Best Pillows 2025 – Forbes Vetted

Finding the best pillow for your sleeping position, body type and overall comfort is crucial for restful sleep—and preventing future pain. Our editors rigorously tested dozens of options in order to find the best pillows for various needs. Based on our testing, we named the Coop Sleep Goods Original Adjustable Pillow the top overall pick thanks to its customizable design and durability. For those who prefer a cushier, cloud-like feel, the Parachute Down Pillow is another great choice: plush yet supportive, and available in three firmness levels.

Thanks to advancements in the sleep industry—everything from cooling sheets to the best mattresses continue to evolve—you can choose a pillow that completely caters to your needs. Whether you’re eyeing options that are hypoallergenic, plush, firm or designed for your go-to sleep position (back, stomach, side or all three), rest assured: There’s a pillow for that. Below, we rounded up the best pillows tested by Forbes Vetted staffers. And if you’re specifically seeking pain management, see our picks for the best pillows for back pain and the best pillows for neck pain.

Forbes Vetted

Forbes Vetted ratings are based on thorough evaluations by our editorial team to help you choose the best products with confidence.

Fill: Crosscut memory foam and microfiber | Firmness: Medium-firm | Loft: Adjustable (8 inches with standard amount of fill) | Outer material: Lulltra (bamboo-derived viscose rayon and polyester blend) | Sizes: Classic, crescent and cutout shapes, in both queen and king sizes | Trial/warranty: 100-night trial; five-year warranty 

Best for:

• Combination sleepers 
• Anyone who prefers to customize how fluffy their pillow is
• Those who want the responsiveness of memory foam without the denseness of a traditional foam pillow

Skip if:

• You aren’t a fan of memory foam
• You tend to sleep hot

After years of testing, we found the Coop Sleep Goods Original Adjustable Pillow to be the most versatile pillow out there, and we think it’s an optimal choice for every sleep style, particularly because of its adjustable design. “We all sleep in different positions,” says Dr. Nicholas Anastasio, a board-certified physician at Orthopedics and Joint Replacement at Mercy Medical Center. “The key is to find a pillow that will maintain your neck in a neutral position—meaning in line and not overly flexed in any direction.”

The Coop does just that. It comes with a half pound of additional fill, so you can remove or add filling to create your ideal loft. “As someone who prefers a solid memory-foam pillow, I’ll admit I was initially skeptical of this one, thinking it would have more of a down-alternative feel thanks to the shredded foam,” says Forbes Vetted managing editor Emmy Favilla. “I’ve been using it with its original amount of filling, and it has quickly become my new go-to, comfortable no matter what position I’m sleeping in.”

This pillow strikes the perfect balance for those who enjoy the contouring nature of a foam pillow without the denseness or “doughiness” that a solid-foam option offers; while medium-firm in feel, it is also fluffier than traditional all-foam pillows. The fill of the Coop Sleep Goods pillow is a blend of crosscut (i.e., shredded) memory foam and microfiber; its cover is made with a proprietary bamboo-derived viscose rayon and polyester blend.

A few Forbes Vetted editors who have used this pillow long-term attest to how well it has maintained its shape and comfort over time, including after several wash cycles. “It washes incredibly well and has shown almost no signs of wear and tear,” says one of our editors who’s had it for nearly a year. “I also like that if it starts to flatten over time you can easily add to the fill to plump it up again.”

Another staffer who has been using it for 15 months noted that her pillow has remained comfortable and intact, and the cover has stood up to frequent washes in a cold water cycle and low tumble-dry settings. “Over the course of using it, it has definitely collapsed and gotten denser due to the foam compressing,” she says. “I often have to flip around the pillow if I wake up in the middle of the night, so that I can get a break from the flat side and sleep on a fuller foam area.” Some of this can be abated by washing the pillow and re-fluffing it in the dryer; that said, the brand recommends putting the inner part of the pillow into the washer only once a year. And because it’s fairly large and fluffy, washing works best in front-load machines as opposed to top-load.

The Coop has a midrange price compared to other pillows we tested. But given its five-year warranty and 100-night sleep trial, both among the highest we’ve seen for pillows, it’s a worthy investment.

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Our testers loved the Parachute Down Pillow thanks to its plushness and overall marshmallowy comfort. “It does squish and sink beautifully, while not entirely collapsing,” says one of our editors. “I feel like I’m relaxing onto a cloud when I sleep on it.” If you prefer the softness and warmth that down typically provides but are looking for something a little more supportive, this pillow provides three firmness options to choose from (and a 60-day trial period), so it’s likely you can find the perfect fit for your needs.

Because down naturally compresses more than other pillow-fill materials, one of our long-term testers noted that it has “a tendency to flatten down and retain the shape of your head. It’s easily fixed by fluffing it out.” That’s a pretty standard problem with most down pillows, however, and after many months of use, our tester confirmed that the Parachute has held up well. We also found that it washes and dries without issue.

While this Parachute pillow is the most expensive on our list, its price is on par with most high-quality down pillows we found in our research—it’s an expensive material. But if you find it comfortable and supportive for your needs, it’s an investment that’s well worth it, given how much time we spend sleeping. After all, using a pillow that helps provide proper alignment while you sleep is “extremely important,” says Dr. W. Chris Winter, a Virginia-based neurologist and sleep medicine specialist. “Using the wrong pillow can create sleep problems from body discomfort or poor temperature management. Cervical spine issues and back pain can be a problem as well.”

For side sleepers seeking a pillow to support their go-to position, the Casper Original Pillow offers a comfortable sleep experience that impressed our testers. It’s one of the loftier pillows we tested, with a medium firmness and a design that the brand calls a “pillow-in-pillow” structure: essentially, a supportive pillow inside a soft outer pillow, with a breathable, 100% cotton cover. One of our editors noted that while it felt firmer than both the Parachute pillow and Sobel Westex down-alternative pillow (more on that below), it had a feel similar to a down pillow, but not as squishy. “It has some give and felt soft, but didn’t let my head sink down,” she says.

This pillow does have a denser feel, so if you’re looking for something softer and airier, or are primarily a back or stomach sleeper, you may want to consider the Sobel Westex Sahara Nights Pillow instead. But if a medium feel is more your style, or you would like a pillow to layer with down pillows to prop yourself up for reading or watching TV in bed, the Casper might be your best fit.

Among its consistently praised merits is how simple this pillow is to clean. “It’s one of the only pillows I’ve ever tested—I’ve tried over 25—that is completely machine-washable,” says Forbes Vetted mattress and sleep editor McKenzie Dillon. “You can throw the entire pillow in the wash for a deep and thorough clean. I’ve had the Casper Original Pillow since 2020, and it’s made it through hundreds of nights, several moves and many trips to the laundry.”

Another long-term tester backs this up, noting that after washing, no lumps or bumps in the pillow linger, and that it takes just one dryer cycle for the Casper to return to its original loft. At $65 for a standard size (often on sale for less), the Casper offers great value, too.

The Sobel Westex Sahara Nights Pillow provides what one of our testers describes as “hotel-level comfort at home”—not surprising, given that the brand supplies linens and pillows to hotels, including Disney resorts. Soft and offering ample sinkage, this is Sobel Westex’s best-selling pillow, and our editors found it to be a great option for people who want the feeling of down with just a touch of extra firmness. Because of its soft to medium feel, it’s a better bet for back and/or stomach sleepers; side or combination sleepers may require a little more support and might prefer the Sahara Nights firm option (or the Casper pillow above).

We appreciate that this pillow is available in two loft options, so you can choose whether you want a shorter or taller version. “It’s very soft and fluffy but not too high, which I like, because otherwise my neck gets sore in the morning,” says one of our editors who uses the “slim” version as her primary pillow. “I have a backup memory foam pillow for days when I feel like I need more support, but I go for Sobel 90% of the time because it doesn’t make me hot.” Just note that after washing the pillow, one of our testers noticed that it seemed to shrink slightly when drying.

Solid memory foam pillows provide a “cradling” feel, offering moldable support for your head and neck. If you’re a back or stomach sleeper, we found the Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Cloud Pillow to be among the most supportive foam options in our tests. “It is critical to have good support from your pillow,” says Nancy Kirsch, physical therapist and professor of physical therapy at Rutgers University. “The pillow supports the head and provides good alignment of the cervical spine, as the cervical spine relates to the rest of the spine.” Using a sufficiently supportive pillow, that is, can help you avoid waking up with a headache or with shoulder, back or cervical spine pain. Our experts note that in general, memory foam options do the best job in this department—so if you’re prone to an achy upper body, you might want to consider pillows made with this material.

The contouring ability of the Tempur-Cloud is its best feature; it’s responsive and highly supportive without feeling overly dense. “As a combination sleeper, I found the Tempur-Cloud incredibly comfortable on my back and stomach, but I didn’t feel like it offered as much support while side sleeping as other options I tested,” says Favilla. She adds that she also had her father, a back sleeper with chronic back pain, test this pillow, and it was his favorite pillow yet.

If you’re primarily a side sleeper, you may find the Tuft & Needle Original Foam Pillow (more on that one below) the better solid-foam choice for you. “This pillow was most similar to Tuft & Needle’s in terms of feel, but a bit doughier and slightly softer; while the brand describes this pillow as extra-soft, based on my experience I would put it more in the soft-to-medium camp,” says Favilla. It’s also worth noting that if you’re particularly sensitive to the off-gassing smell you’ll find in some memory foam products, this one had none at all upon unfurling.

Although the Tempur-Cloud doesn’t offer a trial period, the pillow does come with a generous five-year warranty, similar to the Coop Sleep Goods pillow, our top pick. And for those who are prone to overheating while they snooze, for an extra $20 you can add a cooling cover with heat-absorbing fibers woven into it. Buying a set will save you $59 on two queen-size pillows or $69 on two king-size pillows.

If you experience chronic neck pain—or you’re primarily a side sleeper or combination sleeper—we recommend the Tuft & Needle Original Foam Pillow. Like the Tempur-Cloud, this one is made from a piece of solid foam (rather than memory foam, it’s crafted with what Tuft & Needle calls “adaptive” foam) and has a fair amount of heft to it. It isn’t best described as airy, but it falls somewhere in the medium range, between squishy and firm. The pillow supports your head by truly contouring around it. It quickly bounces back to its original shape, no fluffing or readjusting required throughout the night. Unless you’re looking for a super-soft pillow, we think most memory-foam devotees will find this to be a supportive, comfortable option no matter preferred sleeping position.

Foam pillows—and mattresses, for that matter—can trap heat. The Tuft & Needle’s foam is infused with graphite and cooling gel to accommodate hot sleepers. (Admittedly, Favilla says, as someone who isn’t temperature-sensitive while she snoozes, she didn’t notice feeling particularly hot or cool while testing this pillow.) It should be noted that the brand does not recommend washing the pillow itself in the washer; it must be hand-washed and hung to air-dry. The cover can be washed with cold water and dried in the dryer—but only the cover. For this reason, it’s probably best to use this as a personal pillow versus one for, say, a guest room or rental home.

Winter notes that while memory foam does tend to be quite supportive, it’s typically on the heavier side; side and stomach sleepers who sleep with an arm under their pillow might find the weight uncomfortable. Luckily, Tuft & Needle’s generous 100-night trial will let you judge for yourself.

If you’re looking for an affordable pair of pillows, this Amazon Basics Down Alternative Pillows set was a surprising hit among some of our testers, offering a good balance of support and softness for a wallet-friendly price. One of our testers noted that after a year of use, the pillows hadn’t flattened out or developed any lumps, even after frequent washing: “I’ve kept these in our guest room—along with several other pillows as options—and found that most guests really like them,” she adds.

These pillows are available in both soft and medium options, with down-alternative fill and a polyester microfiber shell. (As a bonus, this pillow is also made with at least 50% recycled materials.) This set may be a particularly welcome choice for those who tend to sleep hot as well. Down pillows tend to retain more heat than down-alternative options, so if you wake up with night sweats, a down-alternative pillow may be best for you.

Testers felt differently about this pillow, and your preferences will determine whether it will be a good fit for you. A Forbes Vetted editor who tried this one in medium noted that, to her, it felt firm but also airy: “It wasn’t dense like a foam pillow, and it also didn’t squish,” she says. “The texture makes me think of a piece of puffed popcorn—it’s light but firm.” Ultimately she didn’t find herself able to comfortably sleep on this pillow because it raised her neck too high and provided little give. If you’re looking for something a bit plusher, the soft-feel option might be a better choice.

For such an affordable set of pillows, however, the Amazon Basics pair is the best we’ve found if you’re not looking to spend a ton. It comes with a 30-day trial, which we appreciate, allowing you to test it in your own home before committing.

The Purple Harmony Pillow offers a nontraditional feel—almost as if your head is floating while also experiencing a dreamy level of squishiness. The brand’s proprietary GelFlex Grid combined with Talalay latex makes this pillow bouncy, supportive and gently contouring, so there’s no need to fluff or flip it throughout the night. The materials are also very breathable, helping keep your head cool.

It’s offered in three different height options (low, medium and tall), so you can pick the one best for your body frame and sleeping position. The brand recommends that stomach and back sleepers with small to medium frames consider the low model while side or combination sleepers with medium to larger frames choose the medium or tall.

Senior mattress and sleep editor Bridget Chapman has been sleeping on the Purple Harmony for about a year now and says, “I was initially hesitant to try a pillow with such a different feel, but since the moment I rested my head on it, no other pillow has been able to top its comfort level. The brand describes the Harmony as airy and supportive, which seems contradictory, but it really is accurate. As mostly a side sleeper who sometimes switches to my back, the medium height offers the perfect level of contouring comfort and support.”

The cover consists of nylon and spandex fibers with a moisture-wicking treatment, and it’s machine washable. Being our luxury pick, this pillow comes with a luxury price tag. But keep in mind you get a 100-night trial and one-year warranty to add confidence to your purchasing decision.

Similar to the Coop Sleep Goods Adjustable Pillow, you can customize the loft and fluffiness of the Nest Bedding Easy Breather Natural Pillow by simply adding or removing its shredded fill. However, the Easy Breather features shreds of latex coupled with polyester fibers instead of memory foam and microfiber. Latex is a more breathable, durable and bouncy material, which allows this pillow to embody a true cradling feel.

The Easy Breather Natural intentionally comes overstuffed, so don’t be alarmed if it feels too full for your liking. The specific fill level for you is going to require some trial and error, but Nest Bedding recommends side sleepers try it as is, back sleepers remove about a quarter of the fill and stomach sleepers remove about a third of the fill.

“I slept on this pillow for several months and really enjoyed the gentle pressure relief the shredded latex provides,” says Chapman. “I moved the pillow to my guest room after testing it, and a family member quickly fell in love with it when visiting and ordered their own.” The adjustability allows it to accommodate all kinds of sleepers’ needs.

The cover, which is made of cotton, polyester and spandex, is breathable and cozy. You can machine wash it on a cold, delicate cycle and tumble dry it on low heat. Since the latex foam fill contours to your head and neck, you can knead the pillow (think: like you would bread dough) about once a week in place of fluffing it. Though this pillow features cotton and latex, it’s worth noting that it is not an organic option. If that’s what you’re looking for, we recommend checking out the Avocado Green Pillow instead.

Pillows are often described as cooling due to having naturally breathable materials or designs, but the Bedgear Night Ice Performance Pillow is a high-tech option engineered to keep you cool all night. Packed with patented materials, including mesh panels and contouring foams, the Night Ice Performance Pillow is designed to have one side slightly firmer and the other slightly softer. Favilla has had this pillow for nearly a year and says it has not lost any of its loft even after regular use. “It’s the only pillow I’ve ever used that is truly cool to the touch, and I love that it noticeably molds to the shape of my head and neck. It’s comfortable no matter what position I’m sleeping in.”

There are four different thicknesses to choose from, and one of our testers notes the importance of picking the right one since she felt she chose too lofty of an option. If you do need to swap it out (or end up not liking it), you have 30 days to do so. Our tester describes it as having a contouring, memory foam feel overall.

But unlike traditional memory foam, our testing found the Night Ice Performance does not trap heat; instead, it helps dissipate it and provides a lasting cool sensation. One tester says it’s so effective it feels like she left the pillow in her car outside on a winter night.

The cover is machine washable with the recommendation to hang dry, but you can tumble dry on low heat if you’d prefer. If for whatever reason you don’t open the pillow and want to return it, you have a 100-day window. It also comes with a one-year warranty. If you prefer a different feel or want a different size (this one only comes in 24 x 16 inches), check out our other picks for the best cooling pillows.

Why Trust Forbes Vetted

The Forbes Vetted team is dedicated to testing the best products firsthand, with the additional insights of trusted experts in their respective fields. That includes our mattress and sleep coverage, where you can find recommendations for the best mattresses for back pain, the best pillows for neck pain, the best bed frames and much more.

• Co-author of this piece Emmy Favilla is the managing editor at Forbes Vetted and has been testing products and writing about them for the greater part of the past decade. Her reviews have also appeared in CNN Underscored, Skimm Shopping, BuzzFeed Shopping and other outlets.
• Co-author Bridget Chapman is the senior mattress and sleep editor at Forbes Vetted and oversees the sleep section. She’s tested over 150 mattresses and sleep products, including several pillows on this list. She’s also a certified sleep science coach.
• This article was edited by Anna Perling, who also tested several pillows included in our winning picks. Perling is Forbes Vetted’s senior reviews editor; she leads our tested content and has been testing products and writing about them for over 10 years, during which time she’s reviewed a wide range of household items.
• To learn about what to look for in the best pillows, we tapped the expertise of Dr. Nicholas Anastasio, a board-certified physician at Orthopedics and Joint Replacement at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore; Nancy Kirsch, a New Jersey–based physical therapist as well as program director and professor of physical therapy at Rutgers University; and Dr. W. Chris Winter, a Virginia-based neurologist, sleep medicine specialist, author and host of medical podcast Sleep Unplugged With Dr. Chris Winter.
• Forbes Vetted regularly updates stories to ensure top picks are in stock, advice remains up to date and selections continue to meet our high criteria for inclusion. This story was last updated in May 2025.

How We Tested The Best Pillows

To test the best pillows, Forbes Vetted staff slept on several top-rated and best-selling pillows for multiple nights. We also integrated feedback from long-term testers on many of the pillows on this list. We considered the following criteria when determining our winners:

Loft, Firmness And Overall Comfort

We made note of how lofty (i.e., how tall) the pillows were, considering their firmness and whether the fill was adjustable. Because a pillow’s comfort is so subjective, we also considered how many different variations were available to suit a variety of needs—for instance, if a pillow was offered in different heights, firmness levels or shapes.

Temperature Regulation

No one wants to wake up sweaty in the middle of the night if they tend to run hot—so we looked at whether the pillows we tested retained heat, as well as whether their fill or cover was designed with any sort of cooling technology.

Wash And Care

Over the course of its lifetime, you should wash your pillow at least a handful of times. So we considered how easy it is to wash and dry the pillows on this list based on manufacturer instructions. We also noted how well they stood up over time, plus whether the pillows had any noticeable lumps or needed significant re-fluffing after being washed.

Material

We made sure to test pillows constructed with a variety of fill materials to suit a range of preferences including foam (both shredded and solid), down and down-alternative pillows.

Warranty And Trial Periods

We made it a point to highlight pillows that had sufficient trial periods and warranties when selecting our winners. What might be the most comfortable pillow in the world for one person might be too soft, too lofty or otherwise not supportive enough for another. “You want a pillow designed for your sleeping position, but at the end of the day, you need to try that pillow out to see if it is right for you,” says Dr. Winter.

How To Pick A Pillow

To find your “perfect” pillow, it’s essential to consider your sleep style and preferences. After all, one sleeper’s favorite pick may not be the right fit for you. Below, we dive into four key factors to consider when choosing a pillow.

Sleep Position

Whether you are a back sleeper, stomach sleeper, side sleeper or combination sleeper plays a critical role in figuring out what type of pillow will be most comfortable and pressure relieving for you. Our experts and sleep editors note that, generally, side sleepers benefit from a bit more height—as sleeping on one’s side places their head at a higher elevation than other positions. Back sleepers want to look for something in the medium-loft range, while stomach sleepers typically are more comfortable with a shorter pillow. If you’re a combination sleeper, think about the position you tend to fall asleep in when considering the best pillow for you.

Pain Considerations

If you deal with chronic neck or back pain, a supportive and size-appropriate pillow can mitigate aches. (We also recommend consulting a doctor, physical therapist or spine specialist if you have particular health concerns.) “If you have neck pain already, finding a supportive pillow that fits neatly in the space between your shoulder and side of head is important,” says Dr. Anastasio. “If you have particularly broad shoulders or a longer neck, you may need a pillow that is more robust. If you have narrow shoulders or a shorter neck, a pillow with less ‘height’ would be more ideal.”

Firmness

The amount of support a pillow provides is also referred to as its firmness, and essentially describes how well it holds its shape when you lie down on it. While preferred firmness is highly subjective, sleep style should be taken into account here, too. Broadly speaking, our research shows that medium-firm to firm pillows seem to be the most comfortable for side sleepers, with medium pillows being best for back sleepers and medium-to-soft options preferred by stomach sleepers. These firmness are also associated with certain fill materials. For example, solid memory foam pillows provide a firm yet contouring feel, while down pillows are soft and cloud-like.

Care And Maintenance

You’ll want to consider how easy it is to wash your pillows, since you should typically clean them once or twice a year, or if you notice any stains or odors. If you’re looking for pillows to outfit a frequently used guest room, we recommend choosing ones that can stand up to regular washing without losing their shape or support.

Price

We think the best pillows are worth investing in; after all, getting consistent, quality sleep is essential to your overall well-being. Whatever your budget, we recommend looking for a pillow that offers a decent trial period, so you can return or exchange it in case you determine it’s not the right fit for you. We’ve found that down options are typically more expensive, while down-alternative and foam pillows are a bit lower-priced.

Pillow Materials

Pillows come in all sorts of fills, with each material offering its own combination of comfort and support. To help find the right pillow for you, we take a close look at three common fill types.

Memory Foam

This contouring material is supportive, pressure relieving and moderately priced compared to premium materials like down. Memory foam pillows come in two styles: solid and shredded memory foam, and both provide a cradled feeling for the neck and head.

• Why we like it: Memory foam offers ample pressure relief around the neck and upper back, which is ideal for those with chronic neck or back pain. Shredded memory foam pillows are also oftentimes adjustable, meaning you can change the loft and firmness to suit your needs.
• Why we don’t: Foam has a tendency to trap heat, so hot sleepers should consider a shredded fill (which allows for more airflow) or a different material entirely. Foams can also have an off-gassing odor, though it should fade over time.

Down

Made from the fine, ultra-soft feathers of duck or geese, down pillows are the type you find in high-end hotels. The material offers less pressure relief than foam and is generally more expensive.

• Why we like it: Down offers a plush, cloud-like feel that’s simply luxurious. Oftentimes, down pillows are available in different firmness or fill densities so you can choose your level of support.
• Why we don’t: The feathers can harbor dust and allergens, so we recommend that allergy sufferers steer clear. It’s also not the best option for pressure relief, so we wouldn’t recommend it for chronic neck, shoulder or back pain sufferers. And since it comes from animals, some down pillows aren’t ethically sourced; be sure to check for a Responsible Down Standard certification when considering this option.

Down Alternative

Meant to mimic the feel of down, down-alternative pillows are typically made with polyester or microfiber fill. They’re also lightweight, oftentimes washable and are more budget-friendly than down pillows.

• Why we like it: This budget-friendly fill mimics the plushness of down without the allergens, ethical considerations or high price tag. With a light, airy texture, it’s also a good option for hot sleepers.
• Why we don’t: Down-alternative pillows can get lumpy or flat, so they require extra effort to keep the fill evenly distributed. They also need to be replaced more often than higher-end pillows, as they can flatten out over time.