Laptops have become powerful enough for people to use them as their primary productivity machine, but they often come with a tradeoff: fewer ports. This can make it difficult to connect all of your peripherals and accessories, especially if you're working from home or in a professional environment. That's where USB-C docking stations come in, helping you turn a single USB-C port into a plethora of ports.

Best USB-C Docking Station Overall: Anker 575 USB-C Docking Station

The Anker 575 USB-C Docking Station is by far the most well-rounded USB-C dock available. It offers 13 ports of connectivity and plenty of power delivery for charging your laptop and accessories at quite a reasonable price.

The dock comes with a huge 135W power adapter that helps it deliver up to 85W of charging power to the host laptop and 18W for accessories via one of the two downstream USB-C ports. It can drive three external monitors in 1080p and a single monitor in 4K at 60Hz. Unfortunately, it only supports one extended display on Macs.

You also get two downstream 10Gbps USB-C ports, three 5Gbps USB-A ports, SD card slots, a microphone and headphone combo audio slot, and an Ethernet jack. While it's not particularly sleek or compact, it delivers everything required to turn any USB-C laptop into a powerhouse.

Best USB-C Docking Station For Professionals: UGreen Revodok Pro 312 USB-C Docking Station

An ideal choice for professionals, the UGREEN Revodok Pro 312 USB-C Docking Station offers plenty of scope for expansion, thanks to 12 charging ports that allow you to connect just about any device. With support for three additional displays (and up to 8K, no less), this dock doesn't play around.

Catering to even the most demanding of workloads, the Revodok Pro 312 is more than effective at streamlining your setup. Boasting super-fast data transfer speeds of up to 10Gbps, a 100W charging port, and a 100W GaN charger providing up to 85W charging for your laptop, there'll be no dip in your productivity with this impressive unit.

It's expensive and not particularly portable, but if you're after an all-powerful docking station that supports a more static desktop setup, the Revodok Pro 312 is the dock you need.

Best Value USB-C Docking Station: Plugable UD-6950pdh USB-C dual 4K Docking Station

The Plugable UD-6950PDH is another USB-C docking station that uses DisplayLink technology to support dual extended 4K displays at 60Hz on Windows and macOS laptops, including the latest M1 and M2 MacBooks. The dock allows you to connect two monitors via HDMI, DisplayPort, or a combination of both to add two extra screens for improved productivity.

The UD-6950PDH offers various connectivity options, including five USB-A ports for peripherals, an Ethernet port, SD and microSD card slots, and two audio slots for headphones and microphones. Additionally, the included AC adapter allows for charging the host laptop at up to 100W, making it suitable for power-hungry laptops. Overall, the UD-6950PDH offers a solid set of features for its price point.

Best portable USB-C Docking Station: OWC USB-C Travel Dock E

The USB-C Travel Dock E from OWC is suitable if you want something to carry around with you. It's a mini dock designed to be portable and versatile, allowing users to connect multiple devices to their laptops while on the go. While it's not overloaded with ports, it has just enough to expand the capabilities of any USB-C laptop.

This dock can help you be more productive while on the go by allowing you to connect to an external display with a resolution of up to 4K at 60Hz to your laptop, transfer data between devices, and connect multiple USB-A peripherals such as a keyboard and mouse. It also has an Ethernet port for connecting to high-speed wired networks.

The dock is small enough to fit in most backpacks and doesn't require external power. Even better, it has a 100W USB-C PD port that can pass through up to 92W to the host laptop when plugged in. The only downside with this dock is that the USB-C port only supports power input, not data transfer.

Best Multi-Display USB-C Docking Station: Plugable USB-C triple 4K Display Docking Station (UD-Ultc4k)

Plugable makes high-quality and reliable triple monitor docking stations, and its latest offering, the Plugable UD-ULTC4K, is another great choice for power users and multitaskers.

This docking station shines in the display department. With three DisplayPort and three HDMI ports, you can use either HDMI or DisplayPort or a mix of both to connect up to three 4K/60Hz monitors to your laptop. It also stands out for its ability to connect to 4K monitors at 60Hz.

There's also a power supply, so you can charge your laptop right out of the box, and an extra 10Gbps USB-C port with a power output of 20W for connecting modern accessories and charging devices such as smartphones, tablets, and other USB-C-enabled devices. There are also separate audio jacks for microphones and headphones, a Gigabit Ethernet jack, an essential SD card slot for creators, and four USB-A ports.

FAQ

Q: What is a USB-C dock used for, and why do I need one?

A USB-C dock or docking station provides a handy solution for connecting multiple devices to your laptop via a single cable. With a limited number of USB ports on most laptops, there are only so many devices you can plug in at one time. Using a USB-C docking station means nothing needs to be left out, and you can comfortably connect everything you need to work productively.

Q: Why are USB-C docks so expensive?

Simply put, USB-C docking stations require great power to run your devices efficiently. Therefore, they need to house a large power adapter to cope with the strain of powering all your connected devices. And often, the power adapter will be bigger than that of the laptop it's connected to.

Q: What is the difference between Thunderbolt and USB-C docks?

Thunderbolt docks provide faster speeds than a USB-C dock, with greater power delivery and expandability. Typically, they have higher data transfer speeds and a greater variety of ports than their USB-C counterparts. On the flip side, Thunderbolt docks tend to be larger than USB-C ones and require a separate adapter in order to be compatible with some newer devices.