Eight Sleep vs Sleep Number: which smart bed should you buy this Black Friday?

There are many sleep tech brands dipping their toes into smart beds and mattresses territory but the two industry leaders are Eight Sleep and Sleep Number. So, if you're serious about investing in one of the best smart beds on the market this Black Friday, you're likely debating between Eight Sleep vs Sleep Number.

Our best mattress of 2024 guide can help you find the perfect mattress to support your sleep needs, but smart beds like Eight Sleep and Sleep Number employ advanced technology to help you understand your sleep deeper. Of course, that comes with a high price tag. So which specialist smart bed system should you shop this Black Friday?

Here we'll look at how these two leading smart bed brands differ in terms of the features they offer, the design they've innovated and the way they operate as well as what they can tell you about your sleep. We've also pitted them against each other in terms of price and plucked out the best Black Friday mattress deals from each manufacturer to help you find the right smart bed within your budget.

Eight Sleep vs Sleep Number: Features, comfort & build

While all the best smart beds and mattresses offer similar high-tech functionality, the way they are designed and operate differs. The key difference between Eight Sleep and Sleep Number is the fact that Eight Sleep's pods are smart mattress covers that fit over your existing mattress like a fitted sheet, while Sleep Number offers a complete mattress with integrated smart functionality.

The Eight Sleep mattress covers are laced with water pipes for adjustable temperature control and smart sensors that capture sleep metrics. These high-tech layers are connected to a control Hub (a 16"L x 7"W x 17"H unit) that sits next to your bed. If you go with the brand's newest model, the Pod 4 Ultra, you'll also get an adjustable bed base with zero gravity positioning, which is a bonus for anyone who experiences back pain or sleep apnea.

The selling point of Eight Sleep pods is their precise, manual and automatic temperature control. Hence why the Eight Sleep Pod 4 is one of our best cooling mattresses. You can control the temperature of your bed surface through the Eight Sleep app. Additionally, the pod will track your temperature while you snooze and make adjustments accordingly to keep you at the best temperature for sleeping.

We have been testing the Eight Sleep Pod 4 and found the sleep tracking functionality to be detailed, precise and insightful. Measuring everything from your sleep cycles to heart rate, sleep latency and snoring to produce nightly sleep reports and scores, the Pod 4 helps you understand what goes on inside your body while you sleep.

As smart mattress covers that slip over your existing mattress, Eight Sleep pods don't significantly influence the comfort and support of your bed. Though they are made from contouring material to ensure they don't hinder the comfort of your bed. The same can't be said for Sleep Number.

Sleep Number integrates these smart features into the actual mattress. The brand's signature feature is dual adjustable firmness. This means you can alter the feel of each side of the bed to suit your sleep style and body weight as well as your partner's, ensuring you both get the right support and pressure relief from your mattress for a soothing night's sleep. Like the Eight Sleep mattress covers, Sleep Number smart mattresses have integrated sleep tracking sensors that measure sleep duration, quality and latency, alongside heart and respiration rate.

The brand's SleepIQ technology uses ballistocardiographic readings, sensor recordings, signal processing, and machine learning to collect and analyze your sleep data to help you improve your the quality of your rest.

While all Sleep Number beds have some degree of temperature regulation, the Climate360 is the brand's specialist temperature control bed recommended for anyone whose sleep is impaired by hot flushes. Less advanced models like the c2 smart bed have a ceramic gel layer that draws heat away from the body but no smart cooling technology.

Eight Sleep vs Sleep Number: Which is best for you?

Eight Sleep's pods excel at temperature regulation, so we especially recommend them as a cooling solution for year-round hot sleepers and couples where one partner's a sweater and the other is a shiverer.

Sleep Number's adjustable firmness makes the mattresses ideal for couples with different sleep styles and body weights and anyone suffering with muscle pain. You can customize the position and firmness on each side of the bed to reach your ideal comfort without having to compromise with your co-sleeper.

Those without specific sleep ailments like night sweats and pain, just looking to learn more about and improve their sleep, are safe shopping at either Eight Sleep or Sleep Number. Both brands offer exceptional sleep tracking that is sure to beat the insights you get from wearable sleep trackers.

Eight Sleep vs Sleep Number: Prices & Black Friday Discounts

You'd expect smart mattress covers to be a lot cheaper than complete smart mattresses. But this isn't the case with Eight Sleep and Sleep Number.

An Eight Sleep pod is an expensive buy and Eight Sleep mattress sales are rare and rarely huge. There's currently $400 off all sizes of the brand's most plush model, the Pod 4 Ultra, bringing a queen to $4,299 (was $4,699), but this isn't the lowest price we've seen as MSRP has risen over the last few months. If you're after a lower priced smart mattress cover and don't mind passing on the adjustable bed base, you can now get the Pod 4 for $2,399 in a queen size (was $2,649).

Remember you'll also have to factor in a monthly subscription fee starting at $17 per month if you want to use all of Eight Sleep's smart features (this is a must in our eyes). Plus you may need to purchase a new mattress separately if yours is starting to show signs of wear. The pod will only be as comfortable as the mattress beneath it, after all.

Alternatively, you can get a Sleep Number smart mattress as a one-time single purchase. Sleep Number Black Friday sales and deals are knocking big money off across the website. Their cheapest model, the c2 smart bed, is down to just $999 for a queen (was $1,299) and you can save a whopping $3,799 on the iLE smart bed in Sleep Number's close out sale.

Sleep Number offers a more generous warranty and sleep trial than Eight Sleep, giving you 100 nights to make up your mind and 15 years cover if anything goes haywire with your bed, as opposed Eight Sleep's 30-day trial and a standard 2-year warranty (Eight Sleep only increase the warranty to 5 years if you opt for the Enhanced subscription).

Black Friday Eight Sleep and Sleep Number deals live now

Eight Sleep vs Sleep Number: Which should you buy?

Buy an Eight Sleep Pod if...

✅You sleep hot: With technology to tackle night sweats, temperature regulation is where Eight Sleep excels. The pods promise to keep you cool and comfortable all night long.

✅You have cash to splash: An Eight Sleep pod is a expensive purchase even before you consider a new mattress for it to fit over and the subscription fee required to access all features.

✅You're happy with the comfort of your existing mattress: Eight Sleep pods fit over a separate mattress rather than replacing it — a bonus if you're not ready to part ways with your mattress yet.

Buy a Sleep Number mattress if...

✅You're after a good deal or one-time purchase: Sleep Number's current sales offer huge savings across their smart mattress suite and you won't need to pay any fee to access the compatible app.

✅You have a different firmness preference to your partner: Dual adjustable firmness is a stand-out feature of Sleep Number's smart beds, allowing you to customize the feel of your mattress.

✅You're shopping below a queen size: Eight Sleep's pods only come in four sizes with the smallest being a queen. If you're a single sleeper after a twin smart bed, Sleep Number is the one for you.