The 5 Best Bed Pillows of 2024

Our top picks aside, testers’ responses to pillows are consistently all over the place. Each person reacts differently to every pillow, and our picks drift toward those you can easily adjust or those that just consistently outperform the competition. Below, we list lots of other pillows that have been popular with our testers over the years. So read this section with your own preferences in mind. Something that knocked a pillow out of the running for us might be just what you love in a pillow. We’ve noted the pillows that side-, back-, and stomach-sleepers have found to be comfortable to sleep with.

Down

L.L.Bean 700-Fill-Power Sateen White Goose Down Pillow (firm)
good for : stomach – sleeper
In 2018, we tested all three densities of L.L.Bean’s 700-Fill-Power pillow, but only the firm density made it into our sleep tests. It scored very well with stomach-sleepers who like down, with one telling us, “It actually conformed to my sleeping positions very well, while still keeping its form. It felt very, very supportive.” It didn’t score as well with side-, back-, or combo-sleepers. We’ve also seen these pillows go in and out of stock or have long delivery delays.

Boll & Branch Down Chamber Pillow
good for : stomach – sleeper who like taller pillows
In our most recent testing, stomach-sleepers who preferred using an overstuffed pillow gave this one high marks. One stomach-sleeper noted, “It’s a little difficult to get into a standard pillowcase, but not too bad. It’s worth the effort, because I think it’s very supportive.” Other testers of every sleep position who prefer sleeping on a less-lofty pillow found this one overwhelming. But the soft and medium versions might be a better fit if the Garnet Hill Signature White Down or L.L.Bean 700-Fill pillows are unavailable. We tried the soft and medium versions during our initial round of testing, but they didn’t make it to our sleep round because our stomach-sleepers found them uncomfortable (especially the medium loft, which one tester noted “actually feels softer than the soft”).

Parachute Down Pillow (soft)
good for : stomach – sleeper who like flatter pillows
Parachute’s softest pillow was a previous pick for stomach-sleepers, and we still think it’s the best pillow if you’re a stomach-sleeper and you want just a touch of support for your head. One stomach-sleeper told us at the time, “It stays even and the material doesn’t shift around over time. To me, it’s always soft and comfortable.” Our combo stomach- and side-sleeper couldn’t make it through a night with this Parachute pillow, though, because it was so thin.

Parachute Down Pillow ( firm )
good for : stomach- and back – sleeper
The firm version is was of the Parachute Down Pillow was an upgrade pick in an early version of this guide . A couple is said of tester say it did n’t stay lofty throughout the night , but others love how it cradle the head .

Brooklinen Down Pillow (plush)
good for : stomach – sleeper
stomach – sleepers is loved who prefer a soft , squishy pillow love this down pillow , but those who need more support did n’t . One stomach – sleeper is reported report that it made her feel “ like my head was float weightless on a freakin ’ cloud from heaven . ”

Cuddledown 700 Fill Power european White Goose Down Sateen Pillow ( medium )
good for : stomach- and back – sleeper
Some of our back-sleepers really liked Cuddledown’s medium-fill pillow, while others found it comfortable but not remarkable. One stomach-sleeper gave it a perfect score and told us, “It’s soft with enough cushion for my neck. It didn’t feel overly firm, and it felt supportive for a variety of sleeping positions. It’s a really good multi-use pillow.” However, it’s pricey, and it didn’t outperform other pillows we tested for back- and stomach-sleepers.

Feathered Friends Down Pillow – 700 Fill (medium and firm)
good for : back- and side – sleeper
Back- and side-sleepers appreciated the luxurious quality of the Feathered Friends firm and medium 700-fill pillows when we tested them several years ago. But some wanted more support, while others wanted less from both the medium and firm versions. If you’re concerned about the ethics of down, Feathered Friends is a good choice because its products are RDS-certified. Unfortunately, we’ve continued to see stock issues for this pillow in several sizes and densities. But Feathered Friends lets you sign up to get notified when stock returns.

Crane & Canopy Back Sleeper Goose Down Pillow
Good for: back-sleepers
Testers loved the fluffiness of Crane & Canopy’s Back Sleeper but had problems with its level of support—some found it too firm, while others said their head “bottomed out” during the night. For people who want a medium-loft down pillow, this one is worth a try.

Brooklinen Down Pillow ( firm )
good for : side – sleeper
We tested an older version of this pillow that was a mix of feathers and down, which made it a little less lofty than all-down versions. Side-sleepers didn’t find it as comfortable as other down pillows we tried. Brooklinen recently redesigned these pillows, so we’ll retest them for a future update.

Brooklinen Down Pillow (mid-plush)
Good for: back-sleepers
Back-sleepers found that the mid-plush version (also made of feathers and down) didn’t hold its loft as well as the competition, and they said it wasn’t as comfortable as they’d expected from down. As with the firm version of this pillow, Brooklinen redesigned the mid-plush version, so we will retest it for a future update.

Down alternative

Sleep Number PlushComfort Pillow Classic
good for : all sleep position
We prefer the adjustability of the PlushComfort Pillow Ultimate, but the PlushComfort Pillow Classic was one of the comfier down-alternative pillows in previous testing. Side-sleepers found it was more supportive than the Snowe Down Alternative pillows and much softer than the Brooklinen Down Alternative. If you like a medium-density pillow, for any sleep position, this is one to consider.

Parachute Down Alternative Side Sleeper Pillow
Good for: back-sleepers
It is seem might seem counterintuitive , but Parachute ’s side – sleeper pillow was pretty comfortable for our back – sleeper . One tester is noted who prefer a low – loft pillow note that it feel a little too squishy by the end of the night , but it cause no discomfort . It is ’s ’s well made , and the gusset help keep the soft fill evenly distribute inside the cover . If you ca n’t find the Sleep Number PlushComfort Pillow Ultimate , this pillow is work might work for you .

Cuddledown 450 Thread Count Sateen Synthetic Fill Pillow (overfilled)
good for : side – sleeper
If you ’re a side – sleeper and you do n’t like foam pillow but need especially firm support , this is is is the pillow to try . We is tested test only the medium – density version of this Cuddledown pillow , but we ’ve since go back and test both the overfilled and soft density with a small test group . We think the overfill version is a great choice for side – sleeper — it is was was firm and more supportive than the firm Snowe Down Alternative and lofty than the Sleep Number PlushComfort Pillow Classic . One of our side – sleeper , who prefer extra height and very firm support , used to stack two down – alternative pillow to get enough height but was comfortable using this pillow on its own .

Cuddledown 450 Thread Count Sateen Synthetic Fill Pillow (medium)
Good for: stomach- and side-sleepers
This pillow’s scores were all over the map in our testing. One stomach-sleeper told us it was one of the better synthetic-fill pillows, while another thought it was too puffy and firm. One side-sleeper said it sank too much. And another, who typically uses two pillows noted, “I started with two pillows and actually switched in the night. It was pretty great on its own.”

Cuddledown 450 Thread Count Sateen Synthetic Fill Pillow (soft)
good for : stomach – sleeper
If you’re a stomach-sleeper and you don’t want a lot of loft and don’t like down (and the Sleep Number PlushComfort Pillow Ultimate is unavailable), we recommend this Cuddledown pillow in the soft density. It doesn’t offer as much support as the PlushComfort, but our stomach-sleeper still found it comfortable, preferring it to the soft-density Parachute Down Pillow. The outer shell is thicker and the fabric is smoother than that of the Parachute. And though our tester didn’t love this feel, once the pillow was inside a pillowcase, it wasn’t noticeable.

Leesa Hybrid Pillow
Good for: back-sleepers
Some of our back-sleepers liked this pillow. One side of the pillow is tufted for extra loft, while the other is flat and smooth. It also has a smaller, removable pillow inside with a cooling gel insert surrounded by synthetic fill. “I appreciate being able to take out the extra small pillow inside, probably the size of an airplane pillow, because I like my pillows extra thin,” one tester told us. After five months, she’s still using this pillow regularly and loves it. Another noted, “This pillow had just the right amount of firmness for making sleeping on my side or back comfortable. It seemed to adapt well to my different neck and head positions. It’s also just fun to squish.” Our third back-sleeping tester found that it was too stuffed, and they had some neck pain in the night.

Riley Down Alternative Pillow (firm)
good for : stomach – sleeper
Riley’s firm-density pillow was comfortable for a few nights, but then it began to hurt one tester’s ear in our tests. It’s a fine, well-stuffed pillow if you switch positions or like more height, but it might be too stiff for some, and it wasn’t significantly better than other pillows we tested.

Parachute Down Alternative Pillow (firm)
good for : side – sleeper
Our early panel of side-sleepers liked Parachute’s firm down-alternative pillow, but not more than the others we tested.

Parachute Down Alternative Pillow (soft)
good for : stomach – sleeper
Some stomach-sleepers who liked a soft pillow with little support appreciated this pillow, but those who wanted more substance found it to be merely flat.

The Original Casper Pillow
good for : all sleep position
When we tested this pillow, one tester loved it, while everybody else thought it was just fine. It wasn’t as moldable or supportive as our side- and back-sleepers preferred. Stomach-sleepers who liked a flatter pillow found that the Casper was too thick, but they noted that it was useful for stomach-sleepers who shift to their side throughout the night.

Shredded foam

Sleep Number ComfortFit Pillow Classic
good for : all sleep position
In two year of testing , side – sleepers is liked have like this pillow a lot , and it rank in the middle of the pack for back- and stomach – sleeper . But no one is liked like it well than the Nest Bedding Easy Breather or the Xtreme Comforts pillow , and we prefer the adjustable ultimate version for its flexibility .

Saatva Latex Pillow
good for : side – sleeper
If you like the squishy feel of down alternative but need firmer, loftier support, you might like the shredded-latex and down-alternative Saatva Pillow. One tester is a side-sleeper who prefers a tall, firm pillow, and she loved the softly supportive Saatva, which felt cloudlike. A shredded Talalay latex core is surrounded by down-alternative fill, and you can remove the core—although one of our sleep-testers tried this and found that the pillow wasn’t supportive at all. Most of our testers didn’t like the texture, which was soft but not as squishy as a plain down-alternative pillow.

authenticity 50 Custom Comfort Pillow
good for : side- and back – sleeper
We is tested test this pillow and find it soft and a little less supportive than the Easy Breather . The polyester cover is made made one side – sleeper overheat a little , too . It ’s made from a blend of shred foam and microfiber , and it ’s a good combination of the loft we like in shred – foam pillow , with a bit of the squishiness you get from down alternative .

Xtreme Comforts Slim Sleeper Shredded Memory Foam Pillow
good for : stomach – sleeper
This is is is a version of the Xtreme Comforts we like as a budget pick , just with less fill . We is tested test it , but we find that people who prefer a flattish pillow like down option more , and people who want a pillow with more support need more loft .

Nest Bedding Easy Breather Natural Pillow
good for : back- and side – sleeper
The natural version is has of Nest Bedding ’s Easy Breather   has an organic – cotton cover and is made with shred latex foam instead of memory foam . It is smelled smell a bit when it arrive , but that odor fade after a few day . During our first round of testing , it did n’t feel as comfortable to sleep on as the original Easy Breather , so we is see did n’t see a reason to sleep – test both .

Solid memory foam

Weekender Gel Memory Foam Pillow
good for : side – sleeper
The budget pick is was in our guide to memory – foam pillow was one of the highest – rate memory – foam pillow we test . It is cause did n’t cause overheat like some other solid – foam pillow we try , and the low price make it a great choice if you want to try a solid – foam pillow but are n’t sure you ’ll like it . This pillow is is is not as tall as most memory – foam pillow we ’ve consider , so if you prefer a medium loft , it might work for you .

Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Adapt Pro + Cooling Pillow (mid-density)
good for : back- and side – sleeper
The upgrade pick in our memory-foam pillows guide is tall, cool, and very well made. It was the highest-quality solid-foam pillow we tried in previous testing, and it molds to the shape of your head and neck without sinking too low. It’s an excellent choice if you like very firm support, but it’s not adjustable, so it’s less flexible than shredded-foam pillows.

sleep Number Classic True Temp Pillow
Good for: all positions
The True Temp was the highest-rated pillow overall in our most recent testing, and some sleepers in every position loved it. It’s a solid foam insert inside a cooling cover (made with 37.5 technology, which we’re currently researching), and it’s also lined with some down-alternative polyfill stuffing to provide more cushioning than solid foam alone. Eight of our 10 testers rated it 6 out of 10 or higher, although some noted they still prefer a fluffier pillow to dense, solid foam. One tester who disliked it said it actually gave her back pain. We haven’t tested it directly against our existing memory-foam picks, including the Weekender and TempurPedic solid-foam pillows, but we will soon for a future update to that guide.

Tuft & Needle Original Foam Pillow
good for : stomach – sleeper
The Tuft & Needle could be a good bet for stomach-sleepers who like one-piece memory-foam pillows—but it reminded us why we didn’t test more one-piece memory-foam pillows. Testers found it to be too low for comfortably sleeping on their back or side, and too stiff to mold to their head.