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Sarah Witman is a writer focused on batteries and charging accessories. She has spent countless hours charging, discharging, and recharging batteries. Standard Outlet Cover
We’ve added more information on wall-plate sizing throughout this guide, and included a note in Who this is for about our favorite smart outlets.
USB ports—especially the newer, slimmer, faster USB-C ports—are the charging connector of choice for most modern laptops, tablets, phones, wireless headphones, and other everyday electronics. To make it even easier to charge these devices in any room of your home, you can replace your standard wall outlets with models that have built-in USB ports, eliminating the need for a separate charger.
The Leviton T5635 is the wall outlet we’d buy ourselves. It has two USB-C ports with a combined output of 30 watts, which is enough to power a small laptop or to charge two phones simultaneously while still leaving two AC outlets free for larger appliances. It has a clean, minimal look that blends in with most home decor, and it comes in six neutral colors.
This UL-listed wall outlet has two USB-C ports with a combined output of 30 watts, two standard AC outlets, and charge-status lights. It doesn’t include a wall plate, but it comes in eight colors.
This UL-listed wall outlet has two USB-C ports with a combined output of 60 watts, plus two standard AC outlets. It’s available only in white, but it comes with its own wall plate.
This UL-listed wall outlet has two USB-C ports with a combined output of 30 watts, along with two standard AC outlets. It doesn’t include a wall plate, but it comes in eight colors.
This ETL-listed wall outlet has two USB-A ports and a USB-C port with a combined output of 30 watts, as well as a standard AC outlet. It comes only in white, but it includes its own wall plate.
This UL-listed wall outlet has two USB-C ports with a combined output of 30 watts, two standard AC outlets, and charge-status lights. It doesn’t include a wall plate, but it comes in eight colors.
The Leviton T5635 is made by a reputable brand, backed by a two-year warranty, and certified to meet applicable safety standards by the independent testing service UL Solutions (formerly Underwriters Laboratories). The layout offers ample room for you to access its two AC outlets and two USB-C ports, unless your devices have especially large plugs.
It’s easy to install, whether you’re hiring a licensed electrician or doing it yourself, and since it’s a standard size, you can swap it in for most existing outlets. And in our testing, we confirmed that the USB-C ports can deliver up to 30 W individually or 30 W total when both are in use.
It comes in more colors than most USB-equipped outlets (beige, black, brown, gray, ivory, or white), and it’s less expensive than many contenders (about $50 at this writing). On the downside, it doesn’t include a wall plate—the plastic part that frames the outlet—but since it’s a standard size you can reuse the one you already have or pick up a new one for a few bucks.
This UL-listed wall outlet has two USB-C ports with a combined output of 60 watts, plus two standard AC outlets. It’s available only in white, but it comes with its own wall plate.
The Leviton T5636 looks identical to our top pick, but it’s even more powerful. In our testing, it delivered up to 60 W from a single USB-C port, which is enough power to charge most laptops or tablets at a decent pace. When both USB-C ports are in use, it splits 60 W between the two, which is still plenty of power to fast-charge a pair of smaller devices, such as a phone and a set of earbuds.
Like our top pick, it’s UL certified and backed by a two-year warranty. It’s on the pricier end, costing $80 at this writing, and it comes only in white. But it saves you the added hassle and cost of buying a separate wall plate, since it includes one.
This UL-listed wall outlet has two USB-C ports with a combined output of 30 watts, along with two standard AC outlets. It doesn’t include a wall plate, but it comes in eight colors.
Like most of our picks, the Legrand Radiant R26USBPD is UL certified, and it has two USB-C ports (supporting up to 30 W apiece, or 30 W total), as well as two AC ports. Plus, since Legrand backs it with a lifetime warranty, you have even more time to reach out to the company for help if you run into any issues.
It doesn’t come with a wall plate, but it’s relatively inexpensive ($37 at this writing) and comes in more colors than our other picks: beige, black, bronze, brown, gray, ivory, silver, or white. It’s also the only one among our picks with charge-status lights next to the USB-C ports, which can be helpful in showing whether a device is partially or fully charged—though some people might find that the lights disrupt their sleep.
This ETL-listed wall outlet has two USB-A ports and a USB-C port with a combined output of 30 watts, as well as a standard AC outlet. It comes only in white, but it includes its own wall plate.
The Anker PowerExtend USB-C Wall Outlet A9312 has only a single AC outlet, but it’s one of the very few options we’ve seen with three USB ports (in this case, a 30 W USB-C port and two 5 W USB-A ports, with a combined output of 30 W). It has Intertek’s ETL Mark certifying that it meets applicable safety standards, and Anker covers it with an ample 18-month warranty. It comes only in white, and it’s not quite as pristine-looking as our other picks, but it’s the least expensive model we tested ($30 at this writing), and it includes its own wall plate.
I’ve been a science writer for nearly a decade, covering a wide variety of topics from particle physics to satellite remote sensing. Since joining Wirecutter in 2017, I’ve reported on electric vehicle chargers, rechargeable AA and AAA batteries, surge protectors, and more.
This guide also builds on reporting by Nick Guy and Mark Smirniotis, writers with decades of experience testing and reviewing electronics between them.
If you’re installing or replacing an electrical outlet, consider getting one with built-in USB ports. Having a USB port at every outlet lets you easily charge phones, tablets, e-readers, and other devices without the added clutter of a USB wall charger. Plus, in rooms with few electrical outlets, dedicated USB ports free up the standard AC outlets for things that don’t run on USB, such as lamps, fans, or media equipment.
Homeowners generally get more value than renters from upgrading electrical gear, but unlike ceiling fans or expensive light fixtures, wall outlets with USB ports are inexpensive enough to pay off for renters too—especially if you install them yourself.
If you have access to your breaker panel, replacing an outlet is one of the easiest electrical upgrades you can do. A basic home toolkit, a pair of wire strippers, and preferably a non-contact voltage tester are all you need to swap out an existing outlet. Video tutorials, such as those from the JerryRigEverything channel, can walk you through the steps and warn you about common mistakes.
If you don’t have a handy bone in your body, or just prefer to err on the side of caution, any licensed electrician can swap in new outlets with little trouble (assuming there aren’t underlying wiring problems to fix as well). Rates vary, but our electrician in Los Angeles charged us $300, including travel and labor costs, to replace 12 outlets.
Most outlets and wall plates come in similar shapes and sizes, so they’re easy to mix and match. But you should still take measurements before removing an existing outlet—or cutting a hole in your drywall—to confirm that everything will fit properly.
At this writing, only a handful of USB outlets are equipped with GFCI protection, and those we’ve seen have relatively low-output USB ports, so we opted not to test them. GFCI outlets—the kind with test and reset buttons between the AC receptacles—are required by law in kitchens, bathrooms, and other potentially wet locations to reduce the risk of electrical shock. So if you want to add more charging options in these rooms, at least for now, we recommend getting a small plug-in surge protector instead.
If you’d like the ability to control your outlets remotely, we have several recommendations in a separate guide to the best in-wall smart outlets, all of which also have USB charging ports.
To curate our testing pool, we first browsed the websites of major electronics manufacturers and retailers to find the most widely available models. From there, we narrowed our search based on the following criteria:
Before conducting our testing, we had a licensed electrician install all the contenders in an apartment, and we verified that they were wired correctly using an AC outlet tester. We then tested each USB-A port with an ammeter and an electronic load tester, using the latter to gradually increase the power being drawn from each port until we found the point at which it shut down or dropped out of the acceptable voltage range for USB ports (4.75 to 5.25 volts). For USB-C ports, we used the Total Phase USB Power Delivery Analyzer and its Data Center Software to measure the power output from both ports, confirming whether they worked as advertised.
To test the combined maximum port speed, we maxed out one port and then slowly increased the power draw on the second port. When either port shut down or the voltage exceeded the acceptable range, we recorded the maximum current at that time.
This UL-listed wall outlet has two USB-C ports with a combined output of 30 watts, two standard AC outlets, and charge-status lights. It doesn’t include a wall plate, but it comes in eight colors.
The Leviton T5635 offers the best way to add permanent USB charging ports to a new or existing wall outlet. Without sacrificing AC outlets, it can charge a single USB-C device at up to 30-watt speeds, or two such devices at 15 W speeds. It’s relatively inexpensive, reliable, and easy to install. Plus, it has a sleek look and comes in several colors.
It’s UL certified. Since it’s been certified by a reputable independent tester, you can rest assured that it meets all applicable safety standards.
It can charge up to four devices at once. In addition to two standard AC outlets to run larger appliances—say, a lamp and a turntable—it has two USB-C ports with a combined output of 30 W, which is enough to charge a small laptop or two phones simultaneously.
It comes in a variety of colors. This model comes in beige, black, brown, gray, ivory, or white, so you can choose whichever shade best fits your decor.
It’s affordable. Although it isn’t the absolute cheapest option we considered, it costs less than many models with fewer (or less powerful) ports.
It’s reliable. Leviton is a well-established maker of outlets and other household electrical devices. In our experience, its customer support is fast and reliable, and this particular item is backed by a two-year warranty.
This UL-listed wall outlet has two USB-C ports with a combined output of 60 watts, plus two standard AC outlets. It’s available only in white, but it comes with its own wall plate.
If you want even more power than our top pick provides, get the Leviton T5636. It typically costs more than the T5635, and it comes only in white, but it offers the highest total output of those we tested (up to 60 W split between its two USB-C ports), as well as the highest output from a single port (up to 60 W apiece). This means you can charge one high-power device at a steady pace or charge two low-power devices at top speed.
It’s UL certified. Like every model we tested, the Leviton T5636 has been independently certified to meet all applicable safety standards, which should give you added peace of mind.
It can charge up to four devices at once. This model has two standard AC outlets, as well as two USB-C ports capable of delivering up to 60 W apiece. That’s more than enough power to fast-charge an iPhone 15 or most Android phones, and it’s just enough to charge some laptops (such as a MacBook Air or Chromebook) or tablets (such as an iPad Pro or Kindle) at a reasonable pace. And when both ports are in use, they have a combined output of up to 60 W.
It comes in only one color. So we hope you like white. But on the upside, it has a sleek look and comes with its own wall plate.
It’s on the pricier side, but still a good value. The T5636 costs $80 at this writing, though the included wall plate offsets the cost by a couple of bucks. Plus, this model is one of the very few available options capable of delivering 60 W from a single port, so if you need the extra juice it’s worth the splurge.
It’s made by a reputable brand and has a solid warranty. Just like our top pick, this model is backed by Leviton’s two-year warranty and reliable customer support.
This UL-listed wall outlet has two USB-C ports with a combined output of 30 watts, along with two standard AC outlets. It doesn’t include a wall plate, but it comes in eight colors.
Though the Legrand Radiant R26USBPD costs a bit more than our top pick at this writing, it offers a few advantages over our other picks. Namely, it comes in the most colors, it’s the only model here with a lifetime warranty, and it adds a unique feature: tiny lights that change color to indicate when your devices are partially or fully charged.
It’s UL certified. You can rest easy knowing that, like our other picks, this model has been independently certified to meet all applicable safety standards.
It can charge up to four devices at once. It has two USB-C ports (supporting up to 30 W apiece or 30 W total) for phones and other handheld devices, as well as two AC ports for larger appliances.
It comes in an abundant array of colors. Not only does the R26USBPD have a clean look that blends in seamlessly with most home decor, but it also comes in more colors than our other picks, namely beige, black, bronze, brown, gray, ivory, silver, or white.
It has charge-status indicator lights. Two charge-status indicator lights, which sit alongside the USB-C ports, can helpfully show when a device is partially or fully charged (they turn yellow or green, respectively). However, we’ve also noticed that they can be disruptive to sleep when the outlet is installed in a bedroom, so if you’re a light sleeper, you might want to choose one of our other picks.
You have to buy a separate wall plate, but it’s a safe purchase. Like our top pick, the R26USBPD doesn’t come with a wall plate, so you’ll have to shell out for a new one (Legrand recommends using its own Radiant Screwless Wall Plate, but any standard-sized model will fit). Still, it’s relatively expensive (under $40 at this writing), it comes from a reputable brand with great customer support, and it’s backed by a lifetime warranty.
This ETL-listed wall outlet has two USB-A ports and a USB-C port with a combined output of 30 watts, as well as a standard AC outlet. It comes only in white, but it includes its own wall plate.
If getting a USB-equipped wall outlet at the lowest price is your top priority, or if you want an outlet with USB-A ports, the Anker PowerExtend USB-C Wall Outlet A9312 is your best bet. It’s not quite as pretty—or powerful—as our other picks, but it still gives you many of the same features that we prize in those models. Plus, it’s made by a brand we trust.
It meets applicable safety standards. Although the A9312 is not UL certified like our other picks, it has undergone an equivalent series of tests to earn an ETL certification from Intertek.
It can charge a wide variety of devices. This model has a single AC outlet, as well as three USB ports (a 30 W USB-C port and two 5 W USB-A ports, which have a combined output of 30 W). We normally prefer multiple AC outlets, but since you can still charge up to four devices with this model—and more outlets means less room for plugs—we think this is a reasonable trade-off. And while USB-A ports are less powerful than their USB-C counterparts, they can still be useful if you need to charge older devices.
Its looks are lacking but not egregiously so. Unfortunately, this outlet comes only in white, and we prefer the monochromatic look of our other picks to its bright-blue text and detailing. However, these are minor quibbles, and we think the A9312 will still look good in most rooms.
Despite the low price tag, it’s a solid buy. Not only is this the least expensive model we tested ($30 at this writing), but since it comes with its own wall plate you don’t have to buy one separately. Anker is relatively new to the USB outlet arena, but we’ve recommended many of the company’s other charging devices over the years, and its customer support is excellent. Plus, Anker backs this model with an 18-month warranty.
If you like our top pick but want 20-amp charging for more power-hungry devices: Get the Leviton T5835, a former top pick that’s nearly identical to our current top pick. Like the Leviton T5635, this model has two USB-C ports that can deliver up to 30 W apiece, or split that power between them, and it’s covered by a two-year warranty. Plus, each of its two AC outlets can crank out up to 20 amps to high-draw tools or appliances. But it comes in fewer colors (beige, black, gray, ivory, or white), and it costs a bit more ($60 at this writing).
If you like our upgrade pick but want 20-amp charging for more power-hungry devices: Get the Leviton T5836. Like the Leviton T5636, it has two USB-C ports capable of delivering up to 60 W apiece, or 60 W combined, and the company backs it with a two-year warranty. Plus, it adds 20-amp charging capabilities to its two AC outlets. However, it’s available only in white, and it’s one of the priciest models we tested ($130 at this writing).
If you like our also-great pick but want more color options and 20-amp charging for more power-hungry devices: Get the Legrand Radiant TR20USBPD. Like the Legrand Radiant R26USBPD, it has two USB-C ports that can deliver up to 30 W (individually or together) and indicator lights that show when connected devices are partially or fully charged, and it’s backed by a lifetime warranty. Plus, it adds 20-amp charging capabilities to its two AC outlets, and it comes in more colors, namely beige, black, bronze, brown, gold, gray, ivory, red, silver, or white. However, it costs more ($75 at this writing).
This is not a comprehensive list of models we’ve tested. We have removed discontinued models and those that no longer meet our criteria.
The Buster + Punch 1G Combination Duplex Outlet and USB-A + USB-C Charger has two AC outlets, a USB-A port, and a USB-C port. It comes in black or white, and its luxurious-looking metal wall plate comes in five color options (black, brass, smoked brass, steel, or white). It’s backed by a two-year warranty. However, it exhibited lackluster performance in our output tests (we measured just 5 W from the USB-A port and 20 W from the USB-C port), and it’s one of the most expensive models we tested—$130 at this writing.
The Eaton TRUSBAC15 has two AC outlets, a USB-A port, and a USB-C port, and it comes in six colors (beige, black, brown, gray, ivory, or white). Its warranty coverage lasts for one year, and it costs just $35 at this writing. But it performed poorly in our output tests (we measured 3 W from the USB-A port and 15 W from the USB-C port), and it doesn’t come with a wall plate.
The Eaton TRUSBC15 has two AC outlets and two USB-C ports, and it comes in six colors (beige, black, brown, gray, ivory, or white). It has a one-year warranty, and it costs $55 at this writing. It performed just okay in our output tests (we measured 15 W from the USB-A port and 15 W from the USB-C port), and it doesn’t come with a wall plate.
The Legrand Adorne ARTRUSB15PD30 has two AC outlets and two USB-C ports, as well as indicator lights that show when connected devices are partially or fully charged. It performed well in our output tests (we measured 30 watts from its USB-C ports, individually and in total), and like other Legrand models we tested, it comes with a lifetime warranty. However, it’s on the pricier side, costing $95 at this writing. Also, it’s available in fewer colors than most models (gray, silver, or white) and doesn’t include a wall plate. Moreover, since it has a nonstandard shape, you have to buy Legrand’s Adorne One-Gang-Plus Screwless Wall Plate separately, whereas for most other models we tested, you can pick up a compatible wall plate at any hardware store.
The Leviton T5633 has two AC outlets, a USB-A port, and a USB-C port, and it comes in six colors (beige, black, brown, gray, ivory, or white). Leviton covers it with a two-year warranty, and it costs just a little under $35 at this writing. But its performance in our output tests was mediocre (we measured 8 W from the USB-A port and 15 W from the USB-C port), and it doesn’t come with a wall plate.
The Utilitech R1815D60AAC has two AC outlets, two USB-A ports, and a USB-C port. Priced at $40 at this writing, it has a one-year warranty. However, it comes in just three colors (beige, ivory, or white), and it doesn’t include a wall plate. Also, in our output tests it produced merely so-so performance (we measured 5 W apiece from the USB-A ports and 15 W from the USB-C port).
This article was edited by Ben Keough and Erica Ogg.
Sarah Witman is a senior staff writer who reports on powering and charging technology for Wirecutter. She previously worked as a writer, editor, and fact checker for several science magazines. Though she researches and tests chargers for a living, her phone battery is usually low.
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