Portable Power Station 500W: The Ultimate List of Models

Even when you go away from power outlets, you don’t have to be without electricity anymore. One great way to keep your devices charged up is by using the trusty portable power station 500W. This one product can keep your phones charged, lights on, and other essential electronics powered up.

There are a lot of options on the market. Some you can trust and others you shouldn’t waste your money on. Even in the ones worth the cost, there are big differences that separate the top models from the rest.

In this guide, we’ll walk through the ultimate list of portable power stations 500W. You’ll have the information to find what suits your needs the best.

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The Short List: 500W Power Stations

The 500W power stations that deserve your attention offer the best combination of performance, features, and reliability. This list is limited to power stations with an inverter rating of about 500W, which usually comes with about 500Wh battery capacity (enough to run 500W for one hour).

While there are a lot of portable power station with 500W inverters, the other features can be all over the board. Warranty coverage ranges from about 2 years to 6 years. Actual battery capacity, chemistry, and longevity vary greatly. And the charging rates for both AC outlets and solar panels are also all over the place.

We’ve split this article into two sections:

• Portable Power Stations 500W: The Full List
• What to Look For: Specs That Matter

When you take a closer look into each portable power station 500W, there are a lot of differences. After reviewing countless portable power stations with 500W output, the Bluetti AC60P, EcoFlow River 2 Max, and Jackery Explorer 600 Plus are three far above the rest.

The first choice is the Bluetti AC60P. It comes with impressive features not found on close competitors, including modular batteries for serious expansion, the longest warranty coverage of 6 years, a wireless charging pad, and Bluetooth capabilities to connect to the Bluetti app. It adds all of these features while matching the next-best alternative in almost every other way.

Right behind that sits the EcoFlow River 2 Max. It is a seriously impressive unit that’s miles ahead of most 500W power stations. It has 220W solar charging rates, a long 5 year warranty, industry-leading LiFePO4 battery chemistry, and a 30ms emergency power source function with pass-through charging. 

If you aren’t paying attention, those two might be the only ones you notice above the rest. But Jackery recently released the Explorer 600 Plus and it’s joining the bleeding-edge 500W power station competition. Its pushing past its Explorer 500 predecessor with a more powerful inverter, 632Wh battery, and all the right features. It’s also taking the top spot at a UPS with a 20ms switchover time.

After those top three, there are many competitors that hold tight in a fierce battle. We’ll review many of these portable power stations 500W below. But the Anker 535 PowerHouse, BougeRV Flash 300, and a handful of others are still exceptional choices coming from brands that know what they’re doing. They just don’t quite cut it when put head-to-head against the best.

We’ll go into many spec comparison charts for these 500W power stations below, but here is a summary of these top three choices:

Best Overall	BLUETTI AC60P Portable Power Station 600W inverter & up to 2,116Wh battery Wireless charging pad & Bluetooth 6 year warranty	AC60P on Bluetti AC60P on Amazon
Runner Up	EcoFlow RIVER 2 Max 500W inverter with 512Wh battery Excellent value and 5 year warranty Fast charging rates	R2M on EcoFlow R2M on Amazon
Best UPS	Jackery Explorer 600 Plus Portable Power Station 600W inverter with 632Wh battery Plenty of outlets and ports 20ms UPS switchover time	600 Plus on Jackery 600 Plus on Amazon

Portable Power Stations 500W: The Full List

Now it’s time to get into the trenches and see where the strengths and weaknesses show up under close examination. This full list of the portable power stations 500W is here to clear up the industry so you can see what the marketing claims don’t show.

Here’s a short summary of the 500W portable power stations we recommend:

• Best Overall: Bluetti AC60P
• Runner Up: EcoFlow River 2 Max
• Best UPS: Jackery Explorer 600 Plus
• Top Choice: Anker 535 PowerHouse
• Fastest Charging: BougeRV Flash 300
• Excellent Pick: Bluetti AC50B

Bluetti AC60P: Best Overall

To get to the top of this competitive list, Bluetti had to pull out all the stops. And the Bluetti AC60P does so in a way that clearly puts it far above the rest. If you are looking for a 500W power station and want to skip over the details, you can have full confidence in buying this right away.

Right away, this steps above the usual competition because Bluetti goes to 600W instead of the usual 500W. And it doubles in peak output to 1,200W, offering short surges for amazingly powerful devices.

Battery capacity is vital. It determines how long you can run devices for. 

Like many in this list, the battery capacity of the AC60P itself is right at just about 500Wh (504Wh to be exact). But that’s just the start of it. Unlike any other power station on this list, this Bluetti power station has an expandable battery system.  You can connect up to three Bluetti B80P Extra Batteries, pushing the total battery capacity up to 2,116Wh.

Being able to recharge the 500W power station is another vital feature. The Bluetti AC60P can handle up to 200W of solar panels, enough to recharge the 504Wh battery in about 3 hours. And when it comes to AC recharging (from a regular outlet), Bluetti decided to launch into the stratosphere and give this little beast 600W input capabilities. That means you can recharge this in about one hour. You won’t find better than that, on either charging front.

Bluetti doesn’t stop there. One thing we love to see is the 6 year warranty coverage, the longest in the industry. Most others top out at 5 years.

And the hits keep on coming, with features such as:

• LiFePO4 (LFP) battery chemistry rated for >3,000 cycles with at least 80% capacity
• 2 120V outlets, 2 USB-A ports, 1 USB-C port, and a 120W cigarette lighter port
• 15W wireless charging pad
• Bluetooth connection to Bluetti app for remote monitoring and control
• Sleek square design for excellent stability and packing ease

There’s really just no doubting it. The Bluetti AC60P is the best overall 500W portable power station you can find.

There is a catch. Bluetti knows that this is above the rest and it is priced accordingly. But you can save a little cash by just getting the Bluetti AC60 (not the premium) which comes with a slightly smaller battery of 403Wh instead of 504Wh. If you want to cut the price even more, skip down below to see the Bluetti AC50B is still ahead of most anything on this list.

Best Overall

BLUETTI AC60P Portable Power Station 600W inverter & up to 2,116Wh battery Wireless charging pad & Bluetooth 6 year warranty

AC60P on Bluetti AC60P on Amazon

EcoFlow River 2 Max: Runner Up

If there’s one brand you can expect to see running side by side with Bluetti, it’s EcoFlow. These two power station rivals consistently create some of the best power stations, and the EcoFlow River 2 Max is another prime example.

To be part of this class of portable power stations 500W, it sticks with the standard 500W power inverter and a matching 512Wh battery capacity. No surprises there, until you realize this inverter has two incredible functions that others do not:

1. EPS: This will switch from power coming from a wall outlet to the internal battery in less than 30ms. You can keep vital devices plugged into the River 2 Max and be certain they stay powered up even if grid power shuts off.
2. X-Boost: EcoFlow has a unique X-Boost function that means you can run big devices off this little power station. It adjusts the inverter’s voltage to run at 1,000W for extended periods. This isn’t just a peak surge (which is also 1,000W), it’s a consistent 1,000W from a 500W inverter.

As far as the battery goes, there’s no modular expansion here. But this is very normal for the 500W power stations, it’s just Bluetti that goes big. And on top of that, EcoFlow sticks to the LiFePO4 (LFP) battery chemistry with at least 3,000 cycles while retaining 80% of its capacity. You don’t have to worry about a battery not holding its charge for about 10 years!

Speaking of years, the EcoFlow warranty for the River 2 Max is 5 years which is the norm for most of EcoFlow power stations and the industry standard for the premium options. EcoFlow’s fanatic customer base also helps build confidence that they’ll treat you right even if things do go wrong. And if you want to get ready for home power outages like never before, don’t look beyond the EcoFlow Delta Pro Ultra or Delta Pro 3.

When you want to recharge this 500W power station, you’ll once again get lightning fast rates:

• 220W solar input can recharge in about 3 hours
• 660W AC input (wall outlet) can recharge in less than an hour

The outlets and ports are also unmatched. 4 AC outlets, 4 USB ports (including one 100W USB-C), and a cigarette lighter port.

The EcoFlow River 2 Max won’t let you down. It offers more power from its inverter, premium features, impressive charging, and a long warranty. And if you want a nearly identical unit with 800W inverter and 768Wh battery, go with the EcoFlow River 2 Pro.

Runner Up	EcoFlow RIVER 2 Max 500W inverter with 512Wh battery Excellent value and 5 year warranty Fast charging rates	R2M on EcoFlow R2M on Amazon
With Solar Panel	EcoFlow RIVER 2 Max Solar Generator with 160W Portable Panel One-click kit ready for adventure	Buy on EcoFlow Buy on Amazon

Jackery Explorer 600 Plus: Best UPS

As one of the oldest brands in power station production, Jackery doesn’t need much of an introduction for those who know the industry. And if you think a brand like this is going to be left in the dust by a couple newcomers, it’s time to adjust your rearview mirrors. Jackery has introduced many new models to ensure it’s spot among the industry titans. The Jackery 1000 v2 is one of our favoritenew models, but you can see more details in our Jackery Comparison Charts.

The Jackery Explorer 600 Plus is one of the brands rejuvenated recent releases. It’s not just playing catchup, it’s pushing forward with the best.

Rather than stick to the limitations of the longstanding Jackery Explorer 500, this brand pushed past with an 800W inverter (1,600W surge) and 632Wh battery. Because, why not? Why stick to 500W figures when you can go with 800W instead?

A major change from the old Jackery power stations to the new ones is the battery chemistry. And this one tags along for the upgraded LiFePO4. Jackery says it can go 4,000 cycles with at least 70%. This is a bit of a marketing game that we don’t fall for. Without other information, we feel confident in assuming this longevity should be equal or very similar to the other top brands that state 3,000 cycles at 80%. Either way, this Jackery is likely a 10 year battery life.

One other nice upgrade for this power station is the 20ms UPS function. That means if you have this connected to a home outlet and you experience an outage, the Jackery will switch to battery power in 20ms or less. This can be a great feature for those that have a critical device that must run nonstop even if the grid fails.

And it’s backed with a nice 5 year warranty, but only if you buy through Jackery. It’s 3 years otherwise.

Jackery goes with a simplified charging situation, only offering one 200W input. That’s about the same as the other Bluetti AC60P and EcoFlow River 2 Max for solar charging. But for those brands, you can get quicker AC outlet charging since they have dedicated ports. With this Jackery, you just use an adapter and charge through the same port. It’s really not a big deal and you can still charge up in about 3 hours.

You’ll find 3 USB ports and a cigarette lighter port to round out the list of features.

Overall, the Jackery Explorer 600 Plus is another strong showing from a brand that knows what it takes to please power users.

Best UPS	Jackery Explorer 600 Plus Portable Power Station 800W inverter with 632Wh battery Plenty of outlets and ports 20ms UPS switchover time	600 Plus on Jackery 600 Plus on Amazon
With Solar Panel	Jackery Solar Generator 600 Plus + 100W Solar Panel Solar generator with one click Top value with panel included	Buy on Jackery Buy on Amazon

Anker 535 PowerHouse: Solid Choice

As you move away from the EcoFlow and Bluetti options, the crowd of portable power stations 500W starts to get dense. But amongst that group, the Anker 535 PowerHouse is one to watch for. There’s a lot to like about this product and it’s a solid choice for anyone that wants a 500W option.

As expected, you’ll find a 500W inverter backed with a battery with 512Wh capacity. And once again, its battery features LiFePO4 cells that are rated to last over 3,000 cycles with at least 80% capacity left. And it’s no surprise that Anker stands behind this long battery life and superb build quality with a 5 year warranty.

The recharging rates aren’t the sky-high ones we’ve seen, but they’re a very respectable 120W for both AC and solar. That means you’re looking at about 3.5 to 4 hours to get at least 80% charge. Or around 5 hours to go to the full 100% battery charge.

So far, every spec of the Anker 535 power station is perfectly within reason. It might not be miles above the competition, but it’s all very well designed with no major gaps.

Now to take this Anker comparison above the rest of the 500W power stations, the outlets and ports are slightly better than most. The 535 PowerHouse includes:

• Four AC outlets, the most out of any 500W power station except for the EcoFlow
• 3 USB-A ports and 1 USB-C port, once again among the best and only matched by the EcoFlow
• A useful LED light on the front that doubles as a lantern

Anker has a long history of portable battery excellence. And this Anker 525 PowerHouse is a nod to tradition that nails all the important features and provides a world-class product at the right price. While the Bluetti and EcoFlow models might be pushing the limits a little farther, this is still a very impressive 500W portable power station.

Top Choice

Anker 535 PowerHouse 512Wh Portable Power Station 512Wh LiFePO4 battery 5 year warranty Many AC and DC outlets

Buy on Anker Buy on Amazon

BougeRV Flash 300: Fastest Charging

Although the brand recognition isn’t quite as good as the other brands on this list, BougeRV is a very impressive manufacturer that’s building quite the reputation. And this small power station helps showcase that this company knows what it takes to impress.

You might notice the product name is 300, not 500. And that does mean this comes with a smaller battery of about 300Wh (286Wh is the actual). But here’s the thing, this has a 600W AC inverter and some serious charging speeds of 600W for both AC and solar.

What the means is that this thing is very well built. It’s like a car that’s put all the bells and whistles of luxury models even though it’s a more economical option. As long as 300Wh is enough to get through the night, you can connect a ton of solar and have this churning out more power than almost every other 500W power station on this list.

BougeRV also includes a 5 year warranty. Which is actually a little surprising because the battery features NMC cells, which aren’t quite as long-lasting as the other LiFePO4 cells found in our favorite options. This is rated to last about 700 cycles before dropping below 80% capacity. It will still function at that point, but then you’ll probably have about 230Wh to work with.

The outlets and ports are impressive. 4 USB ports, 2 AC outlets, and a wireless charging pad.

So what’s the final verdict on the BougeRV Flash 300? While it’s battery is a little smaller than others on this list, the impressive charging rates, inverter power, and long warranty make it quite attractive. Just don’t expect its battery to hold up with the others.

Fast Charging

BougeRV Flash300 Fast Charging Power Station Excellent starter solar generator 286Wh battery and 600W AC output Incredibly fast charging rates for battery size

Buy on BougeRV Buy on Amazon

Bluetti AC50B

Bluetti makes another hit on the top list. This one isn’t quite as impressive, but it still stands tall against most portable power stations 500W. And it’s a lower price tag than the other Bluetti model we love (AC60P).

In fact, this is another remarkable power station with features typically reserved for much higher-end units. This includes:

• 448Wh LiFePO4 internal battery capacity; up to 1,254Wh with external batteries
• Powerful 700W inverter (1,000W surge)
• Fast charging rates of 580W AC outlets (~1 hour) and 200W for solar (~2.5 hours)
• 20ms UPS switchover time
• 5 year warranty
• Bluetooth app connectivity

The most impressive thing this 500W power station can do is the 20ms switchover time. That matches the Jackery and every power station except for a small handful that offer 10ms or 0ms (constant).

Yet the expandable battery also hits big. You can essentially triple the battery capacity by connecting external battery units, the Bluetti B80 Expansion Battery. This is another cost to factor in, but it’s one that well worth it if the need is there. You can ramp up your power use bigtime.

And as usual, it comes with the exception Bluetti warranty plus the ability to connect to the Bluetti app. You don’t have to get up to look at the battery level or see if the AC inverter is accidentally left on. Just pull out your phone and see all the details you could want. It’ll also help you make sure it stays charged up.

The Bluetti AC50B is another one to put on your list of the portable power stations with at least 500W inverters. And it comes close to the AC60P, yet keeps the price down. Hard to beat that.

Excellent Pick

BLUETTI AC50B Portable Power Station 700W inverter with 448Wh battery 20ms UPS function Expandable battery to 1,254Wh

AC50B on Bluetti AC50B on Amazon

What To Look For: Specs That Matter

Shopping for 500W power stations can be overwhelming. Even just the term watts gets thrown around enough to spin you in circles.

So let’s take a moment to actually talk about what those terms mean. That way you know what to look for and can understand the specifications of any power station. We’ll also include the 500W power station comparison charts for each group of specs.

• AC Inverter Capabilities
• Battery and Warranty
• AC and Solar Charging Rates
• Outlets and Ports
• Weight and Dimensions
• User Manuals
• All Specs

AC Inverter Capabilities

This entire article is dedicated to portable power stations with a 500W inverter. So that’s a good starting point. A power station needs an AC solar inverter to change the DC energy stored in the batteries to AC energy that some devices require. This is the same energy that comes out of household outlets. Without the inverter, the power station couldn’t have the household outlets (120V).

AC inverters are rated to a specific power, provided in watts. The higher the wattage, the more power the inverter can deliver at one time. So if you have a big powerful device, like a hair dryer than takes 1,500W, then a small 500W inverter will not work. It doesn’t matter how charged the battery is. The AC inverter can’t handle that energy draw.

Since many devices also use a big surge of power to startup, AC inverters also have a peak or surge power rating. Most often this is about double the continuous rating. But you shouldn’t plan on using this peak or surge draw to run for any length of time. It only lasts a very short time.

Here are the AC inverter specs for the 500W power stations listed above:

Battery and Warranty

Once you make sure the AC inverter can power your devices, it’s good to consider the battery capacity. This is how long the power station can run your devices. And for 500W power stations, the battery size usually matches with about 500Wh.

We also include the warranty in this section because it’s usually aligned with the type of battery used. The longer the battery is expected to keep a good charge, the longer the warranty is (typically).

The relationship between watts and watt-hours is simple. Watts are the rate of energy flowing. Watt-hours are the cumulative amount of power used or stored. Watts times the number of hours used equals Watt-hours.

For example, if you run a 100W device for 1 hour, it will use 100Wh of energy. 100W x 1h = 100Wh. You can determine how long your power station will run by using this calculation. Find the watts of the devices you want to power, then estimate how many hours you want them to run (or fractions of an hour). Our solar panel calculator helps figure this out too.

Another critical part of the battery of a power station is the type of battery cell chemistry it uses. All batteries lose a bit of charge capacity over time and with use. Generally speaking, LiFePO4 (or LFP) is considered the best because it usually lasts about 3,000 cycles without much degradation. That means you can charge and discharge it for about 10 years and still expect it to hold about 80% of its original capacity. Pretty impressive.

NMC is another advanced type of battery that has some advantages, but it’s major downside is that it degrades faster. They’re often rated to last about 500 cycles with at least 80% remaining. So instead of 10 years, you’re looking at about 2 year. This doesn’t mean it will completely fail at 2 years. It just won’t hold as much power.

Here is a comparison chart for the battery details of the 500W power stations along with the warranty coverage:

AC and Solar Charging Rates

It’s no secret that every battery has to be recharged. And when you shop for a power station, understanding the recharging rates is another top feature to consider. This determines how long it will take for you to recharge. The higher the watts, the faster the recharge time.

This feature for 500W power stations is quite interesting. Many have super-fast charging rates that can go from empty to full in about an hour. This is almost unheard of and very unique to this segment.

For solar charging, this also puts limits on the amount of solar panels you can connect. And it determines how many panels you can safely connect. You never want to go over the voltage limit of the power station’s input.

You can get a rough idea of how long it will take to recharge from any source by taking the Watt-hours of the battery and dividing by the watts of your charging source. Then you want to add about 20% because all electrical systems have inefficiencies and these systems use battery monitoring systems (BMS) which intentionally slow charging in some situations to protect the battery.

For example, if you have a recharging rate of 200W and a battery that has 600Wh, you can expect that it will take at least 3.6 hours to charge. 600Wh / 200W = 3 hours. Add another 20% to get 3.6 hours (3 x 1.2 = 3.6).

Here are the vital charging specs for these portable power stations 500W:

Outlets and Ports

Next up are the AC outlets and DC ports available on the power station. This is how you actually connect your devices to charge off the power station.

For a 500W power station, not having enough AC outlets shouldn’t be a huge concern. They don’t offer a lot of power anyway. And most things you use with them you can likely run more efficiently by using a DC port.

DC ports include both types of USBs (USB-A and USB-C), as well as the car cigarette lighter ports. And in rare cases, the wireless charging pads. You may have never considered it before, but these ports all use DC energy so you don’t actually have to use the AC inverter. This helps get the most out of your battery because the AC inverter consumes some power to run itself and there’s some power lost when it changes from DC to AC.

USB-C ports are also a nice upgrade because they’re generally much higher powered than USB-A. Type C can usually be around 60W or 100W, while Type A are closer to 15W. Your phone or device will likely limit the charging rate to what it needs, but sometimes this can make a big difference – espeically for things like laptops and other items that can take more than the USB-A’s 15W.

Here’s a rundown of the outlets and ports you can find on these power stations:

Weight and Dimensions

When it comes to the portable in portable power stations, the 500W models usually do a great job. They’re small, light and ready to go.

But it never hurts to see the little differences. So here’s a full comparison table of the weight and dimensions of these 500W power stations:

User Manuals

And if you want to see more specifics, it’s always a good idea to review the materials directly from the manufacturer. These user manuals can be a great way to ensure you understand the way each functions.

All Specs

And finally, let’s put everything in one giant portable power station 500W comparison chart with all the specifications you would ever need.

Best Overall	BLUETTI AC60P Portable Power Station 600W inverter & up to 2,116Wh battery Wireless charging pad & Bluetooth 6 year warranty	AC60P on Bluetti AC60P on Amazon
Runner Up	EcoFlow RIVER 2 Max 500W inverter with 512Wh battery Excellent value and 5 year warranty Fast charging rates	R2M on EcoFlow R2M on Amazon
Best UPS	Jackery Explorer 600 Plus Portable Power Station 600W inverter with 632Wh battery Plenty of outlets and ports 20ms UPS switchover time	600 Plus on Jackery 600 Plus on Amazon

Top Choice	Anker 535 PowerHouse 512Wh Portable Power Station 512Wh LiFePO4 battery 5 year warranty Many AC and DC outlets	Buy on Anker Buy on Amazon
Fast Charging	BougeRV Flash300 Fast Charging Power Station Excellent starter solar generator 286Wh battery and 600W AC output Incredibly fast charging rates for battery size	Buy on BougeRV Buy on Amazon
Excellent Pick	BLUETTI AC50B Portable Power Station 700W inverter with 448Wh battery 20ms UPS function Expandable battery to 1,254Wh	AC50B on Bluetti AC50B on Amazon

Wrap Up: Portable Power Stations 500W

If you want to know everything about portable power stations with 500W inverters, you’ve just done your homework properly. This curated list is the industry’s top choices, and you have all the details you need to make the right choice. Check the inverter watts, battery watt-hours, and the rest of the specs that matter most to you.

Once you’re done here, don’t forget to check out the ways to charge the power station using your car. With these small ones, you’ll probably be fine with the car charger, but you might want to know faster options.