If you are running running out of storage space on your laptop, need to back up data or store backlog videos that you will be editing someday (I swear), an external hard drive can solve the problem your. The point is, there are hundreds of different drive options, ranging from cheap to extremely expensive – which one is right for your needs? I tested dozens of different use cases to find the best portable storage drive for your workflow.
Be sure to check out our other guides, including How to back up and move your photos between services, How to back up your digital lifeand How to backup your iPhone.
Update February 2022: We’ve added a new SanDisk SSD as our top pick for speed. We’ve also added a link to the latest drive stats report from Backblaze.
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Best for backup
I know this guide is for Hand hard drive, and this is certainly not portable, but I bear. For incremental backups, that we recommend, portability is not your top priority. And usually, your backup software will run overnight, so speed shouldn’t be an important factor either. That’s why the first drive I recommend is this Western Digital Elements.
I’ve been using several variants of the WD Elements desktop hard drive for incremental backups of my data for over a decade now. They are large and require an external power source, but these are some of the cheapest, most reliable drives I’ve used. Storage options up to 18 terabytes. Just make sure you check the prices; sometimes you can get a 6 or even 8 terabyte drive for no more.
Other great spare drives:
- Seagate 8 TB Portable Hard Drive ($180): Seagate is another reliable drive manufacturer. It’s never a problem to have multiple backups, and if you want multiple backups, use drives from different brands, as it reduces the risk of both failing at the same time. This 8 terabyte model usually sells for around $150.
- Western Digital Elements 5 TB Portable Hard Drive ($105): You can also get a more portable version of the Western Digital drive for much less and it doesn’t require an external power source. The 4-terabyte model usually sells for less than $100.
Best portable drive
These Crucial drives are my favorite portable drives. They are reasonably priced (for a portable SSD) and very fast. The only drive I tested with faster read speeds was the SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD (see below). These are lightweight, which means they’re ideal for when you’re working away from home. I use one to store video clips and it’s fast enough to edit them right on disc. The only downside is the plastic construction. Don’t expect it to last many drops.
Best for speed
This new portable drive from SanDisk messes with everything else I’ve tested. It’s lightweight, with an IP22-rated case so it’ll do just fine on the go. It’s not the cheapest drive, but if you’re backing up in the field and want to get it done as quickly as possible, it’s your best bet. I also like that it’s more compact than some of these drives — it makes it easier to keep track of in my bag.
Another quick alternative: Our previous top picks, Samsung’s T7 Drive ($250 for 2 TB), is still a fast drive. Seagate’s One Touch SSD ($300 for 2 TB) is another good option, but it doesn’t come cheap. Neither is suitable for SanDisk.
The best go-anywhere drive
If you need a drive that can last for life backpack or camera bag, getting wet or handling drops on a hard surface, the OWC drive is your best bet. It’s hard to pick a winner here since there are many solid options, but OWC’s Elektron drive narrowly beat the others in the benchmark tests. I also love that you can swap out the drive inside the aluminum case (it’s easy to unscrew), which means two years from now you can pick up a faster empty SSD and drop it in the Elektron.
Another indestructible drive: I really like Sabrent’s Rocket Nano SSD ($160 for 1 TB). It’s slightly smaller and faster than OWC, but it has two downsides. The first is that it can get really hot. If you’re trying to work with it in your lap, it can be very frustrating. Another problem is that sometimes my computer recognizes it very slowly. I can’t find a template for this; sometimes it shows up immediately, sometimes it takes a few minutes. If that doesn’t bother you, this drive is small, cheaper, and comes with a padded rubber cover.
The best cache drive
The moving drives above are a solid solution for those who need backup in the field, like photographers and videographers. But if you want an extra level of comfort, this LaCie magnetic drive has long been a favorite among travelers. LaCie makes both SSD versions and traditional spinning drive versions. If speed isn’t an issue, nor is the nightly backup, then cheaper spinner more meaningful. If you’re really backing up while taking photos or something like that needs to happen fast then the SSD version is what you want.
Advice on buying hard drives
Choosing the right hard drive comes with a balance of three things: speed, velocity, sizeand price. If you’re doing nightly backups, then speed and size may not matter. Go buy the cheapest drive you can find — so far. Drives don’t last forever, but some certainly outlast others. I recommend sticking with known brands with good reputations such as Seagate, Western Digital, and others featured here. This is partly based on experience and partly on the drive failure data Backblaze has been published for many years now. Backblaze goes through a large amount of hard drive backing up customer data, and its report is well worth reading. The lesson is simple: Stick with the names you know.
If the speed outweighs the price, then you want to consider solid-state drives. SSDs not only have the advantage of speed, but also lack of moving parts, which means they’ll better withstand bumps and drops in a pocket while on the road than a spinning drive. The disadvantage is that they can wear out faster. Any write to the SSD — that is, when you save something to it — slightly degrades the individual NAND cells that make up the drive, which wears it down a bit faster than a spinning drive. How much faster depends on how you use it. That said, I have several SSDs that are more than 5 years old, and I’ve been using them for daily backups all that time. None of them had any problems.
When do you want an SSD on a spinning drive? The answer is almost always yes – if you can afford it. But they’re especially useful for whatever drive you’re working on regularly: your primary boot drive, the external drive you use to edit documents, and even for backups if you need them to happen quickly. .
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