Best Portable Power Stations In 2023 (Reviews and Comparison)

The Jackery Explorer 1000 is a product that gives you a balance between power and size. At a 1002Wh output at 21.6V, this device is great for charging all smaller devices and most bigger electricals. We have kept it as the best overall product – it’s great for both long and short trips.

With its compact size and low weight of just 22 pounds, this baby will fit into any corner or space you find in the RV. You can charge it using AC, solar, and your car charger. 

The power station is nearly noiseless, with the only sound you will hear once in a while being the fans that come on if you are using heavy electricals that draw a lot of power.

You get three 1000W steady sine wave AC outputs and a clutch of USB outlets for your phones and tabs. Jackery sells this product standalone and with their 100W solar cells bundled. 

Its advanced MPPT charge controller lets you charge up the battery in a mere 6 hours with two 100W solar cells, which means you will never be short on power even when you are completely off-grid.

The best part about Jackery is its build quality – it’s a very durable product with a lot of attention to detail, making it perfect for the rugged camping and RVing life.

What We Like

It is a very versatile product. You can use it for both campings and power backup during storms or wildfires. Not everybody wants to use a portable power station as a primary power source. 

The Jackery is perfect in that it doesn’t cost you a bomb but still gives you enough juice to last out at least a few days with all your main devices working.

Apart from that, we are a fan of Jackery’s quality. The product is really solid and gets many small details perfect:

• A flashlight on the side for carrying it with you at the night
• Rubber legs at the bottom to protect the station from rough surfaces
• A solid and powerful handle at the top to carry it around easily
• Separate off switches for DC and AC outlets so that you can reduce wastage of battery charge
• Large, easy-to-read LED display. We can go on.

What We Don’t Like

Jackery could have done better with the power outlets. There are only 3 USB outlets, but more importantly, only one Type-C USB outlet, which means only one family member gets fast charging for their cellphone at a time.

The 3 AC outlets are also less, especially if two take up your fan and lights leaving just one for other devices.

Last;y, the power station is a bit expensive. You can get almost 2.5 times the number of watts of power in a portable station with less than twice the amount of money.

Lastly, the battery is only rated up to 500 cycles until it reaches 80% efficiency. 500 cycles are low compared to products in a similar price range and wattage capacity.

The Jackery 240 is a compact solution for basic power needs such as charging your phones or running a table fan. It comes at a budget price, so it is a great deal if you need a bit of power for smaller devices.

Like the Jackery 1000, you can also buy this device with or without solar panels. If you choose to get the 60W solar panel that Jackery bundles with it, your device can juice up in just 6 hours, the same as the Jackery 1000. 

It’s not blazing fast, but it will do the trick if you are not dependent on this option for your power needs.

The build quality, as usual, is exceptional. Jackery has put in 1 AC power outlet and 2 USB ports. However, the device’s lack of a USB Type-C is a glaring issue.

The device is small enough to carry anywhere with you, weighing just 6 pounds. It doesn’t take up much space either.

What We Like

It’s a budget product for charging lower wattage electrical devices such as mobile phones. You can use it outside the RV when you want to use your phone or laptop but don’t want to keep running back inside to charge it up. You can also power a table fan with this almost every day.

You will love that this device is so small and compact – it takes up no space but still keeps you portable when you are at the campground. It’s got quality design features such as a flashlight, rubber pads underneath, and so on that the Jackery 1000 has.

This is an autonomous power solution for your small electrical devices on any trip combined with solar charging capability.

What We Don’t Like

The lack of USB Type-C in today’s day and age is honestly an unpardonable mistake. Another thing that this power station lacks is a second AC outlet. 

At 2200W power output and a total 2048Wh of power, the AC200Max is a beast of a portable power battery. But the one thing that truly sets apart this power station is the variety of power output ports.

Bluetti seems to have mapped out every possible device that you can run on a portable battery setup and provided a port for it. Sample this:

• 4 AC output ports (2000W) for your bigger devices such as blenders, grillers, and power tools
• 5 USB outlets (1 Type-C and others Type-A) to charge up all your laptops and other USB driven devices such as fans and lights
• Two wireless chargers: a unique feature that we did not find in most of the competitors of this product
• A NEMA TT-30 power for your RV plugin and so on.

What is even more impressive is that you can extend the capacity of this power station by adding Bluetti’s 2 x B300 or 2 x B230 portable power stations to get 8192 and 6144Wh of power, respectively.

But that’s not all. You can charge up the power station in under 2 hours (you can combine solar power and AC power to feed the power station super quick).

What We Like

The first thing is the huge variety of devices you can run on this power station. The best part is that you have enough juice to run all of them simultaneously with its 2048Wh power (and the option to extend it three or even four times as high).

We think you will love the wireless charging features on this. It is unique; we haven’t found it in any of the competitors of Bluetti.

Superfast charging is another thing that you will love – you can combine the AC and solar power inputs to charge this up in 2-3 hours, which is a wonderful feature.

One hidden feature that many might miss is the longevity of the batteries. The AC200MAX can last up to 3500 charging cycles before dropping to 80% efficiency, which means it will last nearly 8-10 years if you charge and use it every day.

What We Don’t Like

Some of these power station units come with the 30Amp plug with reversed polarity. While the customer support is usually stellar, they do not replace the device, and you should be aware of the problem.

One more thing that we didn’t like was the temperature rating – the device does not work well in cold climates below 32F. So winter camping is out with this power station.

The EF Ecoflow offers 2016Wh (extensible up to 6048Wh) of power and a plethora of charging ports. However, what sets it apart is the superfast charging – it can charge up to 80% in just 65 minutes (using an AC wall outlet)! 

You can also charge the power station by using their Ecoflow SmartGenerator with solar power (The EF smart generator charges Deltamax using a DC outlet, making it faster than charging from a wall outlet). This method will charge the Delta Max up to 100% in just 96 minutes.

This is a great option for people who need a power backup for their summer trip or in areas that experience long-term power outages due to tropical storms.

What We Like

Superfast charging is the best feature of this portable power station. We also love that this has 6 AC output ports at 2400W each – making it one of the best options for running your power-draining devices such as refrigerators, ACs, and heaters.

What We Don’t Like

EcoFlow customer service is not very good, so be sure to understand their manual and warranty practices, such as discharging the battery once every three months so that the warranty doesn’t get voided.

Another problem with this unit is that the fans are very noisy, which undermines one of the big benefits of using a portable power station over a generator.

Goal Zero has been around since 2010, and its products are all originally designed in the US. This is why this power station has some of the most user-friendly features on our list: 

• Battery management system to ensure each battery cell’s health
• Temperature monitors
• Under-voltage and over-voltage cutoffs
• Separate off switches for the AC, 12V, and USB output ports
• Dual handles on top for easier lifting.

What We Like

User-friendly features and many protections built in to make for safe usage in the outdoors. We also loved how Goal Zero has used its products for social impact projects from day one.

What We Don’t Like

Lack of output ports, with just 2 AC output ports at 2000W. It is also a heavy unit for its category. Their app is a buggy, and you have to restart it often to get things working. Charging time is also high (14 hours for wall outlets)