The quick answer#
These two brands sit at opposite ends of the foam market. The Foam People make budget, made-to-order foam mattresses starting around £109, with custom sizes and CoolMax options. Emma is the UK's best-selling bed-in-a-box, with engineered foam and hybrid models, a long home trial and frequent discounts. If price is your main concern, The Foam People is hard to beat; if you want a refined, all-rounder feel with a risk-free trial, Emma is the safer pick.
Price and value#
- The Foam People: roughly £109–£198 depending on model and size. Made to order, so you can specify non-standard dimensions, useful for antique or continental bed frames.
- Emma: higher list prices, but heavy and near-constant discounting means you rarely pay full RRP. You are paying for brand-scale engineering and a longer trial.
Feel and support#
The Foam People build 100% foam mattresses, with memory-foam comfort layers over a firmer support foam. Foam contours closely and isolates motion well, which suits side sleepers and couples. Emma blends pressure-relieving foam with firmer transition and (in hybrid models) pocket springs, giving a more responsive, less "sink-in" feel.
For most sleepers a medium feel is the safest target: a systematic review of 39 studies found medium-firm mattresses best support comfort, sleep quality and spinal alignment.1 Both brands offer a broadly medium feel in their core models, so position and weight matter more than the badge.
What about foam smell?#
New foam mattresses can release a faint "off-gassing" odour. Independent testing of memory-foam emissions found that measured volatile organic compounds sat well below health-based guidance values and decayed within weeks of unboxing, so a short airing in a ventilated room is usually all that is needed.2 This applies to both brands.
Durability#
Long-term testing shows quality polyurethane foams retain much of their firmness through extended use, though all foam softens slightly over time.3 Emma's denser engineered cores and Foam People's firmer support layers are both designed with this in mind, rotate either regularly to even out wear.
Which should you choose?#
- Choose The Foam People if: you want the lowest price, need a custom size, or like a close-contouring all-foam feel.
- Choose Emma if: you want a long home trial, a more responsive hybrid option, and a polished all-rounder.
Compare both in our Foam People review and Emma review, or take our quiz to match feel to your sleep style.
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The Foam People vs Emma at a glance#
| The Foam People | Emma | |
|---|---|---|
| Construction | All-foam: memory foam or reflex foam over a supportive base foam | Engineered foam (Original, Lite, NextGen) and pocket-spring hybrids (Pro, Elite, Luxe Cooling) |
| Firmness options | Medium across the range; one firm (Comfort Ortho Firm) | Medium and medium-firm |
| Double price | £109–£198 | £246–£1,099 |
| Custom sizes | Yes – cut to order, non-standard sizes available | Standard UK sizes |
| Home trial | None | 200 nights |
| Warranty | 5 years | 10 years |
| Made / delivered | Made to order in the UK | German-founded, sold direct online, delivered rolled in a box |
| Pricing pattern | Fixed prices, rarely discounted | Frequent promotions off list price |
We stock and score both brands, so this is the one Foam People comparison where we can put numbers on both sides of the table.
The models we have scored, side by side#
The two ranges barely overlap on price: the most expensive Foam People mattress (£198) costs less than the cheapest Emma (£246). The fairest comparison is therefore the Foam People's deeper 23cm models against the Emma Original Lite and Original.
The Foam People#
| 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 |
Emma#
| Model | Type | Depth | Feel | Support | Comfort | Price (double) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emma Original Lite | Foam | 20cm | Medium | 7.6 | 8.0 | £246 |
| Emma Original | Foam | 25cm | Medium | 8.4 | 8.9 | £469 |
| Emma Original Pro | Hybrid | 25cm | Medium-firm | 9.0 | 8.8 | £699 |
| Emma Original Elite | Hybrid | 28cm | Medium-firm | 9.3 | 8.9 | £999 |
Two things stand out. The Superior Cashmere at £198 scores 8.5 for support and 8.8 for comfort, which is within a whisker of the Emma Original (8.4 / 8.9) at £469. The Emma Original Lite at £246, by contrast, scores lower for support (7.6) than every Foam People model except the 15cm Core pair. What Emma sells at that end is the 200-night trial and 10-year warranty, not a better mattress.
Where Emma pulls clear is the sprung tier. The Original Pro and Original Elite score 9.0 and 9.3 for support, figures no all-foam mattress under £200 can reach. If you weigh over about 16 stone, share the bed with a heavier partner or need real edge support, that is the tier you should be shopping in, and The Foam People have nothing to offer there.
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.
Trial versus custom size: the real trade-off#
Strip away the branding and this comparison comes down to which of two safety nets you value more.
Emma's safety net is the trial. Two hundred nights is the longest in our catalogue, and because mattress comfort is highly individual and takes several weeks to judge, it removes most of the risk of choosing wrong. If you return an Emma inside the trial you get your money back; if you dislike a Foam People mattress you own it.
The Foam People's safety net is fit. A made-to-order mattress will fit an antique frame, a caravan berth, a boat cabin or a continental bed base where a standard UK double simply will not. Emma sells standard UK sizes only. If your frame is 140 × 200cm rather than 135 × 190cm, the Emma is the wrong shape before you have slept on it. Our EU sizes guide and UK sizes guide cover how to measure.
Made-to-measure goods are also excluded from the 14-day online cancellation right under the UK Consumer Contracts Regulations, so a custom-size Foam People order is effectively final unless it arrives faulty. Measure twice.
Depth: why the 15cm models are a different product#
Three Foam People mattresses are 15–18cm deep and priced at £109–£148. Those are honest guest-room and children's-room mattresses and we score them as such: an average adult sleeping on one nightly will compress through the comfort layer within a couple of years. The 20–23cm models (Comfort Ortho Firm, Saffron, Comfort CoolMax Intelligent, Aerotac, Superior Cashmere) are the ones to compare with Emma as a main bed. Emma's shallowest model is 20cm and its main-bed models are 25–30cm, which is part of why they cost what they do; long-term testing shows deeper, denser foam holds its firmness better over years of use.3
Verdict by sleeper#
| If you are… | Our pick |
|---|---|
| Furnishing a spare room or rental on a budget | The Foam People – Westwood at £109 or Saffron at £174 |
| Buying a main bed for under £200 | The Foam People Superior Cashmere |
| Unsure what firmness you want | Emma – the 200-night trial is worth the premium |
| Over 16 stone or sharing with a heavier partner | Emma Original Pro or Elite |
| Non-standard bed frame | The Foam People – the only option here |
| A hot sleeper on a tight budget | Comfort CoolMax Intelligent; if budget allows, a sprung Emma |
Frequently asked questions#
Is a Foam People mattress as good as an Emma?#
At the 23cm end, close: the Superior Cashmere scores 8.5 for support and 8.8 for comfort against the Emma Original's 8.4 and 8.9, for £271 less. Emma's sprung Pro and Elite models are in a different class for support and edge strength, and no Foam People model competes with them.
Does Emma make custom-size mattresses?#
No. Emma sells standard UK sizes only. The Foam People cut every mattress to order and will make non-standard dimensions, which is the single biggest reason to choose them over Emma.
Which has the better trial and warranty?#
Emma, comfortably: a 200-night home trial and a 10-year warranty against no trial and a 5-year warranty from The Foam People. If you are not confident about the firmness you need, that difference matters more than the price gap.
Can I return a Foam People mattress if I don't like it?#
Only within the terms the retailer offers, and made-to-measure items are exempt from the standard 14-day online cancellation right. Treat a Foam People purchase as final unless it arrives faulty, and read the returns page before ordering.
Which is better for a heavier sleeper?#
Emma. Its Original Pro (25cm, pocket springs, 9.0 support) and Original Elite (28cm, 9.3 support) are built for heavier bodies. The Foam People's deepest model is 23cm of foam, which we would not recommend as a nightly bed above about 16 stone.
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
