I Slept on 13 Pillows From Target
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I’ve tested dozens ofpillowsin my career as a sleep writer. But since lots ofmy favorites are quite expensive(think $100 and up), I’ve lately been on a mission to investigate how more affordable options compare. Since Target is a go-to spot for many home essentials — especially fordorm shopping— and sells a wide range of pillows, I started my search there. I bought 13 different ones to test from Target’s various house brands (Threshold, Casaluna, and Room Essentials), including a range ofmemory-foam,down, anddown-alternativemodels.
I normally like to sleep on a pillow for at least a week when testing, but to keep this project manageable, I started by sleeping on each Target pillow for a single night. Then I spent an extra two or three nights on the ones I liked best. After years of testing pillows, I have a pretty good sense of what I like and what I don’t, so while these are fairly quick judgments, I feel confident in my assessments. For reference, I’m a back and side sleeper and I’m about five-foot-five. I generally prefer a medium to medium-firm pillow with a medium loft.
Below, I’ve organized the pillows by type (down, down alternative, and memory foam) so you can browse the styles you’re most interested in. After trying all 13 pillows, here are my top takeaways about Target pillows overall: Polyester is the predominant material in both the fillings and the covers, any cooling features typically don’t work as well as promised, andadjustabilityis not really a possibility at Target’s price points. The concept of “you get what you pay for” definitely applies as the absolute cheapest pillows — $10 and under — were generally the worst. But I did find some surprisingly nice pillows under $50, including one that is genuinely excellent for the price.
My top three picks
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My personal favorite pillow from this bunch: It’s affordable and soft but supportive.
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Very similar to the Strategist-favorite Beckham Hotel pillow.
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A cushioning and supportive shredded-foam pillow.
Down- and feather-filled pillows
An affordable down-and-feather mix for people who like a soft pillow
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Fill type:75% down, 25% feather| Cover:70% cotton, 30% lyocell| Loft:5 inches| Firmness:Soft
Down is notoriously expensive, but I was pleasantly surprised by how well this under-$50 Casaluna pillow compared with pricier ones I’ve tried in the past. It’s filled with 75 percent down and 25 percent feathers — a lower ratio of down to feathers than my top-pickdown pillow from Parachutebut on par with many other down- and feather-filled pillows I’verecommended. Nofill poweris listed, but Target describes it as having a “medium fill density.” Target also states that the pillow meets the Responsible Down Standard, which certifies that animals are not harmed in the process of collecting down. The cover is a 70-to-30 blend of cotton andlyocell.
After sleeping on it for a night, I decided this pillow is too soft for my taste. It wasn’t theleastsupportive pillow I tried from Target, but as a back and side sleeper, I like a slightly firmer pillow. I had to squish this pillow around underneath my head and neck to feel comfortable and to get enough neck support, which isn’t unusual for down pillows as they tend to be more compressive and soft than foam styles. But since this pillow comes only in one density/firmness level, it’s best for those who like a softer feel.
Final verdict:Buy if you like soft pillows.
A 100 percent down option for people who like averysoft pillow
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Fill type:100% white goose down| Cover:100 percent cotton| Loft:6 inches| Firmness:Soft
This down pillow from Casaluna is filled with 100 percent white goose down, as opposed to the 75-to-25 ratio in the pillow above; it’s also about three times more expensive, putting it in the same conversation, pricewise, as down pillows I’ve reviewed from Parachute, Brooklinen, and Boll & Branch. It has a 100 percent cotton-sateen cover with a zipper closure so the cover can be washed separately. Again, no fill power is listed, but Target says the standard-sized pillow weighs 22 ounces, which is very close to Parachute’s standard-size down pillow (23 ounces). Notably, this pillow does not have a Responsible Down Standard or similar certification listed.
This pillow is evensofterthan the less expensive one above — but it could be a good option for stomach sleepers or others who like a very soft pillow. The down is soft and cushioning but didn’t feel as fluffy or plush as my top-pick down pillow from Parachute. Considering the similarity in price, I don’t see much reason to choose this Casaluna pillow over Parachute (or other brands I’ve recommended like Avocado or Brooklinen). But I also wouldn’t advise against it.
Final verdict:Buy if you likeverysoft pillows.
Down alternative
Not as cooling as promised but decently supportive for $15
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Fill type:100 percent polyester| Cover:90% nylon, 10% spandex| Loft:2 inches| Firmness:Medium
What’s supposed to make this pillow different from the other down-alternative Target pillows I tried is its quilted cooling cover, which is a blend of 90 percent nylon and 10 percent spandex. The cover has a slightly cool-to-the-touch feel, but with a pillowcase over it, it didn’t stand out from any of the other pillows’ covers. I wouldn’t describe it as truly firm, despite the product name, but the denser fill makes it more supportive than the majority of the down-alternative pillows I tried. I wasn’t as wowed as I was by the Threshold microgel pillow below, but I wouldn’t be against sleeping another night on it.
Final verdict:Buy if you’re on a budget.
My hands-down favorite pillow of the 13 I tried
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Fill type:100 percent polyester| Cover:60% cotton, 40% recycled PET (polyethylene terephthalate)| Loft:7 inches| Firmness:Medium
Of all the pillows I tested for this story, this one ended up being my personal favorite. It’s filled with polyester fiberfill that’s coated with a microgel, which is meant to give the fibers a springier, more downlike feel. This is the only pillow from Target I tried with a microgel down-alternative fill, and I think that may be the secret sauce that makes it so great. It was notably plusher and fuller looking than the down and down-alternative pillows I tested and was easily the most comfortable and supportive of the bunch. It reminds me of the more expensiveBoll & Branch down-alternative pillow, which has a similarly downlike feel. But the Boll & Branch pillow comes in three firmnesses, while this pillow comes only in one, which I’d say is medium.
When sleeping on most of the other down-alternative pillows, I had to scrunch them around to get enough material under my neck to feel supported. On this pillow, I could simply lay my head down and go to sleep. It even provided enough support while I was lying on my side. For a pillow that costs only $20, I’m impressed.
Final verdict:Definitely buy.
A “premium” feel for people who like very soft pillows
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Fill type:100 percent polyester| Cover:100 percent cotton| Loft:6 inches| Firmness:Medium-soft
Casaluna is the most “premium” of Target’s in-house bedding brands, and this pillow definitely has a high-quality feel but was ultimately too soft for my taste. Target says it has a “medium/firm fill density,” but I think it errs more on the side of medium-soft to soft. It didn’t feel quite as plush as the Threshold microgel pillow above. It reminded me a little ofCozy Earth’s silk-filled pillowbut a little less substantial. I wouldn’t personally choose this one, as it didn’t provide enough neck support for me when I was sleeping on my back or side. But for those who prefer a softer pillow or sleep on their stomach, it’s a nice option. The cotton cover and higher fill density make it worth the extra money compared with the supercheap pillows I tried.
Final verdict:Buy if you likeverysoft pillows.
A plush option that’s supportive enough for back and side sleepers
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Fill type:100 percent polyester| Cover:100 percent cotton| Loft:6 inches| Firmness:Medium
This is my second-favorite down-alternative pillow of the ones I tried — a runner-up to the Threshold microgel. It has 100 percent polyester fiberfill and a 100 percent cotton cover woven with an attractive stripe pattern and featuring an embroidered Threshold logo on the corner. Along with the slightly higher price and plush feel, this is likely what gives this pillow the “hotel” moniker. It’s reminiscent of the Strategist-favoriteBeckham Hotel pillow. Target describes this pillow as firm, but like the one above, it’s not actuallyfirmso much as properly filled to provide adequate support. Because it is amply stuffed with fiberfill, it feels plush and supportive, similar to the microgel pillow. That makes it an excellent pick for back and side sleepers who like a softer pillow. I prefer the microgel one only because it felt slightly more supportive and springy. But I ended up sleeping on this pillow for multiple nights and liked it enough that I didn’t feel the need to swap it out immediately.
Final verdict:Buy.
Meanwhile, I’d skip these three down-alternative pillows entirely
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Priced at under $5 for a single pillow, the Room Essentials Plus pillow is easily one of the cheapest I’ve ever tested. The polyester fiberfill has a bit of springiness, but there isn’t enough of it — the pillow is understuffed overall. It does not come close to any of thedown-alternative pillowsI typically recommend. With that said, if you’re really on a budget, I did still like this pillow better than the more expensive Threshold Performance pillow below.
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This also extremely cheap Threshold pillow has a more premium look than the Room Essentials pillow above, and the cotton-blend cover is nicer. But the fill is very compressive and squishable, which resulted in a total lack of head and neck support. It was one of my least favorites of all the Target pillows I tried and feels very much like what you would get at a low-budget Airbnb.
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This Stay Plush pillow isfine, but it’s not as comfortable or supportive as the the Threshold microgel pillow above, which costs only $5 more. It has a foam core surrounded by polyester fiberfill to provide both neck support and a plush feel. However, the tag lists the exact breakdown as 8 percent polyurethane foam and 92 percent polyester, so it skews more toward a down-alternative pillow. Some back and stomach sleepers might like it, but I wouldn’t recommend it to side sleepers due to the less than stellar neck support.
Memory foam
Supportive and cushioning shredded foam that’s well suited for side sleepers
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Fill type:100 percent polyurethane foam| Cover:60% cotton, 40% recycled polyester| Loft:6 inches| Firmness:Medium-firm
This Threshold shapeable memory-foam pillow is filled with 100 percent polyurethane foam; though I think it could actually benefit from a bit of fiberfill mixed in, it’s still quite comfortable. Because it’s filled with foam pieces instead of a block of foam, it’s very smushable and your head will feel more “settled in” rather than resting on top. I slept on this pillow after several nights in a row on too soft down-alternative pillows, so its firmer feel was a welcome change. However, this pillow was slightly too tall for me, so I felt my neck craning upward. And because the pillow isn’t adjustable, there was nothing I could do about it. Ultimately, this is a supportive cushioning pillow that’s on the loftier side — it would work great for side sleepers or people with broader shoulders than mine.
Final verdict:Buy if you are a side sleeper or prefer lofty pillows.
Tall and firm with a squishy feel
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Fill type:100% polyurethane foam| Cover:90% nylon, 10% spandex| Loft:5.5 inches| Firmness:Firm
While this pillow was also too firm and tall for me, I think it’s a quite nice pillow for someone better suited to it. It’s a solid block of memory foam with a 90 percent to 10 percent nylon and spandex cover for cooling — though I didn’t notice much in the way of cooling while sleeping on this pillow. I did like the feel of the foam, which was a bit squishier and more responsive than I typically expect from memory foam — though not as springy aslatex. When I took off the cover and felt the foam itself, it had a somewhat rubbery feel. (I also noticed quite a few indentations in the foam, perhaps from popped bubbles in the foam-pouring process.) If you like a tall pillow, sleep on your side, or have broad shoulders, this pillow is a good pick.
Final verdict:Buy if you’re a side sleeper or prefer lofty pillows.
Tall and even more firm with a high-quality look
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Fill type:50% memory foam, 50% recycled polyester| Cover:100% recycled polyester| Loft:4.5 inches| Firmness:Firm
This pillow has a 50-50 mix of shredded memory foam and polyester fiberfill with a polyester jacquard cover. It has a quality look and feel, but it was unfortunately way too tall and firm for me. Target says this pillow is extra firm and it certainly is — it didn’t compress much beneath my head — but the mix of shredded foam and fiberfill keeps it from being overly stiff. For certain side sleepers or broad-shouldered people, this pillow would be an excellent pick.
Final verdict:Buy if you’re a side sleeper or prefer lofty pillows.
The worst Target pillow I tried
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This shredded-memory-foam Room Essentials pillow was even worse than the down-alternative Room Essentials pillow and costs more than twice as much. It contains a 75 percent to 25 percent mix of shredded memory foam and polyester fiberfill, but it’s so underfilled that it felt like sleeping on nothing — I had to fold it in half to get any neck support and it was still too flat.
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