Jackery Explorer 1500 Ultra vs Growatt VITA 550
Side-by-side on the specs that decide it — surge, capacity, runtime and price.
Both models' specs verified against manufacturer listings · Last updated
The short answer
Growatt VITA 550 costs $800 less. Whether that gap is worth closing depends on what you need to run.
- Jackery Explorer 1500 Ultra holds 186% more energy (1536Wh vs 538Wh), so it runs the same load proportionally longer.
- Jackery Explorer 1500 Ultra has 2400W more surge headroom (3600W vs 1200W) — that decides whether a fridge, pump or AC compressor will actually start.
- Growatt VITA 550 is 8.9 lb lighter (17.6 lb vs 26.5 lb).
- Jackery Explorer 1500 Ultra is rated for 4,000 cycles vs 3,000 — meaningful if you cycle it daily.
Jackery Explorer 1500 Ultra
The portability record-holder: 1536Wh at 26.5 lb, lighter than most 1kWh units. You pay $200 over the 1500 v2 for that weight saving.
Best for: Van lifers and overlanders where every pound is negotiated.
Where it falls short:
- 1800W output is lower than the cheaper 1500 v2's 2000W
- $1199 is a premium for weight alone
Growatt VITA 550
A tidy half-kWh unit with fast charging and a 1,200W surge that lets it start small appliances a 600W rating wouldn't suggest.
Best for: Campers who want fast charging and a bit of surge headroom at half a kWh.
Where it falls short:
- 538Wh is weekend-scale
- 3-year warranty
| Spec | Jackery Explorer 1500 Ultra | Growatt VITA 550 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1199 | $399 |
| Capacity | 1536 Wh | 538 Wh |
| Continuous output | 1800 W | 600 W |
| Surge output | 3600 W | 1200 W |
| Battery | LiFePO4 | LiFePO4 |
| Rated cycles | 4,000 | 3,000 |
| Weight (lighter wins) | 26.5 lb | 17.6 lb |
| Max solar | 600 W | 300 W |
| Recharge time (faster wins) | 1h 15m | 1h |
Runtime head-to-head
| Appliance | Jackery Explorer 1500 Ultra | Growatt VITA 550 |
|---|---|---|
| Refrigerator | 21.8 hrs | 7.6 hrs |
| Mini fridge | 41.4 hrs | 14.5 hrs |
| Chest freezer | 16.3 hrs | 5.7 hrs |
| CPAP machine | 32.6 hrs | 11.4 hrs |
| Sump pump | 1.6 hrs | ❌ |