When Apple put its new M4 chip within the iPad Professional earlier than including it to a MacBook, that was a fairly clear signal that tablets are extra than simply idle sofa companions. However with only one or two ports, you’ll want a hub if you wish to maximize that potential. The identical goes for laptops: they are often extra highly effective than desktops, however they nearly at all times have fewer ports. USB-C hubs provide you with some combo of additional USB, HDMI, reminiscence card, Ethernet and/or 3.5 mm ports so you may join peripherals like displays or wired mice and keyboards. You possibly can hook up exterior drives for extra storage — some hubs even have reminiscence card slots. We examined 15 completely different USB-C hubs to see how they carry out and put the perfect of what we examined under.
What to search for in a USB-C hub
Hub vs docking station
The very first thing to determine is whether or not you want a USB-C hub or a docking station. There’s no set commonplace for what differentiates the 2, however docking stations are inclined to have extra ports, provide a separate DC energy provide and value extra, with some reaching upwards of $400. We’ve a separate information to the perfect docking stations to take a look at for those who’re in search of one thing greater than what we’re discussing right here. USB-C hubs, in distinction, have between 4 and 10 ports, can assist pass-through charging and usually price between $30 and $150.
Hubs make extra sense for smaller setups with just some peripherals, akin to a monitor, a wired keyboard and mouse, and the occasional exterior drive. They’re additionally extra moveable, since they’re small and require no devoted energy. That might be helpful for those who change work places however wish to convey your equipment with you, or if you wish to substitute your laptop computer with a extra highly effective pill. A docking station makes extra sense for somebody who wants a sturdy setup for his or her laptop computer, together with a number of exterior displays, webcams, stream decks, microphones and so forth.
Each docks and hubs make it straightforward to seize your laptop computer off your desk for a gathering or different transient relocation and once you get again, plugging in a single cable will get all of your equipment reconnected.
Ports
The primary port to contemplate is the one in your laptop computer or pill. For a USB-C hub to work, it wants to connect with a port that helps video, information and energy — all of which is roofed by something listed as USB 3.0 or higher. The port, after all, must be Kind-C as effectively. The ocean of laptops out there’s huge, so it’s exhausting to make generalizations, however fashionable laptops ought to have at the very least one USB-C port that can suffice, and certainly, each considered one of our high picks for the perfect laptops do.
Subsequent, it’s a matter of discovering a hub that has the appropriate connections on your wants. Most hubs provide some combo of HDMI, USB, reminiscence card, Ethernet and three.5 mm ports. You probably have a 4K monitor and would really like at the very least a 60Hz refresh fee, you’ll want a hub with an HDMI 2.0 port — HDMI 1.4 solely goes as much as 30Hz. HDMI 2.1 will deal with 4K at as much as 120Hz, however hubs which have adopted that commonplace aren’t as widespread simply but. Remember that a low refresh fee may cause your display to really feel laggy, making your mouse seem glitchy and your webcam actions to look delayed.
Further USB ports on these equipment are often Kind-A or Kind-C. They’ll assist information with completely different switch charges, usually 5Gbps or 10Gbps. Some ports solely deal with passthrough energy and no information, and a few can do information, energy and video, so it’s finest to examine the spec record to ensure you’re getting the assist you want. Remember that a hub could invoice itself as a 7-in-1, however a type of ports is probably not usable for something aside from charging.
Commonplace SD and microSD slots are helpful for transferring information from cameras and the like. Ethernet ports could ship sooner web speeds than your Wi-Fi and a hub with a 3.5mm jack can convey again the wired headphone connection that some laptops have ditched.
Energy supply
Practically the entire USB-C hubs I examined assist passthrough charging. Which means in case your laptop computer or pill solely costs by way of USB, you don’t should take up one other port in your laptop computer to maintain the whole lot topped up. Not like a docking station, powering a hub is non-obligatory. The one exception is if you wish to shut the lid in your laptop computer when you work on an exterior monitor. Most computer systems will go into sleep mode if the lid is closed with out energy, so both the laptop computer or the hub will must be plugged into the wall to stop that from occurring.
Most of the newer hubs embrace a 100W energy supply (PD) port, with a wholesome 80 to 85 watts going to your pc (the hubs take a little bit of the juice for themselves, therefore the 15-watt or so distinction). In my checks, sending energy by means of the hub made them run even hotter than they do already, so I choose to cost the pc immediately. However for tablets or different units with no additional ports, that PD possibility is vital.
Some PD ports are additionally information ports — which is each good and dangerous. On one hand, it feels wasteful to make use of a superbly good information port only for boring previous electrical energy. However alternatively, USB-C connections that solely carry a cost are much less versatile, and it makes it look like it has extra accent hookups than it really does.
Design
There’s surprisingly little design variation amongst hubs. Most appear like a flat slab, a little bit smaller than a smartphone, and have an connected Kind-C host cable. The hues vary from a silvery black to a silvery grey. Some are thinner than others, some have all ports on one edge and a few have ports on either side. All of that is simply to say that aesthetics most likely received’t make or break your shopping for resolution.
One variation that might tip the scales is the size of the cable. An extended one gives you extra freedom as you prepare the hub in your desk, probably even letting you disguise it behind your laptop computer. Or it’s possible you’ll choose a shorter one to maintain the hub neatly set beside your laptop computer.
How we take a look at USB-C hubs
Earlier than we take a look at something, we check out what’s obtainable and the way they’ve been acquired by buyers, forum-goers and different publications. I grew to become aware of just a few respected manufacturers after I was testing docking stations, so I regarded into hubs from these corporations as effectively. I centered on gadgets that may assist with a mean day of productiveness — not high-end setups or demanding gaming conditions. As soon as I settled on a dozen or so that may make good candidates, I had them shipped to my humble workplace within the desert and began testing them out over the course of some weeks.
I used an M1 MacBook Professional because the host pc and plugged in equipment that embrace a 4K Dell monitor, a ZSA USB-C ergo keyboard, a Logitech USB-A gaming mouse, an Elgato USB-C 4K webcam, a Logitech streaming gentle, a USB-A 3.0 Sandisk thumb drive, a USB-C Samsung T7 Protect exterior drive and a pair of wired headphones I acquired free of charge on an airplane (I ought to most likely put money into some wired headphones, however the twine dangling on my chest drives me nutty so all my earbuds are wi-fi). I used high-end HDMI and USB-C cables to make sure that any information or connectivity points weren’t associated to my tools.
Then I put every USB-C hub by means of a gamut of primary checks. I checked out what might be plugged in directly, the decision on the monitor, information switch speeds, the general construct high quality of the hub and normal usability elements, like the location of the ports and the size of the cords. And, lastly, the value to worth ratio helped decide the perfect ones for just a few completely different use instances.
Finest USB-C hubs for 2025
Photograph by Amy Skorheim / Engadget
Whole downstream ports: 8 | Cable size: 10” | Energy supply: 100W in, 90W to host | USB-C: 1 x USB 3.0, 1 x 3.1 | USB-A: 2 x 5Gbps, 1 x 10Gbps| Monitor: HDMI 2.0 | SD Card: microSD and commonplace SD | Different ports: Ethernet
The “109” in UGreen’s Revodok Professional 109 USB-C hub doubtless stands for the nine-in-one declare in its advertising and marketing supplies, however since a type of ports is energy solely, the variety of downstream connectors makes it extra of an eight-in-one. However it’s a great-performing hub nonetheless. It has all of the hookups that could be lacking from a contemporary laptop computer, together with SD slots, USB-A ports, an Ethernet connection and an HDMI hookup.
The 4K decision and 60Hz refresh fee regarded nice on my take a look at monitor and the information switch charges have been forward of different hubs in its worth vary. The velocity take a look at on an Ethernet cable was on par with that of a dearer docking station, and I appreciated the design of the microSD slot. Most readers have you ever insert the cardboard all the way in which in, counting on a spring mechanism to push it again out once you’re carried out. Right here, the top stands out simply sufficient that you would be able to merely pull the cardboard out. These spring-loaded ejectors by no means work on the primary strive for me, so this can be a extra elegant answer.
There’s only one usable downstream USB-C port; the opposite is just able to delivering energy to your system. I want there was simply one extra USB-C so it may deal with each, say, a USB-C keyboard and webcam. However the three USB-A ports, with one supporting as much as 10Gbps charges, largely make up for that oversight. Total, the hub performs effectively and affords a well-rounded number of connectors.
It was actually a troublesome name between this and Anker’s 555 8-in-1 for the highest suggestion. They’ve a fairly related port array and Anker’s possibility is $15 cheaper. However the UGreen hub has a extra premium construct and a twine that is about two inches longer, plus there’s one additional USB-A port that might definitely turn out to be useful.
- Good array of ports
- HDMI 2.0 helps 4K displays at 60Hz
- Beneficiant 10-inch cable
- Three USB-A ports
- Only one downstream USB-C port
$55 at Amazon
Photograph by Amy Skorheim / Engadget
Whole downstream ports: 4 | Cable size: 10” | Energy supply: 100W in, 85W to host | USB-C: 1 x USB 10Gbps, 1 x energy supply solely | USB-A: 1 x 10Gbps, 1 x 480Mbps | Monitor: HDMI 2.0 | SD Card: No | Different ports: No
This was my first expertise with a Wavlink product, as I used to be beforehand solely aware of them as a Wi-Fi router and extender model. My preliminary impression of the Wavlink USB-C 4K@60Hz was disappointment at its generic title, however the performance-to-price ratio is so spectacular, it will get a move for the dearth of branding pizazz.
It’s slimmer than most hubs at about an inch-and-a-half broad, but the cable itself is a pair inches longer than the norm. The unit and the cables simply tuck behind a laptop computer, significantly because the ports run alongside only one edge, with the HDMI connection on the finish.
The cable can also be braided, making it really feel extra premium than its $30 price ticket would counsel — which is the final theme right here. The HDMI 2.0 port can deal with a 4K exterior monitor at 60Hz, which must be loads zippy sufficient for a mean workday, and I discovered the decision and lack of lag to be simply as marketed.
One of many two USB-A ports helps speedy 10Gbps transfers and the only USB-C jack is able to the identical fee. The webcam carried out effectively, even with a USB-A streaming gentle at full brightness (one thing different hubs had hassle with), and I discovered information switch speeds to exterior drives to be on par with and even sooner than dearer hubs.
In fact, having only one downstream USB-C connection places a restrict in your setup: You possibly can have, for instance, a USB-C webcam or a USB-C keyboard plugged in, not each. However for those who want one thing with good monitor output, a few high-quality USB ports and a compact design, this can be a good decide.
I additionally suggest Plugable’s equally cleverly named USB-C 4-in-1 hub. It’s a greenback cheaper than the Wavlink possibility with an identical array of ports that each one carried out effectively in my checks. In the end, its shorter tethered cable and single USB-C port that both delivers energy or runs a peripheral led me to choose Wavlink’s mannequin. However for those who don’t have to cost your system by means of the port, you get an excellent hub for the cash with Plugable’s system.
- Slim and compact
- Beneficiant 10-inch cable
- Nice worth
- Only one downstream USB-C port
$26 at Amazon
Photograph by Amy Skorheim / Engadget
Whole downstream ports: 5 | Cable size: 20” | Energy supply: 100W in, 80W to host | USB-C: 4 x USB 3.1 Gen 2, 1 x 4K @60Hz video solely | USB-A: 0 | Monitor: USB-C | SD Card: No | Different ports: No
One challenge with most USB-C hubs is an ironic lack of accessible downstream USB-C ports. Many high out at two, and a type of typically delivers energy solely and might’t run peripherals. Throughout three keyboard guides, our suggestions overwhelmingly require USB-C connectivity, all however considered one of our beneficial webcams use USB-C and plenty of exterior storage drives depend on that port as effectively. Which means in order for you a hub that connects your keys, digicam and a drive on the identical time, you need to hunt for one thing appropriate.
The EZQuest Slim Gen 2 hub offers you not only one or two usable Kind-C ports, however 5 of them. It’s additionally one of many few hubs that has a removable cable (and the equipped one is a beneficiant 20 inches lengthy). One port is for video output with a claimed 4K output at 60Hz — simply word that this connector doesn’t assist audio or drive different peripherals. The remaining 4 ports adhere to the USB 3.1 Gen 2 commonplace, delivering as much as 10Gbps. As with all hub, the extra gadgets you will have plugged in, the decrease the speeds every port will be capable to ship, in order that max 10-gigabit fee is for one port at a time.
The connections have been loads for my setup, dealing with a keyboard, mouse, webcam and streaming gentle all on the identical time. (Since I haven’t got a USB-C monitor, I plugged the HDMI cable immediately into my laptop computer). Even absolutely loaded, the unit stayed comparatively cool. Whereas the included cable is lengthy, the hub itself is tremendous compact and concerning the measurement of a Skor bar. All of the ports come out of 1 facet, so just like the finances decide above, it’s straightforward to rearrange all of your connections to look neat in your desk.
- Loads of USB-C ports
- Removable and lengthy 20-inch cable
- No USB-A ports
- No HDMI port (helps USB-C video)
$80 at Amazon
Photograph by Amy Skorheim / Engadget
Whole downstream ports: 8 | Cable size: 9” | Energy supply: 100W in, 85W to host | USB-C: 2 x USB 10Gbps, 1 x energy ship and 10 Gbps | USB-A: 2 x 5Gbps | Monitor: 1x HDMI 1.4, 1 x HDMI 2.0 | SD Card: No | Different ports: Ethernet
At $140, the value of Belkin’s Join Common hub is edging into docking-station territory. However it doesn’t require a devoted energy provide and it has a compact construct, so it’s nonetheless decidedly a hub. That worth bump does get you just a few options that the majority hubs don’t have, particularly the choice of three USB-C ports (one port can be utilized for both energy supply or accent assist) and twin prolonged shows with a MacBook (after you obtain the SiliconMotion driver).
Quite a few the hubs I examined had twin HDMI ports, however the second exterior show was solely able to mirroring the primary monitor and invariably dropped the decision of each supplemental screens. SiliconMotion’s InstantView software program will get round that by basically “sharing” a view of a tertiary display with the second monitor. That second monitor has a most refresh fee of 30Hz for 4K resolutions, however the first exterior show retains its 4K@60Hz visuals. I haven’t examined each possibility on the market, however from what I’ve seen, that’s fairly good for a USB-C hub — something extra and also you’re doubtless taking a look at a docking station.
The Join Common 8-in-1 is on the bigger finish of the spectrum for this class, measuring about the identical as an iPhone however about twice as thick. The multitude of plugs meant I may run a webcam, keyboard, mouse, Litra gentle, two displays and join an Ethernet cable. There was nonetheless one USB-C port left over for an exterior drive or energy (although I simply used my MacBook’s MagSafe port). And since they’re all on one facet, the association on a desk appears to be like tidy, avoiding the spidery look of a hub with ports on all sides.
Shunting all of this connectivity does make the unit get fairly sizzling: it appeared to get hotter than the entire different models I attempted. Whereas I by no means observed any ailing results consequently, I solely used it over the course of a pair days and wonder if there’d be any heat-related points with prolonged use.
- Plenty of ports
- Good number of ports
- Driver permits for 2 prolonged exterior shows
- Costly
- Will get very popular throughout use
$140 at Belkin
Different hubs we examined
HyperDrive Subsequent 10 Port USB-C Hub
There’s quite a bit to love about HyperDrive’s Subsequent 10 Port USB-C Hub. The tethered cable is a lavish 13 inches lengthy, the HDMI 2.0 port outputs clear and crisp 4K visuals at 60Hz and the information transfers are screaming quick. It has the coveted two USB-C information ports plus a PD port, and there’s even a headphone jack. The one factor that holds again a full-throated endorsement is the way in which our unit dealt with a streaming gentle. Having it on at full brightness made the webcam flicker each time. The problem went away at 75 p.c brightness, however the identical downside didn’t occur on some other hub I examined.
Anker 341 USB-C Hub (7-in-1)
There’s nothing flawed with the Anker 341 USB-C hub. In truth it’s a present suggestion in our iPad equipment information and it comes at a terrific $35 worth. It offers you two USB-A ports in addition to SD slots. However at this level, a 1.4 HDMI connection, which solely helps 4K decision at 30Hz feels a little bit retro. There’s additionally only a single USB-C downstream port and the information switch checks proved to be a contact slower than the opposite hubs. However for those who’ve acquired a decrease decision monitor and don’t want a couple of USB-C, you received’t be upset with it.
Startech 4-Port USB-C Hub (information solely)
I solely grew to become conscious of Startech after I began researching for this information. The standard is first rate and the yellow accents are a welcome little bit of colour within the in any other case very grey world of hubs. The efficiency is strong, with no hiccups that I encountered. The model’s 4-Port USB-C Hub has an extended twine that wraps across the hub itself, which is exclusive. It doesn’t hassle with energy supply, which isn’t a problem for those who can energy your pc immediately. However the 4 USB ports (three Kind-A and one Kind-C) max out at 5Gbps and there’s no HDMI connector. It goes for $46, and sadly for it, there are cheaper methods to get just a few extra USB ports on your setup.
