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What is the best internet service provider in Boston?
CNET’s experts have done the research to help you find the best ISP in Boston, Massachusetts. According to our experts, Verizon Fios is the best internet provider in Bostonthanks to all 100% fiber optic coverage and fast, symmetrical download and loading speed. It also provides long-term price guarantees for competitively priced plans (starting at $50 all the way up to $90), simple terms of service, and unique sign up bonuses. Plus, Verizon Fios has great availability across the city, with about eight in 10 households eligible for the service, according to the latest data from the Federal Communications Commission.
Xfinites however, it has the widest coverage in Bostonwhereby the service is available in 99.5% of households. Plans start at $35, and the cable provider also offers the fastest download speeds in town, with up to 2,000 megabits per second in select areas. Astound offers the cheapest internet in Bostonwith plans starting at $20 per month for up to 300 Mbps. Like finding the best seat at Fenway, your choice will depend on what’s available at your address and what you want to spend.
Comparison of all residential internet providers in Boston
The above ISPs are not the only options for internet in Boston, but they are the ones I would most recommend and consider if I were to go from the south to 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
| Provider | Connection type | Monthly price range | Download Speed Range (Mbps) | Monthly data limit | Contract |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Astound Read the full review |
cable | 20-55 dollars | 300-1,500 | None | None |
| T-Mobile Home Internet Read the full review |
5G fixed wireless | $50-$70 ($40-$50) | 72-245 | None | None |
| Verizon 5G Home Internet Read the full review |
5G fixed wireless | $50-$70 ($35-$45 with eligible mobile plans) | 50-1,000 | None | None |
| Verizon Fios Read the full review |
Fibers | 50-90 dollars | 300-940 | None | None |
| Xfinites Read the full review |
cable | $35-$95 | 300-2,000 | None | None |
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What other internet options are there in Boston?
There aren’t many other options other than our picks for the best ISPs in Boston. Here’s a quick look at what you can expect from other internet services in this area.
T-Mobile Home Internet: T-Mobile’s 5G rollout has been impressive, covering about 50 million homes nationwide, including many in Boston. Prices are about the same as Verizon’s 5G home internet in Boston, but speeds will likely be slower.
The terms of service are the same (no data caps, equipment fees or contracts), so if you’re interested in 5G home internetyou can use Verizon’s higher speed potential. That said, T-Mobile offers a $10 or $20 discount for qualifying mobile customers, so if you fall into that category, T-Mobile Home Internet might be worth considering.
Satellite Internet: Hughesnet and Viasat they’re available almost everywhere, so they’re technically home internet options in the Boston area. High-priced, low-data services are best for rural areas, so I’d recommend considering other providers unless you plan to live in a remote cabin on Walden Pond. If so, you’ll want to stay there for about as long as Toro – from satellite internet Hughesnet and Viasat it comes with a two-year contract.
Boston Broadband at a Glance
Virtually every household in the Boston area has access to download speeds of 250 Mbps or higher and upload speeds of 25 Mbps or higher.
High-speed coverage comes from a variety of sources, including cable Internet Xfinites and Astound and fiber service from Verizon Fioswhich is available at approximately 86% of Boston addresses. As a result, Bostonians will likely have at least two or three, and possibly more, broadband options to choose from.
Boston internet prices
With starting prices around $20 to $35 a month, depending on your chosen provider and the discounts you qualify for, Boston has some of the lowest prices for high-speed internet anywhere.
Pricing remains competitive even as you level up faster. Astound, for example, offers a 300 Mbps plan starting at just $20, while Xfinity’s Gigabit plan advertises speeds of up to 1,000 Mbps starting at $60 per month.
Cheapest internet plans in Boston
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Internet for low-income households in Boston
Xfinity’s Internet Essentials and Internet Essentials Plus plans have maximum download speeds of 50 and 100 Mbps, starting at $10 and $30 per month. The plans come with no activation or equipment fees, access to Xfinity Wi-Fi Hotspots, and the option to buy a PC for $150. However, they are only available in certain areas.
How fast is the broadband connection in Boston?
You won’t find the absolute fastest speeds in Boston. Recent Ookla speed tests puts Boston 66th out of the top 100 US cities for average download speeds, around 222 Mbps. (Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.) A number of factors can affect speed test data, such as Wi-Fi usage and distance from the router, not to mention the plan’s maximum advertised speeds, so the data may not should be too indicative of how much speed you can get from yours provider.
Fastest internet plans in Boston
| Provider | Initial price | Maximum download speed | Maximum loading speed | Data capacity | Connection type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity Gigabit X2 Read the full review |
$95 | 2,000Mbps | 206Mbps | None | cable |
| Astound 1500 Read the full review |
$55 | 1,500 Mbps | 20Mbps | None | cable |
| A staggering 1000 Read the full review |
$45 | 1,000Mbps | 20Mbps | None | cable |
| Xfinity Gigabit Read the full review |
60 dollars | 1,000Mbps | 115Mbps | None | cable |
| Verizon Fios 1 Gig Read the full review |
$90 ($65 with eligible mobile plans) | 940Mbps | 880Mbps | None | Fibers |
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Boston Internet Summary
Two or three Internet options, plus maybe another one or two in select areas, probably doesn’t seem like much, but Bostonians have more choices than most when it comes to home Internet service.
Although no provider offers 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. Terms of service are fair regardless of the provider and plan you choose, as most come with unlimited data and no contract terms, while some, like Verizon Fios and Starry, up the ante with free gear.
How CNET chose the best Internet providers in Boston
Internet providers are numerous and regional. Unlike the latest ones smartphone, laptop, router or kitchen toolsit is impractical to personally test every ISP in a given city. What is our approach? We begin by researching pricing, availability, and speed information based on our historical ISP data, provider sites, and mapping information from the Federal Communications Commission at FCC.gov.
It doesn’t end there: We go to the FCC website to check our data and make sure we’re considering every ISP that provides service in an area. We also enter local addresses into supplier websites to find specific options for residents. To gauge how satisfied customers are with an ISP’s service, we look at sources including the American Customer Satisfaction Index and JD Power. ISP plans and prices are subject to frequent change; All information provided is correct at the time of publication.
Once we have this localized information, we ask three main questions:
- Does the provider offer access to reasonably high internet speeds?
- Are customers getting decent value for what they are paying for?
- Are customers satisfied with their service?
While the answer to those questions is often layered and complex, the providers that come closest to saying yes to all three are the ones we recommend.
To explore our process in more detail, visit our page at how we test ISPs.
Frequently asked questions about internet in Boston
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 town, which means it’s the only provider that has upload speeds as fast as download speeds. Verizon Fios also comes with unlimited data, free equipment, and discounts for cell phone users.
What is the cheapest internet provider in Boston?
Astound is the cheapest ISP in Boston, offering plans starting at just $20 per month for 300 Mbps. Astound comes with a lot of hidden fees, so your price will likely be lower with Xfinity, which has plans starting at $30 per month.
Which internet provider in Boston offers the fastest plan?
Select neighborhoods can access speeds of up to 2,000 Mbps through Xfinity, but most of the city only has access to the provider’s 1,200 Mbps plan. Astound has the fastest download speeds in many parts of the city — up to 1,500 Mbps — but upload speeds only reach 20 Mbps.
Is fiber optic internet available in Boston?
Yes. Fiber Internet service is available to approximately 67% of Boston residents, according to the latest FCC data. Verizon Fios is the primary fiber 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 levels with the Astound and Xfinity, though the Astound is likely to 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, which means significantly lower upload speeds than download speeds and potentially slower overall during peak usage periods. Xfinity’s cable network has wider coverage in Boston, making it easy to purchase or transfer Xfinity’s Internet service when moving in or around Beantown.
Can I get free Wi-Fi in Boston?
Boston has Wicked Free Wi-Fi program, which is free Wi-Fi that the city offers to residents when they’re out and about. Not intended for use in homes or buildings.
