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If you're looking for Thunderbolt 4-compatible hubs and docks so that you can add more connectivity to your Mac, we've curated some of the best docking and port-expanding accessories currently on the market.
Most modern Mac models come with at least a few USB-C or Thunderbolt 4 ports. But, depending on the complexity of your setup, you may at times find yourself running out of ports. That's where a dock or hub comes in.
While there are a plethora of docks and hubs with Thunderbolt 4 on the market, these are our picks for the best ones you can find.
Belkin's Connect Pro Thunderbolt 4 dock is a 12-port dock first announced in February. Although the Belkin Connect Pro dock features a variety of port options and a sleek design, it does also carry a hefty price tag of $399.
As far as USB-style ports, the dock sports two Thunderbolt 4 ports (a single upstream and a single downstream port), a pair of USB-A 3.1 ports, two USB-A 2.0 ports, and a single USB-C 3.1 Gen 2 port with support for USB-C PD 3.0.
Additionally, the Belkin Connect Pro dock also has an SD 4.0 card slot, a Gigabit Ethernet port, and a combination audio jack.
The dock can deliver up to 90W of total power for charging connected devices. In addition, it can power a single monitor at up to 8K resolution, or dual monitors at up to 4K resolution.
That said, due to limitations within Macs, Apple users aren't able to use both HDMI ports simultaneously. If you want to run two monitors with a Mac, you'll have to use one HDMI port and the Thunderbolt 4 port. This makes the second HDMI port a waste of space for Mac users.
Belkin seems to primarily be targeting office users and PC users with this offering.
The Belkin Connect Pro dock retails for $399.99.
The CalDigit Thunderbolt Station 4 is an excellent dock that can suit the needs of most Mac users withs its 18 ports, familiar design, and fast data transfer.
On the front, you'll find a UHS-II SD4 card reader, a UHS-II SD 4 microSD card reader, an audio combination jack, a USB 3.2 port with 7.5W of power output, a USB-C port with 7.5W of power output, and a USB-C port with 20W.
On the rear, you'll find even more port options, including four USB-A 3.2 ports, a USB-C port, 2 downstream Thunderbolt 4 ports, a DisplayPort 1.4 port, audio input and output ports, and a 2.5Gb Ethernet port.
In short, you won't be left wanting for more wired connectivity options with this port. It can deliver 98W of power and drive a single 8K or 6K display, or a pair of 6K displays.
Data transfer speeds are fast, the dock is neutral enough to look great in any setup, and the price is right at $359.99.
The TS4 is our top recommendation for a Thunderbolt 4 dock but, you'll operate at lower speeds if every port is used simultaneously. If you're looking for a solid dock with a plethora of port options, then the CalDigit TS4 is a solid choice.
The Alogic Thunderbolt 4 Blaze Hub is arguably not a dock. Instead, its form factor and port offering lines up more with portable USB hubs. Still, it can deliver dock performance for some setups.
Essentially, the Thunderbolt 4 Blaze Hub is a pared-down version of the company's Blaze docking station. It packs a total of five ports, which isn't much compared to some other options on this list. However, all five ports are tech-forward.
You'll find a single upstream Thunderbolt 4 port with up to 60W of power output, three Thunderbolt 4 ports with 15W of power delivery, a single USB-A port with 7.5W of power delivery.
There's no Ethernet port or SD card slot, which means that the hub won't be the best for photographers, videographers, or those that need fast wired internet.
However, with a svelte and portable design and a $189.99 price tag (on sale at Amazon), it could deliver enough performance for certain users.
The aptly named OWC Thunderbolt Dock sets out to add additional port options to machines that lack a variety of wired connectivity. To that end, it does deliver.
On the front of the dock, you'll find a 96W Thunderbolt 4 port, a combination audio jack, a USB-A 2.0 port, and an SD 4.0 card reader.
On the rear, you'll find the dock's power supply, three Thunderbolt 4 ports, a Gigabit Ethernet port, and three USB-A 3.0 ports with data transfer speeds of up to 10Gb per second.
It can drive up to two dual 4K displays or a single 5K, 6K, or 8K display. The OWC option also supports high-performance storage like NVMe and other accessories.
The OWC Thunderbolt Dock doesn't deliver the port variety or abundance of some of the other docks on this list, but it does cost less at $279. It could be a good option for users who are on a stricter budget.
If you're looking to maximize the number of Thunderbolt 4 ports on your hub or dock, the CalDigit Thunderbolt Element Hub is a great choice for most users.
The accessory itself is more of a USB hub than a dock, but it fills a unique role among potential Mac accessories. On the front, you'll find four Thunderbolt 4 ports that are rated at 40Gbps and 18W. That's more ports than most other hubs on the market.
In addition to the Thunderbolt 4 ports, you'll also find four USB-A 3.2 ports. While there are several options on the market, there's no hub with a four-Thunderbolt, four-USB configuration.
You can even daisy-chain the Element hub with CalDigit's TS4 port to expand the number of Thunderbolt connectivity options you have. It can drive up to two 4K displays at 60Hz, or a single 8K display. Of course, it doesn't have a DisplayPort to HDMI port, so you'll need to use a dongle.
The Thunderbolt 4 Element Hub is a great choice for forward-thinking users who want the most Thunderbolt 4 ports in this type of form factor. It's priced at $249.99.
Really surprised not to see the Saetechi Thunderbolt 4 Dock on this list. I picked one up from Bestbuy while it was on sale a while back, and have no complaints at all.
I have the CalDigit Thunderbolt 4 Element hub - and I just ordered some Graugear USB-A 3.2 gen 2 to USB-C adaptors so the 10 Gb/s USB-A ports can be more useful for me too :) https://graugear.de/en/portfolio-item/g-ad-cta-10g/ (I found them on amazon.de)
All only have one TB input so everything shares that port’s speed. I’d rather get two smaller TB docks or hubs so I could maximize the speed if external SSDs. The Mac Studio has 4 TB ports on back. I’d use those only for SSDs and the Studio Display then use the USB ports on display and TB ports on front to drive a USB4 hub for keyboard, mouse, etc. instead of putting everything on one, large dock/hub.
It would be nice if AppleInsider or other tested dual DisplayLink adapters from Sonnet with ports on M1 macs as well as these docks/hubs. The Sonnet adapters promise to have multiple external displays even with M1 Macs supporting only a single display. I think that’s a potential game changer for pro or prosumer users, and therefore making buying decisions more interesting. https://www.sonnettech.com/product/thunderbolt/display-adapters.html Click on “Learn More” then scroll way down until table titled Display Configurator which shows which adapters needed to have TWO or FOUR 4K displays fora given Mac, M1 or Intel.
I find it frustrating. I don’t need SD card slots or audio-jacks, or ye olde USB-A ports. I just need lots of USB-C ports. They need to be capable of running at highest possible speed, but obviously I’m not expecting them all to run at that speed simultaneously. At most probably 2 in being read/written at any moment.
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