1. The list in brief
2. Best overall
3. Best budget
4. Best bracket mounting
5. Best for gamers
6. Best value
7. Best for Surface
Thunderbolt 4 hubs and docking stations are slowly taking over from their Thunderbolt 3 counterparts thanks to much better performance and compatibility with many other interfaces.
Thunderbolt 4 docks will command a price premium over a regular USB-C dock or even an older Thunderbolt 3 dock, but it's also worth it. Not only is Thunderbolt 4 a standard, but its interoperability with USB-C expands what you can use one with.
Even if you have a PC with Thunderbolt 3, USB 4, or USB-C, many of these docks will provide extra ports, charging, and more. If you're ready to turn your laptop into a true workstation, then let's take a look at the best Thunderbolt 4 (TB4) hubs and docks out there.
The quick list
The best dock with the most ports, including DisplayPort and a UHS-II capable microSD card reader. Toss in up to 98W power delivery and you really have a winner. Be aware though, availability can be spotty due to demand.
A compact and affordable Thunderbolt 4 dock that expands your USB and Thunderbolt ports, though without adding Ethernet into the mix. A great buy on a tighter budget.
Up to 90W of power delivery, three downstream Thunderbolt ports, USB-A and Ethernet are all great. But the real key to this dock is that it's the best option if you want to mount it out of the way with a bracket.
Gamers need connectivity, too, right? Razer's Thunderbolt 4 dock not only adds a dash of RGB, but focuses on expansion ports that matter. Thunderbolt, USB and Ethernet are in. And it will output dual 4K60 displays if you need that, too.
This dock might be cheaper, but it still packs the ports, including the latest UHS II spec microSD, Ethernet, and up to 90W power delivery to keep your laptop topped up while connected.
Surface finally goes Thunderbolt, with the only downside being no backwards compatibility with older Surface Connect ports. Otherwise this compact dock is the perfect companion to a modern Surface.
Best overall
The CalDigit TS4 Thunderbolt 4 docking station is a follow-up to the awesome CalDigit TS3 Plus. I've been using the dock regularly since my CalDigit TS4 review, and I can still say it's the pinnacle of modern docking. It follows a similar design as the TS3 Plus, with three solid aluminum pieces held together with four robust screws. It has a rubber pad on the bottom for a vertical orientation, and rubber feet can be added to the ribbed sides if you'd like to use it horizontally.
The TS4 has the most ports of any Thunderbolt 4 dock currently on the market. The 18 total ports are split between the front and the back of the dock, with the host Thunderbolt 4 port and the other two downstream Thunderbolt 4 ports on the back. You might be wondering why there aren't four TB4 ports and the answer is that one was sacrificed for a native DisplayPort 1.4 hookup. The back of the dock otherwise has four USB-A (10Gbps), 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet, USB-C (10Gbps), and dual 3.5mm audio ports in and out. A Kensington lock slot is great for use in an office if you want to secure the device to a desk for added safety.
The front of the dock has another USB-A port, a 3.5mm audio combination, dual USB-C ports (one with 20W of charging power), and UHS-II SD and microSD card readers that can be used simultaneously. The dock supports dual 4K display each at a 60Hz refresh rate or an 8K display at a 60Hz refresh rate. When connected to the host laptop, the dock can deliver up to 98W of power.
Best budget
The Element Hub is another fantastic docking solution made by CalDigit, which holds a number of spots in our best laptop docking station roundup. When I did the CalDigit Element Hub review, I found it to be the perfect high-performance accessory to handle everything from an eGPU to a RAID storage setup to multiple high-res displays.
The Element hub is sized smaller and priced lower than other Thunderbolt 4 options, making it a good choice if you lack space on your desktop. It does require a substantial AC adapter, so don't expect to take it with you on the road without quite a bit of bulk.
The host laptop plugs into the side of the dock and opens up seven extra ports. The front edge is four USB-A 3.2 (Gen 2) with 10Gbps speeds and 7.5W of charging power. The back edge holds the AC input and three Thunderbolt 4 ports with 40Gbps speeds and 15W of charging power. While connected, note that the host laptop will receive up to 60W charging power when needed.
You can daisy-chain the Element hub with a larger dock (like the TS3 Plus or TS4) for even more ports, and the reversible design gives you extra options for desk setup. As for monitor support, the Element hub handles up to dual 4K displays at 60Hz in both extended or mirror modes, single 8K display at 30Hz, or 5K Thunderbolt display at 60Hz. Additionally, if you're connecting high-speed external storage, expect read speeds up to 3,000MB/s. As long as you're not searching for a wide variety of ports and want to add USB-A and Thunderbolt 4, this is a great dock that isn't as expensive as many of the other options.
Best bracket mounting
The SD5700T Thunderbolt 4 dock is another great choice if you're looking for a permanent solution and have ample space on your desk. It's a bit larger than the Element hub, but it adds a better mix of ports. While it doesn't have as many ports as our top pick, it doesn't cost nearly as much. If you need Ethernet, a UHS-II SD card reader, or a 3.5mm audio jack, this dock is no doubt going to make a great choice. In my Kensington SD5700T review, I note that the two lock slots and bracket mounting option make it ideal for a public office where tons of desk space isn't always provided.
It connects to the host with Thunderbolt 4 and adds 10 ports, including one USB-A 2.0, three USB-A 3.2 (Gen 2), and three downstream Thunderbolt 4. You can get up to 90W charging power back to the laptop (great for PCs with dedicated GPUs that require more power), and there's support for a single 8K display at 30Hz or dual 4K displays at 60Hz.
For some extra security, the dock includes a Kensington lock slot and a Kensington Nano lock slot. If you don't want to keep the aluminum dock on your desk, there are mounting solutions available. There is also an SD5750T designed specifically for the newest Surface PCs, including the Surface Pro 9 and Surface Laptop Studio. It's one of the best Thunderbolt 4 docking stations if you've invested in the latest from Microsoft.
Best for gamers
Razer seems to have a version of just about any peripheral you can think of, including a Thunderbolt 4 dock. True to Razer's vision, it's a high-performance option that's soaked with RGB. Yes, even your docking station can have a sweet Chroma underglow to make your office look that much cooler. After testing the dock for a couple of weeks for my Razer Dock Chroma review, it was clear that this is the right accessory for gaming laptops.
The dock follows nearly the same port setup as the Kensington SD5700T, though it drops the wimpy USB-A 2.0 port on the front. Connecting with Thunderbolt 4, you get access to three downstream Thunderbolt 4 ports, 3.5mm audio jack, a UHS-II SD card reader, three USB-A 3.2 (Gen 2), and up to 90W charging power to the host. If the regular black color doesn't suit your setup, there's also a Mercury option now available.
Razer's Chroma RGB syncs up with your other compatible accessories and offers 16.8 million colors for you to mess around with. Note that the dock has a relatively short one-year warranty.
Best value
OWC's Thunderbolt 4 Dock is in many ways almost identical to Kensington's SD5700T, right down to port selection, port layout, and lock slots. A notable difference, however, is the price. It used to be a lot more pronounced, but after the SD5700T's price drop it's not as big of a deal. Why the price discrepancy? OWC's dock has a lot more plastic and a shorter two-year warranty. If those things don't matter, you're going to get the same connectivity for a lot less money.
The dock connects to the host laptop with Thunderbolt 4 and provides up to 90W charging power. There's a USB-A 2.0 port on the front, flanked by a UHS-II SD card reader and 3.5mm audio jack. The back edge has three downstream Thunderbolt 4, Ethernet, three USB-A 3.2 (Gen 2), and the AC hookup. It will handle dual 4K displays at a 60Hz refresh rate or a single 8K display at 30Hz.
A Kensington lock slot and Kensington Nano lock slot are included on the side. The first production run of this dock sold out fast, but availability is better now.
Best for Surface
The Surface Dock as a product has been around for many years. But until this latest model, it was always locked behind the Surface Connect port, meaning unless you had a Surface, you couldn't use it at all. The latest Surface Dock uses Thunderbolt 4, so for the first time, anyone can pick one up.
You'd be right for doing so, too. As far as Thunderbolt docks go this one is on the more portable side, without sacrificing too much on connectivity. Perhaps the only downside is that while it is capable of hosting a pair of 4K displays at 60Hz, the Surface Thunderbolt 4 Dock doesn't have HDMI or DisplayPort. That means you'll either need a special cable or an adapter if you don't have a USB-C/Thunderbolt enabled external display.
Otherwise, there's a raft of USB-C and USB-A ports, and with up to 96W pass through you'll be able to keep your Surface powered up while its connected. It's also nice to see that Microsoft added this dock into its program to use a percentage of recycled ocean plastic in making it. 20% of the dock comes from these recycled materials, so it's also doing its bit to help the environment, too.
What's the difference between USB 4 and Thunderbolt 4?
Thunderbolt 4 and USB 4 are easy to confuse, not least because both offer the same USB-C connector and the same maximum data transmission performance (40Gbps). Though USB 4 can only send at this rate over 1 meter, half that of Thunderbolt 4. USB 4 is even based on the Thunderbolt protocol, but the two are not the same. They're just very similar.
The minimum requirements for USB 4 are much lower at 20Gbps, while Thunderbolt 4 is at 32Gbps. Likewise, the minimum power requirements for Thunderbolt 4 are double those of USB 4 at 15W versus 7.5W.
When it comes to docks some Thunderbolt 4 docks may well have full or almost full compatibility with USB 4, but it's not necessarily guaranteed. Before buying it's always worth double-checking your own hardware and ensuring you get what you're looking for.
