Head-to-head test
Anker SOLIX C800 Plus vs Goal Zero Yeti 500
The C800 Plus now costs about $149 more than the Yeti 500, but it delivers 269Wh more capacity and more than double the output — so unless you specifically need the Yeti's lighter, rugged body, the Anker's extra power is what your money buys.
Written by Wenny ZhengUpdated
Portable Power Tester, Station Arena Test Desk
Anker
SOLIX C800 Plus
2,199Power Score · Appliance Class
$649.00 list · direct from Anker
Goal Zero
Yeti 500
1,862Power Score · Device Hub
$499.95 list · direct from Goal Zero
Spec deltas
The Anker C800 Plus now costs about $149 more than the Goal Zero Yeti 500, but this time the pricier unit is also the far more capable one: 768Wh against 499Wh, and a 1,200W inverter against 500W. The premium buys a bigger tank and more than double the output — and, because the battery is so much larger, a lower cost per watt-hour despite the higher sticker ($.85 against $1.00).
What the Yeti gives up in power it takes back elsewhere: a lighter, tougher body — 16.5 pounds against 24, with IPX4 weather resistance and Goal Zero's overlanding pedigree — a faster sub-10ms UPS, a 4,000-cycle battery, and now the lower price. Those are real, and for a specific buyer they justify picking it over the bigger Anker.
For most people, though, the Anker's capability advantage is decisive. It runs more than twice the wattage, stores a third more energy, and costs less per watt-hour of that capacity. It no longer costs less up front — you're paying about $149 for the extra power — so the question is whether you need it. Most buyers who want to run real appliances do; ultralight and rugged users may not.
What the Numbers Reveal
Each conclusion stated first — the numbers behind it on one line, the full analysis below.
Capacity
Spread across each unit's capacity, the Anker is still the cheaper battery per watt-hour ($.85 against $1.00) despite the higher sticker — so the premium isn't buying less, it's buying more capacity at a lower per-Wh rate, plus the output to use it.
Yeti 500 price $499.95C800 Plus price $649Yeti capacity 499Wh vs Anker 768Wh
Why it mattersIf you're buying on capability, the Anker's bigger tank and double output settle it; if you're buying on the lowest sticker, the Yeti now undercuts it by about $149.
continuous output
That's a real trade for a backpacker or overlander who values every pound, but a 500W ceiling rules out most mid-draw appliances, so the weight you save comes at the cost of what you can plug in.
Yeti 500 output 500WC800 Plus output 1,200WYeti weight 16.5 lbs vs Anker 24 lbs
Why it mattersUltralight, rugged use tips to the Yeti; anyone who wants to run more than lights and small electronics needs the Anker's 1,200W.
cost / lifetime kWh
Those extra 1,000 cycles are decades away at any realistic use, so they rarely cash out. Measured by the watt-hour you actually store, the Anker is still cheaper ($.85 against $1.00); it's only the cycle-multiplied lifetime figure that now tips to the Yeti.
Yeti 500 $0.25 per lifetime kWhC800 Plus $0.28 per lifetime kWhYeti 4,000 cycles vs Anker 3,000
Why it mattersDon't over-weight the Yeti's lifetime-kWh edge — it rides on cycle life you likely won't reach. But the Yeti is genuinely the cheaper unit to buy now, which is the part of its value case that's real today.
The specific dimensions that decide these two units — everything else is a tie.
PowerScore Breakdown
Selected because: capacity + output gap is decisive and lopsided; lead here
overall power score
The score gap is wide and it's not subtle: 768Wh against 499Wh, 1,200W against 500W. The Anker holds a third more energy and pushes more than twice the continuous power, so it isn't edging the Yeti — it's a class above it on the two specs that decide what you can run and for how long.
The Yeti's 500W inverter is the quiet constraint people underestimate. It's fine for phones, laptops, lights, and a small fridge, but it caps out early on anything mid-draw. The Anker's 1,200W simply opens more of the appliance list.
Lifetime Value
Selected because: with the Anker now pricier up front, the value split is mixed — Anker cheaper per Wh, Yeti cheaper per lifetime kWh and cheaper to buy
cost / lifetime kWh
This is where the matchup tips back toward the Yeti. The Anker now costs $649 to the Yeti's $499.95, and the Yeti delivers $0.25 per lifetime kilowatt-hour against the Anker's $0.28 — so the cheaper unit up front is also, narrowly, the cheaper one per lifetime kWh, thanks to its higher cycle rating. Measured per watt-hour of capacity, though, the Anker still comes in lower ($.85 against $1.00) — its much bigger battery is the reason.
Across the five-year warranty both share, that's $130 a year to own the Anker versus $100 for the Yeti. So the Anker's premium is real both up front and per warranted year — you're paying it for the power and capacity, a fair trade only if you'll actually use them.
Portability & Form Factor
Selected because: the Yeti's clearest physical win — 7.5 lbs lighter, IPX4
weight
Here's the Yeti's honest win, and it's a good one: 16.5 pounds against 24, plus IPX4 weather resistance and a ruggedized design built for the overlanding and preparedness crowd. That's 7.5 pounds you feel on a portage or a long carry, in a body that shrugs off rain the Anker would rather avoid.
If your use is genuinely ultralight or genuinely wet — backcountry trips, open-bed hauling, exposed sites — the Yeti's toughness and lighter weight are worth real money. For a unit that lives in a trunk or a garage, they're merits you won't cash.
What the Specs Don't Tell You
Selected because: surge, UPS, cycle life, and undisclosed noise all fire
rated cycles
The flags are more mixed than they were. The Anker's 1,600W surge on a 1,200W inverter starts stubborn motors the Yeti's 500W can't approach — a decisive capability edge. The Yeti's counter-flags are a faster sub-10ms UPS against the Anker's sub-20ms, and now the lower cost per warranted year, both genuine pluses for the right buyer.
One flag is the Yeti's own doing: Goal Zero doesn't publish a noise figure for it at all. That's not damning, but in a category where quiet is a selling point, a blank where the decibel number should be is worth noting rather than assuming the best.
Your Life, Your Pick
Selected because: shows the Anker covers more of the fitting loads
Both clear a CPAP night, and both fall short of a camping weekend or a full-day blackout — but the Yeti's 499Wh runs out sooner on every load that fits neither. The Anker's extra 269Wh is straightforward additional runtime wherever the two overlap.
None of the fitting scenarios plays to the Yeti's strengths, because its strengths are physical, not electrical. Weight and ruggedness don't show up in a runtime chart; they show up on the trail. Judge the Yeti there, not here.
Strengths & trade-offs
Anker SOLIX C800 Plus
Strengths
- +Larger battery capacity
- +Higher AC output
- +Faster solar charging
Trade-offs
- –Shorter-lived battery — rated for 3,000 charge cycles vs the Yeti 500's 4,000, so it wears out sooner.
Goal Zero Yeti 500
Strengths
- +Costs $149.1 less
- +Lighter by 7.5 lb
- +Rated for 4,000 charge cycles — much longer battery lifespan
Trade-offs
- –Weaker inverter (-700W) limits appliance compatibility.
Will It Power Your Gear?
Scenario math and per-appliance runtimes, modeled from the spec record.
Scenario verdicts
We ran the math on six real-world scenarios. Here's which unit survives your actual life.
SCN-01 · 2 nights · needs 2,100Wh
Weekend Camping
Two nights off-grid with essential comfort
Neither unit
Neither covers a full 2,100Wh weekend, and the Yeti's 499Wh empties first. If camping is the real job, size up — but between these two, the Anker's larger tank simply lasts longer before it's out, and the Yeti's edge is that it's lighter to hike in, not that it runs longer.
Battery budget usedlower = more headroom
LOAD Phone Charger 15W×6h · LED Lights 40W×8h · Box Fan 75W×14h · CPAP Machine 40W×16h
SCN-02 · 8 hours · needs 1,645Wh
8-Hour Blackout
Keep the essentials running through a night without power
Neither unit
Neither unit can fully handle this scenario (needs 1,645Wh). You'd need a higher-capacity station or to cut back on usage.
Battery budget usedlower = more headroom
LOAD Fridge 150W×8h · Router + Modem 20W×8h · LED Lights (4 bulbs) 40W×6h · Phone Charger 15W×3h
SCN-03 · 8 hours · needs 320Wh
CPAP Overnight
Sleep therapy without interruption — the #1 medical use case
SOLIX C800 Plus
Both run a CPAP through the night without strain — the load is only a few hundred watt-hours. The Anker leaves more reserve for morning charging thanks to its larger tank, while the Yeti counters with a faster sub-10ms UPS if a brief grid blip would otherwise interrupt the machine. Call it the Anker on capacity, the Yeti on switchover.
Battery budget usedlower = more headroom
LOAD CPAP Machine 40W×8h
SCN-04 · 8 hours · needs 910Wh
Remote Workday
Full work day off-grid without power anxiety
Neither unit
Neither unit can fully handle this scenario (needs 910Wh). You'd need a higher-capacity station or to cut back on usage.
Battery budget usedlower = more headroom
LOAD Laptop 60W×8h · External Monitor 30W×8h · Router + Modem 20W×8h · Phone Charger 15W×2h
SCN-05 · 4 hours · needs 670Wh
Tailgate Party
Game day power for the crew
Neither unit
Neither unit can fully handle this scenario (needs 670Wh). You'd need a higher-capacity station or to cut back on usage.
Battery budget usedlower = more headroom
LOAD Blender 400W×0.5h · LED TV (55") 80W×4h · Bluetooth Speaker 15W×4h · Phone Charger (×3) 45W×2h
SCN-06 · 24 hours · needs 4,685Wh
Van Life Daily
A full day of mobile living — the ultimate endurance test
Neither unit
Neither unit can fully handle this scenario (needs 4,685Wh). You'd need a higher-capacity station or to cut back on usage.
Battery budget usedlower = more headroom
LOAD Mini-Fridge 150W×24h · Laptop 60W×4h · Phone Charger 15W×3h · LED Lights 40W×5h · Fan 75W×8h
The Load Test
RUNTIME = (Wh × 0.85) ÷ LOAD
None of the six scenarios above exactly yours? Build it. Toggle what you'd plug in; both units are tested against the combined draw.
Essentials
Comfort & Convenience
High-Draw Appliances
Test duration
8h
Continuous draw
205W
Projected runtime
For this load: SOLIX C800 Plus runs 3.2h vs 2.1h.
$649 list · direct from Anker
Modeled from the spec record — same math as the tables below. Methodology
Runtime by appliance
Real-world runtime estimates for common appliances, modeled at 85% inverter efficiency.¹
Essentials
The basics you need runningscale 0–43.5hComfort & Convenience
Makes off-grid life actually enjoyablescale 0–8.7hHigh-Draw Appliances
These reveal the real limitsscale 0–0.7h¹ Runtime = (capacity × 0.85) ÷ appliance watts. Within each group, all bars share one time scale (the group's longest runtime), so lengths are comparable across appliances; identical runtimes collapse into a single blue/orange bar. Actual runtime varies with battery age, temperature, and simultaneous loads — see methodology.
Conclusion
July 16, 2026
Verdict: the SOLIX C800 Plus, on Power Score margin
Take the Anker C800 Plus. It now costs about $149 more than the Goal Zero Yeti 500 ($649 against $499.95), but it holds 269Wh more and pushes more than double the output — 1,200W against 500W — and even at the higher price it's cheaper per watt-hour of capacity ($.85 vs $1.00). The Yeti's merits have grown with the price shift: a lighter 16.5-pound body, rugged IPX4 build, a faster sub-10ms UPS, a higher cycle rating that now edges it ahead on lifetime cost per kWh ($0.25 vs $0.28), and the lower sticker. Buy the Yeti if lightweight, weatherproof, quick switchover, or lowest price is the priority. For anyone who needs to actually run appliances, the Anker delivers far more machine and is worth the premium.
Editor-assigned confidence, based on cited owner research and spec analysis.
List prices as of July 16, 2026. The links below open Anker's and Goal Zero's current prices.
$649.00 list · direct from Anker
or check the Yeti 500 price$499.95 list
Written by Wenny Zheng, Portable Power Tester · Station Arena Test Desk · Updated July 16, 2026
Measured Data
Benchmark scores and the full spec record, side by side.
Benchmark scores
Full specifications
ᵈ Derived: price ÷ rated capacity. See the data behind our comparisons →
Comparison ToolAdd more power stations, side by sideOpen Tool →How these numbers are produced
Numeric verification
Every figure on this page traces to our spec database or arithmetic on it — no estimated numbers.
Owner claims
Statements about owner experience are cited to published reviews — see Sources & Research Notes below.
Runtime model
Runtime = (rated capacity × 0.85 inverter efficiency) ÷ device wattage. Solar recharge estimates assume panels deliver 70% of rated output. Cold weather, battery age, and stacked loads reduce real-world results.
Power Score
Computed from 14 published spec dimensions, weighted per use-case bench. Higher is better; a unit must meet a bench's minimum threshold to be rated.
See the full weight table and data sourcing on our methodology page →Class ranking (the star rating)
Each unit's star score is a category ranking, not customer reviews — no buyer opinions feed it. We score every station on size-independent quality (value, output, portability, endurance, ports, warranty, and more), then percentile-rank it against the other units in its capacity class, so a class-leading compact unit and a class-leading whole-home unit can both earn 5★. Here, SOLIX C800 Plus rates 4.0/5 (39th percentile of 19 Compact-class units), and Yeti 500 rates 4.7/5 (81st percentile of 22 Personal-class units).
How the class ranking is computed →Test Notes & Caveats
Hidden gotchas and advantages we spotted that you won't find on the product page.
SOLIX C800 Plus: 45dB Under Load
45dB is about as loud as a running refrigerator. If you're running a CPAP or sleeping near this unit, the fan noise may be noticeable. Most people find anything above 45dB disruptive for sleep.
Surge: 1,600W vs 1,000W
The Anker's 1,600W surge on a 1,200W inverter starts stubborn compressor motors the Yeti's 500W simply can't approach. If a fridge or pump is central to your use, this is a decisive mark in the Anker's column.
The Yeti's One Speed Advantage
Sub-10ms switchover on the Yeti against sub-20ms on the Anker — the difference matters for a desktop, NAS, or router that reads a longer gap as a power event. For a lamp or phone charger, it's invisible.
Warranty Value Comparison
The Yeti 500 gives you 10 years of warranty per $1,000 spent, vs the SOLIX C800 Plus's 7.7 years. That's 1.3× more coverage per dollar. An underrated factor if you're keeping this unit for years.
4,000 Cycles You Won't Reach
The Yeti's 4,000-cycle rating beats the Anker's 3,000 on paper, but at daily use that's over a decade out — past when you'd upgrade either unit. Both outlive their five-year warranty many times; let price, not cycle count, decide.
Goal Zero Doesn't Publish a Noise Number
The Yeti 500 ships without a stated decibel figure, so its fan behavior under load is an unknown going in. In a category where quiet is a selling point, an absent number is worth flagging rather than assuming silence.
Full record above — the Test Desk pick is the SOLIX C800 Plus.
Check SOLIX C800 Plus price →or check the Yeti 500 priceOwnership Analysis
What happens after you buy — true cost of ownership, brand trust, and growth potential.
Lifetime value
Service lifeyears at one full cycle per day
Lifetime energy delivered
Cost per delivered kWh
│ warranty ends · Reaching the cycle rating means ~80% capacity remains — degraded, not dead.
Analyst note
Both units have similar long-term ownership costs ($0.28/kWh vs $0.25/kWh). The price difference is what you see on the sticker — neither is a hidden bargain or rip-off.
Brand trust
Anker
Ecosystem
7-8 SOLIX portable power stations across C-series (compact) and F-series (flagship), plus the X1 home energy system
Support
US-based support. Historically known for incredible no-hassle replacements, but recent reports describe AI-driven support agents giving generic responses and complex return logistics for heavy units (hazmat shipping). The Anker brand reputation is still strong, but SOLIX-specific support quality is trending down.
Community
Moderate — active Reddit (r/Anker, r/AnkerSOLIXCommunity) and growing. Benefits from Anker's massive consumer electronics brand awareness.
App experience
Rated 4.5/5 iOS (~1,100 ratings) · 4.3/5 Android
Unique strength
Parent brand trust from Anker's consumer electronics dominance. InfiniPower technology for long cycle life. Strong $/Wh value in the mid-size and larger units — the S2000, F2600 and C1000 are among the better buys per watt-hour in the catalog.
Worth knowing
Anker brings consumer-electronics trust, InfiniPower cells behind the long cycle life, and a well-rated app. The catch is SOLIX-specific support trending down from its once-excellent standard, and firmware that has quietly dropped features.
Goal Zero
Ecosystem
Focused — 5-6 active portable power station models across Yeti and Yeti Pro series, plus Alta coolers, Nomad/Ranger solar panels, and vehicle integration kits
Support
US-based company (Salt Lake City, owned by NRG Energy). Historically considered premium support, but 2025-2026 reports describe long wait times, unresponsive email communication, and tickets going unaddressed for weeks. The "premium support justifies premium pricing" argument is weakening.
Community
Small but loyal — strong following in overlanding and preparedness communities. Official community forums were recently shuttered, frustrating long-time users.
App experience
Rated 4.4/5 iOS (~1,200 ratings) but recent reviews skew negative — recurring connectivity issues, crashes, and stability problems.
Unique strength
Pioneer of the portable power market — strongest brand heritage. US-based company with ruggedized, weather-resistant designs (IPX4). Integrated "Yeti-Ready" ecosystem with coolers, lights, and vehicle kits.
Worth knowing
Goal Zero is the market pioneer with the strongest heritage and rugged, US-designed hardware beloved in overlanding circles. The concerns are real, though: it's the priciest brand per watt-hour, support has slipped from its premium reputation with weeks-long waits reported, and the official community forums were recently shuttered.
Analyst note
Anker is the capability-and-tech pick, now at a premium price; Goal Zero is the rugged heritage brand, still priciest per watt-hour but cheaper up front here as its service reputation slips. For buyers who need power the Anker's capability-per-dollar is hard to beat — unless you specifically need Goal Zero's toughness or the lower sticker.
Growth path
SOLIX C800 Plus
FIXED CAPACITYFixed at 768Wh, with no expansion — so size it for your needs up front rather than planning to add capacity later.
Accepts up to 300W of solar. Limited to a single portable panel.
Adequate ports for most setups, but heavy users may want a power strip.
Yeti 500
FIXED CAPACITYFixed at 499Wh, with no expansion — so size it for your needs up front rather than planning to add capacity later.
Accepts up to 200W of solar. Limited to a single portable panel.
Adequate ports for most setups, but heavy users may want a power strip.
Realistic full solar rechargeat 70% of rated panel output — see methodology
Analyst note
Neither expands, and that's no knock on either — each is a complete unit at a fixed size. Buy the capacity that covers your needs now (the SOLIX C800 Plus gives you the larger ceiling); you can't add to either later.
What Owners Report
Patterns from published owner reports and long-term reviews — every claim cited to its source below.
Anker SOLIX C800 Plus
The C800 Plus's most divisive feature isn't a spec — it's the pop-up camping light. Some reviewers loved it enough to stop packing separate lanterns after the first weekA14; others called the pole light 'a little over the top and unnecessary'A2, and noted the design trade it forces: with the light module there's nowhere to stow the cordsA3. Against a plain utility box like the Yeti, that's the Anker's personality showing — useful to some, gimmick to others.
Underneath the light, the fundamentals draw praise. The companion app is a repeat favorite for monitoring and firmware updatesA7A15, and a fridge/freezer ran eight hours on just 10% of the packA6. The honest knock is the fan under sustained high load — 'unavoidable and quite present in a quiet house' above 80F and around 1,030WA1 — and a lingering question of whether 768Wh is enough for bigger ambitionsA5. This is press-and-enthusiast coverage, not long-term ownership.
“The pole light felt is a little over the top and unnecessary.”
Sources
dustinabbott.net
Goal Zero Yeti 500
The Yeti 500's field reputation leans on longevity and backup duty. Its LiFePO4 pack is rated for 4,000+ cycles — Goal Zero frames that as daily use for over ten yearsB1 — and it's pitched squarely as outage insurance, with the maker citing up to six hours of full-size-fridge runtime to save your food when the grid dropsB2. It's the LFP successor to the older NMC Yeti 500X, now around 16 poundsB3.
Independent long-term data is still thin, but one 2026 reviewer ran 180+ charge/discharge cycles with minimal observed degradationB4, which is at least an early vote for the cycle claim. What the ledger doesn't offer is a published noise level or much on real-world output headroom — fitting for a unit whose case is durability and brand heritage more than raw specs.
“The Yeti 500's LiFePO4 battery is rated for 4,000+ cycles, meaning daily use for over 10 years (to 80% capacity at 75F).”
Sources
goalzero.com · rei.com · propaneva.com · portablepowernerd.com
Sources & Research Notes
Every owner claim in this report is traceable to a published source. The bracketed references above resolve here.
Recurring owner themes
- Fan noise is consistently reported as noticeable during fast AC charging or high sustained wattage, though most reviewers call it 'manageable' rather than a dealbreaker. [SOLIX C800 Plus · 2 entries]
- The companion app is repeatedly praised for remote monitoring/control and firmware delivery, with no reviewers reporting connectivity or crash complaints. [SOLIX C800 Plus · 3 entries]
- 768Wh capacity is flagged by multiple reviewers as the unit's main limitation for heavy appliances and against same-price competitors, even though real-world light loads (fridge, gadgets) performed well. [SOLIX C800 Plus · 4 entries]
- The signature 'Plus' camping-light pole/torches are polarizing: some reviewers call the feature genuinely useful and a lantern-replacement, others call it an unnecessary gimmick that sacrifices the C800's cable-storage cubby. [SOLIX C800 Plus · 3 entries]
- High 4,000+ cycle LFP rating and outage-backup capability (including running a fridge for hours) are the standout points. [Yeti 500 · 2 entries]
- A1
“Once the temperature rose above 80F with a 1,030 average wattage, the fan noise was unavoidable and quite present in a quiet house.”
How-To Geek — 'Anker Solix C800 Plus Review: A Power Station Prepared to Illuminate Nighttime' · 2024-03 · [negative]
- A2
“The pole light felt is a little over the top and unnecessary.”
How-To Geek — 'Anker Solix C800 Plus Review: A Power Station Prepared to Illuminate Nighttime' · 2024-03 · [mixed]
- A3
“As it is, there's nowhere to keep the cords when not using them.”
How-To Geek — 'Anker Solix C800 Plus Review: A Power Station Prepared to Illuminate Nighttime' · 2024-03 · [negative]
- A5
“My lone concern on this front is whether or not the battery capacity is sufficient.”
DustinAbbott.net — 'Anker Solix C800 Plus Power Station Review' · 2024-03 · [mixed]
- A6
“I connected the Anker and in 8 hours, my frig/freezer used 10% of the power.”
The Gadgeteer — 'Anker SOLIX C800 Plus power station review' · 2024-04 · [positive]
- A7
“My other power stations do not have a companion phone app. But after the first trip, I saw how this feature would come in handy.”
The Gadgeteer — 'Anker SOLIX C800 Plus power station review' · 2024-04 · [positive]
- A14
“We stopped packing separate lanterns after the first week, streamlining our camping setup noticeably.”
BackupPowerHub — 'Anker SOLIX C800 Plus Review: Best Mid-Range with Camping Lights' (45-day, 8-trip field test) · 2026 (article ~1 week old at time of research) · [positive]
- A15
“Through the app, you can easily install firmware updates that may include performance enhancements, bug fixes, or new functionalities.”
Greener Ideal — 'Anker SOLIX C800 Plus Portable Power Station Review' · 2024-08 · [positive]
- B1
“The Yeti 500's LiFePO4 battery is rated for 4,000+ cycles, meaning daily use for over 10 years (to 80% capacity at 75F).”
goalzero.com / rei.com — Yeti 500 LFP · 2026 · [positive]
- B2
“Acts as a backup power supply when the grid drops — you can plug a full-size refrigerator directly in for up to six hours of runtime to prevent food waste.”
goalzero.com — Yeti 500 backup · 2026 · [positive]
- B3
“Weighs about 16 lbs, upgraded to LiFePO4 battery technology from the older NMC-based Yeti 500X.”
goalzero.com / propaneva.com — Yeti 500 review · 2026 · [mixed]
- B4
“One 2026 reviewer completed 180+ charge/discharge cycles with minimal observed degradation.”
portablepowernerd.com — Yeti 500 long-term review · 2026 · [positive]
Research compiled July 16, 2026.
Who Should Buy Which
Buy the SOLIX C800 Plus if you…
- →The buyer who needs real power — more than double the output and a third more capacity make the Anker the far more capable unit, and per watt-hour it's still the cheaper battery.
- →Anyone with a mid-draw appliance in mind, where 1,200W plays and the Yeti's 500W doesn't.
- →Campers who'd actually use the built-in light and app, turning the Anker's extras into daily conveniences.
Buy the Yeti 500 if you…
- →The ultralight backpacker or overlander who counts every pound — 16.5 lbs against 24 is a real carry difference, and the Yeti now carries the lower price too.
- →Anyone using it in the wet or the rough, where IPX4 weather resistance and a ruggedized body earn their keep.
- →The buyer backing up a desktop or NAS who wants the faster sub-10ms UPS switchover.
If neither fits
If you need a full weekend of camping or an all-day blackout covered, both fall short — the Yeti's 499Wh especially. Step up to a 1,000Wh-plus station rather than paying Goal Zero money for 499Wh or stretching the Anker past its limits.
The Bottom Line
The Anker C800 Plus wins this one on capability. It holds 269Wh more and pushes more than double the output, and per watt-hour of capacity it's the cheaper battery. What's changed is the sticker: it now costs about $149 more than the Yeti, so this is a premium for real power rather than the value rout it used to be.
The Yeti 500's argument has grown: 7.5 pounds lighter, IPX4 rugged, a faster UPS for sensitive gear, a higher cycle rating, and now the lower price. If you're carrying it up a mountain, leaving it out in the weather, or just want to spend less, those add up. If you need to actually run appliances, buy the Anker and treat the ~$149 as the cost of more than double the output.
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers drawn from the spec record and cited owner research.
Is the Anker C800 Plus worth about $150 more than the Goal Zero Yeti 500?
For most power needs, yes. The Anker now costs about $149 more ($649 against $499.95), but it holds 269Wh more and outputs more than double the watts (1,200W against 500W), and per watt-hour of capacity it's still the cheaper battery. The Yeti earns its lower price only if you specifically want its lighter, IPX4-rugged body, faster UPS, or higher cycle rating.
Is the Anker C800 Plus better value than the Yeti 500?
It depends on how you count. The Anker is now about $149 more up front and slightly pricier per lifetime kWh ($0.28 against the Yeti's $0.25, which rides on its higher cycle rating). But per watt-hour of capacity the Anker is cheaper ($.85 against $1.00), and it holds a third more energy and pushes more than double the output. For capability per dollar it wins; for the lowest sticker or lifetime-kWh figure, the Yeti does.
Does the Yeti 500's higher cycle rating make it last longer?
On paper, yes — 4,000 cycles against 3,000 — but at any realistic use that's decades away, well past when you'd replace either unit. Both carry the same five-year warranty and both will long outlive it. The cycle gap is real but unreachable, so it shouldn't drive the decision.
How much lighter is the Yeti 500?
It's 16.5 pounds against the Anker's 24 — a 7.5-pound difference, plus IPX4 weather resistance the Anker lacks. For a backpacker, overlander, or anyone using it in the rain, that's the Yeti's strongest and arguably only decisive advantage.
Which one can run more appliances?
The Anker, by a wide margin — its 1,200W inverter more than doubles the Yeti's 500W, opening up mid-draw devices the Yeti can't touch. Both handle phones, laptops, lights, and a small fridge; only the Anker gets near heavier loads, and even it taps out before kettles and some coffee makers.
Where to buy
Anker SOLIX C800 PlusPick
$649.00
$649.00 list · direct from Anker
Goal Zero Yeti 500
$499.95
$499.95 list · direct from Goal Zero
Prices may vary by retailer and are subject to change.