Tuft and Needle and Purple are among some of the most recognizable sleep brands in the world, with Purple also featuring in our guide to the best mattress online. Whilst both mattresses are foam-based and boast a similar medium-firm feel, they differ in terms of materials and price. At times, that makes it difficult to pit one against the other.
Both brands focus heavily on pressure relief and in-bed comfort, and each a growing mattress range. Purple has the Hybrid and the Hybrid Premier, which often feature among the best Purple mattress deals, while Tuft and Needle offer the Mint Mattress, an all-polyfoam affair with a gel comfort layer, and the Hybrid Mattress. Tuft and Needle also makes one of the best bed toppers for comfort.
For our Tuft and Needle vs Purple comparison piece, we're looking at The Purple Mattress (Original) and the Tuft and Needle Original. But which of these bed-in-a-box options is right for you? Let's take a closer look at them now...
Tuft and Needle vs Purple: Specifications
Tuft & Needle Original:
- Sizes: Twin through to Cal King
- Depth: 10 inches
- Turn: No
- Filling: Foam
- Comfort: Medium-firm
- Trial: 100 days
- Guarantee: 10 years
- Price: $350-$750
The Purple Mattress:
- Sizes: Twin through to Split King
- Depth: 9.5”
- Turn: No
- Filling: Foam
- Comfort: Medium-firm
- Trial: 100 days
- Guarantee: 10 years
- Price: $649-$1,598
Tuft and Needle vs Purple: Design
These are two very different mattresses. Tuft and Needle has a softer, more neutral-foam feel, while the Purple has a unique, gel-like feel. So which one you choose is down to what you prefer to sleep on, and the best way to get to know the design of these mattresses is to look at each individual layer.
Tuft and Needle may not seem like it has the same level of all-singing, all-dancing features as you'd find on the Purple, but despite it being an all-foam mattress comprised of just two layers, it does have some pretty interesting materials within those layers.
Let's start with the cover, which is ultra-soft to touch and made from a blend of micro polyamide and polyester. It's removable too and helps with temperature regulation, making it a good choice for hot sleepers.
As for the mattress itself, the top layer of the Tuft and Needle Original is made up of a three-inch layer of adaptive polyfoam, which is like a blend of memory foam and latex and offers good pressure point relief. This comfort layer is also infused with a cooling gel and graphite to help disperse heat and leave you sleeping cool.
The second layer is seven inches of high-density support foam made from polyurethane foam to provide stability and to prevent excess sagging.
The Purple Mattress delivers a medium-firm comfort level and is made up of three layers, with the first containing the brand's unique Purple Grid Technology. This layer is two inches of Hyper-Elastic Polymer material.
It's highly highly durable and adapts to your body type and sleep position, keeping you comfy and supported throughout the night. It also has 2,800 open-air channels to promote airflow, making it one of the top cooling mattresses.
The next two layers are made from polyurethane foam. The second layer is 3.25 inches and has a medium-soft feel, while the third layer is four inches with a medium firm feel. This dual-layer foam creates a soft and responsive mattress that's a dream to sleep on.
Winner: Purple
While we love the adaptive foam feel of the Tuft and Needle Original, Purple’s Hyper-Elastic Polymer grid gives it a huge advantage. The Purple Mattress also suits any type of sleeper and is a better match for heavier sleepers, so it's a clear winner here.
Tuft and Needle vs Purple: Price and warranty
When it comes to pricing, it’s not just the dollar signs that you have to look at in our Tuft and Needle vs Purple comparison, it’s also the construction, durability and comfort levels that each mattress provides. There’s no denying that Tuft and Needle is by far the cheapest mattress-in-a-box on the market today, so for the budget-conscious consumer this really is the best choice.
However, Purple uses a higher quality of materials and construction, such as its proprietary Purple Grid Technology, but that does make the price tag rack up quite quickly. You'll also find that tech utilized in Purple's best pillows for sleep. In terms of RRP, this is how both mattresses compare...
Tuft and Needle: Twin $350, Twin XL $395, Full $495, Queen £595, King $750, Cal King $750.
Purple: Twin $649, Twin XL $749, Full $949, Queen $1099, King $1,349, Cal King $1,349, Split King $1,498.
Winner: Tuft and Needle
Of course, we appreciate the gorgeous design quality found on The Purple Mattress, but if you’re looking for a comfortable bed at a budget price point, you really can’t go wrong with the Tuft and Needle Original.
For another luxury mattress for less, take a look at our guide to the best Saatva mattress discounts, or the best Casper mattress deals for an entry-level brand.
Tuft and Needle vs Purple: Comfort and Support
How comfortable a mattress is depends on your individual sleeping style, your body weight, and, of course, the materials used to make the mattress. The comfort or firmness of a mattress is rated between 1-10, with 1 being soft and 10 being extremely firm. In our Tuft and Needle vs Purple comparison, both mattresses rate 6.5 on the firmness scale. This means they're ideal for most people.
The Tuft and Needle Original is made up of adaptive foam. If you’ve never experienced this before, it feels like a blend of latex and memory foam. And because it’s similar to memory foam, this mattress offers support and pressure relief in all the right areas.
Also, thanks to a well-placed comfort layer infused with gel and graphite, the Tuft and Needle Original draws any excess heat from your body, leaving you feeling cool throughout the night.
Like the Purple, it’s compatible for all types of sleeper, though exclusive side sleepers may find it a tad too firm. It also has excellent motion isolation, so if your partner moves around a lot, the Tuft and Needle will stop them from disturbing your sleep.
The Purple Mattress suits a wide range of sleepers thanks to its dual-layer foam design. This creates a soft and responsive mattress while maintaining firmness, providing you with continuous and noticeable support and heavenly pressure relief. There’s also improved edge support, so if you like to sleep on the edge of the bed, you won't ever feel like you're about to roll off here.
Purple's offering is ideal for back and stomach sleepers, although side sleepers will be equally as comfortable on this mattress. But of course, it’s the cooling effect that makes this a truly outstanding mattress, which in turns makes it a super-comfortable sleeping experience.
The hyper-elastic materials used on the top layer combined with the breathable cover keep The Purple Mattress cool and fresh all night long. This is heaven-sent in warmer weather, or if you experience night flushes or sweats.
Winner: Purple
There's no denying that both mattresses offer excellent pressure relief, good edge support and superb motion isolation, but to use Purple just edges the Tuft and Needle for continuous comfort and support. Purple provides better airflow, and you’ll feel as though you’re practically floating on air thanks to the brand's unique Purple Grid Technology.
Tuft and Needle vs Purple: User reviews
Don’t just take our word for it. In fact, we've looked at the reviews from existing customers of each mattress to find out what they're saying. Tuft and Needle gets high praise from its customers, especially when it comes to the excellent price point and comfort levels of the Original mattress.
The Tuft and Needle has over 29,000 reviews with a high majority of 5-star ratings, giving it a very impressive average of 4.6 out of 5. The majority of negative comments are surrounding the firmness of the mattress, with some users finding it to be “rock hard” in the beginning. It's unclear whether this changed for them over time as they didn't update their review after a few months of sleeping on the mattress, which is recommended by experts.
Purple is also well-rated by it’s customers, and in particular achieves positive comments when it comes to the overall feel of the mattress, as well as pressure point relief.
Purple has over 26,000 reviews, with the majority of users giving it a full 5-star rating, giving The Purple Mattress a 4.4 out of 5. Some users did complain that they found the mattress to be firmer than it’s advertised 'medium-firm' rating.
Winner: Tuft and Needle
Both mattresses are well liked by their users, and have similar comments when it comes to user experience, but Tuft and Needle has the higher overall user score.
Tuft and Needle vs Purple: Trial period and shipping
So you’ve decided on which of the mattresses best suits your price and comfort needs, but how do they compare when it comes to the small details? Let's delve into them now so that you aren’t caught out when placing your order...
Tuft and Needle offers a 100-night free trial. Welcomingly, it doesn’t have a minimum trial period, but its return policy does vary slightly to other brands. How come? Tuft and Needle offers you a full refund if the mattress is returned within the 100 night trial period, but your mattress will likely be donated to charity, rather than reclaimed by Tuft and Needle.
So when you call the customer services, they’ll advise you of your nearest donation location. If there isn’t one in your area, Tuft and Needle will coordinate with a third-party pickup service free of charge. It's important to note that this only applies if you have purchased your mattress directly. If you use a retailer, such as Lowes or Amazon, the return policy differs. Shipping is free and takes around three to seven business days. You also get a 10-year warranty on all mattress purchases.
Purple also offers the same 100-night trial period. It asks that you keep the mattress for at least 21 days before you request a free pick up if you change your mind about buying it, but we think that’s more than fair as it can take up to a month to get used to a new mattress.
There's also a 10-year warranty as standard on all Purple mattresses, which should cover you very well indeed. Shipping takes around one to weeks, which is longer than the Tuft and Needle (so keep that in mind if you need a mattress urgently), and there's free delivery in all 48 contiguous states.
The Purple returns policy is very straight-forward compared to the slightly more unique Tuft and Needle policy, but the trial periods and warranty periods are the same.
Winner: Purple
Overall, the Purple returns process is a lot simpler. While we think that it’s great that Tuft and Needle offer donation to charity, having to transport a mattress to that location could cause issues for some customers.
Tuft and Needle vs Purple: Final verdict
Overall, the Tuft and Needle and Purple mattresses are great buys, and which one you choose depends on your budget and what type of sleeper you are.
Both mattresses offer a medium-firm feel and have a majority of very positive reviews from existing customers. If you're on a budget or don’t feel ready to invest in a premium mattress, the Tuft and Needle Original is a good choice. Right now, it also offers the fastest shipping out of the two.
However, if you’re a hot sleeper and are frequently disturbed from sleep by heat, or like to sleep on your back or near the edge and need versatile support, The Purple Mattress will suit you best.
Overall winner: Purple
In terms of build quality, materials, features, technology and high levels of support and comfort, we'd pick the the Purple over the Tuft and Needle. If you have the budget and want to invest in a premium mattress for less, Purple is hard to beat.
Still undecided? No problem! There are other great mattress brands to pick from, so take a look at our round-up of the best Casper mattress deals for a budget option, or the best Saatva mattress discounts to enjoy luxury sleep for less.
For further guidance, learn how to choose a mattress for your preferred sleep position, or if you're a hot sleeper, take a look at our guide to the best cooling mattress.
