Which Wi-Fi providers have the cheapest internet?
Mediacom and WOW! Internet have incredibly affordable plans for 100Mbps. Optimum isn’t too shabby either, with a 300Mbps plan for under $50 per month, and AT&T offers something similar using fiber.
Spectrum has a 500Mbps plan for a great low price, but Spectrum’s cable internet doesn’t have symmetrical speeds like its fiber, plus Spectrum’s price increases by $25 after 12 months.
See our guide on the best cheap internet plans for more details.
Provider | Speed | Type | Price | Get it |
---|---|---|---|---|
300Mbps | Fiber | $55.00/mo.* | ||
Up to 100Mbps | Cable | $50.00/mo.‡ | View Plans | |
Up to 200Mbps | Fiber | $29.99/mo.§ | View Plans | |
100Mbps | Cable | $24.99/mo.|| | View Plans | |
300Mbps | Cable, fiber | $40.00/mo.# | View Plans | |
Up to 500Mbps (wireless speeds may vary) | Cable, fiber | $60/mo.** for 12 mos. | View Plans | |
300Mbps | Fiber | $49.99/mo.†† | View Plans | |
100Mbps | Cable, fiber | $30.00/mo.‡‡ | View Plans | |
200Mbps | Cable | $35.00/mo.§§ | View Plans |
Data as of 10/01/2024. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
Read disclaimers.
We’ve researched the best Wi-Fi providers for you
Finding the best Wi-Fi provider in your area is easy when you use HighSpeedInternet.com. We’ve done the hard work for you by compiling a database of over 1,200 Wi-Fi providers and their plans so you can quickly compare options. Just enter your zip code to see exactly which Wi-Fi providers and plans are available near you.
After that, you can compare each available provider by internet type, speed, customer reviews, and more. If you want to dig into our research further, check out our annual customer satisfaction survey to see which Wi-Fi providers come out on top in terms of overall satisfaction, speed, reliability, and more.
But keep in mind that actual service availability depends on your street address, which we don’t collect. AT&T fiber may be available in your zip code but not on your street, for example.
The best Wi-Fi providers
Provider | Customer rating* | Max download speed | Internet type | Get it |
---|---|---|---|---|
3.9 | 2,000Mbps | Cable | View Plans | |
3.9 | 5,000Mbps | Fiber, DSL | ||
3.7 | 1,000Mbps† | Cable, fiber | View Plans | |
3.9 | Up to 2,300Mbps | Fiber, 5G | View Plans | |
4.3 | 8,000Mbps | Fiber | View Plans | |
3.6 | 5,000Mbps | Cable, fiber | View Plans | |
3.3 | 8,000Mbps | Cable, fiber | View Plans | |
3.6 | 940Mbps | Fiber, DSL | ||
3.3 | 1,000Mbps | Cable | View Plans | |
3.3 | 5,000Mbps | Fiber, DSL | View Plans | |
3.6 | 2,000Mbps | Fiber, DSL | View Plans | |
3.6 | 1,500Mbps | Cable, fiber | ||
3.7 | 2,000Mbps | Cable | View Plans | |
3.5 | 5,000Mbps | Fiber, DSL | View Plans | |
3.8 | 1,000Mbps | Cable | View Plans | |
2.9 | 100Mbps | Satellite | ||
3.1 | 150Mbps | Satellite |
Data as of 10/01/2024. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
* Rating based on a five (5) point system used in our customer satisfaction survey. Higher is better.
† Speed based on a wired connection. Available Internet speeds may vary by address. Gig capable modem required for Gig speed. For a list of Gig capable modems, visit Spectrum.net/modem.
The best Wi-Fi providers depend on where you live. Wi-Fi providers supply us with a list of zip codes where they’re available, so when you use our tool, you won’t see every single national or regional Wi-Fi provider in the results.
In most cases, you’ll see a handful of fiber, cable, DSL, fixed wireless, and satellite internet providers. The number depends on where you live, as one zip code may list seven different Wi-Fi providers while another will only list five.
Overall, fiber internet is the fastest and most reliable service you can get, with speeds topping out at 10,000Mbps, but its availability is limited. Cable internet is more available than fiber and your next-best bet in speed and reliability, followed by fixed wireless and DSL.
Best fiber Wi-Fi providers
Provider | Best for | Max download speed | Get it |
---|---|---|---|
Promotional deals | Up to 5,000Mbps | ||
Value | Up to 940Mbps | ||
Speed | Up to 8,000Mbps | View Plans | |
Equipment fees | Up to 1,000Mbps (wireless speeds may vary) | View Plans | |
Options | Up to 2,300Mbps | View Plans |
Data as of 10/01/2024. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
* This list is based on combined insights gained from customer feedback, speed test data, and our annual customer satisfaction survey results.
Fiber internet is the fastest residential connection you can get—at least for now—with speeds up to 10,000Mbps. Fiber’s design uses light rather than electricity to transmit data, making it the most reliable internet connection you can get. Plus, fiber offers equal upload and download speeds, but its availability is very limited—you’re lucky if it’s in your area.
If fiber internet isn’t available to you, cable internet is your next best Wi-Fi option.
Best cable Wi-Fi providers
Provider | Best for | Max download speed | Get it |
---|---|---|---|
Variety | Up to 2,000Mbps | View Plans | |
Reliability | Up to 1,000Mbps | View Plans | |
Package simplicity | Up to 1,000Mbps (wireless speeds may vary | View Plans | |
Speed | Up to 2,000Mbps | View Plans |
Data as of 10/01/2024. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
* This list is based on combined insights gained from customer feedback, speed test data, and our annual customer satisfaction survey results.
Modern cable internet uses a mixture of fiber and cable TV lines, so it’s widely available and easy to find. The main drawback with cable is that download speeds currently don’t go beyond 2,000Mbps due to the infrastructure’s design and how cable internet providers distribute bandwidth across their networks. Upload speeds are typically just a fraction of a plan’s maximum download speed, but that will change in the coming years as cable internet providers adopt 10G Platform technology.
If fiber or cable isn’t in your area, your next best landline Wi-Fi option is DSL internet.
Best DSL Wi-Fi providers
Provider | Best for | Max download speed | Get it |
---|---|---|---|
Value | Up to 140Mbps | ||
Customer satisfaction | Up to 75Mbps | View Plans | |
Availability | Call provider for details | View Plans |
Data as of 8/20/2024. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
* This list is based on combined insights gained from customer feedback, speed test data, and our annual customer satisfaction survey results.
DSL internet uses existing telephone lines and is the slowest of the three, delivering speeds up to 140Mbps. It’s a good alternative if you don’t need the speed of fiber and cable—it may even be your only landline connection, especially in rural areas. However, DSL plans are typically more expensive than comparable fiber and cable internet plans.
If you don’t have a landline internet connection in your area, wireless internet is your only solution.
Best fixed and satellite Wi-Fi providers
Provider | Best for | Max download speed | Type | Get it |
---|---|---|---|---|
Simplicity | Up to 245Mbps | 5G fixed wireless | View Plans | |
5G speed | Up to 1,000Mbps | 5G fixed wireless | View Plans | |
Satellite alternative | Up to 100Mbps | Satellite | ||
Unlimited data | Up to 150Mbps | Satellite |
Data as of 8/20/2024. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
* This list is based on combined insights gained from customer feedback, speed test data, and our annual customer satisfaction survey results.
A fixed wireless internet connection is your best bet if you live within range of a cell tower—it supports 4G LTE and 5G cellular connections. If you’re not within range, satellite internet from Viasat or Hughesnet is the only Wi-Fi connection you can get.
How to find the best Wi-Fi provider in your area
Wi-Fi provider availability depends on where you live. Wi-Fi providers supply us with the zip codes where they offer landline and wireless internet service. Simply enter your zip code into our tool to see which ones are available to you.
After that, you must provide your street address directly to the Wi-Fi provider you choose to see if internet service is actually available at your home or business. We do not ask for your street address—only your zip code.
The typical zip code search result lists several Wi-Fi providers offering different types of connections. The most common are cable and DSL, while fiber internet is relatively new and less abundant.
National internet providers
Verizon Home Internet is your top-rated fiber internet provider, ranking second out of 15 internet providers in our latest customer satisfaction survey. It ranks first in reliability and within the top three spots in every other category. AT&T and Spectrum are great fiber choices if they’re available to you.
Xfinity is your highest-rated cable internet provider in the nation. It ranks third for overall satisfaction and first for speed. Cox Communications and Spectrum are also solid choices if you’re ready to upgrade from DSL internet.
Regional internet providers
Technically, we now rank T-Mobile as a national provider, and it takes the top spot for overall satisfaction in our survey. However, Google Fiber has the best scores to date, surpassing all national and regional internet providers in our survey. Get Google Fiber over all the others in the area if you can get it.
See what Wi-Fi providers are in your area
Enter your zip code to discover what internet types and speeds you can get where you live. We say go with fiber internet if you can get it, but cable and fixed wireless internet are your best alternatives if fiber internet isn’t available to you.
What are the best deals on Wi-Fi?
Internet providers frequently offer promotions as an incentive to sign up for their services. Be sure to check our Best Internet Deals page for the latest. Here are three to get you started:
Provider | Deal | Type | Get it |
---|---|---|---|
| Fiber | ||
Get a three-year price lock when you sign up for a 500Mbps internet plan and bundle with two unlimited plus mobile lines and a TV plan. | Cable | Get the Deal | |
DSL, fiber | Get the Deal |
Data as of 8/20/24. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
What is the fastest Wi-Fi you can get?
Provider | Max download speed | Price | Get it |
---|---|---|---|
Up to 50,000Mbps | $900.00/mo.* | View Plans for Ziply Fiber | |
Up to 8,000Mbps | $280.00/mo.† | View Plans for Optimum | |
Up to 8,000Mbps | $150.00/mo.‡ | View Plans for Google Fiber | |
Up to 5,000Mbps | $185.00/mo.§ | View Plans for WOW! | |
Up to 5,000Mbps | $245.00/mo.|| | ||
Up to 5,000Mbps | $129.99/mo.# | View Plans for Frontier | |
Up to 2,300Mbps | $109.99/mo.** | View Plans for Verizon Home Internet |
Data as of 8/22/24. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
Read disclaimers.
The fastest available Wi-Fi service depends on where you live.
Fiber is the fastest Wi-Fi connection you can get, with residential internet speeds up to 50,000Mbps. Fiber also provides symmetrical speeds, meaning your upload and download speeds are nearly identical.
Some internet providers already offer fiber plans that reach up to 10,000Mbps, including Advanced Stream, Brigham, and Ziply Fiber.
Cable internet can hit multi-gig speeds, too. Xfinity and Cox have plans with a 2,000Mbps cap, although their downloads aren’t symmetrical like fiber.
What are the Wi-Fi provider ratings and reviews?
We conduct an annual customer satisfaction survey asking questions about each Wi-Fi provider. We publish the results of five categories: overall satisfaction, speed, price, reliability, and customer support.
T-Mobile takes the top spot for overall customer satisfaction on a national level in our latest survey—Google Fiber does the same as a regional internet provider.
AT&T , Verizon Home Internet, Spectrum , and Xfinity generally stay in the top half across all categories, so you can’t go wrong with either one of these providers.
You can also read reviews through our provider pages. For instance, there are 734 customer reviews on our AT&T provider page and 760 reviews on our Spectrum provider page. For more information about a specific provider, click on the provider’s name in the List of Wi-Fi Providers section above.
Types of nationwide Wi-Fi service providers
Type | Pros | Cons | Max speed | Get it |
---|---|---|---|---|
DSL | 140Mbps | Find Providers | ||
Cable | 2,000Mbps | Find Providers | ||
Fiber | 10,000Mbps | Find Providers | ||
Satellite | 150Mbps | Find Providers | ||
4G LTE | 100Mbps | Find Providers | ||
5G | 1,000Mbps | Find Providers | ||
Fixed wireless | 1,000Mbps | Find Providers |
Type | DSL |
Pros | |
Cons | |
Max speed | 140Mbps |
Get it | Find Providers |
Type | Cable |
Pros | |
Cons | |
Max speed | 2,000Mbps |
Get it | Find Providers |
Type | Fiber |
Pros | |
Cons | |
Max speed | 10,000Mbps |
Get it | Find Providers |
Type | Satellite |
Pros | |
Cons | |
Max speed | 150Mbps |
Get it | Find Providers |
Type | 4G LTE |
Pros | |
Cons | |
Max speed | 100Mbps |
Get it | Find Providers |
Type | 5G |
Pros | |
Cons | |
Max speed | 1,000Mbps |
Get it | Find Providers |
Type | Fixed wireless |
Pros | |
Cons | |
Max speed | 1,000Mbps |
Get it | Find Providers |
In a nutshell, nearly every residential internet type uses radio waves to carry data, whether it’s across copper wires or through the air. The only exception is fiber internet, which relies on light pulses beamed through glass instead. We will always suggest fiber over any other internet type due to its overall design and efficiency.
FAQ about Wi-Fi providers
What is Wi-Fi?
Which Wi-Fi provider has the best internet service?
Can I get Wi-Fi internet without a provider?
Is Wi-Fi internet secure?
What are Wi-Fi standards?
What is a good Wi-Fi speed?
Why is my Wi-Fi slow?
How do I speed up my Wi-Fi?
Disclaimers
Which Wi-Fi providers have the cheapest internet?
* Price after $5/mo Autopay & Paperless bill discount (w/in 2 bills). Plus taxes & fees. Monthly State Cost Recovery Charge in TX, OH, NV applies. One time install charge may apply. Ltd. avail/areas. Call or go to www.fiber.att.com to see if you qualify. Speeds based on wired connection. Actual speeds may vary. For more info, go to www.att.com/speed101.
‡ for 12 months with 1-yr. term agreement
§ w/ Auto Pay & Paperless Bill. Max wired speed 200/200 Mbps. Wi-Fi, actual & average speeds vary. One-time charges apply. In select areas where available.
|| For the first 12 months. Plus, activation, installation and monthly modem rental fees.
#w/ Auto Pay & Paperless Bill. Wired connection. WiFi speeds may vary. Not available in all areas. Terms apply.
** Limited time offer; subject to change; new residential customers only (no Spectrum services within past 30 days) and in good standing with Spectrum. Taxes and fees extra in select states. SPECTRUM INTERNET: Standard rates apply after promo period. Additional charge for installation. Speeds based on wired connection. Actual speeds (including wireless) vary and are not guaranteed. Gig capable modem required for Gig speed. For a list of Gig capable modems, visit spectrum.net/modem. Services subject to all applicable service terms and conditions, subject to change. Not available in all areas. Restrictions apply.
†† Price per month with Auto Pay & without select 5G mobile plans. Fios plan prices include taxes & fees
‡‡ Price per month with AutoPay. Taxes and equipment extra. Package not available in all areas.
§§ No term contract. Taxes not included. Includes $10/mo automatic payments and paperless billing discount.
The Fastest Wi-Fi Plans You Can Get
*For new residential customers only. No annual contract required. Prices shown are before taxes and fees and require autopay and paperless billing.
† w/ Auto Pay & Paperless Bill. Wired connection. WiFi speeds may vary. Not available in all areas. Max auto renews after 12 months at then prevailing rate (currently $16.99/mo). Price sbjct to change. Terms apply.
‡ Available in select markets only. Plus taxes and fees. Upload/download speed and device streaming claims are based on maximum wired speeds. Actual Internet speeds are not guaranteed and may vary based on factors such as hardware and software limitations, latency, packet loss, etc.
§ Price per month with AutoPay & paperless billing. Additional equipment, taxes, and other fees extra. Maximum speeds based on wired connection and customer equipment capable of delivering 5 Gig speeds.
|| Above pricing is after $10/mo Autopay & Paperless bill discount with a debit card or bank account; if using a credit card, then price is $5/mo more. Pricing includes Equipment Fee. Up to $99 install fee may apply, plus tax where applicable.
# w/ Auto Pay & Paperless Bill. Max wired speed 5000/5000. Wi-Fi, actual & average speeds vary. One-time charges apply.
** Available in select areas only. Price per month with Auto Pay & without select 5G mobile plans. Fios plan prices include taxes & fees
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