Best Internet Providers in Greenville, North Carolina
Our Experts
What is the best internet provider in Greenville?
Optimum is the best internet service provider for most households in Greenville. In addition to offering one of the fastest plans in the city, Optimum’s service includes unlimited data and no required contracts or equipment fees. If Optimum isn’t available at your address, Metronet and T-Mobile are solid picks that most Greenville residents can access.
If you're looking for the cheapest home broadband service, consider Metronet's 100 megabits per second plan, which costs only $30 monthly. Metronet also offers one of the fastest plans in Greenville, tied with Verizon 5G Home Internet, Spectrum and Optimum. The rates of these ISPs vary, but all offer speeds up to 1,000Mbps.
Our methodology
CNET considers speeds, pricing, customer service and overall value to recommend the best internet service in Greenville 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 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 Greenville. 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. Discounts and promotions might also be available for signing a term contract or bundling multiple services.
To learn more about how we review internet providers, visit our full methodology page.
Best internet in Greenville, North Carolina
Optimum
Best internet provider in Greenville, NC
Our take - With some of Greenville's cheapest and fastest broadband plans, this provider is an excellent choice for home internet, especially if you want to bundle your internet and television services. Optimum also offers internet under a fiber network to select Greenville households, but you'll probably only be serviceable for its cable ones.
Metronet
Best fiber internet in Greenville, NC
Our take - Although Brightspeed, Optimum and Pavlov Media have a small fiber presence in the city, Metronet has wider availability and will be your best bet for fiber internet.
T-Mobile Home Internet
Best fixed wireless in Greenville, NC
Our take - Using its 5G network, this popular mobile provider offers simple and flat-rate home internet. If your household doesn’t require too much speed, check out T-Mobile Home Internet.
Greenville internet providers compared
| Provider | Internet technology | Monthly price range | Speed range | Monthly equipment costs | Data cap | Contract | CNET review score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brightspeed | DSL/Fiber | $50 | 10-100Mbps | $15 (optional) | None | None | N/A |
|
Metronet Read full review | Fiber | $30-$60 | 100-1,000Mbps | None | None | 1 year | 6.9 |
|
Optimum Read full review | Cable/Fiber | $40-$60 | 300-1,000Mbps | None | None | None | 6.2 |
|
Spectrum Read full review | Cable | $50-$90 | 300-1,000Mbps | Modem free; $5 for router (optional) | None | None | 7.2 |
|
T-Mobile Home Internet Read full review | Fixed wireless | $50 ($30 for eligible Go5G Plus and Magenta Max mobile customers) | 72-245Mbps | None | None | None | 7.4 |
|
Verizon 5G Home Internet Read full review | Fixed wireless | $50-$70 ($35-$45 with qualifying Verizon 5G mobile plans) | 50-1,000Mbps | None | None | None | 7.2 |
Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
Other available internet providers in Greenville
- Brightspeed: About 72% of Greenville addresses can access Brightspeed's home broadband. While the ISP offers fiber internet to select households, availability is sparse, so you'll probably only be serviceable under its DSL network. If so, you'll pay less and see faster speeds by choosing a different provider.
- Pavlov Media: Available to less than 1% of Greenville residents, Pavlov Media is another fiber ISP in the area. However, it's most likely not an option for home internet since coverage is so low in Greenville.
- Satellite internet: Satellite internet from HughesNet, Viasat or Starlink is an option wherever you live. But it shouldn't be your first choice -- with high prices and slow speeds, cheaper and faster options are available.
- Spectrum: While you won't find much coverage from Spectrum directly in Greenville, households near Farmville can access this provider's service. If you want a cable provider besides Optimum, Spectrum is the only one you'll find within city limits.
- US Cellular: This popular mobile provider covers 92% of Greenville, so it will most likely be an option at your address. While speeds aren't listed on its website, US Cellular claims plans start at $50 monthly.
- Verizon 5G Home Internet: Similar to T-Mobile Home Internet, Verizon also offers broadband under its 5G network. Plans cost $50-$70 with speeds reaching up to 1,000Mbps, but eligible mobile customers can receive a $15 monthly discount.
What’s the cheapest internet plan in Greenville?
The average starting price for home broadband in Greenville is $45, but there are a couple of cheaper options if you want to pay the least monthly amount. Metronet offers the most affordable plan in the city, costing $30 per month for 100Mbps. Optimum also offers a plan under that $45 mark: $40 per month for 300Mbps speed.
Most providers we've mentioned also participate in the FCC's Affordable Connectivity Program, which gives eligible low-income households a $30 monthly discount (or up to $75 for households on tribal lands) for high-speed internet. You can use the ACP toward any internet plan -- not just the cheapest ones -- from participating providers.
Cheap internet options in Greenville
| Provider | Starting price | Max download speed | Monthly equipment fee |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Metronet 100Mbps Read full review | $30 | 100Mbps | None |
|
Optimum 300Mbps Read full review | $40 | 300Mbps | None |
| Brightspeed Fast | $50 | 100Mbps | $15 (optional) |
|
Spectrum Internet Read full review | $50 | 300Mbps | $5 (optional) |
|
T-Mobile Home Internet Read full review | $50 ($30 with eligible mobile plan) | 245Mbps | None |
|
Verizon 5G Home Read full review | $50 ($35 with eligible mobile plan) | 300Mbps | None |
Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
How to find internet deals and promotions in Greenville
The best internet deals and top promotions in Greenville depend on the discounts available during that period. Most deals are short-lived, but we look frequently for the latest offers.
Greenville internet providers, such as Metronet, Optimum and Spectrum, may offer lower introductory pricing or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Many, however, including T-Mobile, Brightspeed and Verizon, run the same standard pricing year-round.
For a more extensive list of promotions, check out our guide on the best internet deals.
Photo by CRobertson/Getty Images
How fast is Greenville broadband?
Greenville’s median download speed is about 252Mbps, which is pretty fast for home internet. However, if you’re searching for faster speeds than that, multiple providers offer up to a gigabit of speed for reasonable prices.
Metronet, Verizon, Spectrum and Optimum all tie for the fastest plan in Greenville, each promising speeds up to 1,000Mbps. Metronet will be your best option since it offers symmetrical download and upload speeds with no data caps or monthly equipment fees.
Fastest internet plans in Greenville
| Provider | Starting price | Max download speed | Max upload speed | Data cap | Connection type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Metronet 1 Gigabit Read full review | $60 | 1,000Mbps | 1,000Mbps | None | Fiber |
|
Verizon 5G Home Plus Read full review | $70 ($45 with eligible mobile plan) | 1,000Mbps | 75Mbps | None | Fixed wireless |
|
Spectrum Internet Gig Read full review | $90 | 1,000Mbps | 35Mbps | None | Cable |
|
Optimum 1 Gig Read full review | $60 | 940Mbps | 35Mbps | None | Cable |
Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
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 and 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 Greenville
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.
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 internet providers in Greenville?
If you’re living in Greenville and searching for home broadband, your best bet will be Optimum’s cable service. Although Metronet offers the best fiber internet in the city, less than half of residents can access it. Optimum has much wider coverage than Metronet, and its plans come with unlimited data and no monthly equipment costs. But if Optimum isn’t available at your location, Metronet should be your next pick.
Internet providers in Greenville FAQs
Who is the cheapest internet provider in Greenville?
The cheapest plan in the city is Metronet’s 100Mbps plan, which costs $30 per month and includes no data caps or monthly equipment fees. Optimum also offers one of the cheapest plans in Greenville: $40 for 300Mbps of speed. However, if you’re an eligible T-Mobile or Verizon customer, you can receive a $15-$20 discount for T-Mobile Home Internet or Verizon 5G Home Internet.
Which internet provider in Greenville offers the fastest plan?
Multi-gigabit speeds won't be found in Greenville, but a few providers offer 1,000Mbps plans. Optimum, Metronet, Spectrum and Verizon 5G Home Internet all offer gigabit plans, so you have a few options to choose from, depending on what's available at your address.
Is fiber internet available in Greenville?
Yes. Metronet is Greenville’s best fiber provider with the largest coverage, but Brightspeed, Optimum and Pavlov Media also offer internet plans under a fiber network to select households.
What internet provider has the best coverage in Greenville?
Optimum has the best coverage in the area, providing service to 89% of Greenville residents.
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