On this pageSpecs Wired-in split-phase or expandable home backbone Heavy simultaneous loads, even on 120V Plug-and-play light to mid 120V essential backup Carry-and-go: camping, van, jobsite, room-to-room

Bluetti Elite 300vsBluetti Apex 300 (2026)

The Bluetti Elite 300 and Bluetti Apex 300 sit $50 apart at street price—$1,649 and $1,699—both Bluetti, both LiFePO4, both around 3,000Wh, both with an RV outlet. They are not neighbors. The Elite 300 is a portable power station you carry and plug devices into. The Apex 300 is stationary split-phase home infrastructure you wire to a transfer switch and expand over time. Almost every decision below is made by which of those two things you need, not by comparing outputs on matched loads.

Bluetti Elite 300

$1,649

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Prices and availability change frequently

Bluetti Apex 300

$1,699

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Prices and availability change frequently

Spec	Bluetti Elite 300	Bluetti Apex 300
Capacity	3,014.4Wh	2,764.8Wh base
Expandable	No	Yes, to 19,353.6Wh on one unit
Rated output	2,400W	3,840W
Surge	4,800W^*	7,680W^*
Weight	57.98 lb	83.78 lb
Chemistry	LiFePO4	LiFePO4
AC recharge	1.7 hr^†	1.08 hr^‡
Solar input	1,200W rated	2,400W rated
AC outlets	11 total, incl. TT-30	6 total, incl. NEMA 14-50R + TT-30R
USB/DC ports	140W + 100W USB-C, USB-A, 12V/30A DC, car socket	None on base unit
Split-phase	No (120V only)	Yes (120V/240V)
UPS switchover	~8–9ms	0ms^§
Price	$1,649	$1,699
Price per Wh (base)	$0.547	$0.615

^*Surge figures are resistive loads only (heaters, kettles), not motors or compressors. ^†Elite 1.7 hr requires a 1,800W/20A circuit; on a standard 15A outlet approximately 2h44m. ^‡Apex 1.08 hr requires the optional L14-50P turbo cable sold separately; on the included 15A cable approximately 2.5 hr. ^§Apex 0ms UPS requires 240V output, grid via the 15A input, and loads on the two left outlets; other configurations measure ≤20ms. Blank cells indicate our research did not record a figure, not that the feature is absent.

Wired-in split-phase or expandable home backbone

You are building a system: wiring to a transfer switch for essential circuits, running or planning 240V loads (well pump, furnace, fridge, kitchen), and you want to start small and add capacity as budget allows.
The Apex 300 delivers 120V and 240V split-phase from a single chassis while charging from a 120V wall outlet. The 3,840W inverter holds rated load—testers sustained 3,800W for five minutes with no thermal shutdown, and one ran two 15,000-BTU RV air conditioners plus a heater. Expansion is a-la-carte: each B300K adds a full 2,764.8Wh, one unit takes six (approximately 19.3kWh), three units in parallel via the Hub A1 reach approximately 58kWh and 11.52kW. Standby efficiency is class-leading at 18–24.7W, so it sips while waiting for an outage. At the wall from the base unit you get approximately 2,400Wh (about 87% of nameplate).
The Elite 300 is ineligible. It is 120V only, no 240V split-phase, no transfer-switch support, and a sealed 3,014Wh battery with no expansion path. These are physical gates.
One Apex 300 delivers 240V at only 16A—enough for a set of essential circuits, but 30A service needs two units and 50A needs three. Whole-home from one box is marketing; essential circuits from one box, whole-home from three is the truth.

Heavy simultaneous loads, even on 120V

All your appliances are 120V—no dryer, no 240V well pump—but you run a lot of watts at the same time: microwave plus fridge plus coffee maker, an 1,800W heater stacked on other loads, or a contractor’s high-draw tool with accessories. You do not need split-phase; you need raw continuous output.
The Apex 300 sustains 3,840W rated, independently sustained at 3,800W for five minutes with no shutdown. The 12,000W / 50A bypass passes heavy loads straight through. At this draw the base approximately 2,400Wh empties fast—our review clocks the rated load at approximately 41 minutes—which is exactly when you add a B300K. The 7,680W Power Lifting figure is resistive-only (kettles, heaters, not motors), so treat it as heating-load headroom, not a universal surge.
The Elite 300 is demoted on a verified output ceiling. Its inverter is 2,400W rated—the lowest in its capacity tier—and it hard-stops above roughly 2,450–2,800W sustained, with a bandsaw drawing past approximately 26A defeating it in testing. For light or staggered 120V loads that does not bite, but for genuine 3kW-class simultaneous draw the Elite physically cannot hold it.

Plug-and-play light to mid 120V essential backup

You want to keep a fridge, router, lights, phones, and maybe a single mid-size appliance running through an outage. Everything is 120V, the loads are light-to-mid and mostly staggered, you have no plan to expand, and you want a finished unit you plug devices into—not an install project.
The Elite 300 delivers approximately 2,760–2,873Wh at a roughly 1,500W AC load (92–95% of nameplate, among the best efficiency figures recorded in the class). At the same load the Apex base unit delivers approximately 2,400Wh (about 87%), so the Elite hands you roughly 360–470Wh more usable energy from the base unit, and it costs less per Wh ($0.547 versus $0.615). Built-in ports the Apex base unit simply lacks—dual USB-C (140W + 100W), USB-A, a 12V/30A DC port, and a cigarette socket—so you plug devices straight in with no accessory purchase. UPS switchover measured at 8.1–8.9ms, fast enough that a desktop PC survived the cutover, and it is always-on rather than conditional. At 58 lb one person repositions it; the 2,400W inverter comfortably covers staggered fridge-router-lights-microwave duty.
The Apex 300 is not demoted on quality—it is simply over-built and under-equipped for this buyer. It delivers less usable energy from the base unit, costs slightly more per base Wh, and forces a Hub D1 purchase to get a single USB port. It takes this segment only if the buyer is quietly planning to add 240V later or expand capacity—in which case they belong in the first segment, not here.
Do not double-count the Apex idle penalty: the documented 3–4× grid draw under light continuous loads is a 240V-mode behavior and does not apply to this 120V-only buyer. In 120V use the Apex standby idle is its class-leading 18–24.7W. The honest gap is that the Apex 120V inverter-on light-load idle is undocumented, so the Elite documented approximately 19W AC / less than 4W DC idle is the more certain figure for an always-on small load.

Carry-and-go: camping, van, jobsite, room-to-room

You move the unit. Camping trips, a van build, site-to-site work, or just carrying it to wherever it is needed—and you plug devices directly into it (phones, laptops, a 12V fridge, a diesel heater).
The Elite 300 weighs 57.98 lb and is the most compact 3kWh portable in its class (roughly 20–30% smaller than rivals)—a genuine one-person carry. A full onboard port suite: 12V/30A XT90 DC (runs diesel heaters and 12V fridges directly), 140W + 100W USB-C, USB-A, cigarette socket—no accessories needed. Native TT-30 plus Charger 2 alternator top-ups make it van and RV-ready as a mobile unit. Approximately 93–95% usable efficiency means the small-but-real battery is not eaten by conversion losses. DC-port loads bypass the inverter, so idle losses largely vanish and the pack runs near its approximately 93–95% ceiling—approximately 2,790–2,860Wh at a DC-inclusive mobile load.
The Apex 300 is ineligible on form factor and ports. It weighs 84 lb, no wheels, no suitcase handle—its own review calls it squarely stationary home and RV equipment, not a unit you carry. The base unit has no USB, no 12V, no car port—you cannot plug a phone or a 12V fridge into it without buying the Hub D1, and even then its car, barrel, and USB outputs share just 120W combined. A unit you carry to plug devices into is the one thing the Apex base hardware cannot be.

The bottom line

Do not pick between these on price—at $50 apart, price is not the question. Pick on category. The Apex 300 wins if you are wiring in split-phase backup, need 240V or heavy continuous wattage (the segment where it sustains 3,840W rated against the Elite 2,400W ceiling), or want a battery bank you grow over time—accept that it is an 84-lb stationary install with a base unit that needs accessories (a Hub D1 for any USB, a turbo cable for fast charging) to reach its potential. The Elite 300 wins if you want a finished, carry-anywhere 120V unit with ports built in (the segment where it delivers roughly 360–470Wh more usable energy from its base battery and costs less per Wh), and a lighter body—accept that it stops at approximately 2,400W, never does 240V, and never grows past 3,014Wh. They overlap on a TT-30R outlet and a Bluetti badge, and almost nowhere else. The Apex takes the stationary split-phase and high-output roles; the Elite takes the plug-and-play light backup and carry-and-go roles. Decide which job you are hiring it for, and the choice makes itself.

Read the full Bluetti Elite 300 review Read the full Bluetti Apex 300 review