The Best MacBook Docking Stations for 2022

Apple's MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and discontinued MacBook are remarkable laptops, but they don't make for the best desktop alternatives right out of the box. Like Henry Ford's Model T, which gave you a choice of colors (so long as you chose black), modern MacBooks give you your choice of ports, so long as they are Thunderbolt ports.

Apple uses Thunderbolt 3 on laptops with Intel processors, and Thunderbolt 4 on laptops with Apple's own M1 processor. Check out our primers on Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 4 to learn what makes Thunderbolt different from USB-C.

Thunderbolt and wireless connectivity are perfectly serviceable for most mobile professionals while they're out and about. But many offices around the globe still rely on legacy ports such as HDMI and USB 3.0, not to mention SD card readers and Ethernet for wired connections. And in these fraught days, with most business travel reduced to wearing a path in the carpet between your home office and the kitchen, flexibility matters. At certain times, you want to work on a single laptop screen in the living room, and at others, you buckle down at a desk with a more elaborate multi-screen setup and desktop peripherals.

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If you don't want to rely on a whole host of USB-C adapters or dongles back at your desk, a docking station can be your best solution short of buying a desktop Mac. This guide to the top MacBook docking stations for your Apple laptop will help you find the desktop peripheral setup that's right for you. (For a higher-level overview of docking-station options, check out our guide to how to pick a laptop docking station.)

Belkin's Thunderbolt 3 Dock Mini HD ($139.99) is a compact (0.8 by 5.1 by 3.1 inches) docking station with 6.8-inch cable that provides a USB 3.0 Type-A port, a USB 2.0 port, a Gigabit Ethernet port, and two HDMI ports supporting 4K resolution at 60Hz. (M1-based MacBooks only support a single external monitor, not dual extended displays, through the Thunderbolt 3 port.)

Protected by a sturdy aluminum enclosure, the dock carries a two-year warranty. And at just 6.3 ounces, it won't weigh down your day bag much more than a wireless mouse will.

Formerly known as the Henge Dock, the Brydge Vertical Docking Station is available for the 13-inch MacBook Air and the 13-inch, 15-inch, and 16-inch MacBook Pros. At $169.99, it's an ideal solution if you're looking to use your MacBook in an office environment with limited desktop space. Your laptop stands on end in the dock (left edge down), with its air intake and exhaust vents positioned to maximize airflow. Docking is extremely easy, thanks to the precision alignment of the Space Gray metal dock itself.

The only complaint we have about this particular docking solution is that it functions more as a pass-through for the laptop's own Thunderbolt 3 ports. Unlike previous models that included one USB-C to HDMI adapter, you aren't getting any additional ports or features without installing a USB hub. That said, you are still saving desktop space by standing your MacBook Pro on its side.

The Corsair TBT100 Thunderbolt 3 Dock ($259.99) turns a Thunderbolt 3 port into nine ports and slots: two data-only USB-C and two data-only USB-A ports, two DisplayPort outputs supporting a 4K signal at 60Hz, a Gigabit Ethernet port, a headset audio jack, and an SD card reader, plus a Kensington security-cable notch to keep your docking station tethered to your desk. 

The dock stands 0.9 inch tall and has an 8.9-by-3.3-inch footprint. The included 100-watt power supply supports 85-watt fast charging.

Combining a slew of ports with up to 85 watts of Power Delivery 3.0 pass-through, the IOGear Dock Pro 100 USB-C 4K Ultra-Slim Station ($139.95) offers three USB 3.0 Type-A ports and three video outputs—DisplayPort and HDMI (both limited to 30Hz for 4K) plus 1080p VGA. (MacBooks with M1 processors support only one extended display over the Thunderbolt port.) You also get a Gigabit Ethernet port, SD and microSD memory card slots, and a USB-C pass-through.

The Dock Pro 100's name comes from its 100 watts of power pass-through, but the dock itself draws 15 watts, leaving 85 for your laptop. The docking station measures 0.5 by 11 by 2.9 inches and weighs 0.65 pound.

If you're looking for a docking station that won't take much desk space (0.6 by 5.1 by 2.1 inches) or much out of your wallet ($99.99), J5Create's model JCD381 USB-C Dual HDMI Mini Dock might be right up your alley. Clad in champagne metallic aluminum, the Mini Dock has two HDMI ports for adding one 4K or (on Intel-based MacBooks) two 2K (2,048 by 1,152) external monitors, plus two 5Gbps USB 3.0 Type-A ports.

There's also a Gigabit Ethernet port if you're working in an office that prefers wired to Wi-Fi connectivity. USB-C power pass-through charges your MacBook while connected. The dock comes with a 7.8-inch USB-C cable and weighs just 4 ounces.

Its 10Gbps USB-C interface isn't as fast as a laptop's internal PCI Express connection, but J5Create's model JCD552 M.2 NVMe USB-C Gen 2 Docking Station ($149.99) is a unique way to expand your MacBook's storage: The 1-by-12.5-by-3.1-inch gray and black aluminum dock has a compartment for an NVMe or SATA M.2 solid-state drive (up to size 2280; not included). It connects to your laptop using two USB-C cables and offers 100 watts of Power Delivery pass-through.

The docking station has 4K DisplayPort and HDMI video outputs, a Gigabit Ethernet port, SD and microSD card slots, and three USB Type-A ports (one 5Gbps and two 10Gbps) in addition to the M.2 SSD slot. A security cable lock slot keeps it from walking away from your desk.

Kensington has stepped into the modern age with a compact Thunderbolt 3 dock in the form of the SD2500T Thunderbolt 3 Dual 4K Hybrid Nano Dock ($199.99).

This dock supports MacBooks and Windows laptops and provides you with one USB-C port, two DisplayPorts, three USB 3.2 Type-A ports, a Gigabit Ethernet jack, a 3.5mm audio jack, an SD card reader, and even a microSD card reader. The included power adapter supports 60-watt power delivery.

Kensington has a long history of providing versatile Mac and Windows docking solutions. The company's SD5300T dock ($249.99) connects to your laptop via an included 2.3-foot Thunderbolt 3 cable and provides an SD card reader, two USB 3.1 Type-A ports, and a headset audio jack up front. Three more USB Type-A ports join HDMI and Gigabit Ethernet ports and a Thunderbolt 3 output in back.

The dock supports dual 4K displays at 4,096 by 2,160 resolution or one 5K (5,120 by 2,880) monitor, both at 60Hz. It provides 60 watts of power delivery for charging your laptop and 2.1 amperes of USB power for charging a handheld device. Of course, as a Kensington product, the SD5300T has both T-bar and nano-slot security locks to keep it from wandering away from your desk.

If you have a 15-inch MacBook Pro, 16-inch MacBook Pro, or the 13-inch MacBook Air, the LandingZone ($259 to $329) is an ideal docking solution if easy connectivity is your key concern. Just place your laptop between the left and right corners of the dock, slide the lock bar into position, and open the screen. You're ready to go.

The LandingZone gives you three USB 3.1 Type-A ports, four USB-C ports, two Mini DisplayPorts, an HDMI port, a headset jack, and a Gigabit Ethernet jack. Also aboard are SD and microSD card slots and a Kensington security-cable notch for locking it all down. You can connect up to three monitors to the LandingZone, but only one of the USB-C ports is a Thunderbolt 3 pass-through, and the other USB ports support only data transfer (no video). Bear that in mind if you're planning your video-cable mix with multiple monitors.

The OWC Thunderbolt 3 Dock is a portable docking station that turns a single Thunderbolt 3 port into a desktop-worthy array of one USB 3.1 Type-A port, one USB 2.0 Type-A port, two HDMI ports (both supporting 4K displays), and a Gigabit Ethernet port.

The compact (0.7 by 4.9 by 2.6 inches, HWD) aluminum dock also includes OWC's Dock Ejector software, which safely disconnects external drives connected to the dock and ensures all data is written before disconnection.

Plugable's TBT3-UDV Thunderbolt 3 Dock ($249) is a single-display docking station—it has a 4K (4,096 by 2,160 pixels at 60Hz) DisplayPort, though you can use an HDMI monitor instead since the dock comes with an active DisplayPort to HDMI adapter. Other ports on the device's rear include four 5Gbps USB 3.0 Type-A, one Gigabit Ethernet, and two Thunderbolt 3 (one for downstream Thunderbolt 3 or USB-C devices and one that provides up to 60 watts of power to your laptop).

Up front are a headset audio jack and a fifth USB-A port with battery charging. The dock comes with a vertical stand, a power supply, and a 1.6-foot Thunderbolt 3 cable.

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