Our picks
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Best rural internet provider
$55-$75month
AT&T Fiber and Verizon Fios are two of our top ISPs.
There are times when cable internet, like that of Xfinity, Spectrum and Cox, is the best option. Cable is often a solid choice for cheap internet, which could be important because a recent CNET survey showed that 63% of adults paid more for internet service last year than they did the year prior. Cable can also be a fine option if you’re interested in bundling internet and TV, or internet and mobile. Cable internet boasts the highest availability of any non-satellite connection type, often making it the best option if there are no fiber providers in your area. Let’s look at which internet providers made CNET’s cut.
Our methodology
CNET considers speeds, pricing, customer service and overall value to recommend the best internet service providers across several categories. Our evaluation includes referencing a proprietary database built over years of reviewing internet services. We validate that against provider information by spot-checking local addresses for service availability. We also closely read providers’ terms and conditions and, when needed, call ISPs to verify the details.
Despite our efforts to find the most recent and accurate information, our process has some limitations you should know about. Pricing and speed data are variable: Certain addresses may qualify for different service tiers, and monthly costs may vary, even within a city. The best way to identify your options is to plug your address into a provider’s website.
Also, the prices, speed and other information listed above and in the provider cards below may differ from what we found in our research. The cards display the full range of a provider’s pricing and speed across the US, according to our database of plan information provided directly by ISPs. At the same time, the plan charts display the offerings most common to most areas. The prices referenced within this article’s text come from our research and include applicable discounts for setting up automatic payments each month — a standard industry offering. Discounts and promotions might also be available for signing a term contract or bundling multiple services.
To learn more about how we review internet providers, visit our full methodology page.
Best internet providers in the US
Fiber
Our take – It’s not the cheapest internet provider, but in terms of overall value, AT&T Fiber is one of the best. Considering cost-per-Mbps, which is a way of comparing apples to apples, AT&T Fiber is one of the top values out there. Free equipment rental, unlimited data and no set price increases add to the provider’s overall appeal.
Or call to learn more: (833) 579-0031
300 – 5,000 Mbps
$55 – $250 per month
133-498 Mbps
$55-$75
Our take – T-Mobile 5G Home Internet has the greatest nationwide coverage of any single internet provider (apart from satellite internet), boasting a 64% availability, according to the latest data from the Federal Communications Commission. That’s why we voted T-Mobile as the best rural internet provider. When you’re rurally located, your chances of getting cable or fiber are much lower. To avoid the high costs and traditionally slow speeds of satellite internet, T-Mobile is an excellent alternative.
Or call to learn more: (877) 519-7610
133-498 Mbps
$55-$75
Hybrid-Fiber-Coaxial
Hybrid-Fiber-Coaxial
300 – 2,000 Mbps
$50 – $120 per month
Fiber
Cable
Our take – WideOpenWest is a relatively small provider that offers services in six states. It earns the exclamation point it likes to stick at the end of its branding by offering cable internet plans at some of the best prices you’ll find anywhere in the US. That includes an entry-level 300Mbps plan that starts at $25 per month, reaching all the way up to a high-speed 1,200Mbps plan at $90 monthly. That’s a stellar cost per Mbps of just 8 cents, which is unheard of in the cable category. In some areas, for an extra $15 a month, WOW offers price-lock to your chosen plan to protect against sudden price increases.
Or call to learn more: (866) 671-3650
100 – 1,200 Mbps
$20 – $95 per month
200 – 8,000 Mbps
$45 – $165 per month
Fiber
Fixed wireless
Our take – Pickings can be frustratingly slim when shopping for an internet plan in a rural area because most of the best internet infrastructure in the country is centralized in population-dense cities and the suburban neighborhoods surrounding them. If you live outside a region like that, your home probably isn’t wired for fiber or cable. Instead, you’ll have to make do with slower, less reliable and more expensive technologies, and you’ll likely have fewer options to choose from too.
Or call to learn more: (866) 671-3650
25 – 50 Mbps
$45 – $65 per month
150 – 2,000 Mbps
$19 – $95 per month
Cable
Fiber
Our take – It’s been over a decade since Google first announced that it would bring fiber internet service to select regions across the country — and it’s been an interesting ride ever since. After initially rolling out across 11 metro areas, Google struggled to build the service beyond that. It paused its efforts in 2016, leaving disappointment across dozens of cities where the company had teased prospects for future fiber expansions.
Or call to learn more: (855) 500-4211
1,000 – 8,000 Mbps
$70 – $150 per month
12 – 150 Mbps
$70 – $300 per month
Satellite
Fiber
Our take – Ziply Fiber is a relative newcomer to the fiber scene after acquiring fiber-optic infrastructure in the Pacific Northwest from Frontier. The service launched in 2020 amid the pandemic, offering relatively affordable fiber plans to customers across parts of Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington.
Or call to learn more: (866) 671-3650
100 – 50,000 Mbps
$20 – $900 per month
As for uploads, most of us couldn’t care less about our upload speeds before the pandemic. Once we started excessively video chatting with friends and family, taking Zoom calls with business colleagues and sending files and homework to our bosses and teachers, we discovered its importance too.
Considering what types of activities dominate your household will affect what level of download speed you’ll need. Do you work remotely from home? Are you living in a household full of kids with their own devices? Have you recently downsized and are an empty nester? Take stock of how many devices are in your home and what kind of internet users you have. You can refer to our internet speed guide for a quick explainer on determining what speeds you may need.
Plan pricing
At first glance, you might think it’s easy to spot good plan pricing. The cheaper the monthly fee, the better the price, right? Maybe. Because internet providers are not the most transparent (a Consumer Reports broadband study noted that customers found internet bills to be “extremely confusing”), one low monthly rate might not equal the next.
Keep an eye out for promo rates that expire quickly. Most enticing, low starting prices won’t last, and you may pay more for low speeds in the long term. Also, look for hidden fees and/or pricing traps that may add to your monthly expenses. For example, some providers don’t include equipment rentals in their monthly rates. That could add another $5 to $15 to your monthly bill.
Lastly, one good way to determine value is by examining the cost per Mbps. You might find a 75Mbps plan for $20 monthly from one provider and a 250Mbps plan for $30 monthly from another. Before you sign up for that $20 plan, consider that the cost per Mbps is just under 27 cents. The 250Mbps plan, on the other hand, chimes in at 12 cents per Mbps, so it’s a better value — more than 50% cheaper per Mbps — and you get more than three times the download speed.
Customer satisfaction
Just as you might search the internet for recommendations on a good local restaurant, it can be helpful to research customers’ experiences with an ISP before you sign up. CNET has found it helpful to lean on the annual ISP surveys from the American Customer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Power, but many resources are available. Learning about constant network interruptions, a negligent help desk or frequent billing mistakes can be valuable info for choosing (or avoiding) certain providers.
Internet connection types
There are six major types of internet available: fiber, cable, 5G, fixed wireless, DSL and satellite. Each of these internet technologies provides different quirks and benefits. Our CNET experts share their experiences with each internet connection type to better illustrate some differences.
Fiber
Fiber internet is the gold standard if you can get it. It’s often called “future-proof,” meaning that it offers some of the fastest plans available and features symmetrical download and upload speeds. It’s more reliable than cable and is less prone to outages or network congestion. AT&T, Google and Verizon are among the major players that offer fiber-optic internet, but unfortunately, fiber internet is one of the least available internet connection types in the country. To learn whether this connection is right for your household, read our explainer on fiber internet.
Cable
Cable internet supplies your internet connection through the same cables (often a hybrid fiber and copper line) that providers use for TV services. It’s more reliable than satellite internet and offers faster download speeds. Often, cable internet is bundled with TV to get consumers to buy higher-priced packages to get a deal on internet service. Companies like Cox, Spectrum and Xfinity offer cable internet for competitive prices.
5G home internet/Fixed wireless
5G home internet and fixed wireless go hand-in-hand: 5G home internet services are fixed wireless internet services. Not all fixed wireless services are 5G home internet offerings. Fixed wireless service means the connection between your provider and home is not wired. That fixed wireless connection can come via cellular networks or satellite. Fixed wireless networks tend to be slower and more laggy than wired connections. You’re also subject to network congestion and speed throttling during peak usage hours. The promise of 5G home internet from companies like Starry, T-Mobile and Verizon is speeds that match up favorably to cable connections. Is it there yet? Not quite, but my CNET colleague is optimistic about 5G home internet’s potential.
DSL
DSL, or digital subscriber line, uses telephone lines to provide internet connectivity to users. Companies like AT&T, CenturyLink and Frontier offer DSL internet. The good news is those copper lines are prevalent across the country. The not-so-good news is that download speeds fall short of what cable internet can offer. In some cases, your speeds might even be slower than satellite internet.
Satellite
Satellite internet is the one broadband connection type currently available to people in the rural areas of all 50 states. As a solid alternative for those without access to DSL, cable or fiber internet, satellite internet links a modem in your home to a satellite in space, sending the internet back to Earth. Typically, satellite internet features slower speeds — though Starlink has certainly disrupted expectations for satellite internet and raised the bar way up. Note that, like 5G home internet and other fixed wireless offerings, satellite internet is subject to network congestion and speed throttling.
How CNET chose the best internet providers
Internet service providers are numerous and regional. Unlike the latest smartphone, laptop, router or kitchen tool, it’s impractical to personally test every internet service provider in a given city. What’s our approach? For starters, we tap into a proprietary pricing, availability and speed database that draws from our own historical ISP data, partner data and mapping information from the Federal Communications Commission at FCC.gov.
It doesn’t end there: We go to the FCC’s website to check our data and ensure we consider every ISP that provides service in an area. We also input local addresses on provider websites to find specific options for residents. We look at sources, including the American Customer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Power, to evaluate how happy customers are with an ISP’s service. ISP plans and prices are subject to frequent changes; all information provided is accurate as of publication.
Once we have this localized information, we ask three main questions:
- Does the provider offer access to reasonably fast internet speeds?
- Do customers get decent value for what they’re paying?
- Are customers happy with their service?
The answers to those questions are often layered and complex, but the providers that come closest to “yes” on all three are the ones we recommend. When selecting the cheapest internet service, we look for the plans with the lowest monthly fee, although we also factor in things like price increases, equipment fees and contracts. Choosing the fastest internet service is relatively straightforward. We look at advertised upload and download speeds and consider real-world speed data from sources like Ookla and FCC reports. (Disclosure: Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.)
To explore our process in more depth, visit our how we test ISPs page.
What’s the final word on the best internet providers?
Finding the right ISP is easier said than done, especially if you live in a rural part of the country with limited options for getting online. Fiber internet is almost always the best internet connection type, but we recognize that many Americans don’t currently have access to fiber internet.
Some providers we listed might not be the perfect fit for your situation. Often, the best provider is simply the one available at your address. We recommend carefully considering your household’s activities so you can better determine your broadband demands.
If fast is what you’re looking for, Ziply Fiber has two of the fastest internet plans of any major ISP, with advertised symmetrical upload and download speeds of up to 10,000Mbps and 50,000Mbps. If you’re more interested in customer care and value, Verizon offers the best sign-up bonuses among high-speed internet providers.
Most internet providers offer a self-installation option, where they’ll mail you your home internet equipment after you sign up for service, and you’ll set it up yourself on your own time. In most cases, the process is straightforward, with clear instructions on how to plug everything in correctly. In some cases, opting for self-installation can save you money, too.
All of that makes self-installation a great option for homes that don’t require much labor to get a network up and running — for instance, if you’re setting up a cable internet modem and your home already has the necessary coaxial wiring running through your walls. Check with your provider when you sign up to see if it’s an option for you, how much work it would entail and how much money you could save compared to letting the pros handle it.
Approximately 2,000 ISPs operate in the US, including national, regional and local providers. Some offer nationwide coverage, but others cater to specific areas or communities.
You can use the FCC broadband map to see which providers you have to choose from as a start. From there, consider your budget and match it with the speeds you need.
