AT&T Fiber – Finest fiber web supplier total
Costs: $55 – $180 per 30 days
Speeds: 300 – 5,000Mbps
Key Data: Limitless information, no contracts, tools included
CenturyLink – Finest fiber web protection
Costs: $30 – $70 per 30 days
Speeds: 200 – 940Mbps
Key Data: Limitless information, no contracts, tools included with gigabit tier
Frontier Fiber – Finest low-cost fiber plan
Costs: $50 – $155 per 30 days
Speeds: 500 – 5,000Mbps
Key Data: Limitless information, no contracts, no tools price
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Google Fiber – Finest fiber web gig plans
Costs: $70 – $100 per 30 days
Speeds: 1,000 – 2,000Mbps
Key Data: Limitless information, no contracts, tools included
Verizon Fios – Finest signup bonuses
Costs: $50 – $120 per 30 days
Speeds: 300 – 2,000Mbps
Key Data: Limitless information, no contracts, free tools with gig service
Windstream Kinetic – Finest for fiber in rural areas
Costs: $40 – $70 per 30 days
Speeds: 100 – 1,000Mbps
Key Data: Limitless information, no contracts
Test with Kinetic Web
Ziply Fiber – Quickest fiber web supplier
Costs: $40 – $300 per 30 days
Speeds: 100 – 10,000Mbps
Key Data: Limitless information, no contracts, quick rural web connection
Present extra (2 objects)
What’s the finest fiber web total?
In terms of fiber web, you’ll discover that costs, pace tiers and repair phrases differ amongst suppliers. That’s why sure fiber ISPs rise above the remainder. Out of all the main suppliers, I discover AT&T Fiber to be the most effective fiber supplier total attributable to its number of high-speed plans, aggressive pricing, favorable service phrases and broad availability.
AT&T Fiber is not the one respectable choice for fiber web, nevertheless. You may discover my picks of the most effective fiber web suppliers under. Every of the most effective web suppliers listed under makes use of a fiber-to-the-home community, which all however ensures the most effective connection high quality, pace and reliability. Moreover, these suppliers stand out for his or her distinctive pricing, availability, buyer satisfaction and different components. We replace this checklist periodically.
Finest fiber web of 2023
Sarah Tew/CNET AT&T Fiber Finest fiber web supplier total
Test availability
Product particulars
Value vary
$55 – $180 per 30 days
Velocity vary
300 – 5,000Mbps
Connection
Fiber
Key Data
Limitless information, no contracts, tools included
AT&T has the best availability of any fiber supplier, extending service to greater than 16 million potential prospects throughout 21 states. The supplier additionally boasts a few of the lowest pricing on fiber web service if you have in mind its new multigig tiers.
At $180 a month for speeds as much as 5,000 megabits per second, AT&T’s Web 5000 plan boasts a 4-cents-per-Mbps value that’s laborious to move up, however not each family wants that a lot pace. All plans, from the budget-friendly 300Mbps plan to multigig service, include limitless information and require no contract.
The quick pace, comparatively low pricing and customer-friendly service phrases have earned AT&T excessive buyer satisfaction scores lately. The American Buyer Satisfaction Index gave AT&T Fiber an industry-leading rating of 80 out of 100 for 2023.
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Sarah Tew/CNET CenturyLink Finest fiber web protection
Test availability
Product particulars
Value vary
$30 – $70 per 30 days
Velocity vary
200 – 940Mbps
Connection
Fiber
Key Data
Limitless information, no contracts, tools included with gigabit tier
Although AT&T Fiber and Verizon Fios can be found to extra folks, CenturyLink’s fiber community covers extra areas, with fiber service that spans a formidable 25 states. CenturyLink additionally operates primarily in suburban and rural areas, bringing high-speed fiber connections to areas that won’t in any other case have entry to them.
Nonetheless, folks dwelling in CenturyLink fiber service areas solely have two plan choices: 100 or 200Mbps beginning at $30 a month, or gigabit service beginning at $70 a month. Whereas extra plan choices can be good, CenturyLink’s gigabit pace plan continues to be a fairly whole lot. At $70 a month for speeds as much as 940Mbps and no tools charges, CenturyLink is among the least expensive fiber suppliers for gigabit service.
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Sarah Tew/CNET Frontier Fiber Finest low-cost fiber plan
Test availability
Product particulars
Value vary
$50 – $155 per 30 days
Velocity vary
500 – 5,000Mbps
Connection
Fiber
Key Data
Limitless information, no contracts, no tools price
Frontier Communications not too long ago expanded its fiber web protection to 19 states after which rolled out a brand new multigig service to the complete footprint , turning into the primary main ISP to take action.
Frontier’s new multigig plans are priced competitively at $100 a month for speeds as much as 2,000Mbps and $155 month-to-month for the 5 Gig plan. Even if you happen to do not want all that pace, the decrease tiers — 500Mbps beginning at $50 per 30 days and gig service beginning at $70 month-to-month — are nearly as good a price as you may discover from any main supplier.
Frontier Fiber plans include limitless information and require no contract. Not like many different suppliers, Frontier contains the tools value with the worth, so aside from taxes, Frontier plan pricing could be very a lot “what you see is what you pay.”
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Sarah Tew/CNET Google Fiber Finest fiber web gig plans
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Product particulars
Value vary
$70 – $100 per 30 days
Velocity vary
1,000 – 2,000Mbps
Connection
Fiber
Key Data
Limitless information, no contracts, tools included
Google Fiber continues to be round and resuming growth after a multiyear hiatus. The place out there, Google Fiber gives fiber web service beginning at $70 a month and a 2Gbps plan beginning at $100 a month. Each include tools included at no additional value, no information caps and no contracts.
There’s additionally the newly launched 5 gig and eight gig plans for $125 and $150 per 30 days, respectively. Availability is presently restricted, however a Google Fiber spokesperson confirmed with CNET that the supplier goals to increase the plans to all service areas later this 12 months.
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Sarah Tew/CNET Verizon Fios Finest signup bonuses
Test availability
Product particulars
Value vary
$50 – $120 per 30 days
Velocity vary
300 – 2,000Mbps
Connection
Fiber
Key Data
Limitless information, no contracts, free tools with gig service
Verizon Fios is an in depth second to AT&T when it comes to pace, pricing and repair phrases, but it surely lacks the identical breadth of protection. Although out there to just about the identical variety of potential prospects as AT&T Fiber, Verizon Fios primarily serves the mid-Atlantic and Northeast areas.
These fortunate sufficient to stay in a Verizon Fios service space will seemingly discover the fiber web service is difficult to beat, particularly for these searching for a low-cost connection. Beginning at simply $50 a month, the lowest-price Fios web plan comes with obtain and add speeds of as much as 300Mbps. The subsequent pace tier can also be a good worth — $70 a month for as much as 500Mbps — however at $90 per 30 days, gigabit service is priced the identical or a contact increased than you may discover with different fiber suppliers.
Whichever Fios plan you join, count on some attractive extras along with your order, like free streaming subscriptions, electronics, reward playing cards or different promotional gives.
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Sarah Tew/CNET Windstream Kinetic Finest for fiber in rural areas
Test availability
Product particulars
Value vary
$40 – $70 per 30 days
Velocity vary
100 – 1,000Mbps
Connection
Fiber
Key Data
Limitless information, no contracts
One drawback of fiber web is that it is usually solely out there in choose neighborhoods of bigger cities. Should you’re dwelling within the suburbs or a rural space, then your finest probability to get fiber web is probably going Kinetic by Windstream. Roughly a 3rd of Windstream’s community — which spans rural and suburban areas throughout 18 states — is fiber optic.
Windstream is among the finest rural web suppliers, bringing high-speed connections to locations seemingly underserved by cable or by different fiber web suppliers. These in a Kinetic service space may also recognize the low pricing — $37 a month for speeds of as much as 200Mbps the place out there, and gigabit service for less than $67 a month — together with limitless information and no contract necessities.
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Sarah Tew/CNET Ziply Fiber Quickest fiber web supplier
Test availability
Product particulars
Value vary
$40 – $300 per 30 days
Velocity vary
100 – 10,000Mbps
Connection
Fiber
Key Data
Limitless information, no contracts, quick rural web connection
Ziply Fiber not too long ago rolled out a 10Gbps plan, successfully making it the quickest main ISP throughout its Northwest footprint in Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington — if not the quickest supplier nationwide.
As streaming, on-line gaming and distant working and studying have change into extra commonplace, sooner web speeds are in excessive demand. Nonetheless, 10Gbps is greater than the typical family will want. For everybody else, Ziply Fiber gives a variety of different pace tiers from 100 to five,000Mbps.
Learn our Ziply Fiber evaluate.
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Why go for fiber web?
Your web speeds, reliability and total expertise do not rely solely on the web supplier you select. The know-how it makes use of to run service to your house makes an enormous distinction as properly.
If I might advocate any web connection sort above all the remainder, that’d be fiber. My fiber web speeds, add and obtain, are quick and constant, even throughout peak utilization instances or inclement climate. The usual month-to-month price of fiber web companies, whereas not the most cost effective service amongst web suppliers in my space, continues to be an amazing worth contemplating the speeds I get.
What to think about when searching for fiber web
Fiber web is the most effective sort of service for many properties, however there’s extra to selecting a supplier and plan than the connection sort. Listed below are some ideas to remember when searching for fiber web service.
Availability. You will not discover fiber web to be out there in practically as many properties as cable, DSL, satellite tv for pc and even 5G web. In reality, solely round 38% of US households are wired for fiber-optic web. Availability is scarce in suburban and rural areas, and may differ from one neighborhood to the subsequent in most cities. It is attainable fiber web is simply not out there at your house or the deal with you are transferring to.
Speeds. Fiber web has the quickest add and obtain pace potential of any sort of web. Most of the high suppliers provide pace tiers as much as 2,000Mbps (2Gbps), 5Gbps and better. Whereas the blazing quick speeds are tempting, they’re prone to be extra pace than your house wants. Try our information to discovering the suitable web pace for assist choosing a fiber plan that finest meets your wants.
Value. Should you’re searching for low cost web, fiber will not be your only option. It is true that fiber web plans are sometimes the most effective worth, however you might discover cheaper choices from cable or 5G suppliers.
A number of fiber suppliers provide plans with beginning costs as little as $30 per 30 days, however you are extra prone to pay a minimum of $50 per 30 days for fiber web. Cable web suppliers together with Cox, Mediacom, Xfinity and others have lower-priced plans in lots of areas. In case you are a T-Cellular Magenta Max or Verizon wi-fi buyer, you could possibly get 5G dwelling web for the discounted worth of $25 to $35 per 30 days.
Bundles. Few fiber suppliers provide a TV service, which means you might not be capable of bundle web and TV along with the identical supplier if you happen to select a fiber web service. Within the days of streaming and cord-cutting, that will not be a deal-breaker for you, but it surely’s one thing to remember when searching for each companies.
How we consider fiber web suppliers
Testing an web supplier the identical method CNET assessments different services is, at finest, impractical. As an alternative, we depend on in depth analysis of every supplier to develop our critiques and proposals.
When evaluating fiber web suppliers, availability, speeds and total worth are on the heart of our evaluations. We additionally study added charges, information caps, contract necessities, buyer satisfaction stories and different components that might have an effect on your high quality of service or buyer expertise.
We discuss with the Federal Communications Fee at FCC.gov for availability information and the kind of community a supplier makes use of. We then analysis a supplier’s speeds, pricing and repair phrases via quite a lot of channels such because the supplier’s web site and our personal historic information. When attainable, we contact the supplier immediately to verify pricing and pace particulars.
Lastly, to develop a extra well-rounded perspective of the supplier, we think about buyer satisfaction stories from the American Buyer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Energy, in addition to buyer critiques and complaints from sources such because the Higher Enterprise Bureau, downdetector.com and even Reddit.
Earlier than writing our critiques and compiling finest lists, we analysis something and every part the standard shopper would wish to know previous to signing up for dwelling web service. Learn our piece on how we evaluate web suppliers to be taught extra about our evaluate course of.
Fiber web honorable mentions
EarthLink: EarthLink makes use of the fiber networks put in by different suppliers or municipal fiber-optic networks, which implies out there speeds and repair high quality can differ extensively from one area to the subsequent. In choose areas, EarthLink gives fiber service with speeds of as much as 1 gigabit for round $100 a month.Optimum: Optimum is primarily a cable web supplier, but it surely does have a rising fiber community, significantly within the larger NYC space. Roughly 1.6 million households can be found for fiber service within the space. Fiber plans are priced the identical as Optimum’s cable web service.Xfinity: Comcast Xfinity’s fiber service can also be considerably restricted in availability and gives a formidable max pace of as much as 6,000Mbps. The catch? The plan comes with an equally jaw-dropping worth of $300 a month.
Finest fiber web suppliers recap
If fiber web service is offered in your space, it is in all probability price getting, particularly if any of the suppliers listed above is an choice. AT&T is best to advocate because of its excessive availability, low prices and favorable service phrases, however Verizon Fios is an in depth second with low pricing, excessive buyer satisfaction and plenty of perks for signing up. Google Fiber, Frontier Fiber, Windstream, CenturyLink and Ziply Fiber spherical out the checklist of best choices whereas suppliers like EarthLink, Optimum and others are price a glance, too, if out there in your space.
Andrew Brookes/Getty Photographs
Fiber web FAQs
What’s fiber web?
Fiber-optic web sends web alerts through skinny glass wires both straight to the house, aka FTTH, or to a node simply outdoors the house, aka FTTN. The know-how permits increased bandwidth and sooner information transmission than another connection sort, and has the distinctive functionality of delivering symmetrical or near-symmetrical obtain and add speeds. Fiber web makes use of a distinct sort of modem than DSL or the DOCSIS tools used for cable. In reality, fiber technically does not use a modem in any respect, however an optical community terminal that performs the identical perform.
What’s the quickest fiber web?
Ziply Fiber has the quickest pace tier of any main fiber web supplier with max speeds of 10,000Mbps, or 10Gbps. Google Fiber is second quickest with an 8Gbps tier out there in choose areas, and Xfinity is just not far behind with a 6Gbps plan. Different fiber suppliers high out at 5Gbps, 2Gbps or 1Gbps.
Is fiber web definitely worth the cash?
Beginning costs for fiber web plans usually vary from $30 to $50 a month, with gigabit service starting from $60 to $80 a month. Whereas there are cheaper plans out there with cable or 5G web service in choose areas, fiber service is prone to include higher pace and connection high quality for the worth.
Is fiber the most effective web connection sort?
Sure. Fiber-optic web gives speeds and reliability that different web connection sorts merely can’t, and you may get it for across the identical month-to-month worth as cable web or DSL service. The one disadvantage is availability: Fiber-optic service is just out there to about 36% of US residents, in line with the Federal Communications Fee.
Will 5G exchange fiber-optic web?
Not going. Whereas the potential of 5G dwelling web is promising, it does not presently provide the pace or reliability that comes with a fiber-optic connection. That stated, the wi-fi supply methodology and quickly increasing availability make 5G dwelling web a viable various to fiber web in areas the place fiber connections aren’t but out there.
When will fiber be out there close to me?
If fiber hasn’t reached your deal with but, I am sorry to say you may simply need to be affected person, as suppliers are actively increasing their fiber networks throughout the US. You are extra prone to see fiber come to your neighborhood if you happen to stay in a metropolis or densely populated space, however suppliers like Windstream and CenturyLink present that fiber entry in suburban and rural areas can also be obtainable.