Power surges can damage your electronic devices, so make sure to protect them with one of CNET's favorite power strips with surge protection.
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If you ever thought it's just a surge protector, we recommend you reconsider. It's a crucial piece of hardware for your home and office because the best surge protectors extend the life of your tech and help protect against electrical fires and system crashes. You don't have to invest a ton of money to buy one since these come at a variety of price points. The difference between a power strip and a surge protector is that a power strip is just additional outlets, while a surge protector has additional circuitry to help protect your TV, soundbar or really anything that's plugged in. So while the terms are used interchangeably, there’s a big difference.
Our favorite surge protectors have a high joule rating (aka the amount of protection or surge protection rating), lots of outlets that are arranged in a way you can use them all and aren’t so big and bulky that they’re hard to hide. We found a few that match that criteria, as well as some others that have more specialized but handy uses. Here are our picks for best surge protectors in 2024.
We ran rigorous testing on 16 of the top surge protectors available for under $100, and the standout performer against all of our requirements was the APC P11U2 . Its impressive number of outlets -- 11 -- is noteworthy, and six of them have a generously wide design to provide spacing that can accommodate larger power adapters. It also comes with USB ports that allow you to directly charge your devices, a high joule rating (more on that below) and a conveniently long power cord. It even comes with a lifetime $250,000 equipment protection policy.
For those seeking surge protection with specific features or smaller sizes, we have more recommendations below worth checking out.
The APC P11U2 checks all the boxes for what I was looking for in a surge protector. It has six widely spaced plugs, plus five more that are closer together and two USB ports. It has 2,880 joules of protection, well above my test's average. Coincidentally, editor Ty Pendlebury has one in his testing lab. APC offers a lifetime $250,000 equipment protection policy.
Overall build quality is quite solid, even though the protective covers for each outlet are superfluous and come off easily. The cord to connect the power strip to the wall is quite long at 8 feet, which is convenient.
It's not flashy and doesn't have some of the features of some of my other picks, but for a basic, solid, surge protector, it's the one to get. It's worth noting that APC discontinued the P11U2 in the past few months, but it is still available at Best Buy. We will update this list once we find a suitable replacement.
If the APC above isn't available or you're looking for something a little different, the Tripp Lite TLP1208TELTV offers most of the features we like about the APC. It has only four wide-set outlets but eight close-spaced ones. There's no USB, but instead you get three RJ11 for telephone (one in, two out) and two coax for cable or satellite. It has a claimed 2,880 joule rating. I have one in my testing lab.
It has an 8-foot cord, and comes with $150,000 "Ultimate Lifetime Insurance" coverage and a limited lifetime warranty.
It's usually a little more expensive than the APC, but if you want something to protect landlines or cable/satellite, it's ideal.
The Belkin F7C01008q has a handy feature: It comes with a wireless switch. Six of the eight wide-spaced outlets are controlled by this switch, which you can mount somewhere nearby via its included wall mount and sticky-tape. This allows you to stick the actual surge protector behind a large TV or console and you won't have to worry about reaching it to power on and off. The protector itself is flat, with far less bulk than the APC or Tripp Lite.
The fancy remote control comes at a cost, however. The surge protector has a claimed 1,000-joule rating, which is lower than my top picks. It has a shorter cord too, though at four feet it should be long enough for most situations. The Conserve Switch has a one-year warranty on itself, and $100,000 for connected equipment.
If you like the look of this design but don't need the switch, check out the Belkin BE112230, listed in the Others We Tested section below.
The Accell D080B-051B looks like a squid or maybe a six-legged octopus. (Hexapus?) I feel like this is enough reason to buy it, but it may not be for everyone. Its main benefit is that, instead of rigid outlets on a flat frame like most surge protectors, it has five short cables with the outlets at the end. Most people probably won't need this specific type of functionality, but I'm sure some of you are looking at it and know exactly how it will fit in your home. Also, you know, the squid thing.
The Accell is rated at a claimed 1,080 joules. Unlike most surge protectors, which continue to pass power when they've passed their joule rating, the D080B-051B fails safe, cutting power so your gear is protected against further surges. You will need to buy a new one if this should happen, but the whole point is to protect your more expensive gear. It's surprising that more surge protectors aren't built like this.
Unlike the others on my list, though, there's no device warranty. While this is disappointing, it's not a total deal-breaker, as I discuss below.
Unlike most surge protectors, the Belkin BP108000 is tubular instead of box-shaped. Long and thin, it can sit behind or under furniture better than most other designs. Seven of its nine outlets rotate almost 180 degrees, so you can fit big charger wall warts on all of them. The other two outlets are widely spaced from each other but are close to the bottom of the protector. This won't be an issue if you're plugging in cables, but grounded wall warts might not fit correctly.
It has a claimed 1,800 joule rating and comes with a $150,000 Connected Equipment Warranty. In addition to the power outlets, there are also in and out RJ11 telephone connections. The cable to the wall is 6 feet long.
The Amazon S9P658O300A00 plugs directly into your wall outlet, adding four more places for plugs. All six outlets on this Amazon Basics protector turn 90 degrees, so you can accommodate up to six wall warts if you turn the top and bottom plugs in the opposite direction of the middle ones.
It's rated for a claimed 1,080 joules. It doesn't have a connected equipment warranty.
The small PowerPort Strip PD 2 Mini is perfect for placement on a desk or table where you often connect devices via USB to charge and occasionally additional wall warts. It has a surge rating of 440 joules. The USB-A ports max out at 2.4 amps each, while the USB-C port is capable of 3 amps at 5 volts or 2 amps at 9 volts.
The PowerPort Strip PD 2 Mini is also good for travel, thanks to its small size and 5-foot cord, though the Accell (mentioned below) is better for those who prefer to travel light.
surge protection device If you want to connect big, or wide wall warts, the PowerPort Strip PD 2 Mini isn't ideal. As you can see from the photo, it doesn't have much space on either side of its outlets. If you're regularly connecting bigger warts, check out the Belkin SRA006p3tt5 mentioned in the "Other good surge protectors" section below.