Purple Cloud Pillow Review

Purple is not only a delightful color, but the name of a mattress and bedding brand behind some of the most interesting and high-tech sleep products out there. If you’ve heard of Purple, you’ve probably seen their Purple mattress, with its hyper-elastic polymer grid that gives the sleeper a floating sensation. But today, we’ll be talking about another offering from Purple: the Purple Cloud pillow.

The Purple Cloud is a down-alternative pillow that comes at a super affordable price. Could the Purple Cloud be the perfect pillow for you? You’ll just have to keep reading to find out!

Just want the highlights? Skip to the end for my review summary.

Purple Cloud Pillow

The Purple Cloud pillow is a down alternative pillow filled with gel fibers coated in silicone.

Sleepopolis Score

4.10 / 5

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Is Purple Cloud a Good Pillow for You? 

Pillows are rarely “one size fits all” — every person has different needs from their pillow based on sleeping position, size, and personal preferences. So here’s a quick rundown of who I do and don’t recommend the Purple Cloud for.

Who should try the Purple Cloud pillow

• If you’re a side sleeper, the Purple Cloud is a fantastic option for you. It should do an excellent job maintaining your spinal alignment as you slumber on your side.
• If you have allergies, or just really value a clean pillow, I think you’ll appreciate that the entire Purple Cloud pillow is machine washable. It’s also made with hypoallergenic materials that’ll help prevent irritation.
• If you’re a budget shopper, I think the Purple Cloud’s price will appeal to you. It is one of the more affordable luxury pillows I’ve reviewed and it’s the least expensive option from Purple!

Who should not try the Purple Cloud pillow

• If you’re a stomach sleeper, I would not recommend the Purple Cloud. The loft is way too high to maintain spinal alignment while lying on your stomach.
• If you like a traditional down feel, you might not like the down alternative used in the Purple Cloud. It’s not quite as soft and malleable as real down.
• If you’re interested in a Purple grid pillow, then the Purple Cloud isn’t probably the best option for you. While this pillow does use some interesting materials, it doesn’t utilize any of the Purple grid technology in the mattresses.

What Does the Purple Cloud Pillow Feel Like? 

Feel is one of the most important aspects of a pillow. After all, if you don’t like how your pillow feels and if it’s not maintaining your spinal alignment, you aren’t going to want to sleep on it night after night. I personally tested this pillow, so I’ll give you an idea of what it feels like, but keep in mind that feel is subjective, so you may have a different experience than I did.

Purple Cloud Pillow Firmness

When considering firmness, the key is to keep your sleeping position in mind. In order to maintain spinal alignment, side sleepers should aim for a firmer feel, back sleepers should aim for a medium feel, and stomach sleepers should aim for a softer feel. There’s some room for variation here based on personal preference — for example, I tend to like my pillow’s loft a little lower than average, even though I’m a back sleeper.

Overall, I thought that the Purple Cloud had a medium firmness. It’s soft enough for your head to sink into the pillow quite a bit, but you won’t sink completely through. This is where the difference between a traditional down pillow and the down alternative really shows up. The gel fibers used in the Purple Cloud keep your head and neck elevated just a bit.

Purple Cloud Pillow Loft

The other big factor in a pillow’s feel is the loft, or the height of the pillow. Again, each sleeping position has a rule of thumb: side sleepers should go for a higher loft, back sleepers need a medium loft, and stomach sleepers do best with a low loft.  The Purple Cloud’s loft is six inches, which is on the higher side.

Now let’s go over my experience with the Purple Cloud in different positions.

Side — While side sleepers generally do best with a firmer feel, I think the medium firmness and high loft of the Purple Cloud work great for lying on your side. I found this to be the most comfortable position while trying out the Purple Cloud — my head and neck felt supported and in alignment with my spine, and I loved the soft contouring.

Back — Now for back sleepers, the firmness is right with the Purple Cloud, but I think the loft is too high. Some folks with larger frames than me may like this higher loft, but for most back sleepers, I think this higher loft could cause some neck craning. 

Stomach — The Purple Cloud is not a great pick for stomach sleepers. The loft is way too high to comfortably lie on your stomach. I immediately felt my neck craning when I tested the Purple Cloud stomach-sleeping-style and overall, it was pretty uncomfortable.

Under the Arm — I think the Purple Cloud is a solid choice to sleep with under your arm, as it’s squishy and puffy enough to hug cozily. 

Between the Legs — I don’t think the Purple Cloud is the best choice for sleeping with between your legs, as the loft is quite high. Too high of a loft could put your hips out of alignment.

What is the Purple Cloud Pillow Made Of? 

So what is this pillow made of? Let’s take a look. 

First, I’ll note that the Purple Cloud comes in a standard size and king size — I tested the standard for this review. Additionally, the Purple Cloud’s materials are CleanAir GOLD certified to be nontoxic.

Cover: The Purple Cloud’s cover is made from 100 percent cotton with a 300-thread count. The cotton used is certified by the Better Cotton Initiative, an international organization that seeks to improve quality, sustainability, and working conditions for cotton production.

Fill: The fill in this pillow is 100 percent gel fiber, which is a synthetic fabric that mimics the feeling of down. Each of the gel fibers are coated with silicone, which Purple says prevents the pillow from going flat or requiring constant fluffing, as well as making the fill hypoallergenic.

Is the Purple Cloud Pillow Good for Hot Sleepers?

If you tend to run hot at night, you want to be sure your pillow isn’t contributing to overheating. I think the Purple Cloud is going to be a decent option for hot sleepers, as the gel fiber fill should keep things airflow-friendly. The cotton cover is also breathable, which will keep hot air from being trapped. 

When I was testing the Purple Cloud, I didn’t notice it sleeping exceptionally cool, like some of our best cooling pillows, but I also didn’t notice it trapping any heat. Overall, I’d say the Purple Cloud is a good temperature neutral choice.

To keep things extra cool, take a look at our best cooling sheets, best cooling mattress toppers, and our best cooling blankets.

Purple Cloud Pillow Sizes and Prices 

Curious how much the Purple Cloud pillow costs? Here are the prices, broken down by size. 

Prices listed will be before discount or offer for each size, but be sure to use our Purple coupon to get the best price.

Purple Cloud Pillow

The Purple Cloud pillow is a down alternative pillow filled with gel fibers coated in silicone.

Sleepopolis Score

4.10 / 5

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My Final Thoughts About the Purple Cloud Pillow

After testing out the Purple Cloud, I think it’s a fantastic pillow for side sleepers. The higher loft is great for keeping side sleepers’ head and neck aligned with their spine. And even though it’s soft enough for you to sink into the pillow, the silicone-coated gel fibers keep you elevated and prevent the pillow from going flat, providing lots of neck support — which is key for preventing neck pain in side sleepers.

I also love that the Purple Cloud pillow is entirely machine washable. Purple even says that washing your Purple Cloud is a great way to fluff it. Combine machine washability with hypoallergenic materials and the Purple Cloud is also a great choice for people with allergies.

However, I didn’t love the Purple Cloud for back sleeping and I certainly don’t recommend it for stomach sleepers. If you’re looking for a better option, I’d take a peek at our best pillows for back sleepers and our best pillows for stomach sleepers.

Purple Cloud Pillow Policies and FAQs

Purple Cloud Pillow

The Purple Cloud pillow is a down alternative pillow filled with gel fibers coated in silicone.

Sleepopolis Score

4.10 / 5

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Purple Cloud Pillow Vs

We’ve covered a lot about the Purple Cloud, so let’s compare it to some other pillows. Here, I’ll put the Purple Cloud head-to-head with two other pillows from Purple, as well as a pillow from competitor brand Tempur-Pedic.

Purple Cloud Pillow vs Purple Pillow

• The Purple pillow couldn’t be more different from the Purple Cloud, even though they come from the same brand. Purple’s original pillow is made from the Purple grid, a hyper-elastic polymer used in many Purple products. Its unique construction offers a blend of pressure relief and support.
• The pillow cover is a breathable mesh fabric and the pillow also comes with adjustable boosters, which are foam inserts that you can add or remove to change the loft.
• The Purple pillow also sleeps really cool, thanks to the Purple grid, which allows for lots of airflow. 
• Read our Purple pillow review to learn more.

Purple Pillow

Built with contouring hyper-elastic polymer, the Purple pillow is fantastic for those in need of pressure relief.

Sleepopolis Score

3.80 / 5

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Purple Cloud Pillow vs Purple Harmony Pillow

• The Purple Harmony pillow is another option from Purple, which combines Purple grid technology with a Talalay latex core to make a super bouncy and responsive pillow that still allows for lots of contouring.
• The Purple Harmony pillow comes in three different lofts and is a fantastic choice for both back and side sleepers.
• I also love the Purple Harmony for hot sleeper. It’s great at staying cool to the touch, even through a pillowcase.
• Want to learn more? Read our full Purple Harmony pillow review.

Purple Harmony™ Pillow

The Purple Harmony is great for back and side sleepers and is extremely breathable to help you sleep cool through the night!

Sleepopolis Score

4.40 / 5

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Purple Cloud Pillow vs Tempur-Pedic TEMPUR-Cloud Pillow

• The TEMPUR-Cloud pillow is a memory foam pillow, made with Tempur-Pedic’s proprietary TEMPUR material. 
• It features a hypoallergenic cover that’s also removable and machine washable. 
• The TEMPUR-Cloud is also a great choice for back sleepers.
• Curious about this pillow? Check out our full TEMPUR-Cloud pillow review.

TEMPUR-Cloud Pillow

The TEMPUR-Cloud is a super adaptive memory foam pillow that can work for every sleeping position.

Sleepopolis Score

4.50 / 5

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Other Products from Purple

• Purple Harmony pillow review
• Purple pillow review
• Purple SoftStretch sheets review
• Purple mattress protector review
• Purple mattress review
• Purple Hybrid mattress review

Finally, here are my star ratings for the Purple Cloud pillow. 

Amelia Jerden

Amelia is a Senior Staff Writer for Sleepopolis. She primarily covers bedding and sleep accessory products in reviews, how-to guides, and more. You can also find her over on the Sleepopolis YouTube channel. Amelia is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with double majors in media and journalism and in dramatic art. Outside of work, Amelia can usually be found on a hike, traveling to a new city, or at her local thrift store.