Are you looking for a more portable breast pump? Here’s a complete Medela Freestyle Flex review – the pros and cons, and the differences between this pump and other Medela breast pumps.
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What is the Medela Freestyle Flex?
Medela offers quite a few different breast pumps – hospital grade (the Symphony), double electric for pumping at work (the Pump in Style Advanced, Max Flow, and Sonata), single electric (the Swing), and manual (the Harmony).
The Freestyle Flex is Medela’s portable breast pump offering – it’s small, lightweight, and has a rechargeable battery so that you’re not tied to an outlet.
There are two similarly named pumps that I wanted to call out to avoid confusion:
- The Medela Freestyle Flex Hands-Free, which is the same as this pump but comes with hands-free cups instead of traditional pump parts.
- The Freestyle breast pump, which is the precursor to the Freestyle Flex.
What are the pros of the Flex?
The advantages of using the Medela Freestyle Flex include the following.
1. It’s portable
As mentioned above, the Flex is small, compact, lightweight, and has a rechargeable battery, so you can easily move around while you pump (with a hands-free pumping bra) or pump on the go.
The charge lasts for 2+ hours.
2. It’s has a closed system
The Freestyle Flex is a closed system pump, so milk doesn’t get into the tubing or the motor.
3. Has a backlight and timer
It has a backlight, which makes pumping at night easier (you can see what you’re doing without turning on the lights and waking up all the way).
It has a timer, which was super helpful for me for making sure I got my pumping time in.
4. It connects to an app
The Flex connects to an app, which allows you to automatically track your sessions.
It doesn’t track the amount pumped, but does track the start, end, and total pumping times.
5. The pump parts are easy to clean
There are only three pump parts, and they’re are easy to wash.
What are the cons of the Freestyle Flex?
There are a few disadvantages to the Flex as well.
1. The price point is a bit high
The price point is higher than other portable pumps (with the exception of wearable, hands-free pumps).
2. No cycle speed adjustment
Some pumps, such as the Spectra S1/S2 or Motif Luna, allow you to adjust the cycle speed (how frequently the pump pulls) in addition to the vacuum strength (how hard the pump pulls).
The Freestyle Flex only allows you to adjust vacuum strength.
3. Pump parts may not be easy to find
The pump parts are unique to the Flex, which means it’s not easy to get replacement parts in stores in an emergency (because fewer people use the parts, they are less likely to be stocked).
Medela Freestyle Flex breast pump accessories
The pump parts used by the Freestyle Flex are unique to this pump. Moms who have used this pump mostly like them quite a bit, because:
- They are easy to clean,
- They come with PersonalFix Flex breast shields, but are compatible with many different flanges, and
- They include a backflow protector in the connector to keep milk from getting into the tubing.
However, these pump parts do have a few disadvantages – first, as noted above, replacements can be difficult to find in stores. (This is usually only a problem in emergencies; because of this, I’d recommend having extras on hand).
What bottles are compatible with the Flex?
The Medela Freestyle Flex (and all Medela pumps) use narrow-mouth bottles.
Other examples of narrow-mouth bottles that are generally compatible with the Medela pumps are Dr. Brown’s and Evenflow.
If your baby takes wide-mouth bottles, you may be able to pump directly into them with an adapter like this one.
Breast Pump Bags
What are the differences between the Freestyle Flex and the Medela Pump in Style?
A few of the differences between the Freestyle Flex and Medela’s other popular pump (the Pump in Style with Max Flow) include:
- The Freestyle Flex has a rechargeable battery, which makes pumping on the go easier.
- The Max Flow is bigger.
- The Max Flow doesn’t have a timer.
What are the differences between the Freestyle Flex and the Freestyle Flex Hands-Free?
The Hands-Free uses wearable cups rather than traditional pump parts. Other than that, they are the same.
You can buy either pump and then buy the other pump kit separately.
Medela Freestyle Flex review: Bottom line
The Flex is a fantastic portable pump option! It would be one of my top choices if you aren’t interested in a wearable pump (or if they are out of your price range), especially if you need gentler suction.
(You may be able to get a Flex free or discounted through insurance. Check out your eligibility here.)
Have you used this pump? Tell us your Medela Freestyle Flex review in the comments!
Comments & Chitchat
This has been my primary pump for almost 9 months as a first time mom & exclusive pumper. I really like this pump and find that I get more output with this than my wearables. The membranes are now sold separately on the Medela website for about $14. I have two sets of the connectors making it easier to alternate each day with a clean, dry set. This pump is comfortable
Oh thank you – I’ll update regarding the membranes!
The freestyle flex has got to be the worst pump i have ever used! It takes forever to pump because the suction is horrible! I cannot even pump both at the same time i have to do it one at a time because if both are hooked up i barely get any milk out. I dont care if they try to tell you its portable and easy because u cannot do anything while pumping without leaking. I cannot even tell how disappointed i am with this $400 piece of crap!!!! In stead of pumping for 20 minutes it turns into 40 to get any kind of volume worth it… this is the worst and most expensive piece of crap i have bought!!!
Sometimes I like this pump other times I’ve hate it.I love how it’s portable and small I love the light. I don’t get a letdown as fast as I do with my medela pump in style often a 15-20 minute pumping session with my flex turns into 40 minutes because it takes 10 minutes for my milk to even start flowing and I do hands on pumping. Also when I use this pump I have to massages milk glands very aggressively to even get a descent amount. As an exclusive pumper I would honestly rather use a medela symphony hospital grade then a medela pump in style and this as an absolute last resort
I have been using the freestyle flex as an exclusive pumper for 8 months now 🥴. I have 3 sets of connectors/flanges/bottles so I don’t have to clean them every time I pump (was especially useful at the beginning when pumping multiple times in the night). I have not had any issues and haven’t replaced any of my parts 🤷♀️.
I feel like the flanges leak a lot, also when I double pumpit doesn’t empty my breast, so I have to pump one at a time and still only get about 4 oz on one side and 1/2 to 1 oz on the other after 25 min on each side. I get more out with my hakaa to be honest. I wanted to love it, I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone exclusively pumping unless you have a huge supply.
I want to love this pump, but I’m settling for liking it. I used the Sonata and Freestyle with my son 4 years ago, and loved both of those. I’ve been pumping about once a day for my daughter for the last few weeks while I get ready to go back to work. I produce about the same with the flex, maybe a little less. I find the flanges are hard to tighten on the connector, and have a similar issue with plugging the tubing in. I don’t feel like it fits in all the way but it’s as far as it’ll go into the connectors. My original freestyle had a clip I could attach to my robe or jeans when I was getting ready. The new Flex dangles from your wrist. Not convenient. When I put it on a surface it vibrates and falls off. I do love the portability and size. I’m not sure I would buy this one again.
I’ve been using Freestyle flex for the last 5 months, exchanged a Symphony for it actually, and have absolutely no regrets! The pump works great and actually has quite a suction. My only complaint is that I can’t reprogram it. For a device that has connectivity that is rather disappointing, especially when medelas plus-pulse function is available in both Symphonies. But oh well… It’s a good pump if you can put a wee bit of effort in.
Thanks for the review Anna!!
Hi, with the freemies, would you be buying the open or closed system to match the Medela Freestyle Flex? Thanks!
Closed!
I’ve been using the freestyle flex for exclusive pumping for 3.5 weeks now. It has been terrific! Until today! The battery won’t hold its charge, and it has stopped working entirely. Even instructions to hard reset aren’t working. Medela customer service isn’t operating on weekends, so I’ve had to purchase another pump from Target in an emergency. An unreliable pump is a non-starter when exclusively pumping!!!
So sorry that happened!
I have use flex for 3 months and love it. Saw that you post I can use it with freemie cup. I tried the link you post for the adapter but it goes to error. Can you please repost which one is that? Thank you
My pump is working great so far just wanted to ask how you use the timer? Can you set it to automatically stop after a certain time?
Thanks
Hi, no unfortunately you can’t! You just use to track how long you’ve been pumping.
I absolutely love the Freestyle Flex! Perfect to pump on the go and very easy to use and clean. However, after using it to exclusively pump for 5 months, it has lost its original suction. I tried replacing all pump parts, but the suction only increased slightly. Ordered a new Freestyle Flex and hope things will go smoothly again soon.
Hi Lara! Thank you so much for the info! I hope the new one fixes the issue!
I got the freestyle flex through insurance (with an additional co-pay). I didn’t know much about this pump either when I first got it. I’ve been using it for nearly 2 months and I really like it! Pros – it’s great for trips and my MOTN pumps. Cons – the remote face touch stops working, the pump is still on but you can’t adjust the levels or select express.
Thanks for the info Teresa!!
I used the freest flex for the first 4 weeks after bub was born. Its quite,portable(car trips) and easy to put together and clean but that about as far as my pro’s go. I found that I had to lean forward all the time so the milk would flow downwards and the suction is not very good. After 4 weeks i brought the specta doubled my milk supply in a shorter time.
Thanks for the review Emily-Jane!
Could you share which Spectra pump you’re referring to?
I bought the freestyle flex with absolutely no knowledge of pumps. I needed one at the time, and this is what Target had so I bought it. I have loved it since day one! It’s very convenient for pumping on the go. I do wish it had a clip or lanyard instead of a wrist strap to make it easier when moving around. My only other complaint would be the fact that they don’t sell the membranes separately. I wanted an extra set of parts, but it seems excessive in the future to have to spend $30 to replace membranes. Other than that it is a fantastic pump!
Absolutely love my freestyle flex ! Only complaint is that I wish it had a clip on the back , the touch screen is very sensitive which makes using the wrist strap difficult.