How Allconnect reviews internet service providers

See how we grade broadband providers in affordability, performance, value and customer satisfaction.

The Allconnect team of editors and writers adhere to ethical guidelines that prioritize objective and unbiased reviews of internet service providers (ISPs). We recognize that our content must be perceived as independent, honest and of the highest quality.

What makes up the Allconnect score?

Our team specifically looks at affordability, performance, value and customer satisfaction to help you make the right choice for your home internet needs.

Each category has multiple subfactors, weighted differently to impact the provider’s overall score. We only considered standardized data points in our scoring system of ISPs. More abstract data like the consistency of service and brand reputation is still part of our analysis, but we let our writers address them in the context of each review.

Overall factors of ISP evaluations

Category	Weight
Affordability	40%
Performance	25%
Value	25%
Customer satisfaction	10%
Total	100%

For each subfactor, we scored every provider on a continuous scale of one to five, relative to the industry as a whole. We update the subfactors monthly as prices and features change by ISP.

If the average download speed in America is around 290 Mbps, for example, we assigned all plans with download speeds between 100 and 299 Mbps a score between three and four. Using this scale, Xfinity’s 200 Mbps plan received a 3.50 score for download speed, while Spectrum’s 500 Mbps plan got a 3.71.

We used reliable third-party research like New America’s Cost of Connectivity Report and Ookla’s Global Speed Index, along with market analysis from Leichtman Research Group to help us narrow down what matters most to the average broadband customer.

Finally, we relied on our more than 20 years of experience as a broadband marketplace. This included conversations with our sales team, user feedback on our articles and internal data from tens of thousands of speed tests each month.

Affordability

The price of internet services is the most important factor and therefore receives the highest weight at 40%.

Over and over, our research told us that price is the most important factor for most people shopping for internet.

Affordability is our most heavily weighted category, accounting for 40% of each provider’s overall score. Under that umbrella, we looked at five subcategories.

For each one, we took the prices that were listed directly on provider websites using a sample of several service addresses — the most up-to-date and reliable method we’ve found. Here’s how each section was scored:

Score	Promotional pricing (per mo.)	Rate increase (per mo.)	Average price over 24 mos.	Installation fees	Equipment fees (per mo.)
5	$0.00 – $19.99	$0.00	$0.00 – $49.99	$0.00	$0.00
4	$20.00 – $39.99	$0.00 – $9.99	$50.00 – $69.99	$0.00 – $24.99	$0.00 – $4.99
3	$40.00 – $59.99	$10.00 – $19.99	$70.00 – $89.99	$25.00 – $49.99	$5.00 – $9.99
2	$60.00 – $79.99	$20.00 – $29.99	$90.00 – $109.99	$50.00 – $99.99	$10.00 – $14.99
1	$80.00 – $100.00	$30.00 – $40.00	$110.00 – $130.00	$100.00 – $150.00	$15.00 – $20.00

This is the number that most people see when shopping for internet, and while it’s useful, it doesn’t tell the complete story. Think of promotional pricing as an introductory cost to your new service. Once that initial period is over, the pricing will revert to your ISP’s standard fee.

We used the Consumer Reports results to determine our ranges for this category, which found the average price for an internet plan before taxes and fees to be $74.99/mo. From there, we factored in average promotional discounts of around $10 to $20 to give us the ranges for our scores.

Anyone who’s ever paid an internet bill knows the feeling of a surprise price hike once the sign-up promotion ends. With this score, we wanted to capture just how painful or negligible that increase would be. Rate hikes to your monthly bill can happen anytime, but you do often get a heads-up from your provider.

To calculate the ranges for this category, we calculated the average price increases from several major internet providers.

We also wanted to capture the average price you can expect to pay over a two-year period — the typical one-year of promotional pricing and the year paying full price after that.

To get a baseline for this metric, we used the most recent updates to the Consumer Price Index from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which at the time put the all-in price for internet at $78.63/mo.

Taken together with the promotional pricing and rate increase metrics, we felt this gave us a strong baseline for understanding the true price of internet plans relative to one another.

Finally, we assigned a 5% weight to both installation and equipment fees. Nearly all ISPs have fees for renting their equipment, like modems and routers. We used average fees from every major internet provider for both metrics to determine our baseline scores.

Performance

Internet speeds, especially download speeds, are taken into account with a weight of 25%.

After price, speed consistently came up in our research as one of the top considerations for people shopping for internet. We gave significantly more weight to download speed here — 18% compared to 4% for upload speed — as it’s far more important to most peoples’ daily internet activities.

Score	Download speed (Mbps)	Upload speed (Mbps)	Data caps (GB)
5	940+	880+	None
4	300 – 939	70 – 880	1,000 – 2,000
3	100 – 299	30 – 69	500 – 999
2	25 – 99	3 – 29	250 – 499
1	0 – 24	0 – 2.9	0 – 249

To find the right baselines for download and upload speeds, we utilized Ookla’s Global Speed Index.

Data caps were also factored into this category but with even less weight than upload speeds. Our research showed that the vast majority of broadband plans now have no data cap and the ones that do have an average of 977 GB — far more than the 400 GB/mo. that the average household uses.

Value

Weighted at 25%, how much speed you get for the price of your plan determines the value of your internet.

Providing clear comparisons of price and performance was essential to our scoring process, but we also wanted to show how the two interact. In other words, how much bang for your buck will you get from each provider?

The best way to determine that was to divide the price of each plan by the speed it provides. This gave us a clear dollar value for each Mbps of bandwidth that you’ll receive.

For this metric, we used the 24-month average prices we discussed above. The higher the price per Mbps, the worse the value you’re getting.

Score	Price per Mbps of download speed	Price per Mbps of upload speed
5	$0.00 – $0.10	$0.00 – $0.25
4	$0.11 – $0.25	$0.26 – $1.00
3	$0.26 – $0.50	$1.01 – $2.00
2	$0.51 – $1.00	$2.01 – $4.00
1	$1.01 – $2.00	$4.01 – $6.00

Like our performance metric, we gave considerably more weight here to the value of download speed (20%) than upload speed (5%).

Customer satisfaction

How happy customers are with your internet provider receives a weight of 10%.

Finally, we wanted to give readers a sense of what real customers think of each provider.

For this section, we relied on independent surveys from the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) and Consumer Reports.

If a provider has been rated by both sites, we gave 5% weight to each one. In cases with only one rating, we assigned the full 10% weight for customer satisfaction.

Score	2024 ACSI score	Consumer Reports score
5	80 – 100	80 – 100
4	70 – 79	60 – 79
3	60 – 69	40 – 59
2	50 – 59	20 – 39
1	40 – 49	0 – 19

For both ACSI and Consumer Reports scores, we selected ranges that ensured there was a relatively equal spread of providers across our point system.

The ACSI’s scores are more condensed because low scores are much more of a rarity than with Consumer Reports.

How we keep internet info fresh

We partner with over 30 internet and TV providers to keep the information on our site as up-to-date as possible.

Not every internet provider can service every area, so we ask for your address to accurately show you which internet service providers are available at your exact location.

Sometimes, the provider that your neighbor uses may not even be available at your address, just across the street.

Internet providers change their prices and plans often, and we conduct monthly audits of all the information on our site to ensure everything you see is as up-to-date as possible, incorporating brand information directly from our partners.

We use our in-house technology and federal and provider data to bring you quick, accurate and current info on plans no matter where or when you use our site.

Meet the Allconnect content team

The Allconnect editorial team strives to create accurate, unbiased and knowledgeable content that can help simplify the often complex broadband space. Whether you’re searching for a new internet provider, trying to troubleshoot your slow internet connection or catching up on the latest broadband news, our content team is here to help.

Robin Layton, Senior Editor

Robin Layton is a Senior Editor for Allconnect, dedicated to helping consumers navigate the often-complex world of internet service providers. With 30 years of experience in journalism and marketing, Robin empowers consumers to make informed decisions with fair, balanced and thoroughly researched reporting on broadband services. Robin holds a bachelor’s degree in English and journalism from Shepherd University. When she’s not researching the latest broadband trends, she enjoys hiking with her husband and their two Australian Cattle Dogs. Find more of her work on MyMove.com and connect on LinkedIn.
Anine Sus, Editor

Anine Sus is an editor and publisher with Allconnect. With eight years of experience editing and writing technical content, she is passionate about guiding consumers through the decision-making process to help them understand the best options for finding an internet plan. She aims to demystify broadband technology and jargon while ensuring transparent information on Allconnect.com. Anine earned a bachelor’s degree in English and creative writing from Dickinson College. In her spare time, she enjoys being in the front row to see her favorite band, the Kills. Find her work in the AAII Journal and connect with her on LinkedIn.
Camryn Smith, Writer

As one of Allconnect’s writers, Camryn Smith helps consumers navigate complex home internet services and broadband technology through her helpful content. Using her expertise in the broadband space, Camryn educates readers on home internet providers, plans, pricing, industry trends and technology to help them make the right choices for their connectivity needs. Camryn earned her BA in strategic communications and professional writing with a minor in Spanish from Miami University. Outside of work, Camryn loves reading, traveling with friends and frequenting her favorite live music venues. Connect with her on LinkedIn.
Lisa Iscrupe, Senior Writer

Lisa Iscrupe is a senior writer and broadband expert specializing in internet and connectivity solutions. With over 12 years of experience in the internet and tech space, she uses her real-world experience to help readers make smart choices about Wi-Fi and other digital services. Her work has been featured on national platforms including USA Today, SaveOnEnergy.com and CNET.com. Outside of writing, Lisa is a creative hobbyist, nature lover and proud mom of two. Connect with her on LinkedIn.
Hannah Whatley, Editor

Hannah Whatley is an editor who enjoys collaborating with writers to offer readers the most relevant,
accurate, and up-to-date information for their home purchases. She has previously edited work featuring on The Motley Fool, The Modest Wallet, Grammarly, JoinCake.com, SaveOnEnergy.com and USA Today, gaining expertise in several industries. Hannah has a B.A. in English from Thomas Edison State University. When she isn’t editing, she enjoys studying linguistics and languages. Connect with Hannah on LinkedIn.
Rob Mitchell, Senior Marketing Manager

Rob is the senior marketing manager for Allconnect, with more than 10 years of experience and expertise in the Allconnect brand. He received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri in journalism and advertising and an MBA from UNCC. Outside of work, Rob enjoys spending time with family, traveling. Connect with him on LinkedIn.