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A picture of the Saatva Classic in Sleep Foundation's test lab.

Overall Rating

9.4

Saatva Classic

Bottom Line

An impressive mattress made with high-quality materials available in three firmness options.

Up to $500 off mattress purchases

Full Mattress Review

VS

proprietary photo of the purple mattress

Overall Rating

8.1

Purple Mattress

Bottom Line

Innovative grid technology pairs with foam for a supportive and plush feel.

$1,399 from Purple (queen)

Full Mattress Review

How do these two internet-famous beds stack up?

Saatva and Purple are two well-established mattress manufacturers that regularly top best-of lists across the web. Saatva focuses on direct-to-consumer online sales, while Purple sells its beds online and in stores. Both companies have excellent reputations and they’re known for quality, durability, and innovation. 

Saatva and Purple have large mattress lines that include multiple mattress constructions, bedding, and foundations. For this comparison, our team took a close look at the flagship models from each manufacturer – the Saatva Classic and the Purple Mattress. Their constructions are pretty distinct from one another and have different performances and feels. The Saatva Classic is an innerspring bed, while the Purple Mattress is all foam. 

We’ll highlight their pros and cons and explain how these beds fared during our testing trials. We’ll also take an in-depth look at how their materials affect performance and what you can expect from each bed. In addition to our own takes, we’ve included a round-up of customer reviews, so you can learn what Saatva Classic and Purple Mattress owners think of their beds.

Quick Look

Saatva
Purple
Price Range (Queen)

$795

$1,099

Firmness Options

Soft (3), Medium Firm (6), Firm (8)

Medium Firm (6)

Standout Features
  • Mattress options designed specifically for children and larger individuals
  • Wide range of height and firmness options
  • Breathable materials ensure excellent cooling
  • Proprietary Purple Grid comfort layer
  • Balances bounce and motion isolation
  • Grid comfort layer is more breathable than memory foam
Sleep Trial & Warranty
  • 365 Nights ($99 Return Fee)
  • Lifetime, Limited
  • 100 nights (21-night requirement)
  • 10 Year, Limited
Customer Service
  • A+
  • A+

Our Testing Team’s Take

In our Seattle Test Lab, our team of experts put mattresses to the test to find out which ones are worth the money. Across nearly a decade, we’ve examined about 2,000 of them – and still counting. In the lab, we use tools that measure important performance factors like heat retention, motion isolation, and pressure relief. 

We also try each mattress personally to see how it feels in a real-world scenario. Our testers have different body weights and favorite sleeping positions, which helps us determine the best mattresses and guide our readers toward the right model for their needs.

Our Verdict

When choosing between the Purple Mattress and Saatva Classic, one of the main factors to consider is what kind of feel you want from a mattress. The Purple is an all-foam bed while the Saatva Classic is an innerspring mattress. They’re both high-quality, luxe beds that show off their constructions’ best qualities. 

Brad-684x684

Brad Nehring

Senior Product Analyst

Side sleeper

215 lbs.

Sleeps with a weighted blanket

“The Saatva Classic is one of the sturdiest mattresses around. I also like how cool the Classic sleeps. There’s hardly any heat retention from the foam layers and the cover is nice and breathable. If there’s one major downside, I’d say it’s motion transfer — the surface is pretty bouncy, and you’ll feel some movement during the night if you sleep with a partner.”

The Saatva Classic has even, strong support that makes it an excellent choice for people with joint or back pain. It’s responsive, slightly bouncy, and supportive around the edges. It’s one of the coolest mattresses we’ve ever tested and definitely worth considering if you’re a hot sleeper. You’ll also find it on our list of the best firm mattresses.

The Purple Mattress is an all-foam bed and it has foam’s characteristic “hug.” Its unique Purple Grid system prevents pressure point pain and it has an adaptive, body-contouring feel. It’s also a decent choice for hot sleepers, as the Grid system is quite effective at promoting airflow and preventing heat retention. 

Your body weight, sleeping position, and performance needs are important factors to consider when choosing between these two beds.

Jeremy Klein

Jeremy Klein

Senior Product Testing Manager

Side sleeper

160 lbs.

Nightly melatonin user

“The Purple’s unique ‘grid’ design really sets it apart from traditional all-foam beds on the market. As someone who sleeps hot and enjoys deep cushioning, this mattress nicely checks both boxes.”

Construction and Materials

The Saatva Classic and Purple Mattress have quite different constructions and materials. Take a look at the following table to learn how they compare.

Construction AnalysisSaatva ClassicPurple Mattress
CoverOrganic cottonViscose, polyester, and Lycra blend
Comfort LayerPolyfoam pillow-top
Memory foam lumbar pad
2” buckling column gel
Transitional LayerPocketed microcoils3.25” polyfoam
Support CoreInnerspring coils (reinforced perimeter, zoned)4″ polyfoam

Saatva Classic Breakdown

The Saatva Classic has a thoughtful design that goes well beyond what the most basic innerspring beds offer. It has a multi-layered construction that begins with a 3-inch pillow-top. There’s additional foam under the lower back to increase cushioning. A memory foam lumbar pad further enhances spinal alignment and helps ease back pain. 

The transitional layer is a unique pocketed microcoil system that’s made from recycled steel. In the middle third, there are coils made from higher-gauge steel. They have increased pushback to support your midsection and prevent you from sinking into the mattress. They’re individually wrapped so that they can move separately from one another and minimize motion transfer. 

The steel innerspring support core provides structure, strength, and stability. It’s wrapped with a high-density foam rail that boosts support at the bed’s edge. The Classic comes in soft (3), medium firm  (6), and firm (8) feels as well as 11.5-inch and 14.5-inch profiles. A breathable and soft organic cotton cover envelops the mattress.

Purple Mattress Breakdown

The Purple Mattress has a simple construction that lets its innovative materials do the talking. Its first layer is made from 2 inches of Purple Grid. This hyper-elastic polymer is a buckling column gel that’s molded into a grid shape. 

The Grid cushions and contours alongside your body like memory foam, but there are spaces between the squares that allow substantial airflow. There is additional foam around the edges to increase support at the perimeter.

Under the comfort layer, 3.25 inches of polyfoam provides further cushioning while acting as a buffer between the layers above and below. The 4-inch polyfoam support core creates stability while helping to minimize motion transfer. The mattress cover is a stretchy viscose, polyester, and Lycra blend. 
The Purple Mattress is 9.25 inches tall and has a medium firm feel that’s a 6 out of 10 on our firmness scale.

Mattress Sizing and Weight

The Purple and Saatva Classic weigh about the same amount and you’ll need a partner to move either bed, as they’re fairly heavy. Saatva has free White Glove delivery and Purple offers it for a fee, so take advantage if you’re not able to lift or move the beds. 

The Saatva Classic comes in either 11.5-inch or 14.5-inch profiles, while the Purple is 9.25 inches thick. Both come in a full size range including California king and split king. The Saatva is also available as a split California king.

ModelProfileWeight (Queen)
Saatva Classic11.5″, 14.5″110-120 lbs.
Purple Mattress9.25″110 lbs.

Performance Ratings

The Saatva Classic and Purple Mattress are different types of beds, which their pros and cons reflect. The Saatva is an innerspring model that has the bouncy, responsive feel that most people associate with this build. It has strong edge support and it’s easy to move around on. It also offers significant pressure relief, especially considering it doesn’t have much foam. 

Hot sleepers should consider the Saatva – it’s a cooling mattress that earned a perfect score during our temperature regulation trials. However, like many other innersprings, the Saatva isn’t particularly good at preventing motion transfer. If you’re a light sleeper, you’ll probably notice your partner’s movements. 

The Purple Mattress is an all-foam bed that isolates motion and relieves pressure quite well. The Purple Grid system does what it advertises – prevents pain and adapts to the body’s shape without retaining heat. It’s not as cool as the Saatva but it regulates temperature much better than many other foam beds and is a worthy choice for those who sleep hot but prefer foam. Though the Grid system has a reinforced perimeter, it doesn’t have substantial edge support. We also found it somewhat hard to move around on.

Because the Saatva Classic comes in three firmness levels, people with most body weights and sleeper types can find a model that’s comfortable and supportive with a couple of exceptions. Back and stomach sleepers under 130 pounds didn’t find a Saatva Classic that was quite right. The Purple Mattress’ medium firm (6) feel had pretty wide appeal during testing too, with back and side sleepers between 130 pounds and 230 pounds liking it most.

Category

Saatva Classic Purple Mattress
Motion Isolation 6.5 /10 8 /10
Ease of Movement 8.5 /10 5 /10
Temperature Regulation 10 /10 7 /10
Pressure Relief 8 /10 8 /10
Odor Emissions 9.5 /10 5.5 /10
Edge Support 8.5 /10 6.5 /10

Mattress Pricing

The Saatva Classic and Purple Mattress are high-end beds with the price-points to match. However, they’re covered by lengthy warranties and made from high-quality materials. The Saatva Classic is quite durable and should last longer than many other innersprings. The Purple Mattress didn’t hold up as well during our durability testing but still earned better-than-average scores. 

Policy-wise, the Saatva Classic comes out on top. That’s not to say that Purple’s policies aren’t excellent too, just that Saatva beds come with one of the best sleep trial, shipping, and warranty packages offered by any company.

PolicySaatva ClassicPurple Mattress
Sleep Trial365 nights100 nights
WarrantyLifetime, limited10 years, limited
ShippingFree to contiguous U.S.Free to contiguous U.S.
White Glove DeliveryFreeAvailable for select models with an added fee

What Customers Are Saying

The Purple Mattress gets rave reviews from side sleepers for its deep pressure relief. Hot sleepers also appreciate how cool it sleeps.  Owners say that it manages to feel bouncy and responsive without transferring too much motion across its surface. Some customers think the price is a bit high and others say it lacks edge support. Many reviewers report that it takes some time to get used to the Purple’s unique feel. 

People who own the Saatva Classic praise its durability and structure. Back and stomach sleepers in particular like how evenly it supports their bodies. Customers like its strong edge support and traditional yet luxe feel. Like the Purple, customers don’t love the Saatva Classic’s price and many customers report that it takes a while to break in the mattress.

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