What is the best internet provider in Tampa, Florida?

Fibră Frontieră is CNET’s top pick of the best internet provider in Tampa. We recommend it for most households in the area because it offers solid speeds at reasonable prices and has high customer satisfaction scores. If you’re outside the coverage area of Frontier Fiber or need alternatives, you can consider wireless internet from Internet 5G de acasă Verizon sau Internet de acasă T-Mobile. The two wireless providers have solid offerings and bundling with a mobile plan will get you further discounts. Another solid alternative is Spectru, which has widespread coverage throughout Tampa and offers good pricing. Keep in mind, however, that availability, speeds and monthly pricing will vary according to your location, so what you can get might differ from national listings.

All available Tampa home internet providers

The providers mentioned above aren’t the only ones serving Tampa, but they are the ones I would recommend the most. Here’s a quick comparison of the practical internet options available in the Tampa area.

Sursa: Analiza CNET a datelor furnizorilor.

Top Tampa ISP honorable mentions

EarthLink: A name nearly as old as home internet itself, EarthLink now offers service by piggybacking off of the networks of other providers and municipalities. As a result, you’re likely to pay a bit more for service compared to other providers. Pricing and speeds vary widely by location, but all plans come with a one-year contract.

Rapid Systems: Local fixed wireless provider Rapid Systems is a decent choice for internet in rural central Florida, but pricing is high and speeds are low in the Tampa Bay area. You’ll want to check out other internet options at your address before opting for Rapid Systems, as residential pricing in Hillsborough County starts at $79 per month for max speeds of 10Mbps.

Internet de acasă T-Mobile: With speeds of 87-415Mbps starting at $50 per month ($35 for qualifying Go5G Plus and Magenta Max customers), T-Mobile rivals Verizon regarding Internet 5G acasă. Although T-Mobile doesn’t have the same speed potential, it does boast greater coverage than Verizon, making it an excellent choice for home internet in suburban and rural areas outside of Tampa.

WideOpenWest: You won’t find WideOpenWest, aka WOW, in Tampa, but it is available in much of the Tampa Bay area, including Clearwater, East Lake, Oldsmar and St. Petersburg. The cable internet provider is a great choice for low-cost, high-speed internet, with service starting at $30 per month for speeds up to 300Mbps.

Internet prin satelit: HughesNet, Viasat and possibly even Starlink are available in Tampa, but there are plenty of other cheaper, faster options in the area to avoid having to settle for satellite internet.

How much is internet in Tampa?

The cost of internet in Tampa depends on the provider and plan you choose. The cheapest internet plans in Tampa will run you $50 per month plus taxes and fees unless you qualify for a discount with Verizon or T-Mobile.

Sursa: Analiza CNET a datelor furnizorilor.

Internet options for low-income households in Tampa

At $50 per month, the financial barrier for home internet service in Tampa is a bit higher than in other parts of Florida. As such, you may want to seek more affordable internet services.

Spectrum offers a discounted internet plan designed to help keep those in low-income households connected. The Spectrum Internet Advantage plan comes with download speeds up to 100Mbps starting at $30 per month. 

Frontier does not have a special low-income plan like Spectrum does.

How fast is internet in Tampa?

According to the most recent Ookla speed test data, the state of Florida ranked number 3 in Q4 2023 for fastest median download speeds in the US at around 238Mbps. (Disclosure: Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.) Tampa came in slightly slower than the state, ranked 50th overall among US cities with a median download speed of 232Mbps.

Spectrum clocked the fastest median speed in Tampa at 314Mbps.

Many factors can affect speed tests, such as using Wi-Fi and an internet plan’s maximum speeds, but Tampa’s speed test results are impressive and a good indicator of the speeds you could experience with Spectrum and Frontier. 

The slowest available plan from both providers (excluding Spectrum’s Internet Assist) comes with download speeds of up to 500Mbps. Faster plans are available from both providers, while EarthLink offers speeds up to 5,000Mbps in select areas.

Sursa: Analiza CNET a datelor furnizorilor.

How CNET chose the best internet providers in Tampa

Furnizorii de servicii de internet sunt numeroși și regionali. Spre deosebire de cele mai recente smartphone, laptop, router sau ustensile de bucătărie, it’s impractical to personally test every ISP in a given city. What’s our approach? 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’re considering every ISP that provides service in an area. We also input local addresses on provider websites to find specific options for residents. To evaluate how happy customers are with an ISP’s service, we look at sources including the American Customer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Power. ISP plans and prices are subject to frequent changes; all information provided is accurate as of the time of publication. 

Odată ce avem aceste informații localizate, ne punem trei întrebări principale: 

• Furnizorul oferă acces la viteze rezonabile de internet? 
• Do customers get decent value for what they’re paying? 
• Sunt clienții mulțumiți de serviciile lor? 

The answer to those questions is often layered and complex, but the providers who come closest to “yes” on all three are the ones we recommend. 

To explore our process in more depth, visit our page on cum testăm furnizorii de servicii de internet.

Tampa home internet FAQs