Tuft & Needle Vs. Purple

A quick note: we review products independently, but we may receive affiliate commissions when purchases are made through the links on our site.

tuft & needle

VS

We’re going to introduce you to Tuft & Needle and Purple, two influential, disruptive forces in the mattress industry. These mattress companies offer mattresses that are at opposite ends of the price conversation, so let’s get down to the details about what makes Tuft & Needle's and Purple's products stand out in a crowded marketplace.

Every consumer wants to get the best deal price-wise but also wants to buy a quality product built to last. Mattresses are, traditionally, a significant investment expected to last because their life expectancy averages eight years or even longer. We might know people sleeping on 15-year-old mattresses they wouldn’t trade for a new car. Other people can’t wait to change mattresses every two years as long as the price is good.

Anyone shopping for a new mattress has the price-vs.-quality issue at the top of their lists as they navigate manufacturer websites, storefront excursions and friends’ recommendations. Let’s walk you through these two disruptors and cut through some of the fog of mattress buying.

Features

Tuft & Needle mattress logo
Purple mattress logo

Mattress Models

The T&N Original Mattress and The Mint Mattress

The Original Purple Mattress and The All-New Purple Mattress

Features

CertiPUR-US-certified foam, GreenGuard Gold, Standard 100 by Oeko-Tex, Parent Tested Parent Approved,
Made in USA,
School fundraising program

CertiPUR-US-certified foam,
Made in USA,
One Mattress donated
for every 10 sold

Price for Queen

$595 (T&N Original Mattress), $995 (Mint Mattress)

$999 (The Original Purple Mattress).
The All-New Purple Mattress: $1,599 (firm), $2,199 (medium), $2,999 (soft)

Shipping

Free

Free

Trial Period

100 Days

100 Days

Warranty

10 Years

10 Years

Deals

$150 off with code

$300 off soft mattress with code

Reviews

Tuft & Needle produces The T&N Original Mattress and The Mint Mattress. No star-based reviews are available for the latter model, but The T&N Original Mattress is rated 4.1 stars, earning 74 percent 5-star reviews.

Purple makes The Original Purple Mattress and The All-New Purple Mattress. Combined, the mattresses have earned lower ratings overall: 3.5 stars. Plenty of customers have issued five-star reviews alongside a glaring number of 1-start reviews. Some complain about sagging, back pain or the company's return policy. Have a look below at how all types of sleepers are rating these mattresses.

Tuft & Needle also produces bedding such as a pillow, mattress protectors and toppers, sheets, covers and even bed frames and foundations plus a bean bag. Purple, meanwhile, also sells two pillows, a mattress protector, sheets and bases. Purple also sells a seat cushion, back cushion and pet bed.

5 Star Reviews 
4 Star Reviews  
3 Star Reviews 
2 Star Reviews 
1 Star Reviews 
5 Star Reviews  
4 Star Reviews 
3 Star Reviews
2 Star Reviews 
1 Star Reviews

Materials and Durability

Modern foam mattresses are mostly designed from a similar polyurethane material inspired by memory foam. This holds true in our Tuft & Needle vs. Purple comparison on certain levels, but there is a great disparity in the details of these companies' mattresses.

Mattress should always be checked to ensure they've earned CertiPUR-US-certified foam designation. This indicates that there are no harmful chemicals used in the manufacturing process. Tuft & Needle's and Purple's mattresses qualify here. It’s unsettling that traditional foam manufacturing still produces heavy metals like mercury or lead or even levels of formaldehyde. Always avoid these mattresses.

Foam is, by design, a durable material. It bounces back to its original shape after undergoing pressure and lasts for years. It can be used in combinations to yield different levels of comfort and firmness.

Tuft & Needle

Tuft & Needle launched in the mattress space in 2012 with its original design and shook up the marketplace with what is described as a “universally comfortable mattress” at an affordable price. Its Mint Mattress is the company's latest mattress model, boasting enhanced features.

Tuft & Needle's The T&N Original Mattress, weighing 72 pounds, contains two layers: 3 inches of T&N adaptive foam, which is a specialized, proprietary polyurethane layer, and a 7-inch base support layer. The top layer is infused with graphite and gel to help disperse heat and promote cooling.

The mattress cover is made from a mixture of micro polyamide and polyester, designed to create a soft feel that's pleasant. Micro polyamide is used in clothing as a cotton alternative. This mattress cover is pill- and tear-resistant and may be spot-cleaned.

Tuft & Needle's 12-inch Mint Mattress contains two layers of T&N adaptive foam plus a base support layer. The updated Mint Mattress contains 30 percent more graphite for maximum heat dispersion and 30 percent more cooling gel beads for added support and cooling. This second-generation mattress is wrapped in a cover also made from micro polyamide and polyester. The Mint Mattress weighs in at 80 pounds.

Purple

Purple took its two decades of comfort material science and design and disrupted the mattress marketplace with its Original Purple Mattress in 2015. The All-New Purple Mattress has taken the everyday mattress to a new level by combining traditional-style layers with secretive comfort materials.

Purple's 110-pound The Original Purple Mattress contains a base layer followed by layers of support foam, comfort foam and the Purple Smart Comfort Grid, engineered to relax under your pressure points while firmly supporting the rest of your body for more comfortable sleep.

Purple's The All-New Purple Mattress is made from a base layer and Purple Smart Comfort Grid. This updated mattress, however, also features a layer containing responsive support coils, which work with the Purple Smart Comfort Grid in creating pressure relief. The company touts that this layer will add years of durability to your bed.

The All-New Purple Mattress is a hefty mattress, with queen varieties weighing 122 pounds for firm models, 145 pounds for medium models and 168 pounds for soft models. This mass is attributed to combination of foam and spring mattress construction. Purple ranges in thickness from 10.5 to 12.5 inches based on selected comfort level.

The mattress layers are wrapped in a cover knitted with a special weave that is fire-retardant without using chemical treatments. Upkeep of the cover is maintained by spot cleaning with mild detergents.

Purple - The All-New Purple Mattress - side view with person - Bed Tester

Purple's The All-New Purple Mattress combines responsive support coils and its patented Purple Smart Comfort Grid.

Sleeping Position

Are you a back sleeper, stomach sleeper or side sleeper? Which sleeping position do you conform to when you put your head down or after twisting and turning through the night? It’s a debate whether all those nightly contortions really fall under defined categories, but the mattress industry defaults to these to describe how well mattresses support sleepers.

Tuft & Needle and Purple boldly claim their mattresses support all sleepers with their unique designs. Let’s follow their claims.

Tuft & Needle's The T&N Original Mattress and Mint Mattress are suitable for back sleepers, stomach sleepers and side sleepers, although folks weighing less than 130 pounds might find The T&N Original Mattress to offer only a fair experience when resting on their stomachs or sides.

With its Mint Mattress, Tuft & Needle wants to deliver on the claim: “We made the best. Then made it better.” The goal is to universally support all sleep styles with a layered, gradual firmness in which the more the sleeper’s body pushes against the mattress, the more it pushes back to meet the body. The softness of the original top layer has been heightened for added pressure relief using the T&N adaptive foam, unique to the company. A middle, transition layer was inserted to keep sleepers from “bottoming out”—sleepers won’t feel as if they are “sinking” or getting trapped in the foam. Edge support in the foundation layer helps keep sleepers connected to the comfort areas of the top layers while supporting proper alignment of the neck and spine.

Tuft & Needle rates the Mint Mattress as universally capable of supporting all body types and sizes.

Purple

Purple's The Original Purple Mattress and The All-New Purple Mattress are ideal for back sleepers, stomach sleepers and side sleepers, with the newest model seen to improve the rest experience for all kinds of sleepers, although some reviews suggest otherwise. 

The All-New Purple Mattress is straight out of the company’s playbook of “engineered for every body.” Science is woven into all layers in this combination of coil design and modern foam technology. Much of the weight comes from the matrix of fabric-enclosed, individual metal coils in the base layer. Purple promotes this as a more durable foundation that supports sleepers of all sizes but suggests combined weight on the bed to max out at 600 pounds. Sleepers carrying less body weight can let the mattress cuddle up around them.

Purple has an added feature selection to help sleepers seeking different levels of mattress firmness. The top layer can be ordered as firm, medium or soft, depending on personal preference and budget, with the soft model commanding almost double the firm model's price. All layers in the mattress work to lessen pressure points as the materials adjust to body movement.

Body Contouring

A criticism of memory foam mattresses of the past has been they sleep hot and then break down into uncomfortable masses because of the body indentations. Newer mattresses such as Tuft & Needle's Mint Mattress and Purple's The All-New Purple Mattress are manufactured with enhanced foams designed to stimulate air flow and rebound into shape from the pressure of the body.

This body contouring allows the mattress to cradle the sleeper without the foam breaking down into a deformed blob. Consumers by the thousands rave about the more restful sleep these mattresses provide.

Innovations with Tuft & Needle's Mint Mattress compared with The T&N Original Mattress saw the addition of 30 percent more graphite in the adaptive foam top layer, boosting cooling by whisking away much more body heat, according to Tuft & Needle. This is combined with the added ceramic gel layer, which the company says absorbs five times more heat than conventional blue-gel products.

Add in Tuft & Needle's open-cell foam technology, and the mattress becomes a layered design allowing air to flow through the mattress for more “breathability.”

The bottom layer’s firmness was increased with the Mint Mattress compared with The T&N Original Mattress, adding support. Combined with the T&N adaptive foam and more air flow, the Mint Mattress provides a “wrapped” effect for body contouring. This eliminates most motion on the bed. The new design places the Mint Mattress at a medium-firm rating for comfort.

Two decades of foam technology stemming from medical bed innovation propel Purple's The All-New Purple Mattress to the front of mattress options today. From the top comfort level selection—firm, medium and soft—to the supporting base layer, Purple’s latest mattress lays out its patented foam material beneath sleepers for a comfort-inducing rest.

Purple’s Smart Comfort Grid™ is designed to adapt to pressure points unique to each sleeper for a body contouring, or “spooning” effect. The science-enhanced material has an open grid to promote airflow and create a temperature-neutral environment. You can expect less heat and less sweating while you sleep. Some say they prefer The Original Purple Mattress's less-responsive mattress, but others appreciate the latest model's more-responsive nature.

The innovative combination of innerspring coils and upper layers of modern foam in The All-New Purple Mattress produces a mattress that rebounds its shape after use.

Comfort Commitment

Since the first industry disruption of an extended sleep trial and a money-back guarantee, mattress companies offer even more to attract the next customer.

Trial periods for Tuft & Needle's and Purple's mattresses are 100 nights, and the mattresses themselves are backed by 10-year warranties. Shipping is free, along with returns if either mattress isn’t a good fit. Tuft & Needle will deliver in about five business days while Purple takes as long as four weeks for home delivery.

Both company's mattresses are made in the United States and shipped from U.S. locations.

Bed Tester
Logo