Which is the best portable power station?
Some portable power station features, like wireless charging, set one device above the rest. The standout for us was the Jackery 2000 Plus. Jackery's offerings are usually solid in the portable power station arena. Helping set this model apart: the ability to expand the 2000 Plus by adding external batteries, increasing its overall capacity and capabilities. And with Fourth of July sales underway, many of these picks are seeing significant savings.
As electronic devices become ever more integrated into our daily lives, the need to keep those devices charged and online increases, but we can't bring the power grid with us wherever we go. Portable power stations are the perfect solution to keep us electronically powered anywhere. These devices have enough bells and whistles to justify adding one of these to your everyday life, but they can also be an inexpensive stand-in for generators when you need to keep your absolute necessities up and running.
If you're looking to juice up your devices, you'll have way more options than bulky, simple power banks with basic outlets. Portable power stations have undergone major improvements since we first started reviewing them here at CNET, bringing about features like USB ports, solar panel inputs and wireless charging. You can daisy-chain some models for even more power, or connect others to your home's electrical system, giving you backup power in an emergency or power outage. You'll also find plenty that work just as well as portable generators for camping trips and other off-grid activities.
To find the best of the bunch, I spent hours putting each power station through its paces, and I also considered factors such as battery life, power output and input charging options, plus output options for juicing up my gear. Power stations that only sport AC outlets and force you to use adapters are no longer viable. Each is more than just an on-the-go phone battery charger or glamping must-have. These power bank performers have wide-ranging uses, from building and construction to staying connected with the office or family to having access to emergency lighting and power wherever you roam or call home.
Best portable power stations for 2024
Jackery has been busy with new releases this year, and for some, it might be easy to get confused by its naming system. At first, I thought the Jackery Explorer 2000 Plus was an incremental update to the Jackery Explorer 2000 Pro, but no; this is a decidedly different product. The standard specs and performance are similar at a glance, but coming in at around 20 pounds heavier, the 2000 Plus is built to do more.
First and foremost, with the added weight also comes a telescoping handle and durable wheels. You will also notice the inclusion of a round RV-type AC output rated at 25A. What's more, if you'd like to pick up two of these, you can also use the new Jackery expansion connector to link up both units and supply yourself with two separate 240-volt outlets (each rated 30A). We have seen this from a few other manufacturers, but I'm happy to see Jackery doing this early in the game.
Similarly, Jackery has thrown in on the modular game by offering external expansion batteries. For now, the 2000 Plus is the only unit that will accept these batteries, but we can assume more are to follow. Each external battery has the same capacity as the base 2000 Plus unit, and currently, you can link up to five additional batteries to the main unit for a staggering 12,256.8Wh. Additionally, you can still combine two sets of the six-piece combos together for that 240-volt capability and an even larger capacity of 24,513.6Wh.
For these reasons and more, the Jackery 2000 Plus is our best large and best overall portable power station.
This model is the first new "best small portable power station" in two years, unseating the previous titleholder; the Togo PowerAdvance 346.
In addition to having the wireless charge capability I'm so fond of (especially on smaller units), the Flash300 did well in our tests and sports a blazing fast 0 to 100% charge time of around 45 minutes.
It has all the ports you'd expect, 600 watts of power (in and out) and a clean and informative LED display, which is great to have. It's also reasonably priced at $300, making it a great entry-level pick.
Insert your favorite quote about big things and small packages here.
The 1000 Plus has a stated capacity of 1,264Wh paired with a 2,000W output. The new "Plus" line also supports capacity expansion through external batteries. With this unit, you can add up to three extra batteries for a total of up to 5kWh.
Charge via wall outlet in about one and a half hours; double that if you max out the 1000 Plus' 800W solar charging input and go that route instead.
Modular is the way to go for most people who need serious power. Jackery's Plus line continues to impress with its full suite of expandable products.
The capacity and capabilities of portable power stations continue to evolve, so I've reconfigured the sizing categories for this category and added in "extra-large" since we're regularly seeing extra-large portable power stations.
There are a few things I am particularly fond of with this unit. For starters you can add up to six expansion batteries for a total of 26.9Wh capacity. The Solix F3800 boasts a nominal power output of 6,000W and the capacity for 120/240 split-phase output in the same unit. It also has both NEMA 14-50 and L14-30 receptacles to directly charge things like your EV, RV or large appliances.
You could also choose to pull double duty, run two of these units and max out the expansion batteries for a total of 53.8kWh capacity. Doing so would double your power output to 12,000 watts.
This is the exact road map for manufacturers to follow, in my opinion, as we talk about developing a flexible energy platform for nearly all versions of residential life.
Currently on sale for $429, this station has 768Wh of capacity. (We tested this unit to have about 93% of that capacity as usable. Anything over 90% is excellent.) It also has a rated power output of 1,000 watts (2,000 peak), and a promise to charge to 80% in 45 minutes. In our charge tests, we found that in turbo charge mode, the AC70 hits that 80% charge even faster, at just 33 minutes.
As usual, the interface is simple and the information screen is easy to read. The battery chemistry is lithium iron phosphate, and this unit can additionally take in 500 watts of solar charging power. It also has a '"UPS feature" for power switchover of 20ms. (Check on any important medical gear if you plan to use this as a power backup, sometimes those products require switchover times below 12ms.)
All in all, this is a great package with a low price tag, which makes it a perfect budget option.
We have seen several Bluetti models take titles in this list over the years.
The AC200 Max did not initially make our winners list when we first tested it earlier this year. But a recent price cut brought the cost down by $300, and it's currently on sale for another $200 off, bringing the final price down to $1,199. That's quite the value for what you're getting.
To be specific, what you're getting is 2,048 watt-hours of capacity (expandable to 8,192Wh), 2,200W output (4,800W surge) and 900W of solar charging power (1,400W solar plus AC). That's nothing to laugh at in this price range. Most offerings with similar specs sit closer to $2,000 and often are missing the expandability aspect.
The AC200 Max is comparable in form to Bluetti's larger format AC300 and AC500 units. The AC500 has more to offer, even going as far as showcasing a 50A outlet (still only 120V unless you want to join two units together for a split-phase 240) and the AC300 has more 120V 20A circuits, but the AC200 Max is the only one of these that has any battery capacity built in. For both the AC300 and AC500, an external battery is required.
These days, an increasing number of portable power stations offer UPS or EPS backup protection modes to offer backup power to critical pieces of equipment during power failures. You plug the power station into your wall outlet and the equipment in question into your power station. With UPS, EPS or Backup mode enabled, the power station will kick in and power whatever is plugged into it from its internal battery.
Before you run out and replace your existing UPS units with one of these, you should know that it is almost the same as a UPS. But not entirely. A dedicated UPS could have a transfer time (the amount of time it takes for its battery to take over once the grid power has failed) of anywhere from 0 to 12 milliseconds, and most of them try to stay at 8 milliseconds or faster. The majority of portable power stations now offer transfer times of "less than" 20 or 30 milliseconds. That's great as far as portable power stations go. For a dedicated UPS that you might want to protect a core piece of tech or an important medical device, you might consider a different solution. By all means, your TVs, laptops, fridges and other devices will be well looked after.
That being said, the Zendure SuperBase Pro 2000 offers, in comparison, a blazing "less than 13ms" transfer speed for its backup mode. The Zendure suite overall is fairly impressive and offers lots of options for portable or even static and whole-home energy solutions. Check out a more complete look at the expanding landscape of these companies.
By camping, I don't mean "glamping." I'm not trying to power your PS5, beer fridge and jacuzzi. Since solar panels are more common now, and almost every portable power station offers an option to charge with them, we don't have to be quite as concerned about overall battery capacity or our ability to get to grid power to recharge.
Even if it does carry a hefty price tag (although it's currently on sale for $549, which is a big drop from its normal retail price of $999), I feel like this model hits a sweet spot of basic functionality, capacity and price. Even though you have the option of charging via solar panels, you can probably survive a weekend trip with a full charge, depending on what you're powering. That helps when you're in sub-prime conditions for solar charging, such as overcast or rainy days.
A newcomer nearly unseated the Delta Mini this round and would have, if not for the Mini's recent price drop. If you're looking for a good camping option with a bit more power, check out the Pecron E2000LFP. It lists at $899 currently but has more to offer than the Delta Mini.
It's also worth mentioning that even though the GoSun PowerBank 1100 didn't finish at the top of our testing, GoSun offers a whole suite of camping and solar-friendly equipment, including a nifty folding solar table that I'm hoping to add to an upcoming solar panel best list.
The Dakota Lithium PS2400 is the fastest charging portable power station on our list. Now, looking at our test data, that doesn't mean that it took less time to charge than any other unit, but, in using our residential AC charging method, it instead indicates the unit that charges the most watt-hours per minute. This method allows the large-capacity units to compete in this category with much smaller units that would charge much faster.
Charging from 0 to 100% in 77 minutes, the PS2400 sees 26.76 watts-per-minute charging from a standard 120-volt, 20-amp residential outlet. A close second was the Oupes Mega 3 at 26.48 watts-per-minute. Different units make up the bulk of the next-best contenders, from companies like Oupes, VTOMAN, UGreen and Goal Zero
If charging to recover your total capacity is a major concern for you, these are the units to look at. In addition, they all offer simultaneous charging from other inputs like solar or other DC inputs if you need to up your recharge game.
Also notable is the unit's 10ms switchover time!
Factors to consider when choosing a portable power station
Capacity
This is really the main point of a portable power station. How many times can you recharge that phone? Or how long will that light run?
Charging Outputs
So many to choose from... AC receptacles, USB ports, wireless charging, RV connector, EV connector... make sure it has what you need!
Charging Inputs
Other than the main AC charging via receptacle, some people specifically need DC charging on the road, or solar panel charging (check the input watts here).
Features
Once all your basic criteria are met, check out the nice-to-haves. Ability to add additional batteries? Modular pieces to spread around your power?
How we test portable power stations
Currently, we look at two main performance metrics for portable power stations: charge time and discharge capacity. Every company that sells portable power stations provides the expected number of watt-hours its products are supposed to last. For the Jackery Explorer 240, that's 240 watt-hours; for the Ecoflow River Max, it's 576 watt-hours. Bluetti AC200P claims 2,000 watt-hours.
That means if you run a device with a 1-watt output on the Jackery Explorer 240, it should last for about 240 hours. You'd get 576 hours from the Ecoflow model and an impressive 2,000 hours using the Bluetti generator. That would last you almost three months. For reference, a USB-C iPhone charger draws up to 18 watts, a 3-quart Instant Pot draws 700 watts and a standard microwave draws around 600 to 1,200 watts, depending on the model. But how accurate are those figures?
We use 110-watt LED lights to run a controlled load on each power station during our tests, which allows us to calculate the percentage of power that you can actually use.
Usable capacity
A power station's capacity should be a no-brainer. You should be able to look at a device's rated watt-hours and purchase accordingly based on your needs. Generally, you can do that. That said, I've found that you typically won't see the entire capacity rating as usable power.
Lots of factors can affect this, and most of them center on how the manufacturer chooses to build their units' internals to manage their charged capacity. There is some (usually negligible) amount of power that goes to fuel the various indicator lights and readable LED panels on the units. Some of the larger units even have their own operating systems, so it's almost like powering an additional mini PC on the inside. Other units can have power-saving features where they reduce outgoing bulk power as they come close to depleting their charge.
We use external tools alongside each unit's own built-in meters to measure the outgoing voltage and watts of each power station we test.
To run our capacity tests, we connect a number of 10,000-lumen LED work lights, rated at 110 watts, to each unit. (The number of work lights is based on the overall watt-hour rating of the unit under test, or UUT.) We record the outgoing voltage and wattage using external measurement instruments or the UUT's own measurements if available. Once we have this data, we can leverage the calculations into a dizzying array of information about the UUT's performance. The main piece of information we look at here is the observed capacity, based on our measurements, compared to the UUT's stated capacity.
Here's that mass of data in a nifty chart, where longer bars indicate power stations with greater percentages of battery capacity that you can put to use.
In every case, that percentage ends up at less than 100%. Most manufacturers say you should calculate expected usage at 85% of stated capacity. Two of our smaller units (green bars) both clocked 98% capacity -- the Jackery Explorer 240 and the Togo 350. Generally speaking, the midsize units (blue bars) didn't fare well. The large-sized units (yellow bars) did better, with the Bluetti AC200P scoring highest at almost 96%. As for our extra-large units (purple bars), the 3,600Wh EcoFlow Delta Pro fared the best, with a usable capacity rating just over 92%. Behind it, Oupes, Mango, Yoshino and Dabbsson each had extra-large power stations (at least 2,200Wh) that scored above that 85% benchmark for usable capacity.
A quick word on our math here. If you blindly accept both a unit's stated capacity and our work light wattage rating of 110 watts, the numbers look very different. For example, we will take the GoSun PowerBank 1100 (to make the math easier) and attach four of the 110-watt lights. That load rating is now 440 watts and the GoSun's capacity of 1,100 divided by 440 is 2.5. We would expect to see 2.5 hours of usage. The actual run time for this unit was 2 hours, 50 minutes -- 113% capacity. Sounds great, Right? We're missing some key factors. Without going into a long(er) explanation of how to more accurately measure power, the fact that this unit has an output of 110 volts AC (compared to 120VAC) and the actual output wattage to the four lights is 352 watts, our real expected run time is 3 hours, 8 minutes, which drops the capacity rating to 90%.
One other testing note for these numbers -- the Oupes 600W data might be off. The unit turned off the lights at 9%. It would allow me to start the lights again but would turn them off again after some time. I repeated this process at least 20 times before the unit wouldn't power the lights for more than a couple of seconds at a time.
How long does it take to charge each of these things from zero to 100%? Glad you asked!
Charge time
Charging performance can be nearly as important as knowing your capacity stats. It helps to know how long your device will take to charge, especially if you're crunched for time or need to be able to charge quickly for whatever reason. Will it take 1 hour or 2? What about 10? Or 12? (That's an actual number from our tests.)
We report three data points for charging performance. Each unit is plugged in for AC charging and we record how long it takes to reach 50%, 80% and 100% charge. Half-full is probably the least amount of power you're going to want, especially from the smaller units. 80% is the "magic number" for many rechargeable batteries.
Here's a simple-ish way to illustrate it: Imagine a swimming pool with room for 100 people, each person representing 1% of the total space. When you first start charging, and that first person dives in, you don't have much to worry about. You're not going to run into anyone else, so dive, splash around, whatever you want. But as we add people, it gets a bit more crowded and complicated. You've got less room for people. Once you have 80 people in the pool, that next person is going to take a few extra seconds to choose their entry without causing any issues rather than just jumping and hoping no one is in the way.
Each manufacturer deals with this purposeful slow-down in its own way, so you won't see the same performance changes from one manufacturer to the next. True to the analogy, person number 100 into the pool can sometimes be very slow, taking several times longer to get in than any of his predecessors.
Take a look at the full charge test results below. Charge times are listed in hours, so shorter bars indicate power stations that charge faster. In many cases, you can see how the charge rate is fairly constant between 0 and 50% (red) and from 50 to 80% (yellow), before slowing down from 80 to 100% (green).
Other portable power stations we've tested
Ampace Andes 600 Pro (584Wh): This is an OK unit. It sits right around the industry standard for usable capacity. However, we did find that the charging moved much slower than the marketing materials claim - 90 minutes to 80% charge vs the advertised 60 minutes.
Anker 555 PowerHouse (1,024Wh): An increasing number of portable power stations are shipping with LifePO4 batteries, and I love that. The 555 is slower to charge than most of its competitors but sports a 94% usable capacity and an attractive price versus the number of watt-hours; the better to power those six AC outlets.
Anker Solix C1000 (1,056Wh): Another good option from Anker. It tested well in our lab and I don't have any real complaints about this one. Anker currently has it at $250 off, which is great, but it also offers 30-day price matching. You could end up with an amazing deal this time of year.
Anker Solix C800 Plus (768Wh): So, I kind of like this guy. It only really performed average in our standard tests for power stations, but it has a feature that is quite interesting, if not a bit gimmicky. In a storage compartment on top of the unit, you will find a telescoping pole that can be mounted onto the power station to support one of two rechargeable camping lights. You're not getting a ton of light out of these things, but, some light is infinitely better than no light. Plus you get the hands-free mode with the telescoping pole mount - maybe that is what the 'plus' is for?
Anker Solix F1200 (1,229Wh): This unit was previously known as the PowerHouse 757 from Anker, and was also CNET's previous pick for "best portable power station for backup." Its UPS mode was one of the earlier units to boast "less than 20ms" switchover time in the event of a power outage. It's also currently $349 off on Anker's site.
Anker Solix F2000 (2,048Wh): Previously known as the Anker PowerHouse 767 and previous winner of "best large portable power station" here on CNET. This model has lots to offer by way of features and options -- pretty much anything other than wireless charging. It also performed well on our usable capacity and charge time tests.
Bailibatt 300W (257Wh): Another small, affordable unit. The Bailibatt comes in at 84% usable capacity, which is good. But it takes 11 hours to charge, which is.... not as good. If you have specific limited charging needs and plenty of time to recharge, the price tag makes it worth considering.
BioLite BaseCharge 600 (622Wh): Here's a unit that's about average with an OK price. It has 87% usable capacity, a Li-ion battery, average features and is maybe a little slow on the charge time. On the plus side, it does have wireless charging.
The BioLite BaseCharge 1500 offers decent capacity for the price, but it's one of the slowest power stations to charge that we've tested, taking more 6 hours just to charge to 50% and about 13 hours in total to hit 100%.
BioLite BaseCharge 1500 (1,521Wh): Having tested both the 600 and 1500 models of the BioLite BaseCharge, I can tell you that this company is consistent in its product manufacturing. The BaseCharge is about 2.5 times the capacity of the 600. That 2.5 modifier carries across the board fairly accurately from price to capacity, charge times, everything. If you like the 600 but you wish you had two and a half of it, save yourself the effort and just buy the 1500.
BigBlue Cellpowa 500 (537.6Wh): This is a better-than-average performing unit at better-than-average pricing. But there's nothing outstanding about it.
Bluetti AC180 (1,152Wh): This unit tested well enough, scoring 88% usable capacity and charging via AC outlet at 13.88 watt hours per minute, but one thing to clarify, unlike many of the other Bluetti units that use the same physical format, this unit does not support capacity expansion via external batteries.
Bluetti AC180T (1,433Wh): I like this unit, but I'm just as, if not more, excited about its energy platform, the SwapSolar Ecosystem. Not unlike some of the Runhood units we've tested, this ecosystem uses interchangeable batteries that will power multiple products from the brand. We have also tested an electric cooler on the same ecosystem. As far as large power stations, the performance metrics were great with this unit, just not quite enough to capture a title.
Bluetti AC2A (204.8Wh): A great option if you don't need a ton of capacity but do need options beyond just USB connectivity. This unit is in the capacity ballpark of a very large power bank and priced similarly while currently on sale through the manufacturer for $159.
Bluetti AC200P (2,000Wh): This is one of Bluetti's earlier large portable power stations and a previous winner for "best large portable power station." It's currently over $500 off on Bluetti's site. It still offers plenty of power and options, but is likely nearing the end of its product cycle lifespan (hence the $500 discount).
Bluetti AC240 (1,536Wh): I've tested a dozen or more Bluetti power stations at this point. The AC240 is good, as are most of Bluetti's offerings, but I wasn't particularly blown away and didn't find anything new to be excited about here. It performed slightly below many other Bluetti units on the usable capacity test, but does have many of the expandability options I admire, and UPS switchover times are coming down across the board - 15ms on this unit, although I'll be happier when sub 12ms is the standard.
Bluetti EB3A (268Wh): If you're interested in something small to work for your personal charging needs but those pocket-sized battery packs just don't cut it, this could be your option. As a previous CNET "best value" winner, the EB3A has what you need to keep rocking for a couple of days.