14 Best USB Flash Drives (2025): Pen Drives, Thumb Drives, Memory Sticks

The Kingston drive copied the entire camera folder from my Pixel phone to my laptop so quickly that I feared it must have failed. But when I checked my laptop, everything was present and correct. It’s a very lightweight plastic drive with a ridged top that allows you to slide the USB-C plug in and out. A tiny loop at the top means you can attach it to a key ring. It’s a great choice if you want to back up or move files between smartphones, tablets, or laptops with USB-C ports. It’s by far the speediest drive I have tested (1,000 MB/s read, 900 MB/s write), so it’s especially perfect for transferring large files. We’ve linked to the 1-terabyte model, but there are 256- and 512-gigabyte options, too. Kingston offers a limited five-year warranty on this drive.

With a whopping 1 terabyte of storage, this nifty SSD drive from SK Hynix is fast becoming my go-to thumb drive. It is relatively fat since it has an M.2 drive inside, but it can hit impressive speeds (around 1,000 MB/s read, 900 MB/s write) with the right gear (USB 3.2 Gen 2 port). On that note, it works great for watching 4K movies and can slot into an Xbox Series X/S or PlayStation 4 or 5 for extra game storage. It’s finished in smooth black plastic, with a cover that pops off to reveal a USB-A jack. SK Hynix offers a three-year warranty on this drive.

Another high-capacity SSD in flash drive form worth considering is the Seagate Ultra Compact SSD, which appears in our Best External Hard Drives guide.

Affordable and practical, the Pinstripe from Verbatim will not win any races (my tests of the 256-GB drive saw variable write speeds of up to 80 MB/s and read speeds a little faster), but I like the simple design. The USB-A slides into the lightweight plastic body for protection, so there’s no cap to lose, and the other end has a tiny loop for a keychain. Did I mention that it’s cheap? You can get various sizes, all at attractive prices for the capacity. If you want to take files with you, and there is no hurry to transfer them, this is one of the cheapest ways. Just watch out, as the older model of Pinstripe is a slower drive. Verbatim offers a two-year limited warranty on its drives.

I like the grippy texture on the slider of this Amazon Basics drive because it’s easy to open one-handed and locks in place securely. The loop at the top is perfect for a key ring, and this drive has a super-lightweight plastic construction. Performance was limited, as you might expect at this price, but it consistently exceeded the stated 130 MB/s read and 30 MB/s write speeds for larger files. It was generally slow in my write tests and only had 116 GB usable out of the box. That said, it is very affordable and works fine if you’re not in a hurry.

Designed to keep sensitive files safe from prying eyes, the Kingston IronKey Vault Privacy 50 has a snazzy blue finish with a simple cap top and a tiny optional strap. It works with Windows or macOS computers and boasts several security features, but you must run Kingston’s software and set up a password or passphrase the first time you use it. The virtual keyboard protects from keyloggers. Anyone trying to access the drive will automatically erase the contents after 10 wrong attempts, but you can add a hint and an admin account that can reset user passwords. (An ancestor to this drive plays a starring role in a WIRED feature about an early Bitcoin adopter who has 7,002 bitcoins and only two password attempts left.)

This USB flash drive is FIPS Certified 197 and has 256-bit AES-XTS encryption. It offers protection against brute-force attacks and BadUSB. Manufactured in the US, this drive is TAA-compliant. Kingston suggests read and write speeds around 250 MB/s and 180 MB/s, respectively, but it did a little better than that in our tests (around 300 MB/s and 220 MB/s for larger files). Offered in USB-A or USB-C models, in sizes ranging from 8 to 512 gigabytes, this drive comes with a five-year warranty.

Many drives are not much bigger than the USB-A connector, but I find them a little too easy to lose. But, if you need a teeny-tiny drive, they don’t come much smaller than this one. Verbatim’s 32 GB Nano did slightly better than the stated 80 MB/s read and 25 MB/s write speeds in my testing, but it’s still quite slow. I like the curved indent that makes it easier to extract (some of these tiny drives are hard to pull out). The blue finish lacks style, but it is easy to spot if you drop it, and it is very affordable. There are also 16- and 64-gigabyte models. Verbatim offers a two-year limited warranty on its drives.

Machined from aluminum, with a spinning USB-A connector at one end and a rubber loop attached cap on the USB-C at the other, this drive looks and stays cool. A USB flash drive with both connectors is handy nowadays, and though this is quite a long drive, I like the design (it doubles as a fidget toy). There’s a tiny hole for the included lanyard strap. I tested the 250-gigabyte model (500 GB or 1 TB are options). OWC suggests speeds of up to 946 MB/s (based on Thunderbolt USB-C with a MacBook). Testing with Windows and a USB 3.2 Gen 1 port, I only got around 420 MB/s read and write (you need Gen 2 or Thunderbolt to get the faster speeds). This drive also works with Chromebooks, Android, or iOS devices. The superfluous software is annoying, but you can format the drive. OWC offers a limited three-year warranty.

Whether moving files from an Android phone to a PC or backing up from multiple devices, a flash drive that can cope with different ports is handy. The PNY Duo Link is compact, made of solid metal, and has a loop for attaching to a keyring. The plug section rotates to reveal both USB-C and USB-A connectors. I tested with my PC and a couple of Android phones, and I found that it worked well, though the USB-C might be too short if you have a thick case on your phone. My tests revealed write speeds around 110 MB/s and consistent read speeds of 225 MB/s. I tested the 64-GB version, but you can also get 128- or 256-gigabyte models. Folks with an older iPhone can also use the PNY Duo Link with Lightning and USB-A ($18). PNY offers a limited one-year warranty on its drives.

If you want a flash drive to back up and copy photos and other files from your smartphone, I like the iXpand Luxe. It has a Lightning plug for older iPhones and iPads at one end and flips to reveal a USB-C plug at the other, so you can transfer files to or from newer iPhones, Android devices, and laptops. It has a metal casing with a loop for a keychain, and it is very slim. This design means that one plug is always exposed, and while SanDisk includes a separate plastic cover that slots on, I fear I’ll inevitably lose it. Storage options top out at 256 gigabytes.

If you want to use this drive with an iPhone or iPad, you must install the iXpand app (not required for Android devices). It works well, but it’s not the fastest drive (90 MB/s read, 35 MB/s write). Backing up photos from my wife’s iPhone took a couple of hours the first time. Handily, you can configure the app to automatically back up photos when you insert the drive. Don’t have a USB-C port on your laptop? Then the very similar iXpand Go is the way to go. It sports a Lightning port on one end and a USB-A plug on the other. SanDisk offers a two-year limited warranty on these drives.

An elegant one-piece design makes this USB flash drive eye-catching and practical. The metal casing comes in silver or gray, with a curved design that makes it easy to withdraw and a loop so you can slip it onto a keyring. Test read speeds were just shy of 400 MB/s, with write speeds just over 100 MB/s, but the smaller drives (32 GB and 64 GB) are significantly slower. The Bar Plus is also a durable option, with Samsung claiming it is waterproof, shock-proof, temperature-proof, magnet-proof, and x-ray-proof. Samsung grants a five-year limited warranty on this drive.

This dinky drive is perfect for slipping on a keyring, with a metal enclosure that includes a handy loop. There’s a textured plastic slider on the underside for extending the USB-C jack, and it stays in place securely. Test read and write speeds hovered around the stated 400 MB/s. The lower capacity drive (64 GB) is slightly slower at up to 300 MB/s. SanDisk offers a limited five-year warranty on this drive.

Seeking a flash drive with a durable enclosure? The Survivor Stealth from Corsair is tough to beat. It has a ridged, cylindrical, anodized aluminum housing with ridged rubber covers at each side. One end has an opening for a keychain, and the screws open to reveal the drive, which has a standard USB-A plug. When screwed shut properly, this drive is waterproof to a depth of 200 meters, and the enclosure is vibration- and shock-resistant. I dropped it in a glass of water and let the cat chase it around, and it still works fine. Its performance is fairly average (85 MB/s read, 70 MB/s write), so it takes a while to complete a big backup or transfer large files. Speeds likely vary with different storage capacities. Corsair offers a five-year limited warranty on this drive.