If you are looking for a soft yet supportive bed made with a variety of materials, a pillow-top mattress is your best bet. A big key to a good pillow top mattress is offering relief from pressure on your body and motion isolation to keep your body feeling good. The memory foam, cotton, latex and wool these mattresses are made from help offer different things for different sleep needs.
Several options are available for replacing your current mattress with a pillow-top bed. I’ve done the hard part for you by spending hours upon hours laying on beds that have mattress topper comfort layers (it’s a rough gig, I know), doing my best to describe how each mattress type feels when you sleep and whether I think it’s worth the money. I love pillow top mattresses and have been sleeping on one for a few years now. I don’t love the feel of memory foam, but I enjoy the airy cushioning pillow top mattresses provide.
In this mattress roundup, I reveal the best pillow top mattress options from my experience as a mattress tester.
What is the best pillow top mattress?
The Star Hybrid mattress is a comfortable memory foam bed with extra steel coil reinforcements and a unique Celliant-infused cover. It suits all body types and is rated around a medium on the firmness scale.
For everyone who wants to get straight to it, the Star Hybrid from Bear earned the top spot here as the best pillow top mattress. It’s ultra-comfortable, has a fluffy quilted top, and the cover is made with a special sleep-boosting, recovery-aid material called Celliant that’s not found in many mattresses.
Video: Best pillow top mattress
Watch CNET video producer Owen Poole review the best pillow top mattresses.
The prices below are for queen size models and were recently updated.
Best pillow top mattresses of 2024
Mattress price scale:
$ = Budget: $799 and below
$$ = Average: $800 to $1,699
$$$ = Premium: $1,700 and up
These reflect MSRP or list prices. Sales might make a mattress less expensive, but are always changing.
Type Hybrid mattressFirmness Medium or 5Trial 365 nightsWarranty Lifetime warranty Price $$$
Why we picked the Bear Star Hybrid: The pillow top of the Star Hybrid mattress is infused with Celliant, a fabric containing certain thermo-reactive materials. It absorbs your body heat and transfers it back to you as infrared energy. In turn, it boosts your blood circulation and oxygen, helping you feel more energized when you wake up. I can’t say this tech works without a doubt, but I can say it’s a very comfortable pillow-top mattress.
Although it contains several layers of foam, it feels like a plush pillow top on a supportive innerspring system. It’s like a traditional innerspring bed, only 10 times more comfortable. Like the pillow top beds on this list, it’s also accommodating for all body types. Also, like a lot of bed-in-a-box brands named on this list, they offer pretty generous discounts throughout the year to make your bed even cheaper.
Pros:
- Thick, fluffy pillow top
- Pocketed coil layer
- Suitable for any sleeper
- Celliant material
Cons:
Bear Hybrid
Type Hybrid mattressFirmness 3 firmness levels | Plush Soft: Medium or 5 | Luxury Firm: Medium-firm or 7 | Firm: 9/10 or firmTrial 365 nightsWarranty Lifetime warranty Price $$
Why we picked the Saatva Classic: The Saatva innerspring bed is the best pillow-top mattress for back pain because it offers a ton of support without compromising fluffy pressure relief. This bed reminds me of a fancy hotel mattress you’d sleep on when on a nice vacation. The comfort layer top feels nice and fluffy, but more substantial and supportive than standard cotton fluff because of the pressure-relieving memory foam layer. The mattress topper has an eggshell-colored, organic cotton Euro pillow top.
It’s available in two different heights and three firmness levels. Choose between 11.5 inches or 14.5 inches for the ultimate body support. The softest pillow top option is around a medium or five on my firmness scale, and it only gets firmer from there. The queen bed has 884 individually pocketed coils, reducing motion transfer. My favorite is the “Plush Soft” but heavy sleepers with back pain should consider “Firm.”
Pros:
- Super supportive and durable
- Dual coil system
- Good for spinal alignment
- Good price for the quality
Cons:
- Too firm for petite sleepers
- Not a soft mattress
Read our full Saatva mattress review for more.
Saatva Classic
Type Hybrid mattressFirmness 3 firmness levels | Softer: Medium-soft or 3 | Luxury firm: Medium or 5 | Firmer: Medium-firm or 7Trial 120 nightsWarranty Lifetime warranty Price $$
Why we picked the WinkBed: This mattress from WinkBed, made with gel foam, is the epitome of a luxury bed and deserves a top spot on our list for the best pillow-top mattress. The cover is a bright white color with blue and white polka dot detailing around the edge. The inside is the real star of the show. The plush Euro pillow-top mattress feels like one big airy cloud on top of a supportive and durable system of pocketed coils.
It’s available in three different firmness levels: Softer, Luxury Firm and Firmer mattress options. Side sleepers should consider the pressure-relieving Softer model and it’s one of the best soft pillow top mattresses I’ve tested. On the flip side, back and stomach sleepers may really like the support offered by the Firm WinkBed.
Pros:
- Suitable to any sleeper
- Extra-edge-support system
- Three firmness levels
Cons:
- Too expensive for budget shoppers
The WinkBed
Type Memory foam hybridFirmness Medium or 5Trial 100 nightsWarranty 10-year warranty Price $$
Why we picked the Allswell Supreme: The best pillow-top mattress options aren’t always the most affordable beds on the market. The Allswell Supreme mattress from retail giant Walmart offers the same cushiony supportive feel at a more accessible cost.
It’s a thick 14 inches and contains five different layers. This includes pocketed coils, their special Energex foam, graphite and copper-infused memory foam and a fluffy Euro-top. This bed has a memory foam feel, more so than any of the other beds on this list. It’s not as prominent as a Nectar mattress, but you do feel the mattress topper layers hug your body as you become nestled into the mattress. It’s also more bouncy than typical memory foam, especially because of the pocketed coil layer in the foundation.
It’s only a hair firmer than a medium on the firmness scale, I’d give it a five and a half out of 10, where 10 is the most firm. Even so, it is pressure-relieving enough for side sleepers and supportive enough to keep a back and stomach sleeper’s spine in proper alignment. It’s worth noting the brand also offers a flagship Allswell mattress at an even more affordable price.
Pros:
- Great budget choice
- Suits any body type
Cons:
- Basic looking
- Has a distinct memory foam feel which some people don’t life
Allswell Supreme
Type Poly foam hybrid mattressFirmness 5 or mediumTrial 100 nightsWarranty 15-year limited warranty Price $$$
Why we picked the Helix Midnight Luxe: Couples typically want a bed that’ll accommodate both of their sleeping styles and body types and has exceptional edge support and motion isolation. The Helix Midnight Luxe bed does this, making it our pick for the best pillow top mattress for couples.
It’s 14 inches thick and has six different layers inside. The pocketed coil layer in the base uses lumbar support coils, providing softer relief under your shoulders and targeted support to your lower back and trunk. It’s not super noticeable when you lay down, but in the long run, this construction detail helps promote proper alignment and prevent back pain.
This pillow-top mattress has a thin layer of gel memory foam, which makes the pillow top slightly more foamy-feeling. It’s what I would describe as a classic, neutral-foam feel. The pillow top neutralizes the memory foam feel, while the memory foam takes away the pillow-top mattress’s airiness.
Pros:
- Anyone will like it
- Textured pillow top
- Versatile medium firmness
Cons:
- Not as airy as other pillow tops
- Not a budget choice
Read our full Helix mattress review for more.
Helix Midnight Luxe
What to consider when shopping for the best pillow top mattress
Sleeping position
How you sleep will largely determine how firm a mattress you should buy. Stomach and back sleepers need firmer pillow top mattresses that offer enough support to keep their spine aligned. Stomach sleepers tend to fall on the softer side of the scale because of the pressure relief offered to the shoulders, hips and knees.
Your body type also plays a role in this. The lighter you are, the harder a mattress will seem. The heavier you are, the softer it will feel.
Construction
What the bed is made from is another factor you must consider when shopping for a pillow-top mattress. The construction of the mattress will determine how supportive it is. Foam mattresses will generally always be less supportive than hybrid mattresses with layers of pocketed coils.
Price
Mattresses are a big purchase. It’s important to know your budget when shopping for your next mattress. There are several pillow-top bed choices at every budget level. The good news is that most brands do huge discounts around the holidays, so you can get a couple hundred off the price tag of your next bed if you time it right.
How we test pillow top mattresses
Our mattress testing experts have tested over 100 mattresses and counting. We’re really good at testing beds and assessing them for what the average person needs and values. While testing, we consider a few key factors that help us assess each mattress.
CNET editors pick the products and services we write about based on editorial merit. When you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Read more on how we test mattresses.
Firmness and feel
We start with the two most important factors regarding mattresses: firmness and feel. You can think about firmness as how hard or soft the mattress is. I know what you’re thinking, who wants a hard mattress? A lot of pressure relief isn’t always the best option for everyone, but some people, like stomach and back sleepers, need a firmer mattress with more support to keep their spine aligned at night. Side sleepers, on the other hand, do benefit from a softer mattress that offers pressure relief for their shoulders, hips and knees. We rate firmness on a 1 to 10 scale, corresponding with terms like “medium” or “medium-firm.”
The feel is the other big one we note right away. What does the pillow top mattress feel like when you’re lying on it? Does it have the sinking memory foam feel or a more neutral foam that bounces back quickly? Specifically for pillow tops, we take into account how thick they are and what feel they give the mattress. How firm and what the mattress feels like is noted in every review.
Performance
We consider several performance factors when testing the best pillow top mattresses. The first is edge support — how structured the perimeter of the mattress is. Testing this is as simple as sitting on the edge of the bed and assessing how supportive it is. If we feel like we’re going to fall off the mattress by sitting on the edge, then it doesn’t have great edge support.
Motion isolation is important if you sleep with a partner who tosses and turns or has a different sleeping schedule than you. We test this by placing a glass of water on the mattress and rolling across the bed to see if it will tip over. We also know how well the mattress distributes heat and regulates temperature.
Other pillow top mattresses we’ve tested
This best pillow top mattress list was curated by our CNET Sleep editors, who’ve had their fair share of laying on beds. They’ve tested over 100 different beds and have hours of experience under their belts. The picks shown above proved to be some of their favorites, but the beds we’ve tested below are also in the running for consideration.
DreamCloud mattress: The DreamCloud mattress is a thick hybrid bed made with new-age memory foam. It’s rated around a 5 on the firmness spectrum or around a medium, making it ideal for just about any sleeping position.
Loom & Leaf mattress: The Loom & Leaf bed is from the luxury online mattress brand Saatva. It’s a conforming memory foam mattress made without coils, and it has a cooling gel layer that does a good job of keeping your temperature neutral. The pillow top is made with different comfort foams and it even features its Lumbar Zone Quilting, which provides targeted support to your lumbar region. It comes in two different firmness levels, but they both lean toward the firm side (medium-firm and firm).
Avocado Green mattress: The Avocado bed is a green bed made with environmentally friendly materials sourced from nature that are non-toxic, hypoallergenic and antimicrobial. You can add a pillow top made with organic latex foam and organic cotton for additional comfort. With the pillow top, Avocado is rated around a medium firmness.
Yes, pillow-top mattresses add a plush and fluffy layer of cushioning to a mattress. It can also make a mattress look more premium and inviting — like jumping into a pile of pillows. Pillow-top mattresses usually have inner springs or coils in the bottom layer for support, and the pillow top is meant to add more coziness to the top layer.
The best pillow-top mattress will come with thick and supportive coils. Some of our favorite options include:
- Saatva Classic mattress
- WinkBed mattress
- Helix Luxe mattresses
- Star Hybrid
It depends on the firmness level of the particular pillow-top mattress and how much pressure relief it offers. The best types of pillow-top mattresses for side sleepers range from a medium firmness to a soft firmness level. Side sleepers under 250 pounds should avoid a firm mattress with a pillow top, like the Avocado Green mattress.
