Casper vs. Casper Nova Mattress Comparison

Is the Casper Original or the Casper Nova Hybrid the right mattress for you? Here’s a look at the Casper and Casper Nova Hybrid’s similarities and differences, including pricing and ideal sleep positions. Check out our testing methodology for more information on how the Nerds rate mattresses. 

Casper vs. Casper Nova Overview

The Casper Original is a medium-firm memory foam mattress that includes responsive polyfoam for cushion and a transitional layer to support and align the body. The Casper Nova Hybrid is a medium-plush hybrid mattress that combines polyfoam and innerspring coils to cradle the body like a hug while offering some support and moderate bounce. 

Casper is best for…	Casper Nova is best for…
Back sleepers	Side sleepers
People with back pain	People who like a bed-hugging feel
Combination sleepers	Hot sleepers

Who Should Choose the Casper Mattress?

• Back Sleepers: Zoned Support foam aligns the hips and neck as a soft comfort layer fills the small of your back and cushions the body.
• People with back pain: The mix of body contouring and supportive foam helps relieve pressure and align the spine, supporting the core to avoid sinkage. 
• Combination sleepers: The responsive foam moves easily, and the transition layer keeps the spine aligned and the hips supported in any position. 

Who Should Choose the Casper Nova Mattress?

• Side sleepers: Designed for side sleepers who want a soft mattress, zoned layers ergonomically cushion pressure points at the hips and shoulders. 
• Hot sleepers: Even with its plush layers, breathable Airscape foam wicks away body heat, and the innerspring coils help increase airflow.
• Hugging feeling: The body gently sinks into two layers of ultra-soft polyfoam, so sleepers feel like the mattress hugs the body into the surface.

Casper vs. Casper Nova: Top Similarities 

• Best for lightweight and average-weight sleepers: People who weigh more than 230 lbs are more likely to deal with uncomfortable sinking in any position.
• Great for couples: Both help minimize motion transfer, so you don’t disrupt your co-sleeper as you toss, turn, or get up for the bathroom.  
• Bed-in-a-box format: Even with the Casper Nova’s innerspring coils, both mattresses are compressed into a box and shipped to your home. 

Casper vs. Casper Nova: Top Differences 

• Feel: The Casper Nova hugs the body into a plush cradle, while the Casper Original lightly contours the body and offers more firm support. 
• Sleep position suitability: The Casper Nova is designed for side sleepers, and the Casper Original is ideal for back sleepers.
• Temperature: Polyfoam layers help keep both mattresses cool, but the Casper Nova’s innerspring coils and additional breathable layers offer more heat regulation.
• Pricing: Casper mattresses are known for their higher price tags, but the Casper Original is more budget-conscious and costs anywhere from $400 to $950 less.

Casper vs. Casper Nova: Firmness & Feel Differences

The Casper Original and Casper Nova have completely different firmness levels and will feel noticeably different.

What’s the Firmness Of the Casper vs. Casper Nova Mattresses? 

On the 1-10 firmness scale, the Casper Original is a 6/10. This medium-firm bed supports lightweight and average-weight sleepers in any position, while heavyweight sleepers may find their hips sink into the mattress.

The Casper Nova is a 4/10 and offers a softer-than-average feel. This medium-plush mattress may feel too soft for heavyweight sleepers, who are more likely to experience sinkage. However, lightweight and average-weight back and stomach sleepers are still supported.

What Do the Casper vs. Casper Nova Mattresses Feel Like?

The Casper Original’s polyfoam top layer offers a traditional pillow top feel that’s responsive to movement as you toss and turn. A transition memory foam layer helps support and contour the body so you’re gently lifted nearly to the top of the mattress. 

The Casper Nova Mattress has two polyfoam layers that hug your body, so you’re deeply cradled into the bed. A firmer zoned layer helps support the hips and lower back, while innerspring coils give the mattress a bouncy feel. 

What’s It Like to Sleep On the Casper vs. Casper Nova Mattresses?

The Casper Original’s Zoned Support layer helps support the spine and hips of lightweight and average-weight sleepers in any position. The mattress perfectly aligns the spine and avoids hip sinkage for back and combination sleepers. However, heavyweight sleepers will likely experience sinkage. 

The Casper Nova Hybrid’s two polyfoam layers help cradle pressure points, which makes it an excellent mattress for lightweight to average-weight side sleepers. Combination sleepers will also feel hugged with enough support. However, most stomach sleepers may find the Casper Nova too soft, and heavyweight people are more likely to sink too deep into the mattress in any sleeping position. 

The Casper vs. Casper Nova Mattresses By Body Type

Casper Performance By Body Type & Sleeping Position:

Body Type:	BACK SLEEPERS	STOMACH SLEEPERS	SIDE SLEEPERS
Lightweight (< 130 lbs):	5	4	4
Average-weight (130–230 lbs):	5	3	5
Heavyweight (> 230 lbs):	3	2	2

Casper Nova Performance By Body Type & Sleeping Position:

Body Type:	BACK SLEEPERS	STOMACH SLEEPERS	SIDE SLEEPERS
Lightweight (< 130 lbs):	4	3	4
Average-weight (130–230 lbs):	4	3	5
Heavyweight (> 230 lbs):	3	2	3

1 = Very poor, 2 = Not good, 3 = Fair, 4 = Good, 5 = Excellent

Average-Weight Sleepers (130–230 lbs)

The Casper Original offers ergonomic support and soft body contouring—without deep cradling—that makes it ideal for average-weight back and side sleepers. The responsive foam design also helps combination sleepers move and still feel supported. It’s not the best mattress for average-weight stomach sleepers, but it’s an okay option since the hips shouldn’t sink too far.

The Casper Nova Hybrid’s plush top layer gently cradles the hips while support layers align the spine, making it an excellent choice for average-weight side sleepers. Stomach sleepers may also like the soft support, but the hips may start to sink with more weight. Average-weight combination sleepers may also find the surface could be more responsive for tossing and turning. While not the best mattress for back sleepers, the two layers of zoned support foam can support average-weight people. 

Heavyweight Sleepers (> 230 lbs)

Neither mattress is recommended for heavyweight sleepers. Heavyweight back sleepers are more likely to experience hip sinkage on the Casper Original, but the spine will still be aligned. The zoned foam may also put too much pressure on the hips for side sleepers, and the top layer may not be firm enough to support the hips and avoid sinkage for heavier stomach sleepers. The lack of any coils makes the mattress not very responsive for heavier combination sleepers. 

Heavyweight back, side, and stomach sleepers may feel like the Casper Nova is too soft to support their body. They’ll often experience too deep of a hug effect that isn’t supporting their hips or spine. Since heavier people are also more likely to sink too deep, the mattress makes it difficult to move around if you’re a combination sleeper. For sleepers who weigh more than 230 lbs, check out the best mattresses for heavy people.

Lightweight Sleepers (< 130 lbs)

The Casper Original is great for lightweight back sleepers who want soft comfort with a fully aligned and supported back. The Zoned support foam also helps provide enough support without pressure points for lightweight side sleepers. Stomach sleepers may also find their hips don’t sink too deep, but they may not feel fully supported. Still, the mattress’s responsive foam makes it easy for lightweight combination sleepers to move around.

Lightweight sleepers will feel supported in any position on the Casper Nova Hybrid. The polyfoam top layer hugs the body without sinkage, creating a perfect plush mattress for lightweight side sleepers. Back sleepers will feel aligned thanks to the two layers of zoned support foam. While not the best mattress for stomach sleepers, lightweight people may find their hips don’t sink too deep. The responsive top layer and the bouncy innerspring coils make it easy for combination sleepers to shift positions.

Differences In Mattress Construction 

The Casper Original is an all-foam mattress made from perforated polyfoam, zoned memory foam, and a dense foam base. The Casper Nova is a hybrid mattress that combines two polyfoam layers, a zoned support layer, and an innerspring coil layer. The Casper Original mattress is also 11″ high, while the Casper Nova Hybrid mattress is 12″ high. 

Casper Mattress Materials	Casper Nova Mattress Materials
Quilted knit cover	Quilted knit cover
Airscape perforated foam (1.5″)	Airscape perforated foam (1”)
Zoned Support memory foam (2”)	Zoned Airscape foam (1.5”)
High-density base foam (7.5”)	Zoned Support Pro foam (2”)
	Pocketed coils encased in foam

Cover

The Casper Original and Nova Hybrid covers are made from smooth, stretchy, and breathable fabric blends that incorporate recycled plastic bottles. Both have a quilted pillow-like feel.

Comfort Layers

The Casper Original and Casper Nova both use Casper’s proprietary Airscape foam. The perforated polyfoam helps increase airflow to move heat away from the mattress surface while also cushioning the body for a plush, bouncy feel. The biggest difference is that the Casper Nova adds a second layer of Airscape foam to help further cool the mattress and give it that plush feel that hugs the body. This additional layer has three ergonomic zones that feel softer under the shoulders and firmer around the core. 

Support Layers

The Casper Original uses firmer Zoned Support memory foam to give more structure to support the spine and avoid hip sinkage. The high-density base foam helps motion isolation and adds the cushion you expect from an all-foam mattress. The Nova has a Zoned Support Pro foam layer, which uses contoured grooves to help cushion the body, support the hips and spine, and create deeper airflow. The base layer’s pocketed coils help generate more bounce and support.

Casper vs. Casper Nova Pricing

Size	Casper Prices	Casper Nova Prices
Twin	$	$
Twin XL	$	$
Full	$	$
Queen	$	$
King	$	$
California King	$	$

For exclusive discounts on both beds, see our Casper Mattress Coupons.

Casper vs. Casper Nova Mattress Performance Ratings & Differences

Temperature

Even with its thick layers, the Casper Nova sleeps cooler than most plush mattresses—with the Nerds rating its temperature performance a 4/5. Both beds have a perforated polyfoam top layer that doesn’t retain heat like memory foam and helps improve airflow. The Nova also uses a second layer of grooved polyfoam and a breathable coil base to further move heat away from the mattress. The Casper Original rates a 3.5/5 and isn’t the best all-foam mattress for hot sleepers.

Motion Transfer

While the mattresses are built differently, they both do an excellent job of reducing motion transmission. The Casper Original, however, earns a 5/5 performance rating because it can support moving into any sleeping position and isolate motion so you don’t disrupt your partner. The Casper Nova gets a 4.5/5 since its pocketed coils help minimize motion transfer, but moving to different sleeping positions can still be challenging. Still, either bed is an excellent mattress for couples.

Edge Support 

The Casper Original feels extremely stable when sitting or lying down on the edges of the mattress. The Nerds give it a near-perfect rating of 4/5 for edge support performance. The Casper Nova Hybrid is fairly supportive for a soft bed, but the foam layers may feel flimsy and unsteady at the edge. This earns the Nova a 3/5 rating, and it’s not the best mattresses for seniors who need edge support.

Pressure Relief 

Both mattresses do a good job of relieving pressure and alleviating back pain, with each earning a 4.5/5 pressure relief rating. The Casper Original is a great mattress for back pain for folks who weigh under 230 lbs, and the transitional support layer helps relieve pressure off the spine and hips. While significantly softer, the Nova Hybrid also helps support healthy spinal alignment for lightweight and average-weight side or back sleepers. Heavier people may find they sag into both mattresses and feel uncomfortable pressure.

Durability 

Both mattresses are quite durable for being made of foam, and you likely won’t notice wear for six to ten years if you’re a lightweight or average-weight person. The Casper Nova earns a 4.5/5 rating and is slightly more durable thanks to its innerspring coil support layer. The Casper Original is still pretty supportive for an all-foam bed because of its thick foam base and strong memory foam zone that supports the core in the middle of the bed—earning a 4/5. For more durable options, see our list of the best mattresses that won’t sag. 

Shipping, Returns, & Warranties 

Casper 

If you order your Casper Original directly from Casper Sleep, 2- to 5-day shipping is free to the continental United States and parts of Canada. Alaska and Hawaii have additional shipping fees. A 10-year limited warranty covers defects like splits, cracks, or indentations greater than 1″ when you use the proper mattress foundation. The mattress also comes with a 100-night trial period, and you can return your Casper mattress for a full refund at any time within the first 100 nights you own it.

Casper Nova

Casper offers the same shipping, return, and warranty policies for the Casper Nova mattress. Shipping usually takes less than five business days and ships free to the continental U.S. and parts of Canada. A 10-year limited warranty covers defects that are not caused by improper support, and a 100-night trial period lets you test the mattress to determine if you want to keep or return it for a full refund any time within the first 100 nights.

Other Models Available

Our Final Take

If you’re a combination sleeper or experience back pain, the Casper Original is the best option to support your core and alleviate pressure in any sleeping position. Back sleepers who still want some soft cushion will also find the medium-firm mattress does a great job of aligning the spine. If you’re a side sleeper who wants a softer bed, the Casper Nova Hybrid is great at cushioning pressure points while hugging the body into the mattress. Hot sleepers will also fare better with the Casper Nova thanks to its breathable foam and innerspring coil layers. However, neither mattress is a good fit for people over 230 Ibs. 

Casper vs. Casper Nova FAQs

Is Casper Nova too soft?

The Casper Nova Hybrid is a medium-plush mattress that is softer than the average bed. The soft foam layers may feel unsteady at the edges of the bed, but the mattress is overall supportive. Still, heavier people may think the mattress feels too soft and sink into the bed.  

Is Costco Casper the same as original Casper?

No, the Casper Original mattress is not the same as the Casper Select mattress sold at Costco. The Casper Costco mattress is similar since it is also a medium-firm memory foam bed, but it contains a four-layer foam construction while the Casper Original has three foam layers.

Does Casper Nova sleep hot?

No, the Casper Nova does not sleep hot and is one of the best cooling mattresses. The Casper Nova sleeps cooler than most medium-plush mattresses thanks to its breathable foam layers and innerspring coils that help airflow. The mattress is ideal for hot sleepers who want a soft bed.