Best USB Flash Drives | August 2021

USB sticks (or PenDrives) have made great strides in recent years, and today, you can buy models with high storage space for a relatively low price. If you are looking for a peripheral in which to store files and to always carry with you (perhaps attaching it to your house keys), PenDrive are the right products for you.

In this buying guide, we will offer you various USB sticks: from "basic" models with a storage of 32 GB to 512 GB units. We haven't forgotten Apple users either: our guide also features PenDrive with Lightning connector. 1/2 TB solutions are also available on the market, but they are usually not reliable, so we advise against them.

In addition to the classic USB-A peripherals, we have also included models with USB-C input, “necessary” for the latest generation notebooks without traditional USB ports (such as MacBook and Ultrabook).

An alternative solution is to save to the cloud, however this requires an internet connection, and the available space leaves something to be desired (unless you pay for a subscription). Given the current prices of USB sticks, it is still worth investing in them. The following products are listed in ascending price order.

The best USB sticks

Kingston DataTraveler 100 - 64 GB Kingston DataTraveler 100 - 128 GB SanDisk Ultra Dual Drive Go - 64 GB Pack of 5 ENUODA sticks (32 GB) Sandisk Ultra Flair - 256 GB Samsung Duo Plus - 128 GB iDiskk - 128 GB Patriot Memory Supersonic Rage Elite - 512GB

Kingston DataTraveler 100 - 64 GB

Here is an excellent proposal from the Kingston brand: a model from 64 GB for only 9 euros! It's hard to ask for more.

Kingston DataTraveler 100 - 128 GB

Let's stay at Kingston with the 128 GB proposal. The PenDrive features a USB 3.0 connector, like the first model in our guide.

SanDisk Ultra Dual Drive Go - 64GB

Most PenDrives are equipped with a USB-A port, however many newer notebooks (such as MacBooks) only feature USB-C inputs. What to do? Fortunately, in recent years, USB-C sticks have also been introduced and the model we propose is a practical 2-in-1 solution. Transferring files to and from your PC, smartphone or tablet will no longer be a problem.

Pack of 5 ENUODA sticks (32 GB)

Usually, the sticks are sold individually, but ENUODA offers a package with 5 32 GB drives for less than 20 euros; It is an ideal offering for a family, but the performance leaves something to be desired as it features USB 2.0 ports.

Sandisk Ultra Flair - 256 GB

Sandisk Ultra Flair is a high-end model that offers faster read and write speeds. If you are looking for a performing solution, this is the product for you.

Samsung Duo Plus - 128 GB

Samsung Duo Plus is a 2- in-1 (both USB-A and USB-C) that we recommend for its excellent performance: it can reach a theoretical maximum speed of 400 MB / s in reading and 120 MB / s in writing.

iDiskk - 128 GB

USB-A and USB-C ports are the "gold standard" of the industry but… who thinks to Apple's Lightning ports? And yes, there are plenty of professionals who work with iPhones and iPads, and adapters sometimes cost more than the stick itself. Fortunately, there is iDiskk, a PenDrive 2-in-1 line for Apple mobile devices. We offer you the 128GB model, as it offers good value for money.

Patriot Memory Supersonic Rage Elite - 512GB

We conclude the guide with a stick with "supersonic" performance, in fact Patriot Memory Supersonic Rage Elite can reach a maximum speed of 400 MB / s in reading and 300 MB / s in writing (USB 3.1) . If you are looking for a high performance model and are willing to spend the money, this is the product for you.