About Plugable
Plugable Technologies started as a Seattle-area startup in 2009, founded by Bernie Thompson, a former IBM engineer who went on to manage the Bluetooth and USB teams at Microsoft and later served as a DisplayLink executive. That background shows up directly in the product line: Plugable calls itself "the #1 Docking Station Company" and has built out nearly 40 dock models built on DisplayLink's USB graphics technology, designed to give a single USB-C or USB-A cable the ability to drive multiple external displays on Windows, macOS, Linux, and ChromeOS alike. The company now says it serves more than 200,000 businesses, from home offices to Fortune 500 IT departments, with lifetime North American engineering and support behind every dock, hub, and adapter it sells.
Plugable's docks have picked up recognition well beyond our own testing: Tom's Guide named the Plugable TBT4-UD5 its Best Docking Station of 2024, and Laptop Mag named the brand's Thunderbolt 4 16-in-1 dock its 2025 Dock of the Year. The UD-6950PDH we feature below earned an Editors' Choice from PCWorld, which called it "terrific value for office workers" at its price point. In our own hands-on testing it stood out for a specific, practical reason: it's the only dock on our list below the Thunderbolt price tier that we confirmed drives true extended dual displays on M-series MacBooks, a capability most budget USB-C docks can't claim.
Brand website: plugable.com
What Plugable makes
Plugable's range runs wider than the products we review. The lines we know best from our own testing are marked with a star:
DisplayLink docking stations
USB-C and USB-A docks for dual and triple external displays — featured on DeskRated
Thunderbolt & USB4 docks
higher-bandwidth docks for multi-4K and high-power charging
USB hubs and adapters
compact multiport hubs and single-purpose adapters
Video and display adapters
USB-to-HDMI/DisplayPort graphics adapters
Chargers and power devices
USB-C chargers and power delivery accessories
Desk accessories
cables, switches, and other connectivity accessories
Why we recognized Plugable
The DeskRated Top Brand recognition isn't paid for and can't be applied for. We award it to the brands whose products consistently stand out in our hands-on category reviews. Plugable earned it on the strength of the products below, evaluated the same way every product on this site is: bought, used at a real desk, and judged on merit.
Plugable products we rated highly
Plugable USB-C DisplayLink Docking Station, Dual 4K 60Hz (UD-6950PDH)
One of our top picks for Mac users specifically because it delivers true dual extended display on M-series MacBooks (M1 through M5), a capability most docks below the Thunderbolt tier can't confirm. It switches cleanly between MacBook and Surface connectivity, offers selectable HDMI or DisplayPort output on each video port, and delivers 100W Power Delivery that keeps a MacBook Pro 14-inch or most Windows ultrabooks charging at full speed. It does require installing the DisplayLink driver rather than working plug-and-play, and its data ports are USB-A only with no USB-C passthrough, but it has held a 4.3-star average across more than 300 verified reviews.
Read the 7 Best USB-C Docking Stations of 2026 guide →What earned Plugable the recognition
- Founded in 2009 by Bernie Thompson, a former IBM engineer who managed Microsoft's Bluetooth and USB teams and later worked as a DisplayLink executive, giving the brand deep technical roots in the exact chipset technology its docks are built on.
- Built almost 40 dock models around DisplayLink USB graphics technology, engineered for consistent multi-display support across Windows, macOS, Linux, and ChromeOS rather than a single platform.
- Independently recognized beyond our own reviews: Tom's Guide named the Plugable TBT4-UD5 its Best Docking Station of 2024, and Laptop Mag named Plugable's Thunderbolt 4 16-in-1 dock its 2025 Dock of the Year.
- The UD-6950PDH featured here earned an Editors' Choice from PCWorld and, in our own testing, was the only dock below the Thunderbolt price tier confirmed to run true extended dual displays on M-series MacBooks.
- Backs every product with lifetime North American support and a 2-year limited warranty, a longer commitment than most budget dock makers offer.