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Our approach
33 brands reviewed
5 internet experts
1400+ customer reviews
Our team of experts compared the biggest providers out there, and the clear winner for home internet in 2024 is AT&T. We love its screaming-fast upload and download speeds, its free national hotspot network, and its excellent customer service.
Disclaimer: Availability and pricing are subject to location. Conditions apply. For offer details, visit the provider's website.
Before digging too deep...
Make sure these providers are available in your area.
How we chose the best internet service providers (ISPs)
We get it: internet should work flawlessly in the background so you can focus on getting things done online. And it shouldn’t cost a fortune! We designed our ranking system based on how people like you use the internet.
Value
We analyzed each provider to find out how much speed you can get for the money, using Mbps (megabits per second) per dollar.
Performance
We looked at reliability, internet tech types, the frequency and duration of outages, and the speeds customers get day to day.
Equipment and installation
We took a deep dive into costs for equipment and installation and looked carefully at home networking equipment from each provider.
Customer experience
We compared customer satisfaction ratings, extra perks, downsides, and other factors that make some providers stand out.
Slightly higher monthly prices than some competitors
Few TV bundling options
AT&T internet is our top choice for internet providers in 2024 for its amazing speeds, exceptional reliability, and access to a truly nationwide network of free Wi-Fi hotspots.
AT&T is one of the biggest fiber internet providers in the US, with fiber internet available in big cities and large metros throughout the South and Midwest. You can upload and download at nearly the speed of light, and the prices are among the lowest we found. There are no contracts, no hidden fees, and no data caps, and you can control everything with a sweet smartphone app.
The cheapest plan, Internet 300, is plenty fast for most households and is cheaper than the lowest-tier plan from Google Fiber. If you want more speed, you can get up to 5 Gbps in some areas. The price is steep, and the speed is overkill for almost everyone, but it's one of the fastest plans we found from any national provider.
It's worth nothing that AT&T offers DSL internet to some legacy customers, and that means high pricing, frequent slowdowns, and occasional outages. It's better than nothing for millions of rural customers, but it's not our first choice. New DSL connections are no longer available to new customers, the company announced in 2020. (1) The company also says it's expanding its fiber service to an additional 30 million households, and we look forward to the growth. (2)
Whether you have DSL or fiber internet from AT&T, you'll benefit from great customer service and multiple tech support options. Most folks will be able to install their new service themselves with a $49 activation fee, but $99 professional installation is available in case you've never had fiber internet before or need the extra help.
Disclaimer: Availability and pricing are subject to location. Conditions apply. For offer details, view disclaimers
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Internet provider runners-up
#2 Verizon Fios: Fast, affordable internet with a 10-year price lock
What we like
Reliable, symmetric speeds
No contracts
10-year price guarantee
What we dislike
Limited availability
No plan above 1 Gbps
No nationwide hotspots
Verizon Fios is an excellent choice for home internet based on what you get for the money, the overall experience, and stellar customer service offerings. Fios offers fiber internet, and that means you get access to data traveling at nearly the speed of light for both uploads and downloads. Those speeds are highly reliable, earning top marks from a reliability study by the US Federal Communications Commission. (3)
With Fios internet from Verizon, you’ll pay less for these incredible speeds than with many other fiber internet providers. Prices for the lowest-tier plans are a great deal, too. You’ll benefit from unlimited data at any speed, no contract fees, and no equipment fees. And as of 2023, that low price is guaranteed for 10 years.
You can qualify for free installation if you order online, but you'll have to pay $99 if you call in. Once you' are signed up, you'll benefit from industry-best customer service. (4)
Verizon Fios is nearly tied with AT&T, our top internet provider of 2023, but falls short in a few small ways. There's no nationwide network of free hotspots, like there is with AT&T and Xfinity, and no option for self-installation.
Disclaimer: Availability and pricing are subject to location. Conditions apply.
#3 CenturyLink: Fast fiber internet in some locations, plus a massive DSL network
What we like
Unlimited data across all plans
Fast fiber connections in select markets
No contracts
What we dislike
Limited fiber availability
Much slower DSL internet speeds
Below-average customer service
CenturyLink offers exceptionally fast and reliable fiber internet with unlimited data and no contracts. That means synchronous uploads and downloads and worry-free connection no matter the time of day. You also get router rental included with your monthly price, and may even qualify for a mesh network on certain plans.
Self-installation is free, but the cost to have a pro come out and help is just $15. That's hard to beat.
CenturyLink also offers DSL to wide swaths of the country, and these plans are worth it only if you can't get service from one of the top cable internet providers. That said, CenturyLink has announced plans to grow its fiber service, and you can sign up to be notified when it's in your area.
Disclaimer: Availability and pricing are subject to location. Conditions apply. For offer details, view disclaimers
#4 Xfinity: Internet that outcompetes every other cable provider
What we like
Consistently fast speeds
Wide availability around the country
Competitive pricing, especially for budget plans
What we dislike
Data caps on slower plans (unless you pay more)
Inconsistent pricing and speed availability
Reputation for poor customer service
Xfinity offers some of the least expensive plans out there for broadband internet, plus some of the fastest speeds available to home internet customers. The Xfinity cable internet service is highly reliable, earning the first-place score from the speed test service Ookla (5) and second-place scores from the FCC (3).
Xfinity is a massive provider, and its our best cable internet provider of 2023 on value, equipment, and reliability. We love that it offers everything from budget plans with slow speeds to very expensive plans with very fast speeds, and its nationwide hotspot network is nothing to scoff at.
There are a few things you should know before you sign up. Even with the fastest ultra-gigabit download speeds, you will get upload speeds of only 35 Mbps. That's plenty for most users, but it may become a problem if you're hosting massive video calls or uploading big files. Using a lot of data could also be a problem, since some plans are capped at a 1.2 TB cap every month. You'll also face monthly equipment costs (unless you bring your own gear) and you may be hit with a 12-month contract.
The best fiber internet providers, in contrast, offer synchronous speeds with no data caps and no contracts. There's a pretty good chance they'll throw in equipment rental for free, too.
Disclaimer: Availability and pricing are subject to location. Conditions apply. For offer details, visit the provider's website.
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Best internet service providers of 2024
We rank the top internet providers nationwideSource: Switchful YouTube
Explore our other internet rankings
Finding the best internet service for you depends on what you care about most. Our expert reviewers compared plans and providers based on both price and performance to help you find the best options—not just overall, but the best options for you.
Our star ratings reflect the most important factors for choosing a home internet service, but some internet providers weren't eligible for our list of top internet providers of 2024. We excluded companies that offer service to less than 10% of homes nationwide, using a map provided by the FCC. (6)
That meant leaving out the following highly rated providers, even though we recommend their service if it's available in your area:
We didn't want to downgrade providers for not yet having a big footprint, but we also wanted our list of top companies to reflect what's available to most people.
That said, we want to applaud providers of any size that offer great home internet to their customers! The following 10 providers earned our highest scores overall.
Availability and pricing are subject to location. Conditions apply.
Read more internet provider reviews
We're hard at work learning more about internet providers, and we post new reviews regularly. See the full list to compare staff ratings and get more details.
Not sure which provider is right for you, or moving to a new area? Use our direct comparison tool to see pricing, ratings, and verified user reviews.
Add and delete up to three providers by clicking on the boxes to the right of any internet review. Then, scroll through for all the info you need to decide.
Start with our top-rated internet providers, or choose from popular comparisons below.
Finding the best internet service provider for you depends on what’s available in your area, how much speed you need, and how much you’re willing to pay. It’s also a good idea to find out whether you have to sign a contract and if there are extra fees. Then, make sure the provided networking equipment is affordable, compatible, and easy to use. Finally, you need a provider you can trust. That includes service reliability and accessible customer service in case something goes wrong.
Lucky for you, our experts have done a lot of that research already! We relied on our own experiences, reviews from real customers, published government data, and info provided by the ISPs themselves. If you’re ready to switch providers, read our complete guide on how to choose an ISP.
Understanding internet tech types
The internet is a massive system of devices and servers located all around the world. How you access that global information system depends on the wires and cables between your home and the rest of the network.
Fiber internet offers the fastest upload and download speeds using fiber-optic cables, which are made of glass. They send packets of data flying around the world at nearly the speed of light. When internet providers lay these cables all the way to your front door, you have access to fiber-to-the-home internet (commonly referred to as FTTH or fiber internet).
Cable internet uses the same network as legacy cable TV, but you’ll need a modem in your home to translate the digital signals for internet access. You can pay for screaming fast downloads with a cable internet connection, but upload speeds are capped at 35 Mbps.
If you live in a rural area or a small town, you may have access to only DSL internet infrastructure. This means your data will travel over the same wires you use for your landline (but at a higher frequency). Download speeds with DSL are still technically in the broadband range at 25 Mbps, but uploads are much slower and there are serious reliability issues.
If you can’t get any of these connection types where you live, you may have to deal with fixed wireless, mobile internet, dial-up, or satellite internet.
Connecting to the internet requires more than just a laptop, smartphone, or gaming console. You will also need equipment that makes sense of the data. For fiber-optic internet, you need a piece of equipment called an ONT (optical network terminal). For cable, DSL, or satellite internet, the equipment you need is called a modem.
Once your modem or ONT unscrambles the data coming from cables outside your house, you need a way to access it with your personal devices. That’s where routers come in. You can plug in directly using an ethernet cable or connect over the air using Wi-Fi capability.
Many modern internet service providers use a combined modem and router device known as an internet gateway. These are usually available from the provider, sometimes for a monthly fee. You may also need a mesh network or Wi-Fi extenders, which can boost the wireless signal to areas far from your main router or gateway.
Pretty much every internet service provider (ISP) will give you a modem and router when you sign up for service. They'll even install it
Internet speed and performance
Internet speed refers to the actual rate at which data travels to and from your personal devices to outside servers, and it’s measured in megabits per second (Mbps). Bandwidth, on the other hand, measures the maximum amount of data that can travel through a home network at once. Performance, meanwhile, is a broader term that accounts for reliability, latency, and more.
If you have fiber internet, speeds are lightning fast and very reliable. If you have cable internet or DSL internet, however, you could face slowdowns if a lot of your neighbors are trying to get online at the same time. Outdated equipment can also slow things down, and some providers are more reliable than others.
The internet always seems to slow down and stop working right when you need it most. The good news is there are several things you can do to help encourage your internet to pick up the pace:
Internet that won’t connect can be very frustrating. The problem could be as big as a widespread internet outage or as small as a loose cable connection.
Browse our internet resources
Read these helpful articles to become an expert on home internet, and get all the info you need to choose the right internet provider for your needs.
We do it by knowing the marketplace—each of our experts looks at a wide range of providers so they know what’s good, what’s not so good, and what a typical experience looks like. Then, we apply mathematical formulas and criteria based on national benchmarks to be as objective—and as helpful—as possible.
If you can use the info we provide to make decision with confidence, we've done our job. But we get you might still be curious about exactly how we gain expertise and what goes into our research process.
The Switchful internet provider scoring system
Every piece of writing has to start with perspective, and we chose you, the customer. But how did we find out about what you know, what you think, and what you care about?
Well, we asked. We talked to a wide range of people who had switched internet providers in the previous 12 months to find out what info they needed, how they decided, what was frustrating about the process, and whether they were happy with the change. We also sourced written reviews from real everyday customers, not people with a bone to pick or a brand to promote.
From there, we created a scoring system that compares providers apples to apples (at least as much as possible). We focused on what we believe customers care about most, and added a dash of tech enthusiasm. Yes, the internet in today’s world is a utility. But it’s also pretty freaking cool!
Value
Our reviewers went right to the source to find out about available internet plans. We bypassed resellers and ads and looked up official figures from each provider. Then, we compared them to national pricing benchmarks from the FCC. (7) Next, we started genuine shopping cart experiences. We even engaged with chatbots to ask questions when providers were unclear. We had to stop short of ordering installation, but we were serious about simulating a real customer experience.
In the process, we saw clearly that value is about more than just cost per Mbps. That’s why we looked at different internet plan options and checked whether the higher-priced ones are worth the dough. Then, we checked whether contracts are required, looked up hidden costs (like that one weird Wi-Fi Activation fee), and found out how easy it is to cancel a service if you’re just not that into it.
Performance
Cheap internet is great, but you need a connection that’s fast and reliable to get anything done these days. To judge performance, our reviewers turned to both technical and human sources.
First, we scoured the web for data we could trust. Our first major find was the Measuring Broadband America report from the FCC. It’s a beast of a study, but has tons of great data on the speeds providers claim to offer, whether they achieve those speeds, how speeds vary by time of day, and even latency. We also turned to sources like Ookla, which uses its speed testing tools to track real-time speeds and outages from providers around the world. We didn't give extra credit for any internet plans faster than 1 Gbps, because there's no practical benefit for almost any home.
Next, the human element. We relied on our own experiences on issues like data caps, throttling, and user error vs. bad ISP behavior. Then, we scoured the internet for customer reviews. We know not to trust everything we see in reviews, but we wanted to make sure we weren’t missing anything.
Equipment and installation
Our experts looked at everything it takes to get set up with a new internet provider, including how long installation takes and how much it costs. We checked whether you have to hire a pro or whether you can do it yourself. The providers that scored the highest in this category have free or inexpensive installation, short wait times, no hidden activation fees, and generous free trial periods.
We also looked at equipment offerings here. The best equipment should be easy to use, easy on the eyes, and not too expensive. Our reviewers looked closely at the modem and router (or Wi-Fi gateway) equipment offered by each internet service provider and checked whether there’s an app for things like tracking your monthly data usage or accessing parental controls. Last, we looked at equipment costs and found out whether you can bring your own.
Customer experience
This category is all about interacting with your internet service provider. We analyzed a nationwide report from the American Consumer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) and read reviews from around the internet (but took them with a grain of salt, of course).
Then, our experts thought hard about the overall experience most customers have. We looked at perks, downsides, and how easy it is to get help. The more ways to access customer service and resolve problems, the better!
Availability
We decided not to include availability in our star ratings because we want to applaud any provider, anywhere, that’s doing a great job. However, we do use availability as a tie-breaker, because it’s just not very helpful to write about providers no one can get. We also give a little more weight to availability in our “best of” guides, with the goal of providing recommendations that are as useful as possible.
A note on affiliate marketing
Some of the providers we review pay us a referral fee if you click or call after reading our reviews. The editorial team doesn’t know which providers are part of this arrangement, because we want the folks on the ground to be 100% free of bias.
We know some people feel squeamish about affiliate marketing, but we’re serious about getting it right. We will never recommend one service over another just to make a little dough. We also won’t hold back criticism, because our #1 goal is to be helpful. We know we can do that only by being fair, accurate, and trustworthy at every step.
Finding the right internet provider depends on how much you can pay, how much bandwidth you need, which providers are available in your area, and how much you can pay every month.
For a household of one or two people, 100 Mbps speeds are usually good enough. For large households, speeds of 200-500 Mbps are best. Unless you’re a power user, you probably don’t need speeds of 1 Gbps or faster.
Fiber internet offers faster upload speeds than you’ll get with cable internet, and many providers offer plans with much faster download speeds as well. However, actual download speeds customers get from cable internet providers can be faster than what they get from fiber internet providers. (8)
For most households, however, any given activity won’t require very much speed. You only need ultra-fast internet speeds if you have a lot of devices connecting at once.
Among internet service providers we review, only Starlink, Omnifiber, and Smithville do not participate in the federally funded Affordable Connectivity Program. Every other provider we know of participates, and some offer extra perks like free laptops and tablets on top of what you can get through the program directly.
Learn more about how to get free or cheap internet, including options for households that don’t qualify for the ACP. You can also use the Companies Near Me tool sponsored by the Federal Communications Commission to find a local provider.
DSL and satellite internet providers are tied as the slowest way to get internet in the US. With satellite internet, you’ll see the slowest speeds when there’s a lot of network congestion or if you’ve exceeded your high-speed data limits, which are often very low.
With DSL, speeds can be as fast as 100 Mbps, but only if you’re very close to the provider’s neighborhood hub. The farther out you get, the slower your speeds will be. However, unlike with cable internet, you won’t be competing with your neighbors for bandwidth for DSL. Whatever your speeds are, they will be consistent over time.
Fiber internet is commonly understood as most reliable internet type because you don’t share bandwidth with your neighbors and the network is built to handle an incredible amount of data. However, cable internet company Optimum and fiber internet provider Verizon are nearly tied when it comes to providing speeds that are as high or higher than advertised plans, according to data from the FCC. (3) Xfinity and Spectrum aren’t far behind, leaving companies like Cincinnati Bell Fiber and Frontier Fiber in the dust.
How long it takes to switch internet providers depends mostly on whether your household has already been set up for the internet service you’re considering. If you have recently had a given provider’s service at your home, all it usually takes to switch is waiting for the new equipment to arrive and completing the self-installation on your own time.
If you need professional installation but have had the provider at the address in the past, you may have to wait a few days for an appointment. If you’re getting fiber internet but it’s not yet available on your street, you may have to wait several months. If you’re getting Starlink or Google Fiber, you may be put on a waiting list for years.
Although most of the world uses the internet every day, not many people take the time to understand how it all works. But getting your bearings when it comes to internet basics is a good first step toward making smarter decisions online.
Internet providers throughout the US are selling plans with speeds faster than 1 Gbps—also known as multi-gig or hyper-gig internet. Multi-gig internet is theoretically fast enough for dozens of simultaneous video streams or hundreds of video conference calls.
As more and more internet providers start offering multi-gig or hyper-gig speeds (anything faster than 1 Gbps), the Switchful team got curious about whether these speeds are helpful for residential users.
We believe the best information comes from first-hand customer experience and methodical research by subject-matter experts. We never source information from "content farms," and we don’t generate content using artificial intelligence (AI). You can trust that our recommendations are fact-checked meticulously and sourced appropriately by authentic, industry-recognized people.
Kathryn is a consumer advocate writer who helps people quickly and easily find the best products and services for their needs. Over the last decade, she's helped people navigate everything from Internet companies to Medicare plans to business software. When she's not geeking out about saving her readers time and money, you'll find her climbing the rocks of Utah—or asleep in her favorite hammock.
Rebecca Palmer has been writing about tech and consumer finance since 2010. Her work has been featured in the Deseret News, Idaho Business Review, TopTenReviews.com, and more. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, and lives in Salt Lake City with her exceptionally delightful pup, Nymeria.
