Casper (2018-2024) Mattress Review

Michael Magnuson

Founder of GoodBed, Leading Mattress Expert

Summary: Is The Casper a Good Mattress?

The Casper Mattress is an 11”, three-layer mattress made mainly of polyurethane foam, with the second topmost layer being memory foam. It also comes in a hybrid version, which substitutes the bottom layer of support foam with a 6" pocket spring unit. Other than providing a more bouncy feel, we found both versions to be similar in terms of softness, cushioning, and pressure relief. Here, we take a look at the foam version. Note that the cover has changed since we reviewed it.

We found the Casper Original mattress to have a Medium Firm softness level. If you prefer a feeling of floating above your mattress as opposed to sinking deeply into it, you may find the Casper bed appealing. In our tests, we found the Casper bed to offer very good support and spinal alignment, particularly for those who sleep primarily on their backs and/or stomach. Hips sunk into the mattress just enough to create a neutral spinal position, and our tester felt the mattress reaching up to support his lumbar area.

The original Casper mattress also excelled in our tests for ease of repositioning. Changing sleeping positions was virtually effortless for our tester, so if you tend to move around a lot while sleeping, the Casper mattress deserves close consideration. Motion isolation was also good; this can be a concern if you are bothered by movements of a partner, kids or pets on the other side of the bed.

While the Casper bed does have a small amount of memory foam, we would not call it a memory foam mattress, as it has none of that slow-melting-into-the-bed feel that we associate with memory foam. Rather, the Casper bed was quick-responding, and recovers its shape very quickly after being compressed.

Value-wise, the Casper bed’s competition has largely matched it in terms of product, pricing and delivery, but Casper has an extra card up its sleeve; a Casper's store locator can direct you to showrooms where you can try a Casper bed in person but pay the same competitive prices you’ll find online. For consumers nervous about buying an expensive product online sight-unseen, this could tip the decision in Casper’s favor.

If you like to sit on the edge of the bed, or tend to lie right on the edge, edge support with the Casper mattress isn’t a standout. If this is a priority for you, competing mattresses have specific features to address edge support and may be better choices.  

The Casper mattress’s price is competitive; free shipping is included, but just as with any other package, it’s left at the door. A ‘white glove’ service is available as an upgrade; that means the bed would be delivered and set up in the room where you want it. 

Note that the Casper mattress does not come with a box spring (nor does it need one). You can place the Casper mattress atop the support of your choice, including a separately purchased box support, a bed frame, platform bed, or adjustable bed frame. Casper sells its own bed frame and adjustable frame, but neither are required purchases.  

Overall, the Casper mattress performed well in our testing and evaluations for a wide range of sleeping positions, and we felt it would also be supportive in those positions for heavier sleepers (250+ lbs.). We judged construction to be of good quality and would not have concerns about longevity.

Read on for our detailed report and be sure to check out the video to see this mattress in action as we put it through our tests.

Note: This model has since been replaced. See our overview of the current Casper lineup here.

Bottom Line: Who is the Best Match for an Original Casper Mattress?

BEST if you:

• Sleep in a wide range of positions
• Move around and reposition frequently
• Enjoy a buoyant feeling of floating on top of the mattress
• Don’t like the slow-responding feel of memory foam mattresses
• Want the option to try in a store before buying

NOT IDEAL if you:

• Prefer a slow, melting into the bed feeling
• Enjoy being ‘cradled’ by your mattress
• Tend to sleep right on the edge of the bed
• Prefer an eco-friendly mattress

Comfort and Feel

The “feel” characteristics of a mattress cannot be universally better or worse. They can only be more or less desirable to you, based on your personal preferences. For this reason, we call these “preference-based” attributes. Our ratings here are based on objective measurements that we apply to a consistent scale for products from all brands.

Softness ( what’s this )

Keep in mind that what mattress companies call “firm” or “soft” is a purely a preference. All mattresses should be supportive and promote healthy spinal alignment. Whether a mattress is fluffy and squishy (what mattress companies call soft or plush), or less so (what companies call firm), is purely down to your personal needs and preferences.

We classify the Casper mattress as a Medium Firm mattress, just to the firmer side of medium. The feeling you get is more of a floating-on-top sensation versus sinking deeply into the mattress.

Not sure what softness is best for you? Take our Mattress Match Quiz and find out.

Cushioning Depth ( what’s this )

This refers to how deeply you sink into the mattress or feel cradled or hugged, versus a feeling of floating on top of the bed. This is definitely more of the latter. When we place our 16-lb. bowling ball atop the mattress, it did not sink in as much as it did with some of the other mattresses we’ve recently tested. And our tester, lying on top of the bed, felt cushioning was a bit shallower than some competing mattresses with deep pillowtops and plush top layers.

If you like that feeling of being more independent of your mattress rather than being snugged in by it, we think you’ll like the Casper mattress.

Responsiveness ( what’s this )

Responsiveness refers to how quickly a mattress recovers its shape after being compressed. When you press your hand into the mattress, for instance, then remove it, does it take several seconds for the mattress to return to flat, or does it recover immediately?

While the Casper mattress does have a small 1.5” layer of memory foam (the second layer of the mattress), it really does not have any of that recognizable memory-foam feel, where after compressed, your hand print takes several seconds to disappear (some describe this as a slow, melting into the mattress feeling). Rather, the Casper mattress is fairly quick responding, meaning it recovers its shape quickly; not as quickly as an innerspring mattress might do, but definitely a lot faster than a memory foam mattress.

This also translates to bounce, which we test in two ways. When we dropped our 16-lb. bowling ball in the mattress, it bounced slightly. However, when our tester dropped his weight onto the bed, he did not bounce at all. 

Back Support

The key to good back support is for the mattress to support your spine in a “neutral” position while you sleep, meaning that the shape of your spine is roughly the same as when you're standing. The ability of any given mattress to do this will vary by sleeper, depending on its “fit” for your weight, body shape, and preferred sleep position(s).

In our evaluations, the Casper mattresses afforded very good back support and spinal alignment, particularly for back and stomach sleepers. We did have some concerns, however for side sleeping. The company asserts that the Casper bed has "zoned support" with firmer form under hips and softer foam under the shoulders.

Spinal Alignment

The key to good back support is maintaining proper spinal alignment while you sleep. This means that the mattress should hold your spine in roughly the same position it's in when you're standing. The ability of a given mattress to do this will generally depend on your weight, sleep position, and body shape.

Here is how we break down the spinal alignment of the original Casper mattress:

Back Sleepers:

While our tester was on his back, he noted that his hips sank just deeply enough to create a perfectly neutral spine, while he felt the mattress did a nice job reaching up to support his lumbar curve. We feel that sleepers of a wide weight range would have a similar experience, and we did not have concerns that heavier sleepers might not be supported enough.

Side Sleepers:

Things got murkier when we evaluated side-sleeping. Our tester noted, and it’s obvious in out video, that our testers shoulders didn’t sink deeply enough into the bed, resulting in the top of his spine curving upward in this position. We’d especially question results with lighter or curvier individuals (our tester weighs just under 200 lbs.). If you are primarily a side sleeper, check our other reviews as some mattresses really do excel in this area.

Stomach Sleepers:

Achieving good spinal alignment for stomach sleepers can often be trickier as the hips can tend to sink down too far with some mattresses, but our tester felt well supported in this position as well. Even the heaviest parts of his body did not sink too much into the Casper mattress. We felt this bed would likewise be a good choice for most that sleep on their stomachs. Pressure relief in this position was also good, with not notable hot spots on knees or elbows.

Pressure Relief

Inadequate pressure relief from your mattress results in “pressure points,” which can be a source of pain, soreness, loss of circulation, restlessness, and other problems. Pressure relief requirements will vary be sleeper, with side sleepers needing the most. Likewise, the amount of pressure relief that a given mattress provides will also vary by sleeper, depending on its “fit” for your weight and body shape.

Overall, we found the pressure relief offered by the Casper mattress to be good. Our tester didn’t experience any specific issues, and he didn’t feel that he ‘bottomed out’ or pushed through the mattress’s comfort layers and into the firmer support foam layers. However, we do wonder about heavier or curvier people, whose hips and shoulders could possibly sink through those top layers to the harder support layers of foam.

Performance Features

With the “features” of a mattress, performance will tend to be consistent across all sleepers – without regards to your body type or preferences. However, these attributes have differing levels of importance to each sleeper, which is why we consider them “priority-based” characteristics.

Motion Isolation ( what’s this )

With a bowling pin standing upright on the Casper bed, we tested motion isolation by dropping a 16-lb. bowling ball on it, as well as the whole weight of our 200-lb. tester.

In the bowling ball test, the bowling pin wiggled but didn’t fall. And when our tester dropped his entire weight onto the Casper bed, the pin barely moved. Why did the pin move more with the lighter weight than the heavier weight? The cover comes into play here. The Casper’s cover is taut and not very stretchy; when you press on the surface of the bed, the fabric moves towards your hand rather than stretching into the hole. Practically speaking, this doesn’t mean much in terms of comfort; it’s just a characteristic of the bed, and explains why we saw some surface movement/shifting.

We felt that the Casper bed would be a good choice for couples who don’t want to feel their partner getting in and out of bed.

Temperature ( what’s this )

For most people, we do not think the Casper mattress will feel hot. Memory foam has a reputation for heat retention, but in the case of the Casper bed, the memory foam layer is not on top. And because the Casper is a firmer bed, your body doesn’t sink so deeply into in, leaving more of your body exposed to air and able to dissipate heat.

The top layer of foam is pierced with pin core holes, drilled right through the foam, intended to provide some air flow.

If overheating in bed is an issue for you, and you’ve experienced it with other mattresses, other models have features that are specifically intended to address this, but for most we don’t expect heat to be a major problem with the Casper bed. The company says its open-cell foams promote better air flow.

Edge Support ( what’s this )

Foam mattresses aren’t typically very supportive along the very edge of the mattress—important if you like to sit on the edge of the bed, or if you tend to sleep along the edge. With the Casper mattress, our tester did experience a substantial amount of dip when sitting on the edge of the mattress, but he did feel stable.

When laying on the very edge of the mattress, however, our tester felt his body starting to lean off the edge once he began to warm up and soften the memory foam layer. Overall, if you spend a lot of your sleep time right on the edge of the bed, other mattresses might be a better fit.

Ease of Repositioning ( what’s this )

One of the highlights of the Casper mattress, for our tester, was ease of movement, which owing to the high responsiveness and elasticity of the gel layer, was almost effortless. If you tend to change positions a lot, the Casper mattress performed extremely well in our view.

Green Features ( what’s this )

For mattress shoppers concerned with the use of natural materials, sustainable manufacturing practices or the like, we offer our subjective evaluation of any efforts taken by the company to make the mattress more green, healthy, or safe. 

In the case of the Casper mattress, the company makes no claims about the use of natural materials. All of its foams are petroleum-based, and chemical glues are used to hold the mattress together.

All of the foams used are certified to the CertiPUR-US standard, which verifies that a material has low VOC off-gassing as well as a lack of chemicals and other substances regulated by the CPSC. This is now a very common certification we see on most mainstream beds. We do like that the Casper website includes a page on Casper's certifications.

Adjustable Base Compatibility ( what’s this )

We did not specifically test the Casper bed with an adjustable base. However, the company sells its own adjustable base that can be used with the Casper bed, and using an adjustable base (either Casper’s or another brand’s) will not void the warranty. Since the company endorses use of adjustable bases, we assume that compatibility is likely good.

Materials & Construction

What is in The Casper Mattress?

Overall, we classify the original Casper mattress as a "Comfort Foam + Memory Foam over Foam" construction type.

The Casper mattress is an 11″ thick mattress comprised of 4 layers (listed below from top to bottom):

• 2" polyurethane foam
• 2" memory foam
• 7" polyurethane foam support layer

The Casper mattress is made of three foam layers stacked together. The topmost comfort layer is a standard polyurethane foam, with pin core holes drilled through it to promote air flow.

The second  layer is memory foam, and it includes a feature intended to improve support and spinal alignment: The central third part of the memory foam layer features a firmer foam in the hip area.

A 7" support core of standard foam forms the lowest layer.

Durability, Warranty & Value

The “value” of any mattress is both subjective and personal – reflecting how well it meets that person’s unique sleep needs and preferences, relative to their budget. As a result, our ratings in this area are focused on more objective factors like quality and longevity.

How Much Does the Casper Mattress Cost?

Prices shown are list prices. Remember that GoodBed keeps our site current with the best available discounts on all online mattresses, many of which are exclusive discounts for our readers. This is an exclusive discount for our readers, and also provides GoodBed with a small referral fee from Casper that supports our work at no cost to you.

What Are You Getting?

How Long Will the Casper Mattress Last?

Overall Value

Other Factors to Consider

Delivery

• Free delivery
• Optional white-glove service

Casper includes free delivery, which is not particularly unusual among its competitors. For an extra $149, you can opt for their VIP or ‘white glove’ service, where the mattress is delivered and set up in the room where you want it, and the packaging is removed. Removal of your old bedding is also included if desired.

Returns

• 100-day trial period
• Full refund, including free pickup within trial period

Casper offers buyers a 100-day trial period. Returns within the trial period are free, with pickup of the mattress included. Returned mattresses will be donated to charity, according to the company. Get the full return-policy details.