Internet providers in Portland, OR

What is the best internet provider in Portland?

• Xfinity - High speeds widely available
• CenturyLink - Low-cost options
• Wave Broadband - Unlimited data plans available
• Viasat - Widely available
• HughesNet - Perfect for rural areas

Xfinity is the best internet provider in Portland. It has the widest coverage, the fastest speeds, and options for cheap internet starting at under $50 per month.

CenturyLink comes in behind Xfinity, boasting equally widespread coverage but a more limited set of options. CenturyLink’s fiber internet plan is a steal of a deal, but most Portland customers will likely be stuck with the provider’s much slower DSL connection.

Several smaller providers, including Ziply, InfoStructure, and Sawtooth Technologies, also offer fiber and DSL options for homes and businesses. Those living in rural areas can tap into satellite internet with Viasat or HughesNet.

Highest-rated internet providers in Portland

Xfinity and CenturyLink are basically neck and neck in our annual customer satisfaction survey. Both got relatively low average ratings for speed, price, reliability, customer service, and overall satisfaction.

Xfinity comes in slightly lower than CenturyLink for price, while CenturyLink gets lower ratings for speed. But when we quizzed customers in more detail, it appeared that both providers have definite positives.

In our survey, 87% of Xfinity customers said their speeds usually or always meet the needs of their house—which is above average. Likewise, only 42% of customers reported getting unexpected fees or price hikes.

While CenturyLink scored lowest for speed, with a ranking of 3.4, this is largely due to the provider’s DSL service—DSL internet in general never tops out at over 100 Mbps. but CenturyLink also has fiber service, and its fiber customers gave a very respectable 3.7 rating for speed in our survey.

When it comes to price, CenturyLink rates better for unexpected price hikes and hidden fees. Over half of CenturyLink’s customers reported in our survey that they haven’t experienced either. That’s probably thanks to CenturyLink’s Price for Life offer on DSL plans (although that offer is sadly no longer available).

Fastest internet service providers in Portland

Xfinity offers internet at speeds up to 1000 Mbps

Ziply Fiber offers internet at speeds up to 1000 Mbps

Wave Broadband offers internet at speeds up to 1000 Mbps

CenturyLink offers internet at speeds up to 940 Mbps

Xfinity offers a 1,000 Mbps Gigabit plan if you’re looking for top speeds. This makes it an excellent choice for households that frequently use video streaming services like Netflix and Hulu.

CenturyLink also has a gigabit plan, which comes at a decent price and gives you up to 940 Mbps download speeds. It may be hard to find since it runs on a fiber connection, which is far less widely available than CenturyLink’s slower DSL network. But if you can get this fiber gigabit plan, we recommend it.

Ziply has gigabit internet, using the fiber infrastructure formerly operated by Frontier. Ziply doesn’t get the best ratings and availability in Portland seems limited, judging from our own searches using Ziply’s availability tool. But it has decent prices for fiber options.

*Rate requires paperless billing and excludes taxes. Additional fees apply. Speeds may not be available in your area. Maximum download/upload speed of up to 940 Mbps via a wired connection.

Portland residential internet coverage

Xfinity and CenturyLink are the two main internet providers in Portland. They both have very large networks in the city—although their speeds and packages are much different.

Xfinity is a cable provider, with fast speeds as well as many cheap packages and regular deals. CenturyLink is a DSL and fiber provider, with gigabit speeds available in limited areas but mostly slower speeds at a bargain rate.

Ziply is another somewhat large internet provider in Portland. It recently took over the fiber and DSL infrastructure previously operated by Frontier, so it provides both services to some parts of the city.

You can also get internet from local and regional providers like InfoStructure and Sawtooth Technologies. Either of them may be worth looking into, since local ISPs are known to offer more accessible and reliable customer service compared to national competitors.

Last but not least, HughesNet and Viasat provide satellite coverage in and around Portland. Satellite is generally quite expensive and has limited speeds and data, but it’s useful in areas where fiber, cable, or DSL options aren’t available. Hard to reach pockets of the Willamette Valley might require satellite service.

Portland has fast internet in the Silicon Forest

We can’t talk about Portland without mentioning the city of Hillsboro, the famed tech hub in Washington County.

The fastest internet you’ll find in the Silicon Forest comes from Xfinity, with speeds up to 2 Gbps (2,000) Mbps through the Gigabit Pro plan. CenturyLink also offers a fiber gigabit plan in Hillsboro, but you may have to be content with DSL if you’re going with CenturyLink.