Best External SSDs by Price per TB
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Buy the capacity you need at the lowest price per TB, and a 10Gbps drive unless your computer has a 20Gbps or USB4 port — the list below ranks today's new external SSDs so you pay for speed only if your port can use it.
Crucial X8 1TB Portable SSD - Up to 1050MB/s - PC and Mac - USB 3.2 External Solid State Drive - CT1000X8SSD9
$99.99 · $99.99/TB as of Nov 15, 07:14 AM EST
Ranks #1 at $99.99/TB — 50% below the typical 1TB external SSD. New condition, USB.
SANDISK 8TB Desk Drive SSD, Up to 1000MB/s Read Speeds, Black | Desktop External Solid State Drive, 4x Faster than a Desktop HDD, Compatible with Desktops and Laptops, USB 3.2 Gen 2
$899.99 · $112.50/TB as of Nov 15, 07:14 AM EST
Ranks #2 at $112.50/TB — 28% below the typical external SSD of similar size. New condition, USB.
ORICO 1TB SATA SSD 2.5 Inch Internal Solid State Drive, Read Speed up to 500MB/s, SATA III 6Gbps for Desktop Laptop NAS DIY External Drive - Y20
$118.99 · $118.99/TB as of Nov 15, 07:14 AM EST
Ranks #3 at $118.99/TB — 40% below the typical 1TB external SSD. New condition, SATA, 2.5".
Vansuny 1TB Portable External SSD, USB 3.1 Gen2 540MB/s High-Speed Data ssd External Hard Drive USB C, Metal Mini Portable External Solid State Drive, Red
$118.99 · $118.99/TB as of Nov 15, 07:14 AM EST
Ranks #4 at $118.99/TB — 40% below the typical 1TB external SSD. New condition, USB.
Netac ZSlim 500GB Portable SSD, Up to 550MB/s Read and 450MB/s Write, USB 3.2 Gen 2 USB-C External Solid State Drive, 30g Aluminum Alloy Storage for Windows PC, Mac and Android
$61.06 · $122.12/TB as of Nov 15, 07:14 AM EST
Ranks #5 at $122.12/TB — 39% below the typical 1TB external SSD. New condition, USB.
Samsung T5 EVO Portable SSD 4TB, USB 3.2 Gen 1, Up to 460MB/s | External Solid State Drive for Gaming and Content Creation, MU-PH4T0S/AM, Black
$579.99 · $145.00/TB as of Nov 15, 07:14 AM EST
Ranks #6 at $145.00/TB — 23% below the typical external SSD of similar size. New condition, USB.
SANDISK 4TB Extreme Portable SSD, Up to 1050MB/s Read Speeds (Old Model) | External Solid State Drive, IP65 Water & Dust Resistance, Up to 3M Drop Protection, 256-bit AES Encryption, USB-C 3.2 Gen 2
$579.99 · $145.00/TB as of Nov 15, 07:14 AM EST
Ranks #7 at $145.00/TB — 23% below the typical external SSD of similar size. New condition, USB.
SANDISK 2TB Portable SSD, Up to 1000MB/s Read Speeds, Black (New Model) | External Solid State Drive, Compatible with Laptops & Tablets, Up to 2M Drop Protection, Up to 5x faster than HDD Pocket Size
$299.99 · $150.00/TB as of Nov 15, 07:14 AM EST
Ranks #8 at $150.00/TB — 24% below the typical 2TB external SSD. New condition.
Netac ZX20 512GB Portable SSD, Up to 2,000MB/s Read and 1,700MB/s Write, USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 Type-C External Solid State Drive with C-to-C and C-to-A Cables for PC and Mac
$78.99 · $154.28/TB as of Nov 15, 07:14 AM EST
Ranks #9 at $154.28/TB — 23% below the typical 1TB external SSD. New condition, USB.
ORICO BookDrive 512GB Magnetic External SSD 1000MB/s with PD 100W Charging | Portable SSD for Labtop & USB-C Smartphone - Magsafe Portable Solid State Drive, 1000MB/s for USB 3.2 Gen2 - P10Plus
$79.99 · $156.23/TB as of Nov 15, 07:14 AM EST
Ranks #10 at $156.23/TB — 22% below the typical 1TB external SSD. New condition, USB.
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An external SSD suits laptop users out of space, creators moving photos and video, gamers adding a game drive, and anyone who wants faster backups than a spinning drive allows. The list above ranks new portable SSDs from 250GB up by price per TB, re-ranked on every snapshot refresh, so you can match capacity to your budget.
Portable SSDs are sold on headline speed, but your computer's port sets the real limit. A 20Gbps drive drops to 10Gbps on most Macs and many PCs, and a 10Gbps drive runs at 5Gbps in an older port. Buy the speed tier your port can actually use, then spend the difference on capacity.
What to look for
Match the drive's speed tier to your port first. USB 3.2 Gen 1 runs at 5Gbps (drives rated around 460 MB/s), Gen 2 at 10Gbps (around 1,050 MB/s), Gen 2x2 at 20Gbps (around 2,000 MB/s), and USB4 at 40Gbps (around 3,800 to 4,000 MB/s). Apple's current Macs list only 10Gbps USB and 40Gbps USB4 ports, and Thunderbolt 4 ports on PCs also run 20Gbps drives at 10Gbps — on those machines, a 20Gbps drive is paying for speed you can't use.
Check sustained speed, not just the headline. Some portable SSDs slow down once their write cache fills during long copies — Tom's Hardware measured one 20Gbps drive holding about 2,000 MB/s for roughly 800 GB, then dropping to 200 to 300 MB/s. If you move big video projects or game libraries in one go, look for reviews that test long writes; a 10Gbps drive that holds its speed can beat a faster one that doesn't.
Weigh durability against cost. Portable SSDs cost more per TB than external hard drives, but even a 10Gbps SSD is several times faster than a portable hard drive's roughly 130 MB/s. Many carry IP65 dust-and-water ratings and 3-meter drop ratings, and with no moving parts they suit a drive that rides in a bag. If a drive will hold backups, keep a second copy elsewhere.
Found a price somewhere else? Check it with the price per TB calculator →
FAQ
Is an external SSD worth it?
Yes, if you value speed, small size, and toughness. External SSDs cost more per TB than external hard drives, but even a 10Gbps model is several times faster than a portable hard drive and has no moving parts to damage.
What is the fastest external SSD connection?
USB4 at 40Gbps, with drives rated around 3,800 to 4,000 MB/s, followed by 20Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 at about 2,000 MB/s. Your port and cable must support the same tier — most Macs and Thunderbolt 4 PC ports run 20Gbps drives at 10Gbps.
Can I play games from an external SSD?
Yes on PC: one test found a 10Gbps external SSD loaded games with little to no difference from internal SATA and NVMe drives. On Xbox Series X|S, optimized games must run from internal storage, and on PS5, USB drives play PS4 games but only store PS5 games.
What's the difference between a portable SSD and an external hard drive?
A portable SSD uses flash memory with no moving parts, so it's faster, smaller, and more shock-resistant, but costs more per TB. An external hard drive gives cheaper and larger capacity. The "External SSD vs external hard drive" explainer covers the trade-offs.