Best Pumping Bra, Overall: Simple Wishes Signature Hands Free Pumping Bra

We had 17 nursing moms try out a dozen different nursing bras on the market—the overall winner for comfort, fit and ease of use is the Simple Wishes Signature Hands Free Pumping Bra.

Designed like a bustier, this cotton/spandex bra closes with a velcro back panel that can be adjusted up to 10″ for better fit. The bra is compatible with several major breast pump brands, including  Medela, Avent, Lansinoh and Spectra pumps. A feature we loved: the Simple Wishes bra uses four overlapping layers of fabric to keep your flange/bottles attached while you pump.

What We liked:

• Soft fabric. Our testers loved the fabric on the Simple Wishes.

• Customizable fit—a back panel can adjust up to 10″ to get you the right support.

• Works with a wide variety of pumps.

What Needs Work

• Velcro quality. While our testers loved this bra overall, the Velcro on the back closure panel is low quality, in our opinion.

• Not an all-day bra. While this bra works great for pumping, the lack of straps means this isn’t a great all-day bra. Hence, our testers would use this bra for pumping, but then change to another bra for the rest of the day—a hassle to be sure.

Best Pumping Bra, Budget-Friendly: MomCozy Hands Free Pumping Bra (Eva)

MomCozy makes five different styles of pumping bras—this model, the Eva MomCozy Adjustable Breast-Pumps Holding and Nursing Bra is the best of the bunch, according to our testers. And it is a decent value compared to other more pricey pumping bras.

We liked this bra’s flexibility: the straps can be configured in a crisscross or parallel pattern—we found the crisscross provided additional support while pumping. Here’s an overview:

What We Liked

• Doubles as an nursing bra. We liked this extra use—you can breastfeed a baby with this bra in addition to pumping.

• Wide compatibility. Works with Medela, Lansinoh, Philips Avent, Spectra and other pumps.

• Holds bottles firmly in place.

• Comes with strap extenders. 

What Needs Work

• Not very supportive.  Some moms with larger breasts didn’t feel the love for this bra.

• Fabric could be softer. Our top pick above was judged to be softer, based on our testing.

• Open seams = sore nipples. These seams rubbed against nipples for some testers—and that wasn’t fun.

Best Pumping Bra for Medela Fans: Medela Easy Expression Hands Free Pumping Bra

If you like Medela’s breast pumps, the company’s pumping bra is a good choice. It is made to exactly fit the flanges on Medela’s double pumps (Pump in Style, Sonata, Freestyle, Swing, Symphony, and Lactina).

Our testers liked this bustier style bra, which featured rather tight fabric to hold the bra on while the pump bottles are attached.

What We Liked

• Easy to use. There was no sagging when bottles filled up, as we saw with lower quality pumping bras.

• Certified fabric. Medela uses fabric that is OEKO-Tex certified to be free of harmful chemicals.

• Customer service. Medela is a trusted brand with a customer service department that actually answers the phone and emails.

What Needs Work

• Limited sizes. Medela just makes this bra in three sizes (small, medium and large). That led to some frustration among testers who complained they couldn’t get the right fit—some moms said the sizing seemed off (the bra runs small, despite what the sizing chart indicated).

• Washing instructions. Unfortunately, this bra must be placed in a garment bag and washed on gentle cycle. You can’t just throw this bra in with the regular wash.

• Only works with Medela pumps.

Why Trust Us

We’ve been rating and reviewing baby gear and new mom essentials, including breast pumps, bras and other nursing accessories since 1994. We do hands-on testing—we buy the products with our own money and evaluate with an eye toward safety, ease of use and affordability.

Here’s another key point: we don’t take money from the brands we review. No free samples, no sponsors, no “partnerships.” Baby Bargains is your independent and unbiased source for expert baby gear reviews.