What’s the best internet provider overall?
If you live in the Northeast, it’s tough to find a better internet service provider than Verizon Fios, while most others nationwide will find AT&T Fiber rises to the top. As we often say in our ISP reviews, fiber internet service almost always trumps other internet connection types, so don’t hesitate to sign up if you can. If you can get your hands on Verizon Fios or AT&T Fiber, we suggest going with either of these two options.
CNET has done the research to help you find a fast, reliable broadband connection. Download and upload speeds, pricing, and customer satisfaction are just a few of the important factors you should consider when searching for the best internet service provider for your household. We examine customer service, speed, pricing and overall value before recommending the best broadband in your area.
All prices listed on this page reflect available discounts for setting up paperless billing. If you decide not to go with automatic monthly payments, your price will be higher.
Best internet service providers in the US
AT&T Fiber plans and prices
Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
Spectrum plans and prices
Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
Rise Broadband plans and prices
Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
Verizon Fios plans and prices
Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
WOW Internet plans and prices
Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
Honorable mentions
Quantum Fiber plans and prices
Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
Xfinity plans and prices (varies by region)
Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
Google Fiber plans and prices
Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
Viasat plans and prices (varies by region)
Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
Ziply Fiber plans and prices
Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
How to choose the best internet service provider for your home
Finding the right ISP for your household is not easy. This is especially true if you live in a rural or underserved portion of the US. We recommend carefully considering your household’s activities so you can better determine the download and upload speeds necessary to meet your needs. With that knowledge, you can better tackle plan pricing that will fit your budget and broadband demands.
For more thorough tips on finding the top internet plan for your household, check out CNET’s 10 tips to help you get the most out of your internet service.
Download and upload speeds
For most of us, our internet use mainly focuses on our download speeds. It determines how easily we can stream the latest hit Netflix show or how fast we can load our favorite Amazon shopping page. The slower your download speeds, the longer it takes to do tasks on the internet. For example, Netflix suggests 15Mbps or higher to watch programming in ultra HD (to take full advantage of that 4K TV you bought).
The Federal Communications Commission defines “broadband speed” as a minimum of 25Mbps download speeds and 3Mbps upload speeds, though discussions began in 2022 to update those minimums to 100Mbps downloads and 20Mbps uploads.
Speaking of uploads, most of us couldn’t care less about our upload speeds before the pandemic. But 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 personal devices? Have you recently downsized and are an empty nester?
Plan pricing
At first glance, you might think it would be 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 bunch (a Consumer Reports broadband study from late 2022 noted that customers found internet bills to be “extremely confusing”), one low monthly rate might not equal the next.
Keep on the watch for promo rates that expire quickly. That means the enticing starting price won’t last, and you may pay more in the long term. Also, look for additional hidden fees 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 megabit per second. You might find a 75Mbps plan for $20 per month 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 out there. Learning about constant network interruptions, a negligent help desk or frequent billing mistakes can be valuable info for choosing (or avoiding) certain providers.
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. So 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.
But 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?
While the answer to those questions is often layered and complex, the providers who 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, though 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.
To explore our process in more depth, visit our how we test ISPs page.
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.
For a thorough breakdown of each, check out our guide on internet connection types.
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.
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 as well. 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.
5G home internet/Fixed wireless
5G home internet and fixed wireless go hand-in-hand: 5G home internet services are fixed wireless internet services. But not all fixed wireless services are 5G home internet offerings. Fixed wireless service means the connection between your provider and home is not wired. However, that fixed wireless connection can come via cellular networks or satellite. Fixed wireless networks tend to be slower and more laggy than wired connections. But the promise of 5G home internet – from companies like Starry, T-Mobile and Verizon – is speeds that match up favorably to cable connections.
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.
Other broadband providers we reviewed
The broadband beat keeps our team busy, but we’ll continue evaluating internet providers and updating this post as new options emerge. Here’s a rundown of every other provider we’ve covered, with a link back to our full review.
Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
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. While fiber internet is almost always the best internet connection type, 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.