Choose the EcoFlow DELTA 3 Plus power station if you want silent power you can use indoors for a fridge, a CPAP, phones and a modem through an outage of a day or so. Choose the Champion 4500W dual fuel inverter if the outage may last days and you need more power than a battery holds, and you can run it safely outdoors, at least 6 m (20 ft) from the house.
Both of these are portable, both run off ordinary 120 V outlets, and neither needs an electrician to plug a lamp or a fridge into. That is where the likeness ends. A power station stores a fixed amount of energy and makes no exhaust; a generator makes as much energy as you have fuel for, and makes carbon monoxide while it does. We compare the two most-asked-about types through two of our picks, the EcoFlow DELTA 3 Plus and the Champion 201319. Everything else is in our backup power section.
Indoor use and CO
No exhaust: use it in any room
Outdoors only, 6 m / 20 ft from the house
Energy for a long outage
1,024 Wh, then it needs recharging
Runs as long as you have gas or propane
Power for big loads
1,800 W (3,600 W surge)
3,500 W running, 4,500 W starting
Noise
Under 30 dB at 600 W, per EcoFlow
61 dB(A), per Champion
Weight
27.6 lb
99.2 lb, on wheels
Recharging and refuelling Tie
Wall, solar or car; up to 1,500 W AC
Gasoline or a 20 lb propane cylinder
Sold in Canada
Same model in EcoFlow's Canadian store
Canadian sale not confirmed
Choose the EcoFlow DELTA 3 Plus Portable Power Station if you want indoor, silent power for a day of essentials, or you live where a generator can't sit 6 m from any building.
Choose the Champion 4500W Electric Start Dual Fuel Inverter with CO Shield if the outage may last days, you need 2,000–3,500 W, and you have a safe outdoor spot and fuel stored.
The power outages page sets both options beside a standby generator and a generator on a transfer switch, with our pick for each.
Indoor use and carbon monoxide
This is the difference that matters most. The federal government’s outage guidance says battery- or solar-powered portable generators make no carbon monoxide and can be used anywhere, so the DELTA 3 Plus can sit beside the fridge or the bed. A fuel-burning generator never runs indoors, in a garage, basement, crawlspace or shed, even with the door open: Health Canada says at least 6 m (20 ft) from any building, and CPSC says at least 20 ft, exhaust pointed away. The Champion’s CO Shield shuts the engine off if carbon monoxide builds up around it, and Champion says it meets the ANSI/PGMA G300-2018 standard, but that is a backstop, not a licence to run it closer. Clear winner: the power station.
Generator safety: outdoors only, at least 6 m (20 ft) from your home and your neighbours’, never in a garage, shed or under a carport or awning, never refuelled while running or hot. Fit a CO alarm with battery backup outside sleeping areas; if it sounds, get everyone out, then call 9-1-1. A CO shutoff does not replace the alarm. Health Canada · CPSC.
Energy for a long outage
A power station holds a set amount: the DELTA 3 Plus stores 1,024 Wh. At a steady 100 W, a modem, a few lights and a CPAP, that is roughly ten hours before conversion losses; a fridge that cycles on and off uses it faster. Then it needs a recharge. The Champion keeps going while you have fuel. Champion rates it at up to 14 hours on its 2.25-gallon gasoline tank at 25% load, or up to 21 hours on a 20 lb propane cylinder. At 25% load that one tank of gas delivers more than ten times the energy the DELTA holds, on the makers’ figures. For an ice storm that keeps you dark for three days or more, the generator wins.
Power for big loads
The DELTA 3 Plus gives 1,800 W from six AC outlets, with 3,600 W of surge for motors that kick hard at start-up, and EcoFlow’s X-Boost mode lets resistive devices draw up to 2,200 W. The Champion makes 3,500 running watts on gasoline (3,150 on propane) and 4,500 starting watts. That headroom matters for a sump pump, a well pump or a fridge and furnace blower at once. Neither has a 240 V outlet, so neither can feed a well pump wired for 240 V or a whole-panel transfer switch; the Champion’s largest outlet is a 120 V TT-30R. Winner: the generator, by about double. Sizing your loads first is covered in what size generator you need.
Noise
EcoFlow quotes under 30 dB at 600 W and under 40 dB at 1,200 W, which is mostly the cooling fan. Champion rates the 201319 at 61 dB(A), quiet for a generator, but you will hear it from inside, and so will the neighbours at night. Makers measure noise their own ways, so treat the figures as a guide rather than a lab result. For bedrooms, home offices, and condos or townhouses where a running engine isn’t welcome, the power station wins easily.
Weight and handling
The DELTA 3 Plus weighs 27.6 lb, per EcoFlow: one adult can carry it from room to room or out to the car. The Champion weighs 99.2 lb with wheels and a handle, so it rolls rather than carries, and it needs a level, dry spot outdoors. In freezing rain that spot matters: CPSC says to follow the maker’s instructions for running a generator in rain or snow, which may mean a listed generator tent or waiting until the weather passes. The Champion also needs oil checks and changes on the schedule in its manual, and its starter battery charged in storage. Winner: the power station.
Recharging and refuelling
EcoFlow lists wall charging at up to 1,500 W, solar at up to 1,000 W through two inputs, and up to 800 W from its alternator charger. In a long outage, solar in an ice storm’s grey days will not refill it quickly, and EcoFlow’s product page that we read gives no charging temperature range, so check the manual before charging it in a cold garage. The Champion needs fuel you have stored safely: gasoline goes stale and needs stabiliser and rotation, while propane keeps, and owners in past ice storms describe gas stations without power and propane running short. The two work best together, which is the next section. A tie: each has a supply problem the other solves.
Where you can buy them
EcoFlow sells the same DELTA 3 Plus model, EFDELTA3P-US, in its Canadian store, though it showed out of stock there when our price researchers checked. Champion’s US page states no Canadian safety mark for the 201319 and we have not confirmed it on sale in Canada, so we list it from US sellers only. Canadian buyers who want a generator with a stated Canadian configuration should look at the Generac GP8000E in our generator listings. Winner for Canadian readers: the power station.
What “whole home” backup really means
The most common disappointment we found in owner forums is a power station bought as “whole home” backup that turns out to run a few circuits for a few hours. A 1 to 2 kWh station runs a fridge or a CPAP for hours to a day, not a sump pump through a three-day storm. Bigger battery systems can feed the panel, but then they are a permanent installation that needs a transfer switch and a licensed electrician, the same as a generator wired to the panel; interlock vs transfer switch has the local rules. Plugged-in use, with appliances on proper cords, needs none of that. Larger stations are in our power station listings.
Using both together
If you own both, the power station can run quiet loads overnight indoors, while the generator runs in daylight to keep the fridge and freezer cold, refill the station through its AC input and power heavier loads, then goes off before bed. Check that the generator has spare capacity for the station’s charging draw on top of what else it is running. Never bring the generator inside to make this easier: the station comes to the generator’s cord, not the other way round.
Which should you choose?
Choose the EcoFlow DELTA 3 Plus if…
- you need silent, indoor power for a CPAP, fridge, modem and phones
- you have nowhere to run a generator 6 m (20 ft) from any building
- most of your outages last hours, not days
Choose the Champion 201319 if…
- outages where you live can run for several days
- you need to run a sump pump or several appliances at once
- you can store propane or stabilised gasoline and run it safely outdoors
Neither quite right? Compare every power station and portable generator we cover, or read the best generators for a power outage in Canada. Getting ready for winter? Our ice storm power outage checklist covers the first 72 hours.
Power station and generator questions
What is the main difference between a power station and a generator?
A power station is a battery with outlets: silent, no exhaust, safe indoors, but limited to the energy it stores (1,024 Wh for the DELTA 3 Plus). A generator burns fuel, so it runs as long as you refuel it and gives more power, but it makes carbon monoxide and must run outdoors.
Can a power station run my whole house?
Not a 1 kWh model. It runs a few chosen appliances for hours. Larger battery systems can back up part of a panel, but they are then a permanent installation, with a transfer switch fitted by a licensed electrician.
Can a power station keep my CPAP running all night?
Often, yes, but check your machine’s rated power on its label or in its manual first. A machine drawing a steady 100 W would run about ten hours on a 1,024 Wh station before conversion losses. The DELTA 3 Plus also switches over in under 10 ms when the power fails, per EcoFlow.
Is the generator worth the extra effort?
If your outages last more than a day, or you depend on a sump pump or well pump, usually yes: no battery of this size keeps up. If they last a few hours and you mostly need lights, internet and a medical device, the power station is simpler and safer.