Jackery Explorer 240 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
Jackery Explorer 240 costs $200 less. Whether that gap is worth closing depends on what you need to run.
- Growatt VITA 550 holds 124% more energy (538Wh vs 240Wh), so it runs the same load proportionally longer.
- Growatt VITA 550 has 800W more surge headroom (1200W vs 400W) — that decides whether a fridge, pump or AC compressor will actually start.
- Jackery Explorer 240 is 11.0 lb lighter (6.6 lb vs 17.6 lb).
- Growatt VITA 550 uses LiFePO4 while the other uses NMC — roughly double the usable cycle life.
- Growatt VITA 550 is rated for 3,000 cycles vs 500 — meaningful if you cycle it daily.
If you plan to cycle the battery daily, think twice about the Jackery Explorer 240. Its NMC cells are rated for 500 cycles against the LiFePO4 rival's longer life — over years of regular use that's the more expensive unit, whatever the sticker says.
A very old, very small unit still sold on price alone. The LiFePO4 Explorer 240 v2 beats it on cycles and charging for similar money.
Best for: Only if it’s markedly cheaper than the 240 v2.
Where it falls short:
- ~500 Li-ion cycles
- 200W output, no USB-C PD
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 240 | Growatt VITA 550 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $199 | $399 |
| Capacity | 240 Wh | 538 Wh |
| Continuous output | 200 W | 600 W |
| Surge output | 400 W | 1200 W |
| Battery | NMC | LiFePO4 |
| Rated cycles | 500 | 3,000 |
| Weight (lighter wins) | 6.6 lb | 17.6 lb |
| Max solar | 65 W | 300 W |
| Recharge time (faster wins) | 5h | 1h |
Runtime head-to-head
| Appliance | Jackery Explorer 240 | Growatt VITA 550 |
|---|---|---|
| Refrigerator | ❌ | 7.6 hrs |
| Mini fridge | 6.5 hrs | 14.5 hrs |
| Chest freezer | ❌ | 5.7 hrs |
| CPAP machine | 5.1 hrs | 11.4 hrs |
| Sump pump | ❌ | ❌ |