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Audited & Verified: Nov 18, 2025, 12:09pm
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| Staff EditorSo many of our day-to-day tasks rely on having high-speed internet with a reliable connection. So, it stands to reason that when we surveyed 2,200 people, well over the majority (66%) said they had a connection that meets or exceeds the FCC’s definition of high-speed internet, which is 100 Mbps.
We utilized the results of this survey, which also touched on customers’ sentiments about their specific internet company, as well as factors like company plans, pricing and speeds to help find the best high-speed internet provider out there.
The Forbes Home team is committed to bringing you independent, unbiased ratings and information. We use data and expert advice to inform all of our content. For this article, we evaluated 25 national internet providers offering a variety of connection types, including fiber, DSL, cable, fixed wireless, satellite and 5G home internet services. We then scored them against 69 different attributes, including pricing, availability, customer reviews and more. Plus, ouradvisory board of licensed professionals fact-checks and reviews our content for accuracy and relevancy. You can read more about oureditorial guidelines and the internet providers’methodology for the ratings below.
Below are some of our choices for thebest internet providers that focused on speed. And while lightning-fast internet is important, it isn’t the only factor, so we made sure to include plenty of different stats.
| PROVIDER | OUR RATING | BEST FOR | LOWEST PRICE AVAILABLE | SPEED RANGE | LEARN MORE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 4.7    | Best Overall | $70.00 | 1 Gbps - 8 Gbps | On Google Fiber's Website | |
4.7 | Best Availability | $55.00 | 100 Mbps - 5 Gbps | On AT&T's Website | |
4.4 | Best Bundling Options | $49.99 | 25 Mbps - 5 Gbps | On Verizon's Website | |
4.4 | Best Discounts | $29.99 | 500 Mbps - 7 Gbps | On Frontier's Website | |
4.3 | Best Cable Internet Option | $19.99 | 115 Mbps - 1.42 Gbps | On Xfinity's Website |
Best Overall
Best Overall
Google Fiber
($.07/Mbps)
Google Fiber bills its service as the fastest in the U.S., with speeds reaching up to 8 Gbps, so it makes sense that the company tops our list as the best high-speed internet provider. With fiber connectivity, Google Fiber’s speeds are expected to be consistent in both upload and download speeds, which can be a major advantage for those performing varied internet tasks.
Learn more:Google Fiber Internet review
Google Fiber is a great option for those who want to dial up their internet speed. In addition to minimum expected speeds of 1 Gbps, the company also offers extras like priority room optimizations (so you can choose which rooms get the best internet speeds) and a 25% refund on your internet bill if the internet is down for more than 45 minutes that month.
Why We Like It
In addition to high-speed internet, Google Fiber doesn’t require contracts or rental fees for much of its equipment and offers free installation. The company has offered the same prices for more than 13 years, and you can see all plans and pricing on the company’s website without entering any personal information.
What We Don’t Like
Google Fiber is primarily available in cities and is only available (or is soon to be available) in 19 states overall.
Who It’s Best For
Google Fiber is a great high-speed internet provider for those who live in the company’s service area and prioritize speed.
We surveyed 2,200 consumers who purchased home internet within the last two years, and overall, people reported positive experiences with their service. When asked, 86% said they were happy with the company’s upload and download speeds relative to what they pay. Nearly 84% said they found their Google Fiber service to be reliable.
Google Fiber has three different internet plans with speeds ranging from 1 Gbps to 8 Gbps. Plan availability will vary by location.
| PLAN | SPEED | MONTHLY PRICE | CONNECTION TYPE |
|---|---|---|---|
Core | 1 Gbps | $70 | Fiber |
Home | 3 Gbps | $100 | Fiber |
Edge | 8 Gbps | $150 | Fiber |
Best Availability
Best Availability
AT&T Internet
($0.18/Mbps)
AT&T is one of the most popular internet service providers in the country, currently topping our best internet providers overall list for 2025. Plans range from a modest 25 Mbps to a speedy 5 Gbps, allowing for many different options that can suit a variety of speed needs. Fiber services are available in 25 states, and the company offers fast internet service for a competitive price, in addition to no data caps and no annual contracts.
Learn more:AT&T Internet review
AT&T offers a 100% fiber network for its fiber plans, boasting stable and nearly equal upload and download speeds. The company will also credit you a full day of internet service if you experience 20 minutes or more of downtime, proving that it believes in its dependability. The company has been around for more than a century and offers plentiful customer service options and fairly good customer reviews to back up that experience.
Why We Like It
AT&T offers extras like bundling options, including those that pair fiber internet and TV services. You can also boost your speed with some add-ons like the All-Fi Pro bundle, which includes equipment upgrades, advanced security and whole-home Wi-Fi extenders. This bundle comes included with some of the company’s fastest plans.
What We Don’t Like
AT&T’s fiber service is available in 25 states, but we’d love to see that number grow. Some of its non-fiber plans will also come with data caps.
Who It’s Best For
Those within AT&T’s fiber network will want to consider the company for home internet plans. The deal can be particularly good for those who can bundle services with AT&T cell phone or TV plans.
In our survey of 2,200 consumers who have purchased home internet in the last two years, AT&T scored well with customers. When asked, 88% of AT&T customers surveyed said they were happy with the company’s speeds. It also scored the highest of the companies we looked into for reliability, with 90% of customers saying they were satisfied with this aspect of their service.
AT&T Internet offers a variety of plans, depending on availability, with fiber connectivity. Plans, speeds and pricing will vary based on location, so we recommend reaching out for a quote yourself. However, you can get a sampling below.
| PLAN | SPEED | MONTHLY PRICE* | CONNECTION TYPE |
|---|---|---|---|
Internet 100 | 100 Mbps | $60.00 | Broadband |
Fiber 300 | 300Mbps | $55.00 | Fiber |
Fiber 500 | 500Mbps | $65.00 | Fiber |
Fiber 1000 | 1 Gbps | $55.00 | Fiber |
Fiber 2000 | 2 Gbps | $145.00 | Fiber |
Fiber 5000 | 5 Gbps | $245.00 | Fiber |
Best Bundling Options
Best Bundling Options
Verizon Fios
($.17/Mbps)
Verizon Fios offers several fiber internet plans, with plan speeds reaching up to 2 Gbps, which is plenty for many highly connected households. Though plans are not available in many places just yet, if you live in the company’s service area and already have a Verizon Wireless plan, this provider also offers many bundling options, so you’ll have plenty of ways to save.
Learn more:Verizon Fios Internet review
Verizon Fios focuses on blending speed and savings. For one, its website touts that its upload speeds are 23+ times faster than cable and that many of its plans include whole-home Wi-Fi extenders. Additionally, though the focus is on how you can save, the company offers many promotions, including guaranteed pricing for three years and bundling options for streaming services such as Max and Disney+.
Why We Like It
With Verizon Fios, you can have high-speed internet with no annual contracts and no data caps for residential users. You can also take advantage of perks like a free router with all plans. We recommend keeping an eye on discounts as these can change often and sweeten the deal.
What We Don’t Like
Verizon Fios is fast, but it isn’t the fastest on our list. So, if you need truly blazing fast speeds at any cost, you may want to look elsewhere. Fios service is also only available in select metro areas of eight states and Washington, D.C., as of publication. And though bundling and discounts can help, we recommend keeping an eye on when and if pricing will change and your price if you don’t bundle, as this isn’t always clear from the get-go.
Who It’s Best For
Verizon Fios is best for those who need fairly high-speed internet and for those who may be Verizon Wireless customers (or who are open to becoming a customer!).
In our recent survey of 2,200 consumers who purchased home internet within the last two years, Verizon Fios had fairly positive reviews from its customers. Roughly 85% of the company’s customers that we surveyed said they were satisfied with Fios’s speed relative to its price. We also noticed that price and speed were nearly tied for the biggest reasons customers chose Fios, at 33% and 30% respectively.
Verizon Fios offers speeds from 300 Mbps to 2 Gbps, but plan costs, availability and speeds will vary by location. Below, you can see a sampling of plan options that may be available to you.
| PLAN | MONTHLY PRICE* | CONNECTION TYPE |
|---|---|---|
300 Mbps | $49.99 | Fiber |
500 Mbps | $74.99 | Fiber |
1 Gbps | $89.99 | Fiber |
2 Gbps | $109.99 | Fiber |
Best Discounts
Best Discounts
Frontier
Frontier offers DSL service and fiber service in select areas, with plans reaching up to 7 Gbps in some areas, which is why Frontier is one of the highest options on our list. The company is available overall in 25 states and has fiber connectivity in 17 states. It boasts no data caps or overage charges, which is particularly helpful for streamers and those downloading large files.
Learn more:Frontier Internet review
We appreciate that Frontier has many plan options available, including one of the highest number of fiber plan options on this list. You also won’t have to sign a contract to get Frontier service, though there are optional gift cards or included free installation that requires a 12-month commitment in some cases. Generally, its prices are competitive as well, especially for fiber plans for the first 12 months, and installation is free.
Why We Like It
Though having so many plan options is never a bad thing, Frontier offers a quiz that can help you choose the best plan for you, which can help those who are overwhelmed with their choices. Frontier does have some bundling options, too, with the ability to pair your internet service with YouTube TV.
What We Don’t Like
As with many providers on this list, we hope to see Frontier offer fiber in additional locations soon. As for its DSL options, it can be difficult to find information about them on its site, which makes it tough for us to recommend it. Customer reviews can also be middling to low in some cases and prices will typically go up after a year, so keep an eye out.
Who It’s Best For
Frontier is best for those in its fiber network who still find its prices to be competitive after the first 12 months.
When we surveyed 2,200 customers who purchased home internet within the last two years, Frontier had fairly middling reviews. When asked about speed, 79% of Frontier customers said they were satisfied with their speeds relative to what they pay. A similar percentage (78%) said they found the company to be transparent around prices and payment terms.
Frontier’s plan availability will depend on your location, as will pricing and connection type, but we’ve included a sampling below. Note that not much information is available on its DSL plans, and the company says it cannot guarantee a speed, so we recommend inquiring further.
| PLAN | MONTHLY PRICE* | CONNECTION TYPE |
|---|---|---|
High-Speed Internet | $64.99 | DSL |
Fiber 500 | $29.99 | Fiber |
Fiber 1 Gig | $49.99 | Fiber |
Fiber 2 Gig | $64.99 | Fiber |
Fiber 5 Gig | $89.99 | Fiber |
Fiber 7 Gig | $109.99 | Fiber |
Best Cable Internet Option
Best Cable Internet Option
Comcast Xfinity
($.13/Mbps)
Comcast Xfinity is the only cable internet provider on our list, but its advertised speeds still go over 2 Gbps with its top plan. The company is also great for those who want bundling options, as Comcast is a major cable provider with a wide range of services available in 35 states.
Learn more:Xfinity Internet review
Comcast Xfinity has a wide range of plans, which sets it apart from the rest of our list. The company also offers contract or no-contract plans, allowing you even more flexibility. We like that it boasts 99.9% reliability and offers suggestions for which plan is best, based on the number of devices, which can be helpful for those who aren’t clued into internet lingo.
Why We Like It
Xfinity has a plethora of bundling deals, allowing you to save 40% on Apple TV+, Netflix, and Peacock with its StreamSaver deal. Beyond that, you can take advantage of other discounts as they crop up, so we recommend keeping an eye out for the best deal. Though Xfinity isn’t fiber, we like that its network is vast, allowing many customers who aren’t in purely fiber networks to still reach high speeds.
What We Don’t Like
Xfinity’s speeds aren’t the highest on our list, and cable internet is generally less stable and slower than fiber. It does have a data cap on plans, which is a downside, but it’s 1.2 TB, which is usually more than enough. Xfinity’s prices are low, but they can go up sharply after its introductory period, which can make comparison shopping difficult.
Who It’s Best For
Xfinity is a good option for those who aren’t set on fiber internet and can bundle and save with cable or other plans.
Xfinity’s reviews were a bit mixed in our home internet survey. We asked 2,200 consumers who have purchased home internet in the last two years, and of Xfinity’s customers, 77% said they were pleased with the speeds relative to what they pay for. Additionally, 79% said they found pre-installation customer service to be satisfactory.
What Xfinity offers as far as internet plans and how much they cost will vary depending on location, bundling and contract options. You can find a sampling of pricing below, but we always recommend getting your own quote.
| PLAN | SPEED | MONTHLY PRICE* | CONNECTION TYPE |
|---|---|---|---|
Connect | 150 Mbps | $19.99 | Hybrid fiber-coaxial cable |
Connect More | 400 Mbps | $25.00 | Hybrid fiber-coaxial cable |
Fast | 600 Mbps | $60.00 | Hybrid fiber-coaxial cable |
Gigabit | 1100 Mbps | $60.00 | Hybrid fiber-coaxial cable |
Gigabit X2 | 2100 Mbps | $90.00 | Hybrid fiber-coaxial cable |
Home internet costs can generally range from $20 to $300 per month, but high-speed plans will definitely put you toward the top of that range. For example, we estimate that a 1 Gbps plan will average you around$85 per month. However, many factors are at play here and can affect your final cost.
There are many different facets to any internet company or plan, so having a holistic view of all of your options can help you make the right decision. Keep these factors in mind when deciding between high-speed internet plans.
If speed is your #1 concern, it can be tempting to just opt for the fastest plan possible. However, consider how much speed you really need before committing to a plan. The FCC has great guides to help determine your internet speed based on the number of people in your household and your internet needs. We recommend starting with something on the lower end of what you think you might want and increasing as needed.
To many, speed is just as important as your budget. You’ll want to find the perfect balance between speed and cost, so comparison shopping will be your friend here. Research internet companies that serve your area and compare plan speeds and costs to get the full picture. Remember not to solely consider acquisition pricing. Plans that seem more expensive upfront may end up being the better choice than plans with lower promotional pricing that sharply increases after a certain point. Features like data caps, price locks and contracts can come into play here too.
An internet company may promise speed, but if you search through reviews and see that most complain that it’s not delivering on those promises, you may want to look elsewhere. We recommend looking through local reviews and asking friends and neighbors for their experience here. Keep in mind, though, that it’s rare that anyone will absolutely rave about their internet company, so take reviews with a grain of salt.
Internet availability is highly variable, so much so that you could have different choices than someone a few streets over in some cases. Because of this, it’s important to search your address on the company websites you’re considering to ensure they serve your household. Prices and plans can also vary by location, so this is a good time to check those out as well.
A higher-speed plan may look good on its face, but if it requires a two-year contract with data caps and hefty cancellation fees, it may be less appealing. We recommend looking out for all of these factors, along with things like expected price increases, to ensure the plan is as good as it sounds.
Local Internet Providers By City
How much internet speed you’ll need depends on how you use the internet. For instance, working from home will require higher speeds than the occasional email and multiple devices will increase your speed needs.
Below are the basic minimum speeds experts recommend to complete some common internet tasks. While faster speeds are typically preferred, you can start lower and work your way up.
| ACTIVITY | SPEEDS |
|---|---|
Basic emails and web browsing | Minimum 1 Mbps, Suggested 10 Mbps |
Email, browsing and light streaming | Minimum 4 Mbps, Suggested 25 Mbps |
High-definition streaming and online gaming | Minimum 4 Mbps, Suggested 50 Mbps |
More than one multiplayer gaming and streaming devices | Minimum 25 Mbps, Suggested 100 Mbps |
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has great guides to help youdetermine your best home internet speed. It can be difficult to know if you’re paying for too much internet speed, so we recommend researching with guides like this to get close to the best internet speed possible, while being open to ramping up speeds as needed.
For example, using this guide, a household with three users or devices using the internet at a time with high use (i.e. email, browsing, basic video, VoIP, internet radio as well as streaming HD video, multiparty video conferencing, online gaming, telecommuting, etc.) would need more than 25 Mbps. From there, we recommend asking any providers you’re considering which plan might be best for you and your home’s needs. Often, they’ll have recommendations right on their websites under each plan.
To pick the best internet providers and determine our rankings, the Forbes Home editorial team compared 25 major internet providers across 79 different metrics, including average plan cost, installation fees and plan speeds. You can find out more abouthow Forbes Home rates internet providers on our detailed methodology page.
The FCC considers high-speed internet to be plans that offer 100 Mbps download speed and 20 Mbps upload speed. Which plans will actually offer the speeds you need, though, can vary.
Providers like Google Fiber, Frontier, AT&T and Optimum offer some of the top speeds on the market, but because plan availability can vary, we recommend researching the top speeds near you to make the best decision.
If your internet speed isn’t up to your expectations, we recommend first performing an internet speed test to see if its actual speeds are in line with the expected speeds. If they aren’t, you should contact your provider to troubleshoot. If they are in line with those expectations, you might need to think about upgrading to a higher-speed plan.
Kristin is a lead editor at Forbes Home and has nearly a decade of professional experience as a writer and editor. She's previously worked at sites like Talking Points Memo, Insider, Delish, Angi and HomeAdvisor. She has a passion for lifestyle topics and has extensive experience researching and reporting on topics that will help make your house a home.
Sami Allen is the managing editor at Forbes Home, with over seven years of experience in the home space and 10 years of editing experience.
