Pillow top mattresses have an extra layer of plush padding on the top than conventional mattresses. This may be on top of a standard box spring bed, or it may be an extra layer on a memory foam or hybrid mattress. Pillow tops can give you a little extra pressure relief or a pleasant sleeping surface, but they can compact down quickly or become uneven. That’s why you want to find the best pillow top mattress possible.
Top 7 Best pillow Top Mattress reviews
01. Signature Sleep Brand 13″ Hybrid Coil Mattress, Queen, White
The Signature Sleep brand hybrid coil mattress puts a plush pillow top on top of the memory foam layer. This may be the best pillow top mattress for those on a budget. You get a pillow top cover on top of an inch of soft foam.
The 13 inch thick mattress provides more support and space than a 10 inch mattress. The queen sized bed is a better value than the king sized bed, but it has enough space for couples. You can buy this mattress in a full, as well.
This mattress is unusual for the rayon plastic cover derived from bamboo. That makes it more environmentally friendly than average, and the mattress surface is easier to clean that most pillow tops. Note that you cannot remove the pillow top from the bed to wash it.
This bed has more support than the average hybrid mattress. It is one of the better choice for heavier people or couples that sleep side by side. On the other hand, we don’t recommend this bed if you’re lighter than average.
The bed is a good choice for side sleepers, if you have an average to above average weight. That’s actually unusual for a hybrid mattress, much less one that costs this little. If you need a bed that’s medium firm or softer than that, this is not the bed for you.
The mattress is less durable than average. The pillow top wears down quickly, and so does the memory foam inside the bed. The coils inside will start to bend or collapse, as well. This causes permanent low spots. And the problems may start the day you get it. For example, the bed may not fully inflate once you open it.
Pros:
- Good overall value
- Relatively easy to clean
- Suitable for heavy individuals and side sleepers
Cons:
- Short functional life
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02. Sweetnight Brand King Sized Mattress in a Box – 12 Inch Plush Pillow Top
This Sweetnight brand mattress comes with a wide array of features. Its individual metal coils are each wrapped in fabric, reducing motion transfer. You’ll hardly feel it if one person is getting in and out of bed.
The memory foam layer of this hybrid mattress contains cooling gel. The bed is only available in a 12 inch version with a plus pillow top. The 12 inch height should include the plush pillow top. The bed doesn’t always inflate to the full size.
The memory foam is Certipur-US. This means that it doesn’t contain heavy metals or toxic chemicals like some artificial memory foams. The smell from the memory foam is similar to that of other beds, and it will dissipate in a few days.
This bed is available in king, queen and full sizes. We’re recommending the King as the best overall value.
The springs and memory foam combined give this bed better than average support for back and stomach sleepers. We don’t recommend this bed for side sleepers or heavy users. It doesn’t keep your back straight when you put that additional load on the bed.
The bed has little to no edge support. You could slide off the edge of the bed when it is new. You can’t sleep on the edge of the bed.
The memory foam wears down over a few months of heavy use, and that will cause permanent high and low spots. You can’t flip the mattress to reduce this problem the way you could a box spring mattress. The bed is heavy for a hybrid mattress, and that makes rotating it 180 degrees to distribute wear and tear a challenge.
Pros:
- Excellent motion control
- Nontoxic memory foam
Cons:
- Often forms high and low spots
- Not suitable for heavy or side sleepers
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03. Classic Brands 10 Inch Individually Wrapped Coils Innerspring Pillow Top
Classic Brands is a relatively unknown mattress in a box manufacturer. They are unusual for offering this bed in such a wide range of sizes. You can get everything from a twin or twin XL to California King. We’re recommending the King bed as the best overall value. It is large enough for couples, even if you both sleep on your stomach or back. The bed is only available in a ten inch thickness.
The pillow top sits on top of a middle-grade innerspring mattress. The steel coils are individually wrapped. This limits motion transfer, though it doesn’t limit spring noise. Yet the bed can be shipped in a box to your front door.
The medium-firm bed is a good choice for stomach and back sleepers. The plush pillow top makes it feel softer than it really is, so you get the support of a somewhat firm mattress without the same problems regarding pressure points.
We mentioned that this bed is a good overall value. That’s due to the low cost and general quality. However, it has a moderately short functional life.
The pillow top will settle rather quickly, though there are ways to fluff it back up. (You can’t take the pillow top off and run it through the dryer.) The greater issue is that it wears down rather quickly. This affects everything from the pillow top to the foam middle layer to the springs.
One downside of this bed is the smell. The bed has a relatively thin foam layer between the springs and the pillow top. Yet the smell is bad and lasts a while. Give it several days to air out.
Pros:
- Good overall value
- Limits motion transfer
- Mattress in a box
- Available in a wide range of sizes
Cons:
- Smell
- Not durable
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04. Sweetnight Brand Queen Size Mattress in a Box
Sweetnight brand mattresses are middle of the pack in terms of price. We’re recommending the queen sized mattress since it is large enough for couples. It is ten inches thick.
Our best pillow top mattress review wouldn’t be complete without discussing how this bed performs for couples. This mattress gets points for motion isolating coils underneath the memory foam mattress layer. That means that one person tossing and turning won’t bother the other much, though a dog jumping on the bed would.
This bed in a box takes up to three days to fully expand. That’s not unusual for this type of bed. The plush pillow top may take time to expand as well as the foam. You may get an uneven surface if it doesn’t, though that is rare. The quilted pillow top does protect the memory foam, resulting in a more durable bed than average.
The memory foam is Certipur certified. It doesn’t contain toxic chemicals or heavy metals. A side benefit of the plush mattress cover is that you don’t come into contact with the foam. That makes this bed easier to clean than standard memory foam mattresses.
One issue with this bed is the firmness rating. It is rated as medium-firm, a bed that’s about average on softness and support. The problem is that the coils are very firm. This causes problems for people who expect or need pressure point relief.
We do not recommend this bed if you have joint problems or are a side sleeper. The problem is worse if you’re heavy, because you’ll sink straight through the memory foam layer.
Pros:
- Excellent motion control
- Non-toxic memory foam
Cons:
- Firmer than advertised
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05. Classic Brands Brand Mercer Pillow Top Cool Gel Memory Foam
The hybrid bed in a box combines cooling gel laced memory foam and a thick layer of supportive coils. This bed is unusual in being available from twin to California king sizes. You can even by split king mattresses for an adjustable bed. That’s not always true for a bed in a box.
We’re recommending the 12 inch thick queen mattress. This is large enough for the average couple. The mattress is only available in 12 inch thicknesses. However, the manufacturer allows you to buy it with a matching platform or adjustable bed.
The eight inch individually wrapped metal coils do an average job of limiting motion transfer. The four inch memory foam mattress layer is made from Certipur certified memory foam. This means it doesn’t contain toxic metals or chemicals. The cooling gel does a good job of dissipating body heat.
The mattress is medium-firm. We recommend it for back and stomach sleepers but not side sleepers.
This bed wears out rather quickly. It may sag after only a few months of consistent use. It loses its support by that point. Furthermore, it may not inflate evenly once you unpack it. You typically can’t return it once you’ve unrolled it. This means you’re at risk of having an uneven bed either at the start or after a few months of use.
The bed has no edge support. This creates problems if you try to sleep or sit on the side.
Pros:
- Works with adjustable beds
- Non-toxic memory foam
- Good heat dissipation
Cons:
- Not durable
- Can become lumpy at any point
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06. Modway Model AMZ-5770-WHI Jenna 10 Inch Queen Innerspring Mattress
This bed in a box is one of the cheapest on the market. It is unusual for being available in the narrow twin size used in some bunk beds and RVs. It is available in standard sizes like twin, full, queen and king. We recommend the queen sized mattress.
This hybrid mattress combines a thin innerspring mattress with a memory foam layer. The innerspring are individually wrapped, an unusually high quality construction method rarely found in this price class. The memory foam is not Certipur certified, but it is almost odor free.
The mattress inflates to its full size relatively quickly. It is initially somewhat plush.
This mattress wears down quickly. This can cause low spots or pressure points within months of regular use. Because of the pillow top on the mattress, you can’t flip it over to extend its life. The pillow top itself doesn’t affect the comfort level, only the feel of the mattress. You can sometimes feel the metal coils underneath the foam, if you sink through it.
It is unusual for being softer than advertised. The foam does not offer much support if you are a side sleeper or overweight. Don’t buy this mattress if you need a precise level of firm back support.
Pros:
- Affordable
- Low to no odor
Cons:
- Short functional life
- Softer than advertised
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07. DreamCloud Brand Mattress
Dreamcloud is a new luxury hybrid mattress product on the market. That’s how they can advertise themselves as the fastest growing memory foam bed company in the United States. They offer larger beds like full, queen, king and California king beds. We’re recommending the queen sized bed.
This mattress is heavy. Know that you’ll need help to move it, even if it ships as a bed in a box.
It contains cooling gel in the memory foam. It does a good job of dissipating body heat.
The company advertises their six layers of memory foam. They also charge you a premium for that. This is similar to the price they charge for the prior version of the bed that had eight layers of memory foam.
The bed itself is medium-firm. It gets softer over time. Whether this is a plus or a minus depends on your preferences. It has average to below average durability. The bed has a modest chemical smell. That’s not uncommon for this type of mattress.
One problem with this mattress is the quality relative to the cost. It has a quilted top that isn’t as fluffy as you’d expect. The material collapses down on contact, as does the memory foam. It may not fully expand, either. If you have a 15 inch bed that only expands to 12 inches, it is easy to think that something is wrong. The fully expanded bed can be hard to fit with sheets.
Pros:
- A medium firm mattress
- Good heat dissipation
Cons:
- Doesn’t always expand to size
- Lower quality than expected for the price
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Pillow Top Mattress Faqs
01. Are pillow top mattresses good?
They have to be good for at least some market segments or else manufacturers wouldn’t go to the extra work of manufacturing them. Pillow top mattresses are a good choice if you are in need of pressure point relief. They tend to be softer and more comfortable than conventional mattresses, too.
02. Is a pillow top mattress better than memory foam?
The answer depends more on your body’s needs than anything else. If you need pressure point relief, it is a tossup between pillow top and memory foam mattresses. Memory foam mattresses tend to be better for back and stomach sleepers than side sleepers. Pillow top mattresses that have traditional semi-firm or firm springs underneath the plush cover are generally better for side sleepers.
03. How long is a pillow top mattress good for?
They have a shorter life than non-pillow top mattresses. This is because the filler will wear down before the rest of the bed does.
04. What does pillow top mattress mean?
A pillow top mattress contains a fluffy layer similar to that found in conventional pillows. This layer sits on top of the mattress layers, giving it a plusher and softer surface. The pillow top mattress has this plush layer sewn into the top of the bed. In other cases, you have to add a plush comforter or memory foam matter cover to the bed.
05. Is pillow top mattress good for back pain?
A pillow top mattress does a good job of relieving pressure points. If that’s the cause of your hip, neck and back pain, then we would recommend a pillow top mattress. If you can’t stand to sleep with a spine out of alignment, the answer will depend on how supportive the bed is underneath the pillow top, because you need enough support to keep your spine straight.
06. Can you fix a sagging pillow top mattress?
Pillow top mattresses lose that plush cushioning over time. That is on top of the wear and tear that can occur as you toss and turn. This pillow top mattress FAQ wouldn’t be complete without telling you a few ways you could restore the mattress to its former glory.
A pillow top mattress will get pressed down when you lay on it. It will initially pop back up. You can encourage this by fluffing it like any other blanket or pillow. If you can unzip the pillow top cover, you can reach in and literally redistribute it. However, this isn’t always an option.
If the pillow top layer can be removed from the bed, you could even run it through the dryer with a couple of tennis balls. The action will redistribute the fluff in the pillow top. If this isn’t an option, run a broom handle across the top of the bed to redistribute the filler material.
If the mattress has developed a serious low spot, you can put a one inch thick board between the box spring and the pillow top mattress bottom. This will lift up the bed and prevent the deep spot from getting worse.
If none of this works, you can add a pillow top or memory foam mattress topper to the bed. Or you can buy a new mattress.
07. What is the best pillow top mattress to buy?
We would argue the 13 inch thick Signature Sleep hybrid mattress. This hybrid mattress has a roughly three inch thick of memory foam. This sits on top of ten inches of individually encased coils. The combination relieves pressure points while providing good support. It is capable of providing good support for heavier individuals, too.
Unlike many other hybrid mattresses, it has a pillow top layer on top of this that provides a softer, smoother sleeping surface than the average hybrid mattress. The pillow top layer on this bed is not removable, though it may look like it is at first glance. We’d recommend putting a mattress cover on this bed, though the manufacturer says the rayon bamboo fabric is stain resistant.
08. Is a pillow top mattress good for side sleepers?
In general, yes. They tend to do a better job than average of relieving pressure points. This is invaluable if you are a side sleeper who struggles with hip and shoulder pressure points. Pillow top mattresses are much better than conventional innerspring mattresses for pressure point relief for side sleepers. A pillow top mattress may or may not be better than hybrid mattresses that combine memory foam and innerspring.
The pillow top provides a soft initial layer on top of the supportive springs, reducing the joint pain side sleepers tend to see with just an innerspring mattress.
09. Can you flip a pillow top mattress?
In general, the answer is no. The pillow top isn’t made to take the weight of the rest of the mattress. However, the same is true of mattresses with a memory foam top and supportive foam middle layer. Most are not made to be flipped and may sag horribly if you do.
This is in sharp contrast to regular mattresses that can be flipped over. The best you can do to extend the life of a pillow top mattress is to turn it 180 degrees so you don’t sleep in the same spot, if you won’t change your sleeping location.
10. Which is better pillow top or Euro Top Mattress?
For the uninitiated, there may not seem to be a difference between the Euro Top Mattress and the pillow top mattress. After all, they look a lot alike. One way to tell the difference is by looking at the seams. The Euro top mattress has the top cover of the mattress sewn straight to the top of the seams of the mattress. The pillow top has indents on the top that give it the signature pillowy look.
The differences would be clearer if you removed that top cover of the mattress. Pillow top mattresses have more cushioning right beneath the cover. Euro top mattresses may have a memory foam layer under the mattress top, but they lack a light, airy pillow-type material literally on top of that. The pillow top mattress cover has button / dip attachment points.
The pillow top mattress can be more comfortable than a Euro top mattress. This mattress does much better when it comes to motion control. However, the Euro top mattress tends to be cooler.
Conclusion
Pillow top mattresses are a step up from box springs. They may rival hybrid mattresses in performance without some of the issues that come with memory foam. Do your research to find a pillow top bed that meets your needs at a good price.