Saatva RX vs Purple Plus: Which mattress for joint pain should you buy?

Around 80% of Americans will experience back pain at some point in their lives but, for some, back, joint and neck pain can be a longer-term problem. One of the best ways to help ease and avoid exacerbating joint pain is by sleeping on a mattress that provides the right kind of support. Both the Saatva RX and Purple Plus are designed to help ease joint and back pain, but which is the best fit for you and your sleeping style?

Like many of the best mattresses of 2025, the Saatva and Purple are both hybrids, but their construction differs considerably. While the Saatva RX uses a traditional mix of foams and coils, the Purple employs foams and the brand’s unique GelFlex grid. But with both offering enhanced lumbar support and cushioning for your pressure points, how do you choose between the two when you're shopping the month's best mattress sales?

These two mattresses are featured in our best mattresses for back pain guide, which means both will help ease discomfort. But in this Saatva RX vs Purple Plus comparison, we’ll take a closer look at how they compare, so you can decide which mattress will best suit your body type and sleeping style. Let’s get started…

Saatva RX vs Purple Plus Mattress: Price & trial

• Saatva sales generally offer between 12 and 15% off MSRP, although we have sometimes seen a tiered money-off system
• Purple sales are more unpredictable than Saatva, but we have seen discounts of between $200-$400
• Saatva offer a 365-night trial to Purple’s 100 nights

There’s no getting away from the fact that the Saatva RX is an expensive mattress. At full price a queen size RX will set you back $3,399. Fortunately, frequent sales offer a straight dollar discount such as $300 or $400 off. Alternatively you’ll get a tiered money-off system with larger sizes being more heavily discounted.

Right now you can get $400 off all sizes of the RX when you follow our links, bringing the cost of a queen down to $2,999.

The largest discount you’re likely to see on the RX is 15% off, but this discount tends to come up in flash sales. Bookmark our Saatva mattress sales page to keep an eye out for the next sales and discounts.

Purple mattress sales aren’t as frequent as those from Saatva, with the brand tending to pick one or two mattresses to offer a discount on. We see the biggest discounts at major holidays and sales events, and the current Labor Day sale makes now a good time to purchase the Purple Plus.

There's $300 off all sizes of the Purple Plus right now, with a queen coming in at $1,599, which is as good as the price gets on this mattress. Saatva’s extras blow Purple out of the water, however, with a 365-night trial to Purple’s 100, lifetime warranty to 10 years, and free white glove delivery that will cost you $200 with Purple. However, returns are free with Purple, while Saatva will charge you $99.

Saatva RX mattress: twin was $1,999 now $1,599 at Saatva
The Saatva RX is a luxury mattress that’s specifically designed for sleepers with chronic or serious back and joint pain. The Saatva RX is the brand’s most expensive mattress and prices are fairly eye-watering, but if you need the extra support, it’s hard to beat. There’s also a 365-night trial, lifetime warranty and free white glove delivery. Following our link gets you $400 off all sizes, with a queen coming in at $2,999. You'll get a lower price on a queen or bigger if you wait for Saatva's 15% off deal to show up, but there's no knowing when that might be.

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Purple Plus: twin was $1,499 now $1,199 at Purple
The Purple Plus rates highly for its unique feel and support for joint pain. Purple sales don’t come along all that often, so it’s worth snapping the mattress up when it’s discounted. Right now there's $300 off all sizes. which means you can pick up a queen size for $1,599 (was $1,899). You’ll also get a 100-night trial, 10-year warranty and free delivery and returns.

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Saatva RX vs Purple Plus Mattress: Materials & design

• The Saatva RX is 15” high with six layers and a cover
• The Purple Plus is 11” high with four layers and a cover
• Both mattresses are hybrids, but Purple uses it’s unique GelFlex grid instead of the traditional coils and foam design.

They might both be hybrids, but the Saatva and Purple are quite different under the covers. The Saatva RX starts with an organic cover along with the same lumbar zone quilting and memory foam layer as the Classic, although the memory foam here is gel infused.

Up next is a layer of 1” micro-coils supported between two slabs of high-density foam for pressure relief and support. Individual 2” foam modules made from an open cell foam similar to latex help enhance contouring and reduce motion isolation.

They’re also infused with graphite and phase-change material or temperature regulation. These sit on top of individually wrapped 8” coils, with firmer spring coils around the perimeter for added edge support. The mattress is finished with a non-woven base layer to stabilize the mattress.

The Purple Plus has a softflex knit cover, which is breathable and designed to optimize the GelFlex grid below it. As you might have guessed, the grid layer is directly below the cover and the mattress has 2” of this proprietary gel-like elastic polymer that magically manages to be both soft and firm where you need it to be. There are also thousands of holes in this layer to help keep the mattress breathable.

Next up is a layer of edge support foam to increase support, followed by a layer of ultra-comfort foam for pressure relief and support. The mattress is finished off with 3” of base support foam for stability.

Saatva RX vs Purple Plus Mattress: Comfort & support

• The Saatva RX is rated as a 4-6/10 firmness, but we felt it was more like 7.5/10
• We rated the Purple Plus at 6/10 around the arms and legs, and 7.5/10 for the spine and lower lumbar areas
• Both mattresses offer a little sinkage, but you’ll essentially feel as if you’re lying on top of them

The Saatva RX is the brand’s specialist mattress that’s been designed to help those with chronic or serious joint and back pain. In our Saatva RX mattress review our testers found that the mattress did a superb job of delivering balanced support and pressure relief for most sleepers with back and joint pain.

The RX is a great all-rounder with side, back and front sleepers all finding it comfortable and supportive, although we did feel that lightweight side sleepers might find it a touch too firm.

Thanks to its specialist support core that moves with the body, the spine always stays perfectly aligned on this mattress, with the hips kept raised. And, thanks to its responsive surface, it’s easy to change position through the night. Do be aware that although Saatva rate the mattress at around 4-6/10, we felt it was firmer and rated it at 7.5/10.

The unique GelFlex grid in the Purple Plus mattress does take a little getting used to and its unique feel may not suit everyone. But it does manage the magical job of being both soft and firm where needed.

In our Purple Plus mattress review we found that the mattress was soft under the arms and legs, while firm around the spine and the lower lumbar areas. Again, this is a mattress that will suit all sleeping styles as although it’s firmer than you might expect, it has plenty of cushioning and pressure relief where it’s needed.

We also rate the Purple Plus highly for motion isolation and this is a great choice if you share your bed with a restless sleeper.

Saatva RX vs Purple Plus Mattress: Temperature control

• The Saatva RX has a breathable cover and gel infused foam
• The Purple Plus’ grid layer is full of thousands of cooling air holes
• Both regulate temperature well and remain cool to the touch

With both mattresses being hybrids, you’ll be getting plenty of airflow through the well-spaced coil layers. The Saatva’s cover is made from cotton and is nicely breathable, helping to wick away sweat and moisture.

There’s also only a small amount of foam in the mattress, and the RX’s memory foam is gel-infused, although it’s such a thin layer it’s unlikely to make a huge amount of difference. And of course, the coils provide airflow as we’ve already mentioned.

The Purple Plus offers exceptional cooling, thanks mainly to the thousands of cooling air holes in the GelFlex grid layer. There’s also a layer of higher density foam in the Plus than in the original Purple mattress (which features in our best cooling mattress round up), which Purple says is two to three times more breathable. One of our testers said it was the most cooling mattress they’d ever slept on.

Saatva RX vs Purple Plus mattress: Which should you buy?

Buy the Saatva RX mattress if…

✅ You have a large budget: If there’s no spending limit when it comes to your new mattress and you have chronic pain issues, there really isn’t a better mattress to invest in than the Saatva RX.

✅ You have severe or chronic back and joint conditions: The Saatva RX is specifically designed for chronic conditions such as sciatica and arthritis, and is designed to give you maximum pressure relief to help alleviate pain.

✅ You want a more traditional feel: The Saatva RX is an innerspring hybrid that you’ll lie on top of rather than sinking into.

Buy the Purple Plus mattress if…

✅ You’re a hot sleeper: The GelFlex grid with thousands of tiny air holes ensured that all our testers slept comfortably all night without overheating.

✅ You want a mattress with more contouring: You’ll sink into the Purple Plus mattress a little more than the Saatva, with plenty of soft cushioning around pressure points.

✅ You suffer with joint pain: The Purple Plus offers firm support where it’s needed around the spine and the lower lumbar region, doing a particularly impressive job of easing joint pain.