Head-to-head test
EcoFlow RIVER 3 vs BLUETTI AC180P
Only one of these is still for sale, and it weighs 35.3 lbs, so the decision stopped being EcoFlow against BLUETTI and became whether your job needs a 1,440Wh station or a box you can carry in one hand.
Full profiles: EcoFlow RIVER 3 → · BLUETTI AC180P →
Written by Ian SchneiderUpdated
Solar & Off-Grid Tester, Station Arena Test Desk
Spec deltas
EcoFlow has dropped the base RIVER 3 from its store, so half of this comparison is no longer purchasable. That is the headline rather than a footnote. Whatever the RIVER 3 was worth, you cannot put one in a cart, and this page now has exactly one live candidate in it.
The odd part is that these two were never really competing. The AC180P holds 1,440Wh against the RIVER 3's 245Wh and runs 1,800W against 300W, which is close to six times the battery and six times the output, at 35.3 lbs against 7.8. One is a one-hand box for phones and a speaker. The other is something you set down and leave.
So the AC180P wins, and that win is worth almost nothing to a reader who came here wanting the small one. If that is you, the answer is not a heavier station, it is the RIVER 3 PLUS, which is the smallest RIVER 3 EcoFlow still sells. The rest of this page is for the person whose loads outgrew 245Wh and who already suspected it.
What the Numbers Reveal
Each conclusion stated first — the numbers behind it on one line, the full analysis below.
The AC180P finishes that same night with 904Wh still in the pack, which at 320Wh a night is most of three more nights before it needs a plug. So the retirement costs the reader no CPAP option, because the RIVER 3 never was one. What it actually removes is the lightest way to run a phone-and-speaker afternoon, and that job has its own live answer in the RIVER 3 PLUS.
EcoFlow has dropped the base RIVER 3 from its store; the RIVER 3 PLUS is the smallest RIVER 3 it still sellsRIVER 3: 245Wh rated, 208Wh usable after the flat 85% derate this site applies to every unitThe CPAP Overnight profile needs 320Wh
Why it mattersIf you came here for overnight medical backup, stop weighing these two against each other: only the AC180P gets you to morning.
continuous output
BLUETTI publishes the AC180P's 2,700W as a Power Lifting figureB1, which runs a resistive appliance above the inverter's rating by under-supplying it. The kettle boils slower. It says nothing about the moment a compressor kicks over, so the number that honestly predicts starting ability is the continuous line, and there it is 1,800W against 300W. Six times.
RIVER 3: 300W continuous, 600W surgeAC180P: 1,800W continuous, 2,700W surgeThe Tailgate Party profile peaks at 400W
Why it mattersAnyone with a 400W-plus appliance on the list should ignore both surge figures and read the continuous rating instead.
solar input
That is what turns the blackout row from a loss into a survivable day. The AC180P covers three-quarters of a 1,645Wh outage and a single strong afternoon puts back more than the 421Wh it came up short, so the deficit closes before the next night. The RIVER 3 cannot reach that day at any charging speed, because 110W into a 245Wh pack only refills a pack that was 1,437Wh too small to begin with.
RIVER 3: 245Wh capacity, 110W solar inputAC180P: 1,440Wh capacity, 500W solar inputThe 8-Hour Blackout profile needs 1,645Wh; the AC180P covers 1,224Wh of it and falls 421Wh short
Why it mattersBuying for outages means sizing the solar input alongside the battery, since the outage decides when it ends and you do not.
The specific dimensions that decide these two units — everything else is a tie.
Your Life, Your Pick
Selected because: Seven jobs are modelled here, and the RIVER 3 finishes exactly one of them: the 100Wh afternoon.
Six of the seven rows end with the RIVER 3 short, and three of those end with both units short: a 2,100Wh camping weekend, a 1,645Wh eight-hour blackout and a 4,685Wh van-life day all sit past the AC180P's 1,224Wh usable as well. Those rows are not a contest between these two. They are a signal to shop a size up.
The row that matters most is the 100Wh afternoon, because it is the only one built for the small unit's class of work, and it is the row where the retirement bites. Both units pass it. One of them passes it at 7.8 lbs, and that is the one you can no longer buy.
Runtime: Will It Power Your Gear?
Selected because: 245Wh against 1,440Wh is the whole argument, and this is where you see what each one actually runs.
continuous output
Usable energy is where the nameplate stops flattering. Apply the flat 85% derate this site uses on every unit and the RIVER 3 has 208Wh to spend against the AC180P's 1,224Wh. A CPAP night is 320Wh. A remote workday is 910Wh. The small box misses both, and on the second it is not close: 702Wh short, which is more than three times the energy it holds.
Where the RIVER 3 does hold up is the job it was drawn for. Phones and a speaker across an afternoon come to 100Wh, and it ends that day at 48% used with 108Wh still in reserve. That is a correctly sized unit. Its problem on this page is availability, not capability.
Portability & Form Factor
Selected because: 7.8 lbs against 35.3 lbs is why anyone was looking at the small one, and why the AC180P is not its replacement.
weight
Weight is the one spec the RIVER 3 wins outright, and the win is unbuyable. 7.8 lbs is one hand and a shoulder bag. 35.3 lbs is both hands, bent knees, and a spot on the floor you stop moving it from. That is not an upgrade path, it is a different category, and selling the AC180P as the RIVER 3's replacement misrepresents both.
It is worth being blunt about who that hurts. If the appeal was dropping a station into a daypack, the AC180P answers a question you did not ask. EcoFlow's live small RIVER is the RIVER 3 PLUS, and that is the comparison worth your next ten minutes.
What the Specs Don't Tell You
Selected because: Two surge figures that measure different things, and two noise ratings published on opposite conventions.
rated cycles
The two surge cards disagree on purpose. The RIVER 3 keeps twice its continuous rating in reserve, 600W over 300W, while the AC180P keeps half again, 2,700W over 1,800W, so on ratio alone the small unit looks like the disciplined one. Ratio is not what a compressor cares about. A motor pulls a fixed number of watts at switch-on, and the box rated 1,800W continuous absorbs spikes the 300W box can only start and then drop.
The warranty card reads as a tie and mostly is, since both records carry five years. BLUETTI's five is the conditional version, earned by buying direct or registering the unit, because reseller purchases carry a shorter term. On a model that has just left its maker's range, though, the more useful question is what happens in year six, and that one is not about terms at all.
Brand Trust
Selected because: One of these units has just left its maker's range, which turns out-of-warranty service into a live question.
EcoFlow offers no parts or service out of warranty, which is a footnote on a current model and something else on one that has just left the range. If you own a RIVER 3, that is worth knowing before you need it. It changes nothing about the specs and quite a lot about what the fifth year is worth.
BLUETTI's own risk sits at the front desk: the most inconsistent support in the category, heavily email-based and slowed by timezone. The mitigation is the same action that secures the longer warranty term, which is buying direct rather than through a marketplace. Two problems, one fix, which is unusually tidy.
Strengths & trade-offs
EcoFlow RIVER 3
Strengths
- +Lighter by 27.5 lb
Trade-offs
- –Weaker inverter (-1,500W) limits appliance compatibility.
BLUETTI AC180P
Strengths
- +Larger battery capacity
- +Higher AC output
- +Faster solar charging
Trade-offs
- –Significantly heavier (+27.5 lbs), making it harder to move.
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 unit covers this scenario's 2,100Wh: the RIVER 3 comes up 1,892Wh short (about 10% covered), the AC180P 876Wh (58%). This is well outside what either unit is for; the right answer here is a larger station, not a choice between these two.
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 covers this scenario's 1,645Wh: the RIVER 3 comes up 1,437Wh short (about 13% covered), the AC180P 421Wh (75%). This is well outside what either unit is for; the right answer here is a larger station, not a choice between these two.
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
AC180P
320Wh is one night, and the RIVER 3 gets about two-thirds of the way there: 208Wh usable leaves it 112Wh short, which arrives as a machine that stops some time before sunrise. The AC180P finishes with 904Wh still in the pack, most of three more nights at the same draw. For the person sleeping an arm's length from the unit, what is left to check is fan behaviour, not capacity.
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
AC180P
The RIVER 3 doesn't finish — 208Wh usable against the 910Wh this needs leaves it 702Wh short, about 23% of the scenario covered. The AC180P covers it with 314Wh to spare.
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
AC180P
The RIVER 3 can start the 400W peak and then cannot keep it: 600W of surge gets it spinning, the 300W continuous rating takes over, and the load drops. That is the whole difference between a surge figure and a rating you can live on. The AC180P runs the same party on its 1,800W inverter and finishes with 554Wh unused.
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 covers this scenario's 4,685Wh: the RIVER 3 comes up 4,477Wh short (about 4% covered), the AC180P 3,461Wh (26%). This is well outside what either unit is for; the right answer here is a larger station, not a choice between these two.
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
Both units clear a 100Wh afternoon of phones and a speaker, so this row is not about capacity: the RIVER 3 ends at 48% used with 108Wh spare, and the AC180P barely registers the load. It is the one job on this page sized for a box you carry in one hand, which is also the job EcoFlow no longer sells a RIVER 3 for. If this row is your whole use case, the live version of that answer is the RIVER 3 PLUS rather than 35.3 lbs of AC180P.
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
For this load: AC180P runs 6h vs 1h.
$649 list · direct from BLUETTI
Planning for more than this? Describe your whole setup and get it sized →
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 0–81.6hComfort & Convenience
Makes off-grid life actually enjoyablescale 0–16.3hHigh-Draw Appliances
These reveal the real limitsscale 0–1.2h¹ 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
September 19, 2026
Verdict: the AC180P, on Power Score margin
The AC180P wins because it is the only one of the two you can still buy. EcoFlow has dropped the base RIVER 3 from its store, and a unit with no purchase page cannot be a recommendation at any confidence. It would have taken the page anyway on everything tested here: 1,440Wh against 245Wh, 1,800W continuous against 300W, and it is the only one of the two that reaches morning on a 320Wh CPAP night, where the RIVER 3 runs out 112Wh short. What it is not is a replacement for the RIVER 3. At 35.3 lbs against 7.8 it is a two-hands lift and a different purchase entirely, so if the small box was the point, EcoFlow's live version of that answer is the RIVER 3 PLUS. The AC180P at $649 is for the person whose loads outgrew 245Wh.
Editor-assigned confidence, based on cited owner research and spec analysis.
List prices as of September 19, 2026. The links below open BLUETTI's current price.
$649.00 · direct from BLUETTI
Last checked 16 days ago. Prices move — check before you buy.
Written by Ian Schneider, Solar & Off-Grid Tester · Station Arena Test Desk · Updated September 19, 2026
Black Friday · 38 days out
Price to beat:AC180P $599
The lowest we have recorded. A Black Friday price above it is a sale this unit has already had.
Measured Data
Benchmark scores and the full spec record, side by side.
Benchmark scores
Not rated for both units (minimum threshold unmet): RV Living, Home Backup, Solar Generator, Food Truck.
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 rates 4.1/5 (48th percentile of 24 Personal-class units), and AC180P rates 4.2/5 (54th percentile of 27 Everyday-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.
Noise: Two Numbers, Two Conventions
30dB against 45dB looks like a rout and is not a measurement. EcoFlow publishes the RIVER series figure as a maximum, hit when the unit is charging or discharging hard, so a light load sits well below it. BLUETTI's is the opposite convention, a best case the unit gets louder than under real load. Subtracting one kind of number from the other produces nothing, so let it inform you and do not let it decide. Load does more work here anyway: a CPAP night draws about a quarter of the AC180P's usable capacity, and an inverter loafing at that level has less to cool.
AC180P: Power Lifting to 2,700W
The AC180P has BLUETTI's Power Lifting mode, which runs a resistive appliance rated up to 2,700W from its 1,800W inverter. It does that by delivering less power than the appliance asks for, not more than the inverter has: the heater still works, it just heats more slowly. Two things follow. BLUETTI scopes the mode to purely resistive loads — a heater, a kettle, an incandescent lamp — so it does nothing for a fridge compressor, a pump or a power tool; for motor loads the figure to read is the AC180P's separate 2,700W surge peak, not this one. And it is not a reason to size down, because running a load that big from 1,440Wh is a short session either way. Genuinely useful if a heater or a kettle is why you're buying; beside the point otherwise. The RIVER 3 publishes no equivalent.
Surge: Read the Continuous Line Instead
The RIVER 3 holds the better ratio and loses the point. Twice its rating, 600W over 300W, is real headroom, but a compressor pulls a fixed number of watts at switch-on rather than a multiple of someone else's rating, so the ratio predicts nothing about what will actually start. BLUETTI publishes the AC180P's 2,700W as a Power Lifting figure, which runs a resistive appliance above the inverter's rating by under-supplying it, so the kettle still boils and it boils slower. That says nothing about a motor kicking over. The honest starting comparison is the continuous line: 1,800W against 300W.
Warranty: Same Term, Different Odds
Both records carry five years, so the term settles nothing here. BLUETTI's five is a conditional maximum rather than a guarantee, since it depends on buying direct or registering the unit and reseller purchases carry a shorter term. The RIVER 3's five stands as recorded. What no warranty covers is the part that matters on a unit that has left its maker's range: EcoFlow offers no parts or service out of warranty, so on the RIVER 3 the fifth year is also the last year anyone is obliged to help.
Full record above — the Test Desk pick is the AC180P.
Check AC180P price →Ownership 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 is no longer sold, so there is no price to work its cost per kWh from, and this comparison doesn't quote one. On what you can actually buy today, the AC180P works out at $0.13/kWh over its rated life. If you already own the RIVER 3, the hardware comparison still holds: over its rated life the RIVER 3 delivers about 735 kWh and the AC180P about 5,040 kWh.
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
Fastest-charging technology (X-Stream), deepest product ecosystem, and most active innovation cadence. At the top of the range sit two whole-home paths: the TITAN line, one 5 kWh unit that grows to 30 kWh, and the DELTA Pro Ultra platform, which stacks batteries and inverters further — flagship paths, not line-wide features.
Worth knowing
EcoFlow ships the deepest range in portable power and iterates fastest, which is a strength right up until the model being iterated past is yours. The small print matters more than usual here: no parts and no service out of warranty, on a unit that has just left the range.
BLUETTI
Ecosystem
One of the broadest lineups — 15-20+ models from budget (AC2A) to flagship portable (Apex 300, 2764.8Wh). Includes specialized products: vehicle solar hubs, sodium-ion cold-weather units, and balcony storage systems.
Support
Support is the weak link in an otherwise strong value story: heavily email-based, slowed by timezone, and inconsistent enough that the same fault can produce a smooth replacement or weeks of runaround. Buying direct rather than through a marketplace is the single action that most improves the odds, and it is the same action that secures the longer warranty term.
Community
Active and growing — Reddit r/bluetti has a dedicated community. Second-largest after EcoFlow in engagement.
App experience
Rated 4.5/5 iOS and Android — tied for best app experience in the category. V3.0 UI redesign was well-received.
Unique strength
Among the best capacity-to-price ratios available — several Elite and Apex units are the lowest $/Wh in the catalog. Widest product diversity including industry-firsts like sodium-ion cold-weather units and dual solar+alternator vehicle hubs. LFP across the rest of the range, though rated cycle life spans 2,500 (EB3A) to 6,000, and it varies WITHIN the Elite range rather than tracking it — the Elite 300 and Elite 200 V2 are rated 6,000 while the Elite 30 V2, Elite 10 Mini, Elite 320 and Elite 400 are rated 3,000+ and the Elite 100 V2 4,000+, so check the specific model. Dual-voltage (120V/240V) in flagships.
Worth knowing
Customer support inconsistency is the #1 risk factor. Older/discontinued units may become unrepairable — no spare parts policy for some models. Some reports of erratic communication from support agents.
Analyst note
Both brands carry a real caveat and they sit in different places. EcoFlow's is aftercare: the broadest catalogue in the category, a well-rated app, and nothing offered once the warranty lapses. BLUETTI's is the front desk: among the best capacity per dollar anywhere, an app rated just as highly, wrapped in the most inconsistent support in the space. Since only one of these two units is still sold, the practical advice is short. Buy direct, register it, keep the receipt.
Growth path
RIVER 3
FIXED CAPACITYFixed at 245Wh, 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.
AC180P
FIXED CAPACITYFixed at 1,440Wh, with no expansion — so size it for your needs up front rather than planning to add capacity later.
Accepts up to 500W of solar. Suitable for a 1-2 panel setup.
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
Growth only counts if you can still buy in, and the RIVER 3 is no longer sold (EcoFlow points owners to the RIVER 3 PLUS). That leaves the AC180P: it is sealed at 1,440Wh, so buy the size that covers you now. The RIVER 3's fixed 245Wh still matters if you already own one, but it isn't a reason to pick it over the AC180P.
What Owners Report
Patterns from published owner reports and long-term reviews — every claim cited to its source below.
EcoFlow RIVER 3
Field data on the RIVER 3 is thin and mostly comparative. What exists is review-site coverage stacking it against the RIVER 2 rather than long-term reports from people who have lived with oneA0. What it says is consistent: the RIVER 3 improved on the RIVER 2 on nearly every axis at once, with EcoFlow claiming sub-30dB operationA1, plus IP54 weather sealing, a faster UPS switchover, a 2x runtime mode and a smaller, lighter bodyA2A4. It was being recommended as the better small-station buy for camping, van life and home UPS dutyA3, which is precisely the recommendation the retirement has overtaken.
“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 · versus.com
BLUETTI AC180P
The AC180P's evidence is deeper and it lands on charging speed. It holds 4.6 stars from 708 verified Amazon purchasers, and the Turbo claim of 0 to 80% in roughly 45 minutes held up when it was timedB1B2. That is the spec worth trusting here, because a fast refill is what makes a 1,440Wh pack behave like a larger one across a multi-day outage.
One clarification is worth more than any of the praise: the AC180P does not take an expansion battery, contrary to some listingsB3. A B80 can recharge it through Power Bank Mode, which refills the unit rather than extending it, and those are different things. On weight, our record's 35.3 lbs sits at the top of a cited range that runs down to about 28.7 lbs in one source, and that source may be describing a sibling modelB4, so treat the lighter figure as character rather than spec.
“Delivers 1,440Wh of LiFePO4 capacity and 1,800W continuous output, with a Turbo Charge feature reaching 0-80% in roughly 45 minutes and a Power Lifting Mode that delivers 2,700W to run high-powered devices.”
Sources
backuppowerhub.com · bluettipower.com · batteryskills.com · the-gadgeteer.com · bestgeneratorsolar.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
- The RIVER 3 improves on the RIVER 2 across the board — quieter (sub-30 dB), IP54-rugged, faster UPS, more capacity, lighter, and cheaper — a rare strict upgrade. [RIVER 3 · 3 entries]
- Fast Turbo charging, strong owner ratings, and a useful Power Lifting Mode are the praise; the key clarification is that it does NOT accept true battery expansion despite some listings. [AC180P · 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 2 vs RIVER 3 · 2026 · [positive]
- A2
“Over the RIVER 2, the RIVER 3 adds IP54 waterproofing, a faster UPS switchover, a 2x runtime mode, and a more compact, lighter 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]
- A4
“Holds more capacity and weighs less than the RIVER 2 while costing less, making it effectively a strict upgrade on the same platform.”
ecoflow.com / versus.com — RIVER 2 vs RIVER 3 · 2026 · [positive]
- B1
“Delivers 1,440Wh of LiFePO4 capacity and 1,800W continuous output, with a Turbo Charge feature reaching 0-80% in roughly 45 minutes and a Power Lifting Mode that delivers 2,700W to run high-powered devices.”
backuppowerhub.com / bluettipower.com — AC180P review · 2025-2026 · [positive]
- B2
“Holds a strong 4.6-star rating from 708 verified Amazon purchasers; reviewers confirm the 0-80% in 45 minutes claim held true in testing.”
batteryskills.com / the-gadgeteer.com — AC180P review · 2025-2026 · [positive]
- B3
“Does not include a battery expansion port and does not support capacity expansion with B80, B230, or B300 batteries — contrary to some listings — though it can be charged by such batteries through Power Bank Mode.”
bestgeneratorsolar.com / backuppowerhub.com — AC180P buyer's guide · 2025-2026 · [mixed]
- B4
“Weight is cited around 35 lbs in most listings (one source lists ~28.7 lbs) — manageable for base camp or car camping, more of a constraint for backpacking or carrying any distance.”
backuppowerhub.com / batteryskills.com — AC180P review · 2025-2026 · [mixed]
Research compiled September 19, 2026.
Who Should Buy Which
Buy the RIVER 3 if you…
- →You already own one, in which case nothing has changed: 245Wh, 7.8 lbs and a switchover no worse than 20ms still covers an afternoon of phones and a speaker at 48% of the pack. A discontinuation does not make a working unit worse.
- →You wanted the lightest EcoFlow that still drives a wall plug. Right instinct, wrong model number now. EcoFlow's live answer for that shape is the RIVER 3 PLUS.
- →You turned up retailer stock and your job genuinely is small. The honest comparison is against the RIVER 3 PLUS, not against 35.3 lbs of AC180P, because that was never the alternative you were shopping for.
Buy the AC180P if you…
- →The 3 a.m. CPAP user: 320Wh a night against 1,224Wh usable is most of four nights on one charge, and fan behaviour is the only thing left to check.
- →Anyone working a full day off-grid: a 910Wh day of laptop, screen and phone leaves 314Wh in the pack, so the evening ends with margin instead of arithmetic.
- →Tailgate and party duty where something pulls 400W: the RIVER 3 can start that load and not hold it, while the AC180P runs it on the 1,800W inverter and still finishes with 554Wh unused.
- →The person who wants one box for a short outage: it covers three-quarters of a 1,645Wh eight-hour day, and 500W of solar input puts the rest back before the next night.
If neither fits
Two people should close this page. The first wanted something they can carry in one hand, and 35.3 lbs is not a heavier version of 7.8 lbs, it is a different object. Since EcoFlow no longer sells the RIVER 3, your live answer is the RIVER 3 PLUS or another station in that weight class, not the AC180P. The second is anyone whose real list is a 2,100Wh camping weekend, a 4,685Wh van-life day or a full 1,645Wh blackout. Neither unit here covers those: the AC180P gets three-quarters of the way through the blackout and about a quarter of the van day, and the RIVER 3 does not get close to any of them. That calls for a station rated well past the 2,100Wh a camping weekend asks for, not a closer reading of this page.
The Bottom Line
The AC180P wins this page, and it should not read as a recommendation to anyone who came here wanting the small one. EcoFlow has stopped selling the RIVER 3, which ends the contest before a single spec is read, and the specs then agree anyway: 1,224Wh usable against 208Wh, 1,800W continuous against 300W, and the only unit here that reaches morning on a 320Wh CPAP night.
If the bigger battery is what you needed, the AC180P at $649 is a straightforward call, with 500W of solar input to keep it honest through a multi-day outage. If what you actually wanted was 7.8 lbs in one hand, the answer is not on this page. Go look at the RIVER 3 PLUS.
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers drawn from the spec record and cited owner research.
Can you still buy the EcoFlow RIVER 3?
No. EcoFlow has dropped the base RIVER 3 from its store, so there is no first-party purchase page for it any more. Retailer stock may still surface for a while, but the smallest RIVER 3 the maker still sells is the RIVER 3 PLUS, and that is the model to compare against if you want something in this size class.
Will the EcoFlow RIVER 3 run a CPAP all night?
Not a full night on the profile this site models. A CPAP night is counted at 320Wh, and the RIVER 3's 245Wh pack gives about 208Wh usable after the flat 85% derate, which leaves it 112Wh short and gets you roughly two-thirds of the way to sunrise. The AC180P covers the same night and still has 904Wh in reserve.
Is the BLUETTI AC180P quiet enough to sleep next to?
The numbers cannot prove it either way, and that is worth saying plainly. Its 45dB rating is BLUETTI's best case, while the RIVER 3's 30dB is published as a maximum reached under heavy charging and discharging, so the two are opposite conventions and the gap between them is not a measurement. What is in the AC180P's favour is load: a 320Wh night is about a quarter of its usable capacity, and an inverter loafing at that level has less to cool.
Can the AC180P take an expansion battery?
No. It has no expansion port and does not gain capacity from a B80, B230 or B300, despite what some listings claim. It can be charged by one through Power Bank Mode, which tops the unit up rather than extending it. Neither unit on this page expands, and neither deserves to be marked down for it, since both are complete at a fixed size. Buy the capacity you need now.
What can the RIVER 3 start but not run?
Anything between 300W and 600W. The 600W surge gets a 400W appliance moving, then the 300W continuous rating takes over and drops it, which is exactly how the tailgate scenario plays out. The AC180P runs 1,800W continuously, so the same load is unremarkable to it.
Brand matchup
EcoFlow vs BLUETTI: measured across every matchup →Where to buy
EcoFlow RIVER 3
Left EcoFlow's store
BLUETTI AC180PPick
$649.00
$649.00 · direct from BLUETTI
Last checked 16 days ago. Prices move — check before you buy.
Prices may vary by retailer and are subject to change.