8 Best USB Hubs (2025), Tested and Reviewed

The statement betwixt USB hubs and docking stations tin beryllium fuzzy. But to put it simply, docking stations usually impact connecting aggregate displays to your device, while USB hubs are only for different accessories.

USB hubs are small, portable devices you tin plug straight into a larboard connected your laptop to get other USB ports, SD paper readers, headphone jacks, and different connections that your machine whitethorn not have. However, if you scheme connected regularly connecting your laptop to a full-blown workstation—with a keyboard, mouse, monitors, nan full shebang—then you mightiness want to see a docking position instead.

USB docking stations are larger, much expensive, and are designed to walk astir of their clip connected your desk. They typically person a powerfulness proviso to complaint different devices and connection aggregate show outputs, positive Ethernet connections. If you often usage your laptop astatine a table and request to link aggregate monitors aliases high-powered accessories, you'll want a docking station.

USB hubs should beryllium elemental devices, but apparently it's not imaginable to make One Port to Rule Them All without things getting a small messy. We person a full explainer here, but if you conscionable want to get nan basics earlier you bargain your hub, present are a fewer things to support successful mind.

Ports speeds matter; type numbers don't. It's tempting to look astatine a USB 3.2 explanation and presume it's faster than USB 3.0, but unfortunately, that's not nan case. In fact, galore manufacturers person started defaulting to penning nan velocity of individual ports straight onto nan instrumentality itself, alternatively than relying connected type numbers connected spec sheets.

Use Thunderbolt for your astir data-hungry devices. Thunderbolt is simply a beefed-up type of USB, developed by Intel and Apple, that uses nan aforesaid USB-C larboard you're acquainted with. These tin transportation huge amounts of information (up to 40 Gbps for Thunderbolt 3 and 4), which makes them perfect for things for illustration SSDs, 4K and 8K displays, aliases monitors pinch ultrahigh framework rates for gaming. We're now up to Thunderbolt 5, which is slow making its measurement into immoderate laptops. (Make judge your laptop larboard supports Thunderbolt.)

Don't hide nan power. Most USB hubs will tie energy straight from your laptop to powerfulness immoderate devices connected to it, but they evidently request to return up a larboard to do so. However, immoderate hubs support USB Power Delivery (or USB-PD, sometimes marketed arsenic “passthrough charging”) which allows you to plug a charger into 1 of nan ports connected nan hub truthful you tin support charging your laptop while you plug successful each your other gadgets.

It would beryllium bully if you could plug a USB 3.2 instrumentality into a USB 3.2 larboard utilizing a USB 3.2 cablegram and spot that it each works. Unfortunately, it's measurement much analyzable than that.

When USB 3.0 came retired successful 2008 it had a max velocity of astir 5 Gbps. However, erstwhile USB 3.1 came retired successful 2013 pinch a max velocity of 10 Gbps, nan 5-Gbps type was renamed to USB 3.1 Gen 1, while nan new, faster spec was USB 3.1 Gen 2. Confused yet? Well, it gets worse. When USB 3.2 came retired successful 2019, nan 5-Gbps USB was rebranded again to “USB 3.2 Gen 1,” nan 10-Gbps type became “USB 3.2 Gen 2,” and nan caller 20-Gbps spec became—you guessed it—USB 3.2 Gen 2x2. … Wait, what? The “2x2” refers to moving 2 10 Gbps lanes of information simultaneously and … you don't request to cognize each of this. Many hub manufacturers person fixed up connected names, labels, and symbols. They've conscionable started printing nan maximum velocity adjacent to ports directly.

What this intends for you is that if you're utilizing older retention devices aliases accessories, you whitethorn want to look up nan circumstantial procreation of USB if velocity matters to you. A instrumentality marketed arsenic “USB 3.0” respective years agone and a instrumentality marketed arsenic “USB 3.2” coming could perchance person identical transportation speeds if nan shaper is little than forthcoming pinch procreation names aliases transportation velocity ratings.

There are various generations of USB, pinch different capabilities and speeds, positive ports that look akin but do different things. There are a fewer cardinal position you should cognize erstwhile shopping for a USB hub:

USB 2.X/USB 3.X/USB 4: Every USB instrumentality is built to immoderate type of nan USB specification, chiefly characterized by really overmuch information they tin transportation and really overmuch powerfulness they tin present (or astatine least, those are nan main things you request to attraction about). While astir of these devices are inter-operable arsenic agelong arsenic they usage nan aforesaid port, nan full concatenation will conform to nan slowest portion of nan chain. Say you plug a USB 3.2 SSD into a USB 3.2 larboard connected your computer, but usage a USB 3.0 cable—data will only transportation astatine USB 3.0 speeds. Make judge each nexus successful your concatenation is rated for nan velocity you need.

USB Power Delivery (or USB-PD): If your laptop, tablet, aliases different instrumentality doesn't person capable USB ports, you mightiness beryllium forced to take betwixt charging aliases plugging successful accessories. USB-PD ports fto you span this spread by plugging a charger into nan hub to proviso powerfulness to nan laptop (and thing other connected to nan hub that needs it. You'll spot this referred to arsenic “pass-through charging" though it's not an charismatic specification. You'll want to make judge nan wattage this USB-C larboard supports tin grip what your laptop needs. A MacBook Pro typically needs 96 watts during aggravated workloads (though you tin still complaint them astatine little wattage), truthful you'd request a 100-watt USB-C larboard connected nan hub.

USB-C and USB-A: These position mention to nan beingness style of nan connectors and ports connected devices. USB-C is communal and looks for illustration a small, elongated oval. It's besides reversible, truthful you can't plug it successful nan incorrect way. USB-A is nan older, rectangular larboard you've seen for years. There are a batch much types of USB connectors, but these are nan 2 you're astir apt to spot successful astir hubs.

Thunderbolt is an Intel-owned modular made successful collaboration pinch Apple that uses nan aforesaid USB-C connector arsenic emblematic USB devices. However, location are definite other requirements that person to beryllium met earlier a instrumentality tin gain nan Thunderbolt label.

Higher transportation speeds. Thunderbolt ports are designed to transportation monolithic amounts of information compared to nan USB-C ports they often beryllium beside. Thunderbolt 3 and 4, for example, scope speeds up to 40 Gbps while the caller Thunderbolt 5 reaches a ludicrous 80 Gbps (or up to 120 Gbps erstwhile utilized for unidirectional connections for illustration outputs to displays).

Display output support. Thunderbolt ports are designed to make it easier to link outer displays. Most Thunderbolt ports tin astatine slightest support up to 1 4K display, pinch much modern versions for illustration Thunderbolt 4 supporting aggregate 4K displays. Thunderbolt 5 is group to grow this moreover further pinch support for aggregate 8K displays, aliases respective 4K displays astatine super precocious refresh rates.

Compatibility pinch USB. While Thunderbolt is its ain specification, it's still cross-compatible pinch USB ports. However, immoderate connections will default to nan slowest nexus successful nan chain. The bully news is, arsenic agelong arsenic your instrumentality has a USB-C connection, you tin plug it into a Thunderbolt larboard and it will activity fine. Just, possibly a small slower.

In a word: Absolutely. Getting a hub that's tin of monolithic information transportation speeds won't matter overmuch if immoderate cables you usage aren't tin of those aforesaid speeds. This is an easy point to place because astir cables don't person labels that show you what speeds they support. Fortunately, location are a fewer things you tin do to guarantee you're utilizing nan correct cable:

Use nan cablegram that came pinch your device. The simplest measurement to guarantee that a cablegram is tin of getting nan speeds you request is to usage nan 1 that comes pinch immoderate instrumentality you have. For example, if you person an outer SSD, there's a bully chance that nan USB cablegram that came pinch it will support nan fastest velocity nan SSD can.

Check nan container aliases listing for specs. Some manufacturers will database nan type (and generation) of nan USB cablegram connected nan container aliases online listing wherever you sewage nan cable, aliases nan instrumentality it came with. Some manufacturers will only database nan type of USB connector aliases only mention nan type (like “USB 3.2”) without mentioning nan procreation (like “Gen 2x2”) making it difficult to deduce nan existent speed.

Look for speeds, alternatively than nan USB version. Since USB specs tin beryllium confusing, galore manufacturers person resorted to listing speeds directly. Many cables, including those successful our Best USB-C Cables guide, will database their maximum speeds directly, skipping each nan confusing jargon.