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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.
The cheapest internet service providers
- Frontier
- Verizon
- Xfinity
The fastest internet service providers
- AT&T
- Optimum
- Xfinity
High scores, low availability
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 2023. 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.
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Compare internet providers
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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.
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How to choose an internet provider
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.
Understanding internet equipment
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:
The most important factor in how much internet speed you need at home is how many devices are connecting at once. Most apps don’t use very much bandwidth on their own, but bandwidth (measured in megabits per second or Mbps) can add up quickly when multiple devices are using the internet. For example, a device streaming in 4K will require only 25 Mbps, and YouTube needs only 3 Mbps.
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.
How we rank internet service providers
We want you to know how things work around here, how we make money, and how we decide which internet service providers are the best of the best.
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.
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.
(1) "AT&T kills DSL, leaves tens of millions of homes without fiber Internet," ArsTechnica. Accessed 19 December 2022.
(2) "Why We’re Expanding One of the Country’s Largest Fiber Networks – and Why That Matters to You," AT&T Blog. Accessed 20 December 2022.
(3) "Measuring Broadband America," FCC. Accessed 26 January 2023.
(4) "Satisfaction Benchmarks by Company, Internet Service Providers," ACSI. Accessed 19 December 2022.
(5) "Fastests ISPs of 2022," Speetest.net. Accessed 19 December, 2022.
(6) "FCC National Broadband Map," FCC. Accessed 20 December, 2022.
(7) "2022 Urban Rate Survey," FCC. Accessed 16 January 2023.
