Quick Start
After Medela upgraded the FreeStyle to hands-free version, the previous model was discontinued, and now when we mention Medela FreeStyle, it always means the Medela FreeStyle hands free breast pump.
Even though Medela improves the FreeStyle hands free over Pump In Style hands free breast pump by coming with a smaller pump motor for portable use. The wired design of Medela FreeStyle is less competitive in the portability and discreet pumping than the wireless hands free wearable breast pumps.
Among the four wired hands-free wearable breast pumps, the Medela FreeStyle is the most expensive one, priced at $349.99. Is it worthy to get it over other competitors? What features make the Medela FreeStyle stand out? Check our Medela FreeStyle hands free review before making the final choice
Who is it Good for
What Moms Need It
Parts & Design
What parts does it include
Settings & Performance
How to use it to empty milk
Pros & Cons
What are the awesome points
Customer Reviews
What moms say about it
Atlernatives
Some other good options
Medela FreeStyle is good for
The wearable design and functions provided by the Medela FreeStyle hands free breast pump are not unique. You can always find a similar or better alternative, we think, at a cheaper price. So the Medela Freestyle would be an ideal choice:
1. If you’re a mom who doesn’t care much about the budget. As we say above, the Medela FreeStyle is highly priced, over $300. The overall performed better Elive Stride is dozens of dollars cheaper. Check the comparison of Medela Freestyle vs Elvie Stride.
2. If you insist on the Medela brand and don’t care much about the overall performance. I don’t mean that the Medela FreeStyle hands free breast pump does not perform well. For its performance, there will be cheaper models like the Elive Stride, and Momcozy M5 if the smart app-control is not a biggie for you.
The best point I think that Medela FreeStyle beats its competitors is that the least parts to clean, only three parts. This is absolutely a positive point for busy moms.
Medela FreeStyle Parts and Design
Style
Wired
Flange Size
24 mm and 21 mm
Parts to Clean
3
Dimensions
144 x 67 x 46 mm
Per Cup Weight
273g
Carry Bag
Yes
It is A Hands-Free Wearable Breast Pump
As a traditional breast pump manufacturer, Medela is well-known for its hospital grade breast pumps recommended for moms. It has a long history and generally gains customers via doctor’s recommendations. Lots of moms like you and I probably get free Medela breast pumps through insurance.
That’s why it’s slow and can’t catch up with new breast brands like Momcozy, Willow, and Elive. Luckily, the company realized this problem and tried to be on the tide – launched three hands-free wearable breast pumps.
The Medela Freestyle is of of the three Medela hands-free wearable breast pumps. As a mother who leads a busy lifestyle, the ability to pump discreetly and conveniently is invaluable. The pump motor’s connection to collection cups via wires provides a seamless and intuitive pumping experience, allowing me to express milk without being tethered to a traditional pump.
Medela does not have any wireless breast pumps yet on the market. Expect the company can hear our voice and release a new wireless Medela breast pump in the future.
However, even if it’s not as portable as those wireless wearable breast pumps, the Medele FreeStyle performs top in the portability among the wired wearable breast pumps, thanks to its compact and lightweight pump motor. Check on Medele FreeStyle’s portability in the next part
Medela FreeStyle Pump Parts
From its manual, the Medela FreeyStyle hands free breast pump consists of three major parts: the pump motor, tubing, and the in-bra collection cups.
Each collection cup includes three parts: breast shield, outer shell, and yellow membrane. Just like the above image showed.
These three parts need to be cleaned and sanitized before first use and washed after every pump.
As a busy mom, I believe you’ll like me to appreciate the Freestyle’s minimalistic design and easy-to-clean parts. After each pumping session, you just need to wash the outer shell, membranes, and hands-free cup breast shields that come into contact with breast milk.
Flange Size and Inserts
Customizability is key when it comes to breast pumps, and the Medela Freestyle excels in this regard.
Medela FreeStyle comes with two flange sizes: 21 mm and 24 mm. It’s good for average and small breasts.
The package does not include larger flanges or inserts, but you can purchase the 27 mm and 30mm flange inserts anyway, helping you find the perfect fit for best comfort and milk expression efficiency.
Finally ensures that every pumping session is as comfortable and effective as possible, allowing moms like you and me to maintain milk supply without any issues.
It is a Portable Breast Pump
If you’re a mom like me who values portability as a top priority for choosing a hands-free wearable breast pump, Medela FreeStyle earns a point in this aspect. I’ll explain this from its overall weight, weight to wear, and breast pump size.
The entire Medela FreeStyle pump weighs 273g, including the motor and two collection cups. It’s incredibly lightweight and easy to transport. Even better, with each collection cup weighing only 76g, the Medela FreeStyle pump is the lightest to wear, even if adding the weight of 5 oz (150 ml) milk.
Similar wired hands-free wearable breast pumps like the Elive Stride with each collection cup weighing 150g, Momcozy V1 and V2 of 120g per collection cup. Compared to them, the Medela FreeStyle cuts half of the weight to wear.
While not the smallest pump on the market, the Medela Freestyle’s compact dimensions make it easy to wear in-bra and store. Measuring Height: 46mm, Width: 67mm, and Length: of 144mm, it fits comfortably and hidden in your nursing bra and doesn’t take up much space in your diaper bag or purse.
I’m sure you’ll love its sleek and ergonomic design, which definitely adds a touch of sophistication to your pumping routine, making you feel confident and empowered wherever you go.
By the way, you’ll find the FreeStyle is the most portable of the three Medela hands-free wearable breast pumps. The Swing Maxi and Pump In Style are also hands-free wearable breast pumps, but they’re less portable.
The Swing Maxi is the next for the portability performance.
Digital Display
The Medela FreeStyle pump’s digital display is located on the pump motor. Along with the Bluetooth connectivity for customization in the app, the FreeStyle is a lifesaver for moms in managing their pumping sessions.
The touch panel on the pump motor allows you to easily adjust settings like mode, suction level, and pumping time, all while keeping track of the battery life and Bluetooth connection status.
Plus, being able to sync with the MyMedela app makes it easy to track your pumping sessions and monitor your milk supply on the go, providing you with peace of mind and convenience.
Medela FreeStyle Pump Settings
Suction
245 mmHg
Modes
Stimulation and Expression
Levels
9
Battery Life
120 minutes
Auto Shutoff
30 mins
Warranty
1 year
Modes and Suction Level
Like all the wired hands free wearable breast pumps, the Medela Freestyle offers both single and double pumping options, providing me with the flexibility I need to fit pumping into my busy schedule, even though I usually choose the double pumping mode for efficiency.
Being able to customize my pumping experience is essential for me, and the Medela Freestyle delivers on this front with its multiple modes and suction levels. With options for Stimulation and Expression modes, I can adjust the suction strength to mimic my baby’s nursing pattern, ensuring maximum comfort and efficiency.
Plus, with nine levels of suction power adjustment available for each mode, I can fine-tune my settings to suit my unique needs and preferences, providing me with a personalized pumping experience that maximizes my milk output.
Suction Strength
Medela breast pump has a famous name in the breast pump world for its hospital-grade suction power. If you’re going for FreeStyle for this reason, you’ll be disappointed for this. I don’t mean that Medele FreeStyle is not a good option, but not the desired one for its suction power.
The company does not advertise at this point, so you’ll know that the suction power is not as strong as its hospital-grade ones. However, that does not mean Medela FreeStyle’s power is not strong for milk expression.
With a maximum vacuum strength of 245 mmHg and adjustable cycle speeds ranging from 45 to 111 cycles per minute, I can express milk efficiently without any discomfort or fatigue.
Comparison chart of the most popular models.
Battery Life
The Medela FreeStyle’s battery performance is average, charging 2 hours for full and then lasting for 2 hours of use. It’s the shortest battery life among the four wired hands free wearable breast pumps, with Elvie Stride going for 3 hours of pumping, Momcozy V1 of 150 minutes, and V2 of 180 minutes.
However, the Medela FreeStyle pump has one advantage that none of the other three competitors feature – you can charge it while pumping. Most wearable breast pumps don’t allow charging and use at the same time.
But it can be imagined that it takes a longer time (than 2 hours) to fully charge.
Additional Settings
In addition to its core features, the Medela Freestyle offers a variety of convenient settings that enhance the pumping experience. From auto-shutoff after 30 minutes of inactivity to app-controlled operation via the MyMedela app, it’s packed with useful features that make my life as a mom a little bit easier.
Plus, with the memory of the last used settings and compatibility with the Apple Watch, I can customize my pumping routine to suit my unique needs and preferences, providing me with a personalized and hassle-free pumping experience that supports my breastfeeding journey with confidence and ease.
Warranty
Medela provides a one-year warranty to the FreeStyle and other breast pumps. That’s the average among most breast pump manufacturers. This would not be a reason for you to choose it, nor a reason not to choose.
Medela FreeStyle Reviews from Customers
Here are some real Medela FreeStyle reviews from moms who used one, both positive an negative listed. If you don’t sure what problems the Medela FreeStyle can solve for you, check the negative ones.
I love this for when I am not at home and I need to pump the cups are so easy to use. I have actually rigged my spectra to be able to use these. The cops only have three parts so so easy to take apart and clean the machine has a good battery life You can plug it into your app and even start your pumping through your app and track it even if you don’t do it through the app, it still knows every time you pumped I don’t suggest it as a all day every day pumped but it is great for when you are not at home and on the go The suction is good stimulates let down good and it’s easy to use and set up it’s not as loud as other pumps, but it’s definitely noticeable people will hear you pumping.
I did a lot of research on wearable pumps before I ordered this- primarily choosing among Elvie, Willow, and Medela freestyle. I work from home almost 100% and have a lot of conference calls so my old Medela symphony that I rented from the hospital is just no longer a practical option. I am a just enougher so I really concerned changing to wearable pumps will reduce my output (which is mentioned in many online reviews). After using this one for 3weeks now, my output has been staying the same if not more (as when I used Medela symphony!) It is very easy to assemble (only three parts) and easy to clean. To be fair, it is not completely hands free like Elvie - it still has a motor that you have to carry around. But it’s easy enough and doesn’t bother me - I hold it using the bracelet or put it in my pockets.
I was so excited to receive this pump, and I was definitely not disappointed. All the other hands free pumps I’ve used are super painful and uncomfortable to use. The freestyle compares really well to my pump in style. I love that some of the parts are interchangeable between them. I especially love the new breast shield cups. Definitely worth the price. I got almost 4.5 oz after pumping for 30 minutes. This is my standard pump amount for pumping every 3 hours. I definitely don’t get results this good with other portable pumps. It was also super easy to pour the milk from the wearable collection cups into a storage bottle. I found this pump super easy and comfortable to use. I had no spills while pumping which I literally always do when using the regular pumping bottles/flanges. The timer on the pump was super nice too. I’m a huge fan!!
I was excited to see Medela finally offered some kind of wearable option, since currently all their pumps come w the standard "dairy cow" flange and bottle pumping setup. I am unfortunately not impressed and will prob try to resell this. I didn't LOVE the original freestyle flex to begin with. I have used it with the flange and bottle set up that it came with, and have tried hacking to freemie and legendairy cups, and then my favorite pump set up which is lacteck flanges w Medela connectors and long stem backflow protectors. That pump is just alright. My favorite has been it hacked to the elvie stride cups. I bought a tubing adapter that allowed me to use the elvie cup tubing and attach it to the freestyle flex pump. these new Medela cups remind me of the elvie stride cups so I got suckered in. They are kind of uncomfortable and when I add a sizing insert the suction sucks. Idk, this new set up is just "meh". I want to hack the cups to other pumps to see if I like them better that way, but I haven't seen any replacement tubing available and in classic Medela style all the connectors are exclusive to this particular pump (the connectors that connect the tubing into the cups are specific and you cannot hack with any other tubing or connectors) I am a full time exclusively pumping mom. I am 9 weeks in to my 4th EP journey and have just about every pump out there (or have at least tried it) and I have to be able to hack my pumps. I don't like when I have to use one specific pump w one specific set of tubing and flanges/bottles or collection cups. I want to to be able to use my pumps w whatever setup I am using for that particular day (and other EP mom's will get it, I keep my parts for the day in the fridge and if the pump I start the day w dies or I'm not liking how I am responding to it, I want to be able to grab another pump and easily hack it to the parts I already have in the fridge). If you aren't a pump fanatic/hoarder lol and are fine with this not being really hackable at the moment, you liked the original freestyle flex pump and are looking for a more discreet, wearable option, than you will prob like this! I am going to keep it until I can find replacement tubing so I can try it with my baby Buddha and pumpable advanced and decide what I'm going to do with it from there.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Ultra lightweight cup to wear when collecting expressed milk
- App-controlled for convenient customization via your phone
- Very few parts to clean to save your time
- Charge while using to free the worry of the battery running out
Cons
- High price
- Wired, not that hidden
- Suction power is not that strong
- Weak battery life (even though acceptable)
Alternatives
Elvie Stride
Why is it better than Medela FreeStyle?
- Cheaper price ($269.99 vs $349.99)
- Higher suction (300 mmHg vs 245 mmHg)
- More levels (10 vs 9)
- Longer battery (3 hours vs 2 hours)
- Longer warranty (2 years vs 1 year)
Why is it Worse than Medela FreeStyle?
- Heavier cup (150g vs 76g)
- Heavier pump (540g vs 450g)
- Fewer flange (24mm vs 21/24mm)
- More parts to clean (5 vs 3)
Medela FreeStyle FAQs
Can you use Medela Freestyle on one side?
Yes, the Medela Freestyle Hands-Free Breast Pump can be used on one side (single pumping) or both sides (double pumping), depending on the user’s preference and needs. This flexibility allows mothers to customize their pumping experience according to their milk supply, comfort level, and convenience. Whether they choose to pump from one breast or both simultaneously, the Freestyle offers efficient milk expression and ease of use to support their breastfeeding journey.
