A pillow top is a surface layer of soft material that is stitched and packed into the cover. This provides a soft as a cloud feel to the surface of the mattress.
There are multiple types of pillow tops, though the most popular recently is a memory foam pillow top. A memory foam pillow top has a thin layer of soft memory foam that is stitched into the cover. Though memory foam is a popular material for pillow tops, you can also find them with latex, cotton, cashmere, wool, or goose down/feathers.
Pillow top mattresses generally have spring support systems in the middle of the mattress, though there could be a pillow top on a memory foam mattress as well (it is just not very common).
Pros: A plush feel on the top of the mattress that pillows the body on top of the support layers.
Cons: The pillow top alone will not make a good bed -- the materials used in the pillow top and the rest of the mattress can sag or have issues if they are lower quality.
Polyurethane foam is a blanket term that includes any foam that is synthesized using polyol and diisocyanate. These include but are not limited to: memory foam, high resilience foam, and high density foam. Since polyurethane foam can contain additives, a manufacturer that comes up with a new formula can name the new foam whatever they like.
Many memory foam mattresses are a combination of polyurethane foams, layered from dense on the bottom to less dense on the surface layers.
Polyurethane is a synthetic blend of organic compounds and has a tendency to off-gas. If you are susceptible to lung issues, please do additional research on the quality of foams before purchasing.
Pros: Many different types of foams exist under the polyurethane umbrella -- some are excellent for bedding and offer different firmness varieties!
Cons: Off-gassing and durability problems with lower quality foams.
Overall Score:
Pillow Top: 8.9/10
Polyurethane Foam: 9.4/10
Comfort:
Pillow Top: 9/10
Polyurethane Foam: 9.4/10
Softness:
Pillow Top: 9.4/10
Polyurethane Foam: 9.5/10
Cooling:
Pillow Top: 8.2/10
Polyurethane Foam: 8/10
Hypoallergenic:
Pillow Top: 8.2/10
Polyurethane Foam: 8/10
Odor:
Pillow Top: 8.2/10
Polyurethane Foam: 8/10
General Support:
Pillow Top: 8.3/10
Polyurethane Foam: 9.5/10
Eco-Conscious:
Pillow Top: 8.5/10
Polyurethane Foam: 8.5/10
Price Value:
Pillow Top: 8.3/10
Polyurethane Foam: 9.5/10
Mattress & furniture shopping is an oftentimes tedious and mundane task. This site's sole purpose is to help you make the decision faster and with more peace of mind. We sincerely hope that whatever your interaction with this site, that it is helpful and timely for you, and that the product information here guides you to the best outcome for your daily life. May all benefit! The reviews here are aggregated from other sources across the Internet and although we have tried only to find trustworthy reviews, the content and scores here may be subject to manipulation by agents acting on behalf of manufacturers and marketers. Like all things you read on the Internet, understand there is no better judge than yourself. When it comes to your own comfort, your own body is the only North Star. Where Slumber Search discusses medical ailments, we strive to ensure the information on this site is accurate, current and useful, however, we do not warrant the accuracy or completeness of any information related to medicine. We are not doctors -- if you have a medical condition, please consult your doctor.
The makers of Slumber Search also make affiliate commissions from some of these manufacturers to keep the site running. There is NO additional price markup for using this site or on links from this site and any commissions made by Slumber Search come out of the brand's profit margin. See how it all works here.
*All metrics regarding customer sentiment are based on aggregated public review content, including reviews that have been submitted to this site and elsewhere that have been evaluated by our data science team. While we strive to provide useful metrics for the benefit of shoppers, we cannot certify their accuracy at any given time due to potentially incomplete and inaccurate data sources.
SLUMBER SEARCH
