The best docking stations for laptops in 2024

A docking station lets you plug in wired mice and keyboards, hook up a monitor with HDMI or DisplayPort jacks and transfer data to external drives and SD cards.

Determining the best docking station depends on exactly which ports you need and whether the supported standards of each port will deliver the speeds or resolutions you’re looking for.

We tested more than 15 docking stations to help you determine the best laptop docking station for your needs.

None of our currently recommended laptops include an Ethernet jack; a docking station is a great way to get that connection back.

Most docks put the more “permanent” connections in back — such as Ethernet , DC power, monitor connections and a few USBs.

The Belkin Connect Connect 4 Connect Pro Connect 4 is a good alternative for Windows .

Acer 's USB Type-C Dock D501 costs $ 10 more than our pick for Chromebooks.

It has nearly the same ports as the AD2010 (minus the microSD slot) and an attractive rounded design.

Docking stations are worth it if you have more accessories to plug in than your laptop permits.