AT&T Fiber – Finest fiber ISP general
- Costs: $55 – $250 per 30 days
- Speeds: 300 – 5,000Mbps
- Key Data: Limitless information, no contracts, gear included
Frontier Fiber – Finest low-cost fiber plan
- Costs: $50 – $155 per 30 days
- Speeds: 500 – 5,000Mbps
- Key Data: Limitless information, no contracts, no gear price
Verizon Fios – Finest perks amongst fiber ISPs
- Costs: $50 – $120 per 30 days
- Speeds: 300 – 2,000Mbps
- Key Data: Limitless information, no contracts, free gear with gig service
Google Fiber – Finest for gig web
- Costs: $70 – $100 per 30 days
- Speeds: 1,000 – 2,000Mbps
- Key Data: Limitless information, no contracts, gear included
Windstream Kinetic – Finest rural fiber supplier
- Costs: $40 – $70 per 30 days
- Speeds: 100 – 1,000Mbps
- Key Data: Limitless information, no contracts
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
What’s the greatest fiber web general?
The know-how your web supplier makes use of makes a distinction. If that know-how is fiber-optic, you possibly can relaxation assured you are getting the perfect in pace and reliability. AT&T Fiber is an effective instance of a fiber connection’s potential and is CNET’s choose for greatest fiber supplier general. AT&T Fiber has a broad fiber-optic community, an honest collection of high-speed plans, aggressive pricing, favorable service phrases and a number one buyer satisfaction report.
AT&T Fiber is not the one choice for fiber web. You may discover my picks of the perfect fiber web suppliers beneath. Every of the greatest web suppliers makes use of a fiber-to-the-home community, which all however ensures the perfect connection high quality, pace and reliability. Moreover, these suppliers stand out for his or her distinctive pricing, availability, buyer satisfaction and different elements. We replace this record periodically.
Finest fiber web of 2024
300 – 5,000 Mbps
$55 – $250 per 30 days
Our take – AT&T has the best availability of any fiber supplier, extending service to greater than 16 million potential clients throughout 21 states. The supplier additionally boasts among the lowest pricing on fiber web service if you have in mind its new multi-gig tiers.
300 – 5,000 Mbps
$55 – $250 per 30 days
500 – 5,000 Mbps
$50 – $155 per 30 days
Our take – Frontier Communications not too long ago expanded its fiber web protection to 19 states after which rolled out a brand new multi-gig service to the whole footprint abruptly, turning into the primary main ISP to take action.
500 – 5,000 Mbps
$50 – $155 per 30 days
300 – 2,000 Mbps
$50 – $120 per 30 days
Our take – Verizon Fios is a detailed second to AT&T by way of pace, pricing and repair phrases, but it surely lacks the identical breadth of protection. Though out there to just about the identical variety of potential clients as AT&T Fiber, Verizon Fios primarily serves the mid-Atlantic and Northeast areas.
300 – 2,000 Mbps
$50 – $120 per 30 days
1,000 – 2,000 Mbps
$70 – $100 per 30 days
Our take – 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 gear included at no additional price, no information caps and no contracts.
1,000 – 2,000 Mbps
$70 – $100 per 30 days
100 – 1,000 Mbps
$40 – $70 per 30 days
Our take – One drawback of fiber web is that it is usually solely out there in choose neighborhoods of bigger cities. If you happen to’re dwelling within the suburbs or a rural space, then your greatest likelihood 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.
100 – 1,000 Mbps
$40 – $70 per 30 days
100 – 10,000 Mbps
$40 – $300 per 30 days
Our take – Ziply Fiber not too long ago rolled out a ridiculously quick 50-gig plan throughout its complete Northwest footprint in Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington, successfully making it the quickest web supplier nationwide.
100 – 10,000 Mbps
$40 – $300 per 30 days
Why go for fiber web?
Your web speeds, reliability and general 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 a giant distinction as nicely.
If I may 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 occasions or inclement climate. The usual month-to-month charge of fiber web providers, whereas not the least expensive service amongst web suppliers in my space, continues to be an important worth contemplating the speeds I get.
What to contemplate when looking for fiber web
Fiber web is the perfect sort of service for many properties, however there’s extra to picking a supplier and plan than the connection sort. Listed here are some ideas to bear in mind when looking 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. Actually, solely round 40% of US households are wired for fiber-optic web. Availability is scarce in suburban and rural areas and may fluctuate from one neighborhood to the following in most cities. It is attainable fiber web is simply not out there at your house or the tackle you are transferring to.
Speeds. Fiber web has the quickest add and obtain pace potential of any sort of web. Lots of the prime suppliers supply pace tiers as much as 2,000Mbps (2Gbps), 5Gbps and better. Whereas the blazing-fast speeds are tempting, they’re more likely to be extra pace than your house wants. Take a look at our information to discovering the best web pace for assist deciding on a fiber plan that greatest meets your wants.
Worth. If you happen to’re searching for low cost web, fiber is probably not your only option. It is true that fiber web plans are sometimes the perfect worth, however you could discover cheaper choices from cable or 5G suppliers.
Just a few fiber suppliers supply plans with beginning costs as little as $30 per 30 days, however you are extra more likely to pay no less than $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. If you’re a T-Cellular Magenta Max or Verizon wi-fi buyer, you may get 5G dwelling web for the discounted worth of $25 to $35 per 30 days.
Bundles. Few fiber suppliers supply a TV service, that means you could not be capable to bundle web and TV along with the identical supplier in the event you select a fiber web service. Within the days of streaming and cord-cutting, that is probably not a deal-breaker for you, but it surely’s one thing to bear in mind when looking for each providers.
How we consider fiber web suppliers
Testing an web supplier the identical method CNET checks different services is, at greatest, impractical. As an alternative, we depend on intensive analysis of every supplier to develop our evaluations and proposals.
When evaluating fiber web suppliers, availability, speeds and general worth are on the heart of our evaluations. We additionally look at added charges, information caps, contract necessities, buyer satisfaction studies and different elements that would have an effect on your high quality of service or buyer expertise.
We consult with the Federal Communications Fee at FCC.gov for ISP 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 substantiate pricing and pace particulars.
Lastly, to develop a extra well-rounded perspective of the supplier, we take into account buyer satisfaction studies from the American Buyer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Energy, in addition to buyer evaluations and complaints from sources such because the Higher Enterprise Bureau, downdetector.com and even Reddit.
Earlier than writing our evaluations and compiling greatest lists, we analysis something and every little thing the standard shopper would wish to know previous to signing up for dwelling web service. Learn our piece on how we overview web suppliers to study extra about our overview 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 suggests out there speeds and repair high quality can fluctuate extensively from one area to the following. 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 higher NYC space. Roughly 2.7 million households can be found for fiber service within the space.
- Xfinity: Comcast Xfinity’s fiber service can 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 out there in your space, it is most likely price getting, particularly if any of the suppliers listed above is an choice. AT&T is best to advocate due to its excessive availability, low prices and favorable service phrases, however Verizon Fios is a detailed 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 record of perfect choices whereas suppliers like EarthLink, Optimum and others are price a glance, too, if out there in your space.
Fiber web FAQs
Fiber-optic web sends web indicators 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 quicker 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 gear used for cable. Actually, fiber technically would not use a modem in any respect, however an optical community terminal that performs the identical operate.
What’s the quickest fiber web?
Ziply Fiber has the quickest pace tier of any main fiber web supplier with most speeds of fifty,000Mbps, or 50Gbps. Many different fiber suppliers prime 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 more likely to include higher pace and connection high quality for the value.
Is fiber the perfect web connection sort?
Sure. Fiber-optic web gives speeds and reliability that different web connection varieties merely can not, and you may get it for across the identical month-to-month worth as cable web or DSL service. The one downside is availability: Fiber-optic service is simply out there to about 36% of US residents, in keeping with the Federal Communications Fee.
Will 5G change fiber-optic web?
Unlikely. Whereas the potential of 5G dwelling web is promising, it would not at present supply the pace or reliability that comes with a fiber-optic connection. That stated, the wi-fi supply technique and quickly increasing availability make 5G dwelling web a viable various to fiber web in areas the place fiber connections should not but out there.
When will fiber be out there close to me?
If fiber hasn’t reached your tackle but, I am sorry to say you will simply need to be affected person, as suppliers are actively increasing their fiber networks throughout the US. You are extra more likely to see fiber come to your neighborhood in the event you stay in a metropolis or densely populated space, however suppliers like Windstream and CenturyLink present that fiber entry in suburban and rural areas can be obtainable.
