Zinus vs. Casper Mattress Comparison

Shopping for a good mattress at a budget-friendly price point? Zinus and Casper are two mattress brands that you’re likely to come across. Both are bed-in-a-box companies known for their high-quality memory foam and hybrid mattresses.

In this article, we’re going to compare Casper’s flagship mattress with the Zinus Cooling Gel Memory Foam bed. We’ll compare how they performed during our in-house testing, their similarities and differences, and more to help you choose the right new mattress for your needs. 

Zinus and Casper Quick Comparison

Key Similarities

• Pressure Relief: Both beds do an excellent job cushioning pressure points as shown by their performance in the Mattress Advisor lab.
• Warranty and Trial Period: Both come with a 10-year warranty and 100-night sleep trial. 
• Temperature: Both mattresses earned a 7/10 in our cooling evaluation, so they’re cool for all-foam beds but hotter than most hybrid and innerspring mattresses.

Key Differences

• Responsiveness: The Casper mattress adapts to movement much faster than the Zinus mattress. This means it’s easier to get comfortable in a new position on the Casper—something that benefits people who toss and turn.
• Pricing: The Zinus Cooling Gel Memory Foam bed is one of the most affordable online mattresses, costing around ⅓ the price of the original Casper mattress. 
• Edge Support: Casper has some of the sturdiest edges that we’ve experienced on an all-foam mattress, while Zinus has some of the least sturdy. If you sleep along the edge of the bed, you may want to go with the Casper. 
• Motion Isolation: While both beds do a great job at minimizing motion transfer, the Zinus does a noticeably better job at dampening motion. If you share your bed with someone who moves around a lot at night, Zinus may be the better choice. 

Zinus Offers Multiple Thickness Options

Casper comes in one thickness—11”—which is a good mattress height for the average adult. Zinus’s four models boast different thicknesses, with added thickness creating additional cushion. Most adults sleep best on a mattress that’s 10” or thicker.

Learn more about mattress sizes. 

Casper is Quite a Bit More Expensive

Both Casper and Zinus offer affordable memory foam mattresses. However, Zinus’s price tag is much less, costing around ⅓ to ½ the cost of the Casper for a queen-size mattress.

Compare the Build and Feel

Both the Zinus and Casper mattresses are made from layers of CertiPUR-US certified memory foam and polyfoam. Thanks to variation in their unique foam layers, these beds boast different firmnesses and sleeping experiences. 

The Casper is a 3-layer mattress with a medium-firm feel. Its polyfoam top layer delivers immediate cushion while its transition layer of zoned memory foam provides give and support exactly where you need it. Combined, these layers create a balanced foam feel, so you won’t feel stuck like you may on the Zinus mattress. 

The Zinus Cooling Gel Memory Foam mattress comes in four thicknesses: 8”, 10”, 12”, and 14”. The 8” is a medium firmness, the 10” and 12” a medium-soft, and the 14” a plush bed. While Casper has a polyfoam top layer and memory foam second layer, Zinus’s mattress has the opposite. This, combined with the lack of zoning, makes the Zinus mattress have a more distinct memory foam hugging feel.

Compare Mattress Lab Performance

We tested both of these mattresses at the Mattress Advisor lab. Take a look at our side-by-side comparison to see how they performed.

Learn more about our Review Process for more information on how we test mattresses.  

Edge Support

Sturdy edges are an essential feature of a mattress for many couples. When you share the bed, you tend to spread out in order to stake out your own space and sleep more peacefully. But not all mattresses have edges worthy of a snuggle. 

In our edge support tests, the Casper mattress earned one of the highest marks for any all-foam mattress—and Zinus earned one of the lowest. If you share your mattress and happen to cozy up to the edges, we recommend going with Casper over Zinus. 

Motion Transfer

Motion transfer is the other of our tests that tends to be the most important for couples and those who share their mattress with kids or pets. When your bed partner gets in or out of bed or moves around when you’re sleeping, motion transfer can wake you up, leading to poor sleep quality. 

Zinus did an exceptional job absorbing motion and limiting motion transfer, while Casper did slightly less well. While both earned scores high enough that we would suggest them for couples, extra-light sleepers may find that they sleep more soundly on the Zinus. 

Spinal Alignment

Body alignment is one of the most influential factors that determines how your body feels come morning. This is true for side, stomach, and back sleepers. When we examined the spinal support offered by these two mattresses, they both earned higher scores than the average bed. However, Casper’s 9.5/10 makes it an excellent choice for people with back pain or body aches.

Which Mattress is Better for You?

If you’re on a tight budget, the Zinus Gel Memory Foam bed is one of the best mattresses that you’ll find for under $500. But if you have a bit more to spend, we recommend the Casper thanks to it outperforming the Zinus in most of our in-house tests.

Compare with Other Mattresses:

• Casper vs Leesa Mattress
• Casper vs Lull Mattress
• Casper vs Nectar Mattress
• Casper vs Saatva Mattress
• Tuft & Needle vs Zinus Green Tea Mattress