Tech & Gadgets · Head-to-head
Western Digital WD My Passport (USB-C) vs Seagate Expansion Desktop
Which should you buy? Here's the honest call, pulled from our full The Best External Hard Drives: 4 Compared (and One to Skip) comparison.
The WD My Passport is the best choice for most people because it balances portability, capacity, and built-in encryption with backup software. If you mainly need cheap bulk storage on a desk, the Seagate Expansion Desktop delivers more terabytes per dollar.
Western Digital WD My Passport (USB-C)
Buy itThe best all-round portable hard drive, pairing pocketable capacity with genuinely useful encryption and backup software.
- Hardware AES-256 encryption with password protection is built in, not an afterthought
- Bundled backup software makes automated, scheduled backups painless
- Compact and light enough to live in a jacket pocket or laptop bag
- Bundled cable plus adapter covers both USB-C and USB-A machines
- Sequential speeds are typical 2.5-inch HDD territory, well short of any SSD
- The enclosure is not shock- or water-rated for rough field use
Seagate Expansion Desktop
Buy itThe value champion for bulk storage, delivering the lowest cost per terabyte and desktop-class speeds.
- Lowest cost per terabyte of any drive here, with capacities scaling far beyond portable models
- 3.5-inch mechanism sustains noticeably faster sequential transfers than pocket drives
- Simple drag-and-drop setup that any operating system recognizes quickly
- Rescue data-recovery coverage is included with current units
- Needs a mains power adapter, so it is a desk fixture rather than a travel companion
- No hardware encryption; USB-A only means an adapter for USB-C-only laptops
Side by side
| Western Digital WD My Passport (USB-C) | Seagate Expansion Desktop | |
|---|---|---|
| Our verdict | Buy | Buy |
| Best for | Anyone who wants a single pocket drive for backups and file transfer and values built-in encryption. | Home and office users backing up or archiving large libraries where capacity per dollar matters most. |
| Price tier | $$ · mid-range | $$ · mid-range |
The bottom line
Our overall pick is the Western Digital WD My Passport (USB-C) - The best all-round portable hard drive, pairing pocketable capacity with genuinely useful encryption and backup software. Choose the Seagate Expansion Desktop instead if home and office users backing up or archiving large libraries where capacity per dollar matters most.
Want the full picture, including the other options we compared and the popular one we'd skip? Read the complete The Best External Hard Drives: 4 Compared (and One to Skip).