Mattresses today can have a number of different covers types, with two of the most popular options being a Euro top or pillow top. These types of top layers produce mattresses with excellent pressure relief and comfort.
Euro top and pillow tops look similar, and some brands do blur the line between these two types of tops.
This guide is going to highlight the differences between Euro Top vs. Pillow Top, the mattresses that use them, and how these cover types compare with our objective and data-driven performance tests.
So with that in mind, let’s get started.
In This Guide
What is a Pillow Top Mattress? | What is a Euro Top Mattress? | The Gray Area | Best Euro Top & Pillow Top Mattresses | How They Compare | FAQ
What is a Pillow Top?
A pillow top uses plusher materials at the top of the mattress. These softer materials are then sewn as a separate layer on the mattress, visually distinguishing it from the rest of the mattress.
This design can provide added softness and a more luxurious feel. Disadvantages could include worse edge support and/or limited durability. Pillow top mattresses generally last 5-7 years, though their are exceptions.
For this reason, traditional pillow tops are becoming less common, with many manufacturers and consumers now utilizing the more durable euro top.
What is a Euro Top?
A Euro top has a similar pressure relieving, cushy feel as a pillow top, but instead of looking like a separate layer, a Euro top is sewn flush with the rest of the mattress. The comfort material is directly upholstered within this cover.
Mattresses with euro tops generally provide better edge support as well as better durability. Most euro top mattresses can be expected to last 8-10 years.
The Gray Area
Many mattresses call themselves “pillow top”, but in reality, they are Euro top mattresses.
Generally speaking, traditional pillow top mattresses tend to be less common than Euro top mattresses, but the term “pillow top” remains widely used.
To further add to the confusion many brands have adopted the term “Euro style pillow top” or “Euro pillow top” including mattresses like the Saatva Classic and Winkbed Original. In this new modified term, a Euro top is simply a type of pillow top.
One of the only traditional pillow top mattresses that we’ve tested to date is the DreamCloud Premier Rest.
This mattress has an overall score of 8.80 out of 10 and struggled with many of the same pitfalls common to traditional pillow top mattresses (ie: edge support, cooling, response time)
Best Euro Top & Pillow Top Mattresses
We’ve tested over 170+ mattresses and dozens of them could be classified as a Euro top or pillow top mattress. The line between these two types of cover becomes a bit of a gray area as the differences between them are subtle.
That being said, the overall look and materials remain the same. The table below features our top 8 Euro top mattresses.
#1 BEST EURO TOP
Winkbed
9.82
Price: $1,499
Firmness: Soft (4), Medium-Firm (6), Slightly Firm (7)
#1 BEST EURO TOP
Saatva Classic
9.74
Price: $1,695
Firmness: Soft (3.5), Medium (5.5), Firm (8)
Poly Foam Hybrid
Diamond Flurry Lux
9.32
Price: $1,899
Firmness: Soft (4) or Medium-Firm (6)
Poly Foam Hybrid
Helix Midnight Elite
9.21
Price: $2,999
Firmness: Medium (5.5)
Poly Foam Hybrid
Nolah Evolution 15
9.28
Price: $1,674
Firmness: Soft (4), Medium (5.5), or Firm (8)
LATEX Hybrid
Saatva Latex Hybrid
9.48
Price: $1,895
Firmness: Medium-Firm (6.5)
Poly Foam Hybrid
Nest Bedding Sparrow
9.20
Price: $2,132
Firmness: Plush (3.5), Medium (5), Firm (8)
Memory Foam Hybrid
Helix Midnight Luxe
9.32
Price: $1,899
Firmness: Medium-Firm (6)
How Euro Top vs. Pillow Top Compares
Looking specifically at these top 8 Euro top mattresses, let’s see how they compare to other mattresses we’ve tested. Are Euro Top or Pillow Top mattresses better than other mattresses?
The Takeaway
- Cooling: Despite having thicker top layers, high-quality Euro top mattresses still have better cooling performance than average.
- Sinkage: Euro pillow top mattresses typically have deeper levels of sinkage than the average.
- Motion Transfer: The thicker top layers can positively affect motion transfer, with 75% of our top Euro top mattresses having less motion transfer than average.
- Response Time: Material response time is not negatively affected by a Euro top cover. In our tests, these mattresses performed faster than average.
- Bounce: In our tests, we saw no correlation between bounce levels on Euro top mattresses specifically. There are Euro top mattresses with a wide range of bounce height, from low to extremely high.
- Sex: High-quality Euro top mattresses can generate higher than average sex performance, compared to other mattress types with thinner covers.
- Pressure Relief: Mattresses with thicker comfort layers tend to produce better pressure relief. For this reason, top-performing Euro top mattresses offered better performance in this category compared to thinner mattresses.
- Off-Gassing: Off-gassing does not have a strong correlation to mattresses with Euro tops. Whether or not a mattress is compressed, as well as material quality, are better indicators of good performance in this category. (IE: Uncompressed mattresses have less off-gassing odors than boxed mattresses that ship compressed).
Cooling
The average cooling score across all mattresses tested to date is 8.7. Based on this data, these 8 Euro top mattresses score above average.
The table below details the cooling data of the featured Euro top mattresses.
| Cooling Test | Score | Baseline | Max Temp | Ending Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diamond Flurry Lux | 10 | 80.3° | 88.7° | -7.0° |
| Helix Midnight Elite | 10 | 80.1° | 91.3° | -7.3° |
| Helix Midnight Luxe | 9.0 | 83.8° | 91.0° | -4.4° |
| Nest Bedding Sparrow | 9.0 | 81.1° | 90.6° | -7.0° |
| Nolah Evolution 15 | 10 | 81.0° | 88.6° | -4.3° |
| Saatva Classic | 10 | 81.4° | 94.0° | -3.9° |
| Saatva Latex Hybrid | 9.0 | 77.9° | 91.0° | -8.4° |
| Winkbed | 10 | 84.0° | 90.3° | -2.7° |
Sinkage
The average level of sinkage is 2.16″, based on all of our tests to date. Comparing this data, Euro pillow top mattresses have deeper sinkage than average.
The only Euro pillow top mattress featured below that had noticeably less sinkage than average is the Saatva Latex Hybrid.
Saatva Latex Hybrid
Least Sinkage
Nest Bedding Sparrow
Most Sinkage
The table below details the exact sinkage levels of the featured Euro pillow top mattresses.
| Sinkage Test | Sinkage Depth | Max Sinkage |
|---|---|---|
| Diamond Flurry Lux | Deep | 2.38″ |
| Helix Midnight Elite | Very Deep | 2.64″ |
| Helix Midnight Luxe | Moderate | 2.15″ |
| Nest Bedding Sparrow | Very Deep | 2.70″ |
| Nolah Evolution 15 | Deep | 2.48″ |
| Saatva Classic | Deep | 2.40″ |
| Saatva Latex Hybrid | Minimal | 1.85″ |
| Winkbed | Deep | 2.38″ |
Motion Transfer
The average level of motion transfer is 8.64 m/s², across all mattresses tested to date. Based on this data, we measured less motion transfer on Euro pillow top mattresses, with a few outlying exceptions.
Among our top 8 mattresses, six mattresses had less motion transfer than average. Only two mattresses had greater motion transfer than average (Helix Midnight Elite and Nolah Evolution 15).
Saatva Latex Hybrid
Least Motion Transfer
Nest Bedding Sparrow
Most Motion Transfer
The softer materials and plush contour of Euro top mattresses do a nice job of absorbing energy and limiting motion transfer.
The table below details the exact motion transfer levels of the featured Euro top mattresses.
| Motion Transfer Test | Score | Acc. Range |
|---|---|---|
| Diamond Flurry Lux | 10 | 5.08 m/s² |
| Helix Midnight Elite | 7.7 | 10.21 m/s² |
| Helix Midnight Luxe | 10 | 4.03 m/s² |
| Nest Bedding Sparrow | 9.0 | 7.12 m/s² |
| Nolah Evolution 15 | 7.3 | 11.10 m/s² |
| Saatva Classic | 9.6 | 5.86 m/s² |
| Saatva Latex Hybrid | 10 | 3.13 m/s² |
| Winkbed | 9.6 | 5.85 m/s² |
Response Time
The average response time across all mattresses is 0.41 seconds to be mostly recovered and 0.89 seconds for full recovery.
Winkbed Original
Fastest Response Time
Helix Midnight Elite
Slowest Response Time
Using these numbers we saw faster-than-average recovery from Euro top mattresses (an average of 0.28 seconds for mostly recovered and 0.64 seconds for full recovery).
The table below details the exact material response times of the featured Euro pillow top mattresses.
| Response Test | Score | Mostly Recovered | Completely Recovered |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diamond Flurry Lux | 9.0 | 0.3 seconds | 1.0 seconds |
| Helix Midnight Elite | 9.0 | 0.3 seconds | 1.0 seconds |
| Helix Midnight Luxe | 9.5 | 0.3 seconds | 0.4 seconds |
| Nest Bedding Sparrow | 9.3 | 0.3 seconds | 0.6 seconds |
| Nolah Evolution 15 | 9.6 | 0.2 seconds | 0.7 seconds |
| Saatva Classic | 8.7 | 0.4 seconds | 0.8 seconds |
| Saatva Latex Hybrid | 10 | 0.2 seconds | 0.3 seconds |
| Winkbed | 10 | 0.2 seconds | 0.3 seconds |
Bounce
The average level of mattress bounce is 9.65″, considering all types of mattresses.
Specifically looking at Euro top mattresses, we see slightly higher levels of bounce, with an average bounce level of 9.84″.
That being said, we see a limited correlation between Euro pillow tops and bounce levels.
There are Euro pillow top mattresses with low bounce like the Helix Midnight Luxe or Helix Midnight Elite, both below average.
And there are also Euro pillow top mattresses with high levels of bounce, like the Saatva Classic, Nest Bedding Sparrow, or Saatva Latex Hybrid, all of which had significantly higher levels of bounce than average.
Helix Midnight Luxe
Least Bounce
Saatva Classic
Most Bounce
The table below details the exact bounce levels of the featured Euro pillow top mattresses.
| Bounce Test | Bounce Height | Bounce Range |
|---|---|---|
| Diamond Flurry Lux | Moderate | 8.41″ |
| Helix Midnight Elite | Moderate | 8.08″ |
| Helix Midnight Luxe | Low | 7.47″ |
| Nest Bedding Sparrow | High | 10.64″ |
| Nolah Evolution 15 | Moderate | 8.72″ |
| Saatva Classic | Extremely High | 14.67″ |
| Saatva Latex Hybrid | High | 10.82″ |
| Winkbed | Moderate | 9.91″ |
Edge Support
The average level of edge support across all mattresses tested to date is 4.17″. The average level of edge support on top-performing Euro pillow top mattresses is 3.38″.
Despite the misconception that Euro-style pillow top and pillow top mattresses have worse edge support, the reality is that edge support is not always an issue for these mattresses, especially when materials are sewn into the core of the mattress itself.
Saatva Latex Hybrid
Least Sinkage
Nest Bedding Sparrow
Most Sinkage
The table below details the exact edge support data of the featured Euro pillow top mattresses.
| Edge Support Test | Score | Max Sinkage | Lying Support |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diamond Flurry Lux | 8.1 | 4.50″ | Good |
| Helix Midnight Elite | 9.5 | 3.00″ | Excellent |
| Helix Midnight Luxe | 8.9 | 4.00″ | Excellent |
| Nest Bedding Sparrow | 8.4 | 4.00″ | Good |
| Nolah Evolution 15 | 9.9 | 3.25″ | Outstanding |
| Saatva Classic | 10 | 3.00″ | Outstanding |
| Saatva Latex Hybrid | 10 | 3.00″ | Outstanding |
| Winkbed | 10 | 2.25″ | Outstanding |
Sex Test
The average sex score across all mattresses tested to date is 8.5 out of 10. Looking specifically at top-performing Euro pillow top mattresses, the average sex score was 8.79, slightly higher than average.
Now this is not to say that Euro pillow top mattresses will always yield better sex performance, but when looking at a high-quality Euro pillow top mattress, the extra plush top is not a hindrance to good sex.
Good sex comes from mattresses generating high levels of bounce paired with good edge support.
The Euro pillow top mattress with the highest performance was the Saatva Classic with a score of 9.9 out of 10, excelling in both bounce and edge support.
The table below details the exact sex scores of the featured Euro pillow top mattresses.
| Sex Test | Sex Score | Bounce | Edge Support | Noise | Pressure Relief | Cooling |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diamond Flurry Lux | 8.1 | 7.7 | 8.1 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| Helix Midnight Elite | 8.4 | 7.5 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| Helix Midnight Luxe | 7.7 | 7.1 | 8.8 | 8.0 | 10 | 9.0 |
| Nest Bedding Sparrow | 9.1 | 9.1 | 8.8 | 10 | 10 | 9.0 |
| Nolah Evolution 15 | 8.6 | 7.9 | 9.7 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| Saatva Classic | 9.9 | 10 | 10 | 8.0 | 10 | 10 |
| Saatva Latex Hybrid | 9.4 | 9.3 | 10 | 10 | 9.0 | 9.0 |
| Winkbed | 9.1 | 8.7 | 10 | 8.0 | 10 | 10 |
Pressure Relief
The average pressure relief score across all mattresses is 8.6 out of 10.
Mattresses with thicker comfort layers tend to provide better pressure relief so it comes as no surprise that Euro pillow top mattresses perform as high as they do.
Among our top 8 scoring Euro top mattresses, 7 out of the 8 mattresses had a perfect score of 10 in our tests, with a range of 4.0 – 6.0″ of comfort material.
For comparison, the average level of comfort material on a mattress is 4.15″.
The whole concept of a Euro top or Pillow Top is that it has extra comfort material (whether it’s sewn in or sitting on top).
Extra comfort material can relieve pressure points, improve comfort, and provide cradling contour for side sleepers.
The table below details the pressure relief data of the featured Euro pillow top mattresses.
| Pressure Relief Test | Score | Comfort Layer | Support Layer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diamond Flurry Lux | 10 | 6.0″ | 8.0″ |
| Helix Midnight Elite | 10 | 6.0″ | 10.0″ |
| Helix Midnight Luxe | 10 | 5.0″ | 9.0″ |
| Nest Bedding Sparrow | 10 | 6.0″ | 6.0″ |
| Nolah Evolution 15 | 10 | 6.0″ | 9.0″ |
| Saatva Classic | 10 | 4.5″ | 7.0″ |
| Saatva Latex Hybrid | 9.0 | 4.0″ | 8.0″ |
| Winkbed | 10 | 5.0″ | 9.0″ |
Off-Gassing
The average off-gassing period is 6.87 days.
Looking at the top-performing Euro-top mattresses, we noted a shorter off-gassing period than average. Nearly 38% of the mattresses experienced no off-gassing at all.
Of course, that’s not to say that off-gassing will always be shorter with Euro pillow top mattresses. Many high-quality mattresses with or without a Euro pillow top can perform well in this category.
Mattresses that ship uncompressed will generally have faster off-gassing or no odor at all, compared to compressed mattresses. (Example: Saatva)
Mattress compression and material quality are better judges of off-gassing performance instead of Euro pillow top vs. thin top.
The table below details the off-gassing data of the featured Euro pillow top mattresses.
| Off-Gassing Test | Score | Initial Smell | Off-Gassing Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diamond Flurry Lux | 8.9 | Strong | 4 days |
| Helix Midnight Elite | 8.3 | Strong | 6 days |
| Helix Midnight Luxe | 9.2 | Moderate | 3 days |
| Nest Bedding Sparrow | 9.4 | Moderate | 2 days |
| Nolah Evolution 15 | 9.2 | Strong | 3 days |
| Saatva Classic | 10 | None | 0 days |
| Saatva Latex Hybrid | 10 | None | 0 days |
| Winkbed | 10 | None | 0 days |
FAQ
A Euro cover is a type of pillow top in which layers of foam and other comfort materials are upholstered directly within a cover that runs flush with the top of the mattress and extends to the edge of the mattress.
A pillow top is a type of cover in which a separately distinguishable top layer of comfort materials is affixed to the top of the mattress. Traditional pillow tops tend to have worse edge support and may struggle with durability. For these reasons, they have largely been replaced by euro tops.
A Euro Pillow Top is a new term that many mattress companies are using in place of the less widely known euro top. In many cases, a euro pillow top is identical in design and function to a euro top. Most consumers are more familiar with what a “pillow top” is. Combining euro top and pillow top into a single term may be an attempt by mattress brands to help consumers better understand the nature of the mattress cover.
