Is the Pillow Cube better than an adjustable pillow for side sleepers?

For strict side sleepers with the correct size, the Cube's firm, flush-against-shoulder support is excellent. But an adjustable pillow like the Coop fits more body types without a measuring mistake, and still works if you change positions.

What size Pillow Cube should I get?

Measure from the base of your neck to the outer edge of your shoulder — that number in inches is your size (4, 5, or 6 in). When between sizes, size down; a slightly low cube is more forgiving than a too-tall one.

Can back sleepers use the Pillow Cube?

Not comfortably — the fixed loft is too tall for back sleeping. Combination sleepers should choose the Coop instead and remove fill for back-sleeping nights.

Which is better value?

The Coop, on paper: $10 cheaper, a 100-night trial versus 60, and a 5-year warranty versus 3. The Pillow Cube's value is simplicity — a fixed block that never needs adjusting.

Coop Original vs Pillow Cube: Adjustable vs Fixed Loft for Side Sleepers

Compared from manufacturer specifications and our research — neither pillow has been hands-on tested yet · See how Mr. Squish tests pillows

Option A

Coop Home Goods Original

Coop Sleep Goods · Shredded Memory Foam · Medium

The reigning champ of adjustable pillows. A shredded memory foam + microfiber blend you can add to or take from until it feels exactly right.

9.4/10 · from $89

Read the full review

Option B

Pillow Cube Side Cube Original

Pillow Cube · Memory Foam · Firm

A cube-shaped memory foam pillow engineered to fill the shoulder-to-ear gap and keep the spine perfectly aligned.

8.6/10 · from $99

Read the full review

Both of these pillows exist to solve the same problem — the gap between a side sleeper's ear and the mattress — but they solve it in opposite ways. The Coop Original is an adjustable shredded memory foam pillow: you add or remove fill until the loft matches your shoulder width. The Pillow Cube Side Cube is a fixed block of firm memory foam sold in 4, 5, and 6 inch heights: you measure your shoulder gap once, buy the right size, and never adjust anything again.

So this comparison is really a question about you. Do you want to dial in your own loft over a week of experimenting, or measure once and be done? Both approaches work for dedicated side sleepers — they just suit different temperaments, and different levels of position-changing during the night.

Side by side

	Coop Home Goods Original	Pillow Cube Side Cube Original
Fill	Cross-cut shredded memory foam + microfiber	Solid memory foam block
Firmness	Medium, tunable from soft to firm	Firm, fixed
Loft	Roughly 3–6 in, adjustable	4, 5, or 6 in — pick at purchase
Adjustable	Yes — extra fill included	No — sized by shoulder width
Positions	Side, back, combination	Side only
Cooling	Average	Average — ventilated cover helps
Trial	100 nights	60 nights
Warranty	5 years	3 years
Price	$89	$99

Feel: moldable vs structured

The Coop feels like a dense, moldable pillow — you push it into shape, it holds that shape, and your head sinks in slightly. It reads as a very good version of a normal pillow.

The Pillow Cube does not feel like a normal pillow at all. It is a firm block: your head rests on it rather than in it, the straight edge sits flush against your shoulder, and there is almost no sink. Side sleepers who have spent years folding pillows in half to get enough height tend to love it immediately; anyone coming from plush down needs a few nights to adjust.

Getting the height right: tuning vs measuring

With the Coop, you find your loft by trial: start full, remove a handful of fill at a time, and give each level a night or two. It takes a week or two to nail it, but the result is genuinely custom — and free to redo if your mattress or weight changes.

With the Pillow Cube, you measure from the base of your neck to the outer edge of your shoulder and buy that size. It is a 60-second decision with no tuning afterward — but if you measure wrong, the pillow is wrong, and there is no fixing a cube that is an inch too tall. When in doubt, size down rather than up.

If you ever leave your side

This is the decisive difference for most people. The Coop works for back and combination sleeping — remove fill and it reshapes into a lower pillow. The Pillow Cube is a side-only tool: roll onto your back and the loft is immediately too tall, and stomach sleeping is out of the question.

Strict, all-night side sleepers will never notice. Combination sleepers absolutely will.

Upkeep and durability

Both hold their shape well — shredded foam and solid foam alike outlast polyester by years. The Coop's cover is washable and the fill is spot-clean only; the Pillow Cube's cover washes and the block never needs fluffing at all. The Coop wins on longevity economics because replacement fill is cheap when the foam eventually tires.

Pick Coop Home Goods Original

Choose the Coop Original if you're a combination sleeper, don't know your ideal loft, share a bed with someone of a different frame, or want the longer trial (100 nights) and warranty (5 years).

Ready to give it a squish?

Check Coop Sleep Goods price

Pick Pillow Cube Side Cube Original

Choose the Pillow Cube Side Cube if you're a dedicated side sleeper who wants a set-and-forget solution — measure your shoulder gap, pick your size, and never fluff or adjust anything again.