Best Pillows: Reviewed and Tested by Our Sleep Experts (2025) 

When we think of the very best pillow, we want something that’s going to satisfy a large range of sleepers with its quality and performance. Enter Luxome’s LAYR Pillow. This extremely customizable pillow features multiple foam inserts and fill that can be added, removed, or adjusted to your specific needs. Our tester Matt Schickling gave this bed perfect scores in both our materials and comfort categories, citing it as his new favorite pillow.

This pillow has three types of inserts, corresponding to three different firmnesses. The soft insert is made with down alternative, the medium with down alternative and shredded memory foam, and then the firm insert is made of solid memory foam. These can be arranged and removed to the sleeper’s liking. Matt used some of the firm insert for support, and then added the fully stuffed medium and soft inserts on top. This combination gave him plenty of loft, which is what he was looking for. He was impressed by the level of configuration, saying he felt like he had “won something” when he lay down to rest.

Matt found the pillow stood out on his back, saying that his head and neck felt supported, but also comfortably cocooned. The adjustability of this pillow should make it a fine option for all sleeper types, though. Even with the over $100 pricepoint, Matt said he would pay it again, as the pillow feels and looks luxurious, so you’re definitely getting your money’s worth. It’s why he gave the pillow a value score of 4.5/5. 

It’s also worth noting that the pillow’s outer and inner covers (for the inserts) are both machine washable. You can’t wash the actual fill, but Luxome does provide a zippered case for safekeeping any excess. Matt was impressed with how considerate the design and instructions for care were, but he admittedly wished he was given more guidance on the best way to store the excess fill, hence why he docked half a point off his final care score (4.5/5).

Matt did notice that when he first lay down on this pillow, the edges felt a little stiffer than the center. It was most noticeable when he switched between positions, which could put off some combination sleepers. However, this eventually evened out with more prolonged use, so it may not be too large of a concern.

Read more in our Luxome LAYR Pillow review. If you want a pillow with a consistent feel throughout, check out the Helix Glaciotex Memory Foam Pillow. 

If you’re looking to upgrade your sleep experience, consider buying a luxury pillow. Saatva is a company known for its high-end, well-made innerspring beds, and its sleep accessories check the same boxes. The brand’s latex pillow provides a soft but supportive feel, including a surprising plushness that isn’t common with latex. My fellow tester Cait Giddings awarded this bed a slew of 5-star scores, including for materials, comfort, and care. 

Cait said that she prefers a firmer pillow with some bounce when it comes to latex, but she still found Saatva’s Latex Pillow comfortable, if a bit “fluffy.” She was pleased to find that there wasn’t any gapping in the center of the pillow when she lay down square on it, and it continued to provide good neck support throughout the night. The pillow comes in two lofts, low and high, and Cait tried out the high loft.

The high loft and pressure-relieving nature of the latex and microfiber fill should serve side sleepers best, allowing them support and softness. Cait didn’t think the loft was too high for some back sleepers, and she found that the fill did flatten, which could accommodate some stomach sleepers who don’t want their neck stretching out of alignment. Hot sleepers should also appreciate that, while Cait didn’t think the pillow was “cooling,” per se, she didn’t think it trapped any heat.

When it comes to caring for your pillow, both the cover and outer fill layers are machine washable (not the latex core). Saatva even recommends washing your pillow at least twice a year, and replacing it after three. The brand also offers a 45-night trial and year-long warranty with the product, so you have some time to decide if this is your new favorite pillow before committing to a purchase.

The unfortunate main drawback of the Saatva Latex Pillow is its luxury price tag, for which Cait gave it a value score of 3/5. A standard-size pillow costs $165, while the king-size costs $185. If you’re concerned about your budget, you may want to wait for a sale.

You can read more in our full Saatva Latex Pillow review. For a more affordable latex pillow, try out the Brooklyn Bedding Latex Pillow, which is more frequently on sale. 

Latex pillows are the perfect fit if you’re looking for a pillow that bounces back to keep you supported. I prefer them, and I happen to sleep on this one — our best latex pillow, Brooklyn Bedding’s latex pillow. This pillow comes in both high and low loft options, and is newly outfitted with a cooling cover to complement the hole-punched Talalay latex core. My fellow tester Cait Giddings rated it at a 5-out-of-5 for both comfort and materials. 

I’m a combination sleeper, mostly switching between my side and stomach, sometimes resting on my back. Cait most preferred the Brooklyn Bedding Latex pillow on her side, liking the bouncy feel that kept her head elevated. I would have to agree, and while Cait said she thought the high loft might be too high for stomach sleepers, I’ve been able to manage it on occasion. Regardless of which position you prefer, it should be easy to move your head, as this pillow springs back to hold its shape with ease.

Cait also thought that this pillow didn’t trap heat. The latex core of the pillow is perforated to allow for airflow, keeping temperatures down. We both tried it with the older cover, which is a breathable knit. The new cooling cover features a breathable fiber called Tencel, which should further help wick away heat on the pillow’s surface. 

Despite this pillow costing $129 for a standard size, Cait called it “beyond reasonable” for the sheer amount of comfort that this pillow provides. I would have to agree with this and her 4/5 rating for value; I think latex pillows in general have a more luxurious, sturdy feel that makes them seem and feel more expensive. The pillow comes with a 30-day trial, which is on the shorter side, but the 3-year warranty is one of the more generous I’ve seen.

Folks who are looking for a super fluffy pillow with sinkage won’t like this buoyant pillow. I’d recommend something made with memory foam or down, which should have more give to it.

Check out the Casper Hybrid Pillow for a softer feel. Read more about this pillow in our full Brooklyn Bedding Talalay Latex PIllow review.

Maybe you own a king-size mattress and need the bed pillows to match—or maybe you’re just looking for a bigger pillow for extra coverage. Regardless of where you stand, take a look at our pick for the best king-size pillow. Our tester Sosha Lewis took the plunge on a king-size Nectar Tri-Comfort Cooling Pillow, and found it was a winner. She’s a self-described “big fan” of this pillow, and gave it a perfect 5/5 score for comfort based on her experience. 

The Nectar Tri-Comfort Cooling Pillow is also an adjustable pillow, featuring two zippers on either side to control how soft or firm the pillow feels. Both sides unzipped is the soft setting, both zipped is the firm setting, and one side unzipped should be closer to medium or medium-firm. Sosha thought this adjustable firmness should make it “fantastic for all sleeping positions,” and put it to the test for each.

Sosha is a self-described side sleeper, and she said that she usually stays away from memory foams because she likes a softer, downy feel. However, she said she “loved this pillow on its soft setting,” and added that her husband enjoyed back sleeping on the medium feel. Finally, after giving the firm setting a spin, she concluded the pillow should also work well for stomach sleepers. She noted that the pillow is a bit heavy, so if you ever need to move your pillow during the night as you change positions, it might be a bit cumbersome.

Thankfully, the pillow lives up to its cooling name. Sosha heartily recommended this pillow for hot sleepers, explaining that it was “cool-to-the-touch” and “you could feel its coolness even when it was in a pillow case.” Her husband also agreed, much to Sosha’s dismay. “I thought we were going to have to arm wrestle for the rights to it,” she said. The cooling cover also felt soft and durable, though we’ll note that it’s not removable or machine-washable, only spot-clean, so it lost a point for overall care (4/5). Sosha only deducted half a point from the bed’s materials score for a minor grievance: “I could sometimes feel the pulls on the zippers through the pillow case, and I wasn’t a big fan of that.”

Nectar rounds out this pillow with a 30-day sleep trial, which is a little on the shorter side, but the pillow is backed by a 1-year warranty after that. Sosha also found customer service to be “very quick and polite,” should you ever need to contact them to address any concerns.

Our Nectar Tri-Comfort Cooling Pillow review is in the works. If you’re looking for a longer trial and warranty, you might like Coop Sleep Good’s Original Adjustable Pillow.

Memory foam is a popular pillow fill, prized for its contouring and cushioning ability. However, it can also hold onto heat, making it a poor choice for hot sleepers. Luckily, the Helix GlacioTex Pillow has the best of both worlds as an all-foam pillow swaddled in a cover made with cooling fibers. Our tester Sosha Lewis tried out the higher loft of this pillow and found it to have a more sturdy, durable feel. She gave it an overall comfort score of 4/5.

This pillow comes in two lofts, and as a side sleeper, Sosha got the recommended higher loft. “I found it too high for my liking,” she said. Though she did add, “My husband liked it better and he is a back sleeper.” She chalked this up to not being too crazy about foam-block pillows that are dense and squishy. But if that’s the classic memory foam feel you’re after, the Helix pillow should definitely deliver, and that’s why she gave it a 4/5 comfort rating.

Sosha also thought that the materials felt “solid,” calling the cover “slick but soft,” even with the polyester feel she claimed it had. The GlacioTex fibers in the cover should help with keeping cool, alongside the perforations in the memory foam core allowing for airflow. The cover is removable and machine-washable, but the core itself is spot-clean only. These results led Sosha to give the pillow respectable 4/5 scores in both materials and care.

As for who should stay away, Sosha said that she “definitely wouldn’t recommend it for stomach sleepers,” as they will probably feel their necks craning with the higher loft. But if you switch between your back and side, the pillow is more likely to accommodate these positions with its cushioning and supportive feel. She did find it somewhat “clunky” when trying to bring it with her when she changed positions on the bed, which might be an issue for particularly restless combination sleepers. 

Our Helix GlacioTex Memory Foam review is coming soon. If you’re wanting a shredded memory foam pillow, check out the Casper Hybrid Pillow instead.

Down pillows are known for their super-soft, sinking feel, but they might also cause the sniffles if you have allergies. This is why many manufacturers offer what we call “down alternative” pillows, which emulate the same feel without the inclusion of any feathers. Peacock Alley’s Down Alternative Pillow is made with a microfiber fill, swaddled in a comfortable cotton cover, and available in two firmnesses: Medium and Firm. Sosha called this her “favorite pillow of all time,” and gave a plethora of perfect 5/5 scores, including that for value, comfort, and materials. 

Sosha’s first impression of the pillows was how luxurious they felt and the quality of their construction and stitching. “I was actually surprised they were under $100,” she said. She called the cover “soft yet crisp,” and really appreciated the alternative down filling. “It gave me the feel of down that I love without the pokiness or smell,” she explained. Sleepers with allergies should also appreciate the hypoallergenic construction. These results are why Sosha gave perfect scores in both value and materials for the pillows.

When it came to the feel, Sosha enjoyed the malleable yet supportive nature of these pillows. “It is a higher pillow that allows just the right amount of sinkage to keep your spine aligned,” she explained when she slept on her side, her preferred sleeping position. She tried the pillow on her back, too, and found it “very comfortable, because it lets you sink just enough.” Some stomach sleepers may find that it has too high of a loft, initially giving them more support than needed. Sosha ultimately recommended the pillow for back and side sleepers, especially if they switch between these positions.

These pillows are also completely machine-washable, which makes for easy cleaning, should you have any mishaps. Peacock Alley does advise you to do so in a commercial washer or have them professionally laundered, and offers a full webpage detailing how to properly care for your pillows. Thanks to this, Sosha gave the pillows a care score of 4.5/5.

Based on what Sosha calls a “love story” with these pillows, it might be difficult to find something negative about these pillows. I’ll note that if you want a more solid, supportive feel, (like yours truly) you might be better off with a pillow made entirely of foam or latex. 

We’re still working on our Peacock Alley Down Alternative Pillow. For a firmer feel, check out Helix’s GlacioTex Memory Foam Pillow.

Back sleepers need a pillow that provides the right amount of softness and support to keep their neck aligned with the rest of their body. Casper’s Hybrid Pillow combines memory foam and down alternative for a super-plush feel that should have you sinking comfortably into the cushioned surface. My fellow tester Cait Giddings tested out this bed on her back and found that its consistent support and medium loft was a perfect fit for this sleeper type. Based on her experience, she rated this pillow’s overall comfort at a 4/5.

Cait called this pillow “flat but supportive,” finding that it had a consistent shape despite the doughiness to the foam and fluff. There wasn’t any odd separation or dipping at the center where she laid her head. If you’re a back sleeper wanting a bit more loft, or you happen to also sleep on your side, you can also fluff up the pillow as needed. Stomach sleepers, however, will probably find this pillow too thick, and should look for something with a lower loft.

However, Cait noted that this pillow lived up to the “marshmallowy” feel it touts on its site. The foam is slow-moving, allowing the sleeper to sink in more deeply to the surface. This does mean that if you move around a lot in your sleep, the pillow might not do you any favors. Cait prefers a springy, firmer feel in her pillows, and suggested some combination sleepers might be disappointed.

This pillow comes in at $89 for the standard size, which Cait appreciated as she found this pillow felt “more high-quality” than a lot of the other pillows she tested. You can also return the pillow within 30 days of purchase if you’re not a fan, and after that, it’s backed by a 1-year warranty. This contributed to the final value score, a perfect 5/5. Budget shoppers looking for quality and a luxury feel should be pleased with the Casper Hybrid Pillow.

Cait was also impressed by the quality of the cover, which she claimed should protect the inside foam from any dirt, grime, or spills. That’s why she gave the pillow a perfect care score despite only the cover being removable and washable. Cleaning it should be relatively hassle-free. 

Our Casper Hybrid Pillow review is coming soon. Want more bounce? Check out the Brooklyn Bedding Latex Pillow.

Stomach sleepers are often the most difficult to please (I would know, I’m one of them) when it comes to pillows. This sleeping position is likely to put strain on the neck, only made worse if your pillow is too high. A good option for these sleepers is an adjustable pillow, so they can ensure that their pillow is soft or firm enough to allow their head to comfortably fall in line with the rest of their body. 

A good example of this is Brooklinen’s Marlow Pillow. My colleague and fellow stomach sleeper Kenny Timper tested out this pillow and found it worked great when in its firmest configuration. He rated the overall comfort of this pillow at a perfect 5/5 score.

The Marlow’s adjustable firmness is determined by how you zip the two zippers on either side of the pillow. Both zippers unzipped is the “plush” setting, one size unzipped should feel more like “medium,” and both sides zipped should yield the firmest setting. Kenny found that fully unzipped, the pillow definitely felt more plush. There was a more subtle difference between half-zipped and fully zipped, but he preferred the pillow fully zipped for stomach-sleeping. 

If you’re not a dedicated stomach sleeper, you should be able to adjust your pillow during the night as you switch to your back and side, as Kenny found the plush setting puffed up enough to be comfortable for these two positions. Hot sleepers should also be relatively comfortable on this pillow. While there aren’t any cooling features, Kenny commented that he never felt like he was overheating at any point during the night.

You’re basically getting three pillows in one, which is made even more impressive when you consider the pillow’s price. Both standard and king sizes are available for under $100, a standout for the Marlow’s quality and luxury feel. It also comes with a year-long sleep trial if you purchase directly from Brooklinen’s site, which adds to its value—and led Kenny to give the bed a 5/5 score.

Where you might encounter trouble with the Marlow pillow is washing it. The cover is not removable, so you can only spot-clean it for stains. This is why Kenny only gave it a 3/5 in the care category. You can purchase a separate pillow protector if you’d like, which is machine-washable and, as a bonus, designed to provide extra cooling—but it isn’t included with your purchase of the regular pillow.

Read more in our Marlow Pillow review. Want a machine-washable adjustable pillow? Check out Coop Sleep Goods’ Adjustable Pillow.

Do you wake up every morning with neck pain? The cause might be your pillow. If it’s too soft or too firm, it’ll keep your neck from properly aligning with the rest of your body. This is why adjustable pillows like the one from Coop Sleep Goods can work great for these sleepers. You can rearrange the inner fill of the pillow to make the perfect shape to cradle your neck. My fellow tester Nicole Davis deals with neck pain frequently, but she found the Coop Sleep Goods Pillow was able to give her the support and comfort she needed—so much so that she gave it a 4/5 in the latter category.

Nicole found the Coop Sleep Goods pillow easy to adjust, though she did have to set it up every night before bed. Once she found the right configuration, though, it was smooth sailing. As a side sleeper, Nicole thought the loft was just the right height for support. Of course, she noted that you can also make the pillow thinner by removing the fill, which is a blend of microfiber and shredded memory foam. Coop also provided an extra fill bag with the already-assembled pillow. With this level of adjustability and the option for multiple shapes (including crescent and cut-out to accommodate the neck), she felt comfortable saying every sleeper type should be able to mold the pillow to fit their needs.

A standard size of this pillow costs only $85, which Nicole found reasonable for all that it has to offer. Aside from the construction, the pillow comes with a 100-night sleep trial and a very generous 5-year warranty. Even if Nicole was worried about the pillow’s durability (which she believed would not be an issue with how easily malleable it is), this long warranty speaks to the confidence Coop has in its product. Based on all this, Nicole gave the pillow a perfect score for value.

This pillow is also considered machine-washable, if the need arises. Coop recommends using a safety pin to secure the zipper before putting it through the wash in case of any spillage. The cover is removable for easy cleaning if you’re still wary of tossing your entire pillow into the washer. Nicole wished that there was more information on how to maintain the fill, so she docked half a point from the care score. 

If your Coop pillow starts to sag, or it isn’t stuffed enough to begin with, you can purchase extra fill on the brand’s website. Customers have complained that the half-pound bag they received was not enough for what they paid, so it’s something to note if you’re looking at keeping this pillow past its 5-year warranty.

Read more in our full Coop pillow review. Not a fan of adjustability? Check out the Pillow Cube.

Side sleepers may struggle to find the pillow for them as they need something with mega-loft to take care of that square-shaped space between their head and shoulder. That’s where the Pillow Cube comes in, designed to slot into that empty space and provide support. But is the Side Cube truly comfortable? According to my colleague Dan Caffrey, who gave this pillow the old college try, it’s “really comfortable in both the back- and side-sleeping position.” He gave an overall comfort score of 4/5.

Despite finding it comfortable on his back and side, Dan noted that the unique shape has an adjustment period, as to be expected. “I found that it took me a bit longer than usual to feel really settled in, even if it was comfortable and pressure relieving in the long run,” he said. Once Dan was settled in, he appreciated the “extra contouring at the shoulder and neck from all that doughy foam.” And even on his back, he said that his spine was well-supported, adding, “I didn’t wake up with any pain.”

The construction of the pillow itself was also very sturdy, a squishy block of memory foam that held its shape despite its slow response, attributing to its respectable materials score of 4/5. When the pillow arrived, Dan said, “It was expanded and ready to sleep on within a few minutes.” The cover can’t be placed in the washer, but it can be unzipped for handwashing if necessary. The pillow itself is spot-clean only. This isn’t too outside the box for pillows, so Dan gave the pillow cube a 4/5 for overall care.

Dan did try out the pillow on his stomach for a little bit, and surprisingly “wasn’t exactly uncomfortable.” But he ultimately wouldn’t recommend it for stomach sleepers, as these folks need a super low loft. “I think the Pillow Cube’s height is way too tall to prevent the spine from bowing,” he explained. He also thought the slow-moving nature of the foam wasn’t conducive to easy and rapid movement, so your head might be feeling a bit “stuck” as it sinks into the foam—not a great match for combination sleepers.

The Pillow Cube comes with a 60-day trial, which should be plenty of time to adjust to its unusual shape and determine whether or not it’s right for you. After that, it’s backed by a limited warranty that lasts for two years after the time of purchase. The longer you have your pillow, the less will be covered if it starts to show any signs of defect or deterioration. However, this pillow should last you a long time based on its durable construction.

Read more in our Pillow Cube review. Want a more traditional feel that should work for side sleepers? Check out Peacock Alley’s Down Alternative Pillow.