Best Pillow 2025: Ensure the best night’s sleep with our favourites

The Simba Hybrid is a seriously clever pillow that’s not only customisable to best suit how you sleep, but is also designed for those who like the feel of feather pillows but would prefer a synthetic and cruelty-free option.

From the box the Simba Hybrid expands into a truly enormous pillow which is almost too large to fit into a regular-sized pillow case. However, open the zip and inside you’ll find Simba’s Nanocubes.

Akin to the open-cell technology found in Simba’s mattresses, such as the Hybrid Pro, Nanocubes are designed to keep you supported and comfortable while ensuring steady airflow.

The idea is that you can take out or add in as many Nanocubes as you’d like in order to tailor the pillow to your ideal sleeping position. All excess Nanocubes can then be stored in a handy mesh bag, provided by Simba.

While the Nanocubes aren’t washable, the pillowcase and its mesh bag can be popped in the washing machine for easy maintenance.

Unlike other pillows, you should only sleep on one side of the Simba Hybrid, which is labelled with a turquoise strip. Coined the Stratos layer, it absorbs, stores and releases heat to help keep you comfortable and cool all night. The other side is an ethically sourced cotton top.

While after a few nights we found that the pillow began to sag slightly, a simple shake and fluff returned it to its optimum position.

Otherwise, we were seriously impressed with the Simba Hybrid Pillow and hailed it as being as close to a feather pillow as you can get with a synthetic fill. It balances a “sink-into” feeling while remaining supportive enough to keep your neck straight.

If you prefer the feeling of feather pillows but want a cruelty-free option then the Simba Hybrid Pillow is a fantastic option. Supportive, comfortable and able to dissipate heat well, it’s a great choice for all sleeping positions.

If you’re a front sleeper and don’t require as much support or just like to sleep with multiple pillows, then the Emma Premium Microfibre Pillow is a great soft option.

If you suffer with neck aches and require more support then this may not be the best option, as although it initially inflates to a thick size, putting any weight on it will cause it to significantly compress.

Inside are two separate Aero Soft-filled mini pillows, with the case containing microfibre filling on both sides. These internal pillows can be removed so you can sleep with just one or both depending on what feels better to you. We found keeping both pillows inside was optimum, as removing one made the whole thing too thin.

Both pillows are machine washable, which is a useful touch that takes the hassle out of cleaning.

We measured the pillow with a thermal camera to assess its ability to manage heat and were impressed as it only took a few minutes for heat to dissipate. This is largely thanks to the microfibre filling which removes heat faster than memory foam options.

If you sleep best with a soft pillow or you plan on using this alongside a firmer one, then the Emma Premium Microfibre is a great choice.

Made up of three removable internal layers, the Simba Hybrid Firm Pillow offers firm support with a touch of softness.

Inside the main cover are the three separate layers, consisting of two Simba Renew pillows which are made of soft fibres to give a more traditional pillow feel, and one Aerocoil layer that uses micro springs found in Simba’s mattress. When all three layers are inside, the pillow is quite high and we found it was difficult to get it into a regular pillow case.

Even so, as they are removable, you can adjust the layers to suit how you sleep. For example, Simba recommends side-sleepers should use all three but the combination can be adjusted due to preference, such as having the Aerocoil at the top to make the pillow feel firmer.

For back sleepers, Simba recommends using just one Renew layer alongside the firm Aerocoil layer. We wouldn’t recommend this pillow at all for front sleepers, as it’s just too firm.

Externally the Simba Hybrid Firm uses the same cover as the Simba Hybrid Pillow, with one side boasting the Stratos layer, which helps regulate heat to keep you cool, and the other side an ethically sourced cotton top.

We found that although the pillow did manage heat fairly well, it still retained and took longer to dissipate fully than the Simba Hybrid Pillow.

Overall we appreciated the ability to adjust the firmness and height of the pillow with the changeable layers. This is a great choice for anyone who wants a firm pillow, however if you’re a front sleeper then we’d suggest something softer such as the Simba Hybrid Pillow.

Those with bad necks and backs will appreciate the Groove Pillow as, thanks to its rigid design and dip in the centre of the supportive foam, it will support your head in the correct place during the night.

It may sound restrictive but we found the Groove Pillow to be surprisingly comfortable, although it is quite firm it might take some getting used to.

The dip in the middle (also known as a groove) is key to providing support, with Groove explaining that back sleepers should lie with their neck in the dip while side sleepers should press their shoulder up to the side.

It’s worth noting that if you do tend to move a lot in your sleep, then you may lose the benefits that the Groove Pillow provides.

Naturally as a memory foam pillow, we found that the Groove tends to retain heat. Unfortunately this is typical of memory foam, so if you tend to overheat during the night then we’d suggest an entirely different pillow.

If you do have a bad neck or back and want some extra support, then we’d seriously recommend the Groove Pillow as it keeps your head and neck in the correct position. However its rigid body and fixed sleeping position may not suit everyone, especially those who tend to move around a lot in their sleep.

You don’t need to spend a fortune to get a comfortable night’s sleep. The Utopia Bedding Queen Size Hotel Quality Pillows not only has a reasonable RRP but comes as a pack of two as standard.

The fibre filling gives the pillow its shape and soft feel which we found is reminiscent of a feather pillow, as it’s soft enough to sink into but still provides support. For a pair of pillows under £30, this is a great achievement.

As the pillow isn’t adjustable it may not suit everyone, particularly if you need slightly firmer support. Even so, a small additional pillow underneath can help.

Although you can spot wash the pillows by hand to remove any stains, Utopia Bedding recommends avoiding submerging them in water. This is worth keeping in mind as if you want to keep the pillows as fresh as possible then you should also invest in a washable pillow protector.

In our tests we were impressed with how well the pillows dealt with heat. As the filling is made of fibre, it removes heat much more effectively than a memory foam pillow. In fact after just three minutes we found the pillow returned to a uniform heat.

Not only are the Utopia Bedding Pillows great value but they also provide comfort, support and maintain their shape over time too.