The Best USB Hubs and Docks for Connecting All Your Gadgets
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Best USB-C HubAnker 5-in-1 USB-C HubRead more
A Basic USB-A HubAmazonBasics 4 Port USB HubRead more
Best for TabletsTwelve South StayGo MiniRead more
Best If You Need External StorageSatechi USB-C Hybrid Multiport AdapterRead more
Your laptop never has enough ports–especially if it's the Macbook Air this guide was written on. That forces you to carry an array of dongles so you can plug everything in. Fortunately, there's a better way. USB hubs can expand the number and kind of ports available, and USB docks let you turn a laptop into a full-blown workstation with one plug. After testing several different USB hubs and docks, these are the best we've found for different needs.
Looking for other home office gizmos and gadgets? We've got a number of guides that can help, like our Best Work From Home Gear, Best USB Flash Drive, and Best Portable External Storage Drives roundups.
Update May 2023: We added the Anker 568 and Anker 778 docks.
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There's a grey area between USB hubs and docks since they technically do (mostly) the same thing: add more ports and connectors to your computer. However, there are some slight differences and it's worth understanding them before you buy one.
USB hubs are smaller, cheaper dongles that can add extra USB ports, SD card readers, display outputs, or a headphone jack. These often don't supply extra power, so you might be unable to charge gadgets plugged into them. They're also portable enough to throw in your laptop bag to use at home and on the go.
USB docks are often larger, more expensive, and are designed to spend most of their time on your desk. They often come with their own power supply, so they can charge other devices, and have multiple monitor outputs and Ethernet connections. If you frequently use your laptop at a desk, a dock can let you quickly connect it to a keyboard, mouse, monitors, and any other peripherals you need simultaneously.
- Photograph: Anker
Best USB-C Hub
Anker 5-in-1 USB-C HubThis Anker USB hub is the one I carry in my camera bag everywhere. It plugs into the USB-C port on your laptop and provides two USB-A 3.0 ports, an HDMI output, and both a full-size and a MicroSD card reader. It's a versatile little thing that lets you plug in peripherals to your laptop, transfer data between your devices, and hook up your laptop to a projector or monitor at a moment's notice (provided you have an HDMI cable). Best of all, it's quite affordable.
Connects via USB-C
- Photograph: Amazon
A Basic USB-A Hub
AmazonBasics 4 Port USB HubDon't have a USB-C port on your laptop? This AmazonBasics hub will do the trick, even if it's about as bare-bones as hubs can get. It plugs into one USB-A port and gives you four more, supporting up to USB 3.0 speeds. You can use the hub by itself to plug in peripherals or flash drives, but if you jack in the included power adapter, the hub can charge gadgets plugged into it.
Connects via USB-A
- Photograph: Twelve South
Best for Tablets
Twelve South StayGo MiniThe USB-C port on recent iPad models means you're often forced to choose between charging or plugging in an accessory. This hub from Twelve South can fix that without adding too much bulk. It plugs directly into the USB-C port on the bottom of the tablet and offers up a headphone jack (yay!), a USB-A port, an HDMI output, and an extra USB-C port. It also comes with a short USB-C extension cable—handy if you have a thick case over your iPad that obscures the port a bit.
Twelve South recommends it for iPads, but we've used it with MacBooks and other laptops with no issues. Check out our Best iPad Accessories guide for more.
Connects via USB-C
- Photograph: Satechi
Best If You Need External Storage
Satechi USB-C Hybrid Multiport AdapterWouldn't it be nice if the USB hub you carry around with you had some storage of its own? This one from Satechi can (sort of) do that. In addition to the extra USB ports and 4K HDMI output it provides, it's also an external M.2 solid state drive enclosure. Open the panel on the back and you can slot in an internal SSD card and access it whenever you plug the hub into your computer. It's an incredibly handy feature that, frankly, more USB hubs and docks should include.
Just know that the M.2 SATA SSD is not included. One-terabyte drives like this one from Western Digital or this one from Samsung will do the job. (They come in other storage sizes too.)
Connects via USB-C
- Photograph: Plugable
Best Docking Station
Plugable UD-3900CThis USB-C dock from Plugable has been reliable for WIRED reviews editor Julian Chokkattu for well more than a year. It plugs into an external power supply, helping it power six USB-A ports (two USB 3.0, four USB 2.0), two HDMI for external monitors, and gigabit Ethernet. The dock can be laid flat on the desk or stood up vertically, and it conveniently has separate ports for a microphone and headphones on the front. What's great about the UD-3900C is that it includes a hybrid cable with USB-A or USB-C ends to plug into your laptop—so it doesn't matter whether or not your laptop has a USB-C port. Just know that it doesn't charge your laptop.
Connects via USB-C or USB-A
- Photograph: Plugable
Best Multi-Monitor Docking Station
Plugable USB-C Triple Display Docking StationIf you use more than one monitor, then this Plugable dock is an upgrade option that might be better. It supports up to three displays at once—either HDMI or DisplayPort for each—and can output up to 60 watts of power to charge your laptop. The dock was a little finicky when switching between a Windows desktop and MacBook, but if you stick with one platform, it should be fine.
The dock has six USB 3.0 ports (two on the front, four in the rear) and a gigabit Ethernet port on the back. This makes it extremely easy to plug your laptop into a workstation with a single plug and instantly switch to a multi-monitor setup.
Connects via USB-C
- Photograph: Anker
A More Robust Multi-Monitor Dock
Anker 568 Thunderbolt Docking StationThis dock is pricier than the multi-monitor dock above, so it's not the first one I'd recommend. However, it has a much higher 100-watt output via its USB 4.0 charging port, which is one of its three USB-C ports. That means it can charge high-power laptops under load. It also has two DisplayPorts and one HDMI port (as opposed to the three HDMI ports on the Plugable dock above). Anker's 568 dock has more power across the board, but it comes at a premium, so unless you're sure you need the extra beef, it's probably safer to go with something cheaper. But this dock is well-suited to a modern, high-power system and performs really well there.
Connects via USB-C
- Photograph: Satechi
A Luxury Dock for Beefy Workstations
Satechi Thunderbolt 4 DockThis indulgent dock from Satechi comes with three Thunderbolt 4 connectors (as well as a fourth for plugging into your laptop), which means you can get some of the fastest data transfer speeds available today, provided your laptop or PC supports the Thunderbolt 4 standard too. You also get three USB-A 3.0 ports, gigabit Ethernet, a combo headphone/mic jack, and an SD card reader. It also comes with its own power supply to help keep all the gadgets you plug into it running. It's among the priciest dock I tested, but if you do a lot of heavy-duty tasks like transferring 4K video footage or hooking your laptop up to multiple 4K monitors, this is the dock that's going to serve your needs.
Connects via USB-C
- Photograph: Anker
An Overly Indulgent Dock for Up to Four Monitors
Anker 778 Thunderbolt Docking StationDo you have an 8K display? Or perhaps four different 4K monitors? Is your workstation so robust it can reasonably be described as a control room? If so, the Anker 778 might be the best fit for you. It supports up to 100-watt charging via a Thunderbolt 4 port, and it has one HDMI and two DisplayPort plugs that can each support up to 8K at 30 frames per second, plus another Thunderbolt 4 downstream port. With all these combined, you can add up to four 4K displays, which is nuts. That might explain the absurdly high price tag.
Connects via USB-C
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