Best thin pillows 2023: Jump Menu
1. The list in brief ↴
2. Best overall: Coop Home Goods Original Loft Pillow
3. Best customizable: Pancake Pillow
4. Best memory foam: Bluewave Bedding Ultra Slim Gel Memory Foam
5. Best for neck pain: Nature's Guest Adjustable Cervical Orthopedic
6. Best cooling: Casper Foam Pillow
7. Best firm: SUQ I OME Slim Sleeper Pillow
8. Best for stomach sleepers: Blissbury Stomach and Back Sleeping Pillow
9. Best luxury: Cozy Earth Silk Pillow
10. Best plush: Beckham Hotel Collection Bed Pillow
11. Best wool: Soak & Sleep New Zealand Wool Pillows
12. Best hybrid: Simba Hybrid Pillow
13. Best budget: Kally Sleep Adjustable Pillow
How we tested
Pillows are not a one-size-fits-all product, and the type of pillow you prefer will often depend on your sleep position. If you sleep on your side, the best thin pillows will keep your spine aligned for the comfiest of snoozes as they won't prop your head up too much in bed – though side, back and combination sleepers are likely to find two thin pillows the perfect arrangement.
Shopping for the best pillows can be tricky, and finding the best thin pillows can be easier said than done. Retailers favour fluffier pillows, and many bedding brands market the best pillows as being plush. But thicker pillows may not meet your needs. The right pillow for you should help you rest at the right height, and laying on a pillow with too much loft could over-arch your neck. If you're struggling to sleep and often wake up with neck aches, a thin pillow or two could solve your sleepy head needs.
To help find the best thin pillow for you, we've done the research and reviewed some of the top pillows that are flatter in profile. Including adjustable pillows perfect for combination sleepers, guest beds, or those who like their pillows to all be the same – but have a partner who prefers a thicker fill – these are the 12 pillows that passed our sleep test.
You'll find more details below on how our home editors tried, tested, and (re)evaluated the best pillows in 2023. We've made sure there are options for all sleep styles and budgets so you can get your best sleep yet
The quick list
The best thin pillow overall
Coop Home Goods' original loft pillow is w&h's overall favourite thin pillow. You can remove and add as much memory foam that caters to your sleeping needs, and it comes with an additional 1.5Ib bag of crosscut memory foam. It's cosy and customizable.
The best customizable thin pillow
This adjustable pillow features six removable pillows for you to take out and add to your liking, and unlike Coop Home Goods' loft pillow, you don't have to worry about memory foam fill.
The best memory foam thin pillow
If you want to add a plush yet thin memory foam pillow to your bedding, consider this pick from Bluewave Bedding. It holds its shape and is infused with gel memory foam to keep you cool throughout the night, making it the perfect pillow option for hot sleepers.
The best thin pillow for neck pain
This pillow was designed to reduce pain and support your body through the night. So, this is an excellent option if you're looking for a thin and super supportive pillow to relieve any back or neck pain while you sleep.
The best cooling thin pillow
If you tend to sweat and overheat through the night, we highly recommend snagging this Casper foam pillow. It's cool to the touch, firm, and suits most sleeping styles.
The best firm thin pillow
With raving Amazon reviews about the SUQ I OME sleeper pillow's firmness and curved design offering great neck support, we couldn't help but pick this as the best firm, thin pillow. This pillow is also available in two loft styles.
The best thin pillow overall
The Coop Home Goods Original Loft Pillow is the best thin pillow you can buy...despite the fact it arrives with a medium fill. It's an adjustable pillow with crosscut memory foam that you can add or remove as you see fit. What's more, Co-op Home Goods offers expert loft customization at no extra charge, so you'll know just how thick or thin you'll need your pillow to be for maximum comfort based on your sleep style and body type.
While finding the right amount of loft was no challenge, we found a downside to the Coop Home Goods adjustable pillow is that you'll have to find a way to store excess fill – including the fill we removed from the pillow and the additional 1.5-lb. bag of crosscut memory foam that's included. That being said, it is good to have that extra fill on hand should your pillow become too flat and, therefore, not as supportive as you need it.
Coop Home Goods includes a 100-night risk-free trial with purchase, so you can take the time you need to get used to the pillow. If you decide it's not right for you, you can return it for free and receive a full refund.
The best customizable thin pillow
The Pancake Pillow adjustable layer pillow strives to meet the needs of all sleepers. If you've yet to find your ideal height, this customizable solution may be perfect for you. Each of its six layers is removable, allowing you to experiment until you find your favorite stack of 'pancakes'. This flexibility makes it one of the best pillows for neck pain on the list too.
No matter how thin you choose to go, the puff gel microfibre filling guarantees your head will have a soft place to land. If you like your thin pillow to still be fluffy and comfortable, like the best hotel pillows, this is a great option.
Overall, the Pancake Pillow can take the stress out of buying online—the retailers boast that it's impossible to accidentally buy the wrong size, as you can adjust the pillow to your preference. And unlike the Co-op Home Goods pillow above, there's a lot less mess involved, as you only have to remove layers and not actual fill.
The best memory foam thin pillow
Bluewave Bedding is a great company if you're after a flatter pillow, since they're well aware that thin pillows can often be preferred for sleepers who don't want to sleep too high up in bed. Their memory foam gel pillow is available in three loft sizes — Slim, Super Slim, and Hyper Slim.
Their thinnest option, the Ultra Slim, comes in at just two-and-a-half inches tall, but still boasts a soothing gel filling and the rounded edges of traditional pillow shapes. Not only can this design accommodate your thin-pillow needs. It's also said to help reduce snoring and back pain. Customers raved that this pillow is a great option for stomach sleepers and for those who sleep with their arms under their heads.
Bluewave has made sure to counteract the heating effects some memory foam can have by adding temperature-regulating gel particles into the material—making it cool to the touch for more comfortable sleep. one of the best memory foam pillows on this list, too.
The best thin pillow for neck pain
Orthopedic pillows are brilliant for reducing pain at night. The Nature’s Guest Adjustable Cervical Orthopedic Pillow is among the best types of pillows for those who need more support when sleeping on their side or back. The deep contour of Nature’s Guest's cervical pillow allows for a thin feel while still providing adequate back, shoulder, and neck support.
The Nature's Guest pillow is divided into three sections. The middle section is the back sleeping area, which gently cradles the neck and head. And the sides are designed to help side sleepers alleviate any neck and shoulder pain. Stomach sleepers won't find much relief with this pillow, however, despite thinner pillows being better for stomach sleepers.
As with the Pancake Pillow and the Co-op Home Goods pillow, you are put in control of your comfort here. The filling of this pillow can be tailored to your preferences in every section, allowing you to choose your ideal level of height, squish and support. The microfiber stuffing is also designed to promote healthy airflow and provide users with a more restful sleeping experience.
The best cooling thin pillow
After trying the Casper foam pillow in the middle of a heatwave we had to award it as one of the best cooling pillows. Thin in profile too, without that plush profile that your head sinks into, it's the best thin pillow that will keep the hot heads sweat-free, even during summer.
Casper is known for selling some of the best memory foam mattresses on the market, so there's no surprise their foam pillows pass the sleep test too. We've found it would suit most sleep styles, as it is thinner than most memory foam pillows for front sleepers, but it also offers enough support to keep side and back sleepers happy too. It doesn't lose its fill or shape over time either, but best of all, it sleeps cool. Need we say more?
At a reasonable price, it seems like a hard pillow to beat. But the off-gassing smell caused by synthetic fibers did put our tester, and many other customers off from sleeping on this pillow for the first few nights.
The best firm thin pillow
This SUQ I OME Slim Sleeper Pillow is thin, at a maximum of 6cm in height on one of the curved edges, but has a dip in the middle to allow your head to lie flat while you sleep. A curved pillow can reduce pressure on the neck and shoulders, and prevent you from waking up with pain in these areas.
Handily, this pillow also has a removable inner cover for easy washing and is made of memory foam, which will help to shape the pillow to your body. However, this thin pillow option doesn't have cooling properties to counteract the heating effect memory foam can have, so it may not be the right pick for those who get warm in bed.
Customers who have bought the pillow have praised its firmness and support, with many explaining that they've felt the benefit all the way from their neck down through their spine.
The best thin pillow for stomach sleepers
Blissbury works to guarantee that you'll have the perfect pillow no matter where you go. Their super-thin Stomach and Back Sleeping Pillow is also one of the best travel pillows, not just because of its size, but because it has a handy little carrying case too, and bends easily to fit into it.
This slim sleeper is just a couple of inches of gel and memory foam. The filling is equipped with small ventilation holes that help to regulate body temperature as you sleep. On top of that, its cover is made with bamboo and polyester. These natural materials help to reduce moisture and create a cool sleeping experience
However it's worth noting that this is one of the very thinnest pillows on our list, so may not be the right pick for you if you're a side sleeper or need a little more loft.
The best luxurious thin pillow
The Cozy Earth pillow is made with luxury in mind. Made of only the most premium 100% long-strand mulberry silk and shelled in eco-friendly bamboo viscose, you're guaranteed a five-star sleep experience.
Silk is naturally breathable and great for sensitive skin and unruly hair – which is why the material is popular in the making of silk pillowcases too. Having slept on the Cozy Earth pillow, we know it's particularly thin in profile due to the silk being super soft and malleable. The bamboo shell also has the benefit of being naturally temperature regulating, so every side of the pillow feels fresh. It maintains its shape, and thanks to the smooth style of silk, there's no need to re-plump or push around the filling.
Those who prefer a firmer feel may prefer dense memory foam instead. It also comes with a pretty large price tag, which is the only reason this pillow sits so far down this list, but if you have the budget, then there's nothing better to invest in than sleep. Plus this cozy earth pillow comes in a beautiful carry bag so you never have to sleep uncomfortably again, anywhere.