Backup power, honestly reviewed

Best Budget Portable

The no-frills option. If you just need to power some lights, a fridge, and a window AC and don't want to spend more than $300, this gets it done. Pull-start, basic, reliable.

Best Starter Pick

Apartment dwellers, campers, or anyone who needs lights, a phone charger, a fan, and a small fridge running. Fits in a car trunk.

Best Budget Inverter

RVs, tailgating, and backup power for essentials. Inverter means clean power safe for laptops and sensitive electronics. Quiet enough that neighbors won't complain.

Best Name-Brand Mid-Range

Generac's flagship portable — enough power to run central AC, a fridge, and most of a home. Electric start, COsense shutdown, and PowerRush tech for motor-heavy loads.

Best Dual-Fuel Value

Great bang for the buck in dual-fuel. Remote key-fob start, transfer-switch ready, 11 hours at 50% load. 3-year warranty and lifetime tech support — unusual at this price.

Best Dual-Fuel Value at This Size

Same DuroMax 500cc engine as our top pick, but dual-fuel instead of tri-fuel — usually $400–500 cheaper. If you don't have natural gas access, this is the smart buy. Transfer-switch ready, 100% copper windings.

Best Tri-Fuel Under $1,200

Tri-fuel at this price point is a steal. 3-year warranty and remote electric start make this a complete whole-home backup package under $1,200. Often drops to $700–800 with Amazon coupons — set a price alert.

Best Dual-Fuel Inverter

Inverter generators produce cleaner power than open-frame units — critical for medical devices, computers, or smart home systems. Champion's best dual-fuel inverter: quieter, cleaner, and powerful enough for whole-home backup.

Best Tri-Fuel Inverter

Tri-fuel + inverter is a rare combination. You get clean power AND fuel flexibility. If natural gas runs to your house, you can run this indefinitely during an outage without storing a drop of fuel.

Best Premium Compact

The absolute best in a small inverter. Honda reliability is legendary — this will outlast everything else on this list. Whisper-quiet at 48–57 dBA. Perfect for medical equipment, CPAP machines, or anywhere noise matters.

Best Premium Mid-Size

The step up from the EU2200i when you need a little more power. Still whisper quiet (49–58 dBA). Up to 19.6-hour runtime on a single tank. Honda's most popular inverter for home backup.

Maximum Power

Large homes, workshops, or anyone who refuses to lose power to any appliance under any circumstance. 18,000 peak watts runs central AC, a well pump, a fridge, and a chest freezer simultaneously without breaking a sweat.