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Remember when laptops used to contain all sorts of ports: USB-A, HDMI, SD card slots, and more? And do you remember how svelte the early Macintosh laptops looked, especially when Apple began removing all of the ports in favor of USB-C and Thunderbolt? PC makers did, and decided that was the approach that they would take, too. Unfortunately, that left laptop owners like you with the problem of legacy hardware: printers, keyboards, SD card, micro SD cards, and so on -- and with no ports to plug them into. Enter the USB-C hub, an inexpensive product that helps solve that problem. Just pay attenti

Here's the short answer: If you want to connect your laptop to a printer, an SD card or microSD card, mouse, keyboard, or legacy 1080p monitor, stick with a basic 10Gbps USB-C hub/dongle. If you want to add a pair of additional displays (especially 4K), or high-speed SSD drives, we'd recommend you look at our list of 40Gbps Thunderbolt docking stations. Generally, the larger, powered docks offer more features.It is confusing, since they all use the "same" USB-C port. Generally, most modern laptops have a small Thunderbolt "lightning bolt" logo to help distinguish the faster port.

A USB-C hub or dongle (we use the terms interchangeably) is a small, portable device that you can slide into a bag or backpack. A USB-C docking station tends to be heavy and bulky enough that you'll want to keep it on your desk. It's not true that a USB-C docking station will have more features than a USB-C hub, as some compact USB-C hubs pack in a surprising number of ports. Docking stations tend to be bigger and bulkier, and are designed to live on your desk. If there's anything that docking stations tend to have that dongles sometimes don't, it's a USB-C port designed only to accept power f

Expect to pay between $30 and $40 for a good USB-C hub, even in 2026 -- maybe a bit more with tariffs. USB-C docking stations are bigger and bulkier but add even more capabilities. We'd expect you to pay over $100 for these.