Find internet providers in your area

How to find the best internet providers in your area

By Joe Supan Last updated: May 12, 2022

Many Americans don’t have a whole lot of choice in their internet — around 1 in 4 can only access broadband through one provider — so most of us just go with whichever provider is in our area. An internet service provider’s (ISP) coverage can vary right down to which side of the street you live on. This is because, depending on where your home is, it may not be profitable for the ISP to service your place. As companies expand their fiber offerings, some areas are seeing scattered pockets of availability as well. That’ll continue until the buildout is complete, which can take quite a bit of time.

To provide you with the most accurate results for ISPs in your area, we ask for your address to show you products that are truly available for your home. You can relax knowing that we do not sell or misuse the addresses we collect.

To ensure you are informed of all your options, we’ve analyzed all the nationwide players, comparing speeds, customer service ratings and pricing to help you make comparisons and find the fastest internet in your area.

Where to find the best internet providers

When shopping for a new internet company, it’s likely you’ll discover internet options you previously didn’t know were available. It’s just as likely, however, that some ISPs you thought were (or hoped would be) available are not. Broadband access can vary significantly even in a single community, where one side of a street has access to fiber optic, for instance, and the other side does not.

If fiber optic internet is available in your area, it will almost always give you the fastest, most reliable speeds for the best value. If you can’t get fiber, your next best option is cable internet, but DSL may be a better choice if you’re looking for the cheapest plans. Lastly, satellite internet is a common go-to service in rural areas where fiber and cable are not available. Residents of rural areas may also want to consider fixed wireless providers since they often have lower latency and higher data allowances than satellite providers.

Availability and service areas for top ISPs

• Xfinity – Available in 40 states, with primary internet service areas including the Northeast and Midwest, with concentrated pockets of service in central California and Washington.

• Verizon – Available in eight states. Primary internet service areas include the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic.

• Spectrum – Available in 41 states. Primary internet service areas include the Northeast, South, Midwest and West Coast.

• AT&T – Available in 21 states. Primary internet service areas include the South, Midwest and parts of the West Coast.

• Frontier – Available in 25 states. Primary internet service areas include the Midwest, Northeast, parts of the South and Texas.

• Cox – Available in 19 states. Primary internet service areas include the Southwest, Central U.S. and the Northeast.

• CenturyLink – Available in 35 states. Primary internet service areas include the Northwest, Southwest and Midwest.

• HughesNet – Available in all 50 states. Primary internet service areas include rural areas across the U.S.

Source: FCC Fixed Broadband Deployment

Don’t see your local home internet provider?

The companies listed above cover most of the U.S. population, but there are hundreds of smaller, regional providers. These providers extend internet coverage to areas where the largest providers do not reach or provide some often much-needed competition in areas where there is already a major internet provider established. 

To help answer “what is the fastest internet in my area?” we’ve listed some of the top regional providers and their service areas below, but there may be other internet options in your area.

Our take on the best internet providers

• Verizon Fios – Best overall. Verizon offers a 100% fiber network that makes for fast speeds, high-quality video and excellent reliability. Many Verizon offers some with perks like free streaming subscriptions, gift cards and smart home devices.
• Xfinity – Best cable internet provider. Xfinity provides service to nearly 20 million people across 40 states. They also offer no-contract options so you don’t need to worry about a long-term commitment. Pair those facts with Xfinity’s speeds up to 3,000 Mbps and Xfinity is the best cable internet provider if they are a choice in your area.
• Spectrum – Fast speeds and low fees. Spectrum offers three internet plans from $49.99/mo. to $89.99/mo. with speeds from 200 to 1,000 Mbps. Spectrum only charges $5/mo. for router rental — the modem is free — whereas most providers charge around $10-15/mo.
• Frontier – Best for no hidden fees. Some internet providers hide rental and data fees that cause your bill to grow unexpectedly. That’s not the case with Frontier, where all the plans include equipment rental and offer unlimited data.
• AT&T – Best for fast fiber speeds. AT&T Fiber offers download speeds ranging from 300 to 4,700 Mbps, some of the fastest in the country. If you have a large household of work/study from home users and serious gamers, AT&T Fiber can meet all those needs.
• Cox – Best TV and internet bundles. Although you don’t save any money by bundling Cox’s services, you do get a 30-day money-back guarantee that includes the standard installation charge, your first month’s service fee and your equipment charges. Another perk of Cox is that installation is free on certain bundles.
• CenturyLink – Best for most affordable plans. CenturyLink internet starts at $50/mo. for speeds up to 140 Mbps. Although CenturyLink tends to have only one plan available in its serviceable areas, that plan comes with fast speeds and unlimited data at a reasonable price point. 
• HughesNet – Best satellite provider. HughesNet is available pretty much everywhere within the U.S. and its plans come with 25 Mbps download speeds that will allow you to browse the web, watch a video and do most of what you love online. HughesNet plans also come with “Bonus Zone” data, which is an additional 50GB of data included monthly for free available between 2-8 a.m.

Rankings based on the Allconnect review methodology and customer satisfaction ratings from the American Consumer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) and J.D. Power.

Internet provider quick comparison

Making a comparison of internet companies and the services they offer head-to-head is one of the best ways to avoid overpaying for internet service or signing up for a plan that doesn’t fit your needs. Not all providers will be available in your area, but you can use this list to see how the largest ones compare to what’s available near you.

*Pricing per month plus taxes for length of contract. Additional fees and terms may apply. Pricing varies by location and availability. All prices subject to change at any time. May or may not be available based on service address. Speeds may vary. As of 02/02/22.
**Wireless speeds may vary.

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