At-a-glance
Top Cyber Monday Thunderbolt dock picks:
- Best overall: Ugreen Thunderbolt 4 Dock 8-in-1, $161.48. The best mix of price and features at the moment.
- Best Thunderbolt 4 dock deal: Ugreen Thunderbolt 4 Dock 8-in-1, $161.48. Ugreen’s hardware scores well in our reviews.
- Best Thunderbolt 5 dock deal: CalDigit E5, $199.99. The best value in TB5 docks at the moment.
Cyber Monday deals on laptop docking stations and Thunderbolt docks are here, and I’m on the hunt for the best docking station sales for the 2025 holiday season. Welcome to Black Friday, which will continue on to Cyber Monday.
I’ve tracked the best laptop docking-station sales for the past several years. For 2025, I’d expect to see predominantly Thunderbolt 4 and USB4 (the generic equivalent) docks to be on sale this holiday season, since Thunderbolt 5 docks are generally aligned with gaming PCs. I’ve added some DisplayLink dock deals, too.
I’ve listed each dock deal below, together with an explanation of why I picked them. (I’ve attached a FAQ at the end of this page with additional buying advice, if you’re new to laptop docks.) Although I check multiple retailers and e-tailers, the vast majority of the top deals in years past have been on Amazon. Feel free to review the deals below, or else review my list of the best Thunderbolt docks and check to see how those prices have been affected for Cyber Monday sales, too.
How I chose these deals
I’ve authored and our list of the best Thunderbolt docks for several years now, personally testing many docks myself. My colleagues at Macworld have done the same. I use my own knowledge of what the MSRP should be for each dock, the quality of the brand and the dock (especially if we’ve tested it or a related dock) as well as its capabilities as guidance for my recommended deals. This year, I made the decision to phase out older Thunderbolt 3 docks, as the functionally equivalent Thunderbolt 4 docking stations provide a better experience.
Updated Dec 1, 2025 at 10:08 AM PT to reflect the latest deals and prices.
Best Cyber Monday Thunderbolt dock deals: Thunderbolt 4
- Ugreen Thunderbolt 4 Dock 8-in-1, Thunderbolt 4, 85W charging, $161.48 (35% off at Amazon)
- Kensington SD5750T, Thunderbolt 4, 90W charging, $171.81 (41% off at Amazon)
- CalDigit TS4 Thunderbolt 4 Dock, Thunderbolt 4, 98W charging, $303.99 (32% off at Amazon)
- OWC Thunderbolt Go Dock, Thunderbolt 4, 90W charging, $179.99 (28% off at Amazon)
- OWC Thunderbolt Hub, Thunderbolt 4, 60W charging, $82 (36% off at Amazon)
I think the Ugreen Thunderbolt 4 dock offers the best deal. Our sister site TechAdvisor reviewed the Ugreen 8-in-1 dock we recommend, and assigned it four out of five stars. I reviewed the slightly larger Ugreen Revodok Max 213 myself. I’ll let those reviews speak for what Ugreen’s docks do well. (The 8-in-1 dock was priced at a hair less, or $160, for Amazon’s Prime Day.)
Our sister site, TechAdvisor, loved the CalDigit TS4 dock. It’s still pretty pricey, but the discount lowers the price. They also reviewed the SD5700T dock from Kensington, similar to the SD5750T dock that’s on sale.
I’ve reviewed OWC’s Thunderbolt Go dock, and it earned four out of five stars. It’s $100 off MSRP. OWC’s Thunderbolt 4 dock also performed quite well in TA’s review, too.
Best Cyber Monday Thunderbolt dock deals: Thunderbolt 5
- CalDigit E5, Thunderbolt 5, 90W charging, $199.99 (29% off at Amazon)
- Kensington SD5000T5, Thunderbolt 5, 140W charging, $229.00 (41% off at Amazon)
- Anker Prime TB5 Thunderbolt 5 14-in-1 dock, Thunderbolt 5, 140W charging, $319.99 (20% off at Amazon)
Price matters, and Amazon and Kensington raised the price of the SD5000T5 partway though Cyber Monday. Do that, and your ranking in our deals roundup will fall. Otherwise, Kensington’s SD5000T5 suffered a bit as the first Thunderbolt 5 dock I looked at, and you’re still saving close to $200 alone on this excellent deal. Note that this dock supports up to three displays via three Thunderbolt 4 ports, with legacy USB-A ports for keyboards and mice. I’d recommend using one of those high-speed TB4 ports as an interface for an external SSD, personally.
The other Thunderbolt 5 deal, the CalDigit E5, is a bit more geared toward Mac users but Windows laptop owners will find value there as well. CalDigit’s TS4 is also pretty pricy, but it earned top marks from our sister site, TechAdvisor. This is usually one of those docks everyone wants to buy, and it’s on a decent sale.
Best Cyber Monday DisplayLink dock deals
- Plugable Dual DisplayPort & HDMI Docking Station, DisplayLink, $103.96 (26% off at Amazon)
- Kensington SD5900T DisplayLink Docking Station, DisplayLink, $203.99 (30% off at Amazon)
- Anker Prime DL7400 Docking Station, DisplayLink, 140W charging, $209.99 (30% off at Amazon)
A DisplayLink dock or USB-C hub are other alternatives, working equally well with Thunderbolt ports or older laptops with a generic USB-C port instead. But you must install a software driver, and some IT departments don’t allow you to do that.
Plugable’s DisplayLink docking station is priced to move, and lives up to DisplayLink’s promise of affordable, stable hardware. I haven’t tested Anker’s Prime DL7400 DisplayLink dock or the Kensington SD5900T, but the latter dock is on a nice sale and is definitely one of the coolest-looking docks out there.
Don’t forget accessories!
More and more docking stations are choosing to provide Thunderbolt outputs, rather than specific display ports. What this means is that you’ll need to know something about the displays you’re plugging them into. If you own a monitor with a USB-C input, you’ll probably just need a basic USB-C cable to connect to it.
If your display has an HDMI or DisplayLink input, you’ll need a cable that with a USB-C (Thunderbolt) connection on one end, and either a DisplayPort or HDMI connection at the other. (Check your monitor to be sure.) DisplayPort is slightly preferred here, but it honestly shouldn’t matter. Match the speed of your cable to the type of dock that you have, however. I’ve listed what you’ll want to buy, below.
- USB-C to HDMI (Thunderbolt 5): Ugreen 6.6-foot cable, $18.99 on Amazon
- USB-C to HDMI (Thunderbolt 4): Uni 6-foot cable, $9.49 on Amazon
- USB-C to DisplayPort (Thunderbolt 5): Cable Matters 6.6-foot cable, $19.99 on Amazon
- USB-C to DisplayPort (Thunderbolt 4): Acer 6.6-foot cable, $9.99 on Amazon
Ignore any nonsense about Macbook-only cables; these will work just fine on Windows PCs.
Cyber Monday: The best PC deals around
Check out our roundups for the best PC-related deals in a wide variety of categories!
- Best Amazon Cyber Monday tech deals
- Best Buy’s best Cyber Monday tech deals
- Best Cyber Monday laptop deals
- Best Cyber Monday Chromebook deals
- Best Cyber Monday mini PC deals
- Best Cyber Monday desktop computer deals
- Best Cyber Monday monitor deals
- Best Cyber Monday USB flash drive deals
- Best Cyber Monday SSD and storage deals
- Best Cyber Monday power bank deals
- Best Cyber Monday office chair and desk deals
- Best Cyber Monday VPN deals
FAQ
When is Black Friday and Cyber Monday?
Officially, this year’s Black Friday takes place on Friday, Nov. 28, 2025. Cyber Monday is the following Monday, or Dec. 1, 2025. Amazon’s Black Week kicks off Nov. 20.
What should you pay for a Black Friday or Cyber Monday deal on a Thunderbolt dock?
Premium Thunderbolt docks usually retail for about $220 to $270 or so, depending upon the features. I usually hope for $200 or less, but we’ll see.
Though Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 4 (and USB3 and USB4) docks all include the same basic feature set, it’s likely that retailers and e-tailers have sold through their old Thunderbolt 3 hardware. (If this confuses you, please see our list of the best Thunderbolt docks and the explanation for the different features.) This probably leaves Thunderbolt 4 / USB4 as the default choice.
I recommend one or two deals on Thunderbolt 5 docking stations, but Thunderbolt 5 is a premium platform with little need for you to buy it right now unless you want to future-proof your setup. (Ironically, some of the TB5 dock deals are better than I expected, making this a viable strategy!) Still, based on my reporting, none of the 2026 mobile processor platforms will integrate Thunderbolt 5 directly. That makes Thunderbolt 4 the preferred choice.
When do Cyber Monday deals on Thunderbolt docks begin?
Cyber Monday begun weeks early at several stores. Retailers haven’t been shy about using early sales to unload inventory before the Cyber Monday craziness begins.
Over the years, I’ve found that certain retailers simply outdo others in specific product categories. I routinely search sites like Newegg, B&H, Target, and Walmart, but Amazon typically has the best collection of deals on docking stations of all stripes, including Thunderbolt docks.
I have a USB-C port on my laptop. How do I know what to use with it?
Consult your laptop’s manual. A Thunderbolt port may be labeled with a small lightning-bolt logo, but that icon can sometimes be used to signal that the port can be used for charging, too. If nothing else, a USB-C dongle/hub will always work with a USB-C port.
I still don’t understand the difference between USB-C and Thunderbolt. How does it all work?
USB ports have been around for years. USB-C (the oval-shaped port) replaced USB-A (the rectangular port) because USB-C was more versatile, with higher speeds and a reversible port connector. USB-C ports can be rated for either 5Gbps or 10Gbps, just like a normal USB-A port. But some USB-C ports connect to a Thunderbolt chip inside your laptop, and this allows the port to run at a higher 40Gbps speed. Physically, the connector looks exactly the same. It’s just what it can do that’s different.
Thunderbolt 5 is slowly entering the market, but with only one or two docks and a tiny number of laptops right now. I thought you wouldn’t see any major sales on Thunderbolt 5 docks this holiday season, but I’ve been since proven wrong!
What’s the difference between a USB-C hub and a Thunderbolt dock?
Speed and features. A USB-C hub connects to a single 4K (or 1080p) display and provides a mix of ports: USB-A, SD card slots, and so on. You can usually plug your laptop’s USB-C power cable (if it uses one) right into it.
A Thunderbolt dock supplies even more bandwidth for more ports. There are two key differences: It has enough bandwidth to drive a pair of 4K displays, and many docks come with their own power supply that can charge your laptop as well as your phone. All that occurs via the Thunderbolt cable that connects your laptop to the dock.
My laptop has USB 4, not Thunderbolt. Can I use a Thunderbolt dock?
Yes and no. Thunderbolt 3, Thunderbolt 4, and USB 4 all run at 40Gbps across the same connector. USB 4 is identical to Thunderbolt 4. But if your laptop runs USB 4, it won’t “understand” Thunderbolt 3 protocols. USB 4 laptops, which are still rare, have AMD Ryzen chips inside.
Is Thunderbolt 4 better than Thunderbolt 3?
Physically, they use the same USB-C cable. Functionally, they’re almost the same, and run at the same 40Gbps throughput. Thunderbolt 4 was released almost as a patch to Thunderbolt 3, ensuring that everything worked properly. If your laptop has Thunderbolt, you should be able to buy either a Thunderbolt 3 or Thunderbolt 4 dock without any problems.
Since Thunderbolt 3 is being phased out, you’ll probably find more discounts on the older Thunderbolt 3 hardware. (For all the gory details, see my roundup of the best Thunderbolt docks.)
I own a desktop PC. Do I need a Thunderbolt dock?
Possibly. Historically, the back of a desktop has been chock-full of I/O ports, especially DIY models that you build yourself. Desktops usually have extra room for internal SSDs, SD cards, and so on. However, if your desktop lacks these things, and if it includes an external Thunderbolt port, you can always add these additional components externally via Thunderbolt.



