CalDigit TS4 vs TS5 Plus

What published reviews say about each, where the two differ, and who each one suits.

Summed up from 15 published reviews

CalDigit

TS4

The CalDigit TS4 is a feature-packed Thunderbolt 4 dock with 18 ports and 98W charging, but its high price, lack of HDMI, and large power brick make it best for power users who need maximum connectivity.

Best for: Power users needing maximum ports and high charging
Skip it if: Budget buyers or those requiring native HDMI

PriceToday's price on AmazonView on Amazon

What reviewers say about the CalDigit TS4

CalDigit

TS5 Plus

The CalDigit TS5 Plus is a premium Thunderbolt 5 dock with unmatched port density, 140W charging, and multi-8K display support, but its high cost and large size make it best for power users.

Best for: Power users needing maximum ports, charging, and multi-8K displays.
Skip it if: Casual users or those without Thunderbolt 5 devices.

PriceToday's price on AmazonView on Amazon

What reviewers say about the CalDigit TS5 Plus

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Specs side by side

Spec	CalDigit TS4	CalDigit TS5 Plus
Monitors	2	4
Laptop charging	98W	140W
Kind	–	Dock (own power supply)
Ports	18	20
Best resolution	5K and up	5K and up
Connects by	Thunderbolt / USB4	Thunderbolt / USB4
Ethernet	Yes	Yes
SD card reader	Yes	Yes
DisplayLink (needs a driver)	No	No

Rows where the two differ come first.

Where only one fits

monitors: TS5 PlusThree

What reviewers like, and what they don't

CalDigit TS4

18 ports including Thunderbolt 4, USB-A/C, 2.5GbE, DisplayPort, SD slots 1 2 3 4
Up to 98W laptop charging plus 20W front USB-C offline charging 1 2 3 4
Sturdy aluminum build with flexible vertical/horizontal orientation 2 5 6
Reliable performance with fast data transfer and cool operation 1 3 5
Front-facing USB-C and SD card access for convenience 1 5 7
No built-in HDMI output; requires adapters 1 2 3 4
Large 230W power brick adds bulk 1 4 5 7
DisplayPort uses one downstream Thunderbolt 4 port 2 6

CalDigit TS5 Plus

20 ports including Thunderbolt 5, USB, 10GbE 1 2 3 4
140W host charging plus three 36W USB-C ports 1 2 3 4
Dual Thunderbolt 5 controllers prevent bandwidth throttling 1 2 3 4
Supports dual 8K or triple 4K displays 1 2 3 4
Silent fanless operation with aluminum heat dissipation 1 5 7 8
No native HDMI port; requires adapter 1 3 4 5
Large dock and bulky power brick 2 4 5 7
Runs warm; potential heat issues in tight spaces 1 3 8

Ranked in our guides

Guide	TS4	TS5 Plus
Best docking stations for MacBook	#3	#1
Best docking stations for two monitors	#2	#1

Sources

We don't test products ourselves. This page sums up 15 published reviews, read on October 23, 2026; each point above links to the reviews that make it.