The Fastest Internet Providers

Not surprisingly, most of these providers offer fiber internet service. Fiber networks facilitate quick upload speeds, not just quick download speeds, which helps bring up a provider’s overall speed score.

It’s a little surprising that Xfinity not only made the list but ranked above some fiber options. Xfinity isn’t a fiber provider, but it’s one of the only internet services you see almost everywhere in the US. This breadth of experience has likely helped Xfinity perfect the speeds of its cable network.

To determine the fastest internet providers, we looked at results from 58,740 tests conducted on the Reviews.org speed test between December 1, 2022 and December 1, 2023.

The overall speed score is Reviews.org’s way of calculating the fastest speeds for internet providers. To determine the score, we combined 90% of a provider’s average download speed with 10% of its average upload speed. We then arranged the results from fastest to slowest, and Google Fiber came out on top. View our Methodology section to learn more.

You need internet speeds of at least 100Mbps to comfortably handle most tasks.

A lot of internet providers offer super speedy plans. This article includes internet plans that reach the hyper-quick download and upload speeds of 8,000Mbps. That’s a lot—in fact, it’s faster than what most internet users need.

Typically, a plan with 1,000Mbps download speeds or faster is only necessary if you’re a content creator, if you use a comically large number of connected devices, or if you share your Wi-Fi with a very large number of people—think 10 or more.

A 400–500Mbps download speed is plenty for an average household to stream, game, install security cameras, and use other connected devices.

On the other hand, it’s common to get internet speeds that don’t reach the maximum bandwidth advertised by your internet provider (more on that below). So it might not hurt to sign up for a faster internet speed if you really need a reliable connection.

You might wonder how we picked our fastest ISPs, especially since there are other providers out there with faster advertised speeds.

For reference, here are the advertised speeds of our top picks for this piece.

And below are the actual speeds (as detected by our speed test).

Why are the actual speeds so much slower than the advertised speeds? Are internet providers dishonest? No, not really. The true explanation is a little more complicated.

Internet providers advertise the speeds that their networks are capable of, but there is no guarantee you can reach those speeds. Often, the speeds you get fall short of the maximum possible bandwidth due to a range of factors that can impact how fast your internet actually is:

• Equipment: Your router may have trouble delivering the bandwidth your provider is capable of. Also, your phone or computer may have a limit on the speeds it can access.
• Wi-Fi: You likely experience slower speeds through your router’s Wi-Fi connection compared to a wired Ethernet connection.
• Peak hours: You may sometimes experience a routine slowdown as other internet users living in your neighborhood use the same service as yours. This used to be widely common on cable internet and is likely common now on 5G home internet.
• Network overload: You could have too many devices signed onto your Wi-Fi at the same time.
• Weather: Wind, rain, and snow have an especially bad effect on wireless connections, like fixed wireless and 5G home internet.

You don’t need to worry if your tested internet speeds run slower than your max speeds—that’s a common occurrence across all internet connections. Still, if your service consistently gets speeds lower than what you pay for, consider moving to a provider that meets the minimum speeds they promise.

Tech enthusiasts act as if Google Fiber is all that and a bag of chips, and it kinda is. With a 201.10 speed score, Google Fiber delivers the fastest tested speeds of all the providers we tested.

Our speed test results for Google Fiber don’t show anyone reaching 8,000Mbps, the max Google Fiber offers. Even though the provider specializes in gigabit plans, most Google Fiber customers who used our speed test got much lower average speeds—suggesting that many of them still are on slower plans that were available before Google Fiber went full gigabit.

It’s possible that no one with an 8,000Mbps plan has used our speed test. The 8Gbps plan has been around for less than a year, and the high price makes it an impractical pick for many. Indeed, very few households need even a gig for their home internet, let alone eight of them.

Either way, the max test result in our database is a 1,851.742Mbps download speed from a Google Fiber user in Austin, Texas. Impressive.

Google Fiber is not only fast, but it also uniquely offers gigabit and multi-gig plans only. Plans start at $70 a month for 1,000Mbps and go up to $150 for 8,000. You can get solid internet for slower speeds than that from other providers, but if you want 1,000Mbps, then $70 is a reasonable price.

There are also some nifty perks with Google Fiber’s internet service, like no data caps, no contracts, and no installation or equipment fees. Every Google Fiber plan also includes symmetrical internet so you can smoothly download and upload content.

The biggest drawback to Google Fiber is its lack of availability. You can find the service mainly in tech industry-heavy areas like Seattle, the Bay Area, North Carolina’s Triangle, and Silicon Slopes in northern Utah (home of Reviews.org).

Metronet is the second-fastest provider on our list. It has a 174.21 speed score due to its surprisingly high speed test results.

Our database shows about 22% of Metronet scores are in the 300–900Mbps download range, with an overall speed score of 174.21. For a provider whose fastest plan tops out at 1,000Mbps, that’s excellent. We do want to note, though, that it’s possible many of those users have business internet plans through Metronet, which deliver faster speeds.

This Indiana-based provider is not as well known as some of its competitors, but it’s a surprisingly good fiber service for not that much money.

Mostly available in the Midwest, South, and East Coast, Metronet relies on a FTTH (fiber to the home) network that gives customers a direct fiber-optic connection without any coaxial cable or DSL copper wiring making up the “last mile.” Like Google Fiber, the service delivers symmetrical speeds and has no data limits, though some service fees apply.

If you want to get on the Metronet train but don’t need gigabit speeds, you can also look at the 100Mbps and 500Mbps plans. Then, if you want to upgrade in the future, you can sign up for a higher-tier option.

Xfinity comes in third with a 166.05 speed score. It’s one of the most widely available high-speed internet options in the country, accessible in 41 states to more than 120 million Wi-Fi users.

We have a lot of test results for the service—in fact, more than half of our results for the past year were from Xfinity customers. Many of those download results fall in the range of 300Mbps to 900Mbps, but, as with all internet providers, the overall average download speed is still much lower, at just 164.2Mbps. Still, Xfinity’s keen speeds earn its spot on our list.

Xfinity is much more widely available nationwide than Google Fiber and Metronet. Also, while Google Fiber and Metronet offer fiber plans, Xfinity specializes in cable internet, which is usually slower but only because it can’t deliver symmetrical upload speeds. The cable network may be one reason Xfinity plans run cheaper than its competitors: its  gigabit service is about $5 less than most other 1,000Mbps plans. That may not sound like a lot, but it adds up to $60 a year, which could get you six months of Xbox Gold Live instead.

Verizon stands out because its speed data includes both its wireless 5G internet service and its rapid-fire Fios service, which runs over a fiber-optic network. A third of Verizon’s test results clock between 200Mbps and 900Mbps, and most of the other results come in under 200Mbps.

Verizon’s relatively new 5G Home Internet service uses the provider’s cellular network to bring wireless internet straight to your home. Without a phone and internet bundle, its prices are similar to fiber services. But with the bundle, you get a $25 monthly discount.

All Verizon 5G internet plans include unlimited data, and there are no contracts or fees for installation or equipment. The upload speeds are much slower than a fiber service’s, but the gig plans offer about twice the upload speed most households require.

Verizon Fios, the fiber service, runs a bit more expensive than both its 5G option and its competitors. Fios offers unlimited data and symmetrical internet options for fast media uploads. There are no contracts and no mandatory fees, and you can save on installation fees by opting for the self-install kit.

Last but not least on our speed tour comes Optimum, with an overall speed score of 153.54.

Our speed test results for Optimum show about half the download speeds in the area of 100Mbps–700Mbps. While that’s a far cry from Optimum’s advertised top speeds, the average of all the speed results put the provider squarely in the top five.

Like Xfinity, Optimum offers both cable and fiber options. Fiber’s a good fit for most households, but if it’s not available where you live, the cable option is an excellent alternative.

Optimum offers some amazing prices (especially for its 500Mbps Fiber Internet plan), but those prices are introductory and increase significantly after a year. Available mostly in the Northeast, Optimum requires no contracts and imposes no data limits. But be aware of its many fees: You pay extra for installation and basic equipment rental. There are also fees for late payments and any additional equipment you want.

• Google Fiber is the fastest internet provider. For being a premium, somewhat exclusive service, it’s surprisingly affordable.
• Lesser-known Metronet is the second-fastest provider and offers a variety of speeds, including slower options.
• Xfinity comes in third and is the only provider on our list with a widespread network.
• Verizon lays its claim to fourth-fastest spot with not one but two internet networks (5G and Fios).
• Optimum takes fifth place and has some impressively low promotional prices (although it’s nowhere as good of a deal once they run out).