If you're in the market for a reliable, compact, and affordable portable power station, there’s a good chance you'll come across the Anker SOLIX C300 and the EcoFlow River 3.
Both of these come from well-established brands, offer similar performance on paper, and hover right around that beginner-friendly $200 mark. But when it comes down to real-world use, one of them clearly pulls ahead.
Let’s break it all down, so you can decide where to spend your hard-earned money.
Before we get into the nitty-gritty of how these little guys stack up against each other, let’s take a quick look at the numbers:
As you can tell from our comparison chart, these little units have a lot in common. So, before we start picking out where they differ, let’s take a closer look at their similarities.
Let’s start with the similarities:
While the battery power is always going to be limited with such small power stations, having a 300W output means that they’re suitable for charging laptops, phones, LED lights, fans, other low-wattage devices, and even a few smaller appliances.
These are meant for day trips, short overnight adventures, or emergency power for small electronics. Since portability and affordability was obviously the idea here, the batteries can’t be very big (batteries are heavy and expensive to make).
Keep your expectations limited when assessing power stations with this little storage capacity. Even the Anker’s larger 288Wh battery is really tiny.
One advantage of running a small power station is the fact they’re usually pretty quiet. Luckily, both of these units are pretty much whisper quiet, so you can sleep beside them in a tent, or have them on your desk if you’re trying to get some work done during a blackout.
Both can be charged from 0% to 100% in around an hour. In testing, the River 3 edged out the C300 by about 10 minutes, which isn’t crazy, but worth noting.
They Both Have a Low Solar Input:
Neither of these is built for off-grid solar life, but you can top their batteries up with a small panel if you get the right conditions. If you’re looking for a power station you’ll be using heavily off grid, you’ll want to spend a little more on something with a higher solar input.
Up until this point, it’s been a pretty even match. These units were obviously designed for the same applications, but let’s look into why we think the Anker unit is the better buy:
The C300 gives you three grounded 120V outlets that are actually spaced out properly, so you can plug in multiple devices at once—without overlapping plugs or the unit feeling cramped.
The River 3 only has two of these outlets, and one of them is so tightly crammed next to the other that it’s tough to use both at the same time. One of the two outlets is also a “half outlet,” meaning it’s not grounded, which makes things even more frustrating, especially if you’re planning to use it to charge things like laptops.
This one is a huge advantage. The Anker C300 includes:
By comparison, the River 3 is fairly limited on the USB front. The 140W bi-directional feature on the C300 is actually pretty rare for a power station at this price point—and super handy if you have a power-hungry USB-C device, or you want to be able to charge your power station with your laptop or phone charger.
Note: During testing, it was actually hard to find something capable of charging the C300 at the full 140W input speed, but it’s there if you need it. It would have been nice if they included that charging cable, but what can you really expect for under $200?
While both are under 300Wh, the C300 has 288Wh storage, whereas the River 3 only has a 245Wh battery. It doesn’t sound like a lot, but that’s a 17% advantage. When you’re talking about 17% more usable power, it could be the difference between being able to charge your phone enough to make a few calls during a power outage, or completely running out of juice.
With more usable outlets, a larger battery, and more ways to charge it, the C300 is just more practical for camping and even short-duration blackouts at home.
If your power goes out, you’ll be able to run more essential devices—like your WiFi router, a small fan, lights, or even a CPAP machine (within wattage limits).
If the Anker unit cost an extra $100, we’d be less impressed, but these units are almost identically priced. Given that, the River 3 just feels like it would be more limited in a real-world scenario.
Don’t need AC outlets at all? Anker also offers a DC-only version of the C300. It still has the built-in light, USB-C, and 12V car socket, but skips the inverter.
Perfect for van lifers, tent campers, or people who just need to charge devices on the go. Plus, it comes in even cheaper than the standard model. EcoFlow doesn’t offer a DC-only version of the River 3, so it’s another area where the Anker version wins out for versatility.
Now, EcoFlow does sell larger River 3 variants, like the River 3 Plus, with a 600W inverter. But here’s the problem: they still use a small battery. Most versions have less than 288Wh of storage capacity, meaning you might only get 25 minutes of runtime if you’re pushing it to the full 600W output.
If you start adding expansion batteries, the cost skyrockets, often exceeding $400 to $500—and at that point, they’re no longer competing with the C300, but with units that are far more powerful.
For example, a Pecron E1000 would be a far more suitable unit to compare with an expanded River 3 Plus than an Anker C300.
However, when you look at a Pecron E1000, it only costs around $379, and you get a 1,024Wh battery and a drastically more powerful 1,800W inverter. On top of that, the Pecron unit has more ports, greater expandability, adn a way better solar input.
In other words, if you’re stepping into that price tier, you might as well go big and just buy a more capable unit.
While we clearly think either version of the Anker C300 is going to be a better buy, we wouldn’t completely write off the EcoFlow River 3, so here’s a quick breakdown of which you should choose:
Look, both of these are solid entry-level power stations. But if you're trying to get the most functionality, battery life, and bang for your buck, the Anker C300 clearly comes out on top.
And remember, if you're ready to spend more than $300, we’d recommend skipping the larger and more expensive River 3 models entirely and just grab something like the Pecron E1000LFP, or even something like the EcoFlow DELTA 3 Plus.
Anker SOLIX C300: Check Price at Shop Solar
Use Code: TSL20 for $20 Off (Just $179 with Our Code!)
EcoFlow River 3: Check Price at EcoFlow
Use Code: 25EFFDSOL for 5% Off Your Order
Pecron E1000: Check Price at Pecron
Use Code: THESOLARLAB5 for 5% Off Your Order
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