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Compare the Top 10 Pillows
Honorable Mentions
There are acold excessively galore pillows connected the market. We've listed our favorites above, but adjacent that doesn't screen the wide array of serviceable designs retired determination for a bully night's sleep. If, somehow, each of our picks supra aren't to your tastes, present are a fewer others we person tested and what we thought astir them.
Avocado Down Pillow for $109: This down exemplary does person feathers sourced from Responsible Down Standard (RDS)-certified farms, but it felt unimpressive and borderline level to slumber on.
Avocado Green Pillow for $119: Avocado's capable is made from GOLS-certified integrated latex and GOTS-certified integrated kapok, and comes successful some a modular signifier and side-sleeper curved shape. It felt overmuch denser than others we tried, and my trial sheet and I preferred different latex pillows implicit this one.
Bedgear Storm Pillow for $200: This exemplary from Bedgear is akin to the Bedgear Flow supra but without the curve for broadside sleepers. If you slumber connected your backmost 100 percent of the time, this mightiness beryllium a amended fit, but I similar the versatility of having 1 curved broadside and 1 consecutive side. –Eric Ravenscraft
Brooklinen Down Alternative Pillow for $59: I liked this amended than Brooklinen's existent goose down feather pillow, since it had amended outpouring and support. (I chose the steadfast enactment for testing.) I similar the Buffy Cloud for a down alternative, but this is simply a coagulated runner-up.
Casper Hybrid Pillow for $129: This hybrid uses a premix of heavy foam and a halfway of shredded foam for its marshmallow-like, dense-yet-soft feel. I liked sleeping connected the Casper, particularly the cooling Snow mentation ($149), and it did good successful my sheet tests, but some of my panelists who volunteered to semipermanent trial it came backmost with disappointing results wrong a week. My petite broadside sleeper recovered it excessively firm, and my taller, broader semipermanent tester recovered that the Casper wasn't bouncing backmost rather arsenic overmuch arsenic it should beryllium for the terms aft a week of sleeping connected it. If you similar a firm-ish design, though, you could beryllium blessed with this one. The Snow version is somewhat cooling, but not ace cooling; much of a bully wintertime enactment for blistery sleepers, arsenic 1 of my sheet testers said.
Eli & Elm Everyday Memory Foam Pillow for $110: Compared to the latex mentation below, the representation foam mentation feels lumpy. Most of my panelists disliked it, including myself, but my chaotic sleeper was a instrumentality of its malleable signifier for her haphazard sleeping patterns.
Eli & Elm Everyday Latex Pillow for $110: This shredded latex-filled pillow is bully and springy, and it’s a coagulated runner-up to the Coop and Purple. I recovered it comfy to slumber connected arsenic a broadside sleeper, since it arsenic a higher loft and bully support.
Eli & Elm Side Sleeper Pillow for $116: This pillow is astir shockingly steadfast retired of the box. You tin customize the magnitude of capable wrong to springiness it the close magnitude of enactment for you, but if you're the benignant of broadside sleeper who likes steadfast support, this mightiness beryllium the 1 for you. It adjacent comes with a abstracted removable screen for casual washing. It's smaller than the Scrumptious one, truthful don't expect to bash overmuch cuddling connected this one, but for 1 idiosyncratic it's a large choice. —Eric Ravenscraft
GhostBed Memory Foam Pillow for $95: Former WIRED reviewer Medea Giordano has been utilizing the representation foam GhostBed pillow since 2020—she slept connected it portion visiting with a person and instantly bought 1 aft returning home. It's medium-firm and works for her side-, back-, and stomach-sleeping rotation. GhostBed's assertion of it being the “Coolest Pillow successful the World” is exaggerated, but Medea sleeps hot, and she says the gel-infused foam does enactment chill each night.
Marlow Pillow for $49: This is different shredded representation foam model, though it was little lumpy and had amended enactment than the Eli & Elm. It was a small smaller than the rest, but it besides has a flimsy accommodation option, letting you unzip broadside panels to marque it bigger oregon smaller. It was good to slumber on; I recovered it a small steadfast for my liking, but my semipermanent tester says it's been supportive and cleared up her cervix pain. It's a bully enactment for the terms too.
Nest Easy Breather Pillow for $119: This is simply a fashionable model, but I recovered it excessively dense and excessively lofty for me. It is adjustable, truthful you tin easy marque it little lofty, and it comes with a capable container to store your other fill. The capable is simply a premix of foam and polyester fiber. My panelist who liked the firmer Marlow besides liked this pillow, portion the remainder of america preferred softer options.
No More Aches Neck Pillow for $50: There's nary shortage of novelty pillows, but arsenic idiosyncratic who experiences a batch of cervix pain, I'm intrigued by this unusual small design. It has a concave halfway for back, side, and tummy sleeping, positive an indented borderline that perfectly fits your arm. Its awkward signifier makes it little than perfect for thing different than laying your caput connected it, but it's inactive a coagulated prime for cervix pain. —Eric Ravenscraft
Parallel High Profile Pillow for $135: Former WIRED reviewer Eric Ravenscraft was a instrumentality of the Parallel's precocious illustration for taller broadside sleepers. It's a bully option, but I deliberation you'll beryllium conscionable arsenic blessed with a Purple oregon Coop cutout if you request a precocious loft and broadside sleeper support.
Pillow Cube Side Cube ($70) and Ice Cube ($90): The Pillow Cube has a weird small rectangular design. It seems unusual astatine first, but erstwhile you instrumentality the quiz and get a proposal for what size you need, you’ll beryllium matched with the cleanable cube for you. I tested the Side Cube and the Ice Cube. They were supportive and a spot squishy, and I deliberation they’d beryllium a bully enactment if you slumber exclusively connected your side—with your arms stretched successful beforehand of you oregon adjacent your chest. I usually slumber with my limb stretched nether my pillow, truthful my caput is resting connected my enarthrosis (with a pillow successful between), and I recovered the Cube was little supportive if I slept successful my preferred position. And connected the nights erstwhile I rolled onto my back, I woke up with cervix pain. But if you lone slumber successful the perfect broadside sleeper formation, this exemplary is overmuch much supportive than others I’ve tried. Make definite you prime up a case! A mean lawsuit is excessively roomy and doesn’t acceptable the Cube well. —Louryn Strampe
Purple DreamLayer Pillow for $199: If you find you power betwixt being a broadside sleeper and backmost sleeper, the Purple DreamLayer pillow provides an fantabulous mediate ground. Rather than utilizing adjustable capable to customize its height, this exemplary comes with 2 foam inserts truthful you tin get precisely the level of enactment you need. —Eric Ravenscraft
Purple GridCloud Pillow for $149: This pillow is simply a softer, squishier plan with the grid furniture we emotion from the Purple Freeform and Harmony, but it has lone 1 broadside with the grid alternatively of two. It's described arsenic having a down-alternative core, and it does consciousness overmuch softer, similar a down alternative. I preferred the enactment of Purple's different models, but if you privation thing softer with amended enactment than conscionable a down oregon down alternate filling, this is simply a large option.
Saatva Graphite Memory Foam Pillow for $165: This exemplary is somewhat cooling, and has a fluffier consciousness compared to much sinkage-style representation foam.
Saatva Down Alternative Pillow for $115: I similar this down alternative, but not much than the overmuch cheaper Buffy. There are 2 loft tallness options which is bully if you privation thing specific.
Sleep Number True Temp Adapt Ultimate Pillow for $150: I tested the Ultimate signifier since it's a flimsy crescent-like benignant that's perfect for broadside sleepers similar myself. I similar this arsenic a broadside sleeper option, and it's nicely cooling arsenic well. It's a small smaller than the Coop, but inactive large capable for the average-sized person.
Slumber Cloud UltraCool Pillow for $79: This pillow is ace chilly and ace soft, akin to a down oregon down alternate model. If you're looking for thing other chill and similar the light, malleable enactment of a down pillow, this is simply a bully choice.
Snuggle-Pedic Adjustable Cooling Pillow for $57: This was our favourite pillow nether $100, but it's retired of banal everyplace close now. If you tin find it available, it's a large enactment filled with shredded representation foam that you tin set to get your cleanable height.
Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Adapt ProAdjust Pillow for $125: This adjustable-fill exemplary from Tempur-Pedic has a compartment wherever you tin adhd oregon region foam filling to get the cleanable magnitude of enactment for you. This is an progressively communal feature, but what sets it isolated is Tempur-Pedic's trademark cooling materials. The institution makes immoderate of the champion cooling materials connected the market, and this 1 managed to enactment cooler than astir I tried. —Eric Ravenscraft
Tempur Pedic Tempur Adapt ProHi for $175: Our erstwhile representation foam prime did good successful my sheet tests, but we each preferred shredded representation foam implicit a coagulated sheet. Someone did unpaid to semipermanent trial this arsenic a genu enactment portion they slept, though.
Tempur-Breeze ProHi Pillow for $229: is simply a wider, much spacious alternate to the Tempur-Adapt ProHi. It has a likewise precocious loft, and the foam is firmer and much resistant to unit than the Adapt. It's a amended acceptable if you similar a firmer option, oregon if you privation abstraction to stock it with your cuddling partner. —Eric Ravenscraft
Understanding Pillow Sizes
There are a mates antithetic pillow sizes you mightiness find erstwhile shopping. Most of the clip pillows travel successful a modular size and a king size, and you should bargain a modular size unless you person a king-size bed. But determination are a fewer much size options.
All furniture pillows are usually 20 inches wide, but the magnitude tin vary. (That's wherefore your pillowcases mightiness look excessively long—they're prepared for larger sizes!) If you're funny astir much sizes oregon recovered a exemplary that has much options to take from than you cognize what to bash with, present are the accustomed sizes you tin find and what measurements they should have:
- Standard Size: 20 inches by 26 inches
- Super Standard Size: 20 inches by 28 inches
- Queen: 20 inches by 30 inches
- King: 20 inches by 36 inches
- Body: 20 inches by 54 inches
You'll privation to double-check listings to spot what size you're truly moving with if size is an contented for you. Buffy, for example, lists a modular size for its pillows, but they're 28 inches long, making those pillows a ace modular size. You won't privation to bid king-size pillows without a king-sized bed, particularly since you'll request king-size pillowcases with your sheets. Body pillows are the longest of all, and we person a abstracted usher to those.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Kind of Pillow Do You Need?
You mightiness deliberation a pillow is simply a pillow. It conscionable has to beryllium brushed and acceptable nether your head, right? Your head, neck, and backmost disagree. Getting a bully night’s slumber tin beryllium heavy connected your pillow, truthful erstwhile choosing one, present are a fewer cardinal questions to ask.
What benignant of sleeper are you? Do you slumber connected your back, side, oregon stomach? Do you enactment comparatively still, oregon bash you flip and crook a lot? Do you usually person 1 pillow nether your head, oregon bash you cocoon yourself into a pillow chrysalis? This is astir apt the astir important happening to support successful caput erstwhile deciding what benignant works champion for you, and we've noted our picks beneath based connected sleeping style.
What is the pillow made of? Pillows tin beryllium filled with each types of materials, from feathers to foam. Down and synthetic down are fluffy clusters of fiber that tin consciousness brushed and comfortable, whereas representation foam is designed to compress with the value of your caput but inactive instrumentality to its erstwhile shape. Organic latex tin beryllium dense and spongey, holding a side-sleeper's caput successful place. There are besides hybrid pillows that usage aggregate layers of antithetic materials for a much structured feel.
How are the materials sourced? Since immoderate materials similar down feathers travel from animals, you mightiness privation to beryllium alert of however manufacturers get their capable (literally). Down filling typically comes from the belly feathers of either ducks oregon geese. In bid to guarantee that down feathers are ethically sourced—such arsenic by avoiding cruel practices similar unrecorded plucking—programs similar the Responsible Down Standard acceptable criteria that manufacturers indispensable adhere to. Another enactment is to look for synthetic down alternatives, which usage cotton, rayon, oregon polyester arsenic a synthetic replacement. The broader Material Matters Standard is simply a precocious overhauled strategy for examining the biology interaction and sustainability of bedding manufacturers.
How steadfast is it? However you sleep, you'll privation a pillow that keeps your spine consecutive and your caput aligned with your back. That means you privation thing steadfast capable to enactment your caput yet brushed capable that it doesn't excavation into your receptor oregon face.
How lofty is it? “Loft” is simply a word often utilized to picture however precocious disconnected the furniture the pillow keeps your head. If it's excessively tall, for example, you mightiness extremity up with your cervix tilted upward, straining it passim the night. Most models typically autumn into 1 of 3 categories: Low loft, which is comparatively abbreviated and perfect for backmost sleepers; precocious loft, which is amended for broadside sleepers (since your caput volition beryllium further disconnected the furniture than erstwhile you're connected your back); and mean loft, which is determination successful the mediate and champion if you're a operation sleeper who doesn't instrumentality to 1 peculiar slumber style.
What is the warranty and instrumentality policy? You mightiness not deliberation the pillow you slumber (and sweat and drool) connected would person a robust warranty, but galore manufacturers connection generous policies. For example, Purple offers a one-year warranty and adjacent a 100-night proceedings period. Casper has a akin warranty and a 30-day trial. If you're unsure whether your caller pillow is close for you, cheque retired the company's policies to spot what leeway you person to effort earlier you commit—and marque definite you’re protected if thing goes wrong.
What's the Best Pillow Fill for You?
A assortment of filling materials are used, and the benignant of capable is simply a large portion of however pillows are categorized. You've heard of down pillows, for example, which means it's afloat of down undercoating oregon feathers, and proceeding the words “memory foam” usually invokes the sinking sensation that bully representation foam tin give. Here's a speedy explainer of the main types of capable you'll find and however they differ.
Down: Down pillows, arsenic I mentioned above, are filled with either down clusters (an undercoating connected ducks) oregon down feathers, oregon a premix of both. It's a capable that's been astir for ages, and it feels akin to a comforter successful the consciousness that it's brushed and squishy, and precise malleable to signifier successful immoderate mode you prefer. (But it besides doesn't clasp its signifier well.) Since these are filled with down clusters oregon feathers, you'll privation to cheque for certifications, similar the Responsible Down Standard (RDS), that corroborate if the down was ethically sourced.
Down alternative: These pillows aren't a acceptable type, but usage different materials to replicate the down experience. Buffy, for example, uses recycled integrative to make their fill, portion Saatva uses a operation of representation foam and latex foam. You'll person to instrumentality a look to spot what makes up immoderate down alternate design, since it isn't consistent. But what is accordant is the antithetic feel. In my tests, I've recovered down alternate models are usually much supportive and bash a amended occupation holding their signifier than a classical down.
Memory foam: Memory foam is fashionable since it tin “remember” its archetypal shape, letting it instrumentality to its erstwhile signifier erstwhile your caput is disconnected the pillow. Memory foam does person a sinking sensation to it, which you mightiness similar oregon dislike. You'll besides privation to cheque if the representation foam is simply a coagulated expanse oregon shredded; I've recovered shredded and chopped representation foam to person much bounce and enactment and little sinkage than a representation foam sheet.
Latex foam: Latex foam is made from rubber, giving it a overmuch bouncier, supportive consciousness than different foam options. Latex foam is becoming a fashionable enactment acknowledgment to that bully support, and it is usually recovered with a shredded benignant of capable that gives plentifulness of airflow. Latex is besides effectual astatine preventing allergens similar particulate mites from accumulating successful the pillow.
Hybrid: Hybrid is different class gaining successful popularity. It tin beryllium a premix of immoderate of the supra fills, but I often find it's a expanse of foam combined with either shredded foam oregon immoderate different benignant of softer filling. Casper, for example, uses some sheets of representation foam and past has a halfway of shredded foam astatine the halfway to springiness it its marshmallow-like feel.
Cotton, kapok, and wool: These fills are each earthy fibers that instrumentality little processing than foam, and could beryllium utilized successful a blend with different materials above. Kapok and fabric are expected to beryllium connected the fluffy end, portion wool is large for somesthesia regulation. But nary are arsenic fashionable arsenic foam oregon down options, though you mightiness spot these arsenic ingredients successful integrated oregon hybrid options.
Are Standard and Queen the Same Pillow Size?
No, a modular size is simply a small smaller astatine lone 26 inches wide, portion a queen size should beryllium 30 inches wide. You mightiness privation to cheque the measurements successful lawsuit it's mislabeled to beryllium the aforesaid thing, but if you person the prime betwixt the two, I similar a fewer other inches with the queen size.
Why Should You Spend So Much connected a Pillow?
You mightiness beryllium amazed by immoderate of the terms tags connected these pillows. I retrieve spending bottommost dollar connected my pillows for years. But those bottom-dollar pillows needed to beryllium often replaced and didn't supply the semipermanent enactment (or adjacent all-night support) my cervix needed.
Higher-quality pillows outgo much but volition usage amended materials, past longer, and travel with proceedings periods and warranties truthful that you tin trial retired the pillow of your prime and get a warrant it'll last. Plus, portion astir of these aren't cheap, it's inactive an affordable concern erstwhile you interruption down however galore hours you'll beryllium lying connected them.
How Should You Care for Your Pillow?
The champion mode to lavation your pillow is going to beryllium connected the pillow you have. You tin take to manus wash, spot clean, oregon instrumentality lavation pillows, though you'll privation to cheque the statement and marque definite it's harmless to instrumentality lavation it. If it's not, spot oregon manus cleaning is your champion option.
The easiest pillows to cleanable are ones that travel with removable covers, due to the fact that you tin region said screen and lavation it with different sheets and bedding. Not each pillow capable should beryllium washed, truthful that's important to cheque earlier throwing an full pillow into your washing machine. Our apical 5 picks each person removable covers for casual washing, though for immoderate (like the Honeydew Scrumptious) you'll person to manually region the filling and store it successful a bag, portion others similar the Purple person a separated screen and capable section.
How Does WIRED Choose Pillows to Review?
We probe each pillows we trial to marque definite we trial a assortment of styles, fills, and shapes to find which are the astir supportive implicit a night's sleep. We trial some costly and affordably priced models to spot however the prime stacks up, and usually look to trial caller designs and options to spot what's coming adjacent (and each different class we trial for). We besides cheque retired reviews and lawsuit feedback erstwhile disposable to spot if it's worthy investigating to comparison against pillows we cognize we already like.
How Does WIRED Test Pillows?
Every pillow successful this usher is slept connected for a minimum of 3 nights, with our apical picks getting astatine slightest a week if not person to a period of slumber investigating from either us, different staffers, oregon semipermanent testers. WIRED reviewer Nena Farrell besides hosted a investigating sheet successful March 2025 with six participants and 22 antithetic models. The panelists each had antithetic slumber styles ranging from classical broadside and backmost sleepers to chaotic sleepers who extremity up underneath their pillows each night, and the sheet judged which options they recovered astir comfy and would beryllium astir apt to bargain for their slumber needs.
How Does WIRED Acquire Pillows? What Happens to the Review Units After Testing?
Most of our pillows are provided arsenic reappraisal samples by the manufacturer, with nary promises made for sum oregon benignant of coverage. Other pillows are purchased and expensed.
After we trial pillows, they're either placed with a semipermanent tester if the exemplary is simply a pick, oregon they're donated.
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