Deciding between the Bear and Purple original mattresses? We’re talking about their similarities and differences to help you make the right choice in this Purple vs. Bear mattress comparison.
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Purple vs. Bear Mattress Comparison
The Purple mattress has a unique feel thanks to a proprietary gel grid top layer. This Purple Smart Grid provides the pressure relief of memory foam without the heat retention or conforming feel. The Bear is a firmer-than-average memory foam mattress designed to expedite muscle recovery in athletes and active folks.
The Purple’s floating feel and cooling properties will likely work better than the Bear for side sleepers and folks who sleep hot. The Bear’s supportive surface is a better fit for stomach sleepers, and it has a slight edge over the Purple for those with active lifestyles. Both mattresses work for back sleepers and combination sleepers.
Comparing Purple & Bear Mattresses
Key Differences
- Construction: The Bear is a memory foam mattress made from layers of contouring memory foam and responsive polyfoam. The Purple pairs supportive polyfoam with a proprietary gel grid top layer.
- Feel: The Bear mattress has a firmer memory foam feel with slight contouring and cushioning. The Purple Grid offers a cool, pressure-relieving, floating sensation that supports even weight distribution.
- Sleeping Positions: While both mattresses do a good job supporting back sleepers, side sleepers are better off on the Purple, and stomach sleepers will fare better on the Bear.
- Cooling: Purple’s Smart Comfort Grid layer doesn’t retain body heat. Plus, more generous airflow along the Purple’s surface makes it sleep noticeably cooler than the Bear—although both beds sleep cooler than your average foam mattress.
Key Similarities
- Best for People Under 230 lbs: Both mattresses have thin comfort layers and average support, so they’re not the best mattresses for heavy people. The lack of coils in these beds also makes them better for lightweight and average-weight sleepers.
- Good for Couples: Both beds do a decent job of limiting motion transfer, so people who share the bed are less likely to wake up at their partner’s every movement.
- Responsive Feel: Even though neither mattress has innerspring coils, the surfaces of each quickly adapt to movements so you shouldn’t feel stuck. Good responsiveness is important if you toss and turn a lot.
Who is the Bear Mattress Best For
Designed for people with active lifestyles, the Original Bear mattress is Bear’s flagship model. It features foams that work well for sleepers of all positions and sizes. The bed's standout cover includes Celliant, which converts body heat into infrared energy to promote muscle recovery.
Designed for people with active lifestyles, the Original Bear mattress is Bear’s flagship model. It features foams that work well for sleepers of all positions and sizes. The bed's standout cover includes Celliant, which converts body heat into infrared energy to promote muscle recovery.
Designed for people with active lifestyles, the Original Bear mattress is Bear’s flagship model. It features foams that work well for sleepers of all positions and sizes. The bed's standout cover includes Celliant, which converts body heat into infrared energy to promote muscle recovery.
Bear Mattress
Read Full Review
Material
Foam
Trial Period
100 nights
Shipping Method
Free shipping
Firmness
Medium-firm: 7/10
Warranty
10-year limited warranty
Price Range
$$$$$
Bear Mattress
Read Full Review
Material
Foam
Warranty
10-year limited warranty
Firmness
Medium-firm: 7/10
Shipping Method
Free shipping
Trial Period
100 nights
Price Range
$$$$$
Bear Mattress
Read Full Review
Material
Foam
Firmness
Medium-firm: 7/10
Trial Period
100 nights
Warranty
10-year limited warranty
Shipping Method
Free shipping
Price Range
$$$$$
- Athletes and active people: The Bear mattress is designed to speed muscle recovery. For all you science geeks out there, Celliant technology in the mattress converts body heat to infrared energy. When directed back toward the body, that energy helps boost tissue oxygenation for faster healing.
- People with back pain: The Bear mattress may help relieve back pain thanks to its ability to support recovery. Additionally, this bed does an outstanding job supporting a healthy spine, which can ease pain caused by insufficient nightly support.
- Back and stomach sleepers: The Bear’s layers of foam create a medium-firm feel that gently cushions the body without sacrificing support. The balance between support and cushioning make it a great mattress for back sleepers and stomach sleepers.
- Hot sleepers who like foam beds: Memory foam mattresses have a conforming feel and great pressure relief, but they often sleep hot. The Bear memory foam bed combats excess heat retention through cooling fabric, cooling gel, and breathable open-cell foam.
Not Best For…
- People who like a bouncy mattress: The Bear is an all-foam mattress. As such, it’s not the best fit for people who like the bouncy feel of innerspring mattresses.
- Heavier people: Heavyweight people need durable and thick comfort layers combined with an incredibly supportive base layer. The Bear’s comfort layers aren’t thick enough for bigger bodies, and the support foam isn’t quite as supportive as durable innerspring coils.
- Side sleepers: The Bear mattress is on the firmer side of medium-firm. The sleeping surface simply isn’t soft enough to cushion the shoulders and hips when side sleeping.
Read our full Bear mattress review to learn more!
Who the Purple Mattress is Best For
The Purple mattress is temperature-neutral with a floating feel, thanks to its 2" Purple Grid and dual-layered comfort foam base. The Purple Grid is made with hyper-elastic polymer, which is a gel-like substance that provides lots of pressure relief.
The Purple mattress is temperature-neutral with a floating feel, thanks to its 2" Purple Grid and dual-layered comfort foam base. The Purple Grid is made with hyper-elastic polymer, which is a gel-like substance that provides lots of pressure relief.
The Purple mattress is temperature-neutral with a floating feel, thanks to its 2" Purple Grid and dual-layered comfort foam base. The Purple Grid is made with hyper-elastic polymer, which is a gel-like substance that provides lots of pressure relief.
Purple Mattress
Read Full Review
Material
Hybrid
Trial Period
100 nights
Shipping Method
Free shipping
Firmness
Medium-firm: 6.5/10
Warranty
10-year warranty
Price Range
$$$$$
Purple Mattress
Read Full Review
Material
Hybrid
Warranty
10-year warranty
Firmness
Medium-firm: 6.5/10
Shipping Method
Free shipping
Trial Period
100 nights
Price Range
$$$$$
Purple Mattress
Read Full Review
Material
Hybrid
Firmness
Medium-firm: 6.5/10
Trial Period
100 nights
Warranty
10-year warranty
Shipping Method
Free shipping
Price Range
$$$$$
- People who sleep hot: The Purple mattress has the coolest comfort layer that we’ve seen on a predominantly foam bed. Unlike other mattresses that use either memory foam or polyfoam, the Purple mattress has a breathable gel grid that doesn’t store body heat. This makes it an excellent bed for people who tend to wake up hot and sweaty.
- Elderly people: Purple’s Smart Comfort Grid evenly distributes body weight, creating a floating sensation with nearly zero pressure at areas like the hips and shoulders. For older people with joint pain, this weightless feeling can help with pain relief.
- Side and back sleepers: The Purple Grid supports excellent spinal alignment for both side and back sleepers who weigh less than 230 lbs. Healthy alignment can mean deeper sleep and fewer aches and pains come morning.
- People who share the bed: The Purple mattress has the two things that we look for in a mattress for couples: comfortable edges and good motion isolation properties. That means you can spread out and move around without waking your bedmate.
Not Best For…
- Heavyweight people: The original Purple mattress has a 2” comfort layer, which isn’t thick enough to cushion pressure points for people who weigh more than 230 lbs.
- Stomach sleepers: The Purple Grid top layer buckles at heavier body parts. While this means great pressure relief and alignment for back and side sleepers, it could mean excess sinkage at the hips of stomach sleepers. If you are looking for a more supportive mattress, see the best mattresses for stomach sleepers.
- Memory foam lovers: Purple mattresses have a feel unlike that of any other mattress. If you like the feel of a mattress with hugging foam, you’re better off opting for a bed with thick foam layers up top, rather than the proprietary Purple Grid.
Read our full Purple mattress review to learn more!
Deciding Between the Bear & Purple Mattresses
Firmness / Feel
Every mattress can be rated on a firmness scale of 1–10, where 1 is the softest and 10 is the most firm. The Purple mattress falls at a 6.5/10, and the Bear ranks at a 7/10, putting both beds squarely in the medium-firm category.
Despite similar firmnesses, the way these beds feel is quite different. The Bear mattress has an all-foam mattress feel, with very slight contouring around the body and minimal sinkage. The Purple has a unique feel that some people describe as “floating.” The gel grid top layer evenly distributes body weight without the hugging feel of foam. Both beds have thin comfort layers and average support, so they’re best for people who weigh less than 230 lbs.
They also both do a good job of supporting back sleepers. The Bear is better for stomach sleepers because it’s slightly firmer than the Purple. The Purple Grid tends to sink in just a bit too far at the hips for stomach sleepers. The Purple’s surface does a much better job cushioning pressure points of side sleepers than the Bear. If you change positions during the night frequently, check out our recommendations for the best mattress for combination sleepers.
Motion Isolation
When someone gets in or out of bed, or whenever they change sleep positions, the movement can travel across the mattress and interrupt the sleep of an unsuspecting partner. That’s why you want a mattress with excellent motion isolation if you sleep with a partner, child, or furry family member.
Both the Bear and the Purple mattresses deliver a high level of motion isolation, mostly because of their foam base layers. That’s great for people who rarely sleep alone. For more motion isolating options, consider one of the best mattresses for couples.
Edge Support
Sturdy edges allow people to sleep along a mattress without rolling off, create a solid surface for sitting, and make it easier to get in and out of bed. While both the Purple and Bear mattresses have edges that are comfortable to lie along, neither are particularly sturdy for sitting. They simply don’t have the support that innerspring coils could offer.
Pressure Relief
Pressure relief can be a tricky performance feature to grasp because a mattress with excellent pressure relief isn’t always the most comfortable. For example, the Bear mattress did really well in our pressure relief test, but we wouldn’t consider it to be the best mattress for side sleepers because it’s on the firmer side.
The Purple mattress also provides excellent pressure relief, and it’s a good choice for side sleepers. Why? The Purple’s unique comfort layer buckles at the shoulders and hips for a weightless, pressure-relieving sensation and slightly softer feel.
Spine Alignment
Spinal alignment is one of the most important factors when considering a mattress, no matter your sleep style or body type. The Purple does an excellent job keeping the spine properly aligned for side and back sleepers who weigh less than 230 lbs. The Bear is best for stomach and back sleepers in the same body size range.
Related: Best Mattresses for Stomach Sleepers
Durability
Both the Purple and Bear mattresses are fairly durable, especially compared to beds without innerspring coils. Because of the thick foam in each mattress, we expect both beds to remain comfortable and in good condition for at least seven years. Also, the Purple Grid in the top layer of the Purple mattress is incredibly slow to break down, so we think the Purple is the more durable of the two.
Temperature
The Purple and Bear mattresses are good picks for hot sleepers who don’t want to sleep on an innerspring mattress. The Purple Grid is one of the coolest comfort layers around, with generous airflow that sweeps away excess body heat for a comfortable and dry night’s sleep. The Bear is one of the cooler memory foam mattresses on our radar, thanks to breathable, graphite- and gel-infused foam. Still, it sleeps just a tad warmer than the Purple.
If you struggle with overheating at night, consider one of the best cooling mattresses for hot sleepers.
The Bear mattress starts with a Celliant fabric cover that converts body heat into infrared energy. When diverted back to the body, the infrared energy enhances blood flow, facilitating faster healing. The comfort layer of the mattress is a medium-firm memory foam that conforms to the body without allowing much sinkage. A gel infusion in this layer absorbs body heat and disperses it to keep the sleeping surface cool. Transitional polyfoam also adds responsiveness, while the bed’s durable base foam boosts longevity.
Purple Mattress Construction
The Purple mattress has a stretchy and breathable cover made of polyester, viscose, and Lycra. This cover facilitates the flex of the Hyper-Elastic Polymer Grid below, ensuring targeted support and pressure relief. The gel-like Purple Grid top layer remains supportive until a certain amount of pressure is applied. This creates a weightless, floating sensation. The final two layers are made of polyfoam, which delivers excellent motion isolation.
Sizing & Price Comparisons
| Mattress Size | Bear Price | Purple Price |
| Twin | $695 | $699 |
| Twin XL | $695 | $899 |
| Full | $895 | $1,099 |
| Queen | $995 | $1,299 |
| King | $1,095 | $1,699 |
| California King | $1,095 | $1,699 |
Check out Bear Mattress Coupons & Purple Mattress Coupons for the best price on a new mattress.
Shipping and Returns for Bear & Purple
Bear Mattress
Bear ships its products for free across the contiguous U.S., but there’s an extra fee to ship a mattress to Hawaii or Alaska. Bear normally offers white glove delivery and old mattress removal for $150, but check with a Bear customer care representative to see if it’s offered at the time of your purchase.
The bed will arrive compressed and rolled up into a box that’s easy to move with a two-person team. Once delivered, your Bear mattress comes with a 100-night sleep trial. If you’re unhappy with your new mattress during the trial period, you can return it for a full refund. Bear sends someone to pick up the mattress, so you don’t have to worry about any extra work. Bear has a mandatory 30-day break-in period before accepting returns.
If you decide to keep your new mattress, it comes with the Bear mattress 10-year warranty.
Purple Mattress
The Purple mattress ships for free to the contiguous U.S., but if you’re in Hawaii, Alaska, or Canada you’ll need to pay an extra shipping fee. When you buy your new mattress online, it’s shipped bed-in-a-box style—compressed and rolled in a box. It takes a few hours to inflate to its proper shape. If that sounds like too much work, you can choose white glove delivery at checkout for an added fee if you’d like to have someone set up your new bed and get rid of your old one.
Starting from the date of delivery, you have 100 nights to test out the mattress to see if it’s to your liking. According to the Purple return policy, you can return your mattress for a full refund within that 100-day sleep trial period. However, you’ll need to wait at least 21 days after delivery for the mattress break-in period to end. If you decide to return your mattress, someone will come to your door to pick it up.
For extra peace of mind, every Purple mattress warranty lasts for an industry-standard 10 years.
More Bear Mattresses
The Bear Hybrid is a five-layer hybrid mattress that combines the responsiveness and breathability of innerspring coils with the contouring of memory foam. Its supportive, medium-firmness makes it an excellent choice for back sleepers of all sizes. The Bear Hybrid is a five-layer hybrid mattress that combines the responsiveness and breathability of innerspring coils with the contouring of memory foam. Its supportive, medium-firmness makes it an excellent choice for back sleepers of all sizes. The Bear Hybrid is a five-layer hybrid mattress that combines the responsiveness and breathability of innerspring coils with the contouring of memory foam. Its supportive, medium-firmness makes it an excellent choice for back sleepers of all sizes.
Bear Hybrid Mattress
Read Full Review
Material
Hybrid
Trial Period
100 nights
Shipping Method
Free shipping
Firmness
Soft: 6/10
Warranty
20-year limited warranty
Price Range
$$$$$
Bear Hybrid Mattress
Read Full Review
Material
Hybrid
Warranty
20-year limited warranty
Firmness
Soft: 6/10
Shipping Method
Free shipping
Trial Period
100 nights
Price Range
$$$$$
Bear Hybrid Mattress
Read Full Review
Material
Hybrid
Firmness
Soft: 6/10
Trial Period
100 nights
Warranty
20-year limited warranty
Shipping Method
Free shipping
Price Range
$$$$$
Read our full Bear Hybrid mattress review for the full scoop!
The Bear Pro is a luxury memory foam mattress with a medium-firm feel and extra cooling features. The soft memory foam top layer cradles the body more deeply than the original Bear mattress, creating a feel that’s much better for side sleepers. The Bear Pro is a luxury memory foam mattress with a medium-firm feel and extra cooling features. The soft memory foam top layer cradles the body more deeply than the original Bear mattress, creating a feel that’s much better for side sleepers. The Bear Pro is a luxury memory foam mattress with a medium-firm feel and extra cooling features. The soft memory foam top layer cradles the body more deeply than the original Bear mattress, creating a feel that’s much better for side sleepers.
Bear Pro Mattress
Read Full Review
Material
Foam
Trial Period
100 nights
Shipping Method
Free shipping
Firmness
Medium-firm: 6.5/10
Warranty
10-year limited warranty
Price Range
$$$$$
Bear Pro Mattress
Read Full Review
Material
Foam
Warranty
10-year limited warranty
Firmness
Medium-firm: 6.5/10
Shipping Method
Free shipping
Trial Period
100 nights
Price Range
$$$$$
Bear Pro Mattress
Read Full Review
Material
Foam
Firmness
Medium-firm: 6.5/10
Trial Period
100 nights
Warranty
10-year limited warranty
Shipping Method
Free shipping
Price Range
$$$$$
Read our full Bear Pro mattress review for more details!
More Purple Mattresses
The Purple Hybrid boasts springy, supportive pocketed coils instead of the original Purple’s all-foam base. These innerspring coils create a slightly firmer feel, deliver a bit more bounce, and sleep even cooler than the classic Purple mattress. The Purple Hybrid boasts springy, supportive pocketed coils instead of the original Purple’s all-foam base. These innerspring coils create a slightly firmer feel, deliver a bit more bounce, and sleep even cooler than the classic Purple mattress. The Purple Hybrid boasts springy, supportive pocketed coils instead of the original Purple’s all-foam base. These innerspring coils create a slightly firmer feel, deliver a bit more bounce, and sleep even cooler than the classic Purple mattress.
Purple Hybrid Mattress
Read Full Review
Material
Hybrid
Trial Period
100 nights
Shipping Method
Free shipping
Firmness
Medium-firm: 7/10
Warranty
10-year warranty
Price Range
$$$$$
Purple Hybrid Mattress
Read Full Review
Material
Hybrid
Warranty
10-year warranty
Firmness
Medium-firm: 7/10
Shipping Method
Free shipping
Trial Period
100 nights
Price Range
$$$$$
Purple Hybrid Mattress
Read Full Review
Material
Hybrid
Firmness
Medium-firm: 7/10
Trial Period
100 nights
Warranty
10-year warranty
Shipping Method
Free shipping
Price Range
$$$$$
Read our Purple Hybrid mattress review for more details!
The Purple Hybrid Premier has a thicker Purple Grid and a softer feel than either the original Purple or Purple Hybrid. Thanks to greater pressure relief and support, we recommend the Premier for side sleepers and those with joint pain. The Purple Hybrid Premier has a thicker Purple Grid and a softer feel than either the original Purple or Purple Hybrid. Thanks to greater pressure relief and support, we recommend the Premier for side sleepers and those with joint pain. The Purple Hybrid Premier has a thicker Purple Grid and a softer feel than either the original Purple or Purple Hybrid. Thanks to greater pressure relief and support, we recommend the Premier for side sleepers and those with joint pain.
Purple Hybrid Premier Mattress
Read Full Review
Material
Hybrid
Trial Period
100 nights
Shipping Method
Free shipping
Firmness
Soft: 6/10
Warranty
10-year warranty
Price Range
$$$$$
Purple Hybrid Premier Mattress
Read Full Review
Material
Hybrid
Warranty
10-year warranty
Firmness
Soft: 6/10
Shipping Method
Free shipping
Trial Period
100 nights
Price Range
$$$$$
Purple Hybrid Premier Mattress
Read Full Review
Material
Hybrid
Firmness
Soft: 6/10
Trial Period
100 nights
Warranty
10-year warranty
Shipping Method
Free shipping
Price Range
$$$$$
Read our Purple Hybrid Premier mattress review for the full scoop!
Still Looking? Be sure to read some of our other popular mattress comparisons:
- Bear vs. Brooklyn Bedding
- Bear vs. Casper
- Bear vs. Layla
- Bear vs. Leesa
- Bear vs. Nolah
- Bear vs. Tuft & Needle
- Purple Alternatives
- Purple vs. Amerisleep
- Purple vs. Brooklyn Bedding
- Purple vs. Casper
- Purple vs. GhostBed
- Purple vs. Helix
- Purple vs. Layla
- Purple vs. Leesa
- Purple vs. Lull
- Purple vs. Nectar
- Purple vs. Nolah
- Purple vs. Puffy
- Purple vs. Saatva
- Purple vs. Tempur-Pedic
- Purple vs. Tuft & Needle
- Purple vs. WinkBed
- Purple Mattress Comparison
Our Final Take
The Bear and Purple are both medium-firm mattresses that provide good pressure relief and suit back sleepers under 230 lbs, but otherwise are quite different. The Purple mattress features a cooling construction that’s better for hot sleepers. It’s also a touch softer, which is better for side sleepers.
The Bear is our pick for stomach sleepers under 230 lbs. It also has more affordable pricing (a Queen size Bear mattress costs $995 compared with $1,299 for a Queen size Purple mattress). Both brands offer 100-night sleep trials and free returns.
