Tech: 7 Laptop Docking Stations to Unlock the Full Desktop Experience (2026)
Your laptop is a great way to get work done when you're out and about, but if you need the functions of a full workstation, being hunched over a small flat keyboard can quickly get annoying. But connecting your laptop to a secondary monitor, a mouse, and a comfier keyboard can turn your desk space into a nest of tangled cables. Not to mention that many of today's laptops are designed to be as thin as possible and don't have the ports you may need to connect some peripherals. That's when it's time to get a laptop docking station.
Laptop docking stations are small boxes that sit on your desk and stay connected to your monitor (or monitors) and peripherals such as speakers, a keyboard, or a mouse. The only thing missing is your laptop, the brains of the operation. But with the right docking station, you can make one easy connection and have everything automatically connect. Like magic, you enjoy the portability of a laptop with the flexibility and features of a desktop. These stations can get expensive, and it's hard to figure out what to buy based on a list of ports or specs. I've tested many of the most popular options and whittled the list down to the best laptop docking station for various use cases.
Be sure to check out our other home office guides, including the Ultimate Work-From-Home Gear, Best USB Hubs, Best Office Chairs, Best Flash Drives, and Best Portable External Storage Drives.
Updated March 2026: We've got a new top pick, the CalDigit TS5 Plus, after a new round of testing. I've also added some information on the current state of Thunderbolt 5 peripherals and moved some older options into honorable mentions.
The CalDigit TS5 Plus is not the smallest docking station. It's certainly not the cheapest, either. But it's undoubtedly the best I've tested. There's a reason the CalDigit docks have a sparkling reputation, and the TS5 Plus is the best release so far, sporting the latest Thunderbolt 5 connectivity in a high-end chassis. All the front-pacing por
