Elvie Stride 2 vs Momcozy S12 Pro: The £118 Pump With a Tube Is Quieter, the £80 One Has Nothing to Untangle

COMPARISON · FEEDING TIME

Hands-free pumps have split into two camps, and most parents only find out which camp they bought into after the box is open. One camp puts the whole pump inside the bra: motor, battery, flange and milk cup in a single shell. The other keeps the cups soft and light against the breast and moves the motor out to a small hub you clip to your waistband, joined by a thin tube.

The Elvie Stride 2 and the Momcozy S12 Pro are the clearest examples of each, and as single pumps they sit £38 apart. On paper the suction is almost identical, up to -300 mmHg on the Elvie and -295 mmHg on the Momcozy, so the spec sheet will not settle this. What does settle it is noise, fit straight out of the box, how much of the pump you can see under a top, and what you have to wash at 3am.

We pulled together what parents tell us after weeks of daily use, read the official spec sheets, and checked live UK prices across the retailers we work with. Both pumps are in stock as singles. If you are expressing for one feed a day, or topping up while you feed on the other side, a single is usually enough, and it is where the price gap between these two matters most.

Lil' Bubba's verdicts

• Best Overall: Elvie Stride 2 Single · 8.5/10 - quieter, lighter on the breast and six fit sizes in the box
• Best Value Fully Cordless: Momcozy S12 Pro Single · 8.0/10 - everything in the bra, no tube, £38 cheaper

Quick comparison

	Elvie Stride 2 Single	Momcozy S12 Pro Single
Our rating	8.5	8.0
Price we found	£118.30	£79.99
Design	Soft cup in bra, motor hub on waistband, joined by a tube	Fully self-contained in-bra pump
Max suction	Up to -300 mmHg	Up to -295 mmHg
Settings	10 intensity levels, stimulation and expression modes	9 levels, 3 modes
Controls	Buttons on hub plus app	Buttons and display on the pump
Cup capacity	150ml per cup	Large single collector
Fit in the box	6 sizing options included	24mm flange, inserts sold separately
Battery	Nearly 3 hours of pumping	Several sessions per charge
Noise	Very quiet	Quiet enough for TV, not for a sleeping baby

How we picked these two

Both pumps are among the most-added hands-free singles on BubsNest registries, both come from brands that make a full range of feeding kit, and both are sold through UK retailers we can check stock and price at. We compared official specs, live prices, and recurring themes from parents who have used each pump daily for several weeks. We looked for the points parents raise again and again, not one-off complaints. Where something was a single opinion, we have left it out.

What to look for in a hands-free breast pump

Fit matters more than suction. A flange that is even a couple of millimetres off can pinch, reduce output and make a strong motor feel useless. Measure your nipple before you buy, and check which sizes come in the box. A pump that ships with one size can cost you another £10 to £15 in inserts.

Where the motor sits. In-bra pumps carry the motor on the breast, so they are heavier and bulkier under clothes but there is nothing to route. Hub pumps keep the cups soft and light, and the hub can be tucked away, but you have a tube from bra to waistband.

Noise. If you plan to pump next to a sleeping baby, on calls or in a shared office, a few decibels make a real difference. Motors in the cup tend to be louder than motors in a hub.

Parts to wash. Count the parts that touch milk. Every extra valve and seal is something to wash and sterilise after each session, and something to replace every few months.

Single or double. A single suits occasional expressing, a feed for a partner or pumping one side while baby feeds on the other. If you plan to pump exclusively, a double will save you a lot of time. Our wearable breast pump roundup covers more in-bra options.

1. Elvie Stride 2 Single Electric Breast Pump / 10 · Best Overall

The Stride 2 is Elvie's hub-and-cup design. The cup is ultra-soft silicone that curves to the breast and weighs around 158g, with a 150ml capacity. A thin tube runs from the cup to a small hub that holds the motor, battery and buttons, and the hub clips to your waistband or sits in a pocket. You can also run it from the Elvie app, which lets you change intensity, switch between stimulation and expression, and log what you pump.

The big win is fit. Elvie includes six sizing options in the box and says they cover 99% of nipples, so most parents can get a comfortable seal on day one without a second order. With up to -300 mmHg of suction and ten intensity levels, output is strong for a hands-free pump. Battery life is close to three hours of pumping per charge. We found it at £118.30, well below the original single price.

What parents love

• Genuinely quiet. With the motor off the breast, noise is the thing parents mention first. One parent told us: "It is very quiet, I wouldn't notice the noise in an office setting or out and about."
• Comfortable from the first session. The soft cup is lighter on the breast than an all-in-one shell, and parents who have tried several pumps often rank it the most comfortable.
• Fit sorted in the box. Six sizing options means fewer pinched sessions and no waiting for inserts to arrive.
• Output close to a mains pump. A parent shared that they express nearly as much in the same time as with a hospital-style pump, which is rare for a hands-free design.

What to know before you buy

• There is still a tube. It is light, but you route it from bra to waistband. Parents say it takes a few sessions to find a position that stays put.
• Not invisible. The cup is soft but it still adds a visible shape under a fitted top. Many parents pump under a cardigan or loose layer rather than in plain view.
• Small parts to clean. Valves need a small brush to clean properly and feel a little delicate when fitting. Wash parts by hand or on the top shelf of the dishwasher; the hub is wipe-clean only.

Best for

• Parents who pump near a sleeping baby or on work calls
• Anyone unsure of their flange size who wants options in the box
• Parents who like tracking volumes in an app
• Sensitive or easily sore nipples that need a soft cup

2. Momcozy S12 Pro Single Wearable Breast Pump / 10 · Best Value Fully Cordless

The S12 Pro is the opposite approach: motor, battery, display and collector all live in one shell that sits inside your bra. There is no hub and no tube, so once it is in, you can walk around, lift a baby or load the dishwasher with nothing hanging off you. Suction tops out at -295 mmHg across nine levels and three modes, and a small display on the pump shows the mode, level and session time.

Momcozy's DoubleFit flange combines soft and firmer silicone for a better seal, and the pump is designed around a four-part setup that is quick to take apart. Battery life is a strength: parents tell us they get several sessions from a charge and only plug it in a couple of times a week. At £79.99 direct from Momcozy, it is £38 cheaper than the Elvie single.

What parents love

• Nothing to untangle. No hub and no tube means true freedom to move. Parents who pump while caring for a toddler value this above everything else.
• Battery that keeps going. We hear repeatedly from parents that they charge it roughly once a week with daily use.
• Strong enough on medium. One parent put it best: "It was powerful enough for me. I could use it on a medium setting quite reliably."
• Handy extras. The built-in timer, pause button and automatic shut-off after 30 minutes make it easy to pump without watching the clock.

What to know before you buy

• One flange size in the box. It ships with a 24mm flange and a measuring tool. If you need smaller, budget for an insert pack, which narrows the price gap.
• Bulkier and louder. With the motor on the breast it is chunkier under clothes, and parents say it is fine for TV or conversation but too noisy for settling a baby to sleep.
• Fiddly at first, messy to pour. A parent shared: "They were very fiddly to assemble the first time, but I got the hang of it after a few uses." Pouring milk from the collector also takes care to avoid spills.

Best for

• Parents who pump while on the move or caring for an older child
• Anyone who already knows a 24mm flange fits them
• Budget-conscious buyers who still want hands-free suction near -300 mmHg
• Parents who would rather glance at a display than open an app

What about the Elvie Stride double or the Momcozy M5?

If you are pumping exclusively, look at doubles, not these singles. Pumping both sides at once roughly halves the time per session. We have covered doubles and other in-bra pumps in our wearable pump roundup, and if you only express now and then, a manual pump may be all you need: see our manual breast pump guide.

How to choose

Choose the Elvie Stride 2 Single if quiet and comfort come first. If you pump in the same room as your baby, on calls, or have struggled with flange fit before, the soft cup, six sizes in the box and near-silent hub are worth the extra £38. Accept that you will be routing a tube to your waistband.

Choose the Momcozy S12 Pro Single if freedom to move matters more than a few decibels. It is the better pick for pumping while doing other things, its battery is excellent, and it is the cheaper of the two, as long as the 24mm flange suits you or you factor in an insert pack.

Whichever you choose, measure first. The suction figures are almost the same, so fit is what will decide how much milk you actually get.

Add it to your Nest

Not ready to buy yet? Add either pump to your free BubsNest registry so family and friends can gift it, and we will keep an eye on prices across UK retailers for you.