Best Internet Providers in Houston, Texas

What’s the finest web supplier in Houston?

AT&T Fiber is the perfect web service supplier in Houston, because of its symmetrical obtain and add speeds and excessive buyer satisfaction scores. Plans begin at $55 and go as much as $245 for the 5-gig plan. Nevertheless, AT&T Fiber would not cowl all Houston addresses, so Xfinity and Verizon 5G Home Internet are additionally high quality choices to think about if you happen to’re exterior of AT&T’s service space.

In order for you the most affordable web plans in Houston, there are some strong choices, too. The most affordable ISP in Houston is Astound Broadband, providing a $20-a-month plan. Astound’s service comes with a 300-megabit-per-second connection.

AT&T Fiber, Frontier Fiber and native web supplier Tachus Fiber supply the quickest web velocity in Houston. Every supplier boasts 5 gigabits of symmetrical velocity, costing $245, $130 and $180, respectively.

Supply: CNET evaluation of supplier knowledge.

Different obtainable web suppliers in Houston

Past the three picks above, a number of different broadband selections exist within the Houston metro space. Some could be discovered solely in small pockets of the town, whereas others are primarily situated within the metropolis suburbs. There are some compelling selections right here, despite the fact that they don’t seem to be as extensively obtainable.

• Astound Broadband: This cable web supplier, known regionally as Grande, presents a few of Houston’s best beginning charges. Its beginning value of $20 a month for a 300Mbps plan comes out to an inexpensive 6 cents per Mbps. The rub is that Astound’s value will increase are a few of the steepest within the trade.
• Brightspeed: You may need to analysis this as a result of, relying in your location, chances are you’ll be coping with largely DSL protection for the Houston space (which could be as little as 20Mbps), or if you happen to’re within the Kingwood space, you may see the corporate’s rather more compelling fiber product.
• Frontier Communications: Frontier has a scattered presence within the higher Houston space. You will not discover it downtown, however you may get its DSL and fiber-optic service within the northeast outskirts of Baytown, Seaside Metropolis, Cove and Crosby. You may additionally discover it within the southern portion of the metro space in League Metropolis and Sante Fe. If Frontier Fiber is offered — it options symmetrical plans of 200Mbps, 500Mbps, 1Gbps, 2Gbps, 5Gbps or 7Gbps speeds starting from $30 to $300 per 30 days for the primary 12 months — it is a very interesting selection. If Frontier DSL is your solely possibility, attempt different options.
• Kinetic by Windstream: This DSL and fiber supplier is offered in only a few small pockets inside the Houston metropolis limits. Most of that availability is within the southern suburb of Sugar Land. You may largely take care of its DSL service slightly than the quicker fiber-optic plans.
• Optimum: First off, I can think about you may be confused. Suddenlink is the supplier you are in all probability accustomed to within the Houston space. Its parent company, Altice USA, renamed it Optimum in 2022. In any case, Optimum service is scattered calmly all through the metro space however has a heavier density north of the town in Conroe and Kingwood. This cable ISP is notable for its extremely aggressive beginning charges, a few of the most inexpensive within the space.
• Spectrum: Constitution Communications’ ISP has a few of the extra customer-friendly, easy phrases you may discover for cable web service. There aren’t any contracts, no knowledge caps and a free modem rental included in your month-to-month value, starting from $50 to $70. It additionally contains free entry to Wi-Fi hotspots throughout the nation. Spectrum service is proscribed within the metropolis middle of Houston. You could find protection north of the town, primarily in Magnolia, Spring, Tomball and The Woodlands. 
• Tachus: This native ISP, based in 2018, is notable for its group presence and dedication to constructing 100% fiber-to-the-home networks inside the higher Houston metropolitan space. It is now obtainable to over 50,000 properties in Atascocita, Conroe, East Montgomery County, Kingwood, Magnolia, Oak Ridge County North and The Woodlands. There are 5 fiber plans, relying on what is offered at your location, — 300Mbps, 600Mbps, 1Gbps, 2.5Gbps and 5Gbps — starting from $65 to $180 a month, with no knowledge caps and no contracts. A modem rental is included within the month-to-month value, however you may want to supply your individual router or hire one for as little as $6 per 30 days.
• T-Mobile Home Internet: T-Cell makes use of its 5G and 4G LTE networks to energy its fastened wi-fi house web product, which is offered to over 50 million properties nationwide and roughly 55% of residents within the higher Houston space. Examine your handle on the T-Mobile site to see if you happen to’re serviceable since not all who’ve T-Cell cell service at house are eligible for the house web service. In any case, it is an intriguing providing that features set up charges, taxes and tools rental underneath its $55-a-month charge, with no knowledge caps or contracts.

Low-cost web choices in Houston

The typical beginning value for web service in Houston is simply over $46 a month, however a couple of suppliers supply plans cheaper than that.

Astound Broadband presents the bottom beginning value in Houston. Astound Broadband’s $20 plan grants obtain speeds as much as 300Mbps and contains your tools rental. Xfinity additionally presents a $20-a-month plan that will get you 150Mbps speeds.

What is the least expensive web plan in Houston?

Supply: CNET evaluation of supplier knowledge.

discover web offers and promotions in Houston

The most effective web offers and high promotions in Houston rely upon what reductions can be found throughout a given time. Most offers are short-lived, however we glance incessantly for the newest presents. 

Houston web suppliers, similar to Xfinity, Astound Broadband, Spectrum and Optimum, could supply decrease introductory pricing or streaming add-ons for a restricted time. Many, together with AT&T, Frontier and Verizon, run the identical customary pricing year-round. 

For a extra intensive listing of promos, take a look at our information on the best internet deals.

How briskly is Houston broadband?

Houston, we now have an issue. Though it is one of many high 5 most populated metros within the US, H-City could not crack the highest 50 on Ookla’s listing of the nation’s quickest cities for broadband. (Disclosure: Ookla is owned by the identical mother or father firm as CNET, Ziff Davis.)

Per the speed-testing site’s most recent reporting, Houston managed to clock in at solely No. 58. Against this, its fellow Lone Star State cities of Austin, Corpus Christi, El Paso, Fort Worth and San Antonio all positioned within the high 15. Different Texas cities that positioned increased on the velocity chart — including insult to harm — embrace Arlington, Garland, Irving, Lubbock, Laredo and Plano. Some small comfort: Houston completed properly forward of Dallas, which was within the backside 3.

Some Houstonians could have entry to the splashy 5Gbps plans from AT&T and Frontier which value $245 and $130 per 30 days, respectively, and even the 7Gbps plan from Frontier for $300 per 30 days.

Quickest web plans in Houston

Supply: CNET evaluation of supplier knowledge.

Web suppliers in common cities close to Houston

See all results for internet providers in Texas.

What’s a great web velocity?

Most web connection plans can now deal with primary productiveness and communication duties. In case you’re on the lookout for an web plan that may accommodate videoconferencing, streaming video or gaming, you may have a greater expertise with a extra strong connection. This is an summary of the really useful minimal obtain speeds for varied purposes, according to the FCC. Notice that these are solely pointers and that web velocity, service and efficiency fluctuate by connection kind, supplier and handle.

For extra data, discuss with our information on how much internet speed you really need.

• 0 to 5Mbps lets you deal with the fundamentals: searching the web, sending and receiving e-mail and streaming low-quality video.
• 5 to 40Mbps provides you higher-quality video streaming and videoconferencing.
• 40 to 100Mbps ought to give one consumer enough bandwidth to fulfill the calls for of recent telecommuting, video streaming and on-line gaming. 
• 100 to 500Mbps permits one to 2 customers to concurrently interact in high-bandwidth actions like videoconferencing, streaming and on-line gaming. 
• 500 to 1,000Mbps permits three or extra customers to interact in high-bandwidth actions on the similar time.

How CNET selected the perfect web suppliers in Houston

Web service suppliers are quite a few and regional. Not like the newest smartphone, laptop, router or kitchen tool, it’s impractical to personally check each ISP in a given metropolis. What’s our strategy? We begin by researching the pricing, availability and velocity data, drawing on our personal historic ISP knowledge, the supplier websites and mapping data from the Federal Communications Fee at FCC.gov.

It would not finish there: We go to the FCC’s web site to examine our knowledge and guarantee we think about each ISP that gives service in an space. We additionally enter native addresses on supplier web sites to seek out particular choices for residents. We have a look at sources, together with the American Buyer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Energy, to judge how pleased clients are with an ISP’s service. ISP plans and costs are topic to frequent adjustments; all data offered is correct as of publication. 

As soon as we now have this localized data, we ask three primary questions: 

• Does the supplier supply entry to moderately quick web speeds? 
• Do clients get first rate worth for what they’re paying? 
• Are clients proud of their service? 

Whereas the reply to these questions is usually layered and complicated, the suppliers who come closest to “sure” on all three are those we advocate. When choosing the most affordable web service, we search for the plans with the bottom month-to-month charge, though we additionally consider issues like value will increase, tools charges and contracts. Selecting the quickest web service is comparatively easy. We have a look at marketed add and obtain speeds and think about real-world velocity knowledge from sources like Ookla and FCC reports.

To discover our course of in additional depth, go to our how we test ISPs web page.

What is the closing phrase on Houston web suppliers?

Houston presents a number of high-speed web selections. You will get attached with house web from fast fiber options, together with AT&T, Frontier and native web service supplier Tachus. You could possibly hop on-line by way of cable connections from Optimum and Spectrum. You could possibly be a part of the 5G home internet motion by attempting Verizon 5G Home Internet or T-Mobile Home Internet.

Comcast’s cable web providing of Xfinity has Houston coated with essentially the most intensive availability throughout the metro space. As we are saying in our CNET house web evaluations, a fiber web connection outperforms cable virtually each time. In case you can entry a fiber supplier within the space — together with AT&T Fiber, Consolidated Communications, Frontier Fiber or Tachus — do not hesitate to signal on the digital dotted line. 

Greatest web suppliers in Houston FAQs