The 7 best manual breast pumps – tried and tested

This manual pump won Bronze in the Mother&Baby 2023 awards.

This is a simply designed breast pump that is particularly helpful for collecting leaked milk from the breast that is not in use when breastfeeding. The difference between this and other similar designs on the market is that the Lansinoh pump includes a neck strap and a suction pad on the bottom of the vessel to help prevent spillage - this is in recognition of the fact that mums are often operating one-handed as they are nursing baby with the other.

"During my breastfeeding experience, I’ve always needed to have a silicone pump on the breast I’m not feeding on due to oversupply, but I’ve really struggled to find one that will suction on and stay put - not lose suction really quickly," said our Mother&Baby reviewer Rai. "This one I found stayed on and was extremely comfortable to use too, and didn’t cause any discomfort."

Another of our mum testers said: "I tended to use it in the mornings when my breasts were engorged. While the baby fed on one breast, I would use the Lansinoh pump to collect leaking milk or lessen the engorgement from the other breast. As the collector filled and my breast reduced in size, I could fine-tune the suction by gently releasing and reattaching. Feeding my baby and using the collector simultaneously saved me time in the mornings and gave me some fresh milk to try with the bottle later on or freeze."

We also love that this pump is small enough to be carried discreetly. It's a standout choice in our books and is of good value for money.

Read our full Lansinoh Silicone Breast Pump review

Medela is a trusted brand in the breast pump sphere, so its Medela Harmony Manual Breast Pump gets the overwhelmingly great reviews you'd expect. It has a wide 105-degree opening angle which means it puts less strain on your nipple and helps unblock milk ducts. Some mums have found that this leads to a more comfortable pumping experience. Reviewers also liked the stand it comes with to help prevent milk spillage.

Most mums found it was great to collect a good supply of milk in just a few minutes and that it was good to be able to control the speed and rhythm via an easy-to-use handle. "This is the third manual pump I’ve used and by far the best one," said one tester. "It’s more effective in collecting milk as you can use the stimulation phase first using your thumb for short pumps and then change to longer pumps using the main lever." 

"Worked well for me; I even managed one-handedly feeding the baby on one side and expressing it on the other," said another mum. "It disassembles easily for sterilising. The only thing that could be better is that it has a bottle and a lid for storing but doesn't come with a teat to be able to feed from the bottle. So would need to purchase separately."

Read the full Medela Harmony Flex Manual Breast Pump review

If you are a fan of MAM bottles, this MAM manual breast pump may be perfect for you. Your milk will be expressed directly into a MAM feeding bottle for immediate use or safe and hygienic storage. You can adjust the funnel and suction intensity for maximum comfort when expressing, and you can even convert to the MAM electric system with an additional kit if you decide to go down that route later.

Our Mother&Baby mum reviewer Carla said: "I would recommend this product as it is comfortable on the breast. The MAM pump has a lovely design. The funnel is very soft and doesn't cause any marks on the skin. It is quite small, so it can fit in your bag if needed to pump on the go or at work. The parts can be taken apart, so they can be sterilised easily."

In fact, there are only four parts to put together, making cleaning and sterilising relatively simple. This pump seems to get good results for most reviewers and gets bonus points for compatibility with other MAM kits.

Read our full MAM manual breast pump review

The Elvie Curve is a neat little design that fits into your bra and is, in effect, a wearable manual breast pump. Clever, eh? We love the Elvie Curve because it makes pumping effortless—wear it easily around the home or discreetly outside—and adjusts the suction via a valve. It can be used in one of three ways: while you are breastfeeding on the other breast, pumping on the other breast, or whenever your breast feels full. 

"The wearability of the product alone is reason enough to recommend it," said our Mother&Baby tester Louise. "The fact that you can use it while doing other things around the house or feeding your baby is great. You don’t have to worry about wires, batteries or making sure it’s charged. All you need to do is get it in place set the desired level of suction then you are ready to go. It is good that you can adjust the level of suction by a button and most pumps like this do not have this function."

Reviewers did say the breast needed to be quite engorged in order to collect a good supply of milk, but it was very useful to collect leaking milk whilst simultaneously feeding the baby on the other breast.

Read our full Elvie Curve Breast Pump review

Haakaa Manual Breast Pump is perhaps the simplest and most hassle-free pump. It's designed to be used on the alternate breast while breastfeeding to capture precious milk leaks, but it can also help unblock milk ducts.

Reviewers confirm it's a comfortable and useful piece of equipment but are mixed about how much milk the Haakaa Manual Pump captures - some rave about it, and others are lukewarm, depending largely on their own levels of milk production. If you're a mum who produces a lot of milk or needs let-down relief occasionally, this is for you.

"This is such a genius product," confirms one mum. "It collects the milk from the breast that isn't expressing/feeding, so there’s no waste. But beyond that, because it applies a little bit of suction, it helps with milk production in the crucial first weeks."

This is one of the most popular manual breast pumps because it is easy to clean and requires very little effort—it's also very affordable. Some say the collection bottle is a top-heavy shape, so it is not easy to put down after use while simultaneously holding a baby. A silicone lid and suction base are supplied with the more expensive versions of the Haakaa manual breast pump to help prevent spillages, but they don't come with the standard model.

The lightweight Tommee Tippee manual breast pump is fitted with a soft, cushioned silicone cup with comfort in mind. It fits neatly around your breast to avoid leaks and has massaging petals designed to encourage flow. Like most manual pumps, it has no tubes or cords, so it can easily be moved from room to room, place to place. It's designed to be used one-handed, and your milk can be caught directly into a Tommee Tippee bottle - one of which is supplied - for easy feeding, too.

"I really liked using a manual pump as you seem to have more control over the pressure on your breast when you first start to express the milk," said our mum tester, Charlotte. "This one worked well. It was also easy to use and clean. It's considerably cheaper than the electric versions, so it's also really good value for money."

Another of our reviewers felt the suction and fit weren't great for her but still recommended it based on design and build quality for other mums. Lightweight and small, it's nice and portable and deserves its spot in our round-up of the best manual breast pumps.

Read our full Tommee Tippee Made for Me Single Manual Breast Pump review

This pump's silicone breast shield moulds to the nipple to provide comfort when feeding, and the pump itself mimics a baby's suckling action. The small, lightweight kit is easy to transport and clean. It also comes with a teat, and the collection vessel doubles as a feeding bottle.

Our Mother&Baby Mum reviewer said: "This pump is by far one of the best for reducing the amount of milk escaping from the sides (every drop matters to me). I no longer find myself bent over a pump with aching hands; I can actually sit further back without worrying that all of my hard work is wasted on milk determined to flow every which way but inside the pump. Another great point is that it comes apart like a dream and cleans just as easily; I don't have any fiddly parts that require any extra brain power to navigate."

Another mum said it was a good product but that it did not cater well to all sizes of breasts and nipples. "I would suggest that the company needs to make multiple-sized flange inserts (aka the silicon part that fits on the breast) as this type of flange insert does not really adapt to the size of the user, especially with smaller nipple circumferences," she said.

Read our full Philips Avent manual breast pump review