Best Portable Power Stations of 2022

Get power wherever and whenever you need it with a portable power station. We've tested the top power stations to find the perfect one for your needs.

Portable power stations have come a long way since we first started reviewing them here at CNET. In the past, they were limited to big, simple power banks that you could plug things into and receive juice from. But now there are tons of advanced models that offer much greater versatility and are equipped with helpful features like USB ports, solar panel inputs, wireless charging and much more. Some models can even be linked to other units for even more power and can tie into your home setup to provide backup power in emergencies. 

Traditionally, gas-powered generators were your main option for "off-grid" power where electricity is needed, especially in more temporary situations like camping if you didn't have an RV or another power supply for your campsite. As our daily lives are more populated with electronic devices, the need to keep those devices powered and online increases. This can be tough when you don't have access to grid power. Portable power stations are the perfect solution to keep us, well, portably powered. But there are enough bells and whistles these days to consider adding one of these to your normally powered life as well. 

I put each power station through its paces and considered factors such as battery life, power output and input charging options as well as output options for juicing up my gear. (Power stations that only sport AC outlets and forcing 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. 

That's it. Let's find the best portable power station to suit your needs.

Togo Power 346Wh

Best small portable power station

This was the toughest category to pick. The Jackery Explorer 240 and Bluetti EB3A were also top contenders, and they both cost less than the Togo model, however, nifty features and an extra 40%-plus battery capacity give the slightest edge to Togo.

There were two main features that made the difference for me. All three units have an AC plug, 12-volt socket and USB-A connections for devices. But Jackery doesn't offer a USB-C connection. Additionally, Togo was one of the few units overall to offer wireless charging. (The Bluetti EB3A also has this.)

Togo also showed us the largest measured capacity percentage compared to its stated capacity at 346 watt-hours at 98.95%. This unit isn't particularly fast to charge, however, taking 4 hours, 17 minutes to fully charge from empty.

It's listed for $320 at Amazon, but you can save $35 by activating the instant coupon on the product page. 

Renogy Phoenix 200Wh 

Most Lightest Portable Power Station

PHOENIX 200 is one of the lightest portable power stations with only 5.3 pounds and a capacity of 222Wh. PHOENIX 200 can be charged to 80% in 1.5 hours when both AC and USB-C are charged at maximum power at the same time. It provides 4 recharging options: AC, USB-C, solar, and car. This solar generator can power 6 devices simultaneously, and it can charge devices while getting itself recharged. It's ideal for camping, road trips, photography, remote work, and outdoor activities.

Bluetti EB3A

Best value portable power station

This unit just missed out on "Best small portable power station," but with all the great features including a fast charging LiFePO4 battery, wireless charger, app-enabled, solar charging, USBA/C and AC and DC outputs all packed into 10 pounds for under $300, it's a shoo-in for best value.

If you're in the market for a small portable power station (we consider that to be a unit with a capacity less than 400 watt-hours), or if you're new to the portable power game and looking for an easy entry, it doesn't get much easier than the EB3A. With this unit you'll get almost all the options for charging and powering your devices that you could hope for. You can even pick up a 120- or 200-watt solar panel from Bluetti to have a solar generator setup. 

The LiFePO4 battery in this unit guarantees over 2,500 cycles (charges to 80% capacity), which is at least four years of service life, even if you're using the EB3A twice a day. Bluetti also boasts a 40-minute charge time to 80% capacity (although my test showed 54 minutes) and the ability to charge via AC+Solar.

Anker 757 PowerHouse

Best portable power station for backup

The Powerhouse 757 is a solid, sturdy machine (our second heaviest one at nearly 44 pounds). It's a great pick among the over-1,000Wh choices, and really only missed out on winning the large power station category due to some extra bells and whistles other units in that category have. But there are a couple of notable features Anker's put into this unit that give it the gas to dominate this category. 

For starters, the battery itself is the newer LiFePO4 makeup, compared to the more common Li-ion batteries. This newer battery type can be safer to use and can last five to six times longer than the Li-ion ones. This means that compared to the current standard of a 500-cycle lifespan, LiFePO4-donned units could run 3,000 cycles or more. This gives Anker the opportunity to offer a five-year warranty compared to the two-year warranty of many competing units.

Next, many of the current-gen power stations are coming with a "UPS Mode" 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 mode enabled, the power station will kick in and power whatever is plugged into it from its internal battery. But 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 one the grid power has failed) of anywhere from 0 milliseconds to 12ms, and most of them try to stay at 8ms or faster. Anker states a transfer time of "less than 20ms." That's great as far as portable power stations go. But as a dedicated UPS that you might want protecting a core piece of tech or important medical device, you might consider a different solution. But by all means, your TVs, laptops, fridges and other devices will be well looked after.

Other portable power stations we've tested

Energizer PPS700 (626Wh): OK performance and features overall, but one of the lowest tested capacities, making the usable capacity closer to 477Wh.

Anker PowerHouse 533 (388.8Wh): Fast charging speeds (keep in mind its smaller capacity), and I'm also a fan of the extra wide display screen and rear-mounted light bar. Most expensive small portable power station.

EcoFlow River MAX (576Wh): Blazing fast charging and a low cost per watt-hour make this a reasonable pick, however this unit did test lowest in measured vs expected capacity, putting it at 425 usable watt-hours. Where'd those extra 151 watt-hours go?

RockSolar NOMAD RS650 (444Wh): This is a basic, no-frills unit. If you just need power, period, this will work assuming it fits your capacity needs. Slow to charge and lower than average capacity rating at a probably-too-high price. 

Speedwatt (298Wh): Just kind of OK. Capacity is good, but we tested two separate units and both seemed to have some disconnect between the actual performance of the unit and the information displayed on the user screen. Currently listed as unavailable. 

GoSun PowerBank 1100 (1,100Wh): I really wanted to like this unit more, partially because of GoSun's extended offerings of solar-friendly devices, and as far as capacity goes, this runs in the middle of the pack, but man is it slow to charge. It took nearly 12 hours -- over twice as long as our largest power station (Bluetti AC200P) that offers nearly twice the capacity. At $1,499, I'd like to see a faster charging option and maybe more outputs or at least wireless charging.

Bluetti EB55 (537Wh): We've liked most every unit from Bluetti, and three of them took titles in this best list, but this unit just got overshadowed by its siblings. Just as good or better offerings at better prices keep the EB55 out of the winner's circle.

Fanttik EVO 300 (299Wh): This is a solid pick in the small power station category. And this unit sports my favorite display -- extra large and easy to read. Average performances on our charging and capacity tests.

BigBlue Cellpowa 500 (537.6Wh): This is a better-than-average performing unit at better-than-average pricing. Nothing outstanding to speak of. 

Jackery Explorer 240 (240Wh): We've been fans of all the Jackery units we've ever tested in the past, and that doesn't change here. Just missing the best small power station title, this unit still boasts the second best capacity rating of all the ones we tested. A little slow to charge, but a great price.

Generark HomePower ONE (1,002Wh): This unit was the second slowest overall to charge, but did well on its usable capacity rating at 91%. Its display is small, but offers all the standard input and output features you'd want.

Oupes 600W (595Wh): Not a bad little unit -- not a great one, but definitely not bad. I love that it has the LiFePO4 battery. It performed about average (maybe a hair under par) and I feel like it could be cheaper. Also, how do you pronounce that name? "Oops" is the current best guess.