5 Of The Best MacBook Docking Stations On Amazon, Ranked By Real Customers – BGR

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Although Apple has been slightly more generous in the recent MacBook Pro models, the company is notorious for not providing enough ports in its Mac laptops. This results in folks struggling to connect multiple peripherals, displays, and storage devices to their MacBooks. Fortunately, MacBook docking stations are here to save the day and expand the port selection on your Mac laptop; whether it’s a MacBook Air, Pro, or the vanilla MacBook of yesteryears.

Docking stations or USB-C hubs are nifty gadgets that come with a varying selection of ports and connect to Thunderbolt (TB) or regular USB-C ports on your MacBook, allowing you to connect more devices than you typically can with your Mac’s default port selection.

However, getting a suitable docking station can be overwhelming, given the number of choices in the market. So, here are five of the best Mac-compatible docking stations and USB-C hubs that are available on Amazon and have received good reviews from buyers.

Satechi’s Slim Pro Hub is a nifty little USB-C dock that seamlessly attaches to modern MacBooks, expanding the port selection to seven different ports. It has been designed to avoid getting in the way of the MagSafe port on your MacBook, a problem present in the older USB-C hubs with a similar design that were released in an era when Apple had removed MagSafe from its Mac laptops.

The highlight of this hub is the included USB4 40Gbps port, which can pass up to 100W of power and supports up to 6K 60Hz displays, making it ideal for connecting fast external storage drives, displays, or charging your laptop. In other USB ports, you get a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port, and two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports. Unfortunately, none of these ports have power delivery capabilities, making them only suitable for peripherals and storage drives. Satechi has also added an HDMI port that can handle up to 4K 60Hz displays, and two slots to accommodate your microSD and SD cards.

The USB-C hub looks premium and sleek, thanks to its aluminum build. However, this also means it carries a premium price tag of $80, and many buyers on Amazon find it to be slightly expensive for what it offers. Another drawback highlighted by some buyers is the tight fit of its USB-A ports, which can be a hassle. Still, it has managed to garner an excellent average rating of 4.4 from over 700 reviews.

The Anker 332 USB-C Hub is a no-nonsense dock for your MacBook that’ll satisfy the essential needs of most people. It’s compact, simple, and compatible with most MacBook models. Despite its small footprint, the Anker dock doesn’t compromise on the basics: This dock is suitable for data transfer, display output, and power delivery needs. 

Anker’s hub houses two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports and one USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C port; all three of these ports can be used for external storage drives or peripherals, but there is no power delivery support. There is another USB-C port onboard, but it’s only good for getting power from a wall adapter. It can handle up to 100W of power, of which it’ll keep 15W for running the dock, and pass the rest to your MacBook for charging. Finally, an HDMI port is present, which can handle up to 4K displays at a 30Hz refresh rate.

The Anker 332 USB-C hub is priced at just $25, which makes it a great value in the eyes of Amazon shoppers, who also appreciate its reliability and ease of use. As a result, it has earned an average rating of 4.4 from over 13,000 reviews on Amazon. However, a small selection of buyers do mention suffering malfunctions after a few months of use. While the issue doesn’t seem widespread and the device comes with an 18-month warranty, it’s something to keep in mind.

There is a lot to like in the Plugable UD-6950Z USB-C Laptop Dock: It not only brings a bunch of USB ports for peripherals and storage media, but also has four video ports that you can use to connect up to two external displays. However, the one feature that really sealed the deal for most Amazon buyers is the DisplayLink technology, which allows you to bypass the single external display limit in Mac laptops powered by M1 or M2 chips. 

Beyond the useful video and USB ports, this vertical dock has a Gigabit Ethernet port for wired connectivity, and a 3.5mm audio jack to connect your headphones or speakers. Many buyer reviews also highlight the dock’s seamless setup process and Plugable’s great customer service.

While the Plugable offering has many helpful features, it lacks things like power delivery for laptop charging, storage card slots, and USB-C ports. Moreover, the six included USB-A ports are limited to USB 3.2 Gen 1 speeds, which although not terrible, isn’t superfast either. Still, the positives of the dock easily overcome its negatives. The UD-6950Z carries a price tag of $130 and has an average rating of 4.3 on Amazon from over 1,600 reviews.

With 18 ports and pass-through charging, the CalDigit Thunderbolt 4 Dock is a powerful docking station for any MacBook. However, it makes the most sense if you frequently connect a ton of peripherals, storage devices, and multiple displays to your Mac. Some of the most useful ports that you get on the CalDigit offering include a DisplayPort 1.4 to connect a monitor, five USB-A ports for peripherals and storage devices, and a 2.5Gb Ethernet port for wired connectivity. There are also two Thunderbolt 4 ports, which can be used to connect external displays, among other things.

The dock supports pass-through charging, delivering up to 98W of power to the connected MacBook, which is helpful in keeping a tidier desk setup by removing the need for an extra charging cable. It also comes with its own 230W power supply, so you won’t need to get your own. With so many included features, it’s no surprise that this CalDigit dock is not cheap by any stretch, and will set you back $380. 

However, many of the dock’s buyers on Amazon find it to be worth the price and appreciate all their requirements being met with a single device. The dock’s solid average rating of 4.2 from over 1,500 reviews also mirrors these sentiments. However, some buyers found CalDigit’s support to be underwhelming after trying to reach the company for issues with their docks.

In the grand scheme of tech things, Thunderbolt 5 is still a relatively new port, but if you own a 2024 MacBook Pro with the M4 Pro or the M4 Max chip, you already have access to its impressive capabilities. Anker’s Prime TB5 docking station is one way to make the most of this port.

It packs two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, two USB 3.2 Gen Type-C, and two Thunderbolt 5 ports to connect pretty much anything you need. Plus, there are two video ports, HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 2.1, which you can use to connect any external display of up to 8K resolution. Unlike most other docking stations, it features a built-in power brick, meaning you won’t have to complicate your setup with another power adapter. It can also utilize the brick’s power to deliver up to 140W to the connected laptop for charging, and has two USB-C ports with power delivery support to juice up any mobile devices.

This simplicity is one of the reasons why many Amazon buyers like this Anker offering. Other positives highlighted in reviews include easy setup and good build quality. The only notable negative is its hefty $400 price tag. Still, thanks to its excellent feature set, it has managed to garner a solid average rating of 4.2 out of 5 from over 100 reviews.

All our MacBook docking station recommendations were selected after extensive research and a deep dive into buyer reviews on Amazon. We focused on Thunderbolt and USB-C docks that have at least one video port and a couple of USB ports with an average rating of at least 4.2 out of 5. Moreover, we included a varied selection of products to cater to different needs and price segments.