Best Surge Protectors in 2020: Power strips and smart plugs

Austere VII Power Series 8 Outlet
(Image credit: Austere)

Anyone and everyone with a need for more power outlets has used or owned a power strip with surge protection. Most don’t even think about the surge protection as much as the need to power multiple devices in a room. 

Most power strips will cover your needs for extra outlets but, in today's market, you not only get extra outlets and surge protection but also USB connections for your other devices, such as smartphones and tablets.  

But which one is right for your needs? We’re here to help. We put together a list of competitively priced surge protectors that are best suited to fulfill the charging needs of most people, even techies like ourselves.

 The best-surge protectors you can buy today

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Austere VII Power Series 8 Outlet

(Image credit: Austere)

1. AUSTERE VII Series Power 8-Outlet

The Best Overall Surge Protector

Specifications

Dimensions: 8.5 x 16.3 x 2.6 inches
Weight: 4.8 pounds
Outlets: 8
Ports: 2 USB-Type A, 3 USB-C
Power Cord: 6 Feet
Surge Protection : 4,000 Joules
Watts: 1,800

Reasons to buy

+
5 Rapid Charge Ports (2 USB-A; 3 USB-C)
+
Slim elegant design 
+
Fire and power spike safety 
+
Lifetime Warranty 

Reasons to avoid

-
Pricey 

The Austere VII Series 8 outlet comes in a beautifully designed aluminum case measuring 8.5 x 16.3 x 2.6 inches (4.8 pounds) with a six-foot power cord that's side-mounted at an angle for better plug usage and ergonomics. The power strip is specially designed to protect against electromagnetic distortions that normally occur when devices are using the same outlets. It reduces these occurrences to help deliver undisturbed power signals to your electronics. 

The Austere VII offers up to 4,000 joules of surge protection with overcurrent protection of 1,800 Watts. With 8 outlets designed to provide maximum room for all different shapes and sizes of charges, you should be able to power up all your gadgets. The Austere VII also comes with an OmniPort section where you will find two USB Type-A ports and 3 USB-C ports. 

Austere takes Fire and Power protection seriously by ensuring their surge protectors regulate the power coming through your home or office’s powerline to prevent burnout due to a high voltage spike. The OverCurrent Protection ensures that the power circuit cannot exceed 15 amps, which could cause devices to short circuit or create dangerous temperatures that may lead to a fire. 

Bototek Surge Protector

(Image credit: Bototek)

2. Bototek Surge Protector with 10 AC Outlets and 4 USB Charging

Specifications

Dimensions: 12.2 x 3.8 x 1.4 inches
Weight: 1.8 pounds
Outlets: 10
Ports: 4 USB
Power Cord: 6 Feet
Surge Protection: 2,100 Joules
Watts: 1,875

Reasons to buy

+
Two widely-spaced outlets for larger adapters 
+
Slim design 
+
4 USB ports 

Reasons to avoid

-
Stiff traditional cord that sticks out from wall 

 This Bototek surge protector is a good choice for work, home or office. The Bototek surge protector offers up a whopping ten outlets and four USB ports. The strip also has a built-in circuit breaker to protect all devices against overload and comes with an extra-long heavy duty cord accredited by the FCC, RoHS.

This strip is wall mountable with a lighted on/off switch with integrated circuit breaker for overload protection of all the outlets. The rear mounting holes make it easy to mount the surge protector to walls, baseboards, or furniture.

Amazon Basics Surge Protector

(Image credit: Amazon)

3. Amazon Basics 8-Outlet Power Strip Surge Protector

Best Affordable

Specifications

Dimensions: 11.8 x 3 x 1.1 inches
Weight: 1.3 pounds
Outlets: 8
Power Cord: 6 Feet
Surge Protection: 4,500 Joules
Watts: 1,800

Reasons to buy

+
Three widely-spaced outlets for larger adapters 
+
Slim design 
+
Sliding outlet covers 

Reasons to avoid

-
Stiff traditional cord that sticks out from wall
-
No USB ports

 This Amazon Basic branded power strip surge protector is our choice for best affordable option while still offering solid spike protection. Lightweight for its size, at just over 1 pound, makes it easy to carry around the home or office or in a backpack. Providing up to 4,500 joules of protection for your electronic devices, this solid surge protector is a great deal for home, office or the dorm room.

Anker Power Cube with Alexa

(Image credit: Anker)

4. Anker PowerPort Cube USB Power Strip

Specifications

Dimensions: 2.4 x 2.4 x 2.4 inches
Weight: 9.1 Ounces
Outlets: 3
Ports: 3 USB
Power Cord: 5 Feet
Watts: 1,250

Reasons to buy

+
Innovative Design
+
Portability
+
3 USB ports
+
 Easily Mountable
+
Lifetime $25,000 connected equipment warranty

Reasons to avoid

-
Limited protection capabilities

Anker’s PowerPort Cube is designed to take up minimal space and to be highly portable. With three outlets and three USB ports to charge your gadgets, it makes for a great tiny surge protector for on-the-go uses, like plugging in at local coffee shops, or in college when you have limited dorm room space. 

The Anker PowerPort is a great travel buddy, allowing the user to keep all their devices and gadgets charged. With High-Speed charging capabilities thanks to Ankers Power IQ technology delivering an optimized charge to USB devices, the Power Cube is an excellent choice for those who are always on the go.

Powrui Surge Protector

(Image credit: Powrui)

5. POWRUI 6-Outlet Extender with 2 USB Charging Ports

Specifications

Dimensions: 5.8 x 4 x 2.8 inches
Weight: 8 Ounces
Outlets: 6
Ports: 2 USB
Surge Protection: 1,680
Watts: 1,875

Reasons to buy

+
Smart Night Light: With Dusk-To-Dawn Sensor
+
Well-spaced outlets 
+
Can be mounted on top of current outlet
+
Space Saving  

Reasons to avoid

-
Space Saving 

This surge protector from Powrui comes with six outlets and two USB ports for supported device charging. It can be easily mounted over any duplex outlet instead of having thick bulky power cords laying around. 

The Powrui surge protector provides three levels of surge protection using TVS, MOV and GDT to make a circuit that absorbs the energy in steps, providing the best protection of the electrical devices from voltage spikes. With intelligent built-in voltage sensing circuitry, the outlet detects and responds to your device's power needs, making the Powrui an excellent choice to shield your devices.

Amazon Smart Plug

(Image credit: Amazon)

6. Amazon Smart Plug, with Alexa

Specifications

Dimensions: 3.2 x 1.5 x 2.2 inches
Weight: Ounces
Outlet: 1

Reasons to buy

+
Works with Alexa
+
Easy set up
+
Ability to schedule appliance usage via Alexa  app
+
Doesn’t block other outlets 
+
Affordable 

Reasons to avoid

-
Doesn’t work with Google assistant or Apple Home Kit
-
Lacks energy use reporting 

If you are a member of the Amazon Alexa and Echo family then the Amazon Smart Plug is a perfect addition for controlling your home electronics via voice command in combination with Alexa.  

The Amazon Smart Plug is truly plug and play. Once plugged in, all you have to do is connect it to your Wi-Fi and you're on your way to controlling your devices by simply talking. If you’re someone who is looking to use smart home products, the Amazon Smart Plug is an affordable option to get you started.

Kasa Smart Plug by TPLink

(Image credit: Kasa Smart Plug by TP Link)

Specifications

Dimensions: 1.6 x 1.5 x 2.6 inches
Weight: 15.2 Ounces

Reasons to buy

+
Compatible with IFTTT and Nest
+
Easy Set Up
+
Small Size
+
Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Microsoft Cortana voice support

Reasons to avoid

-
Limited energy use information
-
No Apple Homekit support 

The Kasa smart plug is a plug-and-play easy-to-use smart plug that you can control with just your voice. All you need is to connect it to the Wi-Fi in your home and within a few minutes, you will be controlling the electrical appliances you have plugged in via the Kasa Smart Plug. To control the Mini, you need to download the free Kasa app from the Apple App Store or Google Play. The setup is a breeze and you can use the scene tab in the app to create custom schedules for multiple smart devices. 

The Kasa Smart Plug has an excellent form factor and can be used on duplex outlets without blocking the second outlet.

Panamax P360-8

(Image credit: Panamax)

8. Panamax P360-8, 8-Outlet Floor Surge Protector/Charging Station

Specifications

Dimensions: 13.4 x 6.3 x 2.3 inches
Weight: 2.0 pounds
Outlets: 8
Ports: 4 USB
Power Cord: 6 Feet
Surge Protection: 1,620
Watts: 1,800

Reasons to buy

+
Widely-spaced outlets for larger adapters
+
2 Removable USB Modules
+
Coaxial & Phone Protection
+
4 removable USB ports
+
6-foot power cord with right-angle plug
+
lifetime $500,000 connected equipment warranty    

Reasons to avoid

-
Bulky
-
Pricey

The Panamax P360-8 8 outlet surge protector takes protecting your electronics seriously with what is referred to as 360 power protection, which is indicated by a circle of blue lights on the top of the unit. These lights let you know you’re protected, that the voltage running in and out are working as they should, and it warns you if something has gone awry. 

The Panamax P360 comes with RFI/EMI AC filtering to ensure less interference from other devices and electro magnetics. The are two modular removable charging stations housing four USB ports for charging your devices.

Mark Anthony Ramirez

Mark has spent 20 years headlining comedy shows around the country and made appearances on ABC, MTV, Comedy Central, Howard Stern, Food Network, and Sirius XM Radio. He has written about every topic imaginable, from dating, family, politics, social issues, and tech. He wrote his first tech articles for the now-defunct Dads On Tech 10 years ago, and his passion for combining humor and tech has grown under the tutelage of the Laptop Mag team. His penchant for tearing things down and rebuilding them did not make Mark popular at home, however, when he got his hands on the legendary Commodore 64, his passion for all things tech deepened. These days, when he is not filming, editing footage, tinkering with cameras and laptops, or on stage, he can be found at his desk snacking, writing about everything tech, new jokes, or scripts he dreams of filming.