Best Cheap Pillows

A good pillow is as essential to a good night’s sleep as the right mattress. But you shouldn’t have to budget mattress-level prices for one—there are plenty of high-quality pillows available for under $100, if you know where to look. While that might not be “cheap,” per se, it’s a solid value for a product that provides the support, spine alignment, and pressure relief you need all night, so you roll out of bed feeling more energized for the day.

Below are our favorite pillows that won’t put too much strain on your bedtime budget, plus some pillow shopping advice.

 

The Best Cheap Pillows

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Cheap Pillow Buying Guide

How much should I spend on a pillow?

A new pillow can cost you anywhere from $3 to thousands, but most options tend to be in the $50 to $200 range. You don’t have to spend more than $100 to get a comfortable, supportive pillow, but looking beyond the cheap pillow bin at your local big box store will almost always pay sleep dividends. The pillows recommended here strike a balance between lower cost and higher quality—most also offer sleep trial periods so you can determine if the pillow is worth it to you before making a long-term commitment.

What’s the best material for an affordable pillow?

Most pillows are made from memory foam, latex, polyester, down, or some combination of those materials. Each has its pros and cons, including a higher or lower price tag.

• Memory foam pillows strikes a nice balance between lower cost and high level of support. It does a good job of molding to your body to maintain spine alignment and take pressure off your head and neck. It also tends to absorb movement, so if you roll around a lot at night, it will help you quickly find a comfortable, cradled position. Some snorers even find that memory foam puts their neck and throat in a good position for better airflow. Memory foam’s biggest downside is that it retains heat, which is why you’ll find so many memory foam pillows with a gel infusion or other cooling technology added to the mix.
• Latex also supports good spine alignment but tends to feel softer and bouncier than memory foam. It’s durable and naturally cooler than memory foam because it doesn’t retain heat in the same way. However, it’s often more expensive than memory foam, which is why most of our value options here are made from memory foam or a latex hybrid.
• Down or down alternative pillows are often very soft but don’t provide the same level of support that memory foam and latex do. Some tend to sink and go flat overnight, though others supply unfailing comfort that contours to the shape of your head and neck. Down alternative is a cheaper way of getting the luxurious, cloudlike feel of down in a synthetic form that’s easier to wash in the washing machine and doesn’t pose ethical issues for animal lovers.

See Also: Best Cheap Mattress Protector

What is the best affordable pillow for me?

The quest for the right pillow is largely a solo journey—much of the decision will depend on small personal preferences in firmness, loft, and overall feel. But there are a few indicators that a pillow may or may not be right for you based on how you sleep.

• Side sleepers tend to prefer a pillow with higher loft, and a firmer feel. This is because their position on the bed demands extra support beneath the head and neck to maintain good alignment. Latex and memory foam pillows, like the Nolah Cooling Foam Pillow and Coop Home Goods Original pillow, tend to work best for this group.
• Back sleepers need a lower-lofted or medium-lofted pillow for good alignment, and medium firmness for good support. Memory foam pillows, like the Tempur-Pedic TEMPUR-Cloud and Brooklinen Marlow pillows, tend to do the best job at maintaining the right shape to support this group of sleepers.
• Stomach sleepers should use a relatively flat pillow with low loft and soft support, so it won’t create too much strain on their necks. The best pillows for this group tend to be made from down or down alternative because those are the most compressive and soft.
• And combination sleepers? You can choose a pillow with zipper-adjustable fill like the Brooklinen Marlow or Brooklyn Bedding Shredded Foam so you can alter your pillow to suit the position you’re in, or just choose the pillow that feels best in your most frequent position.