7 Best Down Pillows (original) (raw)

The 7 Very Best Down Pillows

If you like your pillows soft and fluffy, down is the way to go.

By ,the Strategist’s sleep writer, covering mattresses, pillows, and more. She has been writing about sleep products since 2021, previously as a staff writer for Sleepopolis.

Photo: Marcus McDonald

Best overall
Best for neck support
Best all-goose down
Best feather-and-down hybrid
Best for side sleepers

Down is, of course, the most classic pillow fill, known for its plush, “luxury hotel” feel. While sleeping on a down pillow sounds wonderful — what could be better than resting your head on an airy mound of fluffy feathers? — there are some key factors to consider when buying one, most notably firmness and your preferred sleep position.

Because down is a much softer material than memory foam or even some down-alternative fiber fills, it tends to compress a lot beneath the weight of your head and neck. I’ve tested dozens of pillows, and while I love the cushiony feel of down, it doesn’t always provide enough neck support for a back and side sleeper like me. So it’s important to make sure your down pillow isn’t too soft relative to how you usually sleep. But on the flip side, the soft compression of down can be great for stomach sleepers, who need a softer pillow that won’t push their head and neck up too high.

Down pillows can also get pretty expensive, running anywhere from 50toover50 to over 50toover300, depending on the percentage of down fill versus other materials, the size and firmness of the pillow (more fill equals a higher price tag), and whether or not the down is ethically sourced. To write this guide to the best down pillows, I sought out a mix of options that could provide the right combination of plushness and support at a reasonable price. I’ve also tested many of the pillows myself, paying close attention to how soft or firm they feel and how much they support my head as I move around.

If you want the feel of down without the higher price or animal product, take a look at my list of the best down-alternative pillows. Or if you’re looking for other types of pillows or want a pillow with a lot of neck support, we also have guides to the best pillows of all types and the best pillows for neck pain.

Updated on November 20, 2025
We still stand by these down pillows as our favorite picks, and all have been updated with the latest availability and pricing.

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Pillows filled with other materials like memory foam, poly fiber, and latex have generalized measurements to determine their loft, a.k.a. the height or thickness of the pillow (whenever a brand provides a loft measurement, it’s usually the distance, in inches, from the top of the pillow to the top of your mattress). For down pillows, the fill power correlates to the loft of the pillow, and you can use the fill power to judge the quality of the pillow. Manufacturers come up with the fill-power number by measuring the cubic inches of loft that one ounce of down fill produces. Basically, the higher the fill-power number, the loftier the pillow will be — with a higher price tag to match. The standard fill power is around 500 to 600. Above that fill power, you are entering deluxe pillow territory.

Many pillows are filled exclusively with goose down or duck down, and the main difference between the two is that goose down has higher fill power. Goose-down pillows tend to be loftier and hold their voluminous shape for longer, while duck-down pillows are on the denser, thinner side (though still soft). That makes duck-down pillows best for stomach and back sleepers since that position can be tough on your neck, explains Dr. Janet Kennedy, clinical psychologist and founder of NYC Sleep Doctor. Because goose-down is fluffier and has a greater fill power, goose-down pillows are more expensive than duck-down pillows.

You’ll notice that a few of the pillows below contain a blend of duck or goose feathers and down material, while some are filled with only down material. What your down pillow is filled with will affect the price as well as the overall feel and support of the pillow. Pillows that are 100 percent down cost more and feel particularly lush and soft. When feathers are mixed in, the pillow price and firmness can vary, making them a good choice for those who want a more affordable or more supportive option.

The fill ratio provides a more specific breakdown of the fill composition, giving you an idea of how soft or firm a pillow may be. Some pillows on our list have a 95-to-5 down-to-feather ratio, meaning they are mostly filled with fluffy down. Others have a 60-to-40 feather-to-down ratio, meaning the pillow is on the firmer side and the fluff adds a smaller amount of loft and cushion.

Ideally, any company making down products will adhere to the Responsible Down Standard, which aims to “ensure to the highest possible extent that down and feathers do not come from animals in a supply chain that have been subjected to any unnecessary harm,” or the International Down Standard, which aims to “verify that down and feather products are ethically sourced” and has fixed requirements around each link in the supply chain (including traceability, no live plucking, and no force-feeding, with minimum standards for animal and human welfare). Brands and products that meet these standards can display the RDS or IDS seal, respectively.

Another strong certification to look for is the Global Traceable Down Standard, which ensures that animals have access to the Five Freedoms of animal welfare. Outside these three, there are other certifications you might see on down products that focus more on authenticity and may have limited ethical requirements.

Unlike memory-foam pillows that aren’t usually washing-machine friendly, down pillows are sometimes okay to toss in the washer and dryer. I’ve listed the care instructions for each pillow below.

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Fill power: 750 | Fill ratio and type: 85-to-15 percent European white duck down to down and down and feather fibers | Care instructions: Machine washable | Certifications: RDS certified

Yes, $160 (and up, depending on which firmness level and size you buy) is a lot to spend on a pillow, but the Parachute Down Pillow is worth it. To get a little in the weeds: It’s filled with a mix of European duck and goose down with a fill power of 750 and a fill ratio of 85 percent down to 15 percent down and feather fibers. That high ratio of down to feathers, as well as the higher fill power, makes it extra plush, light, and airy. The sateen-cotton cover is smooth and breathable, and the double-stitched piping along the edges gives it an extra layer of durability. Plus the pillow is RDS-certified, meaning its feathers were plucked ethically. It really is a good deal for what it is, considering how expensive down pillows can get.

The pillow comes in three firmness levels (soft, medium, and firm) and two sizes (standard and king). Strategist writer Brenley Goertzen and I both tested the medium version and liked that while it provided head and neck support, it still felt super-plush. It’s easy for a compressive material like down to be lacking in support, but the Parachute pillow is stuffed densely enough that it kept my head and neck from sinking in too deep. I would mostly recommend the medium model to back sleepers, as I found the pillow a little lacking in support while lying on my side — the firm model (or Parachute’s side-sleeper-specific down pillow, below) will likely work better for side sleepers. Stomach sleepers might prefer the soft model to ensure their necks aren’t pushed upward and out of alignment. The pillow can be dry-cleaned or machine-washed on a delicate setting and tumble-dried on low with wool dryer balls to help it retain its shape.

The Parachute Down pillow is plush yet supportive.Photo: Amelia Jerden

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Fill power: 650 | Fill ratio and type: 75 percent duck down clusters and 25 percent feathers | Care instructions: Spot clean only | Certifications: RDS and Downmark certified

If you can’t justify spending $160 on a pillow, Avocado’s down pillow is a bit more affordable — though there’s really no such thing as a “cheap” down pillow, unless the pillow has a higher percentage of feathers than down. Avocado’s pillow has more feathers and less down than my top pick from Parachute, but down still makes up the majority of the fill. That gives it the plush, cushy feel that I’m looking for from a down pillow, at a slightly cheaper price. Like my top pick, the Avocado Down pillow comes in three firmness levels (soft, medium, and firm) and two sizes (standard and king). I tried the medium firmness level, which felt a bit less stuffed than the Parachute, so I’d say it’s a little more soft than medium. I think it’s also a bit less supportive than my top-pick Parachute pillow, above, or my top neck-support picks from Brooklinen and Boll & Branch, below, but overall I was quite comfortable sleeping on it. The medium firmness offered decent neck support for back sleeping (especially if I scrunched the pillow up a bit), but I think it would be too soft for most side sleepers. Stomach sleepers can likely go for either the medium or soft version, depending on personal preference.

If money’s no object, I still prefer the Parachute down pillow because it has a higher percentage of down and a higher fill power, and because it is machine washable, while Avocado’s is spot-clean only. But for the price, the Avocado packs a lot of punch — especially considering it has a 100 percent cotton cover (like the Parachute) and uses responsibly sourced down.

[Editor’s note: Avocado’s down pillow is sold out in all sizes. We’re exploring alternative affordable down pillows to take its spot.]

While slightly softer and squishier than the Parachute down pillow, the Avocado still offers good support.Photo: Amelia Jerden

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Fill power: 600 | Fill ratio and type: 100 percent down clusters for plush; 30-to-70 percent down to feathers for mid-plush; 14-to-86 percent down to feathers for firm | Care instructions: Spot clean recommended, dry clean if needed | Certifications: Downmark certified

Brooklinen’s Down pillow comes in three firmness options — plush, mid-plush, and firm. The plush version is filled solely with down clusters for the ultimate soft and cushiony feel, while the mid-plush and firm versions have a denser, firmer core of feathers at the center of the pillow, surrounded by down.

I tested the mid-plush model and was impressed with how the cushy down enveloped my head and neck, while the feather core provided some neck support. As a back-side combination sleeper, I felt it provided enough neck support when I was lying on my back, but I could have used a firmer feel on my side; the firm option might be better for side sleepers. If you love plush and squishy hotel pillows but wish they had a smidge more neck support, the Brooklinen Down could be a match for you.

Brooklinen’s pillow has the Downmark certification — this is a Canadian quality-assurance certification. Downmark does enforce certain ethical standards, such as forbidding live plucking and down from ducks raised for foie gras. However, Downmark’s stated purpose is to ensure quality and certify genuine down; it is not an ethics-focused certification, first and foremost.

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Fill power: 650 to 700 | Fill ratio and type: Ratio not listed, farm-raised duck-down and feathers | Care instructions: Machine washable | Certifications: IDS certified

Filled with triple-washed, farm-raised duck down and feathers, the Boll & Branch down pillow is not only a comfortable and well-priced pillow, it stands out for its transparent and ethical down sourcing. Similar to the Brooklinen Down pillow, Boll & Branch’s comes in three firmness options — soft, medium, and firm — with a varied down-to-feather ratio. The soft version is only filled with down, while the medium and firm versions have feathers in a middle chamber and down in the outer chambers, to create a firmer feel and provide more support while still feeling plush.

I tested the medium version of the Boll & Branch Down Chamber pillow and had a similar experience as with the mid-plush Brooklinen Down pillow. The Boll & Branch pillow has the plush, cloudlike feel that down is known for, but I liked how I still got some neck support from the feather core. I also found this pillow worked well for back sleeping — it provided the right level of support to keep my neck neutral. I think the soft and firm versions would be better for stomach and side sleepers, respectively.

The Brooklinen pillow above has a slightly more affordable price point. However, it is worth noting that the Boll & Branch pillow has an IDS certification, which is a high certification for ethical standards, versus Brooklinen’s Downmark certification, which focuses more on quality assurance. The experience of sleeping on these two pillows is pretty similar, so the prices and certifications are the main difference between them.

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Fill power: 650 | Fill ratio and type: 80-to-20 percent European white goose down to feathers | Care instructions: Machine washable | Certifications: RDS certified

Goose-down clusters tend to be fluffier and loftier than duck-down clusters, making goose down the more luxurious (and expensive) pillow-fill type. These down pillows by Kassatex are exceptionally lofty, making them a solid choice for back and side sleepers, who need more height in a pillow to keep their head aligned with their neck and spine. Featuring a fill power of 650 with European white goose down, these fluffy pillows are encased in a 350-thread-count cotton shell. They are machine washable and dryer-friendly, and you can choose from three density levels (firm, medium, and soft) and two sizes (king and standard).

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Fill power: 550 | Fill ratio and type: 5-to-95 down to feather inner core with 100 percent down outer layers | Care instructions: Not listed | Certifications: RDS certified

One hundred percent down pillows can be too soft for some people. This Helix down-and-feather blend pillow has some extra firmness and support thanks to a core filled with a sturdier down-and-feather blend, giving it a high loft of six to eight inches. It has a three-chamber construction, similar to the Brooklinen and Boll & Branch pillows above (which use a feather core for their medium and firm densities); the center chamber has a supportive 95-to-5 percent down-to-feather ratio, while the two outermost chambers are filled with 100 percent down. It comes in two sizes, standard and king.

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Fill power: 750 | Fill ratio and type: 85-to-15 percent European white down clusters to down and feather fibers | Care instructions: Machine washable | Certifications: RDS certified

Intentionally designed for side sleepers, this version of the Parachute down pillow has a 3.5-inch gusset with reinforced piping for more structure. Filled with an 85-to-15 percent ratio of European white-goose and duck-down clusters to down and feather fibers, the pillow’s feel is light and airy, though it is generously stuffed.

When Miles slept on this pillow, the wider-than-usual gusset was a standout feature. Instead of compressing under the weight of her head, the pillow kept its lofty, boxy shape; this made the pillow more supportive for side sleeping than she expected. Throughout the night, she found her head didn’t sink in very much, so she didn’t have to mold or reshape the pillow to get enough support.

Unlike the standard Parachute down pillow, this one isn’t available in different densities and since it is quite lofty, I’d opt for our top-pick standard version if you sleep mostly on your back or stomach.

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• Dr. Dennis Colonello, chiropractor at Peak Wellness
• Brenley Goertzen, Strategist writer
• Dr. Janet Kennedy, clinical psychologist and founder of NYC Sleep Doctor
• Latifah Miles, former Strategist writer
• JD Velilla, founder of Designing Sleep and former head of sleep experience for Tuft & Needle

Additional reporting by Latifah Miles and Brenley Goertzen.

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