What is the best internet provider in Boston?
If you’re after the top internet provider in Boston, Massachusetts, our CNET experts recommend Verizon Fios. It provides amazingly fast symmetrical speeds and 100% fiber-optic coverage. Better yet, its plans are varied enough (ranging from $50 to $90) that there’s something for everyone, and all with straightforward service terms that won’t catch you out or leave you feeling cheated. Furthermore, Verizon Fios has great coverage, with over 80% of Boston households able to access their service.
If Verizon Fios isn’t available where you’re located or you want something a tad cheaper, then Xfinity is a great alternative to consider. Like Verizon, it has a significant number of plans and depending on the area where you live, can reach up to 2,100Mbps speeds.
Residents looking for cheaper internet providers should keep Uimi şi Internet de acasă T-Mobile in mind, as both provide plans at around the $30-35 mark, though the former offers faster internet overall with speeds up to 300Mbps.
Comparing all Boston residential internet providers
The ISPs featured above aren’t the only options for internet in Boston, but they are the ones I’d recommend most and consider if I were to leave the South for Beantown. Here’s a quick comparison of all Boston internet providers, followed by a look at some of the cheapest and fastest plans available in the area.
Boston internet providers compared
| Furnizor | Tipul de conexiune | Intervalul de prețuri lunar | Interval de viteză de descărcare (Mbps) | Monthly data cap | Contracta |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uimi Citește recenzia completă |
Cablu | $30-$70 | 300-1,500 | Nici unul | Nici unul |
| Internet de acasă T-Mobile Citește recenzia completă |
5G fixed wireless | $50-70 ($35-$55 cu abonamente mobile eligibile) | 87-415 | Nici unul | Nici unul |
| Internet 5G de acasă Verizon Citește recenzia completă |
5G fixed wireless | $50-$70 ($35-$55 cu abonamente mobile eligibile) | 50-1,000 | Nici unul | Nici unul |
| Verizon Fios Citește recenzia completă |
Fibră | $50-$90 | 300-940 | Nici unul | Nici unul |
| Xfinity Citește recenzia completă |
Cablu | $35-$105 | 400-2,100 | Nici unul | Nici unul |
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What other internet options are there in Boston?
There aren’t many other options outside our picks for the best ISPs in Boston. Here’s a brief look at what to expect from other internet services in the area.
Internet de acasă T-Mobile: T-Mobile’s 5G rollout has been impressive, covering some 50 million homes nationwide, including many in Boston. Pricing is about the same as Verizon’s 5G home internet service in Boston.
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Internet 5G de acasă Verizon: Service terms are the same (no data caps, equipment fees or contracts), so if you’re interested in Internet 5G acasă, you might as well go with the higher speed potential of Verizon. That said, T-Mobile does offer a $15 discount to qualifying mobile customers, so if you fall into that category, T-Mobile Home Internet may be worth considering.
Internet prin satelit: Hughesnet şi Viasat are available nearly everywhere, so they technically are options for home internet in the Boston area. The high-priced, low-data services are best for rural areas, so I’d recommend considering other providers unless you plan on living in a remote cabin on Walden Pond. If so, you’ll want to stay there about as long as Thoreau did — satellite internet from Hughesnet și Viasat comes with a two-year contract.
Boston broadband at a glance
Virtually every household in the Boston area has access to download speeds of 250Mbps or higher and upload speeds of 25Mbps or higher.
The high-speed coverage comes from various sources, including cable internet from Xfinity şi Uimi and fiber service from Verizon Fios. The latter is available to approximately 87% of Boston addresses, conform FCC. As a result, Boston residents are likely to have at least two or three but possibly more broadband options to choose from.
Boston internet pricing
With introductory prices of around $20 to $35 per month, depending on your chosen provider and the discounts you qualify for, Boston has some of the lowest prices on high-speed internet anywhere.
Pricing stays competitive even as you get into faster speed tiers. Astound, for example, offers a 300Mbps plan starting at just $30, whereas Xfinity’s Gigabit plan advertises speeds up to 1,100Mbps starting at $60 per month.
Cheapest internet plans in Boston
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How fast is Boston broadband?
You won’t find the absolute fastest speeds in Boston. Recent Ookla speed test data places Boston 66th out of the top 100 US cities for its average download speeds, around 222Mbps. Numerous factors can affect speed test data, such as using a Wi-Fi connection and distance from the router, not to mention a plan’s maximum advertised speeds, so the data shouldn’t be too much of an indicator of what speeds you can get from your provider. (Disclosure: Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.)
Fastest internet plans in Boston
| Furnizor | Preț de pornire | Viteză maximă de descărcare | Viteză maximă de încărcare | Limită de date | Tipul de conexiune |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity Gigabit X2 Citește recenzia completă |
$105 | 2.100 Mbps | 206Mbps | Nici unul | Cablu |
| Uimește 1500 Citește recenzia completă |
$70 | 1.500 Mbps | 20 Mbps | Nici unul | Cablu |
| Uimește 1000 Citește recenzia completă |
$60 | 1.000 Mbps | 20 Mbps | Nici unul | Cablu |
| Xfinity Gigabit Citește recenzia completă |
$85 | 1.100 Mbps | 115Mbps | Nici unul | Cablu |
| Verizon Fios 1 Gig Citește recenzia completă |
$90 ($75 with eligible mobile plans) | 940 Mbps | 880 Mbps | Nici unul | Fibră |
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Internet in Boston recap
Two or three internet options, plus maybe one or two more in select areas, probably doesn’t feel like much, but Boston residents have more choices than most when it comes to home internet service.
While no providers offer multi-gigabit speeds, single-gig service is available from up to five providers. Pricing is competitive, with multiple plans starting at or below $35 per month. Service terms are fair regardless of the provider and plan you choose, as most come with unlimited data and no contract requirements, while some, like Verizon Fios and Starry, up the ante with free equipment as well.
How CNET chose the best internet providers in Boston
Furnizorii de servicii de internet sunt numeroși și regionali. Spre deosebire de cele mai recente smartphone, laptop, router sau ustensile de bucătărie, este impracticabil să testezi personal fiecare furnizor de servicii de internet dintr-un anumit oraș. Care este abordarea noastră? Începem prin a cerceta informațiile despre prețuri, disponibilitate și viteză, bazându-ne pe propriile noastre date istorice despre furnizorii de servicii de internet, pe site-urile furnizorilor și pe informații cartografice de la Comisia Federală pentru Comunicații de la FCC.gov.
Nu se termină aici: accesăm site-ul FCC pentru a verifica datele noastre și a ne asigura că luăm în considerare fiecare furnizor de servicii Internet (ISP) care oferă servicii într-o anumită zonă. De asemenea, introducem adrese locale pe site-urile web ale furnizorilor pentru a găsi opțiuni specifice pentru rezidenți. Pentru a evalua cât de mulțumiți sunt clienții de serviciile unui ISP, analizăm surse precum American Customer Satisfaction Index și JD Power. Planurile și prețurile ISP-urilor pot fi modificate frecvent; toate informațiile furnizate sunt corecte la momentul publicării.
Odată ce avem aceste informații localizate, ne punem trei întrebări principale:
- Furnizorul oferă acces la viteze rezonabile de internet?
- Clienții primesc o valoare decentă pentru ceea ce plătesc?
- 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. When it comes to selecting the cheapest internet service, we look for the plans with the lowest monthly fee, although we also factor in things like price increases, equipment fees and contracts. Choosing the fastest internet service is relatively straightforward. We look at advertised upload and download speeds and also take into account real-world speed data from sources like Ookla şi Rapoarte FCC.
Pentru a explora procesul nostru mai în detaliu, vizitați pagina noastră despre cum testăm furnizorii de servicii de internet.
Boston internet FAQs
What is the best internet service provider in Boston?
Verizon Fios is the best internet service provider in Boston. It’s the only widely available fiber provider in the city, which means it’s the only provider that has upload speeds as fast as download. Verizon Fios also comes with unlimited data, free equipment and discounts for cellphone customers.
What is the cheapest internet provider in Boston?
Astound is the cheapest internet provider in Boston, offering plans starting at just $30 per month for 300Mbps. However, Astound comes with many hidden fees, so your price could be lower with Xfinity, which has plans starting at $35 monthly.
Which internet provider in Boston offers the fastest plan?
Select neighborhoods can access speeds of up to 2,100Mbps through Xfinity, but most of the city only has access to the provider’s Gigabit Extra plan. Astound has the fastest download speeds in many parts of the city — up to 1,500Mbps — but upload speeds top out at just 20Mbps.
Is fiber internet available in Boston?
Yes. Fiber internet service is available to approximately 68% of Boston residents, conform celor mai recente date FCC. Verizon Fios is the primary fiber-optic internet provider in the Boston area, although Xfinity, Starry and Astound may also offer fiber connections in parts of Boston.
Is Astound or Xfinity better?
You’ll find similar speed tiers from Astound and Xfinity, although Astound will likely be the cheaper option, at least for the first two years of service until standard pricing goes into effect.
Both providers primarily use a cable internet connection, meaning significantly lower upload speeds than download speeds and potentially slower overall during peak usage times. Xfinity’s cable network boasts broader coverage in Boston, making it easy to shop for or transfer Xfinity’s internet service when moving to or around Beantown.
Can I get free Wi-Fi in Boston?
Boston has the Wicked Free Wi-Fi program, which is free Wi-Fi offered by the city to residents when they are outside. It isn’t meant for use in homes or buildings.
Is Google Webpass available in Boston?
No. Google Webpass, Google Fiber’s fixed wireless internet service, is no longer available in Boston as of 2018.
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