Is Emma or Koala better? In this head-to-head comparison, I’ll take you through two of the biggest names in Australian mattresses so you can make the best choice for your needs.
I’ve been reviewing and testing beds for 5 years now and have slept on several Emma mattresses myself so I know exactly how to help you decide.
Both Koala and Emma offer 4 mattresses. Koala mattresses are all foam, with 3 of them having a flippable comfort layer. Emma offers 1 all foam mattress and 3 hybrid mattresses. Both brands cater to a range of price points.
My personal favourite of all of these mattresses is the Emma Diamond Hybrid. It honestly feels like a Tempur with its deep contouring foam but with the benefit of airflow around the springs. By the end of this article, you’ll have found your favourite, too.
We will go through:
- Overall mattress range comparison
- Emma and Koala best seller head-to-head comparison
- Comfort layer comparison
- Support layer comparison
- Price comparison
- What other customers say about them
- Final verdict
Mattress Range Comparison
Emma mattresses are designed in Germany and made in China. Their range represents the best of value with the Emma Comfort all foam mattress, and also some really nice luxury picks with their hybrid models. My 5 year old sleeps on an Emma Comfort mattress and it’s holding up really well after 2 years.
Koala mattresses are designed in Australia and made in China. Their range is all foam and is designed to cater to a range of different firmness preferences. While their range is not as varied as Emma, 3 of their models offer a flippable comfort layer, allowing you to change the firmness of the mattress.
Both offer in-home sleep trials (100 nights for Emma, 120 nights for Koala), 10 year warranties, and free delivery.
Both brands regularly offer sales and discounts, with Emma’s sales usually offering you a bigger chunk of cash off your purchase.
Better Range Winner: Emma
My Picks
I’ve chosen to compare the Emma Diamond Hybrid Mattress with the Koala Mattress for a deeper look at some of your options.
These two mattresses are the most popular from each brand.
Best Overall
Emma Diamond Hybrid Mattress
- Cover: breathable, removable, has handles! I think the cover feels thick and of good quality.
- Comfort foam layers: you get two:
- Diamond foam (named for its graphite-infused cooling tech)
- Adaptive comfort foam. I think these 2 layers combined give a very generous, thick feeling comfort layer with lots of contouring support
- Support core: pocket springs. Great to let air to flow through the mattress and offer more targeted support and breathability than an all-foam base. ]
- HRX foam: this is a high-density foam and a really nice touch from Emma – this layer adds a lot of durability and support to the springs.
Pros
Breathable cover with handles
Foam is super comfortable
Coils are encased in foam to enhance longevity
Coil base allows for more airflow
Medium feel will suit most people
Cons
If you don’t like feeling that memory foam “hug”, this is not the bed for you
Light side sleepers may find this too firm
Heavier stomach sleepers may want something firmer
Koala’s Top Seller
The Koala Mattress
- Cover: Tencel lyocell. Feels silky and is breathable. A nice cover material that is of high quality.
- Comfort foam layer: 6cm of Koala’s own Kloudcell. The best thing about this layer is that it’s flippable so you can change the feel of the mattress. This foam is responsive and breathable.
- Support core: high-density foam, with zoning cut into it for targeted support.
Pros
Nicer cover material than Emma
Foam comfort layer is flippable, giving you two firmness options
Cheaper than Emma Diamond (but not cheaper than Emma’s all-foam mattress)
Zoning in support foam is a nice touch
Cons
Just two foam layers for the entire mattress
All-foam construction is not as breathable as foam + coils
Weaker edge support
As you can see, the two top sellers are actually quite different. Yes, the Koala mattress is cheaper than the Emma Diamond, but I think the Emma Diamond is better value for money.
In my opinion, the Emma Diamond is a far superior mattress, with its cushy foam, coils that allow the air to flow, and strong edge support.
Emma And Koala Comfort Foams Comparison
Emma Foams:
Inside the all-foam Emma Comfort Mattress, the comfort foam is airgocell foam. This is a foam engineered to behave like memory foam while being breathable (because it’s about 50% air) and responsive. I’ve tried this one out and can vouch for the medium-firm feel of it.
The Emma Diamond Hybrid Mattress has two generous foam layers, which is probably why it feels so nice. There’s the diamond foam (so named for the diamond and graphite infusion that’s there to regulate your heat). This is followed by a transition foam, which has zoning to complement the pocket coils below and give great support.
The Emma Zero Gravity Mattress has something unique: a grid foam comfort layer. This is something I’ve only seen in a big US brand, Purple, which they use as their major point of difference so it’s cool to see it in Australia. The purpose of the grid is to provide ultra-responsive support while also allowing for extra airflow. The grid in this mattress is sandwiched between airgocell foam and transition foam, so there are 3 foam layers here.
The Emma Comfort 2 Mattress has three foam layers. Again, there’s that transition foam layer we saw in other models, but it’s not zoned here (it doesn’t need to be because there’s zoning in the core). The foam to pay attention to here is the middle foam, which has an amazing memory foam contouring feel, allowing the mattress to have an overall softer feel than some others in the Emma range. The top foam layer is a breathable foam.
Koala Foams:
Koala uses its proprietary Kloudcell foam in every mattress. The difference is how thick the layer is. The cheaper the mattress, the thinner the Kloudcell layer. Kloudcell is made to be an open cell, breathable foam. Much like the foams in the top of Emma’s mattresses.
The key difference with the Koala Kloudcell foam layer is that it’s been engineered to have a softer side and a firmer side, so you can change the feel of your mattress by just flipping the foam over.
Comfort Foam Winner: Emma
Support Layer Comparison
Emma:
Inside the all foam Emma Comfort Mattress you’ve got a high-density base foam. This is just there really to support the comfort foam above to do its job. The Emma foam is zoned, allowing for targeted support for your hips, shoulders, and spine.
The Emma Diamond Hybrid, as the name suggests, has a pocket coil base. These are individually wrapped coils that are designed to move a little with your body weight, giving targeted support, which works beautifully with the zoned transition foam layer above it. I’m a huge fan of pocket coil mattresses for hot climates like Australia as they allow for much better airflow and heat distribution than all foam mattresses.
The Emma Zero Gravity Mattress has the same pocket spring core as the Diamond hybrid mattress above. An important quality factor to note with both is that the pocket coils are encased in foam. This gives the mattress good edge support and extends the life of the springs.
Koala:
The three cheaper Koala mattress models have a high-density base foam with zoning, similar to the Emma foam support base above. While Emma only uses this foam in their cheapest mattress, Koala uses it across most of their range.
In the top range Koala Soulmate Mattress you have “foam springs” sitting on top of the high-density base foam. This is intended to offer even more precise targeted support than the zones cut into the the bases of their other mattresses (or the Emma Comfort mattress) but I’m a bit skeptical as to how different that really would feel, and if the higher price really justifies it.
Support Layer Winner: Emma
Emma And Koala Price Comparison
| Mattress Name | Recommended Price |
|---|---|
| Emma Comfort | From $580 (before discounts) |
| Emma Diamond Hybrid | From $1460 (before discounts) |
| Emma Zero Gravity | From $2219 (before discounts) |
| Emma Comfort 2 | From $680 (before discounts) |
| Koala SE | From $575 (before discounts) |
| Koala Original | From $750 (before discounts) |
| Koala Calm As | From $1000 (before discounts) |
| Koala Soulmate | From $2490 (before discounts) |
Emma often run big discounts on their mattresses. In fact, they are often 50% off. I’d recommend you try to catch them on a 50% off sale to get the best deal. This means you could get my favourite, the Emma Diamond Hybrid, for as little as $730.
Koala offers cheaper prices at RRP than Emma, which I think is a fair reflection of the reduced variety in their mattress designs and innovations compared to Emma.
Price Winner: Koala for everyday prices, Emma for sale deals
Customer Reviews
Again, I looked to the best-selling mattress from each brand to see what customers were saying about them, as these have the best reviews.
Interestingly, people who had had a bad experience with one of these brands often felt better once they changed to the other! For example, I found several instances of people not happy with Koala changing to Emma, and vice versa.
Emma Diamond Hybrid:
At the time of writing, the Emma Diamond Hybrid has a rating of 4.6 out of 5 from 2,316 reviews. 92% of those people gave Emma 4 or 5 stars, so like me, people are very happy with their mattress.
The main complaint people who left negative reviews had was that the mattress was too firm for them. I personally find this mattress to be medium, but if you’re after a softer model the Emma Zero Gravity or Emma Comfort 2 would be a softer Emma mattress for you.
Have had the Diamond hybrid mattress for 12 months now and it is still as excellent as when first purchased. Comfortable, supportive, no sagging and results in a great night’s sleep. Highly recommended.
Emma Customer, September 2023 read more reviews
Koala Original
The Koala Original has an impressive rating of 4.9 out of 5 from 1,128 reviews. 97% of those people rated the mattress at 4 or 5 stars, again showing people are mostly happy with their Koala purchase.
The main complaint people who left negative reviews had was that the mattress had a strong off-gassing smell (this will occur to some extent with all memory foams, open them in a ventilated space to clear it faster) and/or did not find it comfortable.
I was after a mattress with loads of support and comfort but wasn’t going to cost me an arm and a leg I stumbled upon koala ordered the king mattress and loved it instantly being a tradie coming home after a physical day in day out you need a good nights sleep and I can rely on koala to provide that.
Koala Customer, March 2023 read more reviews
Customer Reviews Winner: Koala
Is Emma Or Koala Better? Final Verdict
So. Is Emma or Koala better? We’ve compared the ranges, the materials, the prices, and opinions from customers.
While Koala gets good ratings and has some good priced mattresses, I think that overall, Emma has a better range and value for money (especially when you factor in their sales). I think that Emma is better. In particular, I like the Diamond Hybrid and think it’s the best value mattress of all 8 we’ve looked at here. Plus, I know it’s comfortable myself so I’m happy to personally recommend it.
