Best External Hard Drive for Mac 2023 – Buyers Guide

Buffalo Mini Station – Time machine compatible

The Buffalo Mini Station is an excellent drive for Mac. It stands out of its group as a reliable drive which gives users a value for their money – other drives in the Mini Station series include the Buffalo Mini Station plus, the Buffalo Mini Station Air (Wireless) as well as the Buffalo Mini Station Extreme NFC (a fast and rugged drive).

The Buffalo Mini Station comes in two variants; the Buffalo Mini Station with Thunderbolt and the Buffalo Mini Station with USB 3.0. We made mention of the Buffalo Mini Station with Thunderbolt in our article on the best Thunderbolt external hard drives for Mac 2023 has to offer.

The Buffalo Mini Station drive measures roughly 4.5 x 3.0 x 0.6 inch and weighs about 0.5 pounds. The drive comes with three storage capacity options; 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB. For Mac users who are keen on backing up their data using Time Machine, the Buffalo Mini Station is more than ready to handle the task since it is time machine compatible. The drive is quite small and its casing is made of plastic which leaves it susceptible to breaking at any time.

The drive comes with a two-year warranty and is shipped with the USB cable. According to information on the BuffaloTech Website, the drive is preformatted for Mac in HFS+ format and so it requires reformatting for it to be able to work with Windows.

https://youtu.be/Fg8eV-Cz8XU?t=95

[wpsm_column size=”one-half”][wpsm_pros title=”PROS:”]

• Compatible with Mac and Windows PC
• USB 3.0 ensure fast transfer speeds
• 2-year warranty
• Slim, portable and bus-powered

[/wpsm_pros][/wpsm_column][wpsm_column size=”one-half” position=”last”][wpsm_cons title=”CONS:”]

• No encryption software
• Requires reformatting for windows

[/wpsm_cons][/wpsm_column]

Conclusion: While the Buffalo Mini Station fails with regards to encryption, using the Turbo PC feature the drive is equipped with, one can enjoy fast transfer speeds alongside a plethora of options which the drive’s Bolo Utility tools from the company provides end users with.

[wpsm_button color=”orange” size=”medium” link=”http://amzn.to/2qAy5eP” icon=”none” class=”” rel=”nofollow”]Buffalo MiniStation – Check Price[/wpsm_button]

[wpsm_divider top=”20px” bottom=”30px” style=”solid”]

WD My Passport Pro – Portable RAID

Albert Filice of Macworld described the WD My Passport Pro with four simple words: A hefty portable RAID! Yet in spite of its size, the drive is humble when it comes to power consumption as it is bus powered.

No other drive transfer’s files faster than the Passport pro as it makes use of its integrated Thunderbolt cable to move your data faster than you can say the word “transfer”. If that’s not enough, you’ve got two RAID options to select from to achieve blazing transfer speeds – RAID 0 is default – as well as JBOD. The My Passport Pro was the first Thunderbolt enabled drive Western Digital released for Mac users.

An all metal enclosure houses the main 2.5 inches 5400 rpm SATA drives. WD provided two storage capacity options of 2TB and 4TB so you do not have to worry about filling up the storage device quickly although it’s quite easy for storage hard drives to get filled up nowadays. The drive is Time Machine compatible and is formatted out of the box in HFS+ format.

There’s a three-year warranty on the drive and the rubber bumpers on the side provide a little bit of cushion for any bumps whilst the fan turns itself on when the drive gets hot.

Western Digital showed how user-centered they were by saving buyers of their products the stress of spending an additional $50 on a Thunderbolt cable, by permanently attaching a Thunderbolt cable to the drive. This also comes in handy and saves one from constantly losing the cable. The drive measures 5.7 x 3.5 x 1.7 inches and weighs about 1.6 pounds for the 4TB version and 5.6 x 3.5 x 1.1 inches with a weight of 1.2 pounds for the 2TB version.

[wpsm_column size=”one-half”][wpsm_pros title=”PROS:”]

• There’s a fan to help cool the drive if it ever gets hot
• It’s bus powered
• Thunderbolt cable permanently attached
• 3-year warranty for the device

[/wpsm_pros][/wpsm_column][wpsm_column size=”one-half” position=”last”][wpsm_cons title=”CONS:”]

• Non-user-replaceable Thunderbolt cable
• Bulky
• No USB 3.0 port

[/wpsm_cons][/wpsm_column]

Conclusion: If you strictly looking for a Thunderbolt external hard drive for your Mac, WD’s My Passport Pro might just be the answer. You could also check out other Thunderbolt portable drives for Mac here.

[wpsm_button color=”orange” size=”medium” link=”http://amzn.to/2qZBnJA” icon=”none” class=”” rel=”nofollow”]WD My Passport Pro – Check Price[/wpsm_button]
[wpsm_divider top=”20px” bottom=”30px” style=”solid”]

LaCie Porsche – USB-C port support

Sometime in 2015, LaCie announced they would be shipping their drives with native Support for USB-C. They have lived up to their word with the LaCie Porsche HDD which reeks of the poise, affluence, and integrity Porsche Designs, a subsidiary of the German automaker Porsche, is known for.

Weighing just about 0.5 pounds and measuring 5.1 x 3.0 x 0.6 inches, the LaCie Porsche is housed in a glossy aluminum casing which gives it an aesthetically appealing look. The drive is available in 2TB and 4TB storage options and is slim and sturdy with a textured finish a typical Mac user is accustomed to.

Since the drive uses the USB-C port, LaCie ships it alongside with its cable and a USB 3.0 adapter so you can conveniently use the drive on your Mac PCs with USB 3.0 ports. There’s a light indicator to the side of the drive which of course, is bus powered.

If you’d love to have an extra layer of protection covering your drive, the encryption feature on the LaCie Porsche Design drive would encrypt your data for you. Other tools that come with the drive include the Backup Assistant, LaCie’s Genie Timeline as well as the Desktop Manager tools to help you manage the drive well.

The drive is compatible with Mac and Windows computers although reformatting is required for the later.

[wpsm_column size=”one-half”][wpsm_pros title=”PROS:”]

• Bus powered
• USB 3.0 support makes it compatible with Mac and Windows
• 2-year warranty for the device

[/wpsm_pros][/wpsm_column][wpsm_column size=”one-half” position=”last”][wpsm_cons title=”CONS:”]

• Above average transfer speeds via USB 3.0
• Lacks Thunderbolt
• The drive is not rugged although it’s sturdy

[/wpsm_cons][/wpsm_column]

Conclusion: The LaCie Porsche Design external hard drive is an embodiment of the stunning design, swift performance, and sturdiness.

[wpsm_button color=”orange” size=”medium” link=”http://amzn.to/2qEsUsB” icon=”none” class=”” rel=”nofollow”]LaCie Porsche Design – Check Price[/wpsm_button]
[wpsm_divider top=”20px” bottom=”30px” style=”solid”]

Transcend StoreJet 500 – SSD for Mac

If you’d love to enjoy the power of Thunderbolt and USB 3.0 in one drive, there’s no need to look beyond the Transcend Storejet 500. Sleek, slim and beautiful are three words that best describe the drives physical features.

The Storejet 500 has an aluminum casing with a silver finish that gives it a professional look while it sits idly beside your Mac. The drive weighs just about 0.5 pounds and measures about 2.5 inches in its casing which itself measures 0.68 x 3.0 x 5.0 inches.

The Storejet 500 packs the power of the Thunderbolt and USB 3.0 and as such is compatible both with a Mac and a Windows PC. However, the drive is more “Mac friendly” and works out of the box formatted for Mac in HFS+. Data transfer speeds are good on the drive, even though they are quite lower than the numbers advertised by Transcend.

The Storejet 500 comes in 3 different storage capacities; the 256GB, 500GB, and 1TB and it is worthy to note that all of them come equipped with Transcends’ Elite Software, as well as the 256-bit AES encryption feature. There’s a 3-year warranty covering the products.

[wpsm_column size=”one-half”][wpsm_pros title=”PROS:”]

• Mac and Windows PC compatible
• USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt ports ensure fast transfer speeds
• 3-year warranty
• Sleek and simple yet professionally looking

[/wpsm_pros][/wpsm_column][wpsm_column size=”one-half” position=”last”][wpsm_cons title=”CONS:”]

• The drive sometimes gets hot under heavy usage
• USB 3.0 is surprisingly faster than the Thunderbolt during transfer operations

[/wpsm_cons][/wpsm_column]

Conclusion: The Transcend Storejet 500 is ever ready to handle your storage without any problems other than the fact that its speed disappoints Thunderbolt fanatics when it comes to transferring data.

[wpsm_button color=”orange” size=”medium” link=”http://amzn.to/2ryA5SV” icon=”none” class=”” rel=”nofollow”]Transcend StoreJet 500 – Check Price[/wpsm_button]
[wpsm_divider top=”20px” bottom=”30px” style=”solid”]

LaCie Little Big Disk – Desktop SSD

LaCie’s Little Big Disk nicknamed small but mighty for its miniature design yet powerful transfer speeds is the next drive on our list of the best external hard drives for Mac in 2023.
The drive comes equipped for the task at hand with two Thunderbolt 2 port which is downward compatible with Thunderbolt, so you shouldn’t be afraid of the drive not working on your Thunderbolt-only Mac.

The Little Big Disk requires an external power source for it to work, a huge downside of this wonderful and powerful drive, but it makes up for that in terms of its blazing fast transfer speeds.

The drive measures 5.5 x 1.6 x 3.3 inches and weighs a whopping 1.4 pounds, twice the weight of some of the drives on our list. It works out of the box with any available Mac computer and has RAID options you can select from.

And if you’d love to encrypt the data you’ve got on the drive, the Little Big Disk is up to the task, given that it supports AES 256-bit encryption. LaCie ships the drive with the Intego Backup Manager pro for easy management whilst it gives users a three-year warranty for the drive which costs a premium.

LaCie could have won the hearts of many if they had a 2TB or a 4TB version of this drive up for grabs. But that would surely cause the price to become higher than it already is.

[wpsm_column size=”one-half”][wpsm_pros title=”PROS:”]

• Thunderbolt 2 port allows for fast data transfer speeds
• Two Thunderbolt ports allow for daisy-chaining anywhere
• Encryption available to safeguard your data

[/wpsm_pros][/wpsm_column][wpsm_column size=”one-half” position=”last”][wpsm_cons title=”CONS:”]

• Requires external power source
• It’s quite pricey
• Maximum 1TB storage option

[/wpsm_cons][/wpsm_column]

Conclusion: For just about $1000, you can experience the ultra-swift power of LaCie’s Little Big Disk Thunderbolt 2 if you prefer speed over large storage options.

[wpsm_button color=”orange” size=”medium” link=”http://amzn.to/2qAKe3N” icon=”none” class=”” rel=”nofollow”]LaCie Little Big Disk – Check Price[/wpsm_button]
[wpsm_divider top=”20px” bottom=”30px” style=”solid”]

WD My Book Duo – Huge amount of storage space

Say hello to the father of all the storage drives on our list – this large desktop drive for Mac comes with a whopping 8TB of storage space (there are 4TB and 6TB versions available). Housed in a shiny plastic casing and weighing a whopping 5.2 pounds, the drive measures 6.5 x 6.2 x 3.9 inches. There are two configurable RAID options to choose from, not forgetting the JBOD mode.

The WD My Book Duo comes with two Thunderbolt ports that allow for daisy chaining at any point in the chain. WD also helps the user save $50 by shipping the drive with a Thunderbolt cable.

The drive, however, lacks USB 3.0 ports and as such isn’t compatible with Windows PC or with older Mac PCs that have only USB 3.0 ports. There are openings everywhere and these openings help ensure that the drive is properly ventilated thus stays cool during usage.

There’s a three-year warranty on the drive which as expected, given its size, isn’t bus powered. Such a drive with a huge storage space as this is ample for backups.

[wpsm_column size=”one-half”][wpsm_pros title=”PROS:”]

• Extra-large storage space
• Two Thunderbolt ports are available
• Internal drives are replaceable
• 3-year warranty

[/wpsm_pros][/wpsm_column][wpsm_column size=”one-half” position=”last”][wpsm_cons title=”CONS:”]

• The plastic casing isn’t good
• Lacks USB 3.0 ports
• Quite expensive
• Average transfer speeds
• It isn’t bus powered

[/wpsm_cons][/wpsm_column]

Conclusion: If you solely want a Thunderbolt external drive with enough storage space for your needs and you aren’t really concerned about transfer speeds, then the WD My Book Duo Thunderbolt Drive would be a great choice for you.

[wpsm_button color=”orange” size=”medium” link=”http://amzn.to/2qAtjhG” icon=”none” class=”” rel=”nofollow”]WD My Book Duo – Check Price[/wpsm_button]
[wpsm_divider top=”20px” bottom=”30px” style=”solid”]

WD My Passport Wireless – Up to 8 devices on the go

Tech geeks and photographers would certainly love Western Digital’s My Passport Wireless, given that it is one of the best wireless external hard drives that is compatible with Mac. The My Passport Wireless is slightly different from the My Passport Wireless pro in terms of design since both have virtually the same functionality.

The design isn’t that great, but who cares? The bus powered drive with its minimalist design can also serve as a media server whilst the drive allows you to connect to the internet, devices that are connected to it.

WD’s My Passport Wireless is available in 3 different storage options; 1TB, 2TB, and 3TB and is compatible with both Windows and Mac OS since it sports a USB 3.0 port. The USB 3.0 port is quite useful when you want to transfer extremely large files which might be slow to copy during wireless transfers. For photographers, this drive comes with one of a very important and helpful feature; an SD card slot. Simply pull out the SD card from your camera, slot it into the drive to initiate copy automatically.

Under the hood is a battery that can power the drive for up to 6 hours whilst staying connected to 8 drives – it streams simultaneously to at least 3 without any hitch.

The 1TB version of the drive weighs just about 0.6 pounds while the 2TB version weighs about 0.7 pounds and all the storage option variants come with a two-year warranty.

[wpsm_column size=”one-half”][wpsm_pros title=”PROS:”]

• SD card reader for quick transfers
• Can connect up to 8 devices at once
• 6-hour battery life for an above average user
• Serves as a media server and also allows connected devices stay connected to the internet.

[/wpsm_pros][/wpsm_column][wpsm_column size=”one-half” position=”last”][wpsm_cons title=”CONS:”]

• Battery life is not so good
• Limited file format support when used on mobile
• Streaming high definition movies can sometimes cause the device to lag

[/wpsm_cons][/wpsm_column]

Conclusion: Western Digital’s My Passport Wireless packs the power of a wireless drive and a USB 3.0 enabled drive within its casing for the price of one even as it offers large storage capacity to suit your needs.

[wpsm_button color=”orange” size=”medium” link=”http://amzn.to/2rlok5g” icon=”none” class=”” rel=”nofollow”]WD My Passport Wireless – Check Price[/wpsm_button]
[wpsm_divider top=”20px” bottom=”30px” style=”solid”]

LaCie Fuel Wireless – Android, iOS, Kindle compatible

Shaped like a fuel jerry can, the LaCie fuel is in the words of Dong Ngo of CNET in his review of the drive, “the same as the Seagate Wireless Plus” in functionality and in basic features. So why would Seagate the owners of LaCie make another drive like the one it had already made?

The drive measures 4.5 x 4.5 x 0.9 inches and weighs about 0.6 pounds. Its design is quite unique – never seen before as it was designed by the popular internationally recognized designer Philipe Stark. The drive is available in two different storage capacities; 1TB and 2TB, and spins at 5400rpm.

Using the LaCie Fuel, one can connect up to 5 devices at a go and stream to 3 of those devices. The LaCie Fuel can be used as a Network Attached Storage and still be able to connect to the internet whilst still connected to it.

According to LaCie, the LaCie Fuel can last for up to 10 hours. Need I say that the LaCie Fuel also supports USB 3.0 which of course turns off the Wireless feature if the drive is plugged in using the USB cable. Connecting to you Mac as well as and to other devices is a breeze.

[wpsm_column size=”one-half”][wpsm_pros title=”PROS:”]

• A plethora of storage options to choose from
• Long battery life
• USB 3.0 support
• Internet pass-through feature
• Windows, Android, Mac, iOS, Kindle compatible
• Unique design

[/wpsm_pros][/wpsm_column][wpsm_column size=”one-half” position=”last”][wpsm_cons title=”CONS:”]

• Incompatible with iTunes downloaded videos
• The app’s interface is quite clumsy
• Lacks SD card slot
• No encryption

[/wpsm_cons][/wpsm_column]

Conclusion: Turning away from the norm, one would enjoy long lasting battery life on this drive on the go and not worry about where to store their precious data.

[wpsm_button color=”orange” size=”medium” link=”http://amzn.to/2q0zj01″ icon=”none” class=”” rel=”nofollow”]LaCie Fuel Wireless – Check Price[/wpsm_button]
[wpsm_divider top=”20px” bottom=”30px” style=”solid”]

Seagate Wireless Plus – DLNA and AirPlay compatible

Last, on our list of the best external hard drives for Mac 2023 has to offer is the Seagate Wireless Plus. Measuring 5 x 3.5 x 0.8 inches and weighing just about 0.6 pounds, the Wireless Plus provides a plethora of options for users. It has a USM port which provides support for USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt which could be used via adapters.

Seagate provides this wonderful wireless drive in just 1TB storage capacity which apparently is ample storage for a handful of movies when you are on the go with your family. The drive packs into it enough power to stream continuously and simultaneously to 3 devices at a go. The Seagate media app comes in handy for managing your wireless connections on the app.

Just like the other aforementioned wireless portable hard drives for Mac, the Seagate Wireless Plus allows you connect to it and acts as a router for your internet connection, so you need not disconnect from it to connect to the internet.

Storing files on the drive is a drag and drop affair as the drive automatically sorts the files by type. What’s more? The Seagate Wireless Plus is also DLNA and AirPlay compatible and Seagate has been claiming that the drive would be compatible with Samsung Smart TVs in the nearest future.

Battery life on the drive is somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 hours although usage determines how long the battery will last.

[wpsm_column size=”one-half”][wpsm_pros title=”PROS:”]

• Easy to use
• USB 3.0 with adapter support for Thunderbolt
• Long lasting battery life
• Can stream to 5 devices at a go

[/wpsm_pros][/wpsm_column][wpsm_column size=”one-half” position=”last”][wpsm_cons title=”CONS:”]

• Lacks SD card slot
• No encryption
• 1TB storage is average
• Doesn’t stream iTunes purchased videos

[/wpsm_cons][/wpsm_column]

Conclusion: The Seagate Wireless Plus device is yet another wonderful Wireless Drive for Mac that provides a first-hand feel of what it is like to have a wireless storage drive connecting your devices at a time.

[wpsm_button color=”orange” size=”medium” link=”http://amzn.to/2q0zeJL” icon=”none” class=”” rel=”nofollow”]Seagate Wireless Plus – Check Price[/wpsm_button]
[wpsm_divider top=”20px” bottom=”30px” style=”solid”]