If speed is your priority, you want the fastest internet provider. Naturally, the speed of the internet depends on the providers in your area and the types of internet service you are eligible for in your home.
To help you, we will take a look at the speediest internet providers nationwide. If you demand the fastest internet provider, this list is where you need to be.
A quick summary of the fastest internet providers
Here’s a quick summary of the providers we will feature:
- EarthLink: Speeds up to 5 Gbps
- Xfinity Fiber: Speeds up to 2 Gbps
- Frontier: Speeds up to 2 Gbps
- AT&T Fiber: Speeds up to 1 Gbps
- WOW!: Speeds up to 1 Gbps
- RCN: Speeds up to 1 Gbps
- Metronet: Speeds up to 1 Gbps
- Windstream: Speeds up to 1 Gbps
- Verizon Fios: Speeds up to 1 Gbps
- CenturyLink: Speeds up to 940 Mbps
- Suddenlink: Speeds up to 940 Mbps
The maximum potential speed available through EarthLink is five gigs. However, this list is also concerned with each provider's average speed.
For more detailed speed comparison, read below.
1. The fastest national provider: EarthLink
- Max speed: 5 Gbps
- Other fast options: 2 Gbps, 1 Gbps, 500 Mbps, and 200 Mbps
EarthLink isn’t known for speed, which is ironic, because it easily tops the list of fastest internet providers. Instead, the company likes to talk about its top-notch customer service. So if you search for “fastest internet in my area,” EarthLink may or may not show up. But those that use our service provider tool and explore their internet plans will be pleasantly surprised with five times faster services than most other competitors.
EarthLink also offers incredible variety in its service. The speeds it offers range from 12 Mbps to 5 Gbps. All services require professional installation, but EarthLink’s excellent customer service will make it a fast, easy process.
Despite being five gigs, it is cheaper than Xfinity’s two gig offering. The trade-off is that EarthLink doesn’t have as much availability throughout every part of the US. But if you want download speeds that get massive files to you in seconds - and have access to their service - EarthLink is the fastest internet provider you can choose.
Compare EarthLink internet plans near you
2. Good high-speed flexibility: Xfinity Fiber
- Max speed: 2 Gbps
- Other fast options: 1.2 Gbps, 800 Mbps, 400 Mbps, and 200 Mbps
Xfinity only takes the number two spot on this list because it has a lower maximum speed potential. Regardless, two gigs of internet is incredibly fast. Even the fastest internet providers don’t usually provide this much speed.
Xfinity's secondary options are still on the high end of internet speeds. Speeds change by 400-megabyte increments, offering more flexibility for specific speed needs. For example, if you don’t know what internet speeds you need to work from home just yet, more flexibility can save you money.
Xfinity also has self-management tools. An app-based speed test and router management tool help you control your internet. Despite having some high-speed options, Xfinity is also one of the cheapest internet providers in most areas.
Compare Xfinity internet plans near you.
3. Cheap internet pricing: Frontier
- Max speed: 1 Gbps
- Other fast options: 940 Mbps and 500 Mbps
Frontier provides a combination of internet, phone, and security services to over four million customers. It is one gig offer that puts it on par with other top-tier companies. It manages to offer high-speed internet at a pretty competitive rate.
Frontier’s main benefit comes from its lack of data caps. No service it offers is limited by the online activity you do. This situation is ideal if you are in a household that uses the internet often, or has many devices.
Now for the downside: though it’s one of the fast internet providers, Frontier is only active in half of the United States. Typically, Frontier's focus is limited to larger population areas, only spreading to smaller cities in Texas (it’s one of the fastest internet providers in Houston) or California. Some locations only offer DSL, so you’ll have to see if this fast internet is near you.
Compare Frontier internet plans near you
4. Excellent customer service: AT&T Fiber
- Max speed: 1 Gbps
- Other fast options: 500 Mbps and 300 Mbps
If you are looking for the best overall internet provider, AT&T often hits the top of those lists. It combines faster speeds at an incredibly affordable price. You also get excellent customer service under a trusted national name.
Even better: AT&T offers both contract and month-to-month pricing. You also have a higher chance of symmetric connections, meaning upload speeds and download speeds often match. This robust internet network is one of the most reliable connection types in the US.
AT&T has available plans with pretty massive jumps, making it less customizable. You can find an AT&T preferred dealer that offers cable internet as well. But if you want a great fiber optic provider with fantastic prices, AT&T is an excellent choice.
Compare AT&T Fiber internet plans near you
5. Unlimited data: WOW!
- Max speed: 1 Gbps
- Other fast options: 500 Mbps and 200 Mbps
Wide Open West, better known as WOW!, has been around since the mid-90s. It focuses on offering high-speed internet to eight states and 8m people. WOW! relies on a hybrid line of coaxial cable and fiber to gain these high speeds. The combo platter of internet service types might impact your speed in some locations.
WOW! can work effectively within its target states. It relies on its core values of respect, integrity, the spirit of service, and accountability. So when you commit to purchasing one gig of internet speed, WOW! will follow through with excellent service and no data caps (and the fast internet, of course).
WOW! is planning large expansion jobs in many locations. If you want the best internet in Florida, WOW! is expanding to Orange County. Currently large cities in Georgia, Illinois, and other nearby states can take advantage of one of the fastest internet providers with WOW!.
Compare WOW! Internet plans near you
6. Free installation: RCN
- Max speed: 1 Gbps
- Other fast options: 500 Mbps and 250 Mbps
RCN is incredibly popular in coastal regions (like New York or Boston). They aren’t immediately known as the fastest internet provider because they started as a telephone company. While they still offer the service, RCN also works with high-speed internet, and they do it very well. Because RCN has been through numerous business mergers and splits, they have a well-established cable network.
This cable network means that you don’t have to pay for internet installation in most cases. RCN users also like to talk about the 24/7 customer service, something not always available through many providers.
Despite offering gig internet, the cost savings also start there. Starting at $50 per month makes it arguably the cheapest internet service you can get. So if you live on the east coast and are about to search “the fastest internet near me,” RCN should be on your radar.
Compare RCN internet plans near you
7. No contract: Metronet
- Max speed: 1 Gbps
- Other fast options: 500 Mbps and 200 Mbps
Metronet has been around for over 15 years, making it a young internet company. Regardless, it keeps up as one of the fastest internet providers in many locations. Metronet’s rapid expansion primarily comes from its reliance on fiber optic services.
Metronet also offers bundling discounts through television and phone. If you plan on getting that service, this is a great opportunity. However, the only-internet options are a bit more expensive than other providers.
Metronet justifies this cost by focusing where its talents line: providing a fast and reliable internet connection. Despite barely coming into its teenage years, the owners and service technicians concentrate on delivering outstanding results. You can also reach out to Metronet if you want them to bring their fast internet to your city.
Compare Metronet internet plans near you
8. Recently upgraded network: Windstream
- Max speed: 1 Gbps
- Other fast options: 500 Mbps and 400 Mbps
As of February 2019, Windstream has upgraded 125 thousand miles of fiber-optic cable. Many are line upgrades, bringing Windstream into the 21st century with state-of-the-art technology. As a result, Windstream has gone beyond its already-impressive DSL internet offering into fiber.
The past two years have seen numerous upgrades for Windstream. Because of this newness, Windstream customers have strong reliability. The upgrade has also given it a spot as one of the fastest internet providers.
Windstream also offers unlimited data and cable internet. So even if you aren’t in the upgraded area, you can take advantage of affordable plans with still-reasonable speeds. Windstream is available in more than 3,000 zip codes, so there’s a fair chance you might find them where you live.
Compare Windstream internet plans near you
9. Good bundling opportunities: Verizon Fios
- Max speed: 1 Gbps
- Other fast options: 400 Mbps and 200 Mbps
Verizon customers commonly use the company for smartphone purchases. However, Verizon Fios is Verizon’s answer to fast internet near you. Given its pre-existing network understanding, Verizon can maintain fast speeds and great coverage in certain parts of the US.
Verizon Fios offers also has excellent bundling opportunities. You can find TV, phone, and internet services available through them. However, the bulk of their services is limited to the northeastern United States.
Verizon has excellent expansion potential, given its existing phone network. But for now, its focus on large population centers is where it stands. But if you want reliability and speed, Verizon offers one such option.
Compare Verizon internet plans near you
10. Good availability: CenturyLink
- Max speed: 940 Mbps
- Other fast options: 750 Mbps
CenturyLink is known as one of the fastest internet providers with some of the fastest average speeds in the nation. This is important because it means even their mid-tier customers will have access to great internet speeds.
Much of this comes from its availability in 31 states. CenturyLink is also more widespread in less populated areas. So you are pretty likely to find CenturyLink’s fast internet near you. However, those areas might not access CenturyLink’s faster fiber speeds.
CenturyLink also offers good plan flexibility. Most of this flexible nature results in more options among lower speeds. You can also choose bundling options to help save even more money.
Compare CenturyLink internet plans near you
11. Price for life guarantee: Suddenlink
- Max speed: 940 Gbps
- Other fast options: 400 Mbps
Suddenlink is one of the few providers on this list that falls short of gig internet. However, the missing 60 Mbps doesn’t impact you all that much, keeping it on the list of the fastest internet providers in the US. Suddenlink is better known for its ability to work with customers.
It is one of the few providers offering a price-for-life guarantee. You can also choose a “no contract” option as an alternative. There are savings differences between the two, but Suddenlink gives you a test phase before making a lifetime commitment. If you might move, this commitment might be a bit much.
Suddenlink is the seventh-largest cable internet provider in the US. Because of the emphasis on cable, it offers lower average speeds compared to our top options. Still, Suddenlink is pretty easy to work with, so you might try it out, given that there is no risk of being stuck in a contract.
Compare Suddenlink internet plans near you
How do you find the fastest internet provider in your area?
When searching for the “fastest internet in my area,” it’s crucial to find real numbers and the best high-speed internet providers in the US (and your neighborhood). To do this, you might need a little help from your friends.
Talk to your friends and ask them to run an internet speed test. Have them do it a couple of times during the week, and be sure they use different providers. Bonus points if the friends live near locations you plan to move to. At the very least, try and keep the tests in the same town.
The internet speed test also tells you how often companies stand by their speeds.
Data throttling, the act of reducing internet speed, happens when local systems are overloaded. If your friends share speeds below what they pay for, ask them if they go over their data caps. If not, the area might be regularly overloaded.
Take this knowledge and put your zip code into the InternetAdvisor find a provider tool. If you want to find high-speed internet service in your area, it's a quick way of finding the fastest speeds.
Final tips for finding fast internet
While EarthLink if the fastest internet provider by the numbers, it is always best to consider your needs.
Did you find yourself asking the question, “what speed internet do I need” while reading this?
Here’s a quick roundup on what might impact your demand for fast internet:
- The number of devices on your network
- The number of people in your household
- If you stream music or movies
- If your family does online gaming
- If you want to work from home
- The types of tasks you do online
- How much you are uploading and downloading documents and videos
To determine your speed need, it’s best to add about 10 megabytes per person at the bare minimum. For the most applicable speed to your needs, use the InternetAdvisor Internet Speed Wizard before you use our site to find internet providers near you.
