Babyzen YOYO2 vs Bugaboo Butterfly 2: Which Travel Stroller Wins?

The verdict: Bugaboo Butterfly 2 for most parents, because of the one-second fold, the genuinely large basket, and the cleaner single-purchase. Babyzen YOYO2 if you want the lightest stroller in the class, the lowest price, or the most customisable system, and you don't mind buying the frame and colour pack separately.

Both are compact travel strollers that fold small enough for an aircraft overhead bin. Both are excellent. They split on a handful of real differences: the YOYO2 is lighter (6.1kg vs 7.3kg) and cheaper; the Butterfly 2 folds faster, carries far more underneath, and arrives as one complete product. If you fly often or live somewhere that rewards a small fold, either will serve you well.

Read on if you're choosing between the two benchmark compact strollers and want the trade-offs laid out plainly rather than a spec sheet.

What we looked at

Research draws from parent communities -- r/BeyondTheBump, r/UKParenting, and Mumsnet threads specifically on travel and compact strollers -- alongside the Babyzen and Bugaboo product specs and the consensus from professional reviewers. Both products have years of owner feedback, and the YOYO2 in particular has been the reference point in this category long enough that most newer compact strollers are designed against it. Prices reflect current Amazon listings; both products go in and out of stock, so check availability when you buy.

The Babyzen YOYO2

The YOYO2 is the stroller that defined the compact-travel category. For years it was the answer to "what folds small enough for a plane but is still a real stroller", and the current version refines that formula rather than reinventing it.

The headline is the weight and the fold. At 13.45 lb (6.1kg) it is the lightest stroller in this comparison, and it folds one-handed to roughly 20.5 x 17.3 x 7.1 inches -- small enough to go in an aircraft overhead bin rather than the hold. You steer it one-handed, sling it over a shoulder by the strap, and it disappears into the overhead locker. For frequent flyers, this is the practical centre of the whole pitch.

It carries a child up to 48.5 lb (22kg), which is a long usable life for a stroller this size -- many compact strollers tap out earlier. The seat has a multi-position reclining backrest and a 5-point harness, and the canopy extends for proper sun coverage.

The thing to understand before buying is the modular system. The YOYO2 is sold as a frame plus a colour pack. The standard configuration is the 6+ pack (seat cushion and matching canopy, suitable from six months), and there's a separate 0+ newborn pack that turns it into a lie-flat option for birth. On Amazon US the complete 6+ stroller is one listing; on Amazon UK the frame and the colour pack are typically listed separately, so you buy both. Nine colour options and a deep accessory range -- board, bag, cup holder, footmuff, parasol -- mean you can tailor it, but it also means the headline frame price isn't the whole cost.

The recurring criticism, and it's a fair one, is the basket. The YOYO2's under-seat storage is small, and it's the single most common complaint from owners. If you routinely carry a changing bag plus shopping plus the day's gear, the YOYO2 will feel tight underneath in a way the Butterfly 2 does not.

Where it wins: lightest at 6.1kg, folds smallest, lowest price as frame plus 6+ pack, longest weight range at 48.5 lb, most customisable with the widest accessory ecosystem and a dedicated newborn pack.

Where it loses: small basket, the frame-plus-pack purchase adds steps (and cost) especially in the UK, newborn use needs the separate 0+ pack, and Amazon US stock has been intermittent.

The Bugaboo Butterfly 2

The Butterfly 2 is Bugaboo's compact-travel challenger, and it was clearly designed to fix the things people complain about with travel strollers -- the tiny baskets, the fiddly folds, the compromise feel.

It weighs 7.3kg, which is heavier than the YOYO2 but still light for a full-feature compact stroller, and the fold is the standout: one second, one hand. Where the YOYO2 fold is quick, the Butterfly 2 fold is genuinely instant, which matters more than it sounds when you're collapsing a stroller at an airline gate with a baby on your hip and a queue behind you. It meets IATA cabin baggage size requirements, so it goes in the overhead bin too.

The basket is the detail that genuinely surprises people: 8kg capacity. For a stroller this compact, having that much storage underneath is the kind of fact that sounds like a misprint until you check. It's the clearest practical advantage the Butterfly 2 has over the YOYO2 -- twice the everyday carrying capacity in a similar footprint.

The seat sits upright for curious toddlers and reclines for naps. There's a one-hand footrest, a pocket on the back of the seat, and a detachable sun canopy. The wheels are larger than the original Butterfly (around 12cm front, 15cm rear), which improves handling on the dropped kerbs and broken pavement that fill real city life. It's not an all-terrain stroller, but it's more composed on imperfect surfaces than its size suggests.

Like the YOYO2, the Butterfly 2 is suitable from 6 months as standard. For newborns, Bugaboo offers compatible car seats and adaptors -- a different route to birth-readiness than the YOYO2's dedicated 0+ pack, and one worth pricing out if you're buying before the baby arrives.

Where it wins: one-second fold, 8kg basket (the biggest practical edge), arrives as one complete product with no colour pack to add, larger wheels for urban surfaces, more reliable Amazon availability at the time of writing.

Where it loses: heavier than the YOYO2 at 7.3kg, more expensive, less customisable, and newborn use relies on a car seat and adaptor rather than a purpose-built newborn pack.

Head-to-Head

What owners say

Across r/BeyondTheBump and r/UKParenting, the split is consistent with the spec differences. YOYO2 owners are loyal to the weight and the fold, and frequent flyers in particular rate it as the one that makes travelling with a baby genuinely manageable -- the recurring frustration is always the basket. Butterfly 2 owners almost universally call out the storage and the one-second fold as the reasons they chose it over the YOYO2, while a few note it feels slightly heavier on the shoulder. Across both communities, nobody regrets going compact for travel; the regret stories are from parents who bought a cheap travel stroller instead of one of these two and replaced it within a year.

Which one to buy

These four scenarios make the decision concrete:

You fly several times a year and weight is your top priority. The YOYO2. At 6.1kg it's the lightest here, it folds smallest, and it has the longest track record of being waved into aircraft cabins. If your reason for buying a travel stroller is air travel above all, the YOYO2 is the purpose-built answer.

You want one complete stroller with no decisions to make. The Butterfly 2. It arrives as a single product -- no frame-plus-pack maths, no colour pack to order separately -- and the basket means it doubles as a capable everyday stroller, not just a travel one. For most parents who want to buy once and get on with it, this is the cleaner choice.

You carry a lot underneath every day. The Butterfly 2. The 8kg basket is the single biggest practical difference between these two strollers, and if you've ever tried to wedge a changing bag and a food shop under a YOYO2 you'll understand why owners rate it so highly.

You want the lightest, cheapest option or you love to customise. The YOYO2. Bought as frame plus the 6+ pack it undercuts the Butterfly 2 on price, it's lighter, and the colour packs plus accessory range let you build exactly the setup you want, including a proper newborn configuration with the 0+ pack.

The honest case against each

The honest case against the YOYO2: the basket is genuinely small, and the frame-plus-pack purchase is more complicated than it should be -- especially on Amazon UK, where you're buying the frame and the colour pack as separate items. Add the 0+ newborn pack and the accessories most people end up wanting, and the YOYO2 stops being the cheap option. Price the complete setup before you assume it undercuts the Butterfly 2.

The honest case against the Butterfly 2: it's heavier than the YOYO2 and more expensive, and it's less customisable if you like building a system around colour packs and accessories. The newborn route relies on a compatible car seat and adaptor rather than a dedicated newborn pack, which is a different (and potentially pricier) path to birth-readiness. If air travel is the entire reason you're buying, the lighter YOYO2 is the more focused tool.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Babyzen YOYO2 or Bugaboo Butterfly 2 better?

For most parents, the Butterfly 2 is the more practical all-rounder: it folds in one second, carries 8kg in the basket, and arrives as a single complete product. The YOYO2 is the better choice if weight is your top priority (it's lighter at 6.1kg), if you want the lowest price, or if you value the modular colour-pack system and the dedicated newborn pack. Both fold small enough for an aircraft overhead bin, so for pure travel either works.

Which is lighter, the YOYO2 or the Butterfly 2?

The Babyzen YOYO2 is lighter, at 13.45 lb (6.1kg) versus the Bugaboo Butterfly 2's 7.3kg (16.1 lb). It's a difference you notice when carrying the folded stroller by its shoulder strap through an airport or up stairs. For travel-focused buyers who prioritise weight above all, the YOYO2 is the lighter tool.

Do both strollers fit in an aeroplane overhead bin?

Yes. The YOYO2 folds to roughly 20.5 x 17.3 x 7.1 inches, and the Butterfly 2 meets IATA cabin baggage size requirements -- both are designed to go in the overhead bin rather than being gate-checked or sent to the hold on most airlines. Cabin policies vary by carrier and aircraft, so confirm with your airline, but both are among the few strollers that genuinely make overhead-bin stowage realistic.

Do the YOYO2 and Butterfly 2 work from birth?

Neither works from birth as standard -- both come configured from 6 months. The YOYO2 has a dedicated 0+ newborn pack that converts it to a lie-flat option for birth. The Butterfly 2 reaches birth-readiness through a compatible car seat and adaptor instead. If you're buying before the baby arrives and want a newborn-capable setup, factor the extra cost of the 0+ pack (YOYO2) or the car seat and adaptor (Butterfly 2) into your comparison.

Why is the YOYO2 sold as a frame and a colour pack separately?

Babyzen sells the YOYO2 as a modular system: a frame plus a colour pack (the 6+ pack for six months and up, or the 0+ pack for newborns). This lets you choose from nine colours and swap configurations as your child grows. On Amazon US the complete 6+ stroller is usually one listing; on Amazon UK the frame and colour pack are typically listed separately, so you add both to your basket. It's more flexible than an all-in-one stroller, but it means the frame price alone isn't the full cost.

What to Avoid

**Buying the YOYO2 frame and assuming that's the whole stroller.** The frame needs a colour pack to be usable -- the 6+ pack for six months and up, or the 0+ pack for newborns. On Amazon UK especially, the frame is listed on its own. Always confirm you're buying a complete setup, not just the frame, before comparing the price to the Butterfly 2.

Underestimating how much the basket matters. The single biggest day-to-day difference between these strollers is storage. The Butterfly 2's 8kg basket versus the YOYO2's small one is the detail owners mention most. If you carry a lot, don't let weight or price alone decide it -- the basket will shape your daily experience more than either.

Buying either as a full-time everyday stroller for rough terrain. Both are compact travel strollers with small wheels. They're superb for travel, transit, and smooth urban surfaces, but neither is built for gravel paths, heavy off-road use, or all-day rural walks. If that's your daily reality, a full-size stroller is the better main buy, with one of these as a travel second.

Cheaper lookalike travel strollers. The compact-travel category is full of budget imitations that fold small but fall apart on weight, fabric, and fold reliability within a year. The recurring story in owner communities is parents who bought a cheap travel stroller, replaced it within twelve months, and wished they'd bought a YOYO2 or Butterfly 2 first.

What We'd Buy Today

For most parents: the **Bugaboo Butterfly 2**. The one-second fold and the 8kg basket make it the compact stroller that also works as a capable everyday one, and buying it as a single complete product is simpler than the YOYO2's frame-plus-pack route. At around $600 it's the cleaner all-rounder.

Get the Bugaboo Butterfly 2 on Amazon ->

For frequent flyers and parents who prioritise weight and price: the **Babyzen YOYO2**. It's lighter, folds smaller, costs less as frame plus 6+ pack, and the modular system -- including the dedicated 0+ newborn pack -- lets you build exactly the stroller you want.

Get the Babyzen YOYO2 on Amazon ->

Both are the real thing. Pick the Butterfly 2 if you want storage and simplicity, the YOYO2 if you want the lightest, most customisable travel stroller there is, and go.