There is disclosed a unit for contact or contactless filling an article (2) with a pourable product, comprising: a filling device (10) movable along a path (P); a holding device (17) movable together with filling device (10) along path (P) and adapted to hold article (2) and to move it with respect to filling device along a direction (B) between a first rest position and a second operative position; and a cam (49); holding device (17) comprises: a gripping member (18) for gripping article (2); a cam follower (48) interacting with cam (49) along a first portion (P1) of path (P) and connected to gripping member (18); and an actuator (51) controllable to exert on gripping member (18) an action directed along direction (B) and in a first sense; actuator (51) is selectively arrangeable in a first configuration, in which it exerts action and with a first value along first portion (P1) of path (P), so as to thrust cam follower (48) against cam (49) and to keep article (2) in first rest position; actuator (51) can selectively be set in a second configuration, in which it exerts action with a second value, greater than first value, along one first region (β, γ, ε, ζ) of a second portion (P2) of path (P), so as to move article (2) towards second operative position.