Editor’s Note: This story comes from CableTV.com.
Between family video calls, YouTube streaming, and web browsing, home internet is more essential than ever. But what home internet providers offer the best combination of price and performance?
For the second year in a row, we awarded Google Fiber our Best of the Best Award for the top internet service provider (ISP) overall this year. If you can get it at your address, we think you should snap it up.
If you can’t get Google Fiber in your area, we also gave top marks to Verizon, Xfinity, and T-Mobile in this year’s guide.
Read on to see our data-rich breakdown of the top ISPs in the U.S.
Compare America’s best home internet services at a glance
Our top ISPs differ heavily on the fine print, as some providers run cables through your neighborhood while others utilize wireless towers to deliver internet service to your home. But regardless of the technology, all of our best ISPs provide internet service that’s fast, reliable, and a great value.
| Internet Provider | Price | Max Download Speed | Data Cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Fiber | $70.00–$150.00/mo. | 1,000–8,000 Mbps | Unlimited |
| AT&T Fiber | $55.00–$155.00/mo. | 100–5,000 Mbps | Unlimited |
| T-Mobile 5G Home Internet | $35.00–$70.00/mo. | 170–498 Mbps | Unlimited |
| Xfinity | $40.00–$100.00/mo. | 300–2,000 Mbps | Unlimited |
| Ziply Fiber | $20.00–$900.00/mo. | 50–50,000 Mbps | Unlimited |
Data effective as of Feb. 2026. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
Best of the Best: Google Fiber
- Price: $70.00–$150.00/mo.
- Max download speeds: 1,000–8,000 Mbps
- Data cap: Unlimited
- Pros: Fast fiber internet; no annual price increases; few if any outages; best Wi-Fi router/modem offers
- Cons: Limited availability
Google Fiber earned our Best of the Best Award because it dominates the competition across the board. To start with, Google Fiber landed in the top three overall on our annual customer satisfaction survey of over 8,000 real customers for the third year running.
Plus, Google Fiber offers excellent speeds of up to 8 Gbps and stellar performance. An impressive 84% of CableTV.com survey respondents were extremely satisfied with Google Fiber’s speeds (tied for the highest ranking), and 81% of respondents were equally satisfied with Google Fiber’s service reliability.
If you’re looking for high-performance fiber internet service, Google Fiber will deliver, and it won’t go down.
With Google Fiber, you’ll also get add-ons like a free modem/router, free Google Drive storage space, flat-rate pricing, and no annual price increases. As our internet price investigation showed, Google hasn’t raised the price on its 1 Gbps plan since 2021.
Google Fiber might not have the best reach. At the moment, it’s available in around 40 U.S. cities, and it’s facing competition from expanding competitors like T-Mobile and Verizon. But when it’s available, it’s impressive. (Two of us on the editorial staff here at CableTV.com have Google Fiber; it performs way better than our previous ISPs.)
In this year’s J.D. Power ISP Satisfaction Survey, Google Fiber also blew out competitors in the South region by a whopping 100-point margin.
Fiber internet will always be faster and more reliable than the competition (read our fiber internet guide to find out why). With just a few straightforward plans, Google makes it easy to access high speeds immediately. And those are just some of the reasons why we love Google Fiber.
Editor’s Choice: AT&T Fiber
- Price: $55.00–$155.00/mo.
- Max download speeds: 100–5,000 Mbps
- Data cap: Unlimited
- Pros: Reliably fast internet speeds; high customer satisfaction
- Cons: Limited bundle options; can get expensive
AT&T’s decent-to-middling scores for its 5G and DSL services kept it out of the conversation for our best overall ISPs. But if your neighborhood’s fortunate enough to get AT&T Fiber, you’ll get one of the best internet plans on the market.
We like that every AT&T Fiber plan avoids tricks like price increases after 12 months, restrictive contracts, or early termination fees. AT&T internet is contract-free, so you can get internet on your terms when and how you want it.
AT&T Fiber was also no slouch when it came to performance in our customer satisfaction survey. AT&T Fiber ranked second in overall satisfaction among fiber ISPs with an 83% approval rating and broke the 80% approval mark for internet speed and reliability satisfaction.
AT&T’s fiber availability remains a work in progress. It’s generally pricier than the competition, and AT&T’s lack of TV or streaming bundle deals is a bummer.
That said, AT&T offers solid cell phone bundle savings, and it’s one of the biggest fiber ISPs nationwide. Dollars to donuts, we think that no-contract AT&T fiber internet is worth the price.
Bang for Your Buck: T-Mobile 5G Home Internet
- Price: $35.00–$70.00/mo.
- Max download speeds: 170-498 Mbps
- Data cap: Unlimited
- Pros: $10–$20/mo. bundle discount; no annual price increases; wide availability
- Cons: Slower download and upload speeds; less reliable service
T-Mobile 5G Home Internet is a great deal for most people because it cuts the bloat and provides solid internet service at a great price. T-Mobile 5G Home Internet starts at $50 per month with its Rely plan, and if you bundle a T-Mobile phone plan, you can drop your bill down to only $35 monthly, which is miles ahead of competing cable and fiber ISPs.
Best of all, T-Mobile’s flat-rate pricing means you’ll always pay the same price for internet service. You won’t have to deal with cable ISP tricks like second-year price increases or service contracts.
Your dollar will also go further on T-Mobile than on Verizon. T-Mobile will give you a bundle discount and five-year price guarantee with any postpaid phone plan, while Verizon only offers a five-year price lock on their most expensive 5G home internet plan. Respondents in CableTV.com’s annual customer survey also agreed, as 87% of T-Mobile customers approved of their prices compared to competitors, versus only 68% of Verizon’s customers, which is why we also named it Best of the Best for 5G Home Internet.
We think T-Mobile internet speeds are fast enough for most home use. With speeds up to 498 Mbps, you’ll usually have enough bandwidth for Netflix nights, TikTok swiping, and everything in between. You’ll get spectacular bang for your buck if T-Mobile 5G Home Internet is available in your area.
That said, because T-Mobile 5G Home Internet relies on a cell phone network, you may experience inconsistent download and upload speeds and more frequent outages than you would with a cable or fiber internet provider. The value is there, but it does come with some tradeoffs.
Best of the Best for Cable: Xfinity
- Price: $40.00–$100.00/mo.
- Max download speeds: 300–2,000 Mbps
- Data cap: Unlimited
- Pros: Cheap internet plans; good internet speeds; optional no-contract plans
- Cons: Slight upsell for longer price guarantees; middling customer satisfaction scores
These days, we’d understand if getting cable internet feels like settling for third place, especially considering the speed of fiber internet or the flexibility of 5G home internet. But Xfinity did the work to earn its spot on this year’s top ISPs list.
For starters, Xfinity won best-in-class honors among cable ISPs in our Internet Customer Satisfaction Survey:
- 76% of surveyed Xfinity customers were fully or highly satisfied with Xfinity’s internet speeds.
- 78% of respondents approved of Xfinity’s internet reliability.
- 75% of respondents were fully or very satisfied with their Xfinity internet service.
Additionally, Xfinity Mobile ranked as a top ISP cell phone plan in our annual customer satisfaction survey. What’s more, Xfinity’s TV plans landed in our best cable TV provider rankings. Xfinity’s internet plan catalog covers every budget range, and you’ll be equally set if you’re looking to bundle TV or mobile phone service.
Most significantly, Xfinity’s five-year price guarantee is a game-changer that answers many of our long-standing gripes with the ISP. While Xfinity isn’t without downsides such as average customer service and the slight premium you’ll pay for the extended guarantee, most customers will gladly take benefits like unlimited data, no price hikes, and free internet hardware.
Fiber remains our top pick for internet, but if you have to settle for cable internet in your area, Xfinity’s made huge strides as an ISP.
Best of the Best for Reliability: Ziply Fiber
- Price: $20.00–$90.00/mo.
- Max download speeds: 50–50,000 Mbps
- Data cap: Unlimited
- Pros: No annual contracts; stellar internet speeds; great satisfaction scores
- Cons: Extremely limited availability; aging DSL network
If you have a need for speed and live in the right parts of the Pacific Northwest, you’ll want to spring for Ziply Fiber’s internet plans. On paper, Ziply offers an excellent range of fiber plans with standard features like no-contract service and budget-friendly basic tiers.
But more importantly, Ziply Fiber customers vouch for the ISP’s network quality. Ziply Fiber led all providers in our reliability ratings thanks to strong marks for internet speed (86% approval) and reliability (83%).
If that wasn’t enough, Ziply also earned strong marks for areas like installation ease (86%), overall satisfaction (87%), and customer support (83%).
That said, Ziply’s availability is hamstrung by a network that’s small even by regional ISP standards. Ziply covers only chunks of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. You’ll also need to be in a region that has fiber instead of DSL service.
Still, Ziply offers some of the best fiber internet performance around, and we fully recommend it if you’re fortunate enough to be in a city with Ziply coverage.
Honorable mentions: Other top internet service providers
Verizon
- Price: $49.99–$109.99/mo.
- Download speed: 300–2,300 Mbps
- Data cap: Unlimited
- Pros: Solid 5G and stellar fiber internet performance; wireless bundle deals
- Cons: Higher pricing; middling customer satisfaction scores
Verizon has long been one of our top ISPs thanks to its excellent fiber and 5G home internet offerings. On both networks, you’ll generally get solid to excellent performance and great internet deals when you bundle Verizon cell phone service. J.D. Power also named Verizon as its top-ranked East region ISP in its annual Satisfaction Study.
That said, Verizon had its share of customer struggles in 2025. While Verizon still performed fairly well in CableTV.com’s customer satisfaction polling, its pricing, customer service, and satisfaction scores trailed those of top competitors like AT&T Fiber and Google Fiber.
Starlink
- Price: $80.00–$165.00/mo.
- Download speed: Up to 400 Mbps
- Data cap: 50 GB–Unlimited
- Pros: Excellent satisfaction; great satellite internet download speeds
- Cons: High pricing compared to cable or 5G internet
Satellite internet’s typically been a last resort for rural or remote homes, but Starlink’s bucked the trend in several respects.
For one, Starlink customers have consistently raved about the satellite ISP in CableTV.com’s customer satisfaction surveys.
This year, Starlink ranked first overall in customer satisfaction and second overall for reliability. The ISP’s ability to outperform expectations for rural internet shoppers is why it’s increasingly made satellite internet a two-horse race.
Of course, satellite internet’s not designed to be a cable or DSL internet alternative. While Starlink has done a lot to reduce its pricing and fees, you’ll generally pay more in service and upfront costs on Starlink than with a traditional ISP.
But if your country home has had to settle for LTE internet speeds or dated satellite internet hardware, you’ll be in great hands with Starlink.
What to look for in home internet service
Some internet services have exciting deals and freebies that look super impressive. But when you want the best home internet provider, make sure the bang for your buck, reliability, features, and customer satisfaction ratings meet your standards before you sign a contract.
Bang for your buck
Since there’s no standard for internet pricing, even budget plans can run anywhere from $19.99 to $50.00 per month. (It’s a big range, we know.) Value depends a lot on your providers and location, but we used a few factors to determine which ISP offers the best internet value.
Nearly all of our top internet service providers have no annual price increases. We wish that was the case for every ISP out there, but that’s not yet reality. Other ISPs will hike up the price after a year of service, making your once affordable plan much pricier than what you originally were paying.
We also prioritize providers that are transparent with any extra fees that may be incurred — like, say, potential installation or router rental fees — along with providers that have a simple pricing method with all fees included.
Reliability
Our internet usage is growing all the time, and our bandwidth needs are higher than ever. With that in mind, you need internet that’s consistently fast and stable at your home. As part of our annual Internet Customer Satisfaction Survey series, we talked to thousands of real-life internet customers to see how they felt about their ISPs.
Their feedback on their ISP’s speed and reliability (which refers to how often their internet goes down) played a huge role in our rankings. Two of our five top choices for best ISPs are fiber providers, which deliver more reliability than a cable, satellite, 5G, or DSL internet provider.
Features
Internet service providers are in the business of offering way more than internet these days. We gave the highest marks to ISPs that offered the best catalog of add-ons, which can include a number of options.
Bundle choices were a huge plus in our eyes, as many offer services ranging from TV service to cheaper cell phone plans. We didn’t talk about data caps much in this article because most of our top recommendations offer unlimited data.
We also favored ISPs that offered free equipment options. Most ISPs will give you the option to rent your equipment for a monthly fee or potentially buy it outright upfront. Even better, some providers, like Google Fiber and T-Mobile 5G Home Internet, won’t charge you at all.
If equipment isn’t free, we suggest buying your wireless router instead of renting one since you’ll save on monthly rental fees.
Customer satisfaction
Customer service: Customer service takes into account how efficiently ISPs get their customers the help they need. Some providers have their customer service desks staffed 24/7, while some process all requests through support pages and emails.
Some ISPs are national chains with stores across the country to drop into, while others are largely online affairs.
Regardless of how they solve customers’ problems, we prioritize how consistently and efficiently they do so, and our top picks all scored high marks on our survey.
Why you should trust us
To find this year’s best internet providers, we spent thousands of hours analyzing each ISP’s plans based on factors including price, reliability, and features like a free modem/router.
We also relied on our annual internet customer satisfaction survey to find out how current customers felt about their ISPs. Not only that, but we did hands-on testing of our own home internet to round out our ratings of select providers.