Best Wearable Breast Pumps 2024

Feeding a baby can often feel like a full-time job, whether you opt to nurse or bottle feed or some combination of the two. If you need or choose to pump, many moms—myself included—find wearable breast pumps to be a useful addition to their feeding routine. The best wearable breast pumps offer convenience and provide moms with the ability to pump hands-free while juggling everything else. While exclusively pumping for my second son, I tested 10 models to find the best wearable breast pumps. My top pick is the Momcozy All-in-One M5 Wearable Breast Pump. However, because everyone’s needs are different, we recommend a number of other great options—like the quiet Elvie Pump and smart Willow Go—if you’re looking for a hands-free breast pump.

The best wearable breast pumps free up your hands so you can multitask. handless breast pump

Here, you’ll find our recommendations for the best wearable breast pumps in several categories, based on my testing and insight from experts:

The best hands-free breast pumps allow “mothers to pump milk while working, multitasking or caring for other children,” says Dr. April Spencer, a surgeon who specializes in breast health. “They provide convenience and flexibility, enabling mothers to express milk without needing to hold the pump in place manually, thus freeing up their hands for other activities.” Read on for my full reviews.

I tested this pump because it was suggested to me by several moms as a simple, effective and comfortable option. I also like that it’s a fully in-bra option and comes with a carrying case to help me stay organized.

The Momcozy All-In-One M5 was the most comfortable breast pump I tested, and it provided the highest milk removal yield thanks to its “baby mouth” lifelike suction. The double-sealed silicone flange was soft and had a great fit. I appreciated the easy-to-clean parts (of which there are only four), the hearts that help you ensure proper assembly and the ledge that allows you to easily remove the motor from the cup. Pouring the milk out was easy and didn’t cause any spills. The motor is also lightweight, on the quiet side and has great auto settings that make pumping easier.

Because the cups are so lightweight in comparison to the motor, when you place the contraption down on the counter it tips far to the right. Each time I thought it would spill my milk, but it didn’t (however, I’m a low producer, so this may be an issue with someone with a higher yield). Additionally, the bottom lip of the flange came apart from the collection cup once when I was pumping. That was likely user error, but it’s worth a mention.

I used this pump almost exclusively from month one on (prior to testing for this story). The best feature, in my opinion, is that it connects to the app so you can see when you last pumped and get access to tips and support. My yield was pretty consistent with heavier-duty pumps because of the hospital-grade motor. It’s also pretty easy to use and pour from.

However, the app is buggy but still provides the info needed to keep to a pumping schedule. The amount of parts per side (six) made it rather frustrating to wash, and if the parts are not perfectly assembled and you’re not perfectly latched (which takes practice), it won’t remove milk. It’s quite large, so not discreet enough for me to do preschool pickup without some strange looks, plus it’s very audible. It is on the more expensive side, and replacement parts are also pricey.

Lastly, if you bend too far forward, your milk will spill out. This is an issue nearly all hands-free pumps have, but I found that this happened more frequently with the Willow (but keep in mind that I used this far longer than other options). I also probably wouldn’t recommend this as a main pump, as after six months of almost exclusive use for six to eight 25-minute pump sessions a day, one of the motors died (although the customer service is great).

This is a fantastic pump, and the fact that your insurance company will probably pay for it in its entirety (typically not the case with other wearable breast pumps) certainly sweetens the deal. Even after my testing was done, I continued to reach for this pump because of the ease of use, comfort and long battery life. It’s lightweight, has only four parts to clean, provides strong but comfortable suction and is discreet enough that I comfortably pumped at a large family gathering.

I will note that you have to be careful when putting the pump down before pouring out the milk. It can dip back if you leave the motor attached and spill a little. I’m a very low producer so it didn’t spill a ton, but every drop counts, as they say.

This is among the most popular hands-free pumps and was one of the first available on the market. It’s easy to use and set up, so it removes a bit of the mental load of pumping. I enjoyed the auto stimulation to letdown function and that you could easily initiate another letdown with the push of a button. The controls are truly so easy to use that my almost 4-year-old intuitively knew how to turn it off (he likes to be involved).

I also like that it makes a small noise when you reach 15 minutes of pumping, as I often get distracted and forget to turn my pump off. The suction is strong but comfortable, the cups are easy to pour from after removing milk and you can’t beat the fact that there are only three pieces to wash. It also works with the Medela app to track sessions and milk production.

The cups are anatomically designed to decrease compression, however because of that I found that I wasn’t able to find the appropriate seal. This appears to be a me problem and could be worked around with a super-tight bra. But it meant I didn’t feel totally emptied. Separately, the pump motor can be placed in a pocket or worn around your wrist, which wasn’t the most convenient for multitasking, but wasn’t a huge hindrance either.

This pump was recommended to me by a handful of moms and is one of the more popular (and polarizing) options on the market.

The Elvie wearable is easy to assemble, lightweight and connects to an app, so you can set a timer for your session, track how much milk you’re pumping and track when and how much you last pumped. This is so helpful as a second-time mom because I often find it difficult to remember when, how much and with what frequency I pumped in a day (don’t worry, my son is combo fed, so he always gets enough). It’s also exceptionally quiet and almost sounds like little horse trots instead of the stereotypical pump noise. It’s very low profile, and the milk collection containers can be closed and placed directly in the fridge for storage. For all those reasons, it’s a great option for moms who work in an office or don’t have the option of pumping in private.

This is the most expensive option I tested, and the price may certainly be a deterrent for some. I also found that the app, which is helpful, was a bit buggy at times and didn’t provide an accurate reading of milk collection (there was typically a 0.5- to 1-ounce variation between the yield recorded and the actual yield). And while it happened only once, the pump did get rather hot in my bra. Lastly, the milk collection bottle is so handy, but tricky to wash.

The BabyBuddha was recommended to me by my personal lactation consultant with my first son. It’s since become a more popular option—especially with the introduction of the milk collection cups (sold separately).

Thanks to the 15 levels of suction/control, this pump empties you fully and expediently. For reference, this pump has a max of 320 mm Hg (i.e., millimeters of mercury, the unit that measures suction power), whereas most others I tested have 250 mm Hg. I used this without the cups with my first son and as a supplementary option with the Willow Go with my second son, and it consistently gives me the highest yield. The cups are comfortable and easy to wash and make the BabyBuddha, which is already compatible with many different pump parts, even more versatile. Thanks to the lanyard, it's easy to wear around your neck while you multitask.

However, if strong suction isn’t your thing, this pump is likely not the best fit. It’s very, very strong, so it can take some time to find your ideal pumping formula. I also wish it had a simpler option to stimulate letdown. I would just turn it off when I wanted to initiate another letdown and start a new pumping session. The cups have a large capacity and are very handy, but they’re not the simplest to assemble or pour from, which meant I did spill several times.

Also, I had to watch a tutorial when assembling the cups and tubing because the instructions weren’t doing it for me. Generally speaking, it is on the louder side, however the company is introducing a new iteration soon that is quieter than the original. I also tested this option, compared it with the original model and can confirm it is indeed quieter.

This was the most frequently recommended pump when I spoke with other moms about which wearable breast pumps I should test. At 300 mm Hg of suction, this hospital-grade pump is higher on suction than almost all of the pumps I tested. Thanks to the app, you can set a timer for your session and track when and for how long you pumped (although not your yield, sadly). It’s comfortable, quiet and a fairly user-friendly option that’s similar to a traditional pump but that allows you to be hands-free.

It took a bit of fiddling for me to get the cups together, and I did find that unless I fed the tubes under the band of my bra and up into the cups they would get blocked by my bra (like when a hose gets kinked) and wouldn’t create suction. Also, because of the way the cups are designed, you can’t see if you’re collecting any milk until the end. Additionally, it’s not the easiest pump to clean.

Lansinoh Wearable Breast Pump: This pump has a long battery life, hospital-grade suction and an automatic stimulation to suction feature that I found handy. However, it’s quite large and is more audible than other options. I also spilled several times trying to get the cups apart.

Freemie Rose Premium Breast Pump System: While I appreciated the lightweight, quiet nature of this pump (and honestly, the rose-gold color), it wasn’t as efficient at milk removal as I had hoped. There are some additional parts to this, it’s not cordless, the motor is heavier than others and the cup inserts are entirely hard plastic, so it didn’t make for the best fit. However, the cups are very low profile, so they were easily concealed.

Freemie Liberty II Deluxe Breast Pump System: This was a contender for the best quiet wearable breast pump, however I felt the Elvie Pump provided a better solution. While the Freemie Liberty II is a popular option that is exceptionally quiet, I didn’t find the suction to be the right fit for me, and ultimately the battery life wasn’t as long as I would have liked.

I have experience as a second-time mom who exclusively pumped both times, but before picking products to test, I also did extensive background research. I interviewed a lactation consultant, an OB-GYN and a breast surgeon. I spoke with real-life moms, and I digitally polled moms in my network to determine which wearable pumps they actually enjoyed. I also pored over written reviews.

I exclusively pumped with both my children for about eight months. I’ve primarily used wearable breast pumps with my second son due to the convenience it provides and the fact that they’ve allowed me to continue my breastfeeding journey despite the inherent juggling act that being a parent presents. I used the Willow Go and BabyBuddha (though not with the wearable cups) for the first six months or so of my youngest son’s life for my own personal use and focused on testing additional pumps over the span of a month and a half.

After picking a list of contenders, I did my own hands-on (or hands-free?) research on each pump. I tested them by incorporating each one into my own pumping schedule to uncover the pros and cons. I tested each pump for three days, gauging comfort, ease of use, effectiveness, value and quality. I took notes on the pros and cons of each pump and rated them in terms of my comfort and overall impression on a scale from 1 to 5. I recorded my data and shared the most promising results to hopefully help other moms.

After connecting with Spencer, Wright-Terrell and Karlin, I identified these eight determining factors that you should consider when selecting the right wearable breast pump for you.

Without the ideal fit, even the best pump won’t function properly. Pumps typically come with different sizes of flanges, and you also have the option of purchasing flange inserts to create an even better fit. It may be helpful to work with a lactation consultant to determine your size, or you can also find measurement information in each brand’s sizing guide.

Ultimately, the fit shouldn’t cause pain, discomfort or friction. If you’re using a size that’s too large, you’ll notice your areola being pulled. If it’s too small, you may notice some trauma to your nipple.

With the right fit, pumping shouldn’t hurt or feel uncomfortable. Of course, some pumps are more comfortable than others, depending on your anatomy. If pumping does ever hurt, stop immediately and assess what the issue may be before you experience any injury.

Suction strength is measured in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). Many wearable pumps have around 250 mm Hg, but the highest I tested has 320 mm Hg.

However, as Karlin points out, the strongest suction is not always what’s best. The right suction for you is what feels comfortable and yields an output that meets your goals. Spencer echoes this, saying, “The strength of suction can vary between different breast pumps, and what might be considered ‘strongest’ can depend on individual preferences and needs.”

Hands-free breast pumps made all the difference for me as a second-time mom and ultimately allowed me to provide breast milk far longer than I would have with nursing or with a standard pump. This is primarily because I found pumps that were easy to use and the right fit for my body and lifestyle. It’s important to consider what factors are most important to you and how simple and easy to use a pump appears to be when selecting one. Karlin notes, “Some clients have told me ‘I got my life back’ when they found a wearable pump that met their needs.”

While one person might prefer the discreet nature of the Elvie Pump, another might see more benefit with the easy-to-use Medela Freestyle. So the hands-free pump you go with should be compatible with your lifestyle and daily schedule, but you should also consider if the model you choose is compatible with milk storage bags and any existing pump parts you may have.

Few things are more frustrating than needing to pump on the go only to realize that your pump is out of battery. Consider how frequently you’ll use your wearable breast pump, where you’ll use it and if you’ll be able to charge it in your car or office. The ideal pump should have a battery that lasts at least a couple of sessions.

Although insurance companies are required to provide pumps, some wearable options are not completely covered. If you’re looking for a wearable pump that’s fully covered by insurance, the Lansinoh Discreet Duo is ideal and completely covered by most insurance plans. If you’re looking for other pump recommendations that are more likely to be covered, consider our list of the best breast pumps.

If another wearable option seems to be a better fit for you, consider the price against your budget and determine what feels worth it to you. Since a wearable pump is often an investment, warranties can also be a determining factor.

While this may not be a deal breaker for some, others might prioritize a hands-free breast pump that’s quiet enough not to be heard on a phone call or while in public spaces. It all depends on your comfort level and day-to-day life. If you’re often on calls or don’t have a private space to pump, the Elvie Pump was the quietest, most discreet option I tested. The Freemie Liberty II is also extremely quiet.

breastfeeding mom Forbes Vetted testers are experts in their fields (although does any parent really feel like an expert?) and we conducted first-person research after speaking with other parents, doctors, health practitioners and various experts to determine the best wearable pumps to test.

Best Wearable Breast Pumps 2024 - Forbes Vetted