This page contains affiliate links to Amazon. If you click through and make a purchase we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It does not affect our verdicts. Full disclosure policy →
Last updated: July 2026
Two of the best compact pushchairs available — and the comparison that parents in this category ask about more than almost any other. The Stokke YOYO3 vs Bugaboo Butterfly 2 decision comes up constantly, and for good reason: both are premium, lightweight, travel-friendly pushchairs aimed at urban families. The decision between them comes down to one question more than any other.
How this comparison was made
Tested by: Mark — the Stokke YOYO³ has been in long-term daily use by K, Mark’s daughter, on buses, in supermarkets and into Leeds. The Bugaboo Butterfly 2 was tested in store and at Hesketh Farm, West Yorkshire. Both full reviews are linked at the bottom.
Start here — the decision that settles it for most parents
Do you regularly fold your pushchair one-handed — with a child on your hip, at a bus stop or train door?
YES
Buy the Bugaboo Butterfly 2.
Honestly, I’d stop comparing at this point. The Butterfly 2’s one-second one-handed fold is exceptional. The YOYO³ needs two hands and practice — buses don’t wait.
NO / BOTH HANDS USUALLY FREE
Keep reading.
The two-handed fold may not bother you at all — and the YOYO³ has real advantages worth knowing about.
Affiliate link — we earn a small commission if you buy, at no extra cost to you.
If overall manoeuvrability and urban feel matter most…
The YOYO³ wins here. Long-term daily use by K — on buses, round supermarkets, through shop doorways, into Leeds — has confirmed what the showroom suggests: nothing in this category comes close for urban manoeuvrability. You could run through a supermarket spinning and turning with it. At 6.2kg it genuinely feels like pushing fresh air — well, not quite, but it’s as close as the pushchair market currently gets.
The Bugaboo Butterfly 2 is also excellent to push — well-engineered and smooth — but the YOYO³’s combination of weight and manoeuvrability in urban environments is its defining strength, confirmed by months of real-world use rather than a brief showroom encounter.
Urban manoeuvrability and overall feel the priority? → Stokke YOYO³.
If you fly regularly or need cabin luggage approval…
Both are cabin-approved and travel-friendly. The YOYO³ folds to 52 × 44 × 18cm — IATA compliant and the dimensions that defined what a travel pushchair could be. The Butterfly 2 is also cabin-compatible. At airports and in overhead lockers, both perform well. The Butterfly 2’s one-second one-handed fold becomes a significant advantage at security and boarding gates specifically — speed matters there as much as size. For frequent flyers who fold constantly, the fold method tips it toward the Butterfly 2.
Frequent flyer folding constantly at airports? → Bugaboo Butterfly 2. Occasional traveller where overall feel matters more? → Stokke YOYO³. Our flying guide has the fuller breakdown.
The storage test — neither wins, but one is worse
Both pushchairs have limited storage — the compact dimensions that make them both so good for travel and urban use mean there’s no room for a generous basket. The YOYO³ is the more limited of the two: the practical solution is a backpack or coat with good pockets. K has adapted around it without complaint, but it’s worth knowing before your first busy day out. The Butterfly 2 is slightly better on storage but still in the same compact-pushchair territory. Neither should be chosen or rejected on storage alone — if storage matters significantly, a different pushchair is the right tool.
Storage is a daily priority? → Neither — look at our all-terrain guide or Bugaboo Donkey 6 for genuine storage capacity.
If premium build quality matters…
Both are premium pushchairs with consistently high build quality — this isn’t a category where one clearly wins. The YOYO³’s screws-not-rivets construction is a practical advantage: fabrics are removable and washable, and the pushchair holds up to long-term daily use, as K’s example confirms. The Butterfly 2 has Bugaboo’s engineering and finish behind it — premium in a different way, focused on the feel and materials of the pushchair itself. Remove price from the equation and it’s close. Put the real-world prices back in and they’re similarly positioned.
Category winners at a glance
One-handed fold
🏆 Bugaboo Butterfly 2
One-second, one-handed. The YOYO³ needs two hands and practice.
Urban manoeuvrability
🏆 Stokke YOYO³
Nothing in this category comes close — confirmed by long-term daily use.
Weight
🏆 Stokke YOYO³
6.2kg vs 7.3kg — meaningfully lighter on the third staircase of the day.
Long-term durability
🏆 Stokke YOYO³
Screws not rivets — fabrics removable and washable. Confirmed by K’s daily use.
Airport / folding speed
🏆 Bugaboo Butterfly 2
One-second fold wins at boarding gates and security queues.
Overall score
🏆 Stokke YOYO³
9.5/10 vs 8.5/10 — the YOYO³ is the top recommendation on this site.
Head-to-head specs
| Stokke YOYO³ | Bugaboo Butterfly 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 6.2kg | c.7.3kg |
| Fold | Two-handed — takes practice | One-handed, one-second |
| Folded dimensions | 52 × 44 × 18cm — IATA compliant | Cabin compatible |
| Construction | Screws not rivets — washable fabrics | Premium Bugaboo finish |
| Price | From £400 (frame only — budget for accessories) | £435 |
| Our score | ★★★★★ 9.5/10 | ★★★★ 8.5/10 |
💬 If this were my money…
If I folded one-handed regularly at bus stops or train doors, I’d buy the Butterfly 2 without hesitation — the fold alone settles it. If both hands were usually free when folding and urban manoeuvrability was the priority, I’d buy the YOYO³ — it’s the better all-round pushchair in this category and the one I recommend to most parents. The YOYO³’s hidden accessory costs are worth knowing: budget for the full setup, not just the frame, and the price comparison with the Butterfly 2 looks rather different.
If we were standing in the shop together…
If somebody offered me both at exactly the same price, I’d take the YOYO³. The combination of weight, manoeuvrability and long-term durability — confirmed by K’s daily use rather than a brief showroom encounter — makes it the stronger pushchair overall in my view.
If you told me you commute daily and fold one-handed at bus stops, I’d point at the Butterfly 2 immediately. If you told me you wanted the best overall compact pushchair and both hands were free when you folded, I’d point at the YOYO³ — and remind you to budget for the accessories before you leave.
Parents like you usually choose…
Parents who choose the Stokke YOYO³ usually tell me one thing settled it: “Nothing else felt like that to push.” The manoeuvrability and weight combination is distinctive — and once experienced, hard to give up.
Parents who choose the Bugaboo Butterfly 2 usually say the fold settled it. They tried it once in the shop and that was the end of the comparison. When a feature is that good, it becomes the deciding factor regardless of everything else.
My recommendation
Buy the Stokke YOYO³ if:
- Urban manoeuvrability and overall feel are your top priorities
- Both hands are usually free when you fold — the two-handed fold isn’t a daily constraint
- You want the best long-term durability — screws not rivets, washable fabrics, built to last
- You fly or use Disneyland Paris — cabin-approved, IATA compliant
Buy the Bugaboo Butterfly 2 if:
- You fold one-handed regularly — at bus stops, train doors, in car parks
- Fold speed at airports and boarding gates is important to you
- Bugaboo’s premium finish and engineering feel matter to your buying decision
- You want a complete pushchair price with no accessory surprises
Read the full reviews
Stokke YOYO³
Full review — long-term daily use by K confirmed. Honest on the two-handed fold, storage and hidden accessory costs. 9.5/10.
Read the YOYO³ review →Bugaboo Butterfly 2
Full review — tested in store and at Hesketh Farm. Honest on the suspension and why the one-second fold is the standout feature. 8.5/10.
Read the Butterfly 2 review →Also worth reading
About the reviewer
Mark founded MyPushchair.co.uk in 2006 after struggling to find honest, straightforward pushchair advice as a new dad. With more than 30 years in the family travel and leisure industry — and after returning to relaunch the UK’s original independent pushchair review site — he continues to test products with one aim: helping parents buy the right pushchair the first time. Read the full story →
Still not sure which is right for you? Get in touch — happy to help.