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Published by Cortney Moore on June 8, 20

Here are the 7 cheapest USB flash drives, ranked from best to worst

We collected the cheapest USB flash drives and the cheapest USB flash drives we could find and ranked them. Of course, we now have cloud services, but this does not mean that flash drives are obsolete. USB flash drives are easy to transport, usually inexpensive, and very useful in those days when you need to transfer files offline-no login required.

It's easy to find a 16GB flash drive with USB 3.0 that costs less than $10, or if speed is not that important, you can find a 32GB USB 2.0 model. To help you find the best USB flash drive under $10, we tested several popular models and rated them based on their performance and design. Below, you will find them in order from best to worst.

We used our file transfer test, which copied 4.97GB of mixed media files from a PC to a USB flash drive and copied the flash drive to the PC. We tested each flash drive 3 times on the Surface Book with Performance Base and averaged it.

Micron’s Lexar JumpDrive M20 is our first choice because it provides a retractable micro USB 2.0 and a standard USB 3.0 male plug, making it easier than ever to transfer files between micro USB compatible mobile devices and computers much easier. 

In our test, JumpDrive M20 has a file read speed of 106.0 MBps and a write speed of 15.3 MBps, which is better than all other USB flash drives in this list. The pure white shell and blue plastic accent of Lexar JumpDrive M20 may not be gorgeous in appearance, but Micron makes up for this with useful features. The right-sized built-in key ring helps prevent loss, and it can be used with mobile phones, tablets, and PCs, which is a huge advantage.

For users who want speed and simplicity, SanDisk Ultra Flair is a smaller choice. The Ultra Flair's silver metal body is durable and stylish, while the spacious black plastic key ring provides firm support. The male USB plug does not have a cover to prevent dust or other dirt, but it does not necessarily ruin the price. 

In addition to being beautiful, the Ultra Flair is also a fairly fast USB flash drive. In our tests, Ultra Flair read files at an impressive 94.3 MBps and writes at 9.1 MBps. Ultra Flair also provides password protection and encryption software through SanDisk SecureAccess. Ultra Flair also provides the RescuePro Deluxe application for retrieving deleted files.

ADATA’s Elite S102 Pro is a conveniently designed USB flash drive with a snap-on cover that can be attached to the back of the drive so you won’t lose it when closed. Available in stylish titanium blue and gray, this aluminum flash drive performs well, at 77.1 MBps in our read test and 10.9 MBps in our write test. 

Adata also provides a lifetime warranty and some free software downloads for Elite S102 Pro. UFDtoGO is a disk utility that can compress your files or let you use the drive as an unlocking key for a Windows PC. OStoGO allows you to convert a USB drive into a Windows installer.

SanDisk Cruzer Blade is a USB flash drive that contains a lot of storage space in a compact body. The Cruzer Blade's shell is made of sturdy red and black plastic, which is durable and can be easily placed in a bag even without a cap. There is also a small key ring, which increases the portability of this flash drive. 

For flash drives with a slower USB 2.0 interface, Cruzer Blade provides excellent performance comparable to some of the USB 3.0 flash drives on this list. In our test, the Cruzer Blade has a read speed of 30.5 MBps and a write speed of 5.1 MBps.

Kingston DataTraveler is a USB 3.0 flash drive with a simple design, made of sturdy plastic. DataTraveler has a clear white case and lid, which doesn't look like much, but its convenient blue key ring adds color and practicality. 

The key ring doubles as a snap-on hat holder to prevent loss when using a flash drive. However, the performance provided by DataTraveler is not ideal. In our test, DataTraveler reads files at 34.4 MBps and writes at a slow 4.3 MBps. These numbers come from flash drives optimized for USB 3.0.

SanDisk Ultra Fit is a flash drive aptly named. Ultra Fit measures 0.75 x 0.63 x 0.35 inches (without cover) and is almost invisible when plugged into the computer. The space is small and the design is simple, with only a metal male USB 3.0 plug and a small black plastic base. 

In our test, Ultra Flair provided moderate performance with a read speed of 18.3 MBps and a write speed of 4.6 MBps. Because of its small size, Ultra Flair is easy to lose. There is a small metal ring at the bottom to solve this problem, but it is too narrow, you can only pass through a rope. It is difficult to find something thin enough to fit, which makes this feature almost useless. However, Ultra Fit uses SanDisk's SecureAccess and RescuePro Deluxe software utilities to digitally protect itself.

PNY Attaché looks beautiful and provides plenty of storage space, but its overall performance still has many shortcomings. In our test, PNY Attaché got the last place with a read speed of 20.5 MBps and a write speed of up to 2.6 MBps. This is expected in USB 2.0 flash drives, but since there are so many flash drives whose transfer speed is less than $10, Attaché does not seem to be worth the wait. 

Attaché is made of plastic and has an attractive solid black design. However, its sliding ring is defective, it often gets stuck in the middle of the sliding and requires more force than is required to access the male USB plug. There is also an awkwardly placed key ring on the bottom of the flash drive, making it difficult to connect to lanyards, key chains, and backpacks.

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