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Best Internet Providers in Houston, Texas

AT&T Fiber Best internet provider in Houston, TX
Speeds from 300 - 5,000 Mbps
Prices from $55 - $250 per Month
... Or call to learn more:
Xfinity Broadest coverage in Houston, TX
Speeds from 150 - 6,000 Mbps
Prices from $20 - $300 per Month
... Or call to learn more:
Verizon 5G Home Internet Best fixed wireless internet in Houston, TX
Speeds from 85 - 1,000 Mbps
Prices from $50 - $70 per Month
... Or call to learn more:

Article updated on March 19, 2024 at 5:00 AM PDT

Our Experts

Written by 
Trey Paul
CNET staff -- not advertisers, partners or business interests -- determine how we review the products and services we cover. If you buy through our links, we may get paid. Reviews ethics statement
Trey Paul Senior Editor
Trey Paul is a CNET senior editor covering broadband. His 20+ years of experience as a writer and editor include time at CNET's sister site, Allconnect, and working with clients like Yahoo!, Google, The New York Times and Choice Hotels. An avid movie fan, Trey's career also includes being a film and TV critic while pursuing a degree in New York.
Expertise Home internet and broadband, including plans, providers, internet speeds and connection types. Movies and film studies. Credentials
  • Master's degree in Cinema Studies from NYU and interviews with Conan O'Brien, Stan Lee and some of his biggest Star Trek childhood idols
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What is the best internet provider in Houston?

CNET's pick for the best internet service provider in Houston is AT&T Fiber, thanks to its symmetrical download and upload speeds, and high customer satisfaction scores. However, AT&T Fiber isn't available to everyone in H-Town, so Xfinity and Verizon 5G Home Internet are quality options, too.

If you're hunting for the lowest prices around or the fastest speeds available, we also have those top choices. The cheapest ISP in Houston is tied between Xfinity and Astound Broadband, both offering $20 plans. However, you'll be better off choosing Astound's service, which comes with a 300-megabit-per-second connection compared to Xfinity's 150Mbps.

The fastest internet speed in Houston is offered by both AT&T Fiber and Frontier Fiber. Each provider boasts 5 gigabits of symmetrical speed, costing $225 and $155, respectively.

Our methodology

CNET considers speeds, pricing, customer service and overall value to recommend the best internet service in Houston across several categories. Our evaluation includes referencing a proprietary database built over years of reviewing internet services. We validate that against provider information by spot-checking local addresses for service availability. We also do a close read of providers' terms and conditions and, when needed, will call ISPs to verify the details.

Despite our efforts to find the most recent and accurate information, our process has some limitations you should know about. Pricing and speed data are variable: Certain addresses may qualify for different service tiers, and monthly costs may vary, even within a city. The best way to identify your particular options is to plug your address into a provider's website. 

Also, the prices, speed and other information listed above and in the provider cards below may differ from what we found in our research. The cards display the full range of a provider's pricing and speed across the US, according to our database of plan information provided directly by ISPs. At the same time, the text is specific to what’s available in Houston. The prices referenced within this article's text come from our research and include applicable discounts for setting up automatic payments each month -- a standard industry offering. Other discounts and promotions might also be available for things like signing a term contract or bundling with multiple services. 

To learn more about how we review internet providers, visit our full methodology page.

Best internet in Houston, Texas

3 Internet providers
SORT BY
Product image
Connection
Fiber
Speed range
300 - 5,000 Mbps
Price range
$55 - $250 per month

AT&T Fiber

Best internet provider in Houston, TX

Our take - Longtime Houston residents are probably well aware that while AT&T internet services are prevalent in the area, availability for AT&T Fiber remains somewhat limited. In other parts of the company's coverage map, customers are left with AT&T Internet, a DSL service, as the only option. That DSL infrastructure is so outdated that AT&T publicly announced its goal of cutting its copper coverage in half by 2025. 

Read full review
... Or call to learn more:
Check with AT&T
Connection
Fiber
Speed range
300 - 5,000 Mbps
Price range
$55 - $250 per month
Show more details
Product image
Connection
Cable
Speed range
150 - 6,000 Mbps
Price range
$20 - $300 per month

Xfinity

Broadest coverage in Houston, TX

Our take - Comcast's broadband service is ubiquitous in the Houston metro area, which can be helpful if you're moving within the city and want to transfer your service rather than go through the rigmarole of setting up with a new provider. On top of that, Xfinity has earned high customer satisfaction marks in recent reports from J.D. Power and the American Customer Satisfaction Index.

Read full review
... Or call to learn more:
Check with Xfinity
Connection
Cable
Speed range
150 - 6,000 Mbps
Price range
$20 - $300 per month
Show more details
Product image
Connection
Fixed wireless
Speed range
85 - 1,000 Mbps
Price range
$50 - $70 per month

Verizon 5G Home Internet

Best fixed wireless internet in Houston, TX

Our take - Verizon has been pushing its 5G internet service, making some big noise when it unveiled its C-band frequency rollout for its Ultra Wideband network. It's part of the company's aim to provide a national broadband option beyond the limits of its highly regarded fiber service, Verizon Fios, which is limited to folks in the Northeast.

Read full review
... Or call to learn more:
Check with Verizon
Connection
Fixed wireless
Speed range
85 - 1,000 Mbps
Price range
$50 - $70 per month
Show more details

Houston internet providers compared

ProviderInternet technologyMonthly price rangeSpeed rangeMonthly equipment costsData capContractCNET review score
Astound Broadband
Read full review
Cable$20-$55300-1,500MbpsNoneNoneNone7
AT&T Home Internet
Read full review
DSL hybrid$55 10-100MbpsNone1.5TBNone7.4
AT&T Fiber
Read full review
Fiber$55-$225300-5,000MbpsNoneNoneNone7.4
Brightspeed DSL/Fiber$50-$5920-940Mbps$15 (optional)NoneNoneN/A
Frontier Communications
Read full review
DSL, Fiber$45-$155500-5,000MbpsNoneNoneNone6.3
Optimum Cable$40-$80300-940MbpsNoneNoneNone6.2
Spectrum
Read full review
Cable$50-$80300-1,000MbpsFree modem; $7 router (optional)NoneNone7.2
Tachus Fiber$65-$90300-1,000MbpsNoneNoneNoneN/A
T-Mobile Home Internet
Read full review
Fixed wireless$60 ($40 for eligible Go5G Plus and Magenta Max mobile customers)72-245MbpsNoneNoneNone7.4
Verizon 5G Home Internet
Read full review
Fixed wireless$50-$70 ($35-$45 with qualifying Verizon 5G mobile plans)50-1,000MbpsNoneNoneNone7.2
Xfinity
Read full review
Cable$20-$120150-2,000Mbps$15-$25 (optional)1.2TB1 year on some plans7
Show more (6 items)

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Other available internet providers in Houston

Beyond the three picks above, several other broadband choices exist in the Houston metro area. Some can be found only in small pockets of the city, while others are mainly located in the city suburbs. There are some compelling choices here, even though they're not as widely available.

  • Astound Broadband: This cable internet provider, known regionally as Grande, offers some of Houston's most competitive starting rates. Its starting price of $20 a month for a 300Mbps plan comes out to an affordable 6 cents per Mbps. By comparison, Xfinity's cheaper $20 per month plan features download speeds of only 150Mbps and therefore has a much higher cost per Mbps of 13 cents. The Astound 1500Mbps plan is also the cheapest in the city, starting at $55 per month. The rub is that Astound's price increases are some of the steepest in the industry.
  • Brightspeed: Somewhat similar to AT&T but without as deep a presence. You'll want to research this because, depending on your location, you may be dealing with DSL service (which can be as low as 20Mbps), or if you're in the Kingwood area, you might see the company's much more compelling fiber product.
  • Frontier Communications: Frontier has a scattered presence in the greater Houston area. You won't find it downtown, but you can get its DSL and fiber-optic service in the northeast outskirts of Baytown, Beach City, Cove and Crosby. You'll also find it in the southern portion of the metro area in League City and Sante Fe. If Frontier Fiber is available -- it features symmetrical plans of 500Mbps, 1Gbps, 2Gbps or 5Gbps speeds ranging from $50 to $155 per month -- it's a very appealing choice. But if Frontier DSL is your only option, try other alternatives.
  • Kinetic by Windstream: This DSL and fiber provider is available in just a few small pockets within the Houston city limits. Most of that availability is in the southern suburb of Sugar Land. You'll mostly deal with its DSL service rather than the faster fiber-optic plans.
  • Optimum: First off, I can imagine you might be confused. Suddenlink is the provider you're probably familiar with in the Houston area. However, its parent company, Altice USA, renamed it Optimum in 2022. In any case, Optimum service is scattered lightly throughout the metro area but has a heavier density north of the city in Conroe and Kingwood. This cable ISP is notable for its highly competitive starting rates, some of the most affordable in the area.
  • Spectrum: Charter Communications' ISP has some of the more customer-friendly, straightforward terms you'll find for cable internet service. There are no contracts, no data caps and a free modem rental included in your monthly price, ranging from $50 to $90. It also includes free access to Wi-Fi hotspots across the country. Spectrum service is available north of the city, mainly in Magnolia, Spring, Tomball and The Woodlands. 
  • Tachus: This local ISP, founded in 2018, is notable for its community presence and commitment to building 100% fiber-to-the-home networks within the greater Houston metropolitan area. It's now available to over 50,000 homes in Atascocita, Conroe, East Montgomery County, Kingwood, Magnolia, Oak Ridge County North and The Woodlands. There are three fiber plans -- 300Mbps, 600Mbps and 1Gbps -- ranging from $65 to $90 a month, with no data caps and no contracts. A modem rental is included in the monthly price, but you'll need to provide your own router or rent one for $6 per month.
  • T-Mobile Home Internet: T-Mobile uses its 5G and 4G LTE networks to power its fixed wireless home internet product, which is available to over 50 million homes nationwide and approximately 93% of residents in the greater Houston area. That said, check your address on the T-Mobile site to see if you're serviceable, though, since not all who haveT-Mobile cell service at home are eligible for the home internet service. In any case, it's an intriguing offering that includes installation fees, taxes and equipment rental under its $60-a-month fee, with no data caps or contracts.
Houston skyline at dawn
Getty Images

Cheap internet options in Houston

The average starting price for internet service in Houston is just over $46 a month, but a few providers offer plans cheaper than that.

Xfinity and Astound Broadband offer the lowest starting price in Houston. Xfinity's Connect plan (150Mbps) has a promo price of $20 for the first two years and then $50 a month after that. It's also widely available throughout the Houston metro area and the Bayou City burbs. However, Astound Broadband's $20 plan grants download speeds up to 300Mbps, which is double the speed of Xfinity's Connect plan and includes your equipment rental.

What's the cheapest internet plan in Houston?

ProviderStarting monthly priceMax download speedMonthly equipment fee
Astound Broadband 300
Read full review
$20 300MbpsNone
Xfinity Connect
Read full review
$20 150Mbps$15 (optional)
Optimum 300 $40 300MbpsNone
Frontier Fiber 500
Read full review
$50 500MbpsNone
Spectrum Internet
Read full review
$50 300Mbps$7 (optional)
Verizon 5G Home Internet
Read full review
$50 ($35 with eligible mobile plan)300MbpsNone
AT&T Fiber 300
Read full review
$55 300MbpsNone
Brightspeed Fiber $59 200Mbps$15 (optional)
T-Mobile Home Internet
Read full review
$60 ($40 with eligible mobile plan)245MbpsNone
Tachus 300 $65 300MbpsNone
Show more (5 items)

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

How to find internet deals and promotions in Houston

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

Houston internet providers, such as Xfinity, Astound Broadband, Spectrum and Optimum, may offer lower introductory pricing or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Many, including AT&T, Frontier and Verizon, run the same standard pricing year-round. 

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

How fast is Houston broadband?

Houston, we have a problem. Though it's one of the top five most populated metros in the US, H-Town couldn't crack the top 50 on Ookla's list of the country's fastest cities for broadband. 

Per the speed-testing site's most recent reporting, Houston managed to clock in at only No. 58. By contrast, its fellow Lone Star State cities of Austin, Corpus Christi, El Paso and San Antonio all placed in the top 15. Other Texas towns that placed higher on the speed chart -- adding insult to injury -- include Arlington, Fort Worth, Garland, Irving, Lubbock and Plano. Some small consolation: Houston finished well ahead of Dallas, which was in the bottom 5.

Still, some Houstonians will have access to the splashy 5Gbps plans unveiled by AT&T and Frontier in 2022, which cost $225 and $155 per month, respectively.

Fastest internet plans in Houston

ProviderStarting priceMax download speedMax upload speedData capConnection type
Frontier Fiber 5 Gig
Read full review
$155 5,000Mbps5,000MbpsNoneFiber
AT&T Fiber 5000
Read full review
$225 5,000Mbps5,000MbpsNoneFiber
AT&T Fiber 2000
Read full review
$125 2,000Mbps2,000MbpsNoneFiber
Frontier Fiber 2 Gig
Read full review
$100 2,000Mbps2,000MbpsNoneFiber
Xfinity Gigabit X2
Read full review
$120 2,000Mbps200Mbps1.2TBCable
Astound 1500
Read full review
$55 1,500Mbps50MbpsNoneCable
Xfinity Gigabit Extra
Read full review
$80 1,200Mbps35MbpsNoneCable
Astound Broadband 1000
Read full review
$45 1,000Mbps50MbpsNoneCable
AT&T Fiber 1000
Read full review
$80 1,000Mbps1,000MbpsNoneFiber
Frontier Fiber 1 Gig
Read full review
$70 1,000Mbps1,000MbpsNoneFiber
Spectrum Internet Gig
Read full review
$80 1,000Mbps35MbpsNoneCable
Tachus Gig $90 1,000Mbps1,000MbpsNoneFiber
Xfinity Gigabit
Read full review
$75 1,000Mbps20MbpsNoneCable
Brightspeed Fiber $59 940Mbps940MbpsNoneFiber
Optimum Gig $80 940Mbps50MbpsNoneCable
Show more (10 items)

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Internet providers in popular cities near Houston

See all results for internet providers in Texas.

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 Houston

Internet service providers are numerous and regional. Unlike the latest smartphone, laptop, router or kitchen tool, it’s impractical to personally test every ISP in a given city. So 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.

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 how we test ISPs page.

What's the final word on Houston internet providers?

Houston offers several high-speed internet choices. You can get hooked up with home internet from fast fiber options, including AT&T, Frontier and local internet service provider Tachus. You could hop online via cable connections from Optimum and Spectrum. You could join the 5G home internet movement by trying Verizon 5G Home Internet or T-Mobile Home Internet.

Comcast's cable internet offering of Xfinity has Houston covered with the most extensive availability across the metro area. But as we say in our CNET home internet reviews, a fiber internet connection outperforms cable almost every time. So, if you can access a fiber provider in the area -- including AT&T Fiber, Brightspeed Fiber, Consolidated Communications, Frontier Fiber or Tachus -- don't hesitate to sign on the virtual dotted line. 

Best internet providers in Houston FAQs

Which internet service provider has the most coverage in Houston?

More than a dozen different ISPs are in the greater Houston metro, including satellite internet providers like Hughesnet, Starlink and Viasat (all three are available to 100% of the area, according to the FCC). Besides those satellite providers, Xfinity covers the most extensive area. You can find Comcast's cable service as far as Conroe to the north, East Bernard to the west, Baytown to the east, and Freeport and Galveston to the south.

Show more

Is fiber internet available in Houston?

Yes. You can find fiber internet throughout H-Town. Houston's top fiber internet providers include AT&T Fiber, Brightspeed Fiber, Frontier Fiber and Tachus. It should also be noted that a small percentage of Xfinity locations are also eligible for fiber service, but it first requires a site survey to ascertain if the address is serviceable.

Show more

What internet provider has the fastest speeds in Houston?

The fastest internet speed you can currently get in Houston is 5Gbps (5,000Mbps), provided by AT&T Fiber and Frontier Fiber. Per Ookla's latest findings, the provider with the fastest average download speeds in Houston is AT&T, with a median download speed of approximately 257Mbps.

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Prefer to speak with an expert live? Call (833) 875-4492 for availability in your area.