How to choose a pillow

Choose a pillow in four steps. Pick by the position you sleep in, read the height the maker states, check how that height changes, then read what it costs to send the pillow back.

The first narrows the list, the second and third tell you which pillow to try, and the last decides what a wrong guess costs. Every figure below was read on 2026-11-06 from the maker’s page or the listing that sells the pillow. None of it is a test of how a pillow feels.

The order matters. The last step is the one buyers skip. Some makers state they take no returns on a pillow. Choose by height and price alone, and a wrong guess can leave you stuck with it.

This page is for a first-time buyer or for anyone whose last pillow went flat or felt wrong. It makes no health claims. Where a maker states one, the maker’s wording stays the maker’s. For how the record is built, see how we check.

Pick the position you sleep in

Pick the position first, the one thing makers state in a form you can compare. Layla says its BioCrystal pillow is built for side sleepers. Tuft & Needle names back, side and stomach sleepers, and Saatva lists all sleep positions.

Use the position pages to build a short list, then come back here. Each one lists the pillows whose makers name that position, with the return terms in the same row.

• Side: pillows for side sleepers
• Back: pillows for back sleepers
• Stomach: pillows for stomach sleepers
• Neck complaints: pillows for neck pain

Do you move between positions in the night? Start with a pillow whose maker names more than one. Layla Kapok names side and back sleepers, and Tuft & Needle names three positions. “All sleep positions” is the maker’s phrase, so read it as a claim.

Stop at two or three pillows. A longer list makes the later steps slower and does not make the choice better.

Read the height the maker states

Read the height on the product page, in inches, for each pillow on your list. Makers give it in different ways, so check which. Saatva states roughly 4-5 inches for its standard loft and roughly 6-7 inches for its high loft. Casper states 9 inches uncompressed, and Tuft & Needle states 5 inches high, a box size.

The range across the record is wide. The thinnest pillows state 2.25 inches (SofGlowly Thin Flat Pillow), 2.6 inches (Blissbury Stomach Sleeper Pillow) and 2.75 inches (Bluewave Ultra Slim Gel). Casper Original, at 9 inches, is the tallest of the bed pillows on this page. Those thin pillows are listed for stomach and back sleepers, as their listings state.

Compare each figure with a pillow you already own. If you know that your current pillow suits you, pick a listed height near it. If you know it does not, pick a different one. No stated height fits every body, so this guide names no right number, and you should distrust any page that names one without showing its reasons.

If a page states no height, that is a gap, not a zero. Some rows in the record carry no height at all, and a pillow with no stated height is harder to choose. Ask the maker, or leave it off the list.

Check how the height changes

Check whether the maker states a way to change the height, because it turns a wrong guess into a small fix. A pillow you can adjust at home gives you a second chance without a return.

The makers state these ways:

• Layla BioCrystal: unzip the cover to remove one layer, which moves the stated loft between 5 and 7 inches.
• Layla Kapok: add or remove the exact amount of fill.
• Casper Original: remove the insert.
• Eli & Elm Side Sleeper: add or remove fill.
• Luxome LAYR: add or remove inserts and filling.

The fill matters here as well. A pillow of shredded fill can be adjusted by taking fill out, while a solid pillow cannot. Saatva states shredded natural latex, Layla Kapok states shredded memory foam blended with kapok fibers, and Quince states luxe white goose down at a soft firmness. The maker states how each is built, and a return window lets you find out how it feels on your own bed.

An adjustable pillow does not remove the need for step four. If you change the fill, a maker may judge the pillow used. Read the returns page for any such condition before you start pulling fill out.

Read what it costs to send it back before you pay

Read the return terms on the maker’s own page before you pay, and read two things: the window and who pays. The window is how long you have to decide. The cost is what it takes to send the pillow back, which can be a fee, a shipping charge taken from your refund, or nothing.

Pillow	Window	Cost to send it back	Price
Quince Luxe Goose Down	365 days	Prepaid label, fee not stated	$124
Tuft & Needle Original Foam	100 nights	Free returns, fee not stated	$80
Saatva Latex	45 nights	Free return shipping, no restocking fee	$165
Layla BioCrystal Side Sleeper	30 nights	Free returns, no return or return-shipping fees	$149
Brooklinen Marlow	365 days	$9.95 return fee, shipping payer not stated	$55.25
Eli & Elm Side Sleeper	45 days	Refund less shipping costs	$114.99
Luxome LAYR	30 days	Return shipping deducted from refund, no restocking fee	$150
Peacock Alley Down Alternative	30 days	$9.95 shipping and restocking fee	$95
Tempur-Pedic TEMPUR-Neck	None	Pillows may not be returned	$114

The table is a sample, not the whole record. A long window does not mean a free return. Brooklinen states 365 days, and it also states a $9.95 return fee. Saatva states 45 nights with free return shipping and no restocking fees, which is a shorter window at a lower cost to you.

Three mistakes to avoid:

1. Reading a trial as a return policy. A maker can state a number of nights and say nothing about who pays shipping. Where the page is silent, the record says the fee or the payer is not stated, and so should you.
2. Paying before you read. Tempur-Pedic states that pillows may not be returned, so a wrong choice is yours to keep. Boll & Branch’s pillow page states no trial or return window, so its window is not stated. Read its returns page before you pay.
3. Trusting a marketplace listing for the maker’s terms. Many of the cheapest rows are sold on Amazon, which states that most items can be returned within 30 days of delivery. That is Amazon’s window, and it does not say who pays to send the pillow back.

Clear terms at low cost mean you can buy the pillow that fits your position and height. Unclear terms mean you should pick the pillow with the clearer terms, or pick one you can adjust at home. For how makers earn from these links, see how we make money.