I tested dozens of the best memory foam pillows, and these seven standouts put my old pillow to shame

Best pillow overall

• Level of support tested: Medium (soft also available)

• Material for cover and filling: Filling: TEMPUR Adapt PU memory foam | Cover: Pro Air SmartCool cover, 71% polyester and 29% polyethylene

• Sizes available: Standard (50 x 74cm)

• Weight: 2.8kg

• Care details: Machine wash the removable cover at 40°C. Do not iron. Do not tumble dry. Do not wash or dry clean filling

Our first impressions of this pillow were a little mixed. The first thing to remark on is its weight. It is by far the heaviest pillow we’ve tested, and has an unusual feel – almost like a water bed. But it has no chemical smell and fits a standard pillowcase beautifully. And then you lay on it…

Our sleep experience with this Tempur pillow was exceptional. Both our side sleeper and back sleeper found we sunk into the pillow but without feeling smothered. The support around the neck is excellent, though if you like your pillows very firm, this probably isn’t for you. It’s very pliable but also maintains its shape beautifully, bouncing back into place within five seconds. After a week, our back sleeper found the pillow had moulded to his head and sleep position beautifully, and didn’t want to be parted from it.   

Looking after this pillow is very straightforward. The cover is washable, which is useful as its dimpled texture means it’s not the easiest to spot clean. Indeed, our tea stain only came out properly when we washed it. But it dries very quickly and doesn’t lose its shape. 

Possibly one of the most outstanding features of this pillow is how cool it keeps you. Our ‘sleeps hot’ tester used this pillow on one of the hottest days of the year and had a great night’s sleep, staying cool around her head. It really is outstanding in this regard thanks to its Cloud Air SmartCool fabric technology, which essentially absorbs body heat. It is certainly an investment, but our verdict coupled with countless five-star reviews from consumers online point to the fact that this is a best-in-class pillow, and well worth the investment. If you love a very firm pillow, we’d probably advise you look to the Panda or lofty Sealy options. Otherwise, this is hard to beat.

Best adjustable memory foam pillow

• Level of support tested: n/a (see review)

• Material for cover and filling: Filling: 100% polyurethane | Cover: Cover face 100% cotton printed with Stratos technology; cover reverse, sides, filling and inner cover, all 100% polyester

• Sizes available: Standard (45 x 70cm); Square (60 x 60cm)

• Weight: 1.78kg (standard)

• Care details: Machine washable at 40 degrees C (cover only – remove filling before washing). Tumble dry on a low heat. Do not dry clean. Do not iron. Do not bleach

We had to wrestle this pillow from the clutches of our thirty-something sleepover tester, who loved it so much that she already plans to invest in a full set for her bed. It also impressed me, a woman who has never found a memory foam pillow to her liking… until now. 

The memory foam pillows I’d tried in the past tended to be one big lump of foam. I  found them quite rigid and bulky, so rather than working with the contours of my upper back, they seemed to strain my neck slightly. That’s not an issue with the Simba, because the foam has been chopped up into lots of little cubes. This, coupled with the thick cover, means that the pillow has a surprisingly down-like quality when compared with a typical foam design. 

You can also remove the cubes to create your level of support – which is why there is no firm/medium/soft rating. Simba even includes a little net bag for storing any surplus foam. You really don’t feel the cubes when you’re resting on the pillow – it’s a cloud-like consistency and very clever. 

My fellow testers and I agreed that the foam included could only get you up to a medium level of support. But that was good enough for us. Our back sleeper was less of a fan. He found it too soft and felt slightly suffocated. He would have liked more support but didn’t feel the pillow was too bulky, which was a plus. I must admit that while impressive, I didn’t love it or feel as cocooned in the same way I do with feather and down. One feature I was keen to test was the Stratos technology, indicated by a geometric print on one side of the pillow. While it may sound a little gimmicky, this patented technology promises ‘instant coolness to the touch’, and ‘draws away excess heat to keep you at the perfect temperature’. Both I and my ‘sleeps hot’ chum found the pillow to be among the coolest we tested, second only to Gingerlily’s silk pillow.

The high-tech look of the pillow won’t be to everyone’s taste. But once it is encased in a protector (which we’d recommend, especially if you’re spending lots of money on a pillow), you won’t notice this. 

Best ‘firm and flat’ pillow

• Level of support tested: Firm (soft and medium created by removing layers)

• Material for cover and filling: Filling: gel memory foam; Visco memory foam; HRX foam | Cover: 98% polyester, 2% elastane

• Sizes available: Standard (40 x 70cm)

• Care details: Cover machine washable up to 60 degrees C; avoid washing pillow interior – spot clean only

Our back sleeper, who likes a thin but firm pillow, initially picked this as his favourite pillow of all that we tested. He loved the support it gave him and the fact he didn’t feel smothered in his sleep. He also noted that it didn’t cause any irritation to his sensitive skin. His only gripe, as is the case with all pillows of this ‘solid’ style, is that he couldn’t gather the pillow towards him to alter its height in the night should he flip to his side. However, after a longer period of testing side by side, he preferred the Panda Hybrid Bamboo pillow, which he found slightly deeper and more supportive. However, we still recommend this pillow, particularly for front sleepers who should enjoy its support with a layer or two removed.

It’s worth saying that the foam layers, each of which has slightly different properties, can be removed as needed to create more or less support. But as you need to remove the pillowcase and unzip the pillow to do it, you’ll need to get this right before you nod off. 

One thing we initially noticed about this pillow was its smell. It has a strong odour of chemicals as you unfurl it from its box, which was a little off-putting. But this had completely disappeared within two days.  

I personally am not a fan of this style of pillow as I prefer something more natural that you sink into and can manipulate during the night. This particular model didn’t change my mind, though I will say that I appreciated how the foam layers could be removed. It also wasn’t as bulky as other memory foam designs we looked at, which I appreciated. 

The design of the pillow is rather Marmite. Two of our testers liked its dimpled, hi-tech look, and two didn’t. What we all loved, however, is that the thick cover is washable up to 60 degrees C. We put this to the test and it washed really well. A tea stain and make-up stain came out completely, and while a few creases appeared across the material, I was able to remove these with a handheld steamer. 

One last thing to recommend is this pillow’s 30-night sleep trial. If you can’t get on with your Emma pillow, you have a month in which to log into an online returns portal and organise to send back your pillow, free of charge. It’s a great facility if you are trying memory foam for the first time. 

In conclusion, if you like a firm, flat pillow, you’ll like the Emma Adapt, and the fact that the cover is washable is great for hygiene reasons. If you want that ‘sleeping on a cloud’ sensation, or something that is recyclable, look elsewhere. 

Best memory foam pillow for back sleepers

• Level of support tested: Medium-firm (only available as medium-firm)

• Material for cover and filling: Filling: 100% charcoal infused polyurethane memory foam | Cover: 100% rayon made from bamboo, with 100% polyester mesh frame and 80% bamboo microfibre, 20% Nano microfibre cover filling

• Weight: 2.2kg

• Sizes available: Standard (40 x 70cm)

• Care details: Machine washable up to 40 degrees C; Tumble dry on low heat; do not iron; do not dry clean

Our back sleeper, ultimately picked this as his favourite pillow of all that we tested. Its style and shape draws many comparisons with the Emma Original Pillow (see below), which was initially his favourite. But over a couple of months of testing, Panda’s pillow came out on top, thanks to its ability to keep its shape, coolness at night and excellent support.    This is a very attractive pillow that sits nice and snuggly inside a standard pillowcase. Its bamboo rayon cover has a very silky feel, which doesn’t slip around in the case due to the loft and firmness of the pillow. There was no scent to it on opening – it simply smelt fresh. One thing to mention is that this pillow comes with a 30-night sleep trial (something usually reserved for mattresses). We felt this was reassuring and generous, particularly at this mid price point.

Our ‘sleeps hot’ tester was impressed with the coolness of this pillow, which while not notably as effective as the Tempur or Simba pillows, was still one of the best on test. But as someone who prefers a medium pillow that’s got a lot of loft, she found it marginally too firm and rigid.

Care wise, this pillow is pretty dreamy. While the memory foam middle can’t be washed, the sateen cover was wiped clean of marks the most easily of all the pillows we tested, and is also machine washable and tumble dryer safe. 

Back sleepers will not be disappointed with this pillow, which after months of testing feels like it will be bringing us peaceful nights for years to come.     

Best budget memory foam pillow

• Level of support tested: Medium-firm

• Material for cover and filling: Filling: 100% memory foam | Cover: 99% polyester, 1% elastane with 100% polyester mesh edge

• Sizes available: Standard (40 x 60cm)

• Care details: Machine wash cover at 40 degrees; do not wash filling. Do not bleach. Do not dry clean. Tumble dry on low setting. Iron cover on low temperature.

At £19.50, this was by far the most affordable memory foam pillow on test, but it certainly punches above its weight when it comes to performance.

Initial impressions were mixed. Both testers liked the natural tone of this pillow’s cover, which looked as good without a pillow case as it did covered. However we immediately noticed a strong smell to the pillow, which hadn’t totally disappeared weeks into our test. We managed to mask it with our favourite This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray (£19.50, Amazon), although not totally.

Our other bugbear was the zip of the case. One of the biggest advantages of this pillow is that, as with the Simba case, you can remove the shredded filling to get the loft of the pillow to your liking. However we did find the two zips – for the cover and inner bag did stick quite a lot. It shouldn’t be too much of an issue as you won’t have to use them frequently, but worth noting.

Aside from these small issues, there is a lot to love about this pillow, which was up there with designs of double or triple the price point. It’s another ‘non-standard’ size, but filled out a standard pillowcase well – it was just a little short, so you’ll need to tuck the extra material in for a tidy bed. However, the sleep experience was great. Both testers had a very good night’s sleep on this pillow. Our back sleeper removed some of the foam to get it to his liking as it is definitely on the firm side. Our side sleeper removed just a little and found it to be perfect. 

This pillow was perhaps not as cooling as some of the others we tested, but neither tester felt hot and bothered by this pillow in the night. Both felt it offered the right support and it definitely moulded to our side sleeper’s position within a few nights. We did wash the pillow cover and it came up beautifully, with no sign of the stain we applied. 

In conclusion, while the smell, the zips and the short length of this pillow were downsides, if you want to try out memory foam without breaking the budget, we’d highly recommend this Soak & Sleep pillow.

Best lofty memory foam pillow

• Level of support tested: Medium

• Material for cover and filling: Filling: Visco elastic memory foam | Cover: 100% cotton cover with breathable polyester side walls

• Sizes available: Standard (50 x 75cm)

• Weight: 0.85kg

• Care details: Wash cover at 40°C. Do not wash inner. Spot clean inner only. Tumble dry. Do not bleach. Do not dry clean. Iron on low heat

Another pillow that makes an excellent first impression, this Sealy design features a crisp white cotton cover, smart grey piping and smells lovely and fresh – no chemical smell to be found here. 

However, the most striking thing about this pillow is its loft – it holds the head very high. And though the firmness is medium, this loft leads it to feeling almost firm. Our back sleeper found it too high for his sleeping position, and our side sleeper found it too high and rather ‘bouncy’. The head didn’t sink into the pillow as it did with the likes of the Tempur and Simba designs.

There are plenty of things to like about this pillow. It’s very well made and stitched and it’s very easy to clean. The cover is washable and can be popped in the tumble dryer, and stains lift from the cotton no problem. It also feels lovely and cool thanks to that breathable cotton cover. 

However, that loftiness - and the fact it can’t be adjusted by moving some filling – means that only those that like their heads to be held very high will find this pillow to be a comfortable bedfellow. It’s definitely one to try before you buy.

Best hybrid supporting pillow

• Level of support tested: Firm (Soft and Medium also available)

• Material for cover and filling: Filling: PU foam tube neck support; 100% polyester filling | Cover: 100% cotton cover with HEIQ Cool technology

• Sizes available: Standard (48 x 74cm)

• Care details: Wash at 40°C. Do not wash foam. Spot clean foam only. Tumble dry until thoroughly dry. Do not bleach. Do not dry clean. Do not iron

As pillows go, this is a very specific offering – a dual-layer pillow combining a plush microfibre filling layer with a core layer of temperature-sensitive polyurethane memory foam. This dual design should make it ideally suited for side and back sleepers who want a balance of tailored neck support and traditional cushioning – in other words, this author.

First impressions of this pillow are good. It fits smoothly into a standard pillowcase with no awkward bulging. There is also no perceivable synthetic scent right out of the packaging.

The pillow is wrapped in a 100% sustainably sourced cotton cover that features Ultra-Fresh antimicrobial protection to keep it fresh and hygienic. While it doesn’t feature an active cooling fabric, the breathable cotton cover kept our ‘sleeps hot’ tester comfortable through a warm night over 20 degrees, waking up well-rested.

It’s important to understand that the memory foam works as a dedicated support layer paired alongside a down-like microfibre side, offering a dual-sided sleep experience that sets it apart from traditional block pillows. We liked being able to cushion up against the soft microfibre side while still benefiting from the structure of the memory foam underneath, giving both testers a solid amount of support for side and back sleeping respectively.

Our back sleeper found that he didn’t sink too deep into the pillow, which he preferred. We both enjoyed the neck support provided by the memory foam core; as a side sleeper who loves the soft cushion of down and feather pillows, I found resting on the microfibre side while enjoying the contouring foam core far more comfortable than flat, rigid foam blocks.

That said, our back sleeper didn’t find it quite as plush or luxurious as dedicated all-foam options like the Panda or Tempur pillows, and we both had minor concerns about how the microfibre layer will hold up and retain its loft over prolonged use.

The removable cotton cover is machine washable at 40°C, and we found spot-cleaning surface spills was quick and easy. We’ll be putting the cover through regular wash cycles over time to ensure the internal filling maintains its structure and doesn’t clump, but so far, so good.