Brand comparison
LiTime vs Rich Solar
LiTime scores 5.4 across 25 products; Rich Solar scores 5.1 across 45. They overlap in lifepo4 batteries, power inverters, and dc-dc chargers and others. That is 72% of what LiTime sells and 60% of what Rich Solar sells. LiTime leads on warranty & support.
Across everything we scored, LiTime sits 0.35 ahead — led by warranty & support.
Both brands also sell into Server-Rack and Wall Batteries, All-in-One Off-Grid Inverters, and Inverter-Chargers. Neither side carries enough scored products there for a median we would publish, so this comparison does not cover them.
Brand verdict
ahead · +0.35 (5.4 vs 5.1)
Pick LiTime when
Warranty & support matters most3.0vs1.0
Pick Rich Solar when
you are shopping Rigid Solar Panels or Flexible Solar Panels — LiTime does not sell there. Rich Solar leads on none of the criteria we score.
Scored 15 October 2026 from published specs and owner reviews. We don't buy or test units. How we score
Usability LiTime and Rich Solar, median scores 0 to 10
Median scores on a 0–10 scale.
Warranty & SupportLiTime: 3 (higher)Rich Solar: 1
LiTime top-scored: 12V 320Ah Mini Bluetooth LiFePO4 Battery
- 5-year warranty with no proration
Rich Solar top-scored: ALPHA 3 PRO 12V 314Ah Heated LiFePO4 Battery
- 10 years, full replacement for 3, then prorated
- Schedule: 85 percent cover in year four, falling to 5 percent in year ten
- Condition: charge within 7 days of purchase and every 6 months
Same score
CapacityLiTime: 5Rich Solar: 5
LiTime top-scored: 12V 320Ah Mini Bluetooth LiFePO4 Battery
- 4,096 Wh, on the 3,800 to 4,999 Wh rung
- Conflict: manual says 15.12 x 7.64 x 9.76 in; product page says 14.49 x 7.44 x 10.04 in
Rich Solar top-scored: ALPHA 3 PRO 12V 314Ah Heated LiFePO4 Battery
- 12.8 V times 314 Ah is 4,019 Wh, on the 3,800 to 4,999 Wh rung
EfficiencyLiTime: 6Rich Solar: 6
LiTime top-scored: 12V 320Ah Mini Bluetooth LiFePO4 Battery
- 71.6 Wh per pound at 57.17 lb
Rich Solar top-scored: ALPHA 3 PRO 12V 314Ah Heated LiFePO4 Battery
- 4,019 Wh in 71.7 lb is 56.1 Wh per pound
Operating RangeLiTime: 5Rich Solar: 5
LiTime top-scored: 12V 320Ah Mini Bluetooth LiFePO4 Battery
- 200 A continuous is only 0.63C on 320 Ah; 1,000 A for 1 second
- Limit: 2,560 W continuous from one battery
- Cold cut-off: charging stops below 32°F (0°C), resumes at 41°F (5°C)
Rich Solar top-scored: ALPHA 3 PRO 12V 314Ah Heated LiFePO4 Battery
- 157 A continuous by the manual, 0.5C on 314 Ah; page says 200 A
- Cold charging: manual limits charge to 62.8 A from 32 to 50°F
- Temperature: charges 32 to 131°F, discharges -4 to 140°F
LifespanLiTime: 6Rich Solar: 6
LiTime top-scored: 12V 320Ah Mini Bluetooth LiFePO4 Battery
- 4,000 cycles at 100 percent depth; no end-of-life capacity published
- Other ratings: 6,000 cycles at 80 percent, 15,000 at 60 percent
Rich Solar top-scored: ALPHA 3 PRO 12V 314Ah Heated LiFePO4 Battery
- 4,800 cycles to a 70 percent end point by the manual, one rung down
- Conflict: page gives 8,000+ cycles; spec sheet labels it at 80 percent depth
FeaturesLiTime: 4Rich Solar: 4
LiTime top-scored: 12V 320Ah Mini Bluetooth LiFePO4 Battery
- Bluetooth, cold charge cut-off, IP65, 4S4P; no heating or comms port
- App: reports state of charge, voltage, current, power, temperature and cycle count
- Balancing: passive cell balancing in the BMS
- Expansion: up to 16 batteries in 4S4P for 65.5 kWh
Rich Solar top-scored: ALPHA 3 PRO 12V 314Ah Heated LiFePO4 Battery
- 100 W heater, Bluetooth app and IP65; no CAN, RS485 or series
- Heater: on at or below 41°F with charge current, off at 50°F
- App: charge, voltage, current, temperature, cell voltages, cycle count
- Expansion: up to four in parallel
VerificationLiTime: 2Rich Solar: 2
LiTime top-scored: 12V 320Ah Mini Bluetooth LiFePO4 Battery
- No certifier directory lists it; page and manual name no safety listing
Rich Solar top-scored: ALPHA 3 PRO 12V 314Ah Heated LiFePO4 Battery
- ETL Listed to UL 1973 as ALPHA 3 PRO (Rich Solar Inc., Norco); not on the CEC battery list
- Holder: Rich Solar Inc. (Norco, CA); also Future Star Energy (Shenzhen), trade name RICH SOLAR
Social score about LiTime and Rich Solar
Independent sources pooled per brand. N of M = how many scored products carry the brand-level reading shown, out of all scored.
RedditLiTime: 5 (higher)Rich Solar: 4
LiTime
Read the full summary
- Overall: owners split on LiTime and Ampere Time 12 V batteries
- Praised: an r/vandwellers owner calls his Ampere Time 100Ah fantastic (July 2024) R/SolarDIY replies on 24 V banks say LiTime batteries have been torn down many times and the build quality is excellent (March 2026)
- r/boating: an owner's 100Ah lost its BMS after 10 cycles LiTime agreed it was defective, then stopped answering about the return (October 2025)
- r/OffGrid: an owner of 16 Ampere Time batteries reports BMS failures at 1.5 years and a support team that blamed his charging and wiring (January 2024)
Brand rollup across scored products. 7 of 25 scored products carry this reading.
Rich Solar
Read the full summary
- Scope: few Reddit threads name Rich Solar, and those found are complaints
- Battery: an r/SolarDIY owner's new ALPHA 5 read 6.7 V instead of 48 V, and Rich Solar's technician had not returned his call after two days (August 2023)
- Order: an r/SolarDIY buyer waited from March for an out-of-stock ground mount, then was told its price had risen from $180 to $699 and cancelled The refund took months (May 2025)
Brand rollup across scored products. 44 of 45 scored products carry this reading.
YouTubeLiTime: 7 (higher)Rich Solar: 6
LiTime
Read the full summary
- Disclosure: both testers found carry a tie
- Cleversolarpower: affiliate links and a 10% discount code Measured 102.5 Ah, then 103 Ah at 20 A on the Group 24 Bluetooth 100Ah, and a 90 mA balancing current (April 2026, about 10,000 views)
- Will Prowse: links carry a LiTime referral code Surge-tested the 100Ah Mini and 460Ah Plus with a 4,000 W inverter and a Victron MultiPlus-II, ran a 268 A continuous load and tore both down (November 2023, about 361,000 views)
Brand rollup across scored products. 1 of 25 scored products carry this reading.
Rich Solar
Read the full summary
- Will Prowse: in a test of several panels a Rich Solar 200 W mono gave 157 W, 78.5 percent of rating, and a 100 W poly 88 W He kept the poly first on his list for a small panel (May 2021, about 366,000 views)
- Disclosure: Will Prowse states every video includes paid promotion or free product and some links are affiliate links
Brand rollup across scored products. 44 of 45 scored products carry this reading.
AmazonLiTime: 7Rich Solar: 8 (higher)
Rich Solar
Read the full summary
- Seller: Rich Solar's Amazon US listings sit in a RICH SOLAR brand store sold and shipped by SUNRICH ENERGY
- Panels: the 100 W 12 V panel family reads 4.7 from 1,326 ratings, 84 percent five-star and 2 percent one-star The 200 W 12 V panel 4.6 from 519 The 200 W 24 V panel 4.3 from 252 (October 2026)
- Controller: the BRAVO 40 MPPT controller reads 3.8 from 4 ratings (October 2026)
Brand rollup across scored products. 27 of 45 scored products carry this reading.
Same score
GoogleLiTime: 5Rich Solar: 5
LiTime
Read the full summary
- All-in-one: on DIY Solar Forum an owner's 24 V 3000 W unit stopped PV charging after a month, then ran too hot to touch while off with panels connected (April 2025)
- Replacement: a second owner reports breaker trips on utility charging, menus he cannot reach and loads that stall on low settings (June 2025)
- Marine: an owner notes the newer 5000 W inverter-chargers carry an internal ground-switching relay (November 2025)
Brand rollup across scored products. 1 of 25 scored products carry this reading.
Rich Solar
Read the full summary
- Panels: DIY Solar Forum owners of Rich Solar 100 W panels reported them working as rated, one saying eight of them each pushed more than 100 W (August to September 2020)
- Defects: an owner of 20 of the 100 W poly panels saw faint snail trails after a summer and found one with a broken diode wire (January 2021)
- Controller: another found Rich Solar's MPPT controller OK but its setup and Bluetooth app in need of work (January 2021)
- Warranty: a DIY Solar Forum owner reported Rich Solar cut its CIGS panel warranty from 5 years to 1 in 2021 (June 2026) An Escape Forum owner waited six weeks on a warranty claim (August 2024)
Brand rollup across scored products. 38 of 45 scored products carry this reading.
Not enough data for either brand
- Owner reviewsLiTime: not scoredRich Solar: not scored
The scores above are our reading of the evidence below. This is the evidence.
Safety listings are recorded per product from the certifier's own directory, by model, not from the maker's wording. Most of the listings in this category can be checked in Intertek's directory of listed products.
Warranty terms
LiTime
25 of 25
Rich Solar
45 of 45
What only LiTime sells — and only Rich Solar
Not a loss for either brand. If you need one of these, the choice is already made.
Only LiTime
Nothing outside the shared categories.
Best LiTime vs best Rich Solar, category by category
The three best-scoring products each brand sells in every category they both compete in, ranked by overall score.
LiFePO4 Batteries
See all LiFePO4 Batteries products
2nd of 45 in LiFePO4
Strengths
- Very light for its capacity
- Bluetooth app monitoring built in
- Won't charge below freezing
- IP65 case
Drawbacks
- BMS rated well below 1C for its capacity
- No CAN or RS485 communication port
- No self-heatingthe heated Mini is separate
- No end-of-life capacity for the cycle rating
7th of 45 in LiFePO4
Strengths
- Built-in heater for cold charging
- Bluetooth app monitoring
- Large capacity in one case
- Good energy for its weight
Drawbacks
- Low continuous current for its capacity
- Manual and page disagree on continuous current
- Manual cycle rating well below the advertised one
- Heater runs only while a charger is connected
6th of 45 in LiFePO4
Strengths
- Most energy for a Group 31 case
- Light for its capacity
- Bluetooth monitoring built in
- Won't charge below freezing
Drawbacks
- No heating for cold-weather charging
- No CAN or RS485 communication port
- No end-of-life capacity for the cycle rating
- No manual linked from the product page
14th of 45 in LiFePO4
Strengths
- Built-in heater for cold charging
- Bluetooth app monitoring with remote on and off
- Long warranty with full replacement early on
- Weatherproof case
Drawbacks
- Cycle rating quoted at a shallow depth with no end point
- Heater runs only while a charger is connected
- No CAN or RS485 port for inverter communication
- Parallel onlyno series connection in the manual
7th of 45 in LiFePO4
Strengths
- Charges below freezing with built-in heating
- Can heat from its own charge
- Bluetooth monitoring and heating-mode control
- Short surge headroom over its BMS rating
Drawbacks
- Regular heating mode needs a strong charger
- Slow to heat from the coldest start
- No CAN or RS485 communication port
- No end-of-life capacity for the cycle rating
15th of 45 in LiFePO4
Strengths
- Very large capacity in one case
- Light for its capacity
- Built-in heater for cold charging
- Phone monitoring built in
Drawbacks
- Low continuous current for its size
- No closed-loop inverter communication
- Parallel onlyno series wiring published
- Cycle rating has no published end point
Power Inverters
See all Power Inverters products
14th of 24 in Inverters
Strengths
- Very low idle draw for its size
- Hardwire LN and G AC terminals
- Four AC outlets plus USB-A and USB-C
- Wired LCD remote on a 14.76 ft cable
Drawbacks
- Efficiency stated two ways on its own pages
- Weight stated two ways on its own pages
- No GFCI on the outlets or hardwire terminals
- No search modetransfer switch or parallel operation
1st of 24 in Inverters
Strengths
- Automatic switching to shore power
- Strong peak efficiency rating
- Search mode trims standby use
- Selectable output voltage and frequency
Drawbacks
- Does not charge the battery
- Idle draw while inverting not published
- Remote panel sold separately
- GFCI receptacle is an optional kit
17th of 24 in Inverters
Strengths
- Surge twice its continuous rating
- Four AC outlets plus a hardwire terminal block
- Wired remote shows wattsvolts and battery level
- USB-C port rated up to 12 V 1.5 A
Drawbacks
- Efficiency stated two ways on its own pages
- No no-load draw published
- Supplied cables lighter than the manual recommends
- No GFCItransfer switch, search mode or parallel operation
4th of 24 in Inverters
Strengths
- Automatic switching to shore power
- Strong peak efficiency rating
- Search mode trims standby use
- Selectable output voltage and frequency
Drawbacks
- Does not charge the battery
- Idle draw while inverting not published
- Remote panel sold separately
- GFCI receptacle is an optional kit
22nd of 24 in Inverters
Strengths
- Fast automatic switchover when the grid fails
- Grid input through its own breaker
- Wired LCD remote shows wattsvolts and battery level
- USB-C and USB-A beside the AC outlets
Drawbacks
- Efficiency just short of the next rung
- LiTime publishes no no-load draw
- Does not charge the battery from grid power
- No GFCIsearch mode or parallel operation
11th of 24 in Inverters
Strengths
- Clean pure sine output
- Low idle draw for its rating
- Hardwire terminals for a fixed install
- Built-in fuse and a full protection set
Drawbacks
- Modest rated efficiency
- Remote switch may cost extra
- No GFCItransfer switch or parallel
- Short prorated warranty
DC-DC Chargers
See all DC-DC Chargers products
9th of 16 in DC-DC
Strengths
- Built-in MPPT solar input
- ACC ignition wire for smart alternators
- Reverse charge tops up a flat starter battery
- Very low standby draw
Drawbacks
- Low solar voltage limitso 12 V panels must run in parallel
- Charging efficiency on a middle rung
- No Bluetooth or app monitoring
- Not waterproofby LiTime's own Amazon listing
4th of 16 in DC-DC
Strengths
- Charges from solar and alternator together
- Bluetooth monitoring built in
- Smart-alternator mode
- Solar can top up the starter battery
Drawbacks
- Not sealed against water
- Fixed alternator start points
- Prorated warranty
- House battery side is 12 V only
11th of 16 in DC-DC
Strengths
- Highest output rung for a DC-DC charger
- Selectable full or half output through the LC port
- Charges only with the engine on via an ignition feed
- DC Load mode powers 12 V loads directly
Drawbacks
- Charging efficiency on the lowest scored rung
- No solar input
- No Bluetooth or app monitoring
- Not waterproofby LiTime's own Amazon listing
7th of 16 in DC-DC
Strengths
- Works with smart and conventional alternators
- Half-current mode for small alternators
- Recovers over-discharged lithium batteries
- Charges lead-acid and lithium chemistries
Drawbacks
- Low rated efficiency
- Short warranty
- No solar input
- No Bluetooth or display
13th of 16 in DC-DC
Strengths
- Selectable full or half output through the LC port
- Charges only with the engine on via an ignition feed
- DC Load mode powers 12 V loads directly
- Charges STDGEL, AGM and LFP batteries
Drawbacks
- Charging efficiency on the lowest scored rung
- No solar input
- No Bluetooth or app monitoring
- Not waterproofby LiTime's own Amazon listing
12th of 16 in DC-DC
Strengths
- Works with smart and conventional alternators
- Half-current mode for small alternators
- Recovers over-discharged lithium batteries
- Charges lead-acid and lithium chemistries
Drawbacks
- Low rated efficiency
- Short warranty
- No solar input
- No Bluetooth or display
Charge Controllers
See all Charge Controllers products
3rd of 23 in Controllers
Strengths
- 100 A into 1224, 36 or 48 V banks
- High conversion efficiency
- Handles very large arrays on a 48 V bank
- Bluetooth app with password-locked settings
Drawbacks
- No DC load output
- PV voltage limit caps series strings
- IP21 case is for dryindoor mounting
- No parallel or networked operation stated
11th of 23 in Controllers
Strengths
- Phone monitoring built in
- High rated conversion efficiency
- Custom charge settings for lithium
- Auto-detects system voltage
Drawbacks
- Short warrantyprorated in year two
- No load output
- Temperature sensor costs extra
- Low PV voltage ceiling
10th of 23 in Controllers
Strengths
- 60 A into 1224, 36 or 48 V banks
- Large 30 A DC load output
- Handles big arrays on a 48 V bank
- Stops lithium charging in the cold with its sensor
Drawbacks
- No Bluetooththe Bluetooth model is $229.99
- Lower conversion efficiency
- Custom battery type reserved for testing
- PV limit stated two ways on its own pages
11th of 23 in Controllers
Strengths
- Bluetooth app monitoring built in
- Fits flush in an RV wall panel
- High conversion efficiency
- Custom charge settings for lithium
Drawbacks
- No load output terminals
- Low string voltage limit
- Temperature sensor and remote display cost extra
- Short, prorated warranty
11th of 23 in Controllers
Strengths
- Bluetooth built inread in the LiTime Solar app
- Switched DC load with timer and dusk modes
- Charge voltages can be set by hand
- Stops lithium charging in the cold with its sensor
Drawbacks
- Low PV voltage limit restricts series strings
- Efficiency stated two ways on its own pages
- No parallel or networked operation stated
- IP32 case is for dryindoor mounting
15th of 23 in Controllers
Strengths
- Phone monitoring built in
- High rated conversion efficiency
- Custom charge settings for lithium
- Auto-detects system voltage
Drawbacks
- Short warrantyprorated in year two
- No load output
- Temperature sensor costs extra
- Low PV voltage ceiling
LiTime vs Rich Solar: the numbers
LiTime vs Rich Solar: common questions
Is LiTime or Rich Solar better?
LiTime 5.4 from 25 scored products; Rich Solar 5.1 from 45.
What is the biggest difference between LiTime and Rich Solar?
Warranty & Support: LiTime medians 3.0, Rich Solar medians 1.0 (LiTime by 2.0).
What does Rich Solar make that LiTime does not?
Rich Solar sells rigid solar panels, flexible solar panels, and portable solar panels; LiTime does not, in the products we scored.
Which LiTime and Rich Solar lifepo4 batteries should I buy?
LiTime: LiTime 12V 320Ah Mini Bluetooth LiFePO4 Battery. Rich Solar: Rich Solar ALPHA 3 PRO 12V 314Ah Heated LiFePO4 Battery.
How does Stuff VS Things score LiTime and Rich Solar?
Our own product medians: 25 LiTime and 45 Rich Solar. A criterion is compared only where both brands clear the floor.
Other comparisons
Scores calculated 15 October 2026 · Products excluded where fewer than two independent sources cover them · · How we score