Fresh/Last checked Sep 04, 10:40 PM·Updated daily
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Best External Drives by Price per TB

The best external drive deal right now is whichever offer on this page has the lowest price per TB — a desktop HDD for shelf backups, a portable SSD if it needs to travel — from this live-ranked list of current Amazon prices.

External drives are the easiest backup you can buy: plug in, copy, unplug. This list ranks current Amazon external and portable drive offers by price per TB, refreshed with every snapshot.

The category mixes desktop external hard drives (cheapest per TB, need wall power at larger sizes) and portable SSDs (pricier, pocketable, fast). The blurbs flag which is which so the ranking stays honest.

  1. WGOHNUAHA Portable SSD External Drive 16TB High-Speed Storage，16TB-S50

    $11.99 · $0.75/TB as of Sep 04, 10:40 PM

    Ranks #1 at $0.75/TB — 99% below the typical 16TB external. New condition.

  2. Avolusion PRO-T8 Series 14TB USB 3.0 External Hard Drive for WindowsOS Desktop PC/Laptop (Black) - 2 Year Warranty

    $339.99 · $24.29/TB as of Sep 04, 10:40 PM

    Ranks #2 at $24.29/TB — 77% below the typical 14TB external. New condition, USB, 2 yr warranty.

  3. Avolusion PRO-H1 Series 14TB 7200RPM USB 3.2 Gen2 (10Gbps) External Hard Drive (for Windows or MacOS Desktop PC/Laptop)

    $339.99 · $24.29/TB as of Sep 04, 10:40 PM

    Ranks #3 at $24.29/TB — 77% below the typical 14TB external. New condition, USB.

  4. Avolusion PRO-G2 14TB USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps) USB-C External Hard Drive for Windows/MacOS (Silver)

    $349.99 · $25.00/TB as of Sep 04, 10:40 PM

    Ranks #4 at $25.00/TB — 76% below the typical 14TB external. New condition, USB.

  5. OSENTRiX BX100 14TB USB 3.2 Gen 2 USB-C External Hard Drive for Windows or MacOS Desktop PC/Laptop

    $349.99 · $25.00/TB as of Sep 04, 10:40 PM

    Ranks #5 at $25.00/TB — 76% below the typical 14TB external. New condition, USB.

  6. OSENTRiX GX100 12TB USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps) External Hard Drive with USB Hub for Windows or MacOS Desktop PC/Laptop - 2 Year Warranty

    $329.99 · $27.50/TB as of Sep 04, 10:40 PM

    Ranks #6 at $27.50/TB — 74% below the typical 12TB external. New condition, USB, 2 yr warranty.

  7. WD 22TB My Book External Hard Drive, Desktop HDD with Password Protection, USB 3.0, SuperSpeed USB, Software for Device Management, Backup, Hardware encryption, Works with PC and Mac, Black

    $657.21 · $29.87/TB as of Sep 04, 10:40 PM

    Ranks #7 at $29.87/TB — 72% below the typical 22TB external. New condition, USB.

  8. OSENTRiX BX100 10TB USB 3.2 Gen 2 USB-C External Hard Drive for Windows or MacOS Desktop PC/Laptop

    $299.99 · $30.00/TB as of Sep 04, 10:40 PM

    Ranks #8 at $30.00/TB — 72% below the typical 10TB external. New condition, USB.

  9. OSENTRiX GX100 10TB USB 3.2 Gen 2 USB-C External Hard Drive with USB Hub for Windows or MacOS Desktop PC/Laptop - 2 Year Warranty

    $309.99 · $31.00/TB as of Sep 04, 10:40 PM

    Ranks #9 at $31.00/TB — 71% below the typical 10TB external. New condition, USB, 2 yr warranty.

  10. Western Digital 10TB Elements Desktop External Hard Drive - USB 3.0

    $321.85 · $32.19/TB as of Sep 04, 10:40 PM

    Ranks #10 at $32.19/TB — 70% below the typical 10TB external. New condition, USB.

Compare live hard disk prices for all matching deals →

What to look for

Match the drive to the job: for scheduled backups that sit on a desk, a desktop external HDD gives the most capacity per dollar. For moving files between machines or editing on the go, a portable SSD is worth its premium.

Check the port and cable: USB-C 10 Gbps is the current sweet spot. A fast SSD behind a 5 Gbps port wastes half its speed, while a spinning external drive won't saturate even USB 3.0 — don't pay for interface speed an HDD can't use.

One external copy is a convenience, not a backup strategy. The drives at the top of this list are cheap enough to buy in pairs — keep one offsite or pair the external with cloud storage.

FAQ

Are external drives reliable enough for backups?

Yes, with the usual caveat that any single drive can fail. Use at least two independent copies of anything you can't replace, ideally in two places.

Why are external drives sometimes cheaper per TB than internal ones?

Retail promotions on popular external models are aggressive, and manufacturers bin drives across lines. When an external undercuts internals at the same capacity, it's a genuine arbitrage — this page makes those moments visible.

Portable SSD or external HDD?

HDD for capacity per dollar and shelf backups; SSD for speed, silence, and surviving being carried around. If it lives in a bag, buy the SSD.