What Houston internet service provider is the best?
AT&, T Fiber is CNET’s choose for the best internet service provider in Houston. It’s our best suggestion because it offers asymmetric download and upload speeds and high levels of customer satisfaction. Plans range from$ 55 to$ 245 for the impressive 5-gig option. Verizon and Verizon 5G Home Internet are also good options if you’re outside of AT&, T’s company place because AT&, T Fiber insurance doesn’t expand to all Houston districts.
For Houston citizens seeking budget-friendly online choices, providers have options available. Astound Broadband is the cheapest ISP in Houston, with plans starting at$ 30 per month and offering speeds of up to 300 megabits per second. You can also consider plans by T-Mobile or Verizon, both starting at$ 50 a month ( they drop down to as low as$ 35 per month when bundled with a phone plan ).
AT&, T Fiber, and Tachus Fiber, a native internet service provider, are the leaders in the field if you want rate. Each service offers up to 5 gigabits of symmetrical rate, costing$ 245 and$ 139 per month, respectively.
Compared Houston internet service providers
Provider | Internet technologies | variety of regular costs | Speed variety | monthly technology expenses | Data seal | Contract | CNET evaluation rating |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cable | $30-$70 | 300-1,500Mbps | Free modem,$ 5 for Whole-home Wi-Fi ( optional ) | None | None | 7 | |
Mobile fixed | $60 | 75-225Mbps | None | None | None | 7.4 | |
Fiber | $55-$245 | 300-5,000Mbps | None | None | None | 7.4 | |
Brightspeed | DSL | $55 | Up to 140 Mbps ( depends on location ) | $ 15 modem ( optional ) | None | None | 6.6 |
Optimum Read full review |
Cable | $40-$60 | 300-940Mbps | None | None | None | 6.2 |
Tachus | Fiber | $65-$139 | 300-5,000Mbps | None | None | None | N/A |
Mobile fixed | $ 50-$ 70 ($ 35-$ 55 for eligible mobile customers with autopay ) | 87-415Mbps | None | None | None | 7.4 | |
Mobile fixed | $ 35-$ 55 with qualifying Verizon 5G mobile plans and autopay are available. | 50-250Mbps | None | None | None | 7.2 | |
Xfinity Read full review |
Cable | $55-$85 | 400-2,100Mbps | Some plans have a$ 15 to$ 25 price difference. | 1.2TB on some programs | One year on some ideas | 7 |
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Origin: CNET analysis of supplier data.
Another internet service providers are present in Houston.
Beyond the three takes over, some other broadband options exist in the Houston metro place. Some can only be found in small areas of the city, while others are primarily found in the cities. There are some powerful decisions below, even though they’re not as widely available.
- Astound Broadband, a locally renowned cable internet service provider, offers some of Houston’s most affordable starting prices. Its starting price of$ 30 a month for a 300Mbps plan comes out to an affordable 10 cents per Mbps. The issue is that Astound’s rate increases are among the highest in the sector.
- Brightspeed: You’ll want to research this because, depending on your location, you may be dealing with mostly DSL coverage for the Houston area ( which can be as low as 20Mbps ), or if you’re in the Kingwood area, you might see the company’s much more compelling fiber product.
- Within the Houston city limits, there are only a dozen small pockets for Kinetic by Windstream, a DSL and grain service. Most of that presence is in the southern district of Sugar Land. Compared to the faster fiber-optic ideas, you’ll primarily offer with its DSL service.
- Optimum: First away, I can think you might be confused. In the Houston area, Suddenlink is the company you’re possibly comfortable with. Its family business, Altice USA, renamed it Optimum in 2022. In any case, Optimum company is sparsely distributed throughout the metro area, but Conroe and Kingwood, north of the city, have more dense residents. This cord ISP is renowned for its highly competitive starting charges, some of the most economical in the area.
- Tachus: This neighborhood ISP, which was established in 2018, is renowned for its dedication to establishing 100 % fiber-to-the-home sites in the greater Houston urban area. It’s then available to over 50, 000 houses in Atascocita, Conroe, East Montgomery County, Kingwood, Magnolia, Oak Ridge County North and The Woodlands. There are five fiber plans available, ranging from$ 65 to$ 139 per month, with no data caps or contracts, depending on what is available in your location. A modem rental is included in the monthly price, but you’ll need to provide your own router or rent one for as low as$ 6 per month.
- T-Mobile’s set wireless house internet product, which is accessible to more than 50 million homes statewide and about 53 % of people in the greater Houston area, is powered by its 5G and 4G LTE systems. Check your address on the , T-Mobile page to see if you’re decent since not all who have T-Mobile body assistance at home are ready for the home online service. In any case, it’s a fascinating offer that doesn’t have any information caps or contracts but does have setup fees, taxes, and equipment rental as part of its$ 55-per-month price.
Low online services are available in Houston.
The normal starting price for online services in Houston is only over$ 46 a month, but a few companies offer plans cheaper than that.
Taking a test with us.
The Houston starting rate is the lowest from Astound Broadband. Astound Broadband’s$ 30 program offers download speeds up to 300Mbps and includes your equipment lease.
What is Houston’s least expensive web plan?
Provider | Starting regular price | Maximum access rate | Regular products fee |
---|---|---|---|
$30 | 300Mbps | Free modem,$ 5 for Whole-home Wi-Fi ( optional ) | |
$50 | 500Mbps | None | |
$ 50 ($ 35 with eligible mobile plan and autopay ) | 85Mbps | None | |
$ 50 ($ 35 with eligible mobile plan and autopay ) | 87-318Mbps | None | |
Xfinity Read full review |
$55 | 400Mbps | $ 15 modem ( optional ) |
$55 | 300Mbps | None | |
Tachus 300 | $65 | 300Mbps | None |
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Origin: CNET analysis of supplier data.
How to find digital deals and promotions in Houston
What are the best online coupons and major offers in Houston determined by the discounts that are offered at a particular time. Most offers are short-lived, but we look regularly for the latest provides.  ,
Houston internet services, such as Xfinity, Astound Broadband and Optimum, may present lower introductory sales or streaming add-ons for a limited period. Many companies, including AT&, T, and Verizon, offer the same common year-round sales.  ,
Check out our guide on the best online deals for a more in-depth record of promotions.
How hard is Houston bandwidth?
Houston, we have a problem. Although it’s one of the best five most filled cities in the US, H-Town don’t crack the top 50 on Ookla’s record of the country’s fastest towns for broadband. ( Disclosure: Ookla is owned by Ziff Davis, the parent company that makes CNET )
Per the speed-testing page’ Ookla’s most recent monitoring, Houston managed to clocks in at just No. 58, with a middle download speed of 227 Mbps. By comparison, its own Lone Star State places of Austin, Corpus Christi, El Paso, Fort Worth and San Antonio every placed in the top 15. Arlington, Garland, Irving, Lubbock, Laredo, and Plano are another Texas cities that have topped the speed map, adding insult to injury. Some little comfort: Houston finished also ahead of Dallas, which was in the middle 3.
Some Houston residents may be able to use AT&, T’s expensive 5Gbps intentions, which cost$ 245.
Best online programs in Houston
Provider | starting cost | Maximum access rate | Max upload rate | Data seal | Connection form |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
$245 | 5,000Mbps | 5,000Mbps | None | Fiber | |
Tachus Fiber 5 Gig | $139 | 5,000Mbps | 5,000Mbps | None | Fiber |
Tachus Fiber 2.5 Gig | $89 | 2,500Mbps | 2,500Mbps | None | Fiber |
$145 | 2,000Mbps | 2,000Mbps | None | Fiber | |
$85 | 2,100Mbps | 200Mbps | 1.2TB | Cable | |
$70 | 1,500Mbps | 1,000Mbps | None | Cable | |
$60 | 1,000Mbps | 50Mbps | None | Cable | |
$80 | 1,000Mbps | 1,000Mbps | None | Fiber | |
Tachus Gig | $79 | 1,000Mbps | 1,000Mbps | None | Fiber |
$65 | 1,100Mbps | 20Mbps | 1.2TB if using personal technology, nobody if letting with Verizon | Cable | |
$60 | 940Mbps | 35Mbps | None | Cable |
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Origin: CNET analysis of supplier data.
Internet service providers in well-known places close to Houston
See all benefits for online companies in Texas.
What is a great online rate?
Most online connection programs can now handle simple productivity and conversation tasks. You’ll have a better experience with a more powerful relationship if you’re looking for an online program that can support conferencing, streaming video, or games. Here’s an overview of the recommended minimum download speeds for various applications, according to the FCC. Please take note that these are only general guidelines and that each connection type, provider, and address affects internet speed, performance, and service.
For more information, refer to our guide on how much internet speed you really need.
- With 0 to 5 Mbps, you can focus on the essentials like browsing the internet, sending and receiving emails, and streaming low-quality videos.
- 5 to 40Mbps gives you higher-quality video streaming and videoconferencing.
- One user should have enough bandwidth to meet the demands of contemporary telecommuting, video streaming, and online gaming with 40 to 100Mbps.  ,
- One to two users can use high-bandwidth services like streaming, videoconferencing, and online gaming at 100 to 500Mbps.  ,
- Three or more users can perform high-bandwidth activities simultaneously using 500 to 1, 000Mbps.
How CNET chose the best internet providers in Houston
There are numerous and local Internet service providers. Unlike the latest smartphone, laptop, router or kitchen tool, it’s impractical to personally test every ISP in a given city. What’s our strategy? We start by researching the pricing, availability and speed information, drawing on our own historical ISP data, the provider sites and mapping information from the Federal Communications Commission at FCC. gov.
It doesn’t end there: We go to the FCC’s website to check our data and ensure we consider every ISP that provides service in an area. We also enter local addresses to find out what options are available to residents on provider websites. We look at sources, including the American Customer Satisfaction Index and J. D. Power, to evaluate how happy customers are with an ISP’s service. ISP plans and prices are subject to frequent changes, and all information provided is true as of publication.  ,
We then ask three important questions once we have this localized information: ; ; ; ;.
- Does the provider offer access to reasonably fast internet speeds?  ,
- Do customers get decent value for what they’re paying?  ,
- Are customers happy with their service?  ,
While the answer to those questions is often layered and complex, the providers who come closest to “yes” on all three are the ones we recommend. We look for the plans with the lowest monthly fee when choosing the least expensive internet service, but we also take into account costs like price increases, equipment fees, and contracts. Choosing the fastest internet service is relatively straightforward. We consider sources like Ookla and FCC reports for advertised upload and download speeds and take actual-world speed measurements into account.
To explore our process in more depth, visit our how we test ISPs page.
What is the final opinion on Houston’s internet service providers?
Houston offers several high-speed internet choices. Fast fiber options like AT&, T, and the local internet service provider Tachus can be connected to home internet. You could hop online via cable connections , from Optimum. Try T-Mobile Home Internet or Verizon 5G Home Internet to join the 5G home internet movement.
Comcast’s cable internet offering of Xfinity has Houston covered with the most extensive availability across the metro area. According to what we say in our CNET home internet reviews, a fiber internet connection almost always outperforms cable. If you can access a fiber provider in the area– including AT&, T Fiber, Consolidated Communications or Tachus– don’t hesitate to sign on the virtual dotted line.  ,
Best internet providers in Houston FAQs
Which internet service provider in Houston offers the most coverage?
More than a dozen different ISPs are in the greater Houston metro, including satellite internet providers like Hughesnet, Starlink and Viasat ( all three are available to 100 % of the area, according to the FCC). Besides those satellite providers, Xfinity serves the most remote location. You can find Comcast’s cable service as far as Conroe to the north, East Bernard to the west, Baytown to the east, and Freeport and Galveston to the south.
More information
Is fiber internet available in Houston?
Yes. You can find fiber internet throughout H-Town. AT&, T Fiber , and Tachus Fiber are Houston’s top fiber internet service providers. It should also be noted that a small percentage of Xfinity locations are also eligible for fiber service, but it first requires a site survey to ascertain if the address is serviceable.
More information
Who in Houston has the fastest internet speeds?