better is a relative term. its a single unit. no hoses or gauges or moving parts. the base is pretty comfy. ive seen tubes for air pumps and they look like they can dig into you. and that might hurt. it doesnt make noise. so if wanna keep things quite its good. its easy to use, if that helps. i havent used an air pump tho. i can only tell you about the bathmate. i will say this. they sell a strap for the bathmate. and if you have the loot buy it. holding it for 15 min can get boring. i made my own(shoelaces). i use it in the shower. so both my hands are free to wash and shave and brush my teeth.