5 Best Portable Power Stations (2023): Power Capacity, Luxe, Budget, and More

Aug 22, 2023

Simon Hill Scott Gilbertson

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The gadgets and appliances that make modern living so comfortable have one thing in common: They all need power. Over the past few years, as people have turned away from gas-guzzling generators, portable power stations have enjoyed a meteoric rise. Whether you’re camping for the weekend, living off-grid, or protecting against power outages, these big batteries can help.

You can buy tons of power stations with varying portability and capacity. There’s no such thing as the best power station for most people, because it depends on what you need, but we have spent months testing several to find which models work for certain situations. We've tried systems that can provide from 768 watt-hours of energy to 6.4 kilowatt-hours. We also have important advice on what to consider when shopping for one. For more modest needs, read our Best Portable Chargers guide.

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This Jackery system ticks a lot of boxes. It is versatile, expandable, durable, and dependable. The Explorer 2000 Plus has a decent mix of ports with support for fast charging your gadgets. You can double or triple the 2,042-Wh capacity by adding battery packs—they stack neatly—and it works as an emergency power supply (EPS). The LiFePO4 battery should be good for 10 years, and Jackery has various protective mechanisms to reduce the risk of anything going wrong. In my tests, the capacity consistently matched up with Jackery’s claims. It had no trouble with the kettle test (UK kettles hit 3,000 watts), though it chewed through 6 percent. You can charge it speedily from the mains, but I also filled it from 32 percent in a single scorching day with Jackery’s SolarSaga 200-W Solar Panel. Best of all, the fan is relatively quiet at around 30 decibels. There’s even a quiet charging mode you can toggle on in the companion app.

The Explorer 2000 Plus is not perfect. It weighs 62 pounds, and though there are indented handles on either side, a telescopic handle, and two wheels, it can be tough to move around. The covers on the car port, inputs, and expansion port on the back are annoyingly tight. (I sometimes had to use a screwdriver to open them.) The Wi-Fi connection is 2.4-GHz only, and it took me a while to figure out that the connection mode requires you to press the AC and DC buttons together, because that doesn’t seem to be documented anywhere. Minor niggles aside, this is a great power station. The warranty is three years, but you can extend it to five years by registering with Jackery.

Capacity: 2,042 watt-hours. Max Output: 3,000 watts (6,000-W surge). AC Charging Time: 2 hours. Ports: 3 x AC, 1 x Car, 2 x USB-A (QC 3.0, 18W), 2 x USB-C (100W).

If you need a lot of power, the Zendure Superbase V6400 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) has you covered. Beyond the 6,438-watt-hour capacity, this is a modular system you can build all the way up to 64 kilowatt-hours, though that would cost you more than $40,000. Oof. Zendure says the semi-solid-state batteries inside are more resilient than LiFePO4, making them safer, and you can expect a decade of service from this power station. You can control the Superbase V6400 easily using the buttons and display, but Zendure’s slick app has extra options, including the ability to drive the V6400 like a remote control car, which is handy, since this thing weighs 130 pounds (there is also a telescopic handle). My tests proved Zendure’s capacity claims accurate, and this power station ran my desktop PC, speakers, and two monitors for about 34 hours. It also had no trouble with a kettle or anything else I plugged into it, and it can work as an uninterruptible power supply with no downtime.

The downside, apart from the high price, is the fan noise. It hovered around 52 decibels and kicked in quickly anytime I used the power station or when charging it. While the remote control feature helps you roll it around, you will need help if you have to lift it. The warranty is three years, but you can extend it by another two years if you register with Zendure.

Capacity: 6,438 watt-hours. Max Output: 3,600 watts, AC Charging Time: 2 hours. Ports: 5 x AC (4 x 120-volt, 1 x 240-volt), 1 x Car, 1 x TT30, 2 x DC5521, 1 x Anderson, 2 x USB-A (12W), 4 x USB-C (2 x 100W, 2 x 20W).

This portable power station is a good size for a weekend camping trip. Weighing in at 29 pounds, it has recessed handles at each side that make for easy carrying, though this is as big a power station as I can imagine lugging any real distance. There’s no superfluous app. You can do everything using the buttons and display on the front. It has a good mix of ports to cover a lot of small gadgets like phones, tablets, and laptops. There’s even a wireless charging pad on top. I wouldn’t run anything too demanding on it, but it coped fine with an electric drill and blender. I tested it with Biolite’s SolarPanel 100, but the BaseCharge 1500 has a standard HPP input, so you don’t have to use Biolite’s panels. It finished just on either side of the stated capacity in my tests.

Sadly, the BioLite BaseCharge 1500 takes a long time to charge. Even from the mains, you need a day, though you can speed it slightly by using the PD USB-C as a second input. Charging from a single Biolite SolarPanel 100 takes several days. The battery is also a Li-NMC, so it likely won't last as long as some of our other picks. The BaseCharge 1500 comes with a two-year warranty.

Capacity: 1,521 watt-hours. Max Output: 1,200 watts (2,400-W surge). AC Charging Time: 13.5 hours (8 hours with AC and USB-C input). Ports: 3 x AC, 1 x Car, 2 x DC5521, 2 x USB-A (15W), 3 x USB-C (2 x 15W, 1 x 100W), 10W Wireless Charging.

I managed to get 1,511 watt-hours out of Goal Zero's Yeti 1500X. That's enough power to keep your fridge humming through an outage, but the 1500X is portable enough to take with you. I stopped using ridiculously long extension cords and instead just brought the 1500X out to where I needed power. With a 2,000-watt output rating, it had no trouble running power tools, refrigerators, and everything else I could find. It has a decent selection of ports too: two USB-C ports, two USB-A ports, and a regulated 12-volt cigarette-lighter-style port. The only downside is that there are only two 120-volt AC ports. You can charge the Yeti off solar or by plugging it in, and the Yeti app is nice for monitoring power usage and battery life, as well as getting notifications and upgrading firmware.

Compared to the BioLite above, Goal Zero's Yeti 1500X also packs a Li-NMC battery but can put out and take in a much higher wattage, so you can safely use it with power tools and appliances, and it will charge faster. On the other hand, you have fewer ports, and it is much heavier at 46 pounds. Goal Zero offers a two-year warranty.

Capacity: 1,516 watt-hours. Max Output: 2,000 watts (3,500-W surge). AC Charging Time: 3 hours. Ports: 2 x AC, 1 x Car, 2 x DC5521, 2 x USB-A (12W), 2 x USB-C (1 x 18W, 1 x 60W).

Adrienne So

Julian Chokkattu

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Boone Ashworth

By far the most portable power station in our guide, the EcoFlow River 2 Pro is easy to carry, as it weighs just 17 pounds, with a large handle along the back. The LiFeP04 battery inside is good for 768 watt-hours, and I managed to squeeze a little more out of it in my tests. The ports are great for camping trips, with everything you need to charge small gadgets. Using the X-Boost surge, you can power small appliances, but I wouldn’t risk a hair dryer or a UK kettle. The River 2 Pro can also function as an EPS with a 30-millisecond delay. The EcoFlow app is slick, and you can connect via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, but you don’t really need it.

The River 2 Pro takes over an hour to charge from the mains and has a standard XT60 connector for solar panels, but the fan can get noisy. It doesn’t always kick in when charging smaller gadgets, but with more demanding things plugged in or when you recharge it, the River 2 Pro makes a bit of a racket (my Apple Watch says as high as 57 decibels). Thankfully, EcoFlow offers a five-year warranty, and it's certified for safety by TÜV Rheinland (an independent testing service).

Capacity: 768 watt-hours. Max Output: 800 watts (1,600-W surge). AC Charging Time: 70 minutes. Ports: 3 x AC, 1 x Car, 2 x DC5521, 3 x USB-A (12W), 1 x USB-C (100W).

Ugreen PowerRoam 1200-W Portable Power Station for $999: This 1,024-watt-hour capacity power station packs a LiFePO4 battery inside and boasts plenty of ports (6 x AC, 2 x USB-C, 2 x USB-A, 1 x Car, 2 x DC5521). It can put out up to 1,200 watts and weighs a hefty 25 pounds, but there’s a big handle on top for lugging it around. You will also find a standard AC input and an XT60 for connecting solar panels. You can control everything using the buttons and display on the front, and there's a light that can strobe for emergencies. The app connects via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth for a few extra options. Unfortunately, the app is flaky, and I had to create my account and add the power station more than once because it refused to accept my login info. Ugreen sent me the version with the 200-watt Solar Panel ($1,250), which did a fine job charging the station but rarely produced more than 130 watts. The PowerRoam 1200W mostly performed well, but it ran out of juice prematurely in one test, making it tough to recommend unreservedly. It comes with a five-year warranty.

Zendure SuperBase Pro 2000 for $2,000: With a whopping 2,096 Wh capacity, tons of outlets (6 x AC, 1 x Car, 3 x DC5521, 4 x USB-C), and a maximum output of 2,000 watts (surge 3,000 watts) this is a great portable power station. It is 47 pounds but has two wheels, a carry handle, and a separate telescopic handle. Zendure’s app is slick, this power station can serve as an uninterruptible power supply, and it performed well in my tests, but the fans were almost constantly on. I also have concerns about its longevity. The SuperBase Pro 2000 has a Li-NMC battery inside, probably because it offers greater energy density than LiFePO4 (the similarly sized SuperBase Pro 1500 has a LiFePO4 battery and just 1440 Wh capacity), but Li-NMC batteries don’t last as long. The warranty is two years, but you can extend it by a year by registering with Zendure.

EcoFlow River Pro Solar Generator for $779: This packs 720 watt-hours and a fold-out 160-watt solar panel array that took five hours to fully charge the battery from 30 percent on a sunny day. If it’s cloudy, you can expect it to take a full day to charge. It has AC outlets and USB ports and can put out 600 watts. It had no trouble keeping all our gadgets running on multiple short trips over the summer and seems to hold its charge well. Best of all, you can fully charge it from the mains in less than two hours.

Jackery Explorer 1000 for $1,000: If you need a power station, the Jackery Explorer 1000 is a solid place to start. It strikes a good balance between ease of use, power, and capacity. It may not be enough to run your air-conditioning (it has a max output of 1,000 watts), but it should be able to handle just about anything else. I've used it to power everything from a table saw to a small refrigerator, as well as to charge up all my usual gadgets. It's well-made, easy enough to carry (22 pounds), and roughly the size of a small cooler. In my capacity test, it managed slightly better than its advertised 1,002 watt-hours. Charging it up does take a while, particularly if you're using solar panels (sold separately), which took about a day and a half. I strongly suggest at least 200 watts worth of panels.

We have a few tips and pointers on what to think about before you shop for a portable power station.

Capacity: Figure out how much power you need. The capacity is listed in watt-hours (Wh) or sometimes kilowatt-hours (kWh). If you think about the devices you want to run from it and how long you need to run them, you can start to calculate the capacity you need. Manufacturers will often display stuff like 12 hours of TV or 30 minutes of electric chainsaw use, but consider that not all TVs draw the same amount of power. You must calculate how much the gadgets you own actually use.

Portability: The term portable is stretching it sometimes. Batteries are heavy. The larger-capacity power stations are typically on wheels and have telescopic handles, and they are still tough to cart around. If you’re looking for something you can actually carry on foot for a distance, you may need to temper your expectations on capacity.

Battery Technology: There are various battery technologies, but the main two used in portable power stations today are lithium-ion (Li-ion) and lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4 or LFP). The latter is safer (less prone to combustion) and tends to last longer (more cycles). Zendure also offers semi-solid-state batteries in its top-of-the-line SuperBase listed above, which it promises are more stable and resilient, therefore safer, and have a higher energy density.

Ports: While you will find certain ports across the board with portable power stations, from AC outlets to USB-A, it is crucial to check the maximum charging rate and supported charging standards to avoid disappointment. You might find USB-C ports, car ports, barrel ports, and maybe inputs for solar, but assume nothing. Check the specs before you buy.

Charging Speed: Large-capacity power stations can take a long time to recharge. Ensure you understand how quickly your chosen power station can charge from the mains and from other sources if you plan to use solar panels, a car battery, or another power source for top-ups. Some power stations enable you to fast charge from two or more inputs.

Heat and Noise: Batteries generate heat. If you are charging your power station up in a hurry or have a half dozen things plugged into it, things will heat up fast. Every power station we tested has fans to keep the temperature down, and these things can get surprisingly loud even under a relatively low load, especially if you have it in an enclosed space with you. Unfortunately, there is not much you can do about this.

Maximum Output: If you want to use power tools, an AC unit, or in the UK, a kettle, you need to be able to draw thousands of watts. Power stations all state the maximum output, but often they will have a surge function that enables them to go higher for a short period of time. Sometimes they give it a silly name. For example, Zendure calls this AmpUp, and EcoFlow calls it X-Boost. Make sure your chosen power station can handle the wattage you need.

UPS and EPS: Some power stations can act as an uninterruptible power supply (UPS); others are classed as an emergency power supply (EPS). If you have your power station plugged into the mains and then devices plugged into it, they will work from the mains, but if there is a power outage, a UPS will switch to battery power instantly (under 10 milliseconds). An EPS will also switch when there’s a blackout but may take a bit longer (30 milliseconds or so).

Adrienne So

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Simon Hill

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