The short answer
The Amazon Basics Down Alternative scores 6.5 and the Utopia Bedding Gusseted 6.4. Amazon Basics wins on care and cover, 10 against 4, because you can machine wash the whole pillow, and on value, 10.0 against 9.7, at $9.37 a pillow. Utopia Bedding has the happier buyers, 8.2 against 6.8 on satisfaction, and a slightly better complaint profile, 4.7 against 4.1.
Side by side
Specs and scores
| Spec | Utopia Bedding Gusseted Bed Pillow | Amazon Basics Down Alternative Pillow |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 6.5 | 6.5 |
| Buyer satisfaction | 8.2 | 6.8 |
| Complaint profile | 4.7 | 4.1 |
| Fit range | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| Materials & proof | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| Care & cover | 4.0 | 10.0 |
| Value | 9.7 | 10.0 |
| Fill | Down alternative fiber | Down alternative fiber |
| Adjustable | No | No |
| Sizes | Queen, King, Euro, Standard | Standard, Queen, King |
| Cover | Polycotton | Polyester |
| Care | Spot clean only | Whole pillow machine washable |
| Stars | 4.5 from 80,961 | 4.3 from 12,642 |
| One or two stars | 7% | 11% |
| Per pillow | $14.95 | $9.37 |
Buyers
What buyers raise about each
Utopia Bedding Gusseted Bed Pillow
- Quality5,998 mentions: 79% positive, 21% negative
- Softness3,607 mentions: 69% positive, 31% negative
- Value for money2,274 mentions: 80% positive, 20% negative
- Appearance1,837 mentions: 97% positive, 3% negative
- Fluffiness1,366 mentions: 81% positive, 19% negative
- Support1,356 mentions: 51% positive, 49% negative
Amazon Basics Down Alternative Pillow
- Quality869 mentions: 75% positive, 25% negative
- Softness568 mentions: 62% positive, 38% negative
- Neck support181 mentions: 57% positive, 43% negative
- Fluffiness129 mentions: 66% positive, 34% negative
- Flatness123 mentions: 33% positive, 67% negative
- Sleep quality103 mentions: 84% positive, 16% negative
Utopia's pool is 80,961 ratings with 7% at one or two stars, against 12,642 and 11% for Amazon Basics. Flatness is the shared complaint: 74% negative across 1,029 Utopia mentions and 67% across 123 for Amazon Basics. Thickness draws 76 Amazon Basics mentions, 67% negative. Support splits Utopia buyers 51% to 49% across 1,356 mentions, and neck support splits Amazon Basics buyers 57% to 43% across 181.
Fill and feel
Two polyester pillows, two different shells
Utopia uses a plush fiber fill inside a polycotton cover with gusseted, piped edges, which the maker says help the pillow keep its loft. It is sold as cooling through that cotton blend. Amazon Basics fills its pillow with down alternative polyester inside a 100% polyester shell with a piped edge, offers Soft and Medium densities, and makes no cooling claim.
Both makers use the word plush for the feel. The down alternative guide covers what this kind of fill is made of.
Size and loft
Sizes and the sleepers each one names
Utopia comes in Queen, King, Euro and Standard, listed at 26 by 18 inches and 5 inches thick, and the maker names side, back and stomach sleeping. Amazon Basics comes in Standard, Queen and King at 26 by 20 inches and pitches its soft density at back and stomach sleepers only. Neither is adjustable. If you sleep face down, our stomach sleeper picks list other low pillows.
Care, price and policies
Washing, price per pillow and returns
Amazon Basics says the whole pillow is machine washable. Utopia's label says spot clean only, which accounts for the whole difference in their care scores.
A Utopia Queen pair costs $29.89, or $14.95 a pillow, and a Queen four-pack works out to $8.97. Amazon Basics pairs run $20.99 to $23.81, or $9.37 a pillow for the Standard Soft pair. Neither offers a sleep trial or publishes a warranty. Utopia accepts new, unopened pillows within 30 days on direct purchases, and Amazon Basics follows a standard policy of 30 days from delivery for most items in original or unused condition.
Pick the Gusseted Bed Pillow if
- you want a larger buyer pool with fewer low ratings
- you need a Euro size or a four-pack at $8.97 a pillow
- you sleep on your side, which Utopia names and Amazon Basics does not
Pick the Down Alternative Pillow if
- you want to machine wash the whole pillow
- you want to choose between Soft and Medium density
- you want the lower price per pillow in a pair
Questions
Questions buyers ask
Can you machine wash Utopia Bedding and Amazon Basics pillows?
Amazon Basics says the whole pillow goes in the machine. Utopia Bedding's label says spot clean only, so plan on a washable protector if you want something you can launder over it.
Do Utopia Bedding and Amazon Basics pillows go flat on you?
Both draw flatness complaints: 74% negative across 1,029 Utopia Bedding mentions and 67% across 123 for Amazon Basics. Neither is adjustable, so you cannot add fill when it compresses.
Which suits you better as a side sleeper, Utopia Bedding or Amazon Basics?
Utopia Bedding names side sleeping for its gusseted pillow. Amazon Basics pitches its soft density at back and stomach sleepers, and buyers raise thickness 76 times, 67% of them negatively.
