5 Best Cable Internet Providers 2021

Comcast Xfinity is our choice for the cable internet provider with the most value. But if you’re eyeing other cable providers like Spectrum or Cox, there are still deals to be had.

Many cable providers offer fast speeds that match fiber internet but at similar or lower prices. And there are far more cable internet service providers (ISPs) out there than fiber ISPs.

So, we took a look at the prices, data caps, contracts, internet speeds, and availability for a dozen or so cable internet providers across the US to determine which cable companies are the best. Let’s dig in and see what’s what when it comes to cable.

What to look for when buying cable internet

Cable internet is widely available across the US, making it pretty likely that it’s one of—if not your only—internet option.

But before you sign up for service, here are a few things you should consider.

Cable internet features you should look for:

• A cable internet provider that services your address
• A price that matches your budget
• Internet speeds that meet your family’s needs
• Optional: Unlimited data and no contracts
• Optional: Internet and cable TV bundle options

First things first, you’ll want to make sure that the cable internet service provider (ISP) you’re checking out is available in your area. The easiest way to do that is with our zip code checker.

Prices for cable internet depend on what speed you’re looking at, but generally run between $20 a month for slower speeds and $80 a month, with a couple of exceptions. Make sure you choose a cable internet plan that not only fits into your budget but also meets your internet speed needs.

Some nice to have options include unlimited data and no contracts, but not every ISP offers these features. Still, if you find a cable internet plan with no data cap that doesn’t make you sign a contract, it might even be worth paying a little bit extra each month to nab it up.

Similarly, you’ll pay more each month if you bundle your cable internet with TV—but many service providers discount your bill when you bundle. So, bundling could really be a deal if you plan to get internet and TV anyway.

Want to read more?

• Best Cable TV and Internet Bundles
• How Does Cable Internet Work?
• Cheapest Cable TV Providers
• Best Internet Service Providers

Comcast Xfinity: Best Value

Xfinity’s promotional prices and regular deals make it one of the best value internet providers out there. Plus, it’s available across most of the US, and it regularly updates its plan speeds too.

To top all that off, Xfinity ranked in the top five for fastest internet service providers in our latest report, which means it’s more likely to give you the speeds you paid for—or better.

One thing to watch out for, though, is that Xfinity’s plan names, speeds, and pricing can change depending on where you live. Here’s a quick look at how the price ranges compare in each region of the US that Xfinity services.

And another thing you might notice is that Xfinity is available across almost all of the US. That’s pretty rad, because we’ve also found that Xfinity tends to offer a great value. Most of its plans come with a hefty boost of download speed for the price you pay when compared to other internet providers in the same area.

Speaking of value, we analyzed the price per Mbps of all Xfinity’s internet plans so you can find the absolute best deal. And hey, Xfinity also offers plenty of internet deals each month, so even if the price isn’t right today, it might be tomorrow.

Last but not least, Xfinity offers cable TV service too. If you love to channel-flip, bundling TV and internet together can save you some cash. And that’s never a bad thing. We’re also pretty smitten with the Xfinity DVR and love that you can access your Netflix library and YouTube channels from it.

Recommended Xfinity cable internet plans

Depending on where you live, these are the Xfinity internet plans we recommend.

Best Xfinity internet plan in the Northeast: Gigabit

Who it’s best for: Internet speed demons, work-from-home hustlers, and large families.

Why we picked it: Xfinity recently bumped up the speed of its Gigabit plan in the Northeast, and now its top download speed of 1,200 Mbps cracks the gig ceiling. Your price per Mbps with this plan is under 10 cents and that price lasts for three years, making it the most value-packed internet plans Xfinity offers.

Best Xfinity internet plan in the Central US: Performance

Who it’s best for: Smaller families or households who just use the internet to stream TV and game a little.

Why we picked it: The Xfinity Performance Select plan comes with reasonable speeds at a reasonable price. This plan isn’t the best bang for your buck (that title belongs to the Gigabit plan), but we realize that not everyone needs gig speeds. With that in mind, Performance Select should keep both your household netizens and wallet watchers happy.

Best Xfinity internet plan in the West: Blast! Pro Plus

Who it’s best for: Is there something streaming on a TV, phone, or tablet in every room of our house? (Yup, even the bathroom!) Then Blast! Pro Plus is right up your family’s alley.

Why we picked it: The 400 Mbps download speeds that come with Blast! Pro are solid enough to keep multiple devices connected around your home. At the same time, no less. And that’s perfect for anyone with a bunch of kiddos and teens under their roof who also needs a little guilty pleasure time with Marriage or Mortgage.

View Plans | Read Full Xfinity Internet Review

Spectrum: Best for no contracts

Spectrum cable internet is all about the word “no”: no data caps, no annoying overage charges, and no speed throttling. You can use your internet freely.

And Spectrum’s cable TV service comes without a contract too.

When we compared prices, Spectrum’s prices for its up to 100 and 400 Mbps plans* are a little on the high end. But remember, that higher price comes with unlimited data and no-contract perks. So paying a little extra each month might be worth it.

Recommended Spectrum cable internet plan

Based on price and advertised speed, here’s the Spectrum cable internet package we recommend the most.

Best for a large family of streamers: Spectrum Internet Ultra

Who it’s best for: Are you a cinephile? Are your roommates or family members cinephiles too? The Spectrum Internet Ultra plan gives you all the freedom to stream in HD (or even 4K).

Why we picked it: While Spectrum’s price is a tad high for the speed you get, this plan also comes with unlimited data and no contract. That’s perfect for downloading every award-winning title out there and not worrying about going over your data cap. Or paying an extreme early termination fee if you end up moving to a new locale thanks to Out of Africa or Amélie.

View Plans | Read Full Spectrum Internet Review

Cox: Best cable TV and internet bundles

Cox’s cable internet is fairly reliable—it ranked 16th out of 32 internet providers in our fastest ISPs report and 8th out of 22 cable internet providers. That puts it squarely in the middle of the pack.

Our TV experts found Cox’s TV prices to be a tad higher than competitors like DISH and Xfinity. But we love that Cox Contour TV doesn’t come with a contract—and if you also select the “No Term Agreement” option for your Cox internet service, your bundle becomes contract-free too.

Cox’s TV and internet bundles also made our list of the top five cable bundles. Here’s a quick look at some of those bundles and channel counts, plus a few of the notable channels included in each one:

• Contour Starter (75+ channels): Notable channels include CBS, FOX, PBS, The CW, NBC, and ABC.
• Contour Preferred (140+ channels): Notable channels include ESPN, TBS, HGTV, USA, Food Network, and Nick.
• Contour Ultimate (250+ channels): Notable channels include MLB Extra Innings, CINEMAX, STARZ, SHOWTIME, EPIX, and HBO MAX.

Cox also offers a few bundles that pair your internet with its Contour TV Streamer. You won’t get a cable TV subscription with these combos, but the Contour TV Streamer lets you set up your favorite streaming service fairly easily.

When we tried to grab one of these bundles, we noticed that it’s a little confusing to figure out how to get the Contour TV Streamer as an option to rent. The trick is to select just an internet plan, and then the Contour TV Streamer appears as an equipment option.

Recommended Cox cable TV + internet bundle

Choosing a Cox cable bundle comes down to your preferences, but we think the Internet Preferred + Contour Starter is a good balance between price, channels, and internet speed.

Best Cox TV + internet bundle: Internet Preferred + Contour Starter

Who it’s best for: Families whose downtime after working from home includes gaming and TV nights on the couch.

Why we picked it: This bundle comes with a well-rounded internet speed and selection of channels. You’ll get CBS, FOX, ION, and Telemundo, to name a few, which means there’s something on the tube for everyone. (Except ESPN. Ouch.)

View Bundles | Read Full Cox Internet Review | Read Full Cox TV Review

RCN: Best price for gig cable internet speeds

If you live in a big city like Boston, Philadelphia, New York City, or Chicago, RCN’s low priced, no-contract cable internet plans rival even our Best Value pick, Xfinity.

On top of great prices for the speeds you get, RCN comes with no data caps. This is another area where RCN tops Xfinity—and data caps are becoming more and more critical as we spend more time online.

Also of note is RCN’s speed performance. It zoomed into 6th place out of 32 ISPs we analyzed in our fastest internet providers report, and it was the number one fastest cable provider. Not too shabby.

But just like Xfinity, RCN’s available speeds and prices change depending on which city you live in. Generally, RCN costs between $20 and $60 a month, though. Here’s a quick look at the plans and prices available in Chicago, Illinois, to give you an idea.

Recommended RCN cable internet plan

We said it’s got one of the lowest prices for gig speeds around, so our recommended RCN plan should be no surprise.

Best for home offices: Gig Internet

Who it’s best for: Anyone running a home office—or working from home with others in the same house.

Why we picked it: First off: You’ll be hard-pressed to find a gig plan at a price lower than this one. Second: RCN’s gig speeds ensure that your household has enough bandwidth to support your home office hustle, your online learning classroom, and any fun activities like gaming or streaming. At the same time.

So no more waiting until after your partner’s Zoom call to catch the next episode of WandaVision. The whole internet is at your fingertips.

View Plans | Read Full RCN Internet Review

WOW! Internet: Also great value

We’re really holding ourselves back from tossing around the WOW! puns right now. (You can thank us later.) But what isn’t a laughing matter is WOW!’s low price for the speed you get—plus its complete and utter lack of data caps.

You’ll find more value in WOW!’s lower-tier packages, since its 1,000 Mbps plan is outshone by Xfinity’s lower prices for the same speed. Of course, WOW!’s price lasts for two years while most of Xfinity’s prices last for only one year.

The only thing is, unless you call the glacier-sculpted plains of the Midwest or sunny farmland and coasts of the South home, you likely won’t find a WOW! plan in your town.

Recommended WOW! cable internet plan

Here’s our pick for a well-priced WOW! Internet plan with plenty of speed.

Best for most families: Internet 500

Who it’s best for: We normally recommend 100 Mbps as a baseline internet speed, but if you’ve got a larger family or a house full of internet power users, the WOW! Internet 500 plan is a better fit.

Why we picked it: These speeds should support a larger family with lots of devices, and the price you pay per month isn’t going to leave your wallet high and dry. It also comes with unlimited data, so you won’t need to throttle back on your kiddo’s mobile game downloads over Wi-Fi—or downloading that important PowerPoint your boss just sent over.

View Plans | Read Full WOW! Internet Review

Recap: Best cable internet providers

• Xfinity: Best Value. You’ll find it hard to get a cable internet plan with cheaper prices than Xfinity. We also like that the ISP scores well for internet speed and regularly offers deals.
• Spectrum: Best for no contracts. Spectrum offers fairly well-priced cable internet, but the real gem is its unlimited data and no contracts.
• Cox: Best cable TV bundles. Cox offers pretty reliable cable internet and a slew of cable TV packages that you can bundle together in multiple ways. And you can make your bundles contract-free too.
• RCN: Best in the Northeast. RCN may be limited to cities in the Northeast and Chicago, but its budget-friendly prices, fast speeds, and lack of data caps make it a fierce contender even against Xfinity.
• WOW! Internet: Also great value. WOW!’s promotional prices are a great deal—and they last for two years. Plus, it comes with unlimited data for residents of the Midwest and South.

Cable internet tends to be a great pick when it comes to internet service. We think Comcast Xfinity’s promo pricing, fast speeds, and wide availability make it the value pick of the pack, but you’ll also find great features and deals on cable internet with Spectrum, Cox, RCN, and WOW!.

Best cable internet plans and bundle

Here’s a quick recap of all the cable internet plans we recommended:

And we can’t forget Cox, our pick for the cable company with the best bundles. If you’re pairing your Cox cable TV with internet, here’s our pick:

Methodology

To narrow down the best cable internet providers, we looked at and compared the following features:

• Price
• Download speeds
• Data caps
• Contracts and promotional pricing periods
• Availability

We also wanted to highlight some of the ISPs that offered excellent prices and features but weren’t necessarily available across most of the US. That’s why RCN and WOW! Internet are featured on our list.

We also considered Grande Communications, but even though it advertises excellent prices, no data caps, and no contracts, we felt that its availability in only parts of Texas was too limiting. The same approach applied to Optimum, which is available mainly in Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.

Availability was also the biggest reason we didn’t analyze smaller, more local cable ISPs. Even so, we recommend checking out what internet providers are available in your area, since many smaller providers also offer excellent speeds and prices, among other perks.

FAQ

Still have questions about the best cable internet providers? We’ve got answers.

Which cable company has the best Wi-Fi and internet?

We chose Comcast Xfinity as our top cable company. Along with serving a large portion of the US, Xfinity regularly offers competitive promotional prices and deals on its cable internet and TV service.

As for Wi-Fi hotspots, Xfinity gives free hotspot access to its Xfinity Mobile and internet customers with a Performance plan or faster.

Which cable company has the fastest internet?

Comcast Xfinity has the fastest cable internet plan: Its Gigabit Pro plan comes with 2,000 Mbps download speeds. The bad news? The plan is extremely limited as to who can get it, and it costs a whopping $299.95 a month. Yikes.

Who has the cheapest internet and cable package?

Of the largest ISPs in the US, Xfinity and RCN both offer some of the cheapest internet and cable TV packages. Of course, the cheapest internet and TV bundles in your area depend on which providers serve your location.

If you live in an area where you can get Grande, RCN, Suddenlink, or Xfinity, you might be able to score one of these cheap cable internet and TV packages:

Related articles

• The Best Internet Providers
• The Fastest Internet Providers
• Best Cable TV Providers
• Best Cable TV and Internet Bundles
• How Does Cable Internet Work?

Sources

1. Jeff Baumgartner, Light Reading, “WOW to Unleash Data Caps in June, Starting in Chicago,” April 2021. Accessed May 25, 2021.

^{*Wireless speeds may vary.
°Speed based on 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.}