It’s easy to think of power stations as nothing more than really big portable battery packs, but they provide much more than just a way to charge your devices. A portable power station can light up a room by turning on the lamp, or in some cases running a mini-fridge during a power outage. It can be a great convenience on camping trips, or a resource for a backyard movie night, with a projector and speakers.
The point is, a portable power station is as versatile as you want it to be. Below are our top picks for different usage scenarios to help you find the best portable power station for your needs. And below our recommendations, you’ll find helpful buying advice on which features are most important.
If you’re looking for a more modest power source — one you can use to charge a laptop or phone — check out our roundup of the best power banks for our top picks in that category.
1. RAVPower Portable Power Station 252.7Wh Power House – Best Overall
Whether you’re looking for a power station for weekends without power, or you want to be prepared for a power shortage at home, RAVPower’s 252.7 Wh portable power station can meet the demand. It has a nice complement of ports, as well as a carrying handle and a case, and it’s affordable.
Read our full RAVPower Portable Power Station 252.7Wh Power House review
2. Aukey PowerTitan 300 – Best overall runner-up
Pros
Big bright screen
many ports
Very efficient
Aukey’s PowerTitan has a close connection to RAVPower’s powerhouse above. It also has high efficiency, a nice array of ports, a fairly fast charging time, and an affordable price. While RAVPower’s option is the cheaper of the two, giving it a slight advantage.
Read our full Aukey PowerTitan 300 review
3. Goal Zero Yeti 1000X – Best for Preppers
If you want maximum readiness, the Yeti 1000X from Goal Zero is the choice for you. This 983Wh power plant can control multiple devices even in the event of a power failure. In addition, the Yeti system is expandable and offers options such as a Home Integration Kit to connect the 1000X to your home’s electrical system, or a battery extension to increase the capacity of your power plants. True, this kind of power comes at a high price.
Read our full Goal Zero Yeti 1000X review
4. Jackery Explorer 1000 Portable Power Station – Best For Preppers Runner Up
You can probably get the essence of Jackery’s Explorer 1000 from its name. Yes, it offers 1000 Wh of power to buzz home appliances or camping gear. It’s heavy, though, at 22 pounds, so it’s not a backup power source that you casually take on a trip to the park. It’s also expensive. But cost and weight are fair tradeoffs if you want the kind of coverage this powerhouse offers.
Read our full Jackery Explorer 1000 Portable Power Station review
5. EcoFlow DELTA mini portable power station – Best high-tech option
This compact yet sturdy 882Wh power station covers all bases by providing the capacity and ports to meet your off-grid power needs. It also adds a few extra high-tech benefits that make it stand out. The power station can connect to your Wi-Fi network and then provide status updates to an app on your phone. There is also an “X-Boost” option that can be automatically enabled or activated for loads over 1400 W.
Read our full EcoFlow DELTA mini Portable Power Station review
What should you pay attention to at a power plant?
Not all power plants are created equal. For example, some stations have the ability to power a microwave, while others may be able to handle the power requirements of a desktop gaming computer. When buying a power plant, there are some important aspects to consider. In the list below, I try not to get too technical.
- Consider what you want to use the power station for to determine the ideal capacity and physical size of the power station. The stations are filled with batteries to power your devices, and batteries are heavy. When shopping for something you might want to take with you camping, for example, it makes sense to prioritize lighter weight. But if you want to use something as a backup power source in your home, size and weight may not matter too much.
- Check the capacity of the control panel. Often the capacity of the station is already in the name, but that is not always the case. For example, the Anker 535 PowerHouse may have you believe that the capacity is 535 Wh, but in reality it is 512 Wh. Always read the fine print or spec sheet to see the exact capacity. For reference, a 512Wh capacity is about 7x more than our top pick for the best portable battery pack, the Mophie PowerStation XXL.
- While it’s not realistic to know how you’ll be using the power station in the future, try estimating how many ports and outlets you’ll need.
- Here’s the technical part. Some power plants list modified sine waves or pure sine waves on their spec sheet. If you plan on using the power station to power your phone, laptop, or even a light bulb, a “sine wave” station is fine. However, if you are going to use the station for medical equipment (such as a CPAP machine), a microwave oven, or anything else with a motor, you should choose a station that can output a pure sine wave signal.
- Finally, it is important to check the watt output of the appliances you need to power and compare it to the power of the power plant. Typically, a power plant will list two different outputs: a standard output and a peak output. The standard output is what it’s built to work with for extended periods of time, while the peak output is what it can handle for short periods of time – such as when you first turn on a device and it consumes more power.
How do we test?
To start the test, I first charge the dock to make sure the battery is full after it arrives. Then I connect a PortaPow power monitor and DROK load tester to a standard USB port and let the battery drain completely. I note the results and compare them with the stated capacity to get the efficiency of the plant.
Once that’s done, I’ll charge the station with the included power adapter. Then, based on the information on the screen, I track the time it takes to reach 100 percent of a charge. Some stations leave the screen on while charging, so I use a Wyze Camera to time-lapse the charging process. Other stations list an estimated charge time on the display, which times out and turns off after a few minutes. In that case, I’ll check the station’s progress about every hour, as well as near the originally estimated time to make sure it’s accurate.
Finally, I connect a 4W desk lamp to the 110V wall plug on each power station. I make another timelapse on a Wyze cam to see how long the lamp stays on.