Best laptop docking stations in 2023

The best docking stations can transform your laptop, or tablet, into something so much more. Don’t let the limited number of ports on your device restrict its potential, investing in a docking station opens up a world of possibilities. Possibilities that can result in your laptop sitting at the heart of a multi-display, productivity-focused workstation; or as the backbone to a fully-realized, gaming battle station.

A great docking station can also power a suite of peripherals amidst your very own editing bay, or maintain an arsenal of accessories adorning your at-home creation suite with impressive Power Delivery maintaining a charge across all your tech throughout even the longest of days.

No setup is complete without a docking station at its core, solving your power needs and managing the make-up of your desk. Often overlooked, but vital for expanding the potential of laptops and desktop PCs in terms of ports and performance, the docking station is a must-have accessory and these are the best docking stations in 2023.

Quick list

Best overall

With a name rivaling the list of platitudes I'm willing to give it, Plugable's Thunderbolt 4 & USB4 Quad Display Docking Station (TBT4-UDZ) is the pinnacle of ports, power, and performance.

Experience super-fast Thunderbolt 4/USB4 speeds of up to 40Gbps for phenomenal file-transfers and data streaming, up to 98W of Power Delivery for all day charging of your laptop and accessories, and support for four external displays at up to 4K resolutions and 60Hz refresh rates.

Plugable's docking station is a 16-port masterpiece: premium built to deliver a premium experience.

See our full Plugable Thunderbolt 4 & USB4 Quad Display Docking Station review.

Best budget

Docking stations typically have one universal commonality — high price tags! That's why there's so much good to be said about a product like Monoprice's 13-in-1 Dual-HDMI + DP MST Dock. Not only is this a brilliant docking station in terms of power and port variety, it delivers all of this at a price that won't leave you wincing.

Monoprice's docking station is a dead cert for the frugal buyer who wants to make every cent count. In terms of price-to-performance, don't expect Thunderbolt / USB4-level speeds, but there's a fair mix of legacy and display ports here — plenty enough to manage a small scale workstation or carve out a place as a travel dock while you're away from your core setup.

See our full Monoprice 13-in-1 Dual-HDMI + DP MST Dock review.

Best premium

Logitech's Logi Dock is the docking station so good, they almost named it twice. Not only is Logitech's offering a fantastic premium product, it excels in connectivity: uniquely offering Bluetooth 5.1 pairing of up to 7 additional accessories and peripherals beyond its eight port expansion.

Pair this with the dock's built in custom 55mm neodymium drivers and you have a single speaker stereo sound system that has no right sounding so incredible for being part of a docking station setup.

But that's the trick Logitech have pulled here, the Logi Dock isn't just a docking station, it's also a fully-fledged conferencing tool with a built-in noise and echo cancelling beamforming mic array — simplifying your setup for both work and entertainment. It's a little bit of everything and it does it all impressively well, but it does come with a challenging price tag.

See our full Logitech Logi Dock review.

Best Thunderbolt 4

Whether you own a Thunderbolt 4 PC, USB4 Chromebook, or Apple Silicon MacBook the CalDigit Thunderbolt Station 4 is the best solution for your workstation needs. The TS4 offers and incredible 18 additional ports, including SD and microSD card reader, Thunderbolt 4 ports, and a myriad of audio and USB Type-A ports to boot.

A DisplayPort 1.4 connection will allow for an external display of up to 8K resolutions or two displays at 4K @ 60Hz. You can even drive an external display for your Chromebook if it has a USB4 connection. Better still, the TS4 is a veritable desktop powerstation, offering 98W of host charge and a number of powered ports to keep your peripherals and sidekick devices juiced up throughout the day.

See our full CalDigit Thunderbolt Station 4 review.

Best Thunderbolt 3

Never have any of them looked as good or accommodated as many pieces of equipment as the Corsair TBT100 Thunderbolt 3 Dock. Its premium design screams office, but it’ll look just as good manning a gaming station. Plus, it’s got a plethora of ports just waiting to connect several monitors, a couple of headsets and a laptop. 

However, at $259, the TBT100 has a steep entry price which might give many home office workers and gamers pause. But if you can look past the price, the Corsair TBT100 Thunderbolt 3 Dock is an essential piece of tech.

See our full Corsair TBT100 Thunderbolt 3 Dock review.

Best USB4

Some docks can do just about everything, one such dock is the Plugable Dual-HSMI Docking Station (UD-4VPD). With a primary focus on display support, Plugable's dock is ideally suited to less peripheral heavy setups. However, it can supercharge these setups into performance powerhouses with support for incredible smooth visuals at up to 4K resolutions and 120Hz refresh rates.

Speed is the UD-4VPD's key selling point, featuring blazingly fast USB4 transfer rates of up to 40Gbps. There's ample support for legacy USB devices and a front facing Type-C USB port that's ideal for keeping your phone or tablet topped with throughout the day thanks to an impressive 20W of Power Delivery.

See our full Plugable Dual HDMI Docking Station (UD-4VPD) review.

Best USB Type-C

BenQ's beCreatus Hybrid Dock is a unique offering for its dual-host potential. While the beCreatus can grant 13 additional and varied ports and 100W of Power Delivery to your primary machine, it can also take a HDMI input from a second device.

This is a fantastic option for those who want a setup that can switch from workstation to battlestation at a moments notices. Simply push the button at the front of BenQ's dock and your primarily display will shift inputs, allowing resolutions up to 8K at 60Hz, or 4K at a rapid 120Hz refresh rate!

Better still, any secondary displays will remain with the primary host, letting you multitask with ease or simply enjoy a little entertainment on the side as you grind through your workload.

See our full BenQ beCreatus Hybrid Dock review.

Best for MacBook

A lot of docking stations will work with a MacBook, and if you're interested in seeing which are the best for the Apple ecosystem specifically then check out our selection of the best docking stations for MacBooks.

However, let me save you a click as I tell you about Satechi's Dual Dock Stand — a device pulling triple duties as a docking station, ergonomic laptop stand, and external SSD enclosure.

Decked out in Space Metal Grey, Satechi's dock is the ideal MacBook companion visually, and a vital accessory in terms of functionality. It offers everything you'd need from a workstation setup with a zero-footprint design that fits snugly under your MacBook greatly expanding on your device's potential, and its comfort.

See our full Satechi Dual Dock Stand review.

Best multi-display

You may not have come across the Baseus brand before, but I don't expect that to be the case for too many years longer. The brand has a range of top flight devices and its docking stations and hubs are quality options that strike true balance between price and performance.

The Baseus UnionJoy Pro Docking Station is a prime example of this, offering a boatload of ports alongside 100W of Power Delivery for your devices. There's even an additional 20W of PD available via a front-facing Type-C USB port to keep a second device charged throughout the day, and a wide range of display ports available to suit just about every setup you can imagine.

See our full Baseus UnionJoy Pro Docking Station review.