If you’re looking for high-speed internet, look no further. We’ve got the deets on all the fastest internet providers with upload speeds and download speeds like you wouldn’t believe.
Ziply is technically the fastest internet provider, with speeds up to 50,000 Mbps. But if its price tag looks too high for you or you’re not in the Pacific Northwest, there are plenty of other fast internet options out there.
Our overall recommendation for fast internet is Verizon Fios, thanks to its blazing internet speeds and penchant for top-quality customer service. But whether you’re shopping for cable or fiber internet, you’ll still have a bounty of speedy internet providers.
If these plans aren’t available where you live, we can still help you find the fastest internet provider in your area.
Compare the fastest internet plans and providers
Prices starting at
$70.00/mo.
Max download speeds up to
8,000 Mbps
Service Type
Fiber
Prices starting at
$35.00/mo.
Max download speeds up to
2000 Mbps
Service Type
Fiber
Pricing, speed and availability not guaranteed. Subject to change.
Editor’s choice: Verizon Fios
Pros
- No annual contract
- Wi-Fi router included
Cons
- Limited availability
Verizon Fios was a top performer in our recent customer satisfaction survey, but that’s not the only reason we recommend this fast internet plan above all the rest.
Plans like Fios 1 Gig cost only $89.99 a month (w/Auto Pay) without an annual contract—plus, the Fios home router that runs your home Wi-Fi comes included. Fios 1 Gig makes posting to YouTube and demolishing* your online gaming competition a breeze.
Plus, Verizon Fios swept our internet quality surveying and led the pack in latency testing from HighSpeedInternet.com:
- 85% of respondents were highly satisfied with Verizon Fios’ reliability.
- 84% of respondents were equally satisfied with Verizon’s internet speed.
- Verizon Fios’ average latency time of 9.45 milliseconds ranked first among all ISPs.
In short, we give this plan two thumbs up, and we think you will too.
*Demolition not guaranteed. First-person shooter abilities vary from player to player, but CableTV.com maintains the bias that our readers are the best at everything.
Fastest: Ziply Fiber
Pros
- No contracts
- Fastest download and upload speeds around
Cons
- Limited availability
- No included router
If you’re looking for the absolute fastest internet package around, look no further than Ziply Fiber. The regional provider’s 50 Gig Fiber plan is technically the fastest home internet plan around thanks to its 50 Gbps download and upload speeds. You’ll also get benefits like flat-rate pricing, unlimited data, and no annual contracts. This 50 GB plan has beat out Ziply’s previous fastest plan (10 GB for $300 a month).
Even if you decide to spring for a more reasonable Ziply Fiber plan, you won’t have to compromise on internet quality. Ziply was one of only five standard ISPs to crack the 80% approval mark in our survey for speed and reliability satisfaction. Plus, Ziply’s 10.9 millisecond average latency was only behind Verizon Fios according to HighSpeedInternet.com’s speed test data—you won’t have problems if you’re regularly online gaming or taking Zoom calls.
That said, Ziply Fiber’s availability is limited by its small footprint—the provider is available only in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. Plus, Ziply doesn’t bundle a Wi-Fi router with 50 Gig.
Bang for your buck: Google Fiber
Pros
- Equally fast download and upload speeds
- Simple plans and pricing
Cons
- Limited availability
If Google Fiber is in your area—congrats! You’ve got access to the best internet provider with the cheapest gigabit internet plan.
We appreciate Google Fiber’s simple plan pricing and lack of contracts, which helped it land the top spot in our Best of the Best Awards. With its intro plan coming in at just $70.00 per month, your total internet costs will be a steal for fiber internet with gigabit speeds—most competitors price their gigabit plans in the $80 to $90 range. Google Fiber also joined the 80% high approval club for speed and reliability in our survey, although its 23.9-millisecond average latency was a step behind other fiber competitors.
Unfortunately, Google Fiber is only available in a handful US cities as of now. But if you’re one of the lucky ones who can get your hands on Google Fiber, we highly recommend you grab it.
Best for cable: Xfinity
Pros
- Nationwide Wi-Fi hotspots
- Great survey results
Cons
- Promotional pricing
Xfinity performed the best out of any cable provider in this year’s survey:
- 77% of customers approved of Xfinity’s reliability.
- 81% of Xfinity customers also were highly satisfied with Xfinity’s typical internet speeds.
- Xfinity’s 16.6-millisecond average latency beat competitors like Spectrum and Cox.
If you’d like to try out Xfinity and its fast speeds, you can get Xfinity’s Gigabit (1,000 Mbps) or Gigabit Extra plans (1,200 Mbps). The prices and availability for those plans vary by area, but their current costs run between $60.00 and $80.00 per month, which are average prices for those speeds.
Best for low latency: Quantum Fiber
Pros
- High speed approval
- Fast fiber speeds
Cons
- Limited availability
Quantum Fiber may not be as well-known as some of the other providers in this guide, but the CenturyLink offshoot outperformed the competition in a few key metrics.
- Only 79% of respondents were highly satisfied with Quantum’s reliability.
- However, a whopping 88% of respondents were highly satisfied with Quantum’s internet speeds, which ranked first overall among fiber ISPs.
According to Quantum Fiber’s disclosures and Broadband Facts labels, internet subscribers can also expect an average latency time between three and 15 milliseconds. If you’re fortunate enough to have Quantum Fiber coverage in your area, you can expect a piping new network with stellar internet performance.
Other fast internet providers
Our runner-up ISPs didn’t make our top five for a handful of reasons. But we think they can all still offer a solid internet experience that’s affordable and fast for your household.
AT&T Fiber Internet 1000
AT&T Fiber narrowly missed the cut to break our top five, but if your area has AT&T Fiber coverage, you’ll still get excellent fiber internet coverage.
For starters, AT&T Fiber had respectable 83% and 82% approval scores for internet speed and reliability in our survey. The provider also had a respectable 17.1-millisecond latency time according to HighSpeedInternet.com speed test data, which’ll be fine for most households.
Internet 1000 is a solid deal at $80 per month for 1GB speeds. Your AT&T internet plan also includes access to AT&T’s nationwide Wi-Fi hotspot network. If you love to have internet everywhere you go, don’t sleep on this deal.
Sparklight Freedom Internet 2 Gig
Sparklight’s Freedom Internet 2 Gig plan is their newest and fastest internet package yet. And with no more pesky data caps, we have a much easier time recommending Sparklight as a solid contract-free ISP.
Freedom Internet 2 Gig will be an excessive speed for most internet users, so if you’re a multi-person household who wants to try out Sparklight, we’d recommend Freedom Internet 1 Gig. Its 1 Gig download speeds will be more than enough for most households, and the $69/mo. price will be locked in for 2 years.
Viasat Unleashed
There are loads of internet providers with faster and more flexible plans than Viasat Unleashed—but are those plans available all across the US, even deep in rural areas? No. No, they are not.
Viasat is just about everywhere, whether you’re on a farm smack in the middle of an endless field of corn or you’re tucked away on the side of a mountain. You’ll have to deal with high latency and high prices, sure, but you’ll have internet.
Sure, 100 Mbps download speeds aren’t 1,000 Mbps download speeds, but they’re nothing to sneer at. For those who want to maintain connections while out in the wilderness, Viasat can make that happen with speeds that won’t have you falling asleep while your websites buffer.
Frontier
Frontier Fiber, Frontier’s fiber-optic internet service, offers superfast download speeds at affordable rates, and we totally recommend it. It’s only available in 17 states, though, most prominently in California, Texas, Indiana, Florida, Alabama, and Arizona.
Their best plan is Frontier Fiber 500, which at $44.99 per month is a total steal for the speeds you’re getting—speeds that will be more than enough for a family to scroll and stream to their hearts’ content.
Metronet
Metronet offers reasonably priced internet plans for a fiber internet provider. As we’ve said, it is always worth getting fiber internet if it’s available in your location thanks to its reliability and mega fast download and upload speeds. We love MetroNet’s 1,000 Mbps plan, which comes in at the uber-affordable price of just $49.95 per month.
What to look for in the fastest internet providers
When you’re in the market for fast internet, primarily pay attention to high download speeds—which is the number before “Mbps” most providers advertise. The fastest broadband internet service usually comes with 1,000 Mbps (1 Gbps) download speeds or higher.
The price should be around $100 per month or less if you want a good deal.
And see if you can get any extra deals or freebies. You’re paying for an internet company’s fastest, most expensive internet package, after all—it should treat you right.
High download speeds
In our opinion, the lowest download speed anyone should have is 25 Mbps, the FCC standard for broadband internet. Some people can get by on less, but you shouldn’t have to.
Once you hit 100 Mbps, the party really starts. Your connection is a lot less likely to dip, downloading movies is no longer a hassle, and you can support plenty of users and smart home devices.
For a fully-automated home filled with people, 1,000 Mbps is a necessity. But even if you live alone and you’ve had enough buffering to last you a lifetime, the fastest speeds might be worth it.
Moderate pricing
Prices for gig internet speeds run anywhere from $60 to $300 a month—most are below $100 a month. Look for a plan around $70 a month, which is an average price on the market right now.
If you can’t find any affordable gigabit internet plans in your area, don’t stress. Try out some lower-speed plans—even 300 Mbps is excellent for most folks. Later, if you decide your plan isn’t fast enough, you can confidently upgrade to a gig plan, knowing you’ll get your money’s worth.
Fastest internet provider FAQ
Which provider has the fastest internet?
Xfinity provides the fastest home internet speeds—6,000 Mbps—for a major cable ISP. This Gigabit x6 plan will cost you a whoppin’ $299.95 per month, though, so you might consider saving some cash by going with its cheaper 1,000 Mbps internet plan, which is only between $60.00 and $70.00 a month. Frontier also now offers a slightly higher speed package—7,000 Mbps—for $299.99 per month.
Ziply offers a ridiculously fast 50,000 Mbps plan, but it’s only available in the Pacific Northwest.
How do I get the fastest internet possible?
For the fastest home internet, you’ll want fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) internet. Xfinity from Comcast offers FTTH internet with its Gigabit x6 plan, which comes with 6,000 Mbps download speeds, and Frontier offers 7,000 Mbps with its Fiber 7 Gig plan.
But if you’d like to take better advantage of the internet plan you have right now, check out our article “Why Is My Internet So Slow?” We’ve got tricks and tips to improve your home Wi-Fi right away.
Who has the cheapest, fastest internet service?
Google Fiber offers 1,000 Mbps download speeds and 1,000 Mbps upload speeds for $70 per month. This 1 Gig plan is the cheapest fast internet deal we’ve seen from major internet providers lately.
If you need fast home internet and Google Fiber is in your area, we say go for it.
Is 1,000 Mbps fast?
If your Wi-Fi runs at 1,000 Mbps, you’ve got some of the fastest home internet out there. Internet with download speeds around 1,000 Mbps is often called gigabit internet, and that speed is achievable only through fiber internet or fiber-hybrid technology.