Specifications checked against manufacturer pages on 2026-08-23.
The EcoFlow RIVER 2 (256 Wh, 300 W) and the EcoFlow RIVER 3 Plus (286 Wh, 600 W), compared on the figures their makers publish. On the normalized ratios, the RIVER 2 costs less per watt-hour ($0.82/Wh vs $1.05/Wh); the RIVER 3 Plus recharges at a higher rate (4.8 Wh/min vs 4.3 Wh/min).
In short. The RIVER 2 leads on cost per watt-hour ($0.82/Wh vs $1.05/Wh) and watt-hours per pound (33.2 Wh/lb vs 27.5 Wh/lb); the RIVER 3 Plus leads on recharge rate (4.8 Wh/min vs 4.3 Wh/min) and continuous watts per dollar (2.01 W/$ vs 1.44 W/$). 2 of 6 measures tie or are not comparable. Pick by the one your outage will test.
Check the current price
Links go to the exact base unit we compared, not a bundle. Amazon prices change daily.
Specifications, side by side
Numbered notes below the table give the source location or a caveat for figures that need one; check marks mark the better figure where one can be judged; “Manufacturer does not state” means absent from that maker’s page as of its check date listed under Sources. UPS switchover is how long the outlets go dark when grid power drops.
| Specification | EcoFlow RIVER 2 | EcoFlow RIVER 3 Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Rated capacity | 256 Wh1 | 286 Wh2 ✓ |
| Usable capacity (calculated)* | 218–230 Wh | 243–257 Wh |
| Continuous AC output | 300 W3 | 600 W4 ✓ |
| Surge output | 600 W5 | 1,200 W6 ✓ |
| Full recharge from wall | 60 min7 | 60 min8 |
| Cell chemistry | LFP (LiFePO4)9 | LiFePO410 |
| Rated cycle life | 3,000 cycles to 80%+11,12 | 3,000 cycles to 80%13,14 |
| UPS switchover | 30 ms15 | <10 ms16 |
| Expandable | Manufacturer does not state | Yes, up to 858 Wh17,18 |
| Max solar input | 110 W19 | 220 W20 ✓ |
| Max AC charging input | 360 W21 | 380 W22 ✓ |
| AC outlets | Manufacturer does not state | 323 |
| Highest USB-C port | 60 W24 | 100 W25 ✓ |
| App control | Yes26 | Yes27 |
| Stated noise | Manufacturer does not state | <30 dB28 |
| Warranty | 5 years29 | 5 years30 |
| Weight | about 7.7 lb31 ✓ | 10.4 lb32 |
| Manufacturer list price when checked | $20933 ✓ | $29934 |
* Calculated: rated capacity × an assumed 85–90% conversion efficiency; no maker publishes a usable figure.
Notes on the figures
- RIVER 2, rated capacity: Rated capacity as listed on the manufacturer’s spec sheet.
- RIVER 3 Plus, rated capacity: Specs table also lists “Capacity” / “286Wh”.
- RIVER 2, continuous output: Continuous AC output at 120 V, 50/60 Hz.
- RIVER 3 Plus, continuous output: AC Output row of the Specs table; also “600W rated output and 1200W X-Boost” in the bullet list.
- RIVER 2, surge: Stated in the AC output line of the spec sheet.
- RIVER 3 Plus, surge: Manufacturer lists a conventional “Surge 1200W” and separately “X-Boost 1200W” (X-Boost is EcoFlow’s boost mode for resistive/heating loads); both are the same figure.
- RIVER 2, full recharge: Full 0-100% recharge from a wall outlet as stated by the manufacturer.
- RIVER 3 Plus, full recharge: AC Input row of the Specs table; full 0-100% wall recharge. Body copy: “4 charging options, safely charge 0-100% in 1 hr”.
- RIVER 2, cell chemistry: The spec sheet lists the cell chemistry as LFP (lithium iron phosphate).
- RIVER 3 Plus, cell chemistry: Battery Chemistry row of the Specs table.
- RIVER 2, cycle life: The battery retains at least 80% of its capacity after 3,000 charge cycles.
- RIVER 2, cycle life: This threshold comes from the same statement as the cycle-life figure.
- RIVER 3 Plus, cycle life: Body copy: “RIVER 3 Plus has a lifespan of 3000 charging cycles. That’s around 10 years of everyday use before its capacity drops to 80%.”
- RIVER 3 Plus, cycle life: LiFePO4, 3000 cycles to 80% capacity
- RIVER 2, UPS switchover: EcoFlow describes this as an emergency power source (EPS) switch-over rather than a true uninterruptible power supply, and advises against relying on it for sensitive electronics such as data servers.
- RIVER 3 Plus, UPS switchover: Upper bound: stated as “<10 ms” (Specs table row “UPS” / “<10 ms”).
- RIVER 3 Plus, expandable: Via RIVER 3 Plus Extra Battery EB300 (286Wh) or EB600 (572Wh).
- RIVER 3 Plus, expandable: Maximum system capacity with one EB600 extra battery (286Wh + 572Wh).
- RIVER 2, solar input: Maximum solar charging input, at 11-30 V and up to 8 A.
- RIVER 3 Plus, solar input: Solar Input row of the Specs table; bullet list says “Up to 220W fast solar charging”.
- RIVER 2, AC input: Maximum AC wall-charging input.
- RIVER 3 Plus, AC input: AC Input row of the Specs table.
- RIVER 3 Plus, AC outlets: Body copy mentions “two rear AC outlets” as part of the UPS-friendly design.
- RIVER 2, USB-C: The USB-C port serves as both input and output at up to 60 W.
- RIVER 3 Plus, USB-C: USB-C Output row of the Specs table (one port).
- RIVER 2, app: The spec sheet lists app control over Wi-Fi and Bluetooth via the EcoFlow app.
- RIVER 3 Plus, app: The page mentions app and software alerts; it does not spell out Wi-Fi or Bluetooth control.
- RIVER 3 Plus, noise: Upper bound: Specs table row “Noise” / “<30 dB”; footnote says noise data is from lab tests at 89.6°F (32°C).
- RIVER 2, warranty: Warranty length as stated on the product page.
- RIVER 3 Plus, warranty: Not stated on the product page; from the official EcoFlow US warranty policy table at https://us.ecoflow.com/pages/warranty-policy (row “RIVER 3 Plus” / “5 years”; note the base RIVER 3 row is “24” months).
- RIVER 2, weight: Stated as an approximate net weight.
- RIVER 3 Plus, weight: Specs table row “Net Weight” / “10.4 lb”.
- RIVER 2, price: Price shown on the product page at the time of checking; no separate list or sale price was displayed.
- RIVER 3 Plus, price: Shown as the regular price on a page whose address is a flash-sale listing.
The same specs, normalized
Ratios, so the bigger unit does not win by default.
| Measure | RIVER 2 | RIVER 3 Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Cost per watt-hour | $0.82/Wh ✓ | $1.05/Wh |
| Watt-hours per pound | 33.2 Wh/lb ✓ | 27.5 Wh/lb |
| Surge headroom | 2.00× | 2.00× |
| Recharge rate | 4.3 Wh/min | 4.8 Wh/min ✓ |
| Rated cycle life | 3,000 | 3,000 |
| Continuous watts per dollar | 1.44 W/$ | 2.01 W/$ ✓ |
Definitions and direction of each ratio: How we verify.
What each one runs, for how long
| Appliance | RIVER 2 | RIVER 3 Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Full-size refrigerator 150 W, 900 W start, 35% duty · eff. 85%–90% |
Unlikely to start | 4.6–4.9 hr |
| Mini fridge 70 W, 400 W start, 30% duty · eff. 85%–90% / 80%–87% |
10–11 hr | 11–12 hr |
| CPAP without humidifier 40 W · eff. 80%–87% |
5.1–5.6 hr | 5.7–6.2 hr |
| CPAP with heated humidifier 95 W · eff. 85%–90% / 80%–87% |
2.3–2.4 hr | 2.4–2.6 hr |
| Gas furnace blower 400 W, 1600 W start, 40% duty · eff. 85%–90% |
Will not run | Unlikely to start |
| 1/3 hp sump pump 500 W, 1800 W start, 15% duty · eff. 82%–88% |
Will not run | Unlikely to start |
| Router and modem 20 W · eff. 70%–87% |
9.0–11.1 hr | 10–12 hr |
| Laptop 60 W · eff. 85%–90% / 80%–87% |
3.6–3.8 hr | 3.8–4.1 hr |
| 1500W space heater 1500 W |
Will not run | Will not run |
Calculated, not measured: hours = rated Wh × efficiency ÷ (appliance W × duty); assumptions on How we verify. “Unlikely to start”: start-up surge exceeds the stated surge rating.
What the differences mean
Price per watt-hour. At the list prices we checked, the RIVER 2 costs $0.82/Wh against $1.05/Wh for the RIVER 3 Plus. At list the RIVER 2 is $90 cheaper ($209 vs $299) for 256 Wh vs 286 Wh. Prices move with sales; the ratio moves with them.
Weight for the capacity. The RIVER 2 carries 33.2 Wh/lb against 27.5 Wh/lb for the RIVER 3 Plus. Both are one-hand units; the difference matters if the unit moves between car, porch and basement.
Recharge. Both state about the same wall-charge time (60 and 60 minutes); the RIVER 3 Plus leads on rate because it stores more in that time.
Output for the money. 2.01 W/$ on the RIVER 3 Plus against 1.44 W/$ on the RIVER 2: if what you need is to run a high-draw appliance rather than to run a small one for days, this ratio is the one to read.
Which one, and for whom
On normalized measures the two split evenly: the RIVER 2 leads on cost per watt-hour ($0.82/Wh vs $1.05/Wh) and watt-hours per pound (33.2 Wh/lb vs 27.5 Wh/lb); the RIVER 3 Plus leads on recharge rate (4.8 Wh/min vs 4.3 Wh/min) and continuous watts per dollar (2.01 W/$ vs 1.44 W/$). What decides it is the figure your outage actually tests:
- CPAP overnight. Switchover: RIVER 2 30 ms, RIVER 3 Plus under 10 ms. A 40 W CPAP runs roughly 5.1–5.6 hr on the RIVER 2 and 5.7–6.2 hr on the RIVER 3 Plus. Neither covers a full night (8 hr) without a humidifier at this capacity, so here the hours decide, not switchover.
- Keeping a refrigerator cold. Start-up comes first. The RIVER 2 states a 600 W surge rating; the RIVER 3 Plus states a 1,200 W surge rating. A full-size refrigerator needs about 900 W to start.
- A multi-day outage with a generator or solar to recharge from. Full recharge: RIVER 2 60 min, RIVER 3 Plus 60 min. Both state the same time; the RIVER 3 Plus puts more energy back in it (286 Wh vs 256 Wh).
Check the current price
Links go to the exact base unit we compared, not a bundle. Amazon prices change daily.
Related reading
A 256–286 Wh battery cannot do what a gasoline generator does — neither unit’s continuous rating covers a 1,500 W space heater (see the runtime table) — but it also cannot poison a household. Our CPSC revision matrix tracks how the official count of generator carbon-monoxide deaths has changed across report editions, and this page puts every verified unit on the same refrigerator scenario.
Other comparisons with these models
Ordering before a storm? Check the arrival date at checkout — a unit that ships tomorrow can beat a better one that ships next week. Amazon Prime includes fast delivery on eligible items and starts with a free trial; we earn a commission if you join.
Sources and method
- EcoFlow RIVER 2: manufacturer product page, checked 2026-08-24.
- EcoFlow RIVER 3 Plus: manufacturer product page, checked 2026-08-23.
Published specifications only; no bench tests. Method: How we verify. More: Comparisons.