Best Internet Providers in Brooklyn, New York

What is the best internet provider in Brooklyn?

For most Brooklyn households, the best internet service provider will be Verizon Fios. In addition to offering near-symmetrical speeds, Verizon Fios is known for quality customer care and simple service terms. Optimum and Spectrum are also good choices for cable internet, and your Brooklyn address may be serviceable for other ISPs such as T-Mobile or Starry.

We've also found the lowest prices and fastest speeds to help make your broadband shopping easier. The most affordable internet plan in Brooklyn is Astound Broadband's 300 megabits per second plan, which costs $20 monthly and includes unlimited data. Optimum wins by a landslide for the speediest plan in the city, offering 8 gigabits per second -- or 8,000Mbps -- for $280 per month.

Best internet in Brooklyn, New York

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Other available internet providers in Brooklyn

Astound: Formerly known as RCN, Astound gives Optimum a run for its money for the cheapest internet provider in the area, with plans starting at $20 per month. However, service is limited to select blocks in Downtown Brooklyn and Coney Island. There's also a steep, steep price increase down the road.

T-Mobile Home Internet: The arrival of 5G and its use for home internet is exciting, but the availability of cable, fiber and fixed wireless throughout Brooklyn makes T-Mobile's $60 plan with speeds of 72-245Mbps a little less enticing. But if you're interested, T-Mobile home internet is available in random spots throughout Brooklyn.

Xchange Telecom: Mainly a fixed wireless provider with some DSL and fiber mixed in, Xchange Telecom is specific to the New York metropolitan area, with service covering much of Brooklyn north of Kings Highway. Speeds up to 1,000Mbps are available, according to the FCC, but actual speeds and pricing will vary based on your location and the available connection type.

Satellite internet: No local list of internet providers would be complete without mentioning Hughesnet and Viasat. Yes, they are probably available at your address, but slow speeds, high prices and restrictive data caps would make satellite internet an absolute last resort for internet in Brooklyn. You'd be better off rolling the dice with Xchange Telecom.

Cheap internet options in Brooklyn

Excluding some of the impractical (and often expensive) internet options like satellite service, the average starting price for internet in Brooklyn is around $42 per month. That's lower than many areas, but Astound's cheap $20-per-month plan and Starry Connect's $15-per-month plan are the main factors bringing the average down. Otherwise, expect the cheapest internet plans to run you between $40 and $50 monthly, plus taxes and fees.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

How to find internet deals and promotions in Brooklyn

The best internet deals and top promotions in Brooklyn depend on what discounts are available during that time. Most deals are short-lived, but we look frequently for the latest offers. 

Brooklyn internet providers, such as Optimum, Spectrum and Astound Broadband, may offer lower introductory pricing or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Many, however, including Verizon and Starry, run the same standard pricing year-round. 

For a more extensive list of promotions, check out our guide on the best internet deals. 

How fast is Brooklyn broadband?

Brooklyn's internet speeds are just below the New York state average, ringing in with a median download speed of 225Mbps versus the Empire State's average of 228Mbps. Remember that these are averages and not necessarily indicators of what speeds to expect from your ISP. However, multiple providers can offer plans with speeds faster than Brooklyn's average.

The fastest speed you'll find in the city is 8,000Mbps, which is offered by Optimum for $280 per month. Providers such as Verizon, Starry, Astound and Spectrum also offer gigabit speeds if Optimum isn't available at your address.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

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What’s a good internet speed?

Most internet connection plans can now handle basic productivity and communication tasks. If you're looking for an internet plan that can accommodate videoconferencing, streaming video or gaming, you'll have a better experience with a more robust connection. Here's an overview of the recommended minimum download speeds for various applications, according to the FCC. Note that these are only guidelines -- and that internet speed, service and performance vary by connection type, provider and address.

For more information, refer to our guide on how much internet speed you really need.

• 0 to 5Mbps allows you to tackle the basics -- browsing the internet, sending and receiving email, streaming low-quality video.
• 5 to 40Mbps gives you higher-quality video streaming and videoconferencing.
• 40 to 100Mbps should give one user sufficient bandwidth to satisfy the demands of modern telecommuting, video streaming and online gaming. 
• 100 to 500Mbps allows one to two users to simultaneously engage in high-bandwidth activities like videoconferencing, streaming and online gaming. 
• 500 to 1,000Mbps allows three or more users to engage in high-bandwidth activities at the same time.

How CNET chose the best internet providers in Brooklyn

Internet service providers are numerous and regional. Unlike the latest smartphone, laptop, router or kitchen tool, it's impractical to personally test every internet service provider in a given city. So what's our approach? For starters, we tap into a proprietary database of pricing, availability and speed information that draws from our own historical ISP data, partner data and mapping information from the Federal Communications Commission at FCC.gov. 

But 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 input local addresses on provider websites to find specific options for residents. 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; all information provided is accurate as of publication. 

Once we have this localized information, we ask three main questions: 

• 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. When selecting the cheapest internet service, we look for the plans with the lowest monthly fee, though 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 consider real-world speed data from sources like Ookla and FCC reports.

To explore our process in more depth, visit our page on how we test ISPs.

What’s the final word on internet providers in Brooklyn?

Regardless of where you live in Brooklyn, you'll be able to get home internet. The city has many providers offering wide coverage, including Verizon, Optimum and Spectrum. While cable providers may offer the best deals for bundling your internet and TV services, fiber-optic ISPs, such as Verizon Fios, offer symmetrical speeds that minimize lag and delay.

Internet providers in Brooklyn FAQ