There are many factors that contribute to the quality of your sleeping environment, from the mattress to sheets, but one of the least expensive ways to improve your set-up is by investing in a good pillow.
If you wake up feeling back pain that goes away during the day, your sleep set-up is likely the culprit, says Hannah Shore, head of sleep science at Mattress Online. She advises: “Check your pillow, as this can affect your spinal alignment from your neck all the way to your mid spine, and this is a much easier fix than a whole new mattress.”
When it comes to choosing the right pillow for your sleeping position, sleep physiologist and BBC Maestro sleep expert Stephanie Romiszewski says side sleepers will often need a fuller pillow, while back and front sleepers “usually feel more comfortable with something flatter”.
Similarly, comfort is subject to the individual – that said, some pillow fillings are better at pressure relieving than others. “If you lie in one position for a long time without support, circulation can be affected and discomfort builds”, Romiszewski explains. “Materials that distribute weight more evenly, such as memory foam or latex, can reduce those pressure points”.
It’s also worth considering if you want your pillow to have cooling properties. “If bedding traps heat or moisture, it can interfere with that rhythm and create unnecessary awakenings”, says Romiszewski. She recommends natural fibres such as cotton, wool, and linen as they allow air to flow more easily and tend to wick away moisture.
I’ve tested everything from the best duvets to the best mattresses for kids, so I know when bedding falls flat. After months of testing with the help of a crew of sleepers who prefer different sleeping positions, Simba’s firm hybrid pillow was the one to beat, partly because it can be adjusted to your sleeping position. I’ve also found hypoallergenic pillows for allergy sufferers, pillows made with cool to the touch materials, and a budget-friendly option for under £15. Keep reading for the pillows that passed my team of sleepers’ tests.
How I tested
These pillows have been tested over two years – that’s almost 6,000 hours of testing. My team of testers included side-, back- and front sleepers, to ensure that I was finding options for everyone. The testing criteria were as follows:
- Comfort: Testers paid close attention to how easy it was to fall asleep, and the level of loft, sink and overall comfort of the pillow throughout the night. Bonus points were awarded if a pillow was adjustable.
- Support: Equally important, testers assessed firmness. Softer pillows, like those filled with down, tend to be less supportive, but you want your pillow to be soft enough that it’s still comfortable. Attention was paid to how neck and shoulders felt in the morning, and whether existing neck pain was exacerbated.
- Temperature regulation: The filling and cover of a pillow can have an effect on how cool we feel during the night, so we examined whether we felt cool at night or overheated.
- Value for money: Overall quality and price were weighed up to assess this. Indicators of quality were things like the materials, including whether cotton was organic, and if any wool used was ethically sourced.
Why you can trust IndyBest reviews
The IndyBest team test a range of sleep-related items over months and years, from the best sleep headphones to bedding sets. You can trust that we have a wealth of information and expert insights to guide our product selection and testing process.
Zoe Phillimore takes her sleep routine seriously. Since first contributing to IndyBest in 2021, she has reviewed countless sleep products, from duvets to sleep aids. The sleep industry is full of jargon and brands making lofty claims, but through thorough, real-world testing over many months, Zoe is able to put these claims to the test. As everyone’s dream pillow will be different, Zoe has assembled a group of testers for this review.
The best pillows for 2025 are:
- Best overall – Simba firm hybrid pillow: £135.15, Simbasleep.com
- Best budget buy – Silentnight airmax pillow: £14, Amazon.co.uk
- Best memory foam filling – Panda London hybrid bamboo pillow: £76.46, Pandalondon.com
- Best silk option – Fine Bedding Company boutique silk pillow: £38, Amazon.co.uk
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Simba firm hybrid pillow
Best: Pillow overall
Firmness: Firm
Dimensions: 45cm x 70cm
Filling: Fibre layers and aerocoil
Cover: 100 per cent cotton with cooling fabric on one side
Machine washable : Yes, but only the cover
Why we love it
- Looks great on the bed
- Good for side sleepers
- Adjustable firmness
Take note
- Pricey
We love a firm pillow, and you will struggle to find a more comfortable option than this one. The folks at Simba are always innovating, and the design of this pillow is a case in point. Within the zip-up outer case are a series of fibre layers, and an aerocoil layer. You can remove or add in more fibre layers to find the right loft and softness for you. There are instructions for how to do this, and you can tailor it for if you’re a back or side sleeper. With all the layers in, it’s slightly too deep for us, but we were able to quickly adjust it to make it just right.
If that’s not enough, one side of the pillow is covered in cooling fabric, which draws heat away from your head. We found this very effective, and we didn’t wake up in a sweat once.
Buy now £135.16, Simbasleep.com
Silentnight airmax pillow
Best: Budget pillow
Firmness: Medium to soft
Dimensions: 69cm x 46cm
Filling: Polyester
Cover: Hypoallergenic polyester
Machine washable: Yes
Why we love it
- Adjustable feel
- Supportive
- Cocooned our heads
Take note
- Requires replumping
Silentnight has created this airmax pillow for those who are, well, sweaty sleepers. The medium to soft firmness is apparently ideal for side sleepers, and it did test well. It is, however, quite quick to sink and it has the undeniable feel of a synthetic pillow. We liked that the mesh sides encouraged cool air to circulate around our head, and found we were kept temperate all night. There are bonus points, too, as it’s hypoallergenic, and you can chuck it in the washing machine at 40C and kill off any germs.
Buy now £14.00, Amazon.co.uk
Panda London hybrid bamboo pillow
Best: Memory foam pillow
Firmness: Firm
Dimensions: 70cm x 40cm x 13cm
Filling: Charcoal-infused memory foam
Cover: Bamboo
Machine washable: Yes, but only the cover
Why we love it
- Fantastic for side sleepers
- Removable cover for washing
- Good for keeping cool
Take note
- Not good for front sleepers
We found this pillow an absolute delight, with fantastic staying power night after night. Inside is charcoal-infused memory foam, while charcoal and bamboo work together to draw heat away from your head and keep it sweat-free all night. It should also stop you getting that grim sleepyhead smell, too.
We found this pillow absolutely brilliant for those who like a fairly firm pillow. You won’t sink into it, but nor does it feel like sleeping on a brick. Even Goldilocks would be happy with this pillow.
Buy now £76.46, Panda London
Piglet in Bed merino wool pillow
Best: Wool pillow
Firmness: Firm, but soft and medium are available
Dimensions: 75cm x 50cm or 90cm x 50cm
Fill: Merino wool
Cover: 100% organic cotton
Machine washable: No
Why we love it
- Hypoallergenic
- Great for front sleepers
- Kept us cool
- Quality filling
Take note
- Not suitable for vegans
Piglet in Bed has somewhat of a cult following for its trendy, Insta-friendly bedsheets. The brand also does pillows in merino wool, which is a fantastic natural fibre. Keeping you warm and toasty during winter, and cool and fresh in the summer, the fibres are also incredibly fine and soft, so they won’t feel itchy.
Piglet in Bed offers both standard and super king sizes of this pillow, and options of soft, medium or firm of which we tried the latter. The filling is 100 per cent merino wool, and the casing is 100 per cent organic cotton. We found this pillow incredibly comfortable, as it has a good loft to it, yet offered a really lovely “sink” when we settled down for sleep. We found you could mould and knead it into the perfect shape and still it provides a deep level of support and springs back in the morning like nothing’s happened.
Buy now £53.40, Pigletinbed.com
Premier Inn firm & fresh pillows, set of two
Best: Pillow for uni students
Firmness: Firm or soft
Dimensions: Soft: 44cm x 76cm. Firm: 44cm x 76cm
Filling: Hollowfibre
Cover: Quilted cotton-polyester mix
Machine washable: Yes, but only the cover
Why we love it
- Great for side sleepers
- Includes pillow protectors
- Machine washable
Take note
- Requires replacing after one to two years
- Not the most breathable
We admit we were surprised at how much we loved these pillows, which are perfectly firm and ideal for side sleepers. They’re made from hollow fibre (aka polyester), so, they are, perhaps not the most breathable in this line-up but we didn’t find overheating an issue. They come with quilted protectors and are machine washable. Although these pillows are well-priced, Premier Inn says you should replace them after one to two years.
Buy now £36.00, Premierinnathome.com
Fine Bedding Company boutique silk pillow
Best: Silk pillow
Firmness: Medium firm
Dimensions: 74cm x 48cm
Filling: 90% Smartfil microfibre, 10% pure silk
Cover: 100% sustainably sourced cotton
Machine washable: Yes
Why we love it
- Kept us cool
- Great for back sleepers
- Silk and synthetic hybrid filling
- Good for allergy sufferers
Take note
- Not vegan friendly
Combine super insulating, soft, long-lasting, gentle silk with some sturdy polyester and you’ve got the best of both worlds with this pillow. It will suit a back sleeper well, as it cocoons your head really cozily. Thanks to the silk and the high-quality cotton cover, we found we didn’t overheat while using this pillow, either. You can wash it at 40C and tumble dry it, which makes it easy to keep it at its best, too.
Buy now £38.00, Amazon.co.uk
Simba hybrid pillow
Best: Hybrid pillow for front sleepers
Firmness: Adjustable, down-like comfort
Dimensions: 45cm x 70cm
Filling: Memory foam nanocubes
Cover: Cotton
Machine washable: Yes, but only the cover
Why we love it
- Great for back and front sleepers
- Washable cover
- Breathable
- Adjustable firmness
Take note
- Pricey
Another great pillow from Simba, the softer hybrid is great for back and front sleepers. The washable cover encases loads of soft foam “nanocubes”, which you can remove (there’s a pouch for storage of unused cubes) until you find your optimal softness. The cover is designed to be cool to the touch, and there are air vents to help you stay cool – we never felt too warm while sleeping on this pillow. Despite it being softer than the firm version, it looked great on our bed, too.
Read the full Simba hybrid pillow review
Buy now £92.65, Simbasleep.com
Aeyla dual pillow
Best: Pillow for front sleepers
Firmness: Medium to soft
Dimensions: 50cm x 70cm
Filling: Microfibres
Cover: 100% cotton
Machine washable: Yes
Why we love it
- Good for front sleepers
- Vegan friendly
- Hypoallergenic
Take note
- Requires repumping
- Not super cooling
As neck-pain sufferers, we were keen to try out the Aeyla dual pillow, as it claims to specifically ease this type of ache. Now, we are total converts. Initially, we pondered if the pillow would be too soft – we’ve found very soft, low-loft pillows exacerbate our neck pain – but that wasn’t the case. The dual pillow is mid loft but it provided solid support while not feeling like we were sleeping on a brick. Whatever we threw at it overnight, it regained its composure in the morning and plumped up again.
It’s hypoallergenic and vegan-friendly, too, as it’s filled with microfibres – it’s also free from toxins and chemicals. The design of the dual pillow is based on an inner pillow encapsulated in a padded cover, which helps it maintain its shape. We found it adapted to our movement really well, and we found it gave us some of the best nights’ sleep during testing.
Buy now £69.00, Aeyla.co.uk
Soak & Sleep supreme Canadian goose down pillow
Best: Feather filled pillow
Firmness: Medium firm or soft
Dimensions: 50cm x 75cm
Filling: Goose down
Cover: 320 thread count cambric cotton
Machine washable: Yes, but the brand recommends a professional wash and dry
Why we love it
- Generously filled
This pillow comes in soft or medium-firm versions. We opted for the latter, and it certainly provided plenty of support, especially for a goose-down pillow. It sat proudly on our bed – it was so filled it was actually quite hard to get in the pillowcase. It provided reassuringly firm support, too. After a night of snoozing on it, it was deflated where our head had been but it quickly plumped up again after a quick shake. Side sleepers will love that it keeps spines aligned well, and tucks in well at the neck.
Buy now £165.00, Soakandsleep.com
Next duck feather and down pillows, set of two
Best: Budget down pillow
Firmness: Medium, but firm and soft are available
Dimensions: 50cm x 75cm
Filling: 90% feather, 10% down
Cover: 230 thread count cotton
Machine washable: Yes
Why we love it
- Great price
- Choice of feels
- Good for front and back sleepers
- Looks great on the bed
Take note
- Require replumping
- Not ideal for allergy sufferers
You can select from soft, medium or firm with these Next pillows. We opted for medium but we would say they’re slightly on the softer side. The breakdown of the filling is 90 per cent feather and 10 per cent down, inside a thick cover that meant no feathers poked us in the face. The loft is pretty decent on these, although, they do squash down and require a plump every morning – we don’t judge them for that, as we are similarly disposed ourselves. Let’s not forget that the price of these pillows is incredible for a set of two in natural fibres – particularly the prized down. Overall, these are a great, purse-friendly feather option.
Buy now £40.00, Next.co.uk
Marks and Spencer body-temperature control pillows, two pack
Best: Pillow for temperature-control
Firmness: Medium
Dimensions: 74cm x 48cm
Fill: 100% polyester
Cover: 100% polyester
Machine washable: Yes
Why we love it
- Kept us cool
- Great for allergy sufferers
- Good for back sleepers
Take note
- Synthetic fibres aren’t for everyone
To review this pillow, we recruited a highly fussy tester who is liable to overheating at night. M&S’s body sensor pillows have technology to help regulate your temperature – this means our tester should be warm and cosy during colder nights, and cool during the hotter ones. When they reported back, they said these pillows were comfortable and our tester didn’t overheat once while using them.
Our reviewer said they’d be happy to use these as their regular pillows in future, which is firm praise indeed. The pillows are made from polyester, inside and out, which means you can lob them in the washing machine and even tumble dry them on a low setting.
Buy now £35.00, Marksandspencer.com
Dorma extra firm and deep deluxe Oxford border pillow top
Best: Pillow for looking great on the bed
Firmness: Firm
Dimensions: 74cm x 48cm
Filling: Polyester
Cover: 230 thread count cotton
Machine washable: Yes
Why we love it
- Looks great on our bed
- Good for side sleepers
- Can be machine washed
Take note
- Not ideal for front sleepers
If you want a very deep loft, this Dorma pillow should go straight to the top of your list. We were hugely impressed with how darn sturdy this pillow is. It’s incredibly firm (you wouldn’t want it any firmer) and, well, big. It’s ideal if you like to sit up in bed and watch TV, sip tea, or just ponder life, but sleeping on it was a bit of a mission. Inside, there are two layers of polyester, while the casing is made of cotton. Despite all the manmade fibres, we didn’t find it too sweaty, and it’s machine washable, which is a bonus.
Buy now £30.00, Dunelm.com
Rem-Fit 500 cool gel pillow
Best: Cooling pillow keeping cool
Firmness: Firm
Dimensions: 64cm x 40cm x 12cm
Filling: Cool gel memory foam
Cover: Moisture-wicking fabric
Machine washable: Yes, but only the cover
Why we love it
- Kept us cool all night long
- Good for side sleepers
- Removable washable cover
This memory foam pillow bends and flexes as you move in your sleep, which meant we got a very comfortable night’s kip on it. Despite the relatively low loft, we found the support it provided was excellent, and it had the power to support us all night before springing back up in the morning.
The cool gel inside is part of the pillow’s temperature-regulating features. The pillow aims to help you stay cool all night, while the outer fabric wicks away sweat. We certainly didn’t feel hot at all while sleeping atop it. Should you ever get a bit sweaty, you can wash the outer cover.
Buy now £49.99, Rem-fit.co.uk
Your questions on pillows answered
What is the best pillow?
We absolutely loved the Simba hybrid firm pillow – it’s great for back and side sleepers, as you can adjust the profile. It also looks great fluffed up on the bed and keeps you cool at night. Front sleepers will love the Piglet in Bed pillow, which is packed with natural fibres. For budget-friendly pillows, we were impressed with Premier Inn’s products as well as the Silentnight airmax.
What role does a pillow play in sleep quality?
“A pillow is not a magic solution for sleep, but it can influence comfort and how supported your body feels during the night”, explains sleep physiologist and BBC Maestro sleep expert Stephanie Romiszewski . It will “help your head and neck stay aligned so you are not distracted by aches or tension”, she adds. “When people think about sleep quality, they often imagine it is the pillow or mattress that creates it. In reality, the body is built to sleep and the strongest influences come from internal systems like sleep drive and circadian rhythm. A pillow that feels comfortable simply allows those systems to get on with their job without interruption.”
What type of pillow is right for you?
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