WATTREADY Generator tools

Portable or standby generator — which fits your home?

Both solve outages, but they fit very different situations. Answer four questions and see which one leans in your favor, with the reasoning shown — plus a full spec comparison below.

About your situation

Standby units are permanently installed and wired into the home, so this mostly rules them out for renters.
"All-in" includes installation for standby units — the unit price alone is usually only part of that cost.
2 / year
6 hrs

What do you want it to cover?

Side-by-side comparison

 PortableStandby
Typical unit cost$400 – $2,500$3,000 – $6,000
InstallationNone – plug in and go$3,000 – $6,000+ (electrician, gas line, concrete pad)
Starts when power failsManual – you set it up and start itAutomatic, usually within seconds via transfer switch
Typical output2,000 – 12,000 W10,000 – 26,000+ W
FuelGasoline, or dual-fuel with propaneNatural gas or propane, piped in continuously
Runs central ACOnly the largest portables, usually not comfortablyYes, when sized for it
Storage & upkeepStore it, start it occasionally to keep it readyWeekly self-test, otherwise mostly unattended
Renter-friendlyYesNo – it's a permanent home fixture
Moves with youYesNo
This points you in a direction, it doesn't replace a quote. The recommendation weighs ownership status, budget, outage frequency and length, and how much of the house you want covered — the factors that most consistently separate a good portable fit from a good standby fit. Actual prices vary a lot by region, brand, and installation complexity; get two or three local quotes before you commit to a standby install.

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