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A good breast pump can make the pumping process faster, easier, and more comfortable, so those early morning or mid-workday sessions are less disruptive and frustrating. medical suction machine
After researching 32 breast pumps and putting 14 to the test, we’ve identified standouts that suit multiple pumping styles and needs. Our recommendations include the double electric Spectra S1 Plus, a mainstay that has been our top-pick pump since 2018, as well as a manual pump and more portable electric options.
In recent years, companies have debuted a variety of “wearables”—pumps designed to allow you to pump discreetly on the go. Such models tend to be both more expensive and more polarizing than traditional pumps, since some people find that they don’t work as well. We’ve concluded that the best in this category are the Elvie Pump and the more budget-friendly Willow Go. And we’ve made both of them our picks in a separate guide to wearable breast pumps.
If you’re new to pumping, we offer a primer on breast pump parts and perspective to help you sort through the many options. We also have suggestions for pumping bras and other tools that can help make pumping a little less of a chore.
This quiet, compact pump has a rechargeable battery and separate modes for suction strength and suction speed, making it more customizable and easier to use than competitors.
If plugging in is no problem, you could save money and weight with the Spectra S2 Plus, which is the same pump but without a rechargeable battery.
This sleek, compact pump is more portable than the Spectra S1 Plus or S2 Plus, plus it allows you to control the suction on each side independently.
This compact pump provides superior comfort while maintaining efficient extraction, especially when compared to the original 1.0 model.
With a smooth, swiveling handle, the Medela Harmony is easier to grip and squeeze repeatedly than other manual models.
When you’re nursing (or pumping) on one breast, this silicone vessel catches letdown from the opposite breast, saving milk that would otherwise go to waste.
This is the most common choice for people who need to pump regularly at work or at home.
Some double electric pumps are designed to more easily move with you, whether at home or during a commute.
These simple, inexpensive, handheld pumps do the job for some people, especially those who pump only occasionally.
When you’re feeding or pumping on one breast, a simple, soft suction device can collect milk that leaks from the other.
This quiet, compact pump has a rechargeable battery and separate modes for suction strength and suction speed, making it more customizable and easier to use than competitors.
If plugging in is no problem, you could save money and weight with the Spectra S2 Plus, which is the same pump but without a rechargeable battery.
After six years of following conversations in online parents groups, we’ve concluded that a clear majority of people who have used double electric pumps from multiple brands prefer Spectra’s pump over competing models. In our own testing, we found that the Spectra S1 Plus extracts milk as effectively as any other breast pump and is also significantly quieter and easier to use than other top double electric pumps. With separate modes for suction strength and suction speed, it’s also more customizable than competitors. The plug-in-only Spectra S2 Plus works just as well.
This sleek, compact pump is more portable than the Spectra S1 Plus or S2 Plus, plus it allows you to control the suction on each side independently.
The Spectra SG Portable is just as powerful and easy to use as our top pick but offers the added advantage of dual motors so you can control the suction on each side independently. It’s also half the weight of our top pick (just 1.5 pounds, versus 3.3 for the Spectra S1 Plus) and much more compact and portable. The color scheme—white with gold trim—makes this pump feel far more sophisticated than the baby blue and pink used on the S1 Plus and S2 Plus. At close to twice the price, though, this model commands a big premium for those particular benefits.
This compact pump provides superior comfort while maintaining efficient extraction, especially when compared to the original 1.0 model.
The powerful and effective suction of the BabyBuddha Portable Breast Pump has earned it a devoted following among exclusive pumpers. Compared with the Spectra S1 Plus, the original BabyBuddha pump had a longer, more intense pull pattern in its expression mode—this suction was too strong for many people. So, in May 2024, BabyBuddha introduced the BabyBuddha Portable Breast Pump 2.0. This pump has the same unique pull patterns (and sleek, lightweight design), but it now features a new “Soft Stimulation Mode” with six settings, offering a slightly lower suction range. Because of these updates, our tester said it’s her favorite pump so far—comfortable, improves supply, portable, and relatively quiet. Though the BabyBuddha pump is more portable than our other picks in this guide, the 1-pound BabyBuddha is not a true wearable pump since it requires the use of a pumping bra to hold its traditionally shaped flanges in place, while its control unit and tubing hang from the neck via a lanyard. See our guide to the best wearable breast pumps to explore true wearable options.
With a smooth, swiveling handle, the Medela Harmony is easier to grip and squeeze repeatedly than other manual models.
The Medela Harmony is as effective at extracting milk as any other manual pump we’ve tried (sometimes even more so). It’s the only manual pump we’ve tested that has a swiveling handle. We found that this design makes the Harmony more comfortable to use over longer or more frequent pumping sessions, because you can use it from whichever hand position feels best—or change hand positions frequently. It’s widely available, with easy-to-find replacement parts and accessories.
When you’re nursing (or pumping) on one breast, this silicone vessel catches letdown from the opposite breast, saving milk that would otherwise go to waste.
When suction on one breast (from a nursing baby or a pump) triggers a letdown, the release of milk from the other breast, the Haakaa Silicone Breast Pump collects it well. This simple, lightweight, sock-shaped device works by suction. You squeeze the bell-shaped collection vessel, position the shield over the nipple, and then release the base. Many people find that the Haakaa device holds itself in place, hands-free. The milk collects in the bell below, after which you can easily pour it into another container.
To research this guide, I spoke with several lactation experts. I also polled people in my own network for their breast pump picks and pans, read hundreds of online reviews and forum posts, and gathered feedback from exclusive-pumping groups (my wife was an exclusive pumper when our first child was born in 2018).
I wrote this guide after I gave birth to our second child in July 2022. I combined breastfeeding and pumping so that my wife and I could share feeds, which gave me plenty of time with each of the pumps in this guide. I pumped in my home office, at the breakfast table, in the car, on the bus, in an RV—I even pumped at the crowded Austin City Limits Music Festival, right up near the stage during Benee’s set.
I am also the author of Wirecutter’s guides to bassinets and co-sleepers (as well as a closer look at the Snoo), kids bike seats, and LGBTQ books for kids and teens.
This guide builds on the work of science journalist Katie Peek, who interviewed half a dozen lactation consultants and other breastfeeding experts and tested pumps with a small panel of testers in 2017 and 2018. Katie was an exclusive pumper with her first child; he was born with a cleft palate, so he couldn’t produce the suction necessary to breastfeed directly. Katie calculated that she pumped a total of 14,000 ounces—more than 100 gallons—over his first 13 months. Her second baby, whom she breastfed directly and by bottle, was 5 months old when she started her work for this guide.
Breast pumps are useful tools for parents who want to bottle their milk for any number of reasons, including latching issues, separation from the baby due to work, or a desire to share feeding duties more equally with a spouse or partner. Pumps can also help relieve and soften engorged breasts, and they can assist in maintaining a milk supply between breastfeeds or while the parent is away from the baby.
Depending on your situation, you may need one or more of several types of breast pumps.
If you anticipate pumping only occasionally, you might try a manual pump. A manual pump can be useful in the early postpartum period, when many people experience engorgement. When the body first begins making milk, it often overshoots its target—making breasts large, sore, and hard. Engorgement can be painful, and latching a new baby to an engorged breast can be tricky, too. A manual pump can relieve pain, soften the breast, and make it a little easier for the baby to latch.
Later, even if a double electric pump enters the picture, a manual pump is often still useful tossed in a handbag or suitcase as a just-in-case travel companion. Compared with an electric model, a manual pump is quieter and easier to control, and it can be more efficient if you need to pump for short sessions (such as on a short work break) because it requires less setup and cleanup.
A manual pump can also coax the last ounces of milk from a breast that the baby doesn’t fully empty—making it helpful for clearing clogged ducts and avoiding mastitis (when a clog in a milk duct becomes infected).
If you anticipate sitting down to pump regularly, you might try a standard electric pump. Electric pumps are generally more efficient than manual pumps and are useful after your milk supply is established and you begin to pump at regular intervals. Paired with a dedicated pumping bra, an electric model allows you to pump hands-free, so you can do other things.
Some people may need something more than the moderately priced double electric models we cover in this guide. If the baby can’t latch well or if milk supply has been difficult to establish, you may be a candidate to rent a hospital-grade or “multiuser” pump such as the Medela Symphony or Ameda Platinum.
If you anticipate pumping while moving around your house, you might try a portable electric pump. Some pumps provide the functionality and efficiency of a standard electric pump but with more portability. These pumps have USB-rechargeable batteries and often come with a lanyard so that you can dangle the pump’s compact motor around your neck while you use it and thus move around more freely. The motors don’t always have the same power or longevity as those of a standard electric pump, though.
You’ll find significant overlap between this group of pumps and standard electric pumps—some of the latter kind, such as the Spectra SG Portable, are designated by their makers as “portable” pumps simply because they’re lightweight.
If you anticipate pumping on a commute or while working on your feet, you might try a wearable electric pump. Wearable pumps, which we review in a separate guide, are discreet, hands-free pumps that are generally smaller and quieter than traditional electric models. They require little setup, don’t have dangling tubes, and can be worn inside a regular bra. But they tend to be more expensive than standard electric pumps, and we’ve found less consistency in terms of how much different people like different models.
Based on our research, we determined that a breast pump worth recommending must have the following attributes and features:
Efficient operation: The most important function of a breast pump is to pull milk out of the breast efficiently. We identified the models that were most effective at this task within a 15-minute pumping session. We also favored pumps that were reasonably comfortable to use, with few to no reports of painful pumping sessions.
Adjustability: In electric breast pumps, adjustability involves two factors, namely suction strength (how hard the pump pulls at the nipple) and frequency (how fast it pulls). Some breast pumps allow you to control the two independently; however, most models include both in a single control.
Stimulation and expression modes: Most electric breast pumps have two settings, a stimulation mode and an expression mode. The stimulation mode (sometimes called “bacon mode” due to the wavy-lines symbol on its button) mimics the way a baby begins to nurse, with a short, fast sucking pattern. The expression mode (or “letdown” mode, often represented by a droplet symbol) is the main setting for extracting milk and has a longer, more adjustable suction.
Easy maintenance: Electric pumps have numerous parts, and most require you to take them apart and clean them multiple times per day. After months of constantly disassembling and scrubbing parts—and even sometimes replacing them—we’ve come to appreciate pumps that have simpler, more streamlined designs that are easy to clean and maintain.
Low volume: Pumping at work or in public settings is much more comfortable when you’re using a low-volume pump that doesn’t sound like industrial machinery.
Reasonable price: In many cases, insurance covers all or part of the cost of a pump (plus a few visits with a lactation consultant). But because you may need to pay out of pocket, we still consider price. We expect more from the highest-priced pumps, and we try to identify the best-performing pumps available for less.
As part of our original reporting for this guide, three lactating testers compared eight breast pumps. In 2022, I researched 31 pumps—the same models we first tested as well as new pumps introduced since our original testing.
I then spent several months testing 13 pumps during the summer and fall of 2022, and I recruited my neighbor—a labor and delivery nurse, an experienced pumper, and fellow parent to a July 2022 baby—to provide additional testing feedback. Typically I used each pump for about a week to allow my body time to adjust to its flange style and suction pattern, but I also frequently returned to my favorites out of convenience.
For each pump, I began by unpacking and noting all the parts and accessories, such as carry bags, freezer storage pouches, and extra flanges. I then sanitized all the pump parts in the microwave (using Munchkin Jumbo Microwavable Sterilizer Bags or Medela Quick Clean Micro-Steam Bags), and I washed and dried everything, noting how easy and time-consuming each pump was to clean. From there, I created a schedule for pump testing—and I took notes throughout.
For each pumping session, I set a timer for 15 minutes and then assessed how much milk was produced. Because I found my supply to be too erratic for me to draw quantifiable conclusions about each pump’s production total, I relied on description and note-taking to track how effective each pump was at emptying a breast. After a week with each model, I had a good sense of how the pump felt, as well as how quickly and fully it extracted my milk.
For electric pumps, I also used the NIOSH decibel meter app (recommended by the CDC), placed 3 feet away, to measure how loud the motor was.
When I was finished, I noted how easily I could pour the milk into a storage container without spilling, and then I took apart the pump and cleaned it once more.
In summer 2024, we tested the new Baby Buddha 2.0 with an 8-month-old and the baby’s mom, who was exclusively pumping. (Her baby was born in the NICU in November 2023, and they started using pumps and bottles from day one.) She compared the Baby Buddha 2.0 with the original model for two months.
This quiet, compact pump has a rechargeable battery and separate modes for suction strength and suction speed, making it more customizable and easier to use than competitors.
If plugging in is no problem, you could save money and weight with the Spectra S2 Plus, which is the same pump but without a rechargeable battery.
The Spectra S1 Plus came out on top in our 2017 comparison testing of double electric breast pumps, and after a second round of testing in 2022 and 2023, we remain confident that it’s the best overall option if you’re mostly planning to sit in one spot during pumping sessions.
In our surveys of pump users and on online forums, Spectra’s pump is consistently favored over double electric pumps from Medela and other brands. In my testing, I also found the Spectra pump to be superior—it was easier to use, easier to clean, and more efficient in extracting milk than any of the Medela pumps I tested.
It has highly customizable suction but is still easy to use. The Spectra S1 Plus comes with a basic set of parts and controls, so the learning curve is almost nonexistent. Once you’ve plugged it into the wall or charged it, you can turn it on and cycle through 12 suction strengths and six suction frequencies. This model gives you more customization than any other pump we tested, as it’s the only pump that allows you to control the pumping speed independently of the suction strength. Note, though, that the frequency and suction strength are the same on both sides.
It’s quieter than other electric pumps. The Spectra S1 Plus emits a rhythmic whirring that’s more of a comforting sound in comparison with that of most other pumps. We measured it at 33 dB from a distance of 3 feet.
It’s durable, and it has a convenient handle and button light. Weighing about 3 pounds, the S1 Plus is neither particularly light nor compact, but it’s still easy to carry from room to room thanks to its carry handle—just don’t expect it to slot easily into a suitcase. It’s also especially sturdy-feeling and durable: At one point I knocked the pump over in the night, and it wasn’t noticeably affected after hitting the wood floor. A light-up button on the controls lets you see what you’re doing in the middle of the night without waking up your baby or anyone else.
If you don’t mind staying plugged in, you can save money with the Spectra S2 Plus. Many insurance plans cover the Spectra S1 Plus. But if you’re looking for a less-expensive option, the Spectra S2 Plus offers nearly all the functionality of the S1 Plus—except portability—in a cheaper package. You have to plug the S2 Plus into the wall in order to use it, but if you plan to pump in one location, such as an office lactation room or home pumping station, that may not be a problem for you.
It’s notably simple to clean. Another highlight of the Spectra pump is how easy it is to manage and clean the parts. When you’re finished pumping, you have just three parts to wash: the flange, a bottle, and a duckbill valve. The other parts of the pump, including the tubes and diaphragms, are part of a closed system that doesn’t have any contact with your milk.
It has four possible breast shield sizes. The pump comes with two breast shields, a 24 mm version and a 28 mm version, but 20 mm and 32 mm shields are also available when you order online. Replacement parts are available via online order or at brick-and-mortar big-box stores such as Target and Walmart.
Spectra covers its pumps with a two-year limited warranty; accessories have a 90-day limited warranty against defects. The warranty covers the original user only, and only when the pump was purchased from Spectra, through insurance, or through a licensed dealer.
The Spectra S1 Plus is portable in the sense that it comes with a carry handle and a rechargeable battery, so you can move it from room to room, but it’s a bit bulkier than many other double electric pumps and occupies more space on a table or desk. It also doesn’t come with a carry bag like many standard Medela models do.
inflatable anti decubitus mattress Also, unlike with our upgrade pick, the more-expensive Spectra SG Portable, you can’t control the frequency and suction strength on each side individually.