We already covered the best bed sheets depending on your personal preference. Of course, sheets are only half of the equation. If you want to consistently get a good night’s sleep, you’re also going to need a high-quality pillow. That doesn’t necessarily mean you have to spend a fortune, though. In this guide, the expert product reviewers at BGR will recommend the best pillows for sleeping based on your individual needs. There are several great options here, so make sure you check them all out before choosing the perfect pillow for you.
Our top picks
- Best overall: Utopia Bedding Bed Pillows
- Best cheap pillow: EIUE Hotel Collection Bed Pillows
- Best down pillow: puredown Goose Feathers and Down White Pillows
- Best King pillow: MZOIMZO King Bed Pillows
- Best gel memory foam pillow: WEEKENDER Gel Memory Foam Pillow
- Best cooling pillow: SUPA MODERN Cooling Bed Pillows
- Best ultra-high-end pillow: Purple Harmony Pillow
Those are the best pillows for sleeping in each of the aforementioned categories. If you just want to pick the one that sounds right for you, go right ahead. But if you want to learn more about what makes each pillow the best in its class, you’ll find all the information you need down below.
1. Best overall: Utopia Bedding Bed Pillows
Pros: Comfortable, cooling, supportive, long-lasting, reasonable price
Cons: Some people find that they flatten after using them for a long time
If you want to skip all the muss and fuss and just get the best overall pillow, look no further than Utopia Bedding Bed Pillows.
These are the best overall pillows for sleeping that you’ll find. They’re very comfortable and supportive, but they’re not too thick. Utopia Bedding uses a hypoallergenic poly fiber fill that feels like a pillow in a luxury hotel. Plus, since it’s poly fiber, it sleeps nice and cool even on hot summer nights.
Utopia’s flagship bed pillow is nice and durable, so you won’t have to worry about buying new pillows too quickly. Thanks to the versatility of the filling, it’s also great for stomach, back, and side sleepers.
The only real downside worth noting is that some users find that they get a bit flat after sleeping on them for a long time. Not everyone has that issue, however. Plus, it’s pretty easy to fluff them back up. Just toss them in the drier on low or no heat for 15 minutes and they should be good as new.
2. Best cheap pillow: EIUE Hotel Collection Bed Pillows
Pros: Low price, comfortable, good for all sleep positions
Cons: Not as durable as other options
When you buy a “cheap” bed pillow, you only want that descriptor to apply to the price tag. The last thing you want is a pillow made of cheap materials that’s going to be uncomfortable. That’s what makes EIUE Hotel Collection Bed Pillows so great.
These fluffy bed pillows have a shockingly low price tag, but they’re still high-quality pillows. They’re on the plumper side, thanks to 50% hollow fiber and 50% gel fiber fill. If you’re looking for an ultra-light pillow or a pillow that’s on the flatter side, this probably isn’t the right one for you.
EIUE’s bed pillows are a great choice for anyone who wants a good all-around pillow that’s as inexpensive as possible. It’s not the most durable option out there, though, so it may need to be replaced a bit sooner than other pillows in this guide. That being said, these pillows are the perfect option for guest room pillows since they’re so inexpensive.
3. Best down pillow: puredown Goose Feathers and Down White Pillows
Pros: Luxurious down filling, plump and heavy, not too expensive
Cons: Some people say they’re too flat
puredown Goose Feathers and Down White Pillows are the best pillows we found for anyone in search of real down filling. They’re much more affordable than big-name options out there, but they still use high-quality filling that stands the test of time.
These pillows use a mix of 85% Grey Goose feathers and 15% Grey Goose down. The 100% cotton outer layer is nice and thick so that feathers don’t work their way out and poke you. Despite being thick, however, this pillow doesn’t sleep too hot, like other down pillows often do.
Some people do complain that these pillows are too flat. In our tests, however, we found them to have the perfect amount of plumpness for a down pillow. After all, if your down pillow is overstuffed, it’s going to weigh a ton and make you way too hot when you sleep.
If you find puredown’s pillows to be a bit too flat, just toss them in the drier on no heat for 15 minutes.
4. Best King pillow: MZOIMZO King Bed Pillows
Pros: Comfortable and supportive, great for side-sleepers, inexpensive
Cons: Flatter than pricier pillows
MZOIMZO isn’t exactly a household name when it comes to pillow brands. If you want a great King size pillow for sleeping, however, MZOIMZO King Bed Pillows are a terrific option.
These pillows cost about half as much as big-name King pillows that you find in stores. The outer case is made of microfiber fabric that sleeps cooler than other options we tested. MZOIMZO’s hypoallergenic fill is also fluffy but breathable. We found the thickness to be perfect for side-sleepers and stomach-sleepers. Back-sleepers might want to find something a bit thicker, though.
As with other lower-cost options in this guide, some people do complain that this pillow is too flat. If you want something overly plush and fluffy, this probably isn’t the pillow for you. In our tests, however, we found that these pillows had a good amount of thickness. After all, if a pillow is too thick then side-sleepers will never be able to get comfortable.
5. Best gel memory foam pillow: WEEKENDER Gel Memory Foam Pillow
Pros: High-quality gel memory foam, durable, comfortable
Cons: Might not be thick enough for some side-sleepers
Of all the memory foam pillows we tested, the WEEKENDER Gel Memory Foam Pillow came out on top by a fairly wide margin.
This pillow strikes the perfect balance between comfort and support. The high-quality gel memory foam quickly hugs your head and face, and it dissipates heat better than other options we tried. It has a medium plush feel, which is ideal for neck support. However, we found that this pillow is best for stomach and back-sleepers.
Some side sleepers find that this pillow isn’t thick enough when the memory foam is compressed, and that’s the biggest downside with this WEEKENDER pillow. If you want something a bit thicker and more contoured, check out the Royal Therapy contoured memory foam pillow instead.
6. Best cooling pillow: SUPA MODERN Cooling Bed Pillows
Pros: Cool, comfy, adjustable fill
Cons: Some pillows have an odor that takes a while to go away, not ideal for winter
If you want to sleep as cool as a cucumber, SUPA MODERN Cooling Bed Pillows are the best option we have found.
These use shredded memory foam filling that feels nice and dense. It dissipates heat very well though, and the cover helps cool you even more. SUPA MODERN uses a special cover with a 3D design that prevents heat from building up under your head.
The main downside is that some of these pillows apparently have an odor, according to user reviews. Not everyone complains about the odor, which suggests that some pillows are affected while others are not. We bought several pillow sets, and we were unable to find any pillows with the odor. Those who do get smelly pillows generally find that the odor goes away after a week or two. If you want to speed things up, these pillows are machine-washable on cold.
7. Best ultra-high-end pillow: Purple Harmony Pillow
Pros: Super comfortable, supportive, durable, temperature-neutral
Cons: Very expensive
In a nutshell, the Purple Harmony Pillow is the Rolls Royce of bed pillows.
This ultra-premium pillow is one of the most comfortable and supportive pillows we have ever tested. It uses Purple’s signature honeycombed GelFlex layer for comfort and ventilation, plus a Talalay latex core flex inner layer for low-pressure support. Add in the stretch knit cover to wick away moisture, and you have a recipe for the perfect pillow.
Well, it’s almost perfect. Unfortunately, all that pillow tech comes with a price. The standard size Purple Harmony Pillow retails for $199, and that only gets you one pillow as opposed to a pair. If you want the King size, be prepared to pay $239 per pillow. On the plus side, Purple’s pillow does tend to go on sale with discounts fairly often. Even with discounts, however, you can still expect to spend at least $160 per pillow.
