Finest Web Suppliers in Houston – CNET

Houston, we’ve got an issue. Although it is one of many high 5 most populated metros within the US, H-City could not crack the highest 50 on Ookla’s record of the nation’s quickest cities for broadband. 

Per the speed-testing web site’s most up-to-date reporting, Houston managed to clock in at solely No. 60. Against this, its fellow Lone Star State cities of Corpus Christi, El Paso and San Antonio all positioned within the high 10. Different Texas cities that positioned increased on the pace chart — so as to add insult to damage — embody Arlington, Austin, Fort Price, Garland, Irving, Lubbock and Plano. Some small comfort: Houston completed properly forward of Dallas, which was within the backside 10.

Regardless of the poor displaying, Houston presents a number of high-speed web decisions. You may get attached with house web from quick fiber choices, 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 part of the 5G house web motion by making an attempt Verizon 5G House Web or T-Cell House Web.

CNET examines customer support, pace, pricing and total worth earlier than recommending one of the best broadband in your space. Regardless of the choices at your particular handle — together with the options of third-party suppliers like EarthLink, EIN and Extremely House Web — we may help you select. 

Finest web suppliers in H-City

Our decide for the greatest total ISP in Houston is AT&T Fiber, however there are different high quality suppliers on the market too. All costs listed on this web page replicate out there reductions for establishing paperless billing. In the event you resolve to not go along with computerized month-to-month funds, your worth will probably be increased. Let’s dive into one of the best web service suppliers in Houston.

Word: The costs, speeds and options detailed within the article textual content might differ from these listed within the product element playing cards, which symbolize suppliers’ nationwide choices. Your specific web service choices — together with costs and speeds — rely in your handle and should differ from these detailed right here.

AT&T Fiber

Finest web supplier in Houston

Worth vary

$55 – $180 per 30 days

Velocity vary

300 – 5,000Mbps

Connection

Fiber

Key Information

Limitless knowledge, no contracts, gear included

Longtime Houston residents are most likely properly conscious that whereas AT&T web providers are prevalent within the space, availability for AT&T Fiber stays considerably restricted. In different elements of the corporate’s protection map, clients are left with AT&T Web, a DSL service, as the one possibility. That DSL infrastructure is so outdated that AT&T publicly introduced its purpose of slicing its copper protection in half by 2025. 

Availability: Scan by the addresses within the space, and you will find pockets of fiber availability all through numerous Houston neighborhoods, together with Hyde Park, Jacinto Metropolis, Northside Village, South Houston and Spring Department. 

Plans and pricing: You are in nice form in the event you can entry AT&T Fiber. It presents 5 plans — 300Mbps, 500Mbps, 1,000Mbps, 2,000Mbps and 5,000Mbps. The costs vary from $55 to $180 per 30 days.

Charges and repair particulars: All 5 AT&T Fiber plans function symmetrical add and obtain speeds, no knowledge caps, no time period agreements and no gear rental charges. AT&T additionally is understood for providing some respectable perks, together with the present enticement of a Visa rewards card for many who enroll on-line.

Learn our AT&T Web evaluate.

Examine AT&T Fiber availability

Xfinity

Finest web supplier in Houston for availability

Worth vary

$20 – $300 per 30 days

Velocity vary

75 – 6,000Mbps

Connection

Cable

Key Information

Information caps on some plans, a number of plan choices, stable buyer satisfaction numbers

Comcast’s broadband service is ubiquitous within the Houston metro space, which could be useful in the event you’re transferring inside the metropolis and need to switch your service slightly than undergo the rigmarole of establishing with a brand new supplier. On high of that, Xfinity has earned excessive buyer satisfaction marks in current experiences from J.D. Energy and the American Buyer Satisfaction Index.

Availability: In line with the Federal Communications Fee’s Nationwide Broadband Map, over 86% of Houston residents can entry Xfinity’s house web service. 

Plans and pricing: One other bonus with Xfinity service is you get fairly a couple of plan choices. You’ll be able to go for an inexpensive, 75Mbps plan for $20 per 30 days or splurge for pace and seize the Gigabit X2 possibility that includes 2,000Mbps for $120 month-to-month. You’ve got additionally obtained 5 completely different plan choices between these two to attempt to greatest suit your funds and residential broadband calls for.

Charges and repair particulars: All that stated, a couple of issues would possibly offer you pause. First, as a cable web supplier, Xfinity cannot match the symmetrical speeds of fiber ISPs within the space, together with AT&T, Brightspeed and Tachus. Add speeds will vary from 10 to 35Mbps on most plans. Additionally, in distinction to most different suppliers within the Bayou Metropolis, Xfinity imposes a knowledge cap on its clients. It is set at an inexpensive 1.2TB (greater than double what the typical US family makes use of, in line with OpenVault’s most up-to-date findings). Nonetheless, that is perhaps a limiting issue for bigger households and people with heavy web customers and a number of related gadgets.

Learn our Xfinity Web evaluate.

Examine Xfinity Web availability

Verizon 5G House Web

Finest web supplier in Houston for mounted wi-fi service

Worth vary

$50 – $70 per 30 days (50% off for eligible 5G cell clients)

Velocity vary

85 – 1,000Mbps

Connection

Mounted wi-fi

Key Information

Limitless knowledge, no contracts, free gear, 50% low cost for qualifying Verizon cell clients

Verizon has been pushing its 5G web service, making some massive noise when it unveiled its C-band frequency rollout for its Extremely Wideband community. It is a part of the corporate’s intention to supply a nationwide broadband possibility past the boundaries of its extremely regarded fiber service, Verizon Fios, which is restricted to people within the Northeast.

Availability: When you’ll discover loads of Extremely Wideband availability on Verizon’s 5G protection map, clients will nonetheless have to examine their handle on the Verizon web site to verify if the 5G House Web service is on the market to them. In line with the FCC, roughly a 3rd of all Houston residents can have entry to Verizon 5G House Web.

Plans and pricing: There are two plans provided with this service. Verizon 5G House Web is $50 per 30 days for obtain speeds of 85-300Mbps, and Verizon 5G House Plus Web is $70 month-to-month for obtain speeds of 300-1,000Mbps.

Charges and repair particulars: Prospects will discover an appealingly versatile service with no contracts, no additional charges and loads of perks, together with a possible $500 credit score towards early termination charges (for these switching out of a contract), worth ensures and a 30-day satisfaction assure.

Learn our Verizon 5G House Web overview.

Examine Verizon 5G House Web availability

Supply: CNET evaluation of supplier knowledge

All out there Houston residential web suppliers

Past the three picks above, a number of different broadband decisions 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 decisions right here, regardless that they are not as broadly out there.

• Astound Broadband: This cable web supplier, recognized regionally as Grande, presents a few of Houston’s best beginning charges. Its beginning worth of $25 a month for a 300Mbps plan comes out to an inexpensive 8 cents per Mbps. By comparability, Xfinity’s cheaper $20 per 30 days plan options obtain speeds of solely 75Mbps and due to this fact has a a lot increased price per Mbps of 27 cents. The Astound 1.2Gbps plan can also be the most affordable within the metropolis, beginning at $60 month-to-month. The rub is that Astound’s worth will increase are among the steepest within the business. For instance, the corporate’s Houston fee card reveals that Astound costs its 300Mbps plan at $84 per 30 days after your promo expires. The gig plan sees a barely much less extreme bounce from $50 per 30 days to $94 month-to-month, however nonetheless, beware the bait and change. 
• Brightspeed: Considerably much like AT&T however with out as deep a presence. You will need to analysis this as a result of, relying in your location, chances are you’ll be coping with DSL service (which could be as little as 20Mbps), or in the event you’re within the Kingwood space, you would possibly see the corporate’s far more compelling fiber product.
• Consolidated Communications: You will not discover this fiber supplier inside metropolis limits, however its inexpensive plans can be found to clients within the suburbs of Conroe and Katy. Plans vary from 50Mbps to 2Gbps for $35 to $85 month-to-month. There are not any contracts required and no knowledge cap enforced. 
• Frontier: Frontier has a scattered presence within the better Houston space. You will not discover it downtown, however you will get its DSL and fiber-optic service within the northeast outskirts of Baytown, Seaside Metropolis, Cove and Crosby. You will additionally discover it within the southern portion of the metro space in League Metropolis and Sante Fe. If Frontier Fiber is on the market — it options symmetrical plans of 500Mbps, 1Gbps, 2Gbps or 5Gbps speeds starting from $50 to $155 per 30 days — it is a very interesting alternative. But when Frontier DSL is your solely possibility, attempt different options.
• Kinetic by Windstream: This DSL and fiber supplier is on the market in only a few small pockets inside the Houston metropolis limits. Most of that availability is within the southern suburb of Sugar Land. You will largely take care of its DSL service slightly than the sooner fiber-optic plans.
• Optimum: First off, I can think about you is perhaps confused. Suddenlink is the supplier you are most likely conversant in within the Houston space. Nevertheless, its father or mother firm, 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, among the most inexpensive within the space.
• Spectrum: Constitution Communications’ ISP has among the extra customer-friendly, simple phrases you may discover for cable web service. There are not any contracts, no knowledge caps and a free modem rental included in your month-to-month worth, starting from $50 to $90. It additionally contains free entry to Wi-Fi hotspots throughout the nation. Spectrum service is on the market 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 better Houston metropolitan space. It is now out there to over 50,000 houses in Atascocita, Conroe, East Montgomery County, Kingwood, Magnolia, Oak Ridge County North and The Woodlands. There are three fiber plans — 300Mbps, 600Mbps and 1Gbps — starting from $65 to $90 a month, with no knowledge caps and no contracts. A modem rental is included within the month-to-month worth, however you may want to supply your individual router or lease one for $6 month-to-month.
• T-Cell House Web: T-Cell makes use of its 5G and 4G LTE networks to energy its mounted wi-fi house web product, which is on the market to over 50 million houses nationwide and roughly 92% of residents within the better Houston space. That stated, examine your handle on the T-Cell web site to see in the event you’re serviceable, although. I’ve T-Cell cell service at house, however I am nonetheless not eligible for the house web service. In any case, it is an intriguing providing that features set up charges, taxes and gear rental beneath its $50-a-month charge, with no knowledge caps or contracts.

Typical pricing for Houston web 

The typical beginning worth for web service in Houston is simply over $45 a month, which is true about in the midst of different markets we have lined, together with Brooklyn ($36 a month), Los Angeles ($38 a month), Denver ($39 per 30 days), San Francisco ($40 a month), New York Metropolis ($41 month-to-month), Seattle ($42 per 30 days), Dallas and Philadelphia (about $43 a month), Phoenix ($46 per 30 days), Atlanta ($47 a month), Orlando ($48 per 30 days) and Charlotte, Chicago, Las Vegas, San Diego and St. Louis (all about $50 a month). 

Low-cost web choices in Area Metropolis

Xfinity presents the bottom beginning worth in Houston — its Join plan (75Mbps) has a promo worth of $20 for the primary two years after which $50 a month after that. It is also broadly out there all through the Houston metro space and the Bayou Metropolis burbs. 

It also needs to be famous that the majority suppliers listed take part within the Federal Communication Fee’s Reasonably priced Connectivity Program, which supplies a $30-a-month low cost to qualifying households to supply inexpensive, high-speed web. Some suppliers even supply a low-cost web plan focused at low-income houses and communities. When mixed with the ACP profit, you would possibly have the ability to get web service free of charge. 

Supply: CNET evaluation of supplier knowledge

Quickest web suppliers in Houston

Per the Ookla stats talked about on the high of this text, Houston is not among the many high 50 cities with the quickest web speeds. That is to not say you will not have the ability to discover sufficient pace to do all of the issues it is advisable do on-line. 

Some Houstonians can have entry to the splashy 5Gbps plans unveiled by AT&T and Frontier in 2022. And whereas Comcast boasts its personal multi-gig plan with add and obtain speeds of 6,000Mbps, it is out there solely at addresses the cable firm has wired for fiber. The FCC disclosures from June of 2021 peg that proportion at roughly 4% of Comcast addresses.

Supply: CNET evaluation of supplier knowledge

What is the closing verdict on Houston web suppliers?

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

How CNET selected one of the best web suppliers in Houston

Web service suppliers are quite a few and regional. In contrast to the newest smartphone, laptop computer, router or kitchen device, it’s impractical to personally check each ISP in a given metropolis. So what’s our strategy? We begin by researching the pricing, availability and pace info drawing on our personal historic ISP knowledge, the supplier websites and mapping info from the Federal Communications Fee at FCC.gov.

Nevertheless it doesn’t finish there. We go to the FCC’s web site to examine our knowledge and guarantee we’re contemplating each ISP that gives service in an space. We additionally enter native addresses on supplier web sites to seek out particular choices for residents. To guage how completely happy clients are with an ISP’s service, we take a look at sources together with the American Buyer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Energy. ISP plans and costs are topic to frequent modifications; all info offered is correct as of the time of publication. 

As soon as we’ve got this localized info, we ask three important questions: 

• Does the supplier supply entry to fairly quick web speeds? 
• Do clients get respectable 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 suggest. 

To discover our course of in additional depth, go to our How We Check ISPs web page.

Finest web suppliers in Houston FAQs