Our Favorite Pillows for a Restful Night’s Sleep
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Finding the best pillow for your needs can be an agonizing ordeal. Get something that's too firm, too soft, or just not quite right for your head and you can wake up with a lot of pain the next day. Never fear, WIRED is here. We've tested all these recommended pillows and several more, using each one for a minimum of several weeks to get a sense of how comfortable they are, how well they hold up to repeated use, and what sleeping style they’re best suited for. These are our top picks, but there are an innumerable number of pillows out there. We'll update this guide as we test more. All of the prices below are for the queen-size version unless otherwise specified.
If you want to get even better sleep, check out our other guides, including the Best Mattresses, Best Mattresses for Side Sleepers, Best Organic Mattresses, Best Sheets, and Best Bed Frames.
Update August 2024: We've added the Saatva Down Alternative Pillow, Saatva Graphite Memory Foam Pillow, and Eli & Elm Side Sleeper Pillow.
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You might think a pillow is a pillow. It just has to be soft and fit under your head, right? Your head, neck, and back disagree. Getting a good night’s sleep can depend heavily on your pillow, so when choosing one, here are a few key questions to ask.
What kind of sleeper are you? Do you sleep on your back, side, or stomach? Do you stay relatively still, or do you toss and turn a lot? Do you usually have one pillow under your head, or do you cocoon yourself into a pillow chrysalis? This is probably the most important thing to keep in mind when deciding what type of pillow works best for you and we've noted our picks below based on sleeping style.
What is the pillow made of? Pillows can be filled with all types of materials, from feathers to foam. Down and synthetic down are fluffy clusters of fiber that can feel soft and comfortable, whereas memory foam is designed to compress with the weight of your head but still return to its previous shape. Organic latex pillows can be heavy and spongey, holding a side-sleeper's head in place. There are also hybrid pillows that use multiple layers of different materials for a more structured feel.
How are the materials sourced? Since some materials like down feathers come from animals, you might want to be aware of how manufacturers get their fill (literally). Down filling typically comes from the belly feathers of either ducks or geese. In order to ensure that down feathers are ethically sourced—such as by avoiding cruel practices like live plucking—programs like the Responsible Down Standard set criteria that manufacturers must adhere to. Another option is to look for synthetic down alternatives, which use cotton, rayon, or polyester as a synthetic replacement. The broader Material Matters Standard is a recently-overhauled system for examining the environmental impact and sustainability of bedding manufactuerers.
How firm is it? However you sleep, you'll want a pillow that keeps your spine straight and your head aligned with your back. That means you want something firm enough to support your head yet soft enough that it doesn't dig into your ear or face.
How lofty is it? “Loft” is a term often used to describe how high off the bed the pillow keeps your head. If a pillow is too tall, for example, you might end up with your neck tilted upward, straining it throughout the night. Most pillows typically fall into one of three categories: Low Loft, which is relatively short and ideal for back sleepers; high loft, which is better for side sleepers (since your head will be further off the bed than when you're on your back); and medium loft, which is somewhere in the middle and best if you're a combination sleeper who doesn't stick to one particular sleep style.
What is the pillow’s warranty and return policy? You might not think the pillow you sleep (and sweat and drool) on would have a robust warranty, but many pillow manufacturers offer generous policies. For example, Purple offers a 1-year warranty and even a 100-night trial period. Casper has a similar warranty and a 30-day trial. If you're unsure whether your new pillow is right for you, check out the company's policies to see what leeway you have to try before you commit—and make sure you’re protected if something goes wrong.
- Photograph: Eric Ravenscraft
Our Overall Favorite
Casper Hybrid Snow Pillow (Standard)Unless you’re looking for specialty support, it’s hard to do better than Casper’s hybrid pillow. Like hybrid mattresses, it has a multilayered design with a foam core, which provides solid neck support, sandwiched between layers of soft memory fiber. When I first held it, the pillow felt flimsy and folded easily—I was worried it would be too soft and squishy to provide any real support. But I was surprised at how supportive it was. After a couple of nights, it became my go-to pillow.
Casper claims this pillow can “stay cooler” for up to 12 hours. That’s vague enough to be difficult to quantify, but it was one of the cooler pillows I tried in my testing process. Even in Texas summer, I didn’t find myself flipping the pillow much at all during the night. This one is often discounted on Amazon, so try to catch it on sale.
- Photograph: Eric Ravenscraft
Best for Side Sleepers
Honeydew Sleep The Scrumptious Side PillowThis pillow from Honeydew is one of the best side-sleeper pillows I've tried. WIRED reviewer Julian Chokkattu and his wife have also been sleeping on it for more than a year and have nothing but great things to say. The queen-size version is 27 inches wide and 15 inches long at the tips, but with an upward curve toward the middle. The copper-infused foam fill is firm and stays cool throughout the night. You'll want to grab a few pillowcases since it's hard to find third-party cases that fit perfectly.
I’ve used a smaller side pillow for many years, and this one is a little wider and firmer than the one I’m used to. It’s got plenty of space for two people to cuddle together and have both of their heads supported. Alternatively, you can hug it similar to a body pillow, and one of the curved tips fits neatly underneath your head. It’s a versatile option for people who can’t decide on just one way to sleep on their side. Julian, who is also a stomach sleeper, says he likes it for that sleeping position too as he tucks the tips around his neck for a swaddling effect.
★ Alternative: This Eli & Elm Side Sleeper Pillow ($120) is almost shockingly firm out of the box. You can customize the amount of fill inside to give it the right amount of support for you, but if you're the type of side sleeper who likes a really firm pillow, this might be the one for you. It even comes with a separate removable cover for easy washing. It's smaller than the Scrumptious one, so don't expect to do much cuddling on this one, but for one person it's a great choice.
- Photograph: Eric Ravenscraft
Best for Chaotic Sleepers
Bedgear Flow Cuddle Curve PullowI like the idea of a side-sleeper pillow that has a curve in it so it can fit around my shoulder. The problem is, I don't just sleep on my side. I roll over on my back and flip onto my stomach, occasionally half my body goes in one direction, while the other half goes in another. For people like me, the Flow Cuddle Curve pillow from Bedgear is one of the more versatile options out there.
Like other side-sleeper pillows, it has a small curve on one side to accommodate a shoulder, but it's otherwise similar in shape to most standard pillows. Flip it around and you might not even notice it's not a typical rectangle. It has a washable cover, and air vents covered with breathable mesh help it stay cool throughout the night. Rather than typical standard/queen/king pillow sizes, Bedgear uses a sizing system tailored to your gender, shirt size, and typical sleeping position. Check the size chart before choosing a size. Thankfully all sizes of the Flow Cuddle Curve cost the same.
- Photograph: Snuggle-Pedic
Best Under $100
Snuggle-Pedic Adjustable Cooling PillowSticking to a budget with a pillow can be a trade-off between back pain, neck pain, and wallet pain. But WIRED reviewer Louryn Strampe swears by this adjustable pillow from Snuggle-Pedic. It comes in two variations—one has adjustable shredded memory foam for $57, and the other is the same pillow without the extra memory foam fill for $37. The former lets you add (or remove) the fill to optimize the pillow's firmness to your taste.
The outer pillow protector is machine-washable, and the pillow fill is easy to fluff to get that perfect cushy feeling. Louryn has slept on this pillow for four years—which also speaks to its long-term durability—and likes it so much that when she accidentally left it in a hotel, she immediately overnighted another so she wouldn't have to go a single night without it.
- Photograph: Eric Ravenscraft
Best Down Pillow
Avocado Down PillowDown is one of the most luxurious (and expensive) kinds of pillow fill you can find. These soft, small feathers typically come from the underbellies of ducks and geese, which means that there's often an extra element of ethical concern when compared to down alternative materials like latex. Avocado's Down Pillow uses feathers sourced from Responsible Down Standard (RDS)-certified farms, which aims to ensure that the animals the down comes from are treated humanely, which includes bans on cruel practices like live-plucking.
Down pillows can get extremely expensive, depending on what type of bird the down comes from, how much is in a given pillow, and where it's manufactured. This is what makes Avocodo's $109 starting price here so compelling. This pillow is soft and supportive, and offers the ability to pick from a variety of fill levels without adding too much to the price.
- Photograph: Eric Ravenscraft
Best Down Alternative Pillow
Saatva Down Alternative PillowDown pillows might feel like you're sleeping on a cloud, but seeing the price tag for them can send you plummeting back to earth. Some people are also allergic to real down, which is where synthetic down can come in handy. This Saatva Down Alternative pillow uses hypoallergenic memory fiber clusters that mimic the feel of down, without all the pesky allergen risk, or high price tag. In my testing, this one was surprisingly supportive for how thin it felt at first, though if you like a lot of support and high loft, you might want to grab two.
- Photograph: Eric Ravenscraft
Best Organic Pillow (and Customizable)
Avocado Green PillowOne of the biggest challenges with finding the perfect pillow is getting the firmness level right. Too much filling and it feels like resting on a rock. Too little, and your head is almost back to bare mattress. The Avocado Green Pillow is a great middle ground, because it comes with an extra bag of filling so you can get the firmness of your pillow just right (and have the option to change it later). Avocado makes our favorite organic mattress and this pillow's fill is made from GOLS-certified organic latex and GOTS-certified organic kapok. The quilted organic cotton cover is satisfyingly soft and stays cool for long enough to fall asleep without having to flip the pillow.
- Photograph: Eric Ravenscraft
Best Cooling Pillow
Purple Freeform PillowPurple's distinctive cooling gel grid has made the company's mattresses popular—the company makes our top pick among cooling mattresses. The Freeform Pillow brings those benefits to your pillow. It has adjustable fill and includes a spare bag to store the excess fill material in case you want to add more later. I found the pillow a bit overstuffed when I first got it, but after removing a few handfuls (and a bit of fluffing to get the fill distributed evenly), I got it to a point where it had just enough support without exacerbating my already perpetual neck pain.
The real stand-out feature though is the honeycomb grid embedded in the outer cover. It keeps the surface of the pillow cool, so you don't have to flip it over quite as often throughout the night. If you, like me, are a bit of a hot sleeper, this can be the godsend you need to finally get a good night's sleep.
- Photograph: Eric Ravenscraft
Best Graphite Memory Foam Pillow
Saatva Graphite Memory Foam PillowYou probably learned in third grade that some materials conduct heat better than others, but you might not think too much about how that applies to your pillow. Fortunately, companies like Saatva do, which is why you'll now find memory foam pillows infused with materials like graphite. The Saatva Graphite Memory Foam pillow is one of the coolest pillows I've tested, which is handy for me because I run pretty hot, especially at night. It has an inner shredded memory foam and latex core that gives it a solid amount of support and loft, then an extra outer layer of the aforementioned graphite-infused memory foam. Keeping this a separate layer helps make sure heat doesn't just radiate inwards, creating a hot spot under your head. The whole thing is wrapped in a removeable, machine-washable cover for convenient cleaning.
- Photograph: Amazon
A More Affordable Pillow
GhostBed Memory Foam PillowPillows are one of those things that can get weirdly expensive. But you don't have to shell out $100 or more for a solid place to rest your head. WIRED reviewer Medea Giordano has been using the memory foam GhostBed pillow since 2020—she slept on it while visiting with a friend and immediately bought one after returning home. It's medium-firm and works for her side-, back-, and stomach-sleeping rotation. GhostBed's claim of it being the "Coolest Pillow in the World” is exaggerated, but Medea sleeps hot and says the gel-infused foam does stay cool all night.
- Photograph: Eric Ravenscraft
Best Side Sleeper Body Pillow
Eli & Elm Memory Foam Pregnancy PillowThis pillow from Eli & Elm is marketed as a pregnancy pillow, but if you're a side sleeper of any kind, it's a great option. It's shaped like a giant L (or 7, depending on your perspective), with a smaller section that goes underneath your head, and a longer end that's long enough to fit between your legs.
The memory foam is a little stiff for my tastes, but I tend to like soft, low-loft pillows, so your mileage may vary. However, that firmness is a benefit when it comes to keeping my legs and hips supported. Eli & Elm includes a custom pillow case, which is handy because the pillow's unique shape means there's not much else you're going to find that will fit it properly.
- Photograph: Eric Ravenscraft
Best Flexible Body Pillow
Bearaby CuddleThis noodle-y pillow is an instant delight to everyone I've shown it to. The Bearaby Cuddler is one long latex pillow tube that's stuffed with a rubber foam, sourced from organic hevea tree sap, making it flexible enough to bend into just about any shape, but springy enough to be supportive and bounce back into shape.
I suffer from some intermittent lower back issues, and this pillow is extremely handy for the sometimes awkward positions I need to sit or lie in to be comfortable. It's long enough to lie under my head and still wrap around to sit between my legs while sleeping on my side. If you're looking for one pillow to keep in your living room, this is easily one of my new favorites. It's also solid for people who change between different sleeping positions, but in my experience you still might want to keep at least one more typically shaped pillow around just in case.
- Photograph: Eric Ravenscraft
Best Orthopedic Neck Pillow
Kanuda Primo Air PillowIf the shape of this pillow doesn’t throw you off, the price will. But let me explain! If you frequently wake up with a stiff neck because you sleep on it wrong, Kanuda’s unique pillow might be helpful. It has firm contours designed to support your neck while you're lying on your back, holding your head in position. What makes this pillow unique is that it also accommodates side sleepers, with extra contours designed to cradle the side of your face, while still nudging your head into proper alignment. I was surprised how much I could roll over without moving the pillow and still feel supported.
However, if you don't think you can stick to sleeping on either your side or back, this might not be a great option for you. Unlike other pillows, this one doesn't accommodate atypical sleeping positions—you won't want to clutch it in your arms or use it to support your legs, for example.
- Photograph: Matt Jancer
Best Travel Pillow
Travelrest Nest Ultimate Travel PillowThere’s no good place to rest your head on a plane or train, but when you need to sleep anyway, the Travelrest Nest pillow (9/10, WIRED Recommends) is our top recommendation. It uses sturdy memory foam so it doesn’t need to be inflated like many travel pillows, and it holds its shape remarkably well. Our reviewer said he was able to use it to get a full seven hours of sleep on a long-haul flight, which is an achievement by any standard. The microfiber cloth is particularly soft, and it’s removable, so you can wash it without damaging the pillow itself.
- Photograph: Eric Ravenscraft
Best for Combination Sleepers
Purple DreamLayer PillowThe best pillow for side sleepers can be very different from the best pillow for back sleepers. But a lot of people (myself included) don't exclusively stick to one type of sleeping position or another. Fortunately, the Purple DreamLayer pillow provides an excellent middle ground. Rather than using adjustable fill to customize its height, this pillow comes with two foam inserts so you can get exactly the level of support you need.
The outer cover has a stretchy pocket that makes it easy to slide the inserts in and out, so adjusting the height isn't as complicated as pillows with adjustable fill. The pillow feels just the right amount of firm yet squishy thanks to the trademark Purple grid technology. The outer cover is machine-washable.
- Photograph: Eric Ravenscraft
For Big and Tall Side Sleepers
Parallel High Profile PillowPillows made for side sleeping can fall short if you're over six feet tall or have broad shoulders. Finding a supportive pillow can be a challenge even when you're looking at the exact type of pillow made for your sleep style. That's where the Parallel High Profile Pillow comes in. This one has a generous 2.5 inches of extra loft, making it tall enough to keep even the highest heads propped up.
Internally, it's packed hypoallergenic fiber and gel fill that I found held its shape remarkably well. If you want a firm pillow, but don't want it to press too hard into your head, this is an excellent middle ground.
Photograph: Eric RavenscraftOther Good Pillows
Honorable MentionsThere are far too many pillows on the market. Just, in general. There's so many. We've put some of our favorites above, but even that doesn't cover the wide array of serviceable pillows out there. If, somehow, all of our picks above aren't to your tastes, here are a few others we also like.
- No More Aches Neck Pillow for $40: There's no shortage of novelty pillows, but as someone who experiences a lot of neck pain, I'm intrigued by this odd little pillow. It has a concave center for back, side, and stomach sleeping, plus an indented edge that perfectly fits your arm. Its awkward shape makes it less than ideal for anything other than laying your head on it, but it's still a solid pick for neck pain.
- Bedgear Storm Pillow for $200: This pillow from Bedgear is similar to the Bedgear Flow above but without the curve for side sleepers. If you sleep on your back 100 percent of the time, this might be a better fit, but I prefer the versatility of having one curved side and one straight side.
Photograph: trigga/Getty ImagesPick a Good Pillowcase
Protect Your PillowFinding the right pillowcase is just as important as finding the right pillow. A good pillowcase is necessary to keep your pillow from absorbing all the sweat and oils from your face. It's the part of your pillow your face touches, so it should be as soft and comfortable as possible. Here are a few things to look for:
Material: You can get pillowcases in several materials including cotton, polyester, linen, and silk. As you'll see in our Best Sheets guide, silk is smooth, stays cool, and absorbs less moisture from your hair and skin, making it one of the best materials for a pillowcase, but it can be pricey. Cotton and polyester are usually cheaper, but they can feel rougher against the face.
Thread count: Like with sheets, the thread count—namely, how many threads are in one square inch of fabric—can impact how a pillowcase feels against your skin. Higher thread counts will feel smoother but also retain more heat. A typical thread count for pillowcases is between 100 and 200, with higher-end options pushing as high as 400. But don't feel like you have to overdo it. A higher thread count doesn't necessarily mean better, so you don't have to splurge on a 1,000-thread count pillowcase.
Size (and shape): A pillowcase that's too small will slide off in the middle of the night, and a case that's too big will leave you with a bunch of excess fabric flailing around loosely. Make sure to get a pillowcase that's the right size for your pillow. We also feature a few pillows with non-standard shapes, which sometimes require their own special pillowcases to fit comfortably, so if you're buying anything other than a rectangle, be sure to consider the shape too.
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