IKEA EKTORP vs UPPLAND: Which IKEA Sofa Should You Buy?

How the UPPLAND replaced the EKTORP

The EKTORP launched in the late 1990s and spent a quarter-century as IKEA's defining slipcover sofa, the Wirecutter-loved, Reddit-recommended, every-young-apartment-has-one default. IKEA discontinued it in the US market in 2023 and dropped the UPPLAND into the same product slot, calling it the successor outright. Both share the rolled-arm slipcover silhouette, the same general dimensions, and the same washable-cover proposition.

The visual identity is close but not identical. The UPPLAND has a taller back and more visual bulk, a tighter, more upright posture. The EKTORP reads softer, lower, more cottage-traditional. Different rooms photograph differently with each.

Suspension and cushions

This is the clearest spec gap. The EKTORP seat is a sinuous spring base under foam-and-fiber cushions, soft and immediately yielding, what owners call 'sink-in.' Cushion compression at three to five years is documented, and replacement foam is available through the workshops r/IKEA regularly recommends.

The UPPLAND uses pocket springs in the seat cushions with high-resilience foam. That's a genuine construction upgrade, better edge support and better shape retention over time. The cost is firmness: the UPPLAND sits much harder than the EKTORP, especially through the first few weeks of break-in. Reddit threads regularly carry posts from owners calling it 'hard' or 'like sitting on a rock' in the first month, and most of those reports soften over time as the foam compresses into a more familiar shape.

The UPPLAND's seat cushions don't flip, so you can't even out wear, and that matters over years. The EKTORP's cushions are reversible and replaceable, backed by a deep aftermarket of replacement-foam workshops and DIY-fill guides.

Same family, different profile

Both wear rolled arms and a slipcovered silhouette. The EKTORP is softer and lower, with a gently curved back and an upholstered fullness that reads cottage, Scandinavian-traditional, or classic-casual depending on the cover. The UPPLAND is taller and squarer, same rolled-arm vocabulary, more formal and upright.

Cover variety is where they part ways. The EKTORP, counting its now-discontinued original IKEA covers and the wider aftermarket from Comfort Works and Bemz, has been available in dozens of colors, fabrics, and prints. The UPPLAND ships with seven cover options in muted neutrals (Karlshov, Hakebo, Hallarp, Remmarn, and a few others), no bold colors, no prints. Aftermarket UPPLAND covers exist but are still thin. The EKTORP ecosystem had 25 years to fill in.

The Remmarn cover caveat

Cover fabric is a genuine variable on the UPPLAND. Hakebo and Hallarp earn consistent owner praise. Remmarn light gray snags, and multiple Reddit and Houzz reports describe small black dots and pulled threads within weeks of purchase. Buying UPPLAND new, choose Hakebo or Hallarp, and avoid Remmarn unless you've seen the fabric in person and accept the snagging risk.

EKTORP covers vary by era. Production runs before roughly 2018 used heavier fabric than what came after, and aftermarket Comfort Works and Bemz covers have generally outlasted IKEA's own late EKTORP covers. The UPPLAND's IKEA covers in Hakebo or Hallarp beat those late-era EKTORP covers, and plenty of owners who've switched say the new material holds up better.

New price versus secondhand

UPPLAND: about $699 for a 3-seat with cover, new from IKEA, with a 10-year frame warranty. The cover replacement ecosystem, IKEA plus the emerging third-party makers, stretches effective lifespan.

Secondhand EKTORP pricing is all over the map. Structurally shot units with worn covers turn up at $50; clean examples with relatively fresh covers run $300-$400. The best buy for anyone willing to refresh covers is $150-$200 for a clean frame plus $150-$200 in fresh Comfort Works or Bemz slipcovers, so $300-$400 all in for a fully-washable traditional sofa with the softer seat profile that is the entire reason EKTORP fans loved it.

Cushion condition is the risk in a used EKTORP. Compressed seat cushions are the single most common reason secondhand buyers end up unhappy. Sit on them before you pay. If they've lost loft, budget $200-$400 for replacement foam from a local upholstery shop, or order pre-cut foam from one of the workshops r/IKEA points people to.

Which body each sofa fits

UPPLAND sentiment splits cleanly on a use-case axis. Owners who lounge, recline, or stand taller than 5'8" tend to love the firm pocket-spring feel. Owners who sit upright or are shorter than 5'6" often find the seat too high, with pressure behind the knees, and the back cushions too thin for long stretches of reading or screen time. That's a body-fit split, not a quality split. Nothing is wrong with either sofa; the dimensions just suit different people.

The EKTORP doesn't have the same height problem. Its lower seat and softer cushion suit shorter occupants and casual sitters, and the cushion compression that makes it a poor pick for taller frequent loungers, the seat 'pillows out' under repeated weight, is the same property that makes it so comfortable for kids and pets.

Who should buy each

Buy a new UPPLAND if you want a clean buying experience with a 10-year warranty, you prefer firmer pocket-spring seating, you can live with the Hakebo or Hallarp cover (skip Remmarn), and you're 5'8" or taller, or fine with the taller seat height regardless. Most new buyers shopping the IKEA slipcover-sofa segment should default here.

Hunt a secondhand EKTORP if you want the softer, lower-profile sit long-term EKTORP fans loved, you're willing to spend on fresh covers from Comfort Works or Bemz, and you're comfortable judging cushion condition in person. Best total spend on that path is $300-$400 all-in for a clean frame plus aftermarket covers.

Skip both if you want firm support and a wide range of cover styles at the same time. The UPPLAND's cover library is narrower than the EKTORP's was, and neither sofa competes on long-term durability with a Crate & Barrel Petrie or a West Elm Henry at a higher price tier.