Nectar mattresses only come in one setting.
- Purple mattresses now come in several firmness settings.
- Nectar mattresses come in all sizes.
- Purple mattresses do not come in twin or full sizes.
- Nectar mattresses are made in China.
- Purple mattresses are made in the U.S.
How are Purple and Nectar mattresses constructed?
The Purple mattress is 9.5 inches thick and is made of three layers of memory foam and hyper-elastic polymer materials.
The top layer in a Purple mattress is designed to deliver comfort and cooling. Memory foam tends to trap heat and decrease air circulation. The Purple mattress aims to bypass this downside with their proprietary hyper-elastic polymer ‘smart grid.’ The smart grid is a cooler material than traditional memory foam and also allows air to circulate.
The second layer in a Purple bed is designed to maximize transitional support. The layer is made of 3.5 inches of polyurethane foam. Along with the top hyper-elastic polymer layer, this layer offers compression support and is rated highly with heavy-set sleepers.
The final layer in a Purple mattress is made of 4 inches of dense polyurethane foam, giving the bed a firm and solid foundation.
Nectar mattresses are very different in construction and feel from the Purple. Nectar mattresses are 11 inches thick and are made of five layers of all memory foam. But the top layer is particularly unique. The top layer is made of tencel, long staple cotton, and woven throughout with gel memory foam. Tencel is a 100% green fabric made from wood. It is OEKO-TEX certified, meaning it does not contain any harmful chemicals. Tencel and long staple cotton are incredibly breathable, cooling materials, perfect for hot sleepers.
The next layer in a Nectar is made of all gel memory foam. This layer is designed to absorb and redistribute heat. It also gives the Nectar a slow-responding feel to it.
The last few layers make up the bulk of the thickness. The second to final layer is three inches of high-density adaptive foam, which offers extra contour support, but it’s still bouncy and soft. People who suffer from pressure points in the lower back, neck, and shoulders can benefit from the contoured support of a Nectar mattress.
Finally, the base layer uses a breathable foam that pulls in fresh air through special channels. Although the channels make the mattress porous, a Nectar mattress is still dense and supportive.
What is the firmness and support of a Nectar mattress versus a Purple mattress?
Nectar mattresses only come in one firmness setting. These mattresses are marketed as medium-firm and are comfortable for most sleepers. On a firmness scale of one to ten, Nectar is a 6. Nectar offers excellent support and pressure relief for side and back sleepers. Stomach sleepers might find the mattress a bit too soft. The Nectar cushions sleepers like a traditional foam mattress, but the way the top layer and cover are designed doesn’t give most people a feeling of being sunken-in. Plus, the tencel cover aids in breathability, and the woven gel memory foam in the top layer gives added coolness.
In contrast, Purple mattresses come in different firmness and softness settings. Purple mattress, although they are mostly made of memory foam, have that distinct, hyper-elastic polymer gel grid. The grid gives the bed a springy feeling. Purple mattresses provide better support for back and stomach sleepers. Side sleepers may find that the grid collapses at the hip pressure points, so it’s not the greatest choice for side sleepers.
Nectar beds, because they are all memory foam, take longer for depressions to rise and for the mattress to regain its shape. Purple mattress spring right back into shape. Because of these differences in firmness and construction, lighter weight sleepers will have a feeling of floating on top of the Purple mattress. Medium-weight and heavier-weight sleepers will get a more sunken-in feeling with the Purple, but not quite as strong of a contour as they would on a Nectar bed.
The Nectar bed is good for lighter-weight to medium-weight sleepers. Heavier sleepers would probably do better with a Purple bed in a firm setting to avoid the sunken-in, hugging feeling. The P2 from Purple is set at a 7.2 on a scale of one to ten for firmness, slightly firmer than the Nectar.
Does either mattress off-gas?
Off-gassing tends to happen when beds are compressed, vacuum-sealed, and shipped. The harsher the chemicals used in the construction and shipping process, the more the mattress will off-gas once it is unboxed. Off-gassing in large quantities can create unpleasant odors. The Nectar mattress will emit minimal odors once it is unboxed, same with the Purple mattress.
Which mattress is better for people who get too hot at night?
The Purple mattress has a range of benefits, and one of those is its cooling properties. The upper layer of the mattress keeps the surface of the bed noticeably cooler. The hyper-elastic polymer smart grid has air pockets that make the cover breathable and help hot sleepers stay cooler at night.
Although the Nectar is a memory foam bed, it doesn’t get as hot as most beds in its class. The tencel and cotton cover, along with air channels throughout the mattress, allow hot sleepers to keep cool. Both of these mattresses are a good choice for people who tend to get hot at night.
How is motion transfer for either bed?
The Nectar is slightly better at protecting sleepers from motion transfer. The all memory foam construction allows for a denser mattress, meaning motion and noise are deadened. A Purple mattress has a springier feel and is more prone to transferring motion. If you are part of a couple, and one of you tosses and turns at night, Nectar might be a better choice for you.
Does either mattress offer edge support?
Nectar offers decent edge support for sleepers who find themselves close to the edge of the bed. The five, dense layers of memory foam in a Nectar mattress are well-suited to supporting weight evenly across the mattress. Purple mattresses offer okay edge support, but they aren’t as firm on the edges as a Nectar mattress.
How much can you expect to pay for both beds?
Nectar offers one of the most affordable, memory foam bed-in-a-box options on the market.
When you purchase a Nectar mattress, expect to pay the following prices for their range of sizes:
- $399 Twin
- $469 Twin XL
- $599 Full
- $699 Queen
- $799 King
- $799 California King
Purple mattresses are slightly more expensive, and cost the following:
- $699 Twin XL
- $999 Queen
- $1299 King
- $1299 California King
What are the warranties and trial periods for Nectar and Purple beds?
Nectar offers customers a generous trial period of 365 days. You can experience the way the bed feels for every season of the year before you commit to it. Nectar offers a lifetime warranty on top of the generous trial period.
Purple beds offer a 100-day risk-free trial period with a 100% money-back guarantee with a ten-year warranty.
How is Nectar versus Purple’s customer service and support reputation?
Nectar has had some issues in the past related to unresponsive and poor customer support. Recently, they’ve been working on this issue are starting to get more positive reviews on third-party sites. Purple also has a few problems with customer complaints regarding their support services.
How are the mattresses shipped?
Nectar compresses and vacuum-seals their mattresses, and ships them in a box to the lower 48 states free of charge. Additional shipping charges apply for Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and Alaska. You can only purchase a Nectar mattress direct from their website.
Purple mattresses are packaged the same way as Nectar mattresses, and you can order them either directly from the Purple website or Amazon. Shipping is free. If you order from Amazon, the trial period is only for 30 days instead of 100 days.
Who can benefit from a Nectar bed?
Nectar beds are an excellent choice for side sleepers, and for people who love the feel of memory foam but need something that’s going to remain breathable and keep them cooler at night. Nectar is also a great mattress for couples since it dramatically eliminates motion transfer and deadens noise. For people with low back, neck, and shoulder pain, Nectar can relieve some of the stiffness in these joints. Nectar mattress is firm enough, but not too firm, and is suitable for most sleepers.
Who can benefit from a Purple mattress?
Purple mattress are a good choice for people who prefer a springy, gel-like feeling to their bed without the sunken-in contouring particular to a memory foam mattress. Also, Purple is a better choice for people who prefer firm mattresses.
What’s our mattress review bottom line?
While the mattresses are comparable on many points, overall, we think Nectar is a slightly better investment. The Nectar mattress offers a broader range of sizes, and also has better edge support. The firmness setting is also appealing to a wider range of sleepers. Also, Nectar offers a generous trial period and warranty for affordable prices.
If you’re in the market for a new mattress, check out the rest of our reviews. A bed isn’t just an investment in furniture, but an investment in your health and well-being.
