Best Thunderbolt docks 2024: Extend your laptop’s capabilities

Why I like the Plugable TBT3-UDZ

Plugable’s TBT3-UDZ has at various times been my best overall and runner-up, depending on price swings. Because of the similarities between Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 4, there’s no harm in buying a Thunderbolt 3 dock, as the performance is the same. But (for now, anyway), the Plugable TBT3-UDZ is just a few dollars more expensive than our runner-up pick, the Kensington SD5780T, and is far more flexible in terms of what it of what it offers. Plugable’s dock simply offers much more flexibility for a comparable price.

Put simply, the TBT3-UDZ is in a class of premium docks that don’t force you to pick a particular display cable — if you own a pair of monitors with DisplayPort cables, you can plug them right in. Oh, they’re HDMI? No problem — there are two ports for those, too. Powered ports to charge a smartphone? Sure. SD and microSD slots? Of course. And a vertical stand to save space? Sign me up.

Plugable also has a reputation for bulletproof customer service, too, which goes far in helping me recommend this dock.

Who should buy the Plugable TBT3-UDZ

Our best picks are designed for everyone, but this dock offers the most value of our top two recommendations. If you have an existing display cable to connect to a monitor or two, you have everything you need. It’s a no-fuss solution.

This dock works best on a desktop, as part of a permanent docking station. We’d also recommend the TBT3-UDZ for those who want to save a bit of desk space, as that vertical stand can be slipped next to a display to save space.

Why I like the Kensington SD5780T

One of my testing credoes is “affordable flexibility,” and I favor a dock that will fit into your existing setup. Plugable’s TBT3-UDZ, above, is about as flexible as you can get, but the Kensington SD5780T was originally substantially cheaper. Not any more, which is why I’ve elevated the TBT3-UDZ to “best pick” status.

The Kensington SD578T, however, is a solid all-around Thunderbolt 4 dock in all respects. For those who wish to use a single 4K monitor, chances are that you’ll already own an HDMI cable. The additional Thunderbolt 4 port allows you to add an additional display, but that requires the purchase of an additional cable. Still, in my tests the dock was stable (and not all are!) with a nice port selection. The dock will charge your smartphone, albeit with a USB-A port.

I really like the Anker 568 as a second runner-up, with a marvelous collection of features for an affordable price.

Who should buy the Kensington SD5780T

The SD5780T is an ideal “starter” dock, for someone who has a laptop and a single external display and might want to add more in the future. Adding a second display will require the purchase of a USB-C (Thunderbolt) to HDMI cable, which will cost an additional $20 or so. The inclusion of the SD card slot should appeal to photographers who record photo or video on those cards.

Why I like the Belkin Thunderbolt 3 Dock Core

Belkin’s Thunderbolt 3 Dock Core is a smartly designed “powered” Thunderbolt 3 travel dock, and an inexpensive one as well. It’s one of the most compact Thunderbolt docks that you can buy.

At a nearly square 5.2 x 6.5 x 1.5 inches, the Thunderbolt Dock Core doesn’t take up much room, and the included 8-inch Thunderbolt 3 cord provides ample length for flexibility. Ports are adequately spaced around the flat, black plastic cube, with HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort 1.4 ports providing a stable 4K/60Hz experience to both of my 4K displays. There’s Gigabit Ethernet and a 3.5mm audio jack. Unfortunately, the USB 3.1 and USB 2.0 Type A ports aren’t labeled, but they’re there.

Amazon almost always has this dock on a big sale, so it’s an inexpensive option for most people, too.

Who should buy the Belkin Thunderbolt 3 Dock Core

If you’re a traveler and don’t exactly know where you’ll end up working, Belkin’s dock is a good failsafe. I usually stick it in my bag when I’m on the road, just in case. The only real kicker that you have to watch out for it is the lack of a powered charger. That can result in some peripherals not receiving as much power as they should.

The squarish, “star” design is quite nice for working at a small hotel desk, though.

Why I like the Ugreen Revodok Pro 13-in-1 Triple Display Docking Station

The only reason that this isn’t my pick for the best budget Thunderbolt docking station is because it appears to use a generic form of compression known as HBR3 (High Bit Rate 3) with DSC (Display Stream Compression), which is built into the DisplayPort spec. That’s a particular technology that is more common within recent Intel Core (and Core Ultra) laptops, but isn’t guaranteed to appear on yours. (If you own a laptop with a Thunderbolt port, though, this should work just fine.) You’ll also have to supply your own USB-C power cable.

Otherwise, this docking station has so much to offer. The price is outstanding, of course, but Ugreen’s dock is also so flexible yet so stable. Everything’s well labeled, and the dock offers DisplayPort as well as HDMI options. And it’s really quite portable, too. Just remember that charger.

Who should buy the Ugreen Revodok Pro 13-in-1 Triple Display Docking Station

It’s interesting that both of our budget picks cater to budget shoppers as well as travelers, as both are compact and relatively lightweight. But I’d really recommend this dock for those who own laptops with 13th-gen Core hardware or above. HBR3/DSC technology really doesn’t work on older systems like 11th-gen Core hardware and older PCs. If you own an AMD Ryzen laptop, too, it may be a little iffy.

Why I like the Kensington Thunderbolt 4/USB 4 Quad Video Docking Station (SD5800T)

I ultimately ruled out the SD5800T as a candidate for the best overall Thunderbolt dock because the price is all over the map: $379 is way too much, but Amazon’s $229.99 price makes this a bargain for what this 16-in-1 dock delivers. Like the Plugable TBT3-UDZ above, this dock features four display ports (two DisplayPort, two HDMI) with a twist — it can connect to all four displays at 4K resolution, and not just two. (Sonnet’s Echo 20 Thunderbolt 4 SuperDock has its own gimmick, which I considered but ruled out: an integrated M.2 storage slot.)

The dock can support four displays by using the CDC/HBR3 data compression technique mentioned elsewhere, which modern laptops include but older laptops do not. For me, this quad-display capability is a bonus, and it will handle the expected two 4K displays just fine, and at a reasonable price. About the only thing I didn’t like was that one charging port didn’t work as expected. But it has a spare, too! — and that worked as expected. This is a solid, ultra-premium dock at a good price, which is why it earns my endorsement. A vertical stand helps save space.

Who should buy the Kensington Thunderbolt 4/USB 4 Quad Video Docking Station (SD5800T)

Thunderbolt 4 and USB4 are basically identical, which Kensington calls out in its name. Any laptop owner could buy this dock. Nevertheless, the flexibility may be overkill for some, and only a small fraction of buyers will want to connect four separate displays to this dock. Unless you’re worried about Thunderbolt 5 (and a enthusiast buyer of the SD5800T may be) this is an investment that should hold up for several years.

Why I like the Razer Thunderbolt 4 Dock Chroma

I was surprised by how much I like this dock. Still, I agonized over this pick. OWC’s Thunderbolt Go Dock was our prior pick, and I liked its gimmick: an integrated power brick that allows it to be taken on the road, sort of. Razer’s Chroma dock also has a gimmick: its RGB. But this dock also forces you to buy extra display cables if you want to connect two 4K displays, which normally turns me off. As one of the more modern docks, with rock-solid stability, it won me over in the end, though its storage performance was middling.

The RGB lighting is fun, and optional — it can be turned off. Overall, the Chroma is the better dock, but if you don’t want to spend the extra money, consider OWC’s dock instead. Frankly, the Kensington SD5780T top pick runner-up shares a lot of the same functionality as both the OWC and the Razer docks, so price plays a factor here.

Who should buy the Razer Thunderbolt 4 Dock Chroma

Gamers, obviously. But even a stodgy old reporter like me likes it, because the RGB can either be fixed to a certain color or turned off entirely. And the dock surprised me with its stability and construction. You can certainly buy this dock for its blingy aesthetic, but it works just as well as a more down-to-earth alternative, too. Razer did a very nice job balancing both aspects.

Why I like the Plugable 5-in-1 Thunderbolt Hub (USB4-HUB3A)

How does a Thunderbolt hub differ from a Thunderbolt dock? In this case, there’s less of an emphasis on legacy ports, and more of a focus on a direct connection to a display. The Mac world tends to emphasize Thunderbolt-connected displays far more than the Windows world does, so this might be a niche product for most of you. But this thing is tiny (4.75 x 2.88 x 0.5 inches) even if, unfortunately, the associated power brick isn’t.

It will send 15W of power via the Thunderbolt/USB-C connections to charge smartphones, and 60W to the host PC.

If you don’t need a big, bulky dock with multiple connections, Plugable’s 5-in-1 Hub just does the job and without any extra fuss. If your laptop needs more power than the 60W Plugable hub provides, then I would recommend the Satechi Thunderbolt 4 Slim Hub Pro instead.

Who should buy the Plugable 5-in-1 Thunderbolt Hub (USB4-HUB3A)

Thunderbolt displays are prevalent in the Mac market, but this hub can be used for an emerging market of Thunderbolt/USB-C monitors. They’ll likely become more prevalent in the future.

But connecting a cable from each port on your laptop to each display is messy. You’d still like just one. The hub works as a “splitter” of sorts for the Thunderbolt connection.

Put another way, if you own a USB-C monitor, those displays tend to also have legacy ports (USB-A, USB-C) inside them, which means that a Thunderbolt dock and its cluster of ports may be redundant. This hub is a way to save a little money for the user who has a specific setup.

Why I like the Anker 568 USB-C Docking Station

Two power ports on the front: They’re a delightful little detail that I wish other vendors would adopt as well. As you may have read elsewhere in this roundup, USB4 and Thunderbolt4 are basically identical, so you might be wondering why we’re even separating out this category. Well, if you’re a notebook owner with an AMD Ryzen chip inside, you might be looking for dedicated dock, and this is a very good one. Quite frankly, this Anker 568 is in the running for the best overall docking station.

This 11-in-1 docking station favors DisplayPort, with two DisplayPort 1.4 ports, and a single HDMI 2.0 video port. The Anker 568’s distinguishing feature, however, is the pair of 10Gbps USB-C ports on the front, each supplying 30W of power as well as a separate 100W connection to the laptop. That’s quite unusual, and the two ports should fast-charge a smartphone and possibly even a tablet.

Who should buy the Anker 568 USB-C Docking Station

If you own a notebook with a Ryzen CPU inside, and you want the confidence that this dock has been tested to ensure USB4 compatibility, this is the dock for you. You’ll also want to buy it if you charge multiple phones or use high-powered peripherals, such as a high-end SSD.

I really like this dock, and I’d recommend it to about anyone. It does lack microSD and SD card slots, though, which may rule it out for photographers.

Why I like the Plugable USB4 Dual HDMI Docking Station (UD-4VPD)

Plugable’s dock claims dual 4K120 capability, which unfortunately I wasn’t able to test at the time of the review. But the dock offered a stable connection to the connected devices, with the ability to charge smartphones as well. Anker’s 568 dock edges it out in price and slightly in display flexibility, but lacks the SD card slot that the Plugable includes.

Who should buy the Plugable USB4 Dual HDMI Docking Station (UD-4VPD)?

This is a general-purpose USB4 dock, which can be adopted by anyone. But it’s best suited for laptops with a Ryzen chip inside, and for photographers that need the SD card slots that the Anker 568 doesn’t provide.

Why Macworld likes the Sonnet Echo 20 Thunderbolt 4 SuperDock

This recommendation comes courtesy of our colleagues at Macworld, who have compiled their own list of best Thunderbolt docking stations for the Apple Mac market. “Boasting an impressive 19 top-rated ports, Thunderbolt 4 certified, and with a bonus internal SSD storage feature, the Sonnet Echo 20 Thunderbolt SuperDock offers remarkable value for money,” Macworld concludes.

I haven’t reviewed this dock myself, but there’s an undeniable surplus of ports, and an SSD enclosure. I suspect that this particular feature may become more common over time. And it’s reasonably priced, too.

Who should buy the Sonnet Echo 20 Thunderbolt 4 SuperDock

Think of this dock as a more full-featured version of our Thunderbolt 4 hub recommendation, above. Though this recommendation is targeted at Mac users, there’s no reason that an owner of a Windows PC couldn’t buy this dock, too. If you’re trying to save space on your desk but also want an external SSD, this hybrid dock could serve both needs.

Why I liked the Ugreen 9-in-1 USB-C (Revodok) Docking Station CM615

Like some of our premium Thunderbolt docks, Ugreen provides options to use either HDMI or DisplayPort to connect a display, allowing you to use your existing display cables and save some money.

Like most DisplayLink docks, this dock was unusually stable, with no flickering between displays — one of the reasons I like DisplayLink docks. Some other Thunderbolt docks offer the same flexibility to shift between monitors, but not many. Ugreen’s dock does so affordably.

Who should buy the Ugreen 9-in-1 USB-C (Revodok) Docking Station CM615

If you’re not worried about hunting down the proper software driver (because Ugreen, bless them, does not make it apparent that it needs one) than I would recommend that you buy this dock. It offers many of the features of more expensive Thunderbolt docks at an affordable price.

Why I liked the Sonnet Echo 13 Triple 4K Display Dock

Sonnet’s Echo 13 Triple 4K Display Dock follows the intriguing path other DisplayLink docks have blazed: The dock’s built-in compression means you can connect to three 4K displays, without penalty. And yes, it works as advertised, though with one issue that holds it back: spotty audio that really needs to be fixed. (If you use your laptop’s headphone jack, there’s no issue.)

There was a tiny bit of instability, but performance was excellent. And with 20W of charging power for your phone and 100W for your laptop, you’ll be able to power a wider range of notebook options.

Who should buy the Sonnet Echo 13 Triple 4K Display Dock

The price differential between the Sonnet and Ugreen docks should help answer that question: The Sonnet buyer is willing to pay a little more for what is really a well-made and well-documented dock, with clear instructions. Really, without the price differential and the audio issues, this would be the top dock in the category.