Best Pillows for 2024 – CNET

The Sleep Number Comfortfit Pillow Ultimate is an ultra-comfy pillow that’s suitable for all sleeping positions. That’s why it takes our pick for the best overall pillow. It’s the type of pillow everyone will love, thanks to the choice of classic, curved or ultimate shape. 

It’s also one of the best hypoallergenic pillows with memory foam and premium down alternative fibers making up the inside. When you lay down on the Sleep Number Comfortfit Pillow, the cover is noticeably soft and breathable. 

What’s unique about the Ultimate model of the Sleep Number Comfortfit pillow is the three removable inserts that allow you to tailor it to your needs. Side sleepers should use two inserts, while back sleepers are best suited for two or three inserts and stomach sleepers should try one or two.

It is a more expensive pillow, at around $100. With the quality and personalization, it may be the only pillow you need on your bed. 

• Price: $$$
• Firmness: Adjustable
• Materials: Memory foam
• Machine-washable?: Cover only
• Hypoallergenic?: Not specified 

Pros:

• Contains three removable inserts
• Suitable for all sleeper types
• Made of quality materials including memory foam

Cons:

• Expensive pillow
• Not cooling

If you’re a hot sleeper or someone who cherishes the “cool side of the pillow,” consider the Casper Hybrid Pillow, our pick for best cooling pillow. From popular mattress brand, Casper, this pillow is made with perforated poly foam, polyester fibers and gel. It utilizes what Casper calls Snow Technology which includes phase change material that remains temperature-neutral around your head and neck and allows for airflow. All in all, this pillow has the best qualities of a solid memory foam pillow while adding comfortable cooling.

Unlike other best cooling pillows, the Casper Hybrid is actually cool to the touch. When you put your head on it, it immediately feels cool. Keep in mind that a pillowcase will dull it a little, but not too significantly. If you want the full effect, you can rest easy knowing the cover is removable and machine-washable. We recommend using a pillowcase that is light and breathable such as silk, bamboo or Tencel.  

• Price: $$
• Firmness: Medium
• Materials: Poly foam 
• Machine-washable?: Cover only
• Hypoallergenic?: Not specified

Pros:

• Truly cool to the touch
• Soft, machine-washable cover 
• Four layers of foam, fiber and gel with Snow Technology 

Cons:

• On the expensive side
• Not for stomach sleepers or those who don’t like foam 

With two layers of supportive foam and an antibacterial, cooling bamboo case, Cosy House’s shredded foam pillows are made to relieve some of the greatest sleeping woes, namely overheating and uncomfortable pressure points. The relatively firm construction helps the pillow maintain its shape while sleeping, but the shredded memory foam pillow fill in its bottommost layer is removable, which allows you to customize its density, which isn’t the case with most solid foam pillows. Its affordable price makes it one of the best value pillows you can buy. 

“This is one heavy pillow and I kept removing the filling until getting it just right,” one reviewer wrote, adding that, when filled to capacity with the shredded memory foam, the pillow may be a little too big and firm for some people’s sleeping position. That was my experience — like with most of the adjustable pillows I tested, I ended up adjusting down for something with a little more give. Once I did, the pillow’s spongy foam felt both soft and supportive.

I only noticed a slight cooling effect when I slept on the Cosy House Bamboo Pillow, but I still appreciated the ultrasoft, machine-washable quilted bamboo cover, which naturally resists allergens and dust mite issues. Between that and the cozy, adjustable fill, this pillow feels like a good value to me at less than $55. You can also add two bamboo pillowcases to your pillow order for an additional $24, and still pay less overall than you will for some of the pillows on this list.

• Price: $
• Firmness: Adjustable
• Materials: Shredded memory foam
• Machine-washable?: Cover only
• Hypoallergenic?: Yes

Pros:

• Cooling bamboo cover 
• Antibacterial and hypoallergenic 
• Supportive and spongy shredded memory foam

Cons:

• Stomach sleepers might find the pillow too lumpy
• Heavy pillow 

You may have heard of Coop Sleep Good’s Eden Pillow, as it often tops lists of the best pillows. If you thought that version was cool, it got even better. The Coop Eden Cool Plus Pillow is the new version of the Eden Pillow. It still has a similar cool-to-the-touch cover and now a heat-wicking inner liner, a gel layer and shredded gel-infused memory foam, which is great for hot sleepers. The filling is Greenguard Gold and CertiPur-US certified.

This pillow is also adjustable. It comes with extra filling, as well as an option to pull the filling out. Make it as firm or soft as you desire, as long as it isn’t too high. I like that the memory foam contours and lets you sink a little into the pillow, regardless of how much you fill it. Back sleepers will feel fully supported with this pillow. 

• Price: $$
• Firmness: Adjustable
• Materials: Shredded memory foam
• Machine-washable?: Cover only
• Hypoallergenic?: Yes

Pros:

• Greenguard Gold and CertiPur-US certified
• Cool to the touch and doesn’t absorb heat
• Can adjust the firmness to your liking

Cons:

• Stomach sleepers will need to take out almost all the filling
• Not for those who don’t like to sink a little into pillows

Like the Purple Mattress, the Purple Pillow uses a unique, one-piece polymer grid to cradle your head and neck as you sleep. The grid distributes weight well and doesn’t absorb heat like foam can, so fans say that it stays extra cool and cozy at night. Thanks to its construction and loft, the Purple Harmony Pillow is the best pillow for side sleepers. 

The Purple Harmony pillow sells for a princely $199, although it can often be found on sale. Instead of making up the entirety of the interior, the cushy polymer grid is now much thinner, filling just the microfiber outer case and surrounding a thick, spongy latex core. The mostly hollow grid and the moisture-wicking, microfiber case do a great job of improving airflow and keeping things cool by creating some separation between your head and the latex.

The Harmony pillow wasn’t nearly as heavy as I expected it to be after reading reviews of the original, and the feel of that polymer grid was much softer than I had imagined, too. There’s still something of a springy, rubbery quality to the pillow that lifted my neck a little too much for my liking when lying on my back, but I found it to be much better suited for a stomach sleeper, which is my usual preference. I slept like a rock on it.

Note that the Standard size in Medium firmness is currently out of stock. 

• Price: $$$
• Firmness: Medium
• Materials: Hyper-elastic polymer grid and Talalay latex 
• Machine-washable?: Cover only
• Hypoallergenic?: Yes

Pros:

• Bouncy feel and unique honeycombed-pattern grid 
• Cool to the touch and doesn’t absorb heat
• Soft, washable cover 

Cons:

• The hyper-elastic polymer grid isn’t for everyone
• Most expensive on this list 

Available in comfortable soft, medium and firm densities, the Parachute Down Alternative Pillow is our pick for the best pillow for stomach sleepers. This pillow is filled with superfine microfiber that emulates all the great qualities of the best down pillow — just without the allergies. It’s a pretty standard pillow that’s flat enough so stomach sleepers can sleep comfortably without waking up with a sore neck. The best pillows for stomach sleepers will have a lower loft, which keeps the spine aligned through the night. 

For added allergy protection, you can also buy Parachute’s washable cotton pillow protector. Fluffy, soft and pleasantly warm (due to its downlike filling), this pillow has been praised by side, stomach and back sleepers alike for its lightweight feel and downlike “squishiness.” Like a regular down pillow, Parachute’s pillow can be fluffed into a comfortable shape for each sleeping position. 

• Price: $
• Firmness: Soft, medium or firm
• Materials: Microfiber
• Machine-washable?: Cover only
• Hypoallergenic?: Yes

Pros:

• Three firmness options are available 
• Hypoallergenic thanks to its microfiber fill
• Suitable for all sleeper types

Cons:

• Might be too flat for those who like a lofty pillow
• Not for those who don’t like down pillows

If you’re looking for a supportive, fun pillow just to lounge on the couch or bed with, the Buffy Wiggle Pillow is it. The 8- by 82-inch floppy, long pillow is made of eucalyptus lyocell fabric and the cover is soft sherpa. The filling inside the Wiggle Pillow is made of spun recycled plastic pieces — with each pillow being filled with about 55 recycled plastic water bottles. In addition to being Earth-friendly, the pillow is cruelty-free and BPA-free. 

This long pillow is great for lounging, snuggling and pregnancy. It can be tied in a knot, used for extra support at night or as a body pillow. I have my Wiggle Pillow on my couch, and I love how it both elevates my simple couch as a decorative pillow and ups my overall comfort at night. Note that the softcover is sold separately.  

• Price: $$
• Firmness: Medium
• Materials: TENCEL lyocell fiber
• Machine-washable?: Cover only
• Hypoallergenic?: Yes

Pros:

• Can use on a bed or a couch 
• Filling is made from 55 recycled plastic water bottles 
• Supportive and comes with soft cover

Cons:

• The cover is a separate expense 
• On the expensive side 

Like the Nectar mattress, the Nectar pillow is one of the best memory foam pillows you can get. It has adjustable filling, but only in its outer layer — the “inner” pillow is a sturdy memory foam pillow that maintains its shape and structure. Its exterior is made of quilted foam that you can spot-clean and air-dry. In addition to its “two pillows in one” design and supportive gusset, the Nectar pillow’s main selling point is its memory foam pillow fill. This comfortable memory foam pillow conforms to your neck, shoulders and head to provide support without caving in, striking a balance that not every memory foam pillow can claim. One downside? The pillow itself isn’t machine-washable.

CNET’s Sharon Profis tested the memory foam pillow for 10 days and, after removing just a handful of pillow filling, found it to be a comfortable option for her side sleep position. The memory foam pillow, she noted, retained its structure and height, maintaining neck support throughout the night.

I tested one as well and came to the same conclusion. The memory foam in the middle makes for a dense pillow, but the fill layer keeps it from feeling too firm or springy. I was able to sleep soundly on it even before I removed any of the outer pillow fill. Once I did adjust things down to my liking, the Nectar Pillow finished as my top-scoring, subjective favorite as far as comfort is concerned, and that makes it a pillow that I’d be willing to spend a little extra for. I also appreciated the Tencel quilted exterior and the extra-long, oversized design, although you’ll want to have an oversized pillowcase to go with it.

• Price: $
• Firmness: Adjustable
• Materials: Memory foam
• Machine-washable?: No
• Hypoallergenic?: Not specified

Pros:

• Firmness is adjustable and includes a sturdy “inner” pillow
• Cooling Tencel cover 
• Can usually get this pillow on sale for $50

Cons:

• Only available in a standard size
• Not machine-washable 

Not only is this plush pillow vegan and allergen-free, but it also has the longest trial period (365 days) of any product on this list. If you take a while to adjust to a change or just believe that a pillow must be “broken in” to show its true strengths, you have plenty of time to make your final decision. If you aren’t a firm pillow fanatic, that extra-long trial period may come in handy.

According to some, there’s a chance that this pillow may be a little too firm. Others said that their pillows softened up after a few weeks of use, while self-described side-sleepers said they took to the pillow’s firmness right away. 

Sold on Amazon in packs of two with a machine-washable pillow cover, DreamNorth’s soft pillows are easily the most cost-effective choice on this list. That said, their breathability, down-free fluffiness and supportive gel pillow fiber fill could keep them from feeling “cheap.” Described as “ultrasoft,” this softer pillow option is probably not the right choice if you’re looking for something particularly firm, but their softness may make their ability to retain their shape more impressive.

“They came vacuum-sealed and squished flat but as soon as you take it out of the package they fluff up like marshmallows and stay that way. I’ve only noticed some slight, very slight flattening in the four months I’ve had them,” one reviewer wrote. Others noted the pillows’ fluffiness but added that they didn’t have to sacrifice any amount of neck support for how soft they were, either: “I highly recommend these pillows if you are [prone] to waking up with neck aches or headaches because the pillow conforms nicely to give you the support you need while being soft enough to make you comfortable.”

Right there in the name, the $129 Luxe Pillow is filled with high-quality, sustainably sourced goose down and waterfowl feathers is undoubtedly luxurious. It’s one of the best pillows available. Where the goose down offers fluff, the waterfowl feathers provide support, and both materials are hypoallergenic and Responsible Down Standard-certified. This combination means the pillows are made with any sleeping position in mind, which some customers have put to the test. “I love this pillow,” one reviewer wrote. “It helps me sleep in any position, on my back, stomach or side.”

Snowe’s down alternative offering is also a hypoallergenic pillow that is ultra plush. It’s available in three density options and comes with a washable sateen cover. According to an enthusiastic reviewer, the fill is beyond convincing in how it replicates the feel of a regular down pillow: “The alternative down used in these pillows is like magic. Maximum compression but they always puff back up. Auto-fluffing pillows!”

Snowe’s site helpfully notes that the softer version will be more comfortable for stomach sleepers, while side sleepers will often prefer something firmer for a good night’s rest.