9 best breast pumps to express milk quickly and comfortably – from manual to wearable options

Arriving in a small, compact box with a quick-start guide, this smart-looking pump’s slim proportions are evident from the outset and set the tone for a truly discreet nursing experience. Plus, with only five parts to contend with, setting up the pump – and pairing it with the Elvie app – is a super-fast and intuitive process.

It claims to be the smallest, quietest, and smartest pump on the market, and it’s certainly hard to argue with its cord-free, streamlined appearance. It moulded effortlessly to our silhouette, making it comfortable and highly functional for pumping on the go, and the pack includes breast shields of two different sizes, with the option to purchase a third. Alongside the usual smart additions, including being able to record real-time milk volume and track your pump history via the app, we liked the pump’s responsive tech feature, which allows it to automatically switch modes when it detects let-down, and pause when full.

There are seven intensities to choose from, plus a light control feature, which means you can pump at night without having to muddle through in the dark or reach for a bedside lamp. Our only gripe? Charging takes two hours and charge lasts for roughly the same length of time (approximately five or six pumping sessions, depending on your preferred settings). This makes it one of the pumps with a higher level of energy consumption, and means you may spend more time charging it up than other leading models on the market. We tested the single pump, but it’s also available as a double.

With relatively few parts to grapple with, this hands-free smart pump from Tommee Tippee is faff-free to put together, once you’ve read the manual and got to grips with how all the components click together. The pump arrives almost fully assembled, in fact, but the instructions advise disassembling everything to clean and sterilise each part before your first use. You’ll also need to factor in the app pairing before you can truly “pump and go” (you need to pair each pump separately on the app).

With eight expression modes and one massage feature, the pump offers a wealth of options in terms of intensity and pressure, plus it’s super quiet. The app is designed to track your milk flow and will suggest the best time for you to pump once enough information has been logged.

Another feature we found useful was the ability to feed directly from the Tommee Tippee bottle post-pump, thanks to the brand’s closer to nature teat. The pump comes with two shield sizes, too – so even if you measure yourself incorrectly initially, you’ll be able to secure the correct fit long-term.

Each component certainly feels robust and well-made, though, as a wearable pump, this does put it at the bulkier, not-so-discreet end of the spectrum. However, this also makes cleaning a doddle – everything but the pump body itself can be sterilised via the microwave, boiling, or steaming, plus it’s dishwasher-safe.

From the moment this arrived in the post, this lightweight and stylish design from Lola & Lykke certainly looked the part. Not only is it beautifully packaged, but the aesthetics of the pump itself – with its matte blue-grey colouring and embossed leaf pattern – plus accompanying travel bag and built-in smart touchscreen make this feel like a product that’s had some serious thought gone into it. But it’s not just about looks, and we’re pleased to report this pump delivered performance-wise, too. With no fussy wiring or tubes, it’s easy to put together, promising two hours of battery life when charged via a USB.

We had great results when it came to expressing – the soft silicone cushion fitted nicely and offered a good level of (hospital-grade) suction that was both comfortable and effective. There are four pumping functions to choose from, as well as the option to pump directly into pre-sterilised bags, for easy storage and minimised contamination. We also loved how compact and mobile this pump is. It’s not silent, but it’s certainly quiet, making it discreet enough for mums who need to express while out and about.

This design from Lansinoh fared brilliantly during testing and proved to be our top choice for manual expressing. Not only is it affordable and quiet but it’s also highly portable – making it an ideal option for using on the go. It’s straightforward to use, too, with a basic switch at the top of the handle that enables you to change between the “let down” and the “expression” phases of breastfeeding. The “let down” suction mimics baby’s natural sucking style at the start of the feeding process, while the latter replicates the longer, slower draws your baby makes during feeding.

The handle – a key component of any manual pump, in our opinion – has been designed to be used with just one hand without adding strain or causing fatigue to the wrist, and we had no problems when it came to the comfort of the silicone diaphragm and breast shield (which comes in size 25mm as standard, though additional cushions and accessories can also be purchased directly from Lansinoh). Since there’s no motor, batteries or tubing, all the parts of this pump are incredibly easy to wash, too.

If you’re not someone who needs to pump regularly, this offers a convenient way to express and store breast milk that might otherwise go to waste.

While many double pumps come in large boxes with several bells and whistles, this no-frills option from Ameda offers a convenient, comfortable, and effective pumping experience at a great-value price point. The product feels much more compact compared with many of the other doubles we tested – the milk collection bottles are ultra-lightweight, and the handheld motor is discreet enough to pump without alarming or waking your little one. It’s powerful, too – promising gentle but effective hospital-strength suction for maximum milk flow and yet it has a surprisingly long battery life (we managed nine pumping sessions before having to recharge it).

The pump has six levels of stimulation and up to 12 in expression mode, and you’re able to power it via a USB rechargeable unit, so no need to be connected to a power supply. Inside the box, you’ll also find a nipple-sizing guide for ultimate comfort. The Mya Joy was also the first pump to offer an FDA-cleared protective barrier proven to help protect your expressed milk from bacteria and viruses.

If you’re looking for an all-singing, all-dancing pump to be used both home and away, this two-in-one design from MAM might just fit the bill. It can be used as either an electric double or single via mains or battery power, or as a single manual pump for when you’re out and about. Considering its versatility, how durable the product is, and the fact there are nine different suction strengths of stimulation and expression available, we also think this comes in at a pretty good price point.

Despite its many functions, we found it simple to set up and switch between manual and electric modes. The motor unit proved to be much quieter and more discreet than expected and is also chargeable, with a battery life of up to three hours, so you’re not tethered to a plug socket while using it. The ergonomic shape of the breast shields means they offer the kind of supreme comfort and flexibility that MAM’s bottle teats and soothers are known for. Inside the box, you’ll also find two Easy Start anti-colic bottles and two storage cups in a cute gender-neutral design.

There’s no denying electric pumps save you half the work, but they’re also much more expensive – not so the case with Nuby’s nifty, budget-friendly model, which also comes available as a double pump (with a slightly higher price tag). It’s compact, has a built-in rechargeable battery, and feels sleek and easy to use. We loved the handy suction kit-sizing guide that came inside the box, as it made the product feel more personalised, while the silicone shields offered a comfortable, and rather pleasant, expressing experience that was overall very successful.

The touchscreen digital display is easy to navigate – select your preferred “vacuum level” and from three different pumping modes: stimulation, expression or combination. There are a few little bits and pieces to get to grips with, but setup proved straightforward, with a great set of instructions to boot. Although this design isn’t dishwasher-friendly, each individual item washes up well.

Medela is a brand synonymous with durable, hardworking, and highly efficient breastfeeding products, and has been for more than 60 years, so we weren’t surprised to hear it had unveiled its own next-gen version of the wearable pump. Featuring the brand’s unrivalled, research-based technology, the anatomically shaped cups are some of the most lightweight out there right now (76g each) and are designed to fit snugly and discreetly inside most nursing bras.

Unlike the other hands-free wearable pumps on our list, this one does have tubes attaching the cups to the motor unit, which is still compact enough to sit inside your pocket, so you can move around freely. However, the tubes don’t make it any less comfortable (they can be tucked inside your top quite easily for ultimate discretion) and comfort and efficiency are certainly where this product delivers. The cups are clear, so you can accurately position the nipple with ease – plus you get instant confirmation that your milk is being expressed.

It’s notably not the quietest pump we tested, but it’s also not the loudest. The high-tech suction delivered amazing results for us, and collecting the milk was equally easy, with no waste or spillage when pouring into the storage cup, bottle or bag.

Inside the box, you’ll get two sets of shields in different sizes, alongside the cups, motor unit, tubing and USB charging cable and power adaptor. Oh, and did we also mention it’s dishwasher-safe? Praise be.

The second pump from Lansinoh on our list – and for good reason. The brand calls it their “quietest breast pump yet” and for something so powerful it’s certainly that, delivering highly effective hospital-strength suction while remaining discreet enough for you to take a work call without having to pop yourself on mute.

Like many of the other electric pumps on our list, though, there are a fair few bits and pieces to navigate, but setup felt straightforward, thanks to the step-by-step instructions. It’s not the most streamlined of designs, particularly if you choose to use it as a double pump, but what you potentially lose in aesthetics, you certainly gain in results and tech.

As well as having a personalised dashboard and built-in memory to remember your preferred suction level and pumping style, the pump connects to the Lansinoh Baby app via Bluetooth to enable you to track your sessions. There are three different pumping styles to choose from, enabling you to choose one that is most like your baby’s feeding pattern, and increasing or decreasing the suction as needed is simple. We got a good result from our first go and would highly recommend this model to mums with a lower milk supply or ones trying to increase milk production. The kit comes with both a travel-friendly bag, which we loved for convenient storage, and a breast milk cooler bag with an ice pack.