Freemie Breast Pump Reviews: What to Know About This Hands-Free Pump

Freemie Pump Reviews Speak: This Pump = Freedom

In all of the Freemie pump reviews we found, pumping moms often had one thing and one thing only to say about the Freemie pump:

“I wish I had found this sooner!”

Hands-free, mobile pumping provides enormous benefits: it lets moms pump on-the-go, without being tethered to a wall and provides a huge relief to pumping moms who have businesses to run, work to do, children to educate, and families to provide for.

But hands-free breast pumps like the Elvie and Willow pumps often come at a steep price and may not always be fully covered by insurance. And that’s where the Freemie comes in: it offers hands-free pumping at a much more affordable price and unlike the Elvie and Willow, is covered fully by a lot of insurance companies.

How the Freemie Works

The Freemie Independence II Deluxe pump is a hands-free pump that fits snugly in your bra. Unlike the Elvie or Willow, this pump still does have tubes, so it’s not completely wireless.

The pump motor is connected to the cups in your bra via tubes that can be hidden under your shirt.  The Independence II enables moms to pump sitting, standing, walking, and even lying sideways- if you adjust the pump in your bra.

The Freemie Independence comes in both a Standard and Deluxe version. Both sets include 25mm flanges, but the Deluxe will include an additional, larger set of 28mm flanges.

After choosing the flange size that fits you best, simply clip two small parts that comprise the milk valve and valve base onto the flange, then align the milk collection cup and snap it on. The pump includes L-connectors at the cup and a Y connector on the pump’s base to ensure the tubing is connected securely.

Place the cups onto your breast under your bra, clip the pump motor on your waistband (or wherever else you’d like it to go) and pump in freedom!

How We Rated This Breast Pump

We rated the Freemie Independence II on the following qualities:

• Suction
• Budget
• Portability
• Battery
• Ease of use

This pump is near a 5-star rating, but because it has to be washed by hand and the milk collection cups cannot go in the dishwasher, we gave it a 4.

Freemie Features

The Freemie is a relatively simple-to-use pump, but it has a lot of unique features to appreciate, such as:

Custom settings

The Freemie Independence offers 10 levels of hospital-grade suction and speed, so moms can adjust their settings for what feels best for them. Small LED lights on the pump indicate the levels of speed and suction.

Once you find an optimal combination of speed and suction, you can save the setting by holding down one of 3 memory slot buttons, making finding your optimal suction as easy as pushing one button, rather than fiddling with a dial or pressing a button 17 times.

If you turn the speed all the way down, you can start a long-draw cycle called “Turbo Mode,” which shuts off automatically at 40 minutes.

The bigger, the better

The Freemie Independence pump also features 2 flange sizes for each cup, which can be very useful for moms who nurse for the long term or moms who have nursed multiple children (not to spoil anything, but your nipples can change size while nursing!).

Each cup can hold up to 8 ounces of milk, which is way more than what the Elvie and Willow can accommodate. The extra space in the cups is ideal for moms who produce a surplus of milk.

Freedom to move

The point of the Freemie is that it can provide the freedom of move and that feature holds true. You can move around with the Freemie, thanks to the fact that the base of the Freemie Independence motor includes a clothing clip that simply clips onto what you are wearing.

It’s not intended for vigorous exercise like running, but it will hold its place if you’re walking or standing. The belt clip can also be removed if you prefer to place it in a pocket—the pump motor itself is only 4” x 4” x 2” and weighs 8 ounces, so it’s not an extra burden to carry around.

The Freemie Independence charges via a Micro USB cable, which means it’s simple to swap charging cords between your phone and your pump. After about 2 hours of charging, it’s good to go for the next pumping session. An LED battery light on the base indicates how much life the pump has left.

Cleaning and care

Here’s the main drawback of the Freemie pump: the cups and their components cannot be dishwasher, so make some time for washing the plastic components by hand after you pump.

To clean the cups and plastic pumping parts of the Freemie Independence, you’ll need to wash them in hot water with soap and dry them thoroughly. Additionally, the cup valves may need to be replaced every 2-3 months.

If you have any problems with your pump, be sure to reach out to Freemie’s customer service. The Freemie Independence comes with a 1-year warranty. If there’s a problem with your pump within the first year of use, contact their customer service to discuss replacing it. The Freemie cups are covered for only a 60-day period after purchase.

Freemie Breast Pump Reviews: What Pumping Parents Are Saying

There’s no doubt about it: while this is a hands-free pump, it still uses cords, so not every mom loves this pump.  Some users report that the cords can get caught on their clothes or other items, while others say they feel annoying. For many reviewers, however, the tubes are a manageable price to pay for a device that frees them from pumping prison.

There’s also a big debate on how well the Freemie works for larger breasts—some love it, others can’t seem to make it work. However, the Freemie Independence Deluxe offers an extra flange size to help accommodate larger breasts, and they have plenty of tips on their website for how to make the pump work better if you’re more endowed.

Another point mentioned in reviews is that while the Freemie is hands-free, it’s definitely not discreet. Point being: people are going to know you’re pumping with the Freemie.

The Freemie Independence does have noise-reduction technology, but users should not expect to pump in total silence. It’s also pretty obvious when the cups are in that you are pumping—nobody’s going to be fooled when you suddenly jump about 3 bra cup sizes wearing the same shirt.

This is definitely something to consider if you’re planning to pump at work, but it’s nothing a little clothing creativity cannot fix. Trying a scarf and a jacket over your clothes or donning loose-fitting tops can reduce the visibility, but not the noise, of the pump.

Before You Buy

The most important aspect of choosing the pump is figuring out how well it’s going to do its job by expressing milk. The answer to that is always tricky; every woman has different circumstances that can that lead to different results with a hands-free pump.

That being said, however, consider this: you get the most milk when you’re relaxed, so if a hands-free pump helps you relax more, it may provide plenty of milk.

Additionally, this pump’s parts can’t go in the dishwasher. For some parents, that alone might be a deal breaker, so if you plan on doing a lot of pumping, keep in mind that you’ll also be doing a lot of hand-washing.

A final consideration of purchasing a hands-free pump is the price. The Freemie Independence Deluxe comes in on top of its competitors for this one—it’s much cheaper than its competitors, Willow and Elvie.

Contact your insurance provider for information about whether or not your coverage covers the cost of the Freemie pumps, and keep in mind that Freemie does accept HSA and FSA cards for payment.

Final Verdict

If you’re a pumping mom, a hands-free pump like the Freemie Independence II Deluxe is a great way to do what you’ve been missing and potentially get the full cost of your pump covered by insurance.

Although the tubing included might seem like a nuisance, its friendlier price tag, custom controls, and cord-free components put pumping freedom in the hands of more women.