Search “best solar generator” and you get four brand names in every list, ranked as if they’re all trying to be the same thing. They aren’t. EcoFlow, Anker SOLIX, Jackery, and Rich Solar occupy genuinely different positions, and the fastest way to a good purchase is to figure out which category you’re in before you compare products at all.
Here’s the honest map.
The one-line version
| Brand | Built for | Entry point | Retailer link |
|---|---|---|---|
| EcoFlow | The biggest whole-home platform: 6,144Wh, 7,200W, 5.6kW solar input, 120V/240V | $4,782 (DELTA Pro Ultra Portable kit) | Check price → |
| Anker SOLIX | Lowest-priced way into split-phase 120V/240V home backup | $3,499.99 (F3800 Plus kit) | Check price → |
| Jackery | Portable and single-room backup; the lightest panels | $249.00 (SolarSaga 100W Air panel) | Check price → |
| Rich Solar | Components for DIY 12V, RV, cabin, and off-grid builds: lowest cost per watt | $225.99 (MEGA 200W panel, ~$1.13/W) | See the range → |
Prices as listed at the time of writing.
EcoFlow: the most capability per system
EcoFlow’s position is the top end. The DELTA Pro Ultra platform is the largest single system in this comparison: 6,144Wh of storage, 7,200W of output, up to 5.6kW of solar input, split-phase 120V/240V, and expandable beyond that.
That solar input figure is the part worth pausing on. Most backup systems are a countdown: the battery drains and you wait for the utility. A system that can absorb 5.6kW of panel can refill a mostly drained battery in one good day, which is the difference between backup that lasts a day and backup that lasts as long as the outage does.
EcoFlow also packages three ways at three prices ($4,782 portable, $7,769 smart home, $12,879 deluxe) which we break down in the DELTA Pro Ultra kit comparison.
EcoFlow suits you if you want maximum capability in one ecosystem and you have loads that justify it.
EcoFlow DELTA Pro Ultra Smart Home kit at Outbound Power
Anker SOLIX: the lower-priced route into 240V
Anker’s advantage is the entry price on the capability that actually matters. The SOLIX F3800 Plus Smart Home Backup Power Kit is listed at $3,499.99 and delivers split-phase 120V/240V: the line that separates real home backup from a large camping battery. A well pump, an electric water heater, an electric range, a central AC condenser: all 240V, and all impossible on a 120V-only station regardless of battery size.
Getting there for roughly half the price of the comparable EcoFlow kit is a strong argument, and it’s why we treat it as the default recommendation for most households in our head-to-head comparison. Anker also makes the PS400, the highest-output single folding panel in this lineup at 400W.
Anker SOLIX suits you if you want split-phase backup for essential circuits and you’d rather start smaller and expand.
Jackery: portable, and the lightest gear
Jackery built its reputation on portable power stations, and that’s still where it’s strongest: quiet LiFePO4 units that can run indoors, sized to carry a fridge, a CPAP, Wi-Fi, and lights through an outage without any electrical work. For renters, apartments, and anyone whose backup plan is one room rather than one house, that’s the right shape of product: our state backup power guides walk through sizing for it, and you can compare Jackery’s solar generators direct.
On the panel side, the SolarSaga 100W Air is the ultralight option: the most expensive watts here at about $2.49/W, and worth it only if weight is the constraint you’re actually solving for.
Jackery suits you if portability, indoor use and simplicity matter more than whole-home capability.
Rich Solar: components, not appliances
Rich Solar is the odd one out, and it’s important not to compare it to the other three directly. It doesn’t sell a box you plug things into; it sells the parts a system is built from: rigid panels, charge controllers, cabling, mounting.
Its argument is price per watt. The MEGA 200W 12V monocrystalline panel at $225.99 works out to roughly $1.13 per watt, against $1.36–$2.49 for the folding panels bundled with power stations. Three of them cost less than one 400W portable. The catch is that you’re wiring it: a controller, a battery bank, an inverter, correct gauge, correct fusing. Our kit-versus-DIY breakdown covers what that really costs.
Rich Solar suits you if you’re building a cabin, RV, van, or off-grid system yourself and want the lowest-cost sound components.
Rich Solar range at Outbound Power
What locks you in, and what doesn’t
Worth knowing before you commit:
- Panels are portable between brands. Nearly everything terminates in MC4, so a Rich Solar panel can feed an EcoFlow station with the right adapter cable. Shop panels on price per watt, not on badge.
- Batteries are not. Expansion modules are proprietary within each ecosystem. An EcoFlow battery will not extend an Anker system. This is the decision you’re really making when you pick a brand.
- Cables are a low-cost item and a common omission. A panel and a power station often ship with different connectors, so the right cable is easy to forget.
Pick by job, not by brand
- Whole house, long outages, maximum solar recharge → EcoFlow DELTA Pro Ultra
- Essential circuits including 240V, lowest entry price → Anker SOLIX F3800 Plus
- One room, an apartment, or something you carry → Jackery
- Building it yourself, lowest cost per watt → Rich Solar
None of these replaces rooftop solar, and none of them qualifies for the Section 25D federal credit any more: it was repealed for systems placed in service after December 31, 2025. Check DSIRE for surviving state and utility incentives, confirm anything tax-related with a professional, and see our state solar guides for what a full installed system costs where you live.
Anker SOLIX F3800 Plus at Outbound Power ($3,499.99 at time of writing)
Rich Solar components at Outbound Power
Keep reading: EcoFlow vs Anker head to head · Best portable solar panels · Solar cables and connectors