Pillow-top mattresses are the best choice for adding a touch of luxury hotel sleep to your bedroom. These opulent mattresses have a top plush layer of cushioning that adds a softer, ‘pillowy’ feel directly beneath you, and are typically found on hybrid and innerspring beds. Many of 2024’s best mattresses for all sleepers sport a pillow-top, and they range in price from several hundred dollars for a queen to a few thousand.
Our expert testers have reviewed a wide range of pillow-top mattresses and, based on our extensive in-house testing and analysis of customer reviews, we recommend the Saatva Classic as the best pillow-top mattress overall. This handcrafted innerspring hybrid achieved near-perfect scores in all of our tests, and we feel it is fantastic value for money at $1,695 for a queen size – especially as it comes with a lifetime warranty and year’s sleep trial.
When choosing the best pillow-top mattress for you, consider your sleeping position, any health issues that may affect your in-bed comfort, and of course your budget. Also keep in mind that pillow-top mattresses differ to Euro top mattresses and look and feel as though they have a topper built into the surface of the bed. As a result they feel instantly softer and cozier, producing that feathery feel hotel mattresses are famous for.
In a rush and want to see our recommendations for this year’s best pillow-top mattresses? Here’s an overview of our top picks for hotel quality comfort at home…
The best pillow-top mattress we’ve tested is the Saatva Classic, a bed that’s no stranger to accolades. (It even tops our general best mattress guide and our best hybrid mattress roundup.) It arrives flat and is handcrafted at one of 14 factories across the United States. In our year-long review, we were thoroughly impressed by this mattress, noting that it’s still in pristine condition without any signs of sagging or dips.
This is mainly due to the premium materials Saatva uses, which include CertiPUR-US foams and recycled steel coils. You’ll also find a contouring three-inch Euro pillow top for that plush, supportive feeling. This pillow-top has extra lumbar support added to the center third, making this one of the best mattresses for back pain sufferers. It doesn’t contain much foam overall outside of the lumbar crown and high-density foam rails to aid in edge support. This bodes well for temperature regulation but as we’ll explain later, it lacks that sink-in softness that some sleepers might prefer.
The Saatva Classic is available in three firmness options – Plush Soft (rated 3/10), Luxury Firm (rated 5-7/10) and Firm (8/10). There are also two different height options (11.5″ and 14.5″), although the only difference here is the height of the springs. We tested the Luxury Firm and found it a fantastic all-rounder that suited a vast array of sleepers. It’s particularly suited for back sleepers – side sleepers should look at the Plush Soft, while stomach sleepers will appreciate the great support of the Firm option.
Due to the lack of memory foam, this isn’t a mattress you’ll sink into so if you’re looking for that ‘hug’ the Saatva Classic isn’t the right choice for you. Even the softest version of this mattress will keep you lying on top of it. Of course, this is what helps the Saatva Classic provide superior lumbar support and pressure relief. There is some motion transfer on the Saatva, so if you share your bed with a restless sleeper this again might not be the best choice. (The comparable WinkBed further down the list performs better in this regard.) But these are the only small blemishes in an otherwise perfect mattress.
Considering how luxurious it is, the Saatva Classic is incredibly well-priced – thanks to an almost permanent Saatva mattress sale, you can usually pick up a queen for under $1,700. We’d still recommend buying around major holidays, as this is when Saatva is most likely to bring out its very best offers.
Extras with the Saatva Classic are also extremely generous. You’ll get a 365-night trial along with a lifetime warranty, giving you plenty of time to decide whether the mattress is right for you. There’s free White Glove delivery as well, with the mattress delivered flat to a room of your choosing and your old mattress and foundation taken away if necessary. It is worth noting, however, that Saatva charges $99 for returns.
If you can’t quite splurge on a premium pillow-top mattress, the Brooklyn Signature Hybrid may be more your speed. It’s often on sale for at least 25% off the MSRP. The pillow-top isn’t included – it’s an add-on worth up to $400. Even then, a queen Brooklyn Signature Hybrid with pillow-top will fetch less than $1,300 after discount, which is comfortably within the upper-mid range bracket. Among the broader market, it’s one of the cheapest pillow-top mattresses around.
Like the Saatva Classic above, the Brooklyn Bedding Signature Hybrid comes in three firmness options, allowing customers to tailor the mattress to their particular sleeping style. Our tester slept on the Firm version with the optional extra Cloud Pillow Top, and our Sleep Editor tried out the Medium option on a visit to the 3Z Brands showroom.
The mattress is made with individually wrapped coils alongside layers of CertiPUR-US-certified foams. There’s no memory foam in this mattress and you shouldn’t expect to sink into it at all. Rather, it uses more responsive foam that makes it easy to move about. With a bouncy, springy feel, this is a mattress that you lie ‘on’ rather than sink into, although the pillow-top does give it some plushness.
The pillow top softens up the mattress overall. We thought that it made the Firm version, which is rated at 7/10, feel more like a 6.5/10. With the pillow-top, the firm version is best suited to back sleepers and some lighter-weight stomach sleepers. The medium firmness should also be fine for back sleepers, whereas side sleepers should seek the soft version. This bouncier feel can take time to get used to and, although the spine is kept aligned in all sleeping positions, some sleepers may find that there’s not enough ‘give’ in the mattress for adequate cushioning at their pressure points. But combination sleepers in particular should enjoy this mattress, as it’s very easy to change position throughout the night.
For our weeks-long test, we added the pillow-top for more cushioning and plushness – and it includes a cover made from GlacioTex fibers to help keep sleepers cool. Whilst the pillow top has a cooling cover, temperature regulation on the Brooklyn Bedding mattress was otherwise disappointing, and our tester frequently woke up at night feeling too hot. Meanwhile, edge support is good along the sides, but poor at the corners and ends. On the other hand, motion isolation is excellent, with the pillow top doing a fantastic job of absorbing any movement. If you share your bed with a restless partner, this mattress is one to consider.
Another big plus point of the mattress is the sheer choice of sizes it comes in. There are lots of niche options, including a good range of sizes for RVs, and we rate the mattress as one of the best queen size mattresses on the market. The mattress trial and warranty are fairly standard at 120 nights and 10 years, and you do need to be aware that there’s a return fee of $99. Overall, this is a deservedly popular mattress with customers, providing a comfortable and supportive night’s sleep at a reasonable price.
If you wonder about the mattresses hotels use, Stearns & Foster is the company behind the famous Ritz-Carlton Bed. Among direct-to-consumer models, the Stearns & Foster Estate is the brand’s best-selling hybrid and one of its cheapest options. Cheap is relative here – these are all premium mattresses, and adding the optional pillow top raises the price even further. But if you’re open to splashing cash for a truly luxurious pillow-top mattress, the Stearns & Foster Estate is our pick.
Handcrafted in the US, the Estate starts with a quilted Tencel cover followed by a layer of Tempur-Indulge memory foam for deep pressure relief. Under this is a layer of coils with a high-density border, finished by a system of ventilated coils and air vents to prevent the mattress from overheating. We also like that there are eight side handles on the mattress, making it easy to move or rotate.
As-is, the Estate comes in either soft (3/10) or firm (9/10). Adding the optional pillow-top brings the firmness level down to 1-2 or 7-8, respectively. Our testers slept on a firm Estate mattress with a pillow top and found it comfortable from the start, keeping the spine well-aligned and supported. Despite the plush top, this isn’t a mattress you sink into but rather lie on top of – but Stearns & Foster customers rave about how supportive the mattress is, with many claiming to have found relief from arthritis and back pain.
Provided you’re not a light sleeper, you’ll find the Stearns & Foster Estate’s level of motion isolation acceptable. Edge support is very good, so sleepers can spread out across the whole width of the bed, as well as sit comfortably on the edge when getting in or out of bed. We were impressed with the Estate’s temperature regulation; it always felt cool or neutral to the touch. The mattress has several features designed to keep sleepers cool – a ventilated coil system where the coils are surrounded by fabric full of holes alongside external silver air vents to prevent trapped air. A breathable Tencel cover wicks away moisture.
Unfortunately, we found that the pillow-top formed slight dips where our testers slept after only four weeks, which shouldn’t happen with such a premium mattress. We’d also like to see a medium firmness option introduced to cover more sleeping preferences. However, we still find it an extremely supportive and comfortable bed.
You’ll get free White Glove delivery with the Estate, with the mattress being delivered to a room of your choosing and your old mattress taken away at the same time. Look out for offers of a free bedding bundle as well when you’re ordering. However, the trial period is distinctly underwhelming at only 90 nights which, when you compare it to Saatva’s year-long trial, seems decidedly stingy. The warranty lasts for 10 years, which is rather paltry for the cost, as well.
The Helix Dusk Luxe sits in the middle of Helix’s range, between the brand’s standard Core Collection and the top-of-the-line Elite Collection. It’s specifically designed for back and stomach sleepers, hitting the magic spot between soft and firm to keep sleepers supported. Helix designs its range so that there are mattresses for each specific sleeping style. The Helix Dusk Luxe is specifically aimed at back and stomach sleepers to provide the perfect blend of comfort and support. If you’re a side sleeper looking for a medium feel, you should buy the Helix Midnight Luxe instead. (its cheaper cousin, the Helix Midnight, is our top pick in our best mattresses for side sleepers round-up.)
The mattress starts with a premium quilted cooling top made from breathable Tencel. There’s also the option to upgrade to a GlacioTex Cooling Cover for an additional fee – this is designed to pull more heat away from your body and keep the mattress cool to the touch. Underneath is a layer of foam that’s designed to contour to the body, followed by a layer of Helix Dynamic Foam, a latex-foam hybrid that’s designed to provide medium-level support to back and stomach sleepers. Up next is a memory foam layer to adapt to your body weight, which sits on top of a layer of 1,000 individually wrapped coils. These are reinforced around the perimeter and mid-section for stronger support along the edges and lumbar respectively. The whole mattress is anchored by a base layer of DuraDense foam for stability.
There’s slightly more contouring with this mattress than with many of the others on our list, and you’ll feel the responsive foam contouring slightly around your body. There’s some nicely cushioned support along the knees, shoulders, and hips. Pressure relief is excellent, and many customers report improvements in back pain from sleeping on this mattress. Motion isolation is pretty good as well, although you might feel some slight transfer if your fellow sleeper turns over from back to stomach in bed. Edge support along the sides of the mattress is excellent but do note that it’s slightly weaker in the edges and corners. We were slightly disappointed by the temperature regulation with the Helix, with our tester feeling the breathability of the mattress was only average. Hot sleepers would be well advised to pay extra for the GlacioTex Cooling Cover.
The trial period is 100 nights, which is about the shortest you’ll find with mattresses in a box. You’ll also get a 15-year warranty and free shipping, but there’s no option to upgrade to White Glove delivery. Frequent Helix mattress sales shave at least 20% off the MSRP and throw in a pair of free pillows, too.
The WinkBed is a staple at several luxury hotels across the US, including The Time Hotel in New York City. It’s very similar to our #1 pick, the Saatva Classic, as it’s a customizable mattress designed to suit any sleeper, especially if they struggle with back pain. It features stronger coils in the center third to support the lumbar and ensure the spine doesn’t come under strain.
Choose from soft (4.5/10), luxury firm (6.5/10) and firm (7.5/10) – as well as a fourth option for heavier bodies, the WinkBed Plus (8/10). We tested a luxury firm WinkBed and found it offered superior lumbar support for optimal alignment while relieving pressure points around the knees, hips and shoulders. The luxury firm is a good all-rounder that will suit most sleeping positions. Lightweight and side sleepers should enjoy the extra cushioning of the soft option, while firm will suit stomach and back sleepers who prefer to sleep on top of the mattress rather than sinking in.
All WinkBeds start with a breathable Tencel cover, followed by a gel-infused Euro pillow top. The soft WinkBed has a three-layered pillow-top for pressure relief and gentle contouring, while the luxury firm and firm options each have a two-layer pillow top. Underneath is a layer of pressure-relieving foam and recycled steel coils offering different levels of support across the mattress. There’s also a reinforced perimeter that yields excellent edge support – a plus for back pain sufferers who need to ease their way in our out of bed. Motion isolation is very good, while temperature regulation is decent. (Chronically hot sleepers should consider the Nolah Evolution 15 directly below.)
Note that the WinkBed Plus is specially designed for sleepers who weigh over 250lbs and has a slightly different design to offer extra support. It lacks a pillow-top but instead has a layer of anti-sag foam followed by a layer of pure latex. We consider it one of the best mattresses for heavy people, though keep in mind that this altered design makes the WinkBed Plus more expensive than the standard version.
All versions of the WinkBed are perpetually on sale at $300 off the MSRP. The trial period is average at 120 nights, but you do get a lifetime warranty and free shipping. Slightly disappointingly, there’s no option to upgrade to a White Glove delivery service at all for this bed-in-a-box. This is a heavy mattress so enlist the help of a friend or family member to help you set it up.
Brooklyn Bedding makes an appearance on our list for a second time with its Aurora Luxe hybrid mattress. Unlike the Brooklyn Bedding Signature Hybrid (#2), the Aurora Luxe is a specialist cooling mattress – and we think it plays that role well.
The Aurora Luxe comes with an optional pillow-top in three firmness levels: soft (2-4), medium (4-6) and firm (7-8). One of our testers slept on a medium Aurora Luxe in her home while our sleep editor checked out the pillow-top version at the Brooklyn Bedding showroom.
Wrapped in a GlacioTex cooling cover that feels cool to the touch, the Aurora Luxe hybrid has a layer of CopperFlex foam infused with phase change material to adapt to your body temperature. (It also has antimicrobial properties, per the brand – useful if you suffer from airborne allergies.) Combined with the natural airflow from the 1,000-plus coils, this luxury bed impressed us with its cooling prowess. Just note that the GlacioTex material can be a tad slippery, which could be annoying if you’re particular about your fitted sheet being tight.
If you opt for the soft model, you’ll sink into multiple memory foam layers, including two inches of soft memory foam plus an inch of gel swirl memory foam that purports to aid with cooling (albeit very minimally). The medium model (which we tested) instead has two inches of medium memory foam along with the gel swirl foam, while the firm model instead has 1.5 inches of firm memory foam coupled with a 1.5-inch VariFlex transition foam for a more supportive feel.
Cooling aside, what is the Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe like to sleep on? Adding the pillow-top to the medium model gives it an undulating surface, and we found it comfortable to sleep on in any position. The extra padding provides loads of cushioning for your joints but it doesn’t make the bed feel too squishy – in fact, there’s still plenty of support underneath.
We’d advise against the Aurora Luxe if you’re a light sleeper who shares a bed with even a moderately restless sleeper. Whether we were with or without the pillow-top, our testers couldn’t help but feel the movements of their sleeping partners. The Brooklyn Bedding Signature Bedding would be our recommendation if you need a pillow-top bed that’s decent at dampening movement.
As typical for Brooklyn Bedding mattresses, the Aurora Luxe comes in a broad range of sizes for campers and non-conventional dimensions. It’s always on sale for between 20% and 30% off; for the best discounts, shop near major holidays. (The pillow-top upgrade will add up to $400 to the final price.) A 120-night trial and a 10-year warranty are included, though you’ll have to pay $99 to send it back.
Widely regarded as one of the best organic mattresses on the market, the Avocado Green is a luxury hybrid packed full of quality materials and impeccable eco credentials. The optional pillow-top makes it a good all-rounder with a medium-firm feel. You’ve also got the option of adding a box top, which is super plush and ideal for side sleepers, or opting for the standard (and firmest) model if you like to sleep on your back or stomach. Note that pillow-top and box-top upgrades cost between $360 and $820 extra – and that’s already on top of a premium price tag.
The cover features 100% GOTS-certified organic cotton and wool, which are breathable and moisture-wicking materials. Wool is also naturally antimicrobial and protects against dust mites, making it a great option for allergy sufferers. The optional pillow-top adds two inches of Dunlop latex for added pressure relief and is followed by another layer comprised of two inches of Dunlop latex and a one-inch layer of Dunlop organic latex in the base/support layer. All of the latex is GOLS-certified and extremely durable – a latex mattress should last for many years. The support layer/core of the mattress is made up of 1,414 coils across five ergonomic zones, along with reinforced steel around the perimeter.
The addition of the pillow top makes this mattress particularly suited to side and back sleepers, although lighter-weight stomach sleepers should also find it firm enough for their needs. The pressure relief from the Avocado is excellent, with the spine kept aligned and supported. (We tested the standard version of the bed, minus the pillow-top.) Due to the bouncier nature of latex, you’re not going to sink into this mattress but, after a short adjustment period, you will feel plenty of support and comfort.
We wouldn’t recommend the Avocado Mattress to lighter-weight side sleepers without the box top instead, and average and heavier-weight stomach sleepers should stick to the mattress without the pillow top. Like many of the choices in this round-up, the fact that the Avocado is customizable means it can appeal to a wider range of sleepers.
The Avocado Green excels when it comes to motion isolation, which is perhaps surprising considering it’s a latex mattress. But those sharing a bed with a restless sleeper shouldn’t be disturbed. Edge support is superior, allowing sleepers to spread out across the whole bed and sit comfortably on the edges without sliding off. We were also impressed with the temperature regulation of the Avocado, which always felt cool to the touch. Cotton, wool, and latex are all naturally breathable materials, and the addition of well-spaced coils helps to keep air flowing through the mattress, preventing any build-up of heat.
The mattress comes with a generous 365-night trial plus a 25-year warranty. Shipping is free for mattresses up to a queen size but above that, you’ll pay a delivery charge because of weight (this starts at $99). White Glove delivery is available, starting at $249 and if you want to return the mattress, you’ll also be charged $99. Avocado mattress sales take place year-round so you’ll never have to pay full price.
Our mattress methodology lays out exactly how we test pillow-top mattresses, and the process begins with us selecting which beds we want to review. All of our choices are editorially independent, as is our entire review process, user review analysis and the publication of our in-house testing data.
We test pillow-top mattresses in several key areas: comfort, support, temperature control, edge support, firmness, durability and set-up. As we test mattresses for three consecutive weeks, we rely on customer reviews in addition to our own expert opinion on the quality of the materials used to make the pillow-top mattress as a means to gauge durability.
We score the mattress out of 5 in each of these key testing areas, then use those scores to award the pillow-top mattress an overall review score out of 5. Only the very best pillow-top mattresses are featured in this guide.
There are five major mattress sales throughout the year, with the best time to buy a mattress being Black Friday and Cyber Monday. This is when we typically see the lowest MSRPs on pillow-top mattresses coupled with the biggest discounts, so your money stretches further during this major holiday sale compared to the average month.
Beyond the Black Friday mattress deals, other key sales to look out for are Cyber Monday mattress sales, which land on the Monday directly after Black Friday, followed by the Presidents’ Day mattress sales in February. The Memorial Day mattress sales in May are your last chance to get a cheaper price on a top-rated pillow-top mattress before prices generally rise over summer. They then drop again in time for a shower of discounts in the Labor Day mattress sales.
