The quick answer#
The Foam People make budget, made-to-order all-foam mattresses from around £109, with custom sizes. Casper is a well-known bed-in-a-box with engineered foam (and hybrid) models designed around a balanced, zoned feel and a home trial. Choose The Foam People to spend the least or get a custom size; choose Casper for a refined, zoned all-rounder with a risk-free trial.
Price and value#
- The Foam People: roughly £109–£198, the cheapest credible route to a supportive bed, and the only one here that makes non-standard sizes.
- Casper: higher prices, though often discounted. You pay for the zoned engineering and a longer trial.
Feel and support#
The Foam People build 100% foam, close contouring, strong motion isolation, a medium feel that suits side sleepers and couples. Casper's zoned construction aims to be firmer under the hips and softer at the shoulders for balanced support across positions. For most people a medium feel is the safest target, a systematic review of 39 studies found medium-firm best supports comfort, sleep quality and spinal alignment.1
Sleeping cool and foam smell#
All-foam mattresses can sleep warmer and have a faint initial odour. Independent testing of memory-foam emissions found volatile organic compounds well below health-based guidance values, decaying within weeks, so a short airing is usually enough.2 If you sleep hot, look at The Foam People's CoolMax options or Casper's cooling-focused models, and see our cooling guide.
Durability#
Quality foams retain much of their firmness through extended use, though all foam softens over time.3 Rotate either regularly to even out wear; denser cores last better.
Which should you choose?#
- Choose The Foam People if: you want the lowest price, a custom size, or an all-foam contouring feel.
- Choose Casper if: you want a zoned, balanced all-rounder with a long home trial.
Read our Foam People review and Casper review, or take our quiz to match a bed to your sleep style.
We may earn a commission if you buy through our links, at no extra cost to you. See our affiliate disclosure.
The Foam People vs Casper at a glance#
| The Foam People | Casper | |
|---|---|---|
| Construction | All-foam: memory foam or reflex foam over a supportive base foam | Zoned engineered foam; a hybrid variant adds pocket springs |
| Firmness | Medium across the range; one firm (Comfort Ortho Firm) | Medium, marketed as a universal feel |
| Double price | £109–£198 | Mid-market; varies by retailer |
| Custom sizes | Yes – cut to order, non-standard sizes available | No |
| Home trial | None | Typically 100 nights where sold direct; retailer terms vary |
| Warranty | 5 years | Typically 10 years |
| Availability in the UK | Direct from the maker | Casper wound down its own European operations in 2020; UK stock now comes through third-party retailers and can be patchy |
The availability point is not a footnote. Casper is still a recognisable name because of its US marketing, but in Britain you are buying through a reseller, and the trial, delivery and returns terms are the reseller's, not Casper's. Read them before you compare on price.
The Foam People models we have scored#
| Model | Type | Depth | Feel | Support | Comfort | Price (double) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westwood Memory Foam | Foam | 18cm | Medium | 7.8 | 8.0 | £109 |
| Comfort Ortho Firm | Foam | 20cm | Firm | 8.6 | 7.9 | £157 |
| The Saffron Comfort Deep | Foam | 23cm | Medium | 8.3 | 8.5 | £174 |
| Comfort CoolMax Intelligent | Foam | 20cm | Medium | 8.4 | 8.6 | £192 |
| Superior Cashmere | Foam | 23cm | Medium | 8.5 | 8.8 | £198 |
Casper's signature is zoning: firmer foam under the hips, softer under the shoulders, in a single medium-feel mattress. The Foam People do not zone. Instead they offer the choice of a genuinely firm slab (the Comfort Ortho Firm) or a medium memory-foam feel at several depths. If you know you want firm under the hips, buying the Ortho Firm outright gets you there for £157; if you want the softer-shoulder, firmer-hip compromise in one surface, only Casper offers it here.
Prices are for a double at the time of writing (September 2026), using the sale price where the brand runs a permanent one. Rival brand terms are as published at the time of writing; check the retailer before you buy. Full scores are on each review page. We may earn a commission if you buy through our links, at no extra cost to you; it never affects a score.
Zoned foam versus choosing your own firmness#
Zoning sounds like it should suit everyone, and for average-build back and side sleepers it often does. It has two weaknesses. First, the zones are placed for an average height, so a very tall or very short sleeper's hips may not land on the firm band. Second, zoning cannot make a medium mattress firm; a front sleeper or a heavier back sleeper who needs a flat, firm surface will still sink in the middle. The evidence points to medium-firm as the best all-round target,1 and The Foam People's route to that is blunt but effective: buy the firm model. Our firmness-by-weight chart tells you which side of medium you should be on.
Total cost of ownership#
A Foam People double costs £109–£198 and carries a 5-year warranty. A Casper double, even discounted through a reseller, will generally cost several times that. Foam softens with use whatever the badge on it,3 so the question is whether a Casper will last proportionally longer. Casper's foams are denser and its build deeper than the Foam People's 15–18cm Core models, so yes against those. Against the 23cm Superior Cashmere the gap in materials is much narrower than the gap in price. If you would rather replace a £198 mattress every six or seven years than a £700 one every ten, the arithmetic favours The Foam People.
Verdict by sleeper#
| If you are… | Our pick |
|---|---|
| Wanting the lowest price for a real mattress | The Foam People – Westwood (£109) for a spare room, Saffron (£174) as a main bed |
| Wanting a zoned, one-size-fits-most feel | Casper, if a UK reseller offers a trial you are happy with |
| A front sleeper or needing firm support | Comfort Ortho Firm |
| Needing a non-standard size | The Foam People – Casper does not offer them |
| A hot sleeper | Comfort CoolMax Intelligent, or step up to a sprung hybrid from our cooling guide |
| Not sure and want a way out | Casper via a retailer with a trial, or see the Foam People vs Emma comparison for a 200-night option |
Frequently asked questions#
Can you still buy Casper in the UK?#
Only through third-party retailers. Casper closed its own UK and European operations in 2020, so there is no direct UK store, and trial and returns terms depend on whoever is selling it. Check them before you compare it with a direct-from-maker brand like The Foam People.
Is Casper's zoned foam better than a plain memory foam mattress?#
For average-height back and side sleepers, zoning gives a useful firmer-hips, softer-shoulders feel. It cannot make a medium mattress firm, so front sleepers and heavier back sleepers are usually better served by a genuinely firm model such as the Comfort Ortho Firm.
Which lasts longer, Casper or The Foam People?#
Casper's denser, deeper builds should outlast The Foam People's 15–18cm Core models. Against the 23cm Saffron or Superior Cashmere the durability gap is smaller than the price gap, and a Foam People mattress can be replaced two or three times for the cost of one Casper.
Does either brand make custom sizes?#
Only The Foam People. Every mattress is cut to order, so you can specify non-standard dimensions for an old frame, a caravan or a continental bed base.
Which is better for a hot sleeper?#
Neither all-foam build is ideal. The Foam People's CoolMax-covered models help at low cost; Casper's hybrid adds spring airflow. If heat is your main complaint, a sprung hybrid such as the LuxeTherm Hybrid will do more than either.
References#
- Caggiari G, Talesa GR, Toro G, Jannelli E, Monteleone G, Puddu L. What type of mattress should be chosen to avoid back pain and improve sleep quality? Review of the literature. Journal of Orthopaedics and Traumatology. 2021;22:51. doi:10.1186/s10195-021-00616-5
- Beckett EM, Cackovic K, Charles S, et al. Quantification of volatile organic compound emissions from memory foam mattresses and predicted inhalation exposures. Chemosphere. 2022;303:134945. doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.134945
- Vlaović Z, Klarić N, Domljan D. Investigating the Impact of Long-Term Use on Mattress Firmness and Sleep Quality: Preliminary Results. Applied Sciences. 2024;14(21):10016. doi:10.3390/app142110016
