Tempur and Simba are two very different answers to the same question. Tempur builds its mattresses entirely from dense memory foam; Simba builds a hybrid with a layer of mini pocket springs over foam. Here is how their mainstream models compare on construction, feel, cooling, trial and guarantee, with a third option from REM-Fit set out on the same terms.
Last updated: August 2026. Specifications checked against each brand's own product pages.
Quick answer: Tempur Pro is best for sleepers who want the deepest, slowest-moving memory foam contouring and are happy with an all-foam bed that has no springs at all, chosen from four feels and three depths. Simba Hybrid is best for anyone who prefers a medium-firm, bouncier surface, with 25 mm mini pocket springs over foam and next-day delivery. The REM-Fit 5000 Lux Elite is the third option: a medium-firm 25 cm hybrid built on 5000 tall premium pocket springs in two layers, topped with deep open-cell memory foam that lets air move through it rather than trapping heat, Good Housekeeping Approved 2026, with a 100-night trial (200 with a protector) and a 15-year guarantee.
Tempur vs Simba vs REM-Fit: the full spec sheet
Each brand's mainstream model, UK sizes, from the specifications each brand publishes. Where a brand does not publish a figure, the cell says so rather than guessing.
| Feature | TempurPro SmartCool | SimbaHybrid | REM-Fit5000 Lux Elite |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mattress type | All foam, dense memory foam throughout | Hybrid, mini pocket springs over foam | Hybrid, open-cell memory foam over tall pocket springs |
| Springs | None | Up to 1,900 mini pocket springs, 25 mm tall (king) | 5000 tall premium pocket springs in two layers, running the full depth of the mattress Most springs |
| Foam type and depth | Tempur's own dense memory foam (a viscoelastic foam that softens with body heat); layer depths not published | Foam with graphite added, a core foam and a zoned foam base; single depths not published | Deep open-cell memory foam, made with an open cell structure so air passes through the foam |
| Firmness (out of 10) | Four feels offered, from softer to firmer; not rated out of 10 | Medium-firm, not rated out of 10 | Medium-firm, 7.5 out of 10 |
| Height | 21 cm (Pro), 25 cm (Pro Plus) or 30 cm (Pro Luxe) | 25 cm | 25 cm |
| Cooling | Heat-absorbing fabric woven into the zip-off cover | Graphite added to the top foam layer | Open-cell foam throughout the comfort layer, over an airflow spring core |
| Sleep trial | 100 nights | 200 nights | 100 nights, 200 with a protector |
| Guarantee | 10 years | 10 years | 15 years Longest |
| Delivery | Free to mainland UK, next working day available | Free next-day (UK mainland, order by 1pm) | Free, 2 to 5 days |
| Key award | Not named on product page | Good Housekeeping Approved 2026 | Good Housekeeping Approved 2026; Pocket 1000 is Good Housekeeping Winner 2026 |
| Foam certification | Not stated on product page | CertiPUR | CertiPUR |
Tempur has no springs, so support comes entirely from foam density. Simba's springs are 25 mm mini pocket springs near the surface, so its support underneath also comes from foam. REM-Fit's springs are tall pocket springs running the full depth of the mattress across two layers. Compare the construction, not just the number.
Who should buy Tempur?
Buy the Tempur Pro if you want the deepest memory foam contouring available and you like a slow, enveloping surface with no bounce. Tempur's foam is denser than most, which is what gives it that sink-in feel and its reputation for pressure relief.
The range gives you more choice than most: four feels from softer to firmer and three depths at 21, 25 and 30 cm, with a zip-off washable cover that has a heat-absorbing fabric woven in. Motion isolation is the strength of dense foam, so a restless partner barely registers, and delivery is free with a next-working-day option.
The trade-offs are the ones that come with all-foam beds. Dense memory foam holds warmth against the body, which the cover fabric can only partly offset; the surface can feel slow and stuck-in when you turn; and the trial is 100 nights against Simba's 200. Tempur does not publish layer depths, and the guarantee is 10 years.
Who should buy Simba?
Buy the Simba Hybrid if you prefer a medium-firm, bouncier surface, want the mattress tomorrow, and would rather have 200 nights to decide. It is the firmest feel of the three as standard and the only one with free next-day delivery as the default.
Simba's construction is a layer of mini pocket springs, up to 1,900 in a king size and 25 mm tall, sitting near the surface over a foam layer with graphite added, a core foam and a zoned foam base. The mini springs give a responsive feel that sleepers who dislike sinking into foam prefer, and the graphite is there to draw a little heat away from the body.
The trade-off is that 25 mm mini springs are a comfort layer, not a support core, so the support underneath still comes from foam, and the medium-firm feel can be too firm for lighter side sleepers. It carries a 200-night trial, a 10-year guarantee and Good Housekeeping Approved status for 2026.
How Tempur, Simba and REM-Fit compare on what matters
Springs and support
Tempur has no springs; support is foam all the way down. Simba adds 25 mm mini springs near the surface over a foam base. REM-Fit's 5000 Lux Elite is the only one built on tall premium pocket springs that run the full depth of the mattress, 5000 of them in two layers, each moving independently under the part of the body above it.
Comfort layer
Tempur's dense memory foam gives the deepest contouring; Simba's foam with graphite added sits under its mini springs; REM-Fit's deep open-cell memory foam cushions the hips and shoulders while letting air through.
Feel
Tempur is chosen from four feels and moves slowly; Simba is medium-firm and bouncy; the 5000 Lux Elite is medium-firm at 7.5 out of 10, multi-zoned so the shoulders sink a little further than the hips, with more responsiveness than all-foam.
Cooling
Tempur relies on a heat-absorbing cover fabric over dense foam, and Simba adds graphite to standard foam. REM-Fit changes the foam itself: its open-cell memory foam has an open structure that lets air move through the layer, so body heat is carried away rather than held against you, and the tall spring core beneath is mostly air, so the whole mattress breathes. Good Housekeeping's reviewers singled out the 5000 Lux Elite's cooling.
Trial and guarantee
Tempur gives 100 nights and 10 years; Simba 200 nights and 10 years. REM-Fit gives 100 nights (200 when a protector is bought with the mattress) and 15 years.
Awards
Tempur's product page names no award. Simba Hybrid is Good Housekeeping Approved 2026. REM-Fit's 5000 Lux Elite is Good Housekeeping Approved 2026 and the Pocket 1000 is a Good Housekeeping Winner 2026.
Where REM-Fit fits
The REM-Fit 5000 Lux Elite is the like-for-like against both: it gives the pressure relief that draws people to Tempur and the responsiveness that draws people to Simba, on a support core neither of them has. It is a medium-firm 25 cm hybrid built on 5000 tall premium pocket springs in two layers, with a deep open-cell memory foam comfort layer on top and encapsulated edges so the whole surface is usable. The springs run the full depth of the mattress and respond individually, which gives more responsive, more consistent support than foam alone or a layer of mini springs, and the second layer adds stability and a more progressive feel as you settle in.
The open-cell memory foam is the part that answers the biggest complaint about Tempur-style foam. Traditional dense memory foam has a closed cell structure that traps body heat; REM-Fit's foam is made with open cells that let air pass through the layer, so heat and moisture move away from you through the night while the foam still cushions the hips and shoulders. It sits at 7.5 out of 10 on REM-Fit's firmness scale and is Good Housekeeping Approved for 2026.
If Tempur's softer feels appeal, the 3000 Supreme (medium, 6 out of 10, 3000 tall pocket springs in two layers) is the closer match among the REM-Fit hybrid mattresses, and if Simba's firmness is the draw, the 4000 Ortho Elite (firm, 9 out of 10, 4000 tall pocket springs) goes further. Every REM-Fit mattress uses the same tall pocket spring and open-cell foam construction, and comes with a 15-year guarantee and free UK delivery in 2 to 5 days.
REM-Fit 5000 Lux Elite Hybrid Mattress
Medium-firm feel, 5000 tall premium pocket springs, deep breathable open-cell memory foam and a 15-year guarantee.
Shop the 5000 Lux Elite✓ 100-night trial (200 with a protector)✓ 15-year guarantee✓ Free UK delivery✓ 0% finance
Tempur vs Simba vs REM-Fit: which is better value?
Value here is what you get for the years you own the mattress, not the ticket price on the day. On that measure the differences are the guarantee, the trial and what each brand tells you about the build.
Tempur and Simba both cover you for 10 years; Tempur gives 100 nights to decide and Simba 200. REM-Fit covers the mattress for 15 years, and its trial is 100 nights as standard or 200 with the protector most people buy anyway. All three deliver free and collect free if you return within the trial.
REM-Fit also publishes the full spring count and comfort-layer depth for every size, where Tempur publishes neither layer depths nor a firmness scale and Simba publishes a spring count for 25 mm springs, so you can see exactly what is holding you up. The remaining difference is feel, and that is what the trial is for.
100-Night Trial
200 nights when you add a mattress protector. Free collection if it is not right.
Free UK Delivery
Delivered in 2 to 5 days. Old mattress removal available at checkout.
15-Year Guarantee
Five years longer than Tempur or Simba.
Tempur vs Simba FAQs
Last updated: August 2026
Is Tempur better than Simba?
Neither is better outright; they are different kinds of mattress. Tempur is all dense memory foam with the deepest contouring and no bounce, while Simba Hybrid is a medium-firm hybrid with mini pocket springs and a more responsive feel. Tempur gives 100 nights and 10 years; Simba 200 nights and 10 years.
Which is firmer, Tempur or Simba?
It depends which Tempur feel you choose, as the Pro comes in four from softer to firmer, but as standard Simba Hybrid is the firmer of the two at medium-firm. The REM-Fit 5000 Lux Elite is also medium-firm, 7.5 out of 10, on tall pocket springs.
Does Tempur sleep hot?
Dense memory foam holds warmth against the body, which is why Tempur weaves a heat-absorbing fabric into the cover. A cover can only do so much with closed-cell foam beneath it; open-cell memory foam, as used on every REM-Fit hybrid, lets air pass through the foam itself.
Is Simba a memory foam mattress?
No, Simba Hybrid is a hybrid: a layer of 25 mm mini pocket springs sits over foam with graphite added, a core foam and a zoned foam base. Tempur is the all-memory-foam option of the two.
Do Tempur and Simba do a sleep trial?
Yes. Tempur offers a 100-night trial and Simba a 200-night trial, both with free collection if you return the mattress. REM-Fit offers 100 nights as standard, extended to 200 nights when a mattress protector is bought with the mattress.
Which is better for back pain, Tempur or Simba?
For most people with back pain a medium-firm surface that keeps the spine level is the right choice. Simba's medium-firm hybrid suits back and front sleepers; a firmer Tempur feel suits side sleepers who need more give at the shoulder. If pain is persistent, see a GP before buying a mattress to fix it.
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