13 hours ago 6

The best portable power stations for 2024 under $250

Raise your hand if you've lost power in the past year. Ah, I see every hand in the room went up. Not surprising, given the frequency and severity of modern storms. Thankfully, most outages are fairly brief, maybe a few hours or an overnight. But it's still important to be prepared with backup power, if only to keep your phone and laptop charged, your modem connected to the internet and maybe even a small TV turned on. You can get something pretty capable for not a lot of cash, and it'll be mobile enough to move from room to room as needed. Below I've rounded up what I consider the best power stations under $250.

Quick Overview

Best overall power station under $250
Anker Solix C300 Portable Power Station
Best power station for novices
Jackery Explorer 240 v2 Portable Power Station
Best power station for outdoor use
EcoFlow River 3 Portable Power Station

Table of contents:

The best overall power station under $250
Our other recommended power stations
Other power stations we're testing
How we tested
FAQs

To be clear, these aren't the big kahunas, the batteries needed to run a refrigerator or air conditioner. (Check our roundup of the best big portable power stations if you need that kind of juice.) No, these are the luggables, the 8-pound (give or take) cinderblocks you can easily carry around the house (or, say, a campground during non-emergency situations).

Consequently, they're best suited to powering phones, tablets, laptops, small appliances and so on. But are these batteries hard to use? How much power do you actually get? And how long do the power stations themselves take to recharge? Those and other questions are answered below in the "How we tested" and FAQ sections.

The best power station overall under $250

Rick Broida/Yahoo

While I have to chuckle at marketing photos that show a Solix C300 slung over a hiker's shoulder — it's way too heavy and bulky for that to be comfortable — I can't deny this is one of the most capable portable power stations you can get.

Starting with capacity: 288Wh, the highest in the group. It also has the most outputs: four USB ports and three AC outlets. The trade-off, of course, is weight: At 9.1 pounds this is the heaviest battery in the group (yet another reason it's not something you'd wear backpacking).

But a pound or two makes little difference if you're just toting it around the house. I like the C300's integrated bar-shaped flashlight (which has three brightness settings) and high-powered USB-C ports. Two of the latter support up to 140 watts — all others here top out at 100 watts — and one is bi-directional, meaning you can recharge the C300 through it. There's a solar-panel charging input as well.

I don't like the too-short power cord, poorly labeled buttons or uncovered 12-volt car socket, into which debris or, worse, someone's finger could easily find a way. Another gripe: Anker's printed "user guide" has exactly zero operating instructions inside. (It's all just safety and storage info.) Instead, you're forced to scan three different QR codes: one for the actual guide, one for "support," the third for the Anker app.

That app is optional but worth getting, as it clearly presents C300 status information and lets you tweak settings such as screen brightness and timeout. It also helps to compensate for the tiny "print" in some areas of the C300's onboard LED display.

Given that it's priced the same as the others in this group but has a slight edge in terms of ports and capacity, the Anker Solix C300 is our top pick.

Pros

Higher capacity than most
An abundance of outputs, including three AC
Three-setting flashlight with SOS mode
Four ways to recharge, including USB-C
Useful companion app
Long warranty
Silent operation

Cons

No cover on car socket
User guide has no actual instructions
Poorly labeled buttons
Short power cord
Some very small print on status screen

$250 at Amazon

Our other recommended power stations

Rick Broida/Yahoo

Good news, non-tech-savvy users: Jackery not only bundles a printed instruction guide with the the Explorer 240 v2, but actually includes, you know, instructions in it. Detailed, written ones, with explanations spanning entire paragraphs and comprehensive diagrams that a layperson can understand. It even includes basic details for using the Jackery app. This is the kind of thing you rarely see anymore, especially with tech-oriented products, so I give Jackery major kudos for it.

And if I'm awarding points for design, this little lunchbox scores the most. It has a folding handle, a simple port layout and bright orange accents that extend to the status display and even the power cord. I also appreciate the little flashlight, though I wish it was brighter.

In most other respects, the Explorer 240 v2 is a solid, if unremarkable, power station. It has the second-highest capacity in the group, but only one AC outlet — the others provide at least two. I'm surprised Jackery didn't cover the 12V car socket; it seems a bit dangerous to leave it open.

The companion app provides basic power-consumption info and a few useful settings, though the only screen-timeout options are two minutes and two hours — nothing in between.

During my testing (with a TV plugged into the AC outlet), I noticed that the Explorer 240 produced a low hum. It's not loud enough to be bothersome, but it's still a noise. I also encountered an oddity while recharging from a fully depleted state: In order to fast-charge, meaning in an hour instead of two hours, you must manually toggle emergency-charging mode in the app. I did so, but when I checked back later, it was charging at normal speed; the toggle had somehow switched off again. Once I reset it, fast-charging worked as expected.

A word about Jackery's warranty: The Explorer 240 v2 product page says it's three years, plus an additional two if you purchase directly from Jackery. However, this Service Policy page indicates two years plus an additional one. I've reached out to the company for clarification but have yet to receive a response.

Worth noting: The higher-capacity (but nearly identical otherwise) Explorer 300 Plus has a $300 list price, but often goes on sale for under $250. If you're not in a hurry, it's probably worth waiting for a sale on that model.

Pros

Built-in flashlight
Attractive design
Excellent printed user manual

Cons

...but it's not very bright
Only one AC outlet
No cover on car socket
Produces a slight hum while operating
Fast charging requires manual intervention in the app

$189 at Amazon

Rick Broida/Yahoo

There's some verisimilitude to the EcoFlow River 3's name: This is the only power station in the group with a waterproof rating, meaning it's the one best suited to outdoor use — like, oh, camping near a river.

To be clear, its IP54 rating merely indicates it can survive dust and splashes, so don't take it in the river.

This is also the only battery in the group to specifically mention Gallium Nitride (GaN) technology, which promises faster charging, less heat generation, better overall efficiency and so on. Although it did slightly outlast the higher-capacity Anker in one test, the River 3 isn't notably smaller or lighter than the non-GaN competition, nor does it recharge faster. So I'm not sure how much value that really adds here.

There is value, however, in EcoFlow's printed quick-start guide, which illustrates basic operation, identifies ports (and their uses) and shows the three charging options (AC, car and solar). And if you "speak" electricity and/or like to get deep in the weeds with your devices, EcoFlow's River 3 is the power station to pick.

That's because EcoFlow's companion app offers a wealth of options and controls. (If, on the other hand, you're relatively novice above this stuff, be prepared for some head-scratching over things like "output port memory" and scheduled charging/discharging. Thankfully, you won't need to futz with most of these settings unless you want to.)

I'm not sure I understand why EcoFlow opted to make one of the AC outlets a two-pronger, nor why there's no flashlight — something every such device should have.

Those complaints aside, the River 3 is a solid companion to keep close by, especially for trips into the great outdoors.

Pros

Useful printed quick-start guide
Lasted longest in our rundown test
Comprehensive companion app
IP54 waterproof rating

Cons

One of the AC outlets is a 2-prong
No flashlight
App is confusing in places
Shorter-than-average warranty

$239 at Amazon

Other power stations we're testing

Bluetti AC2A: Although it has a slightly lower capacity than the other batteries in this roundup, it's also the only one that's expandable; you can add one of Bluetti's B80 Expansion Batteries to more than quadruple available runtime. Unfortunately, we encountered some anomalous results during testing, such that we felt it important to get a replacement unit and rule out any sort of defect. We'll add an update, and hopefully a complete review, once that happens.

How we tested

Outside of a lab setting, it's challenging to capture any meaningful data about how well these power stations perform. Thus, I devised an informal real-world test: I plugged in a 55-inch smart TV (the Roku Pro Series, if you're interested) and recorded how long it played a 4K YouTube stream before the battery gave out. I then clocked the time to fully recharge it via an AC outlet.

A photo showing a a TV plugged into the Jackery Explorer 240 v2.

Speaking of which, two of these power stations — the Bluetti AC2A and Jackery Explorer 240 v2 — require app-based intervention if you want the fastest possible charging. By default, they charge more slowly, ostensibly to preserve battery longevity. The other two don't have such modes; they charge faster by default,

The results were as follows:

TV TEST	Rated capacity	Total TV runtime (HH:MM)	Time to recharge power stations (MIN)
Anker Solix C300	288Wh	3:01	67
EcoFlow River 3	245Wh	3:06	58
Jackery Explorer 240 v2	256Wh	2:17	72

As you can see, capacity doesn't tell the whole story, at least where this test is concerned. If it did, the Jackery would have lasted at least as long as the EcoFlow. That said, this was decidedly informal, as I occasionally (though briefly) switched to a different streaming app, made slight volume adjustments and so on. Unsurprisingly, the wattage consumption (as indicated by each power station's app) varied slightly along the way.

(Interesting discovery: The YouTube app consumes more power than Pluto TV — most likely because I chose a 4K video when viewing the former, and Pluto streams at just 720p. More pixels require more data requires more juice.)

My testing also focused on usability: Did each power station come with a decent instruction manual? (This is electricity we're talking about, here.) Was it easy to carry around? Were the ports logically laid out and the controls intuitive?

Ironically, the model with the best usability — the Jackery — had the lowest performance. As with so many things in life: trade-offs.

FAQs

All these power stations are about the same in terms of price, weight, and capacity. How do I choose?

Start with the ports: How many do they have, and what type? For example, if most of your small electronics use USB-C charging, choose a power station that has more USB-C ports than USB Type-A ones. Then look to the little things, like design: Does it look cool? Will it fit on whatever shelf is going to store it? Does it have a flashlight so you're doing less groping around in the dark?

What is "capacity"?

Think of your car's gas tank: It can hold a fixed number of gallons. A power station's capacity is akin to its gas tank; how much electricity it holds. This is expressed in watt hours (Wh), a measurement of how much energy is used over time. That's the technical explanation; the real-world one is that the higher the battery's capacity, the more juice it has to power your stuff. (It also adds more weight and cost.)

What is "maximum output"?

Different devices and appliances consume different amounts of power. A mini-fridge, for example, might use around 45 watts, while a full-size one might need more like 500. A simple space heater: 1,500 watts. A laptop: 90 watts. A CPAP machine: 30 to 60 watts. Consider numbers like those when evaluating a power station’s maximum output power.

How do I recharge a portable power station?

The fastest and most convenient way is the old-fashioned way: Plug it into an AC outlet. Of course, that's not always an option. Some power stations can recharge by connecting to a gas generator or car battery. Others support USB-C charging, which might be convenient in certain situations. Finally, there's the solar option, which I consider a last-ditch effort: Recharging via sunlight is a slow, inefficient process, and the panels can get expensive. Of course, if it's your only option, it's better than nothing.

How long does it take to recharge a portable power station?

It depends on capacity, of course, but the four models on our list all promise to fully recharge (via AC) in as little as 60-85 minutes. However, you may have to enable "turbo" charging (or something akin to that) to get that kind of speed; the default charge time may be a bit slower in order to preserve battery longevity. What's more, the indicated times often reflect an 80% charge, not 100%. Manufacturers often recommend stopping at 80%, again in the interests of overall longevity.

Can I use one of these to power a refrigerator?

No, because the typical refrigerator requires anywhere from 300-800 watts, and these power stations all have a maximum output of 300. Although many of them support up to 600 watts of "peak" or "surge" power, that's only a momentary boost to accommodate certain appliances (such as toasters) on startup. Even if they supported higher continuous output, there's not enough capacity to run a fridge for very long. See our roundup of larger power stations if you're seeking higher output and capacity.

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