Best Portable External Ssd in 2026

Daisy
Last Updated: Jan 22, 2026

At a Glance: Our Top Picks for Portable External Ssd

StarTech.com Dual-Bay USB 3.0 To SATA Hard Drive Docking Station, USB Hard Drive Dock, External 2.5/3.5" SATA I/II/III, SSD/HDD Docking Station, Hot-Swap Hard Drive Bay, Top-Loading (SDOCK2U33)
#TOP1
Startech.com Dual-Bay Usb 3.0 To Sata Hard Drive
9.5
PM SCORE
StarTech.com 3.5in Black Aluminum USB 3.0 External SATA III SSD / HDD Enclosure with UASP for SATA 6Gbps - 3.5" SATA Hard Drive Enclosure (S3510BMU33)
#TOP2
Startech.com 3.5In Black Aluminum Usb 3.0 External Sata
9.5
PM SCORE
StarTech.com 3.5in Silver Aluminum USB 3.0 External SATA III SSD / HDD Enclosure with UASP - Portable USB 3 3.5" SATA Hard Drive Enclosure (S3510SMU33)
#TOP3
Startech.com 3.5In Silver Aluminum Usb 3.0 External Sata
9.5
PM SCORE

* PickSmartly editors independently research, review, and endorse the top products through comprehensive data analysis. We may earn a commission for qualifying purchases made through our product links.

Summary of the Best Portable External Ssd of 2026

Startech.com Dual-Bay Usb 3.0 To Sata Hard Drive Docking Station, Usb Hard Drive Dock, External 2.5/3.5" Sata I/Ii/Iii, Ssd/Hdd Docking Station, Hot-Swap Hard Drive Bay, Top-Loading (Sdock2U33)

STARTECH
SDOCK2U33
7.28 X 4.72 X 8.27 Inches
1.10 Pounds
SELLER SELLER SCORE AMAZON FULFILLED PRIME FREE SHIPPING
Amazon.com 9.68

Features

HARD DRIVE DOCKING STATION: This 2-bay hard drive dock delivers instant access to your 2.5/3.5" SATA hard drives for file backup, disk imaging, or data transfer over USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps); Tool-less design enables easy drive hot-swapping.

DRIVE COMPATIBILITY: Supports 2.5/3.5" SATA HDDs & SSDs of any capacity | OS Independent | Backwards compatible w/ SATA I/II | IDE adapter (SAT2IDEADP) sold separately | Includes 3ft USB-A cable and universal power adapter

PERFORMANCE: Independent power buttons for each bay enables you to hot-swap an idle drive while the other bay is in use; Drive bays with 15,000-cycle insertion rating for maximum durability.

SPECS: 2-Bay Hard Drive Dock | SATA I/II/III | USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) Host Connection | Tool-less/Tray-less Design | Hot-Swappable Drive Bays | Top-Loading/Toaster-Style with Eject Buttons | LED Activity Lights

THE IT PRO'S CHOICE: Designed and built for IT Professionals, this Dual-Bay Hard Drive Dock is backed for 2 years, including free lifetime 24/5 multilingual technical assistance

Dock two 2.5" or 3.5" SATA III SSDs/HDDs over USB 3.0 with UASP

Compatible with USB 3.0-enabled computer systems such as Dell Optiplex & Apple Mac & MacBook

USB 3.0 Docking Station / 2.5 3.5 HDD Dock / Dual SATA Dock / 3.5in Hard Drive Dock / 2.5in Hard Drive Dock / USB 3.0 Hard Drive Dock with SATA 6 Gbps

Quickly access drives for imaging or external data backup

Transfer data from one drive to another

Replacement for SATDOCK22U3S SATDOCK2U3GB

#TOP2

Startech.com 3.5In Black Aluminum Usb 3.0 External Sata Iii Ssd / Hdd Enclosure With Uasp For Sata 6Gbps - 3.5" Sata Hard Drive Enclosure (S3510Bmu33)

STARTECH
S3510BMU33
7.50 X 1.20 X 4.50 Inches
0.69 Pounds
SELLER SELLER SCORE AMAZON FULFILLED PRIME FREE SHIPPING
Amazon.com 9.68

Features

FASTER SPEEDS: The USB 3.2 Gen 1 external hard drive enclosure gives you greater bandwidth and speed with file transfer rates of up to 5 Gbps

INCREASED PRODUCTIVITY: The 3.5in SATA external hard drive enclosure lets you leverage the high performance of the latest SSDs (solid-state drives) and HDDs (hard drives), while alleviating bottlenecks in your data transfers

STYLISH DESIGN: The HDD enclosure for 3.5in SATA drives is made of durable aluminum with a fan-less design that ensures quiet operation; Vented tray design for maximum passive heat dissipation; Includes vertical stand to save desk space

MAXIMUM COMPATIBILITY: This fan-less hard drive enclosure comes with a USB A-to-B cable, providing backward compatibility with existing USB ports or hardware

THE IT PRO'S CHOICE: Designed and built for IT professionals, this 3.5in hard drive enclosure is backed for 2 years, including free lifetime 24/5 multi-lingual technical assistance

Startech.com 3.5In Silver Aluminum Usb 3.0 External Sata Iii Ssd / Hdd Enclosure With Uasp - Portable Usb 3 3.5" Sata Hard Drive Enclosure (S3510Smu33)

STARTECH
S3510SMU33
7.50 X 1.20 X 4.50 Inches
0.71 Pounds
SELLER SELLER SCORE AMAZON FULFILLED PRIME FREE SHIPPING
Amazon.com 9.68

Features

FASTER SPEEDS: The USB 3.2 Gen 1 external hard drive enclosure gives you greater bandwidth and speed with file transfer rates of up to 5 Gbps

INCREASED PRODUCTIVITY: The 3.5in SATA external hard drive enclosure lets you leverage the high performance of the latest SSDs (solid-state drives) and HDDs (hard drives), while alleviating bottlenecks in your data transfers

STYLISH DESIGN: The HDD enclosure for 3.5in SATA drives is made of durable aluminum with a fan-less design that ensures quiet operation; Vented tray design for maximum passive heat dissipation; Includes vertical stand to save desk space

MAXIMUM COMPATIBILITY: This fan-less hard drive enclosure comes with a USB A-to-B cable, providing backward compatibility with existing USB ports or hardware

THE IT PRO'S CHOICE: Designed and built for IT professionals, this 3.5in hard drive enclosure is backed for 2 years, including free lifetime 24/5 multi-lingual technical assistance

Startech.com Dual-Bay Usb 3.1 To Sata Hard Drive Docking Station, Usb 3.1 (10 Gbps), External 2.5/3.5" Sata I/Ii/Iii, Ssd/Hdd Docking Station, Hot-Swap Hard Drive Bay, Top-Loading (Sdock2U313)

STARTECH
SDOCK2U313
7.28 X 4.72 X 8.27 Inches
1.11 Pounds
SELLER SELLER SCORE AMAZON FULFILLED PRIME FREE SHIPPING
Amazon.com 9.68

Features

HARD DRIVE DOCKING STATION: This 2-bay hard drive dock delivers instant access to your 2.5/3.5" SATA hard drives for file backup, disk imaging, or data transfer over USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps); Tool-less design enables easy drive hot-swapping

DRIVE COMPATIBILITY: Supports 2.5/3.5" SATA HDDs & SSDs of any capacity | OS Independent | Backwards compatible w/ SATA I/II | IDE adapter (SAT2IDEADP) sold separately | Includes 3ft USB-A cable and universal power adapter

PERFORMANCE: Get maximum performance from your SATA III drive with a 10 Gbps USB 3.2 host connection; Drive bays with 5,000-cycle insertion rating for maximum durability

SPECS: 2-Bay Hard Drive Dock | SATA I/II/III (1.5/3/6 Gbps) | USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) Host Connection | Tool-less/Tray-less Design | Hot-Swappable Drive Bays | Top-Loading/Toaster-Style with Eject Buttons | LED Activity Lights

THE IT PRO’S CHOICE: Designed and built for IT Professionals, this Dual-Bay Hard Drive Dock is backed for 2 years, including free lifetime 24/5 multilingual technical assistance

Startech.com 2.5" Ide Hard Drive Enclosure - Supports Uasp - Aluminum - Ide And Sata - Usb 3.0 Hdd Enclosure - External Drive

STARTECH.COM
UNI251BMU33
6.30 X 5.12 X 1.18 Inches
0.29 Pounds
SELLER SELLER SCORE AMAZON FULFILLED PRIME FREE SHIPPING
Amazon.com 9.68

Features

Turn a 2.5” SATA III or IDE HDD / SSD into an external hard drive that connects to your computer through USB 3.0 with UASP

Works with USB 3.0 computers such as Ultrabooks, Macbooks and desktop computers and 2.5in IDE or SATA HDDs & SSDs such as Samsung 840 EVO

2.5" hard drive enclosure / SATA 2.5 hard drive enclosure

IDE HDD or SSD enclosure / USB to IDE enclosure / 2.5 inch enclosure

Turn an unused IDE or SATA drive into additional external storage

Access a variety of different drives

Startech.com M.2 Ssd Enclosure For M.2 Sata Drives - Usb 3.1 G - Usb-C - Portable M.2 External Enclosure (Sm21Bmu31Ci3)

STARTECH.COM
SM21BMU31CI3
4.30 X 2.00 X 0.50 Inches
0.23 Pounds
SELLER SELLER SCORE AMAZON FULFILLED PRIME FREE SHIPPING
Amazon.com 9.68

Features

ADD EXTERNAL STORAGE TO YOUR USB-C LAPTOP: Turn your M.2 NGFF SATA drive into high performance external storage with this M.2 SSD enclosure; Connect it to your MacBook, Dell XPS or other USB Type-C device. Compatible with Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports

CONNECT TO YOUR M.2 SATA SSD OVER USB 3.2 GEN 2: Experience full SATA III performance from your M.2 SATA SSD over a USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) host connection; Backward compatible with SATA I/II and USB 3.0; Includes mounting screws and screwdriver

TRULY PORTABLE: The compact design (4x2x1.5in/ 11x5x1.4 cm) makes this M.2 SATA hard drive enclosure easily portable; The integrated USB-C cable (6in/15.2cm), means you're always ready to plug it in, without having to remember to bring along a cable

DURABLE ALUMINUM: With this robust SATA M.2 external enclosure, your drive is encased in an aluminum and plastic housing; The built-in ventilation holes aid in heat dissipation to provide an optimum operating temperature for your drive

BROAD M.2 SATA SSD COMPATIBILITY: The M.2 SATA NGFF SSD enclosure supports common M.2 SATA SSDs (B Key / B+M Key) and multiple drive lengths including: 42 mm (2242), 60 mm (2260), and 80 mm (2280); NOTE: Not compatible with M.2 NVMe or AHCI PCI Express SSDs

Top 10 external ssd Brands on Amazon

Here is the list of top-rated brands that were evaluated by PM.

Brand Count
Startech 4
Startech.com 2

Top 10 external ssd Brands Pie Chart


We've carried out a comprehensive analysis of 1,163 reviews on external ssd, using our selection criteria to identify the best options in the computers & accessories. Our findings reveal that most customers typically select external ssd priced around $52.73, with top brands including samsung, sandisk, crucial, wd_black, seagate, buffalo, western digital, sp silicon power and sandisk professional and sabrent

Our team of expert editors reviewed these high-quality items and handpicked the top 6 external ssd for your consideration. We've also done extensive research on numerous sellers, identifying the best ones in the computers & accessories category. These include amazon.com, buffalo americas inc, silicon power usa inc, tech stat and go smart and store4memory .

We are dedicated to assisting our users in finding the right drives Products based on their needs, saving them considerable time when choosing which external ssd to buy. We take pride in the number of satisfied users we've helped through our thorough and insightful reviews.