Purple vs. GhostBed Mattress Comparison

Comparing the Purple & GhostBed Mattresses

The Purple and GhostBed are leading online mattresses that both have a medium-firm feel. By utilizing different materials, these beds offer unique sleeping experiences that are better suited for different people.

The original Purple mattress is a hybrid foam bed with Purple’s proprietary Smart Grid comfort layer, which uses a hyper-elastic polymer with a flexible grid design. It delivers superior motion isolation and pressure relief and is better than the GhostBed for side sleepers and elderly people with joint pain. 

The GhostBed mattress is a latex and foam hybrid that marries the benefits of these two popular mattress materials. Its latex top layer provides greater support than the Purple mattress for stomach sleepers, and it has a more responsive sleeping surface. Both mattresses sleep cool and come with risk-free sleep trials.

Key Differences 

• Ease-of-movement: The GhostBed’s responsive latex top layer makes it easier to move around on than the Purple’s Smart Comfort Grid and foam combination.  
• Sleep position suitability: Both mattresses are good mattresses for back sleepers, but the GhostBed is better for stomach sleepers and the Purple for side sleepers.  
• Support for Bigger Bodies: The GhostBed provides superior support for plus-size people. Its latex foam top layer balances support with cushion for people who weigh up to 300 pounds. The Purple’s comfort layer and support layer aren’t suitable for heavier people.  
• Co-sleeping experience: The GhostBed’s latex top layer has more bounce than the Purple’s gel grid, which transfers more movement from one side of the bed to the other. As such, couples are more likely to sleep peacefully on the Purple bed. 

Key Similarities

• Cooling properties: Both the GhostBed and Purple sleep cooler than most mattresses and are suitable for hot sleepers. This temperature neutrality is thanks to the Purple Grid’s breathability and the GhostBed’s aerated top layer and cooling gel memory foam. 
• Sleeping “on” the surface: Both mattresses have a feel that’s more akin to sleeping “on” than “in” the mattress. However, the Purple Grid makes you feel like you’re floating while the GhostBed’s latex foam comfort layer provides a slight foam contouring feel. For mattresses that keep you on top of the surface, see the best latex mattresses.

Who is the Purple Original Mattress Best For?

Best For…

• People with body aches and pains: The Purple Grid has an impressive ability to evenly distribute body weight, providing excellent spinal alignment for side and back sleepers. The floating sensation eases pain at pressure points. The healthy alignment and pressure relief are great for people with joint pain or back pain. For similar options, see the best mattresses for back pain.
• Hot sleepers: The Purple’s top layer is a gel grid that facilitates generous airflow. It’s one of the coolest mattresses without a layer of innerspring coils. 
• Couples: The Purple mattress delivers great motion isolation and has comfy edges. This combination means people can spread out and move around without disturbing one another.

May Not be Best For…

• All-foam mattress fans: The Purple bed has a unique feel that’s unlike beds with thick, conforming foam layers. It’s not the right bed for people who love being hugged by their mattress.  
• Heavyweight people: The classic Purple mattress is not built for bigger bodies. With a thin comfort layer and minimal support system, the Purple is likely to be uncomfortable for people who weigh more than 230 pounds. 
• Stomach sleepers: Stomach sleepers need a mattress with firm support at the hips; otherwise the hips sink in too far and cause lower back pain. The Purple mattress doesn’t provide firm lumbar support and is therefore a poor choice for stomach sleepers.

Read our full Purple Mattress Review or Purple Mattress Comparison to learn more! 

Who is the GhostBed Mattress Best For?

Best For…

• Sleepers who toss and turn: Combination sleepers spend a lot of time repositioning. To sleep soundly, people who toss and turn need a mattress that quickly adapts to movements. The top layer of latex foam in the GhostBed makes it easy to reposition, so you won’t feel stuck like you might on a mattress with a memory foam comfort layer. For other responsive mattresses, see the best mattresses for combo sleepers.
• People who need good edge support: The GhostBed has incredibly supportive edges. Whether you lie along the edge because you share your mattress, sit there to get ready in the morning, or use the edges to get into bed, the GhostBed offers the stability that you need.  
• Hot sleepers: The GhostBed’s top layer is made from aerated latex foam. Latex is known to sleep cooler than other types of foam, and the holes throughout increase breathability. Combined with a transition layer of cooling gel memory foam and you have a bed that’s cool enough for most hot sleepers.  

May Not be Best For…

• Side sleepers: Latex foam doesn’t cushion pressure points the same way that other foams do. Because the GhostBed has latex along the mattress’s top layer, it’s not a good fit for most side sleepers.  
• Light sleepers who share the bed: The GhostBed has a fairly bouncy, responsive surface. While this responsiveness is wonderful for switching positions, it can spread movement across the mattress surface, waking up light sleepers who share the bed. 
• Traditional memory foam lovers: While the GhostBed mattress does have a layer of pressure-relieving memory foam, it’s found underneath a top layer of latex. Latex doesn’t have the same cushiony, dough-y feel as memory foam, so the GhostBed isn’t right for most memory foam mattress fans.

Read our full GhostBed Mattress Review to learn more.

Things to Consider When Picking A Mattress

Firmness / Feel

The flagship Purple and original GhostBed mattresses are 6.5/10 and 6/10, respectively, on the 1-10 firmness scale. Both of these firmness levels correspond to a medium-firm firmness level. They both offer a balanced feel that’s more like sleeping “on” than “in” the mattress. 

The high elasticity of the latex and memory foam comfort layers in the GhostBed create a gentle conforming around the sleeper’s body. It won’t cradle quite as much as a memory foam bed thanks to the more supportive feel of the latex foam top layer. This supportive yet contouring surface is excellent for back and stomach sleepers. 

The Purple leaves sleepers feeling like they’re floating rather than being cradled by foam. The Smart Grid comfort layer gently supports lighter body parts while collapsing at heavier ones, creating a unique weightless feel. The benefit of this floating feel is that the spine remains aligned while back and side sleepers receive adequate cushioning.

Motion Isolation

Some mattress materials dampen motion while others reverberate it across the surface. This quality makes a bed a great mattress for couples and co-sleepers who wake easily throughout the night due to their partner or pet’s movements. Typically, the greater the responsiveness, or bouncy feel of a mattress, the poorer the motion isolation. 

The Purple mattress is slightly less responsive than the GhostBed thanks to the naturally buoyant properties of latex found in the GhostBed’s top layer. While this bodes well for switching positions, it also means that you’re more likely to feel your partner’s movements if you’re on the GhostBed than on the Purple mattress. 

Edge Support

Both the GhostBed and Purple mattress have edges sturdy enough for couples to spread out without feeling like they’re going to fall off of the bed. However, the Purple mattress isn’t the most stable bed for people who like to sit along the edges or for those who rely on solid edges to help them get into bed. 

The GhostBed has sturdier edges than the Purple mattress. The top latex layer doesn’t collapse when you sit along it like the Purple Grid does. If you’re someone who struggles to get into or out of bed, or if you like to sit on the edges to read or get dressed in the morning, the GhostBed may be a better pick. If you are looking to make the most of your mattress space, see the best mattress for sex.

Pressure Relief 

Pressure relief refers to how well a bed is able to disperse pressure at heavier areas like the hips, shoulders and lower back. While all sleepers need some pressure relief to avoid aches and pains, adequate cushioning is most important for side sleepers. 

The Purple’s Comfort Grid does a nice job reducing pressure for lightweight and average-weight sleepers. Plus-size folks may sink through this comfort layer and experience excess pressure at heavier body parts. And while stomach sleepers receive ample pressure relief, the gel grid doesn’t do a good job supporting healthy spine alignment in this position (more on this later).  

The GhostBed also offers nice pressure relief, but only for back and stomach sleepers. The latex top layer is both soft and supportive, a combination that works well for these sleeping positions. However, lightweight sleepers, especially those who enjoy sleeping on their sides, may find that this latex layer adds pressure to the shoulders and hips. For softer mattresses that contour around the body, see our picks for the best mattress for side sleepers.

Spine Alignment 

Maintaining proper spinal alignment throughout the night is essential for preventing daytime aches and pains. The key to healthy spine alignment is a balance between pressure relief and support, with different body sizes and sleeping positions finding proper alignment on different mattresses. 

The Purple Grid’s unique support works best for side and back sleepers. When the Comfort Grid buckles at heavier body parts like the hips, lower back and shoulders, weight becomes evenly distributed along the body. The result is a spine that’s properly aligned, particularly for people who weigh less than 230 pounds.  

On the GhostBed, the sleeping surface responds differently. The latex foam gently contours to the body’s curves, but without the same cradling feel as an all-foam bed. Instead, the latex top layer is much more supportive, offering the level of support that works best for back and stomach sleepers. Side sleepers are likely to experience excess pressure at their hips and shoulders, knocking the spine out of alignment on the GhostBed.

Durability 

Both the GhostBed and Purple have slightly above-average durability thanks to the top layers being more resistant to body indentations that polyfoam or memory foam. We expect both beds to last upwards of seven years, potentially remaining comfortable for over 10 years.  

Temperature 

Both the GhostBed and Purple beds are good options for hot sleepers. Each has a top layer that’s known to be breathable and cool. The Purple’s gel-grid has over 1,800 air channels, and the GhostBed’s top layer consists of naturally-cool latex that’s aerated for greater breathability. For more considerations, see our choices for the best mattress for hot sleepers.

Purple Mattress Construction

The Purple mattress features the company’s proprietary hyper-elastic polymer grid in the comfort layer. The grid is a buckling-column gel that collapses at heavier body parts but remains unchanged elsewhere. The result is a unique weightless feel often described as floating. 

The grid also helps keep the mattress breathable and isolates motion exceptionally well. A soft, stretchy mattress cover made from polyester, Lycra and viscose facilitates the flexing of the grid layer below. Two layers of polyfoam make up the Purple’s support system. These layers further support motion isolation and edge support.

GhostBed Mattress Comparison

The GhostBed mattress utilizes latex in the top layer for a feel that’s more responsive and supportive than traditional foam. What this means is slight body contouring without excess sinking at heavier areas like the hips. 

Latex is known for sleeping cooler than other foams, and GhostBed aerates this layer for even more breathability. The next layer is cooling gel memory foam for excellent support and pressure relief. A bottom layer of durable polyfoam stabilizes the mattress and reinforces the edges.

Sizing & Price Comparisons 

Check out our GhostBed Mattress Coupons & Purple Mattress Coupons to learn more. 

Shipping and Returns

Purple Mattress 

The Purple mattress comes with free shipping to the continental U.S. Purple does ship to Canada, Alaska and Hawaii for a fee. Purple is known as a bed-in-a-box mattress brand because they compress their beds into boxes much smaller than the expanded mattress for ease of shipping and setup. There may be a slight off-gassing odor for the first day or two as your mattress expands to its full size. 

Every Purple bed comes with a 100-night sleep trial and 10-year warranty. You have 100 nights from the day your mattress arrives to sleep on it and decide if it’s the best mattress for you. After a 21-day waiting period, you may return the Purple mattress for a full refund during the trial period. Returning a Purple bed is easy—someone comes to your door to pick it up and take it to a local charity or recycling center, so you don’t have to worry about stuffing it into a box or shipping it back.  

GhostBed Mattress

GhostBed also ships their mattresses for free to any of the 48 continental states. They do not ship to Canada and charge $600 for freight shipping to Hawaii and Alaska. GhostBed mattresses are also compressed into a box for easy setup and delivery, so expect that it may take a day or two for your new bed to lose any residual odor and puff up to its full size. 

GhostBed partners with a company to offer white glove delivery—new mattress setup and old mattress removal—for $199. 

The GhostBed sleep trial is 101 nights with a 30-day waiting period. They too provide full refunds during this time and send someone to pick up the bed for donation to make returns easy. The GhostBed 20-year warranty is twice as long as Purple’s, so you know that they stand behind the quality and durability of their beds.

More Purple Mattresses

Check out our Purple Hybrid Mattress Review to learn more.

See our Purple Hybrid Premier Mattress Review for more information.

More GhostBed Mattresses

Read our GhostBed Flex Mattress Review to learn more.

Read our GhostBed Luxe Mattress Review for more information.

Check out our GhostBed 3D Matrix Mattress Review to learn more.

Still Can’t Decide? Here are some of our other comparisons:

• GhostBed vs. Brooklyn Bedding
• GhostBed vs. Casper
• GhostBed vs. Leesa
• GhostBed vs. Nectar
• GhostBed vs. Tuft & Needle
• Purple vs. Amerisleep
• Purple vs. Bear
• Purple vs. Casper
• Purple vs. Helix
• Purple vs. Layla
• Purple vs. Leesa
• Purple vs. Lull
• Purple vs. Nectar
• Purple vs. Puffy
• Purple vs. Tempur-Pedic
• Purple vs. Tuft & Needle
• Purple vs. Nolah
• Purple vs. Saatva
• Purple vs. WinkBeds
• Purple Mattress Comparison
• Purple Alternatives

Our Final Take

The Purple mattress eases pressure and supports excellent body alignment for side and back sleepers who weigh less than 230 pounds. The floating, weightless experience is typically better than the GhostBed for side sleepers and people with joint pain. The GhostBed’s responsive and supportive latex and memory foam mattress is better for stomach sleepers and heavier people. Both mattresses sleep cool and come with a risk-free sleep trial.