Best Internet Providers in Boston, Massachusetts

What is the best internet provider in Boston?

CNET’s experts did the research to help you find the top internet providers in Boston, MA. According to our experts, Verizon Fios Is the best Internet provider in Bostonthanks to its 100% fiber optic coverage and fast, symmetrical downloads and upload speed. It also offers long-term price guarantees, simple terms of service, and competitively priced plans (from $50 to $90). Unique sign-up bonus. Additionally, Verizon Fios has good availability across the city, with about 8 in 10 households eligible for service, according to the latest FCC data.

unlimited However, Boston has the widest coveragethe service coverage rate reaches 99.5%. Plans start at $35, and the cable provider also offers the city’s fastest download speeds, up to 2,000 megabits per second in some areas. shock Providing the cheapest internet in Bostonplans start at $20 per month with speeds up to 300Mbps. Just like finding the best seats at Fenway Park, your choice will depend on what’s available at your address and how much you want to spend.

Compare all Boston residential internet providers

The ISPs described above are not the only internet options in Boston, but they are the ones I recommend most and would be the ones I would consider if I were to leave the South and head to Beantown. Here’s a quick comparison of all Boston internet providers, followed by some of the cheapest and fastest plans in the area.

What other internet options are there in Boston?

There aren’t many other options besides our picks for the best ISPs in Boston. Here’s a quick look at other internet services in the area.

T-Mobile Home Internet: T-Mobile’s 5G rollout is impressive, reaching about 50 million homes across the country, including many in Boston. Pricing is about the same as Verizon’s 5G home service in Boston, but speeds may be slower.

Terms of service are the same (no data caps, device fees, or contracts), so if you’re interested 5G home internetyou might as well opt for Verizon’s higher speed potential. That said, T-Mobile does offer a $10 or $20 discount to qualifying mobile customers, so if you fall into that category, T-Mobile Home Internet might be worth considering.

satellite network: hughsnett and Via Satellite Available almost everywhere, so technically they are the choice for home internet in the Boston area. High-priced, low-data services are best for rural areas, so I recommend considering other providers unless you plan on staying in a remote cabin at Walden Pond. If so, you’ll want to stay there like Thoreau – via Satellite Internet Husnet and Viasat Comes with a two-year contract.

Boston Broadband at a Glance

Nearly every home in the Boston area has access to download speeds of 250Mbps or higher and upload speeds of 25Mbps or higher.

High-speed coverage comes from a variety of sources, including from unlimited and shock and fiber optic services Verizon Fiosavailable at approximately 86% of Boston addresses. So Boston residents likely have at least two or three, but probably more, broadband options to choose from.

Boston Internet Pricing

With entry prices around $20 to $35 per month, depending on the provider you choose and the discounts you qualify for, Boston has some of the lowest high-speed internet prices in the world.

Pricing remains competitive even as you move into faster speed tiers. For example, Astound offers 300Mbps plans starting at just $20, while Xfinity’s gigabit plans advertise speeds up to 1,000Mbps and start at $60 per month.

Internet for low-income families in Boston

Xfinity’s Internet Essentials and Internet Essentials Plus plans have maximum download speeds of 50 and 100Mbps, respectively, and start at $10 and $30 per month, respectively. The plan has no activation or device fees, access to Xfinity Wi-Fi hotspots, and the option to purchase a computer for $150. However, they are only available in certain areas.

How fast is Boston Broadband?

You won’t find the absolute fastest speeds in Boston. Recent Ookla speed test data Boston’s average download speed is approximately 222Mbps, ranking it 66th among the top 100 US cities. (Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET Ziff Davis.) There are many factors that can affect speed test data, such as the Wi-Fi connection used and distance from the router, not to mention the maximum speed a plan advertises, so the data shouldn’t be too indicative The speed you can expect from your provider.

Boston online review

Two or three Internet options, plus one or two more in specific areas, may not feel like much, but Boston residents have more choices than most when it comes to home Internet service.

While no provider offers multi-gigabit speeds, up to five providers can offer single-gigabit service. Pricing is extremely competitive, with plans starting at $35 per month or less. Regardless of the provider and plan you choose, the terms of service are fair, as most offer unlimited data with no contract requirements, while some, like Verizon Fios and Starry, also offer free devices.

CNET How to choose the best internet provider in Boston

Internet service providers are numerous and regional. different from the latest smartphone, laptop, router or kitchen toolsit is impractical to personally test every ISP in a specific city. What is our approach? We first researched pricing, availability, and speed information based on our own historical ISP data, provider websites, and map information from the Federal Communications Commission. fcc.gov.

It didn’t end there: We visited the FCC’s website to check our data and make sure we accounted for every ISP offering service in a certain area. We will also enter your local address on the provider website to find specific options for residents. To assess customer satisfaction with ISP services, we looked at sources including the US Customer Satisfaction Index and JD Power. ISP plans and prices may change frequently; all information provided is accurate as of publication time.

Once we have localized information, we ask three main questions:

• Does the provider offer reasonably fast internet speeds?
• Are customers getting value for money?
• Are customers satisfied with their service?

While the answers to these questions are often layered and complex, we recommend the providers who come closest to a “yes” on these three questions.

To explore our process in more depth, please visit our pages: How we test ISPs.

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