Head-to-head test
EcoFlow RIVER 3 230 vs Anker SOLIX C300 DC
Both list 300W of output, but only the RIVER 3 230 has an AC outlet to send it through, so settle whether you'll ever plug in something with a wall plug and you've settled this page.
Full profiles: EcoFlow RIVER 3 230 → · Anker SOLIX C300 DC →
Written by Wenny ZhengUpdated
Portable Power Tester, Station Arena Test Desk
$189.00 · direct from EcoFlow
Last checked 56 days ago. Prices move — check before you buy.
$199.99 · direct from Anker
Last checked 1 day ago. Prices move — check before you buy.
Spec deltas
The SOLIX C300 DC has no AC outlet. Its surge rating reads 0W because there's no inverter in the boxB1, while the RIVER 3 230 lists 300W continuous with 600W of surge behind it. Price won't rescue the loser here: $189 against $200 is the same money, and the PowerScores land 12 points apart at 1609 and 1621. What decides this is whether you own anything with a wall plug.
The Anker's case is that it's the lighter unit and the bigger one simultaneously, 288Wh at 6.17 lb against 230Wh at 7.8 lb. Its USB-C port delivers 140W where the RIVER 3 stops at 100W. If everything you power ends in USB-C, the Anker is the better object and it isn't close.
The RIVER 3 takes it anyway, because an outlet is a capability and watt-hours are a quantity. It also runs a 5-year warranty against 3 and puts a 30 dB noise figure on paper where Anker publishes none. Now the honest part, before you get excited about either: not one of the six load profiles here comes back with a winner, including the one you'd assume a 288Wh battery would walk.
What the Numbers Reveal
Each conclusion stated first — the numbers behind it on one line, the full analysis below.
The C300 DC spends the mass and volume an inverter would occupy on cells instead, and you can see the receipt: 288Wh at 6.17 lb versus 230Wh at 7.8 lb, 58Wh more energy in 1.63 lb less unit. That's a coherent design, not a compromise. It just means the question was never which is better. The question is whether you own a charger that ends in a wall plug.
SOLIX C300 DC surge rating: 0WRIVER 3 230: 300W continuous, 600W surgeBoth units carry a 300W output rating
Why it mattersIf even one item on your list plugs into a wall socket, a CPAP's brick, a laptop charger you never replaced, a box fan, then the Anker isn't a lighter RIVER 3. It's a different appliance.
Capacity
And it's faster at the only job it does. 140W against 100W is a full-rate laptop charge instead of a throttled one, and the same two-way USB-C port refills the C300 DC itself to 80% in about an hourB2. Weight, capacity and charge rate all pointing the same way is rare, and when it happens the buyer who feels it is the one holding the bag.
288Wh at 6.17 lb works out to 46.7Wh per pound230Wh at 7.8 lb works out to 29.5Wh per poundUSB-C output: 140W on the C300 DC, 100W on the RIVER 3 230
Why it mattersPhotographers, bikepackers, anyone whose kit gets weighed before a trip: take the Anker and stop reading.
Neither expands, so there is no second act. You can't bolt on capacity in year two when the outage that scared you comes back around, and an eight-hour blackout at 1,645Wh is roughly seven times what the Anker can deliver and eight times the EcoFlow. These are top-up batteries with good warranties. They are not backup power, and no amount of reading this page will make them backup power.
CPAP Overnight is modeled at 320Wh, which is 164% of the RIVER 3 230's deliverable energy and 131% of the C300 DC's8-Hour Blackout is modeled at 1,645WhBoth units are non-expandable
Why it mattersIf you landed here after a power cut, close both tabs and shop the 1,000Wh-and-up class with a real inverter.
Typical price
Both are true, so they cancel, which is what an $11 gap on a $189 purchase amounts to in practice: nothing. Across the 3,000 cycles both are rated for, the lifetime energy costs $0.27 per kWh on one and $0.23 on the other. Four cents. You will not notice four cents on a battery you charge a few hundred times.
$189 against $200, an $11 gap$0.82 per Wh against $0.69 per WhCost per warranty year: $38 against $67
Why it mattersDon't let a value table pick this one. Pick on the outlet, or pick on the pound and a half.
The specific dimensions that decide these two units — everything else is a tie.
What the Specs Don't Tell You
Selected because: The UPS card is the whole matchup in miniature: a 20ms switchover on one side, no AC output at all on the other.
A 20ms switchover sounds like a laboratory number until you picture what it's for. The utility hiccups, the modem and router blink out, your call drops, and you spend the next few minutes rejoining. The RIVER 3 230 sits in that gap. The C300 DC has no seat in it, because with no AC output there's nothing it could keep aliveB1.
The honest limit on that capability: 230Wh behind a wall outlet is a bridge, not a generator. Put it in front of small always-on gear and it earns its keep through a flicker or a short cut. Put it in front of a desktop and you've bought yourself a countdown.
Portability & Form Factor
Selected because: 6.17 lb against 7.8 lb, and the lighter unit is the one carrying 288Wh.
weight
1.63 lb is not a bend-your-knees difference. Both of these go in one hand, and if the unit lives in a car, the weight column is noise. What isn't noise is which direction the pounds point: the Anker is the lighter object and the larger battery at the same time, which is the rare case where portability and capacity stop fighting each other.
Where that lands is the bag. On a two-day hike or in a camera kit, 58% more energy per pound is the difference between bringing the battery and leaving it in the trunk. In the trunk itself, it's a number you'll never feel.
Your Life, Your Pick
Selected because: All six load profiles come back neither, and knowing why is worth more than knowing who won.
Six profiles, six verdicts of neither. That isn't the engine being fussy. The smallest of them, one CPAP overnight, asks for 320Wh, which is 131% of what the larger of these two batteries can actually deliver. Nothing here runs a night.
What they do run is a day of topping up. A laptop, a phone, a camera battery, a fan for a few hours: that's what 230Wh and 288Wh are genuinely for, and both are good at it. Read the scenario table as a list of jobs to buy something else for, and it becomes the most useful section on the page.
Lifetime Value
Selected because: 690kWh of lifetime energy against 864kWh, and $38 per warranty year against $67, which is the entire money argument.
cost / lifetime kWh
3,000 cycles on both sides works out to 690kWh of energy over the RIVER 3 230's life and 864kWh over the C300 DC's, and at this scale the energy math is too cheap to argue about. The figure that actually separates them is coverage: $38 per warranty year against $67, because EcoFlow stands behind this for five years and Anker for three.
So the trade fits in one line. The Anker gives you more energy per dollar; the EcoFlow gives you more years per dollar. Neither margin is wide enough to move a buyer who has already worked out what they're plugging in, which is the point at which you should stop looking at this section.
Strengths & trade-offs
EcoFlow RIVER 3 230
Strengths
- +Costs $11 less
- +Longer warranty
- +Faster solar charging
Trade-offs
- –No major technical downsides compared to rival.
Anker SOLIX C300 DC
Strengths
- +Lighter by 1.6 lb
- +Larger battery capacity
Trade-offs
- –No major technical downsides compared to rival.
Will It Power Your Gear?
Scenario math and per-appliance runtimes, modeled from the spec record.
Scenario verdicts
We ran the math on seven 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, and not narrowly: a camping weekend is modeled at 2,100Wh, roughly eleven times what the RIVER 3 230 can hand over. Treat either one as the device-charging kit and bring a second source for anything that heats, cools or spins.
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. Eight hours of essential loads comes to 1,645Wh, and the Anker's larger pack is still about seven times short of it. What either unit genuinely does in an outage is keep phones, a laptop and a light going, which is worth having and is not the same thing as backup.
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
Neither unit
Neither, and this is the near miss worth understanding. One night on a CPAP is 320Wh, which is 131% of what the C300 DC can deliver and 164% of the RIVER 3 230. The bigger battery loses by less. If the machine matters, neither margin is close enough to sleep on.
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 on paper, since a full remote workday is modeled at 910Wh and that's several times either unit's deliverable energy. In practice this is the profile where they're useful anyway: half a workday of laptop and phone sits comfortably inside both, and the RIVER 3 230 is the one that can also feed a monitor's wall brick.
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, and here the failure isn't capacity at all. This is the one profile where neither unit can even meet the peak draw, let alone the 670Wh behind it. Both top out at 300W, and the Anker has no AC outlet to spend it through. A tailgate with a blender or a griddle on the table is shopping in the wrong aisle.
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, by a margin that's almost funny. Full-time van loads run 4,685Wh a day, about twenty-four times what the RIVER 3 230 can deliver. A van build is a battery-bank-and-alternator problem. These are the thing you leave on the passenger seat to charge a laptop.
Battery budget usedlower = more headroom
LOAD Mini-Fridge 150W×24h · Laptop 60W×4h · Phone Charger 15W×3h · LED Lights 40W×5h · Fan 75W×8h
SCN-07 · an afternoon · needs 100Wh
Afternoon Off-Grid
Phones and a speaker at the park, beach, or campsite — the small-unit job description
Either unit
This is the job small stations are actually for, and both do it: the RIVER 3 230 finishes at 51% used, the SOLIX C300 DC at 41%. At this size the decider is what rides in the bag — 6.2 lbs for the SOLIX C300 DC against 7.8 for the RIVER 3 230 — and price, not the leftover watt-hours.
Battery budget usedlower = more headroom
LOAD Phone Charger (×2) 30W×2h · Bluetooth Speaker 10W×4h
The Load Test
RUNTIME = (Wh × 0.85) ÷ LOAD
None of the 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
Only the RIVER 3 230 can run this load — the SOLIX C300 DC has no AC outlets for the wall-plug gear in it.
$189 list · direct from EcoFlow
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 0–16.3hComfort & Convenience
Makes off-grid life actually enjoyablescale 0–2.6hHigh-Draw Appliances
These reveal the real limits¹ 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
August 9, 2026
Verdict: the EcoFlow RIVER 3 230
Take the RIVER 3 230 unless every single thing you charge ends in a USB-C plug. At $189 against $200 these cost the same in any way that matters, and for the cheaper of the two you get an AC outlet the C300 DC simply doesn't have: 300W continuous, 600W of surge headroom, and a 20ms switchover that lets it sit between the wall and a router. The Anker's counter is real and narrow. It's the lighter unit and the bigger one at once, 288Wh in 6.17 lb against 230Wh in 7.8 lb, and its USB-C port pushes 140W where the EcoFlow's tops out at 100W. Carry your power on your back and that's the one to buy. Everyone else is choosing between a battery that can run a wall-plug device and a battery that cannot, for eleven dollars in the wrong direction. Confidence stops at 7 because the Anker's energy-per-pound lead is genuine, and because neither of these clears a single load profile on this page.
Editor-assigned confidence, based on cited owner research and spec analysis.
List prices as of August 9, 2026. The links below open EcoFlow's and Anker's current prices.
$189.00 · direct from EcoFlow
Last checked 56 days ago. Prices move — check before you buy.
or check the SOLIX C300 DC price$199.99 list
Written by Wenny Zheng, Portable Power Tester · Station Arena Test Desk · Updated August 9, 2026
Measured Data
Benchmark scores and the full spec record, side by side.
Benchmark scores
Not rated for both units (minimum threshold unmet): UPS, CPAP, Tailgating.
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, RIVER 3 230 rates 4.3/5 (57th percentile of 22 Personal-class units), and SOLIX C300 DC rates 4.4/5 (62nd 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 C300 DC: No AC Outlets At All
The SOLIX C300 DC's 300W is a DC port total — USB and 12V — not an inverter rating. Anything with a wall plug (a fridge, a TV, a coffee maker, most fans and lamps) never plugs in, at any wattage. That's the design, not a defect: it buys weight, silence, and efficiency for phone, laptop, camera, and 12V-CPAP loads. The RIVER 3 230 carries a real inverter behind 2 AC outlets, so it plays in both worlds. Decide which side of that line your gear lives on before weighing anything else on this page.
One of These Can Be a UPS. The Other Can't Be One at All.
20ms is short enough that a router, a modem or a NAS won't register the utility dropping out, and the RIVER 3 230 is the only unit here that can sit in that gap, because the C300 DC has no AC output to protect. The honest limit is capacity, not speed: 230Wh is a bridge across a flicker or a short cut, not a generator. In front of small always-on gear it earns its keep. In front of a desktop, you've bought a countdown.
Five Years Against Three, on Identical Cycle Ratings
Both units are rated for 3,000 cycles, so the warranty gap says nothing about how long the batteries last. It says how long the company stays on the hook. Spread over the coverage that's $38 per warranty year for the RIVER 3 230 against $67 for the C300 DC. On a purchase this size two extra years is a tiebreaker rather than a reason. It just happens to break the tie in the same direction as everything else.
Anker Publishes No Noise Figure for the C300 DC
EcoFlow puts 30 dB on the RIVER 3 230's spec sheet. Anker puts nothing on the C300 DC's. With no AC inverter in the box there's less to cool, so a quiet unit is entirely plausible, and it may well be the quieter of the two. But plausible isn't published, and if this is going on the nightstand next to your head, one manufacturer has told you what you're getting and the other hasn't.
Full record above — the Test Desk pick is the RIVER 3 230.
Check RIVER 3 230 price →or check the SOLIX C300 DC 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
The RIVER 3 230 is cheaper to buy, but the SOLIX C300 DC is cheaper to own. At $0.23/kWh over its lifetime vs $0.27/kWh, the SOLIX C300 DC's higher cycle life and capacity make each dollar go further over the years. One thing to know reading the table: both carry the same 3,000-cycle rating, so the lifetime rows are sticker price and capacity in disguise — the wear horizon is identical and decides nothing here.
Brand trust
EcoFlow
Ecosystem
Largest in portable power — 12-15 models across DELTA Pro, DELTA 3, and RIVER 3 series, plus solar panels and smart home panels
Support
US-based phone/email/chat support (1-800-368-8604). Experiences are polarized — many report hassle-free prepaid-label replacements, but others report long waits and refurbished units sent for new claims. Pro tip: buying from Costco or Amazon gives you a stronger return safety net.
Community
Largest community in the space — Reddit r/Ecoflow_community (~31K members), multiple Facebook groups, and an official community forum
App experience
Rated 4.6/5 iOS (~8,400 ratings) · 4.2/5 Android (~17,000 ratings)
Unique strength
The deepest catalogue in portable power and the fastest charging tech in it. At 230Wh most of that range is irrelevant to you today, but it does mean the accessory you want in two years probably exists.
Worth knowing
Support outcomes are inconsistent. Some claims close with a prepaid label and a quick replacement; others turn into long waits, or a refurbished unit against a claim on a new one. Buying through a retailer with its own returns desk is cheap insurance. EcoFlow also offers no parts or service once the warranty ends, which makes the five-year term the whole of the support story.
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
Anker's consumer-electronics pedigree shows up exactly where this unit lives: USB-C, power delivery, port density. The C300 DC is essentially a very large Anker charger, and that's meant as a compliment.
Worth knowing
Support was Anker's best feature for years and is trending the other way, with more scripted first-line responses and more friction on returns. Firmware updates have also removed features without notice, which is worth a thought on a unit whose ports are the entire value proposition.
Analyst note
At this price neither brand relationship should decide anything. The one place it touches the decision is the term: EcoFlow covers this for five years and Anker for three, and EcoFlow offers nothing at all once that runs out. Whichever you pick, the end of the warranty is the end of the relationship.
Growth path
RIVER 3 230
FIXED CAPACITYFixed at 230Wh, with no expansion — so size it for your needs up front rather than planning to add capacity later.
Accepts up to 110W of solar. Limited to a single portable panel.
Limited ports. You'll likely need a power strip or splitter.
SOLIX C300 DC
FIXED CAPACITYFixed at 288Wh, with no expansion — so size it for your needs up front rather than planning to add capacity later.
Accepts up to 100W 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 C300 DC 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.
EcoFlow RIVER 3 230
Field coverage runs to the RIVER 3 line broadly rather than this specific 230Wh variant, so treat what follows as directional. It's consistent, at least: the RIVER 3 runs under 30 dB, which EcoFlow calls whisper quiet, and it's the upgrade people notice first coming off a RIVER 2A1A2. The same generational jump brought IP54 sealing, a faster UPS switchover, and a more compact bodyA2.
At line level the recommendation is unambiguous. For camping, van life, or home UPS backup, where durability and noise are the things you live with, the RIVER 3 is the pickA3. None of that is a claim about the 230Wh model specifically. It's the family's character, and this is the smallest member of the family.
“The RIVER 3 operates under 30 dB — EcoFlow calls it 'whisper quiet,' quieter than a library — one of the most significant upgrades over the louder RIVER 2.”
Sources
backuppowerhub.com · ecoflow.com · rv.com
Anker SOLIX C300 DC
The C300 DC gets described the same way everywhere: the light one. 288Wh with the AC inverter left out, at about 6.2 lbB1. The port loadout backs up the DC-only premise, with 2 USB-A, 4 USB-C and a 12V car socket, and two-way USB-C on PD 3.1 taking the unit itself back to 80% in about an hourB2.
Owners report the practical version of all that: several phone and laptop charges, a fan running for hours, a small light rigB3. The framing that keeps recurring is that it's built for travelers charging devices rather than for running appliancesB4, which is the same conclusion the 0W surge rating reaches from the other direction.
“A 288Wh unit that ditches the heavy AC inverter to focus on DC power, keeping it very light at about 6.2 lbs.”
Sources
the-gadgeteer.com · forbes.com · androidpolice.com · batteryessence.com · bestbuy.com · campingsolar.us
Sources & Research Notes
Every owner claim in this report is traceable to a published source. The bracketed references above resolve here.
Recurring owner themes
- The RIVER 3 line's upgrades — sub-30 dB noise, IP54 waterproofing, faster UPS, more compact build — make it the recommended pick over the RIVER 2 for most uses. [RIVER 3 230 · 3 entries]
- Light DC-only design (no AC inverter), fast USB-C charging, and good port selection for device charging are the highlights. [SOLIX C300 DC · 3 entries]
- A1
“The RIVER 3 operates under 30 dB — EcoFlow calls it 'whisper quiet,' quieter than a library — one of the most significant upgrades over the louder RIVER 2.”
backuppowerhub.com / ecoflow.com — RIVER 3 review · 2026 · [positive]
- A2
“Over the RIVER 2, the RIVER 3 adds IP54 waterproofing, a faster UPS switchover, a 2x runtime mode, quieter operation, and a more compact form factor.”
backuppowerhub.com — RIVER 2 vs RIVER 3 · 2026 · [positive]
- A3
“Recommended as the better buy for most in 2026 — for camping, van life, or home UPS backup, where durability and noise matter, the data consistently favors the RIVER 3.”
backuppowerhub.com / rv.com — RIVER 3 review · 2026 · [positive]
- B1
“A 288Wh unit that ditches the heavy AC inverter to focus on DC power, keeping it very light at about 6.2 lbs.”
the-gadgeteer.com / forbes.com — SOLIX C300 DC review · 2026 · [positive]
- B2
“Offers 2 USB-A and 4 USB-C ports plus a 12V car socket; two-way USB-C with PD 3.1 recharges the unit to 80% in about 1 hour.”
androidpolice.com / batteryessence.com — SOLIX C300 DC review · 2026 · [positive]
- B3
“Owners praise its portability and capacity — enough to charge a phone and laptop several times, run a fan for hours, or power a small light setup.”
bestbuy.com owner reviews — SOLIX C300 DC / C300X · 2026 · [positive]
- B4
“A DC-focused design with app integration and solar support — best for modern travelers charging devices, not running AC appliances.”
androidpolice.com / campingsolar.us — SOLIX C300 DC review · 2026 · [mixed]
Research compiled August 9, 2026.
Who Should Buy Which
Buy the RIVER 3 230 if you…
- →You own one thing with a wall plug you want to run away from the wall: a CPAP's power brick, a laptop charger you never replaced with USB-C, a small fan. 300W continuous with 600W of surge is the only side of this matchup that can do it at all.
- →The desk that can't drop. A modem, a router, and a 20ms switchover means a utility flicker doesn't end your call. Size it for the flicker, not for the outage.
- →Car camping and truck-bed use, where 1.63 lb is invisible and 5 years of warranty on a $189 box is not.
- →You want a published noise figure before you sleep beside it. 30 dB, on the spec sheet, from the manufacturer.
Buy the SOLIX C300 DC if you…
- →Everything you charge ends in USB-C. 140W out means a laptop charges at full rate, and the same port takes the unit back to 80% in about an hourB2.
- →You carry it rather than drive it. 288Wh in 6.17 lb is the entire argument for a camera kit, a bikepacking bag, or any trip where a pound and a half is a real decision.
- →You already have AC power where you're going, a campsite pedestal or a van with its own inverter, and what you actually need is a device battery rather than a second inverter.
If neither fits
Anyone shopping this tier after a blackout. The eight-hour outage profile wants 1,645Wh and even the overnight CPAP wants 320Wh, and neither unit clears either one. Neither expands, either, so the upgrade path starts with a second purchase. Buy once in the 1,000Wh-and-up class with a real AC inverter and skip this whole shelf, cheerfully. These are excellent third batteries and poor first ones.
The Bottom Line
Take the RIVER 3 230. It's the cheaper of the two, it's covered for five years instead of three, and it has an AC outlet with 600W of surge behind it, which is a capability the C300 DC doesn't offer at any price. The Anker's answer is specific and it's honest: lighter, larger, faster over USB-C. If your load list is all USB-C and you carry the thing on your back, buy it and don't look back.
For everyone else the outlet settles it. Just walk in knowing what neither of these is. Six load profiles on this page, six verdicts of neither, because both units are day batteries and every profile is a night. Buy one of these to keep your devices alive through a long day. Buy something that clears 1,645Wh to keep your house alive through a long evening.
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers drawn from the spec record and cited owner research.
Does the Anker SOLIX C300 DC have an AC outlet?
No. It's a DC-only unit, which is why its surge rating is 0W: there's no inverter in it. You get USB-C, USB-A and a 12V car socket, and anything with a wall plug is out of scope. The RIVER 3 230 is the one here with an AC outlet, rated 300W continuous and 600W surge.
Can either of these run a CPAP overnight?
No. A CPAP night is modeled at 320Wh, which is 164% of what the RIVER 3 230 can deliver and 131% of what the C300 DC can. The larger battery misses by less, but it still misses, and a machine you sleep on is not the place to cut it fine. Shop capacity comfortably above 320Wh.
Which one charges a laptop faster?
The C300 DC, if your laptop takes power over USB-C: 140W against the RIVER 3 230's 100W. If your laptop only ever came with a barrel-plug brick, the question inverts completely. The Anker can't run it at all and the EcoFlow can.
Is the RIVER 3 230 the better buy just because it's cheaper?
No, and the $11 isn't the reason to pick it. At $189 against $200 these are the same price, and the value metrics cancel out: the Anker is cheaper per watt-hour at $0.69 against $0.82, while the EcoFlow is cheaper per year of coverage at $38 against $67. Buy the RIVER 3 for the AC outlet and the UPS, or the Anker for the pound and a half. Not for the eleven dollars.
Which one is quieter?
EcoFlow publishes 30 dB for the RIVER 3 and calls it whisper quiet. Anker publishes no dBA figure for the C300 DC at all. With no inverter to cool, a quiet unit is plausible, but plausible isn't published, and if this is going on a nightstand only one of the two manufacturers has told you what to expect.
Where to buy
EcoFlow RIVER 3 230Pick
$189.00
$189.00 · direct from EcoFlow
Last checked 56 days ago. Prices move — check before you buy.
Anker SOLIX C300 DC
$199.99
$199.99 · direct from Anker
Last checked 1 day ago. Prices move — check before you buy.
Prices may vary by retailer and are subject to change.