Willow vs Freemie

Willow vs Freemie is an interesting debate in the wearable breast pump world. Wearable breast pumps are super popular right now and for good reason! They can make pumping so much easier and more convenient. Especially if you’ve got other kiddos or plan on returning to work, you’ll want to look at the wearable breast pump options. But how do you know which wearable pump to choose?? This review will be a side-by-side comparison of Willow vs Freemie.

(This post was originally a video. Check it out, below!)

Let’s look at a high end pump like the Willow and compare it to a much cheaper option, the Freemie pump.

Now, these are both “wearable breast pumps”, meaning you aren’t going to be hooked to a pump by an outlet or have regular flanges. But even with the title of wearable, they have some very important differences.

Willow vs Freemie: Price

First off, the price. The Willow breast pump starts at about $500, and when you add a few extras that are nice to have, it can even be a little more.

Sometimes Willow has a sale or combo offers, and you can subscribe to the New Little Life newsletter to get those updates! Also, check Instagram for these price reductions as well.

The Freemie pump system is about $270, but you can get just the cups for around $60 and use it with your traditional pump.

If you plan to use it with another pump (like the Spectra) it isn’t a pump you can move around as much with but is a great option for commuting or pumping in a place that’s not totally private.

Some insurance companies are even offering the Freemie pump free through companies like Aeroflow, so that’s great!

Don’t let the price alone determine which pump you’ll get, because sometimes you do get what you pay for. There’s a reason many moms are forking out the extra $$$ to buy the Willow Breast Pump.

Movability

The cups on these two pumps look really similar, but you can move SIGNIFICANTLY more with the Willow pump.

In fact, if you use the bags with the Willow, you can pump while doing dishes, yoga, running, or even sleeping since it has an automatic shut off! There are no tubes and the pump is all right there. Easy.

With the Freemie pump, there is some tubing and logistics that you are going to have to work with. There are several ways to have the tubing work, like running it down your shirt and hook it to the pump clipped onto your pants.

Size

The Willow is a little bit bigger because it has the entire motor and milk catcher inside it. It has a nice shape to it also.

The Freemie is a little bit bulkier. It has a flat top to it so it’s not as nice as shape.

Both these pumps are going to be noticeable under your shirt, but you can accommodate for that with scarves, loose fitting shirts, or just be okay that you are pumping!

Willow vs Freemie: Pros and Cons

Freemie

The Freemie Pump is unique because you can buy the whole system (pump and two cups) OR you can just buy the cups and use the tubing to hook it to your traditional pump. That way you don’t have those big awkward flanges, you use the cup, but you still get the motor from your pump and you saved some money. (I have a video on how to hook your Freemie cups to your traditional pump. You can check that out, here.)

• The Freemie comes with different size cups for your flange size. It also comes with inserts that you can use to make it even smaller if that is something that you need.
  
• Of course if you get the whole Freemie pump system, it is very portable. This system is also very quiet and charges very quickly. It comes with a USB charger which is awesome to charge from a computer.
  
• The cups also hold up to 8 ounces, which is more than the Willow. It does have an air vent on the top, so you can’t pump in any position, you need to be upright. If you pump until the cups are full and you move around a lot, you might leak out of that hole.
  
• It is very easy to pour out of the hole when you are done!
  
• Cleaning is also easy. All the parts are plastic.

Willow

Now for the Willow pump. This is really the Cadillac of breast pumps.

• This pump has a couple of different options for catching the milk.
  
  It used to be that you HAD to buy bags that were very specific for Willow. You can still use the bags. They are a little expensive, about 50 cents per bag but it makes the system completely closed giving you the option to pump in any position you want.
  
  Willow also came out recently with reusable milk containers. This is a plastic container that snaps right on the pump and it catches the milk the milk. It also comes in a smaller size 21 mm if you need that. One of the downsides of this reusable milk container is that it only holds about 5 ounces of milk. It is also pretty easy to clean.

• Another cool thing about the Willow is that you can connect to the Willow App. The app allows you to see how much milk you are pumping.
  
• It also helps you control the modes of the pump. This might be a tiny bit of downside because anytime you add technology, there is a possibility of frustration. The Willow is going to require a little bit of learning.
  
• The Willow is a fairly quiet pump.

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Final Thoughts on Willow vs Freemie

Both of these pumps are great, but they do serve two different purposes. I can’t tell you what pump is better, because you need to decide what you need in a pump.

Think about things like how often are you going to be pumping, where are you going to be pumping, how much convenience you want and what your budget is.

The New Little Life Facebook Page is a great resource for crowdsourcing with other moms and the breast pumps they use and love.

Or, you can book a consultation call with me here to see if the working moms/pumping course is a good fit for you! In this program we have one on one calls every week for pumping questions and there’s a whole community of pumping moms there too!