Jackery has been one of the top names in the portable power world for years. They were one of the first companies making camping power stations, and are now easily recognizable for their somewhat iconic orange and black color scheme.
While they built a solid reputation by being one of the early leaders in the market, competition from brands like EcoFlow and Anker is beginning to make Jackery take a back seat in the power station game. This is mostly due to the fact that these other companies are raising the bar with higher capacity, smarter, and more affordable backup power systems. So, the question has to be asked: Can Jackery still compete with the big dogs?
Enter the Jackery Explorer 5000 Plus, their first truly large-scale unit that is specifically aimed at serious backup power. After running it through some intense testing and spending some time using it in real-world scenarios, we think Jackery may have finally found its footing again.
So, can the new Jackery 5000 Plus actually compete with heavyweights like the Anker SOLIX F3800 and the EcoFlow DELTA Pro Ultra? Let’s find out.
Before we start tearing this unit apart and covering what we like and dislike about it, let’s start with the essential specifications for the 5000 Plus:
It also features a 50A plug, although it is limited to 30A of actual service. You also get an L14-30 twist lock generator port, as well as ports for the expansion batteries if you plan on increasing the storage capacity.
These specs actually impressed us, and puts the 5000 Plus squarely between the Anker F3800 and EcoFlow DELTA Pro Ultra in terms of capacity and output. It can store about 1,000Wh less than the DELTA Pro Ultra, but at the time of writing, it’s selling for $1,500 less. That’s a major difference, especially if you’re on a budget and don’t need the absolute maximum battery capacity available.
We also appreciate that Jackery’s design doesn’t feel like a prototype. This thing has real wheels, a solid suitcase handle that is actually one of the sturdiest sliding handles we’ve ever seen on a power station.
You’ll also find multiple side handles for easier team lifting, and the overall build is compact and nice-looking—it’s something you wouldn’t mind having out in your living space during an outage.
The 4,000W solar input is hugely impressive for a unit of this size, easily topping what Anker’s F3800 currently offers. It means you can fully recharge the 5000 Plus in under two hours if you can hit the full solar input, or recharge an expanded system within a full day of decent sunlight.
As mentioned, the smart app is also solid—nothing ground-breaking, but you can change settings, check charging status, and even set time-of-use schedules for basic peak shaving.
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At the time of this review, the Explorer 5000 Plus is selling for around $3,000, down from an original retail price of $3,500. That makes it:
This is a really competitive price point, and we think it hits a sweet spot in the market for people who need reliable home backup without diving all the way into high-end whole-home systems.
We also have a really juicy discount code thorugh Jackery (THESOLARLAB), which can knock an additional 15% off that price. Honestly, $3,000 sounds like a lot of money, and it is, but you get a lot of bang for your buck with this unit.
Jackery also released a Smart Transfer Switch alongside the Explorer 5000 Plus, which is similar to what we’ve seen with EcoFlow’s Smart Home Panel or Anker’s Home Power Panel. But Jackery’s version stands out because it’s actually a small subpanel, with breakers and inputs built right in.
It makes it much easier to get instant backup power to select home circuits. Plus, it enables simultaneous 240V inputs and outputs. To get the most out of it, you’ll want to pair the panel with two 5000 Plus units, as well as several expansion batteries.
The only real catch we could find? There are no pre-drilled holes in the panel, so you’ll need to drill your own if you’re routing cables through it. It’s only a minor annoyance and far from a deal-breaker.
Throughout all of our testing, the Explorer 5000 Plus really surprised us. It handled everything we threw at it—except for one stretch goal. Jackery claims a 14,000W surge, but in our tests, it struggled to start a 10,000W surge air conditioner (which drops to a continuous power draw of 3,000W once it’s up and running). That said, it still managed to run 8,000W and 9,500W loads for between 20 and 30 seconds, which is very respectable.
The idle power draw was also solid, sitting around 58W per hour when we turned the inverter on and let it run through a full charge without any sort of load being pulled from it. With this idle draw, it could run about 3.5 days idling, which doesn’t sound great, but it’s actually better than the F3800’s 80W idle rate.
The (Uninterrupted Power Supply) UPS mode also worked seamlessly, so you can set it up in a way that will allow outages to go mostly unnoticed. It also shined when we tested the noise levels, remaining very quiet, even when we were running it under a heavy load.
Now that we’ve reviewed the specs and the results of our testing, let’s take a look at all the things we liked about this power house:
This is one of the most polished designs Jackery has ever released. From the wheels to the really well-made sliding suitcase handle, everything feels solid and easy to maneuver. It’s just a really practical unit.
It also follows the basic design style of the Anker F3800, which is one of our favorite big units to use. All of the output and input ports are easy to reach, and it has a lot of nice features. Plus, it’s super quiet for its size and output, which means it’s a practical option for home backup and use in closed spaces, like inside an RV or camper van.
Even the inclusion of a 12V car socket is a nice bonus, as a lot of power station companies are starting to trim them from their bigger units. From our perspective, these are still super useful for camping, or even emergency prep, as a 12V fridge is going to help you keep your stuff cold, without using the same power as a standard AC refrigerator would.
4,000W of solar input is excellent for the size of the battery. It beats most of the alternatives out there, and makes it a really practical unit for those hoping to rely heavily on solar for backup power or even reducing utility bills.
We really appreciated Jackery's online calculator for the 5000 Plus, which even takes idle power consumption into account. When you input your estimated loads, it gives realistic runtimes—not inflated marketing numbers like you often see with brands like EcoFlow, Bluetti, Anker, Pecron, and, well, pretty much every single power station company out there.
The Smart Transfer Switch is clean, functional, and integrates easily with the 5000 Plus. For those looking for full-home integration and true 240V charging and discharging, it’s a must-have companion for this unit. It’s also reasonably priced, so you can easily pick one up down the line if you only have the budget room for the main unit itself right now.
While this unit really impressed us, no power station is perfect, and there are a few downsides that Jackery might want to fix in future versions:
Yes, it has a 50A plug—but it only supports 30A service. That limits its usefulness in RVs and trailers.
With that said, 30A plugs are also super popular, so a lot of people actually prefer them. Ironically, Anker just altered their original F3800 by adding a 30A plug to the brand-new F3800 Plus version.
Speaking of which, if you're considering one of these two units, we actually just put them up against each other in one of our latest This-or-That Videos. It's a good way to see how they stack up, specially given how similar they are from a design standpoint.
The solar input door opens upward, but doesn’t fully fold back. The door only really opens horizontal to the ground. If the unit is at ground-level, rather than elevated on a table or bench, you’ll be on your hands and knees trying to plug in your MC4 connectors. It’s a small issue, but it could be annoying for some.
There’s a handle on the bottom end of the unit for lifting and team-carrying, but it’s on the side—meaning you have to lay the unit on its rounded surface if you're picking it up this way. It would make more sense if the handle were on the front or back, where the bump stops are. Again, a small issue, but it's a weird choice.
Come on Jackery—you guys were the brand known for always including LED lights. What happened? A built-in light was a layup.
Unlike EcoFlow and Anker, which offer 240V generator cables for faster charging for their bigger units, Jackery requires the smart transfer switch to access 240V charging. That limits its ability to peak shave out of the box, unless you're willing to buy the switch as well.
In our opinion, Jackery nailed it with the Explorer 5000 Plus. It's not just an oversized orange box—it’s a genuinely competitive, thoughtfully designed large power station that offers serious value.
With a large inverter, really strong solar input, helpful features like UPS and time-of-use settings, and a more than fair price point, it’s finally a Jackery product we can recommend for more than just camping trips.
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