The Best Internet Providers of 2026: Lab Results and Expert Picks

Google Fiber costs $70 per month for the 1Gbps internet plan, $100 per month for the 2Gbps plan, $125 per month for the 5Gbps plan, and $150 per month for the 8Gbps plan. Google Fiber comes with unlimited data and doesn't include an annual contract or extra fees for installation or equipment.

Google Fiber recently released three new internet packages: Core 1 Gig for $70 per month, Home 3 Gig for $100 per month, and Edge 8 Gig for $150 per month. These new "lifestyle" plans offer advanced features like battery backup, priority room optimization, and a 25% bill credit for outages. Sadly, they are only available in some states, including Alabama, Tennessee, Arizona, and North Carolina; however, Google has plans to expand to other locations soon. 

Yes, Google Fiber is much faster than 5G. A fiber-optic plan on Google Fiber can reach speeds up to 8Gbps, while the absolute fastest 5G home internet plan tops out at 1Gbps. Google Fiber also provides a more reliable and steady connection than a wireless 5G connection, with speeds that don't fluctuate because of network congestion or other issues.

Yes, Google Fiber is better than cable internet. Google Fiber's fiber-optic connection promises faster and more stable internet speeds. Unlike cable, Google Fiber also delivers symmetrical upload and download speeds, giving you significantly more upload bandwidth to support gaming, file uploads, posting to social media, livestreams, and VR.

The cheapest AT&T Fiber internet plan costs $34 a month and gives you 100Mbps upload and download speeds. Read our guide on how to lower your AT&T internet bill as much as possible.

You can bundle AT&T Fiber with a wireless plan to get 20% off your internet plan. AT&T also offers bundling options with DIRECTV, but you don't get a discount on your DIRECTV service—you’re just adding it to your home internet plan while still paying full price.

Similar to Xfinity, AT&T offers Wi-Fi hotspots across the nation. So if you can’t find the Wi-Fi password posted at your favorite coffee shop, you can just hop on an AT&T hotspot to browse Instagram or check your work email. 

Our take: If you can’t get fiber, you should get cable internet—and Spectrum gets you a solid and reliable cable connection with fast speeds and generous terms. The cable provider ranks up there with AT&T in terms of speed and reliability because it gets respectable speed-test results and many customers we talked to said they didn’t worry too much about outages or slowdowns. “They’re very affordable, and if I’m having an issue, they’re very good about troubleshooting,” one longtime Spectrum customer in Queens, New York, told us.

The provider’s slow upload speeds certainly can’t top fiber. But Spectrum Internet is widely available nationwide, and it delivers excellent download speeds for decent prices. Also, you don’t have to worry about data caps or annual contracts. Cable companies tend to be regarded as impenetrable monoliths, but this is clearly a cable company that meets customers’ needs where it counts. Read our Spectrum Internet review.

Yes, you can get Spectrum with just internet. Customers are able to bundle their Spectrum internet service with a Spectrum cable TV package or a Spectrum Mobile cellular phone plan, but you can also order internet alone without a bundle.

The cheapest Spectrum internet plan costs $50 a month for 12 months and gives you download speeds of 500Mbps. Some families may also qualify for Spectrum Internet Assist, an internet package for low-income households that costs $24.99 a month and delivers 50Mbps speeds.

In most cases, Spectrum does not offer discounts to existing customers. But there are ways to lower your Spectrum internet bill. As we write in our guide to Spectrum deals, try calling customer service to bring your monthly bill back to promo rates, or even going into a brick-and-mortar shop to haggle for a discount or promotion. You can also get discounts when you bundle your internet with a mobile phone plan via Spectrum Mobile.

Our take: A relatively new service, T-Mobile’s 5G Home Internet runs over the provider’s 5G cellular network and delivers solid speeds for a competitive price. The speeds aren’t the greatest (you may see fluctuations due to the wireless connection), but lots of customers have given the service positive reviews—hence why it gets a particularly strong rating for customer experience in our review.

T-Mobile 5G Home Internet is incredibly easy to set up and it doesn’t cost too much, with a simplified pricing structure with no monthly hidden fees and extra perks (such as unlimited data and sign-up promos for customers) that make it an excellent alternative to the complex pricing tiers of cable internet. Plus, you get a monthly discount when you pair it with a qualifying T-Mobile cellular plan. Read our T-Mobile 5G Home Internet review.

Most folks will get download speeds up to 498Mbps, which is more than enough for your usual streaming and gaming household. The speed you get with 5G home internet all depends on your proximity to a 5G tower—the closer you are, the more likely you are to get a reliable connection.

T-Mobile 5G Home Internet is expanding around the country, but there's still plenty of spots without access (especially in rural areas). The easiest way to find out if you can get T-Mobile 5G Home Internet in your neck of the woods is by entering your ZIP code below and looking for T-Mobile 5G Home Internet to pop up.

Starlink internet starts at $80 a month for its 250Mbps entry-level plan, plus a one-time fee of $349 or $449 (depending on where you live) to cover the standard antenna-and-router kit. Starlink Roam plans cost between $50 and $165 a month, depending on whether you’re using it for an RV or boat and how much priority data you need. You also have to pay a fee for the mobile equipment.

To cut costs where you can, read our guide on how to lower your Starlink bill.

Starlink no longer has a waitlist for its service. The satellite provider now has enough bandwidth capacity to serve customers across the United States.

Like all satellite internet providers, the downsides of Starlink include higher prices than standard fixed wired internet providers, slower speeds, and higher latency than what you'd get from a cable or fiber internet plan. However, Starlink’s downsides are justified because you're able to get internet service in remote areas and vehicles that wouldn't be connected to Wi-Fi otherwise.

A fiber internet provider is almost always your best bet for home internet—the price, speeds, and reliability simply can’t be beat.

In our Google Fiber review, we point out that this fiber provider is like an exotic bird—a marvel of incredible reliability and great value, yet available in only a handful of cities. Even if you don’t exactly need 1,000Mbps on your home internet plan (or 5,000Mbps … or 8,000mbps), you’re better off picking Google Fiber over pretty much any other internet provider that comes your way because you get the most bang for your buck with ultra-fast speeds at a fair price.

AT&T maintains probably the largest fiber network in the country and offers a range of speed tiers, offering you budget-friendly packages and the option to go all out with multi-gigabit speeds for a premium fee. Take a look at our internet speed guide to see how much bandwidth works best for you.

Your other two best options are cable internet and 5G home internet. If you can’t get fiber, we recommend cable provider Spectrum since it offers a solid deal with unlimited data, no annual contracts, and mobile and internet bundle deals through Spectrum Mobile. T-Mobile’s cost-effective 5G Home Internet plan is best for budget users and folks who live in areas with limited internet options.

As for satellite internet—well, it’s expensive and slow, but in very remote areas it’s sometimes the only available option. If you absolutely have to get satellite internet, Starlink is your best bet. Once you get past the high startup costs, you can breathe easy with reliable speeds and unlimited data.

If none of these best providers are available where you live, aim to sign up with a fiber or cable internet provider that gives you speeds of 300Mbps or faster for a price that fits your budget. Home internet costs about $81 a month on average, but you can get decent Wi-Fi for less in many parts of the country. In a rural area, try a fixed wireless or satellite internet provider.

Scroll further down this page to see a crash course on buying internet for your humble abode. You can also run a search with your zip code below to see what internet options are available in your area. 

Although we picked out the best internet providers above, you can likely find other great options where you live. The internet providers below are all standouts too—you’d be pleased getting home internet from any of them. We picked them because they also performed well in our reviews and stand out for awesome speed and reliability, excellent dollar value, and smooth customer experience.

Since not every reader lives in an area with access to these providers, let’s give you some context to help understand how to pick an internet provider. The main things to consider in your research are:

• Availability
• Connection type
• Price
• Speed

The best internet provider for you depends heavily on where you live. ISPs aren’t available everywhere, so you might only have a few options you can choose from.

To make sure you’re aware of all your options, use our availability tool below. Simply type in your zip code and hit “Search Providers” to get all the plans and prices available in your area.

• Fastest speeds: Fiber and cable internet offer the fastest and most reliable speeds.
• Most affordable: 5G home internet offers the most affordable prices that include extras like unlimited data and router rental. They also include free self-installation and don't have contracts.
• Widest availability: 5G home internet and satellite internet are great for rural residents. 

• Average prices: Most plans cost $60–$80 a month for a home internet plan that gives you enough bandwidth to handle your daily Wi-Fi needs.
• Gigabit internet: You might pay upwards of $100 a month or more to cover the cost of an upper-tier gigabit or multi-gig internet plan.
• Price-guarantees: Xfinity and T-Mobile both offer five-year price guarantees. 

Most people need speeds of at least 25Mbps per person in their household to ensure a smooth connection with minimal slowdowns or buffering. So if you live in an apartment with three other people, you want an internet plan with minimum 100Mbps download speeds.

You’re better off not overspending if you can get away with a slower plan. But make sure the Wi-Fi package you get comes with enough speed to support all of your Wi-Fi devices, and consider upgrading to a faster plan if you share the Wi-Fi with a larger group of people.

The Federal Communications Commission defines high-speed broadband internet as any connection that delivers minimum download speeds of 100Mbps and minimum upload speeds of 20Mbps. Getting a plan with 100Mbps is a great starting point if you live in a small household and do regular stuff like streaming Netflix and making the occasional video call.

Hardly anybody needs the fastest-possible speeds offered by an internet provider—gigabit and multi-gigabit options are mostly good for influencer mansions and Bitcoin miners.