Best Internet Providers in Salt Lake City, Utah
Around since the mid-1800s, Salt Lake City has a modern reputation for cultural and natural wonders, including some of the country's finest skiing spots. When you're not out enjoying the lake and mountains, you want your home internet provider to deliver a rock-solid connection and reliable high speeds to keep you streaming, gaming and browsing in style.
Salt Lake City doesn't have tons of options for home internet providers, but you'll find some big names in play, including Xfinity, CenturyLink, T-Mobile and Google. Google Fiber, our top pick, is known for its reliability and blazing speeds (up to an impressive 5 gigabits), and it's been expanding in Salt Lake, though it's not everywhere yet. The right ISP for you depends on availability, price and needs. Check out our recommendations for the best Salt Lake City internet providers.
Best internet providers in SLC
Our choice for the best overall Salt Lake City home internet provider is Google Fiber for its fast speeds and high customer satisfaction ranking. If it's not available at your address or if you're looking for a bargain, there are other solid options to choose from, including Xfinity, CenturyLink and relative newcomer T-Mobile Home Internet.
Note: The prices, speeds and features detailed in the article text may differ from those listed in the product detail cards, which represent providers’ national offerings. Your particular internet service options -- including prices and speeds -- depend on your address and may differ from those detailed here.
Google Fiber
Best overall among internet providers in Salt Lake
Product details
What's not to love about gigabit speeds? Google Fiber offers three tiers of service starting at 1 gigabit. The biggest drawback is that it might not be available to you (yet).
Availability: Google Fiber boasts that it added tens of thousands of new SLC addresses to its service area in 2022. If you haven't shopped around in a while, it's a good time to see if your place is now covered. The coverage area includes neighborhoods like Ballpark, Glendale, Central City, Capital Hill and Millcreek. It reaches north into the Greater Avenues neighborhood and south into Holladay. It's not just for houses. A slew of SLC apartment complexes is already set up for Google Fiber.
Plans and pricing: Google Fiber isn't the cheapest ISP out there. The 1-gigabit plan is $70 per month, the 2-gigabit plan is $100 and the top-level 5-gigabit plan is $125. They all include 1 terabyte of cloud storage and symmetrical download and upload speeds, meaning you can upload data as fast as you can download it, provided your internet equipment can handle it.
Fees and service details: Google Fiber keeps things simple. Equipment is included, you get unlimited data and there are no contracts.
CenturyLink
Best DSL among internet providers in SLC
Product details
Long-time internet provider CenturyLink offers DSL coverage across most of Salt Lake and has a fiber presence. Available DSL speeds vary greatly depending on your location, so run your address to find out what CenturyLink can offer you.
Availability: The State of Utah maintains a residential broadband map showing what services are available nationwide. CenturyLink shows pretty solid DSL coverage across the Salt Lake area, but switching the map to show fiber coverage makes it look much more like a patchwork quilt.
Plans and Pricing: CenturyLink's DSL monthly fees start at $50 for up to 100Mbps. Will you be able to get that speed? That's a maybe. In some locations, CenturyLink's speeds can be pretty pokey. If you're in luck and fiber is an option, that'll cost you $30 for up to 200Mbps or $70 for up to 940Mbps. Those price points put CenturyLink's fiber in contention with other providers. That lower-level deal looks especially good if you're considering something like T-Mobile Home Internet.
Fees and service details: Equipment charges may vary with special offers. For example, I found a CenturyLink deal for the 940Mbps fiber service, including a free modem lease with the $70 plan. Downgrading that to a $30-a-month 200Mbps plan came with the option to lease a modem for an additional $15, buy one outright for $200 or use my own compatible modem. Keep an eye out for deals for new customers.
T-Mobile Home Internet
Best 5G internet among ISPs in Salt Lake City
Product details
Prefer to go wireless? T-Mobile has rapidly expanded its wireless home internet service while touting its convenience, affordable pricing and no-hassle subscription. T-Mobile phone subscribers can also get a discounted internet rate, which makes it a tempting deal. Learn more about 5G home internet.
Availability: T-Mobile's coverage area includes most of Salt Lake City proper and extends into surrounding communities like Alpine and Bountiful. However, T-Mobile has been pacing the rollout of its home internet, so you'll need to check if it's currently available at your specific address.
Plans and pricing: No confusion here. T-Mobile Home Internet costs $50 per month if you sign up for AutoPay. Typical download speeds range from 33 to 182Mbps. That's a big swing because congestion (lots of people putting demand on the system) can slow things down.
Fees and service details: There are no equipment fees, data caps or contracts with T-Mobile Home Internet, but there is a $35 "assisted support or device connection charge" when you first sign up. Still, this is the sort of service you can test drive without worrying about losing a lot of cash.
Xfinity
Best cable provider in SLC
Product details
No fiber, no problem. Chances are good Comcast's Xfinity cable internet serves your area. You have a lot of different speed tiers to choose from, but the plans and pricing can be confusing.
Availability: One of Xfinity's big selling points is that it's available across almost all of Salt Lake. Fiber is nice, but for many residents, Xfinity may offer the fastest speeds at your location.
Plans and pricing: Xfinity often runs low-price introductory specials, but be aware when your deal runs out. At that point, you might want to shop around or negotiate your way back to a lower rate. For example, Xfinity offers a bargain-basement $20-a-month plan for 75Mbps speeds, but that requires a one-year contract, equipment isn't included and you must sign up for paperless billing and pay with a stored bank account. On the high end, you may be eligible for a $120-a-month 2-gigabit plan, but with similar equipment and discount caveats (minus the contract requirement).
Fees and service details: To get a full reading on your potential expenses, you'll need to check with Xfinity and run the numbers for your address. Let's say you want the fastest plan and unlimited data. One option is adding an xFi Gateway modem/router for an additional $25 a month to get an unlimited data perk and the gear rental.
Internet providers in Salt Lake City overview
| Provider | Internet technology | Monthly price range | Speed range | Monthly equipment costs | Data cap | Contract | CNET review score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CenturyLink | DSL/fiber | $30-$70 | 40-940Mbps | $15 (skippable) | None | None | 6.7 |
| Google Fiber | Fiber | $70-$125 | 1,000-5,000Mbps | None | None | None | 7.4 |
| Rise Broadband | Fixed wireless | $25-$55 | 25-50Mbps | $5-$15 | 250GB | None | 6.2 |
| T-Mobile Home Internet | Fixed wireless | $50 | 33-182Mbps | None | None | None | 7.4 |
| Verizon 5G Home Internet | Fixed wireless | $50-$70 | 85-1,000Mbps | None | None | None | 7.2 |
| Xfinity | Cable | $20-$120 | 75-2,000Mbps | $15 (skippable) | 1.2 TB | Varies | 7 |
All available Salt Lake City residential internet providers
- Rise Broadband: Rise is a fixed wireless provider specializing in rural areas. It counts Salt Lake among its coverage spots. Plans start at $25 (for up to 25 Mbps), with unlimited data costing an additional $20. Pricing goes up by $10 after the first 12 months. If you're in a more remote area with few internet options, check if Rise has you covered.
- Satellite internet: Salt Lake City is well-covered by multiple internet options ranging from cable to DSL to fiber to fixed wireless. However, some residents of the region might still consider satellite plans from Starlink, Viasat or HughesNet. It might make sense if you're in a rural or remote spot or if you travel and want the flexibility of taking a Starlink RV plan on the road.
- Verizon 5G Home Internet: Verizon offers fixed wireless home internet plans in some parts of Salt Lake City, but its 5G Home Internet service may be elusive. Some addresses qualify for slower $60-a-month ($50 with autopay) LTE plans with download speeds up to 50 Mbps, but that's unlikely to be your first choice if you have a better option.
Salt Lake internet pricing
There's a wide swing in pricing for home internet in Salt Lake City, ranging from as low as $20 per month to as high as $125. The average starting price works out to under $45.
Xfinity's $20 budget option won't blow you out of the salty water with its 75Mbps top speed, but it represents quite a bargain basement price. Google Fiber's $70 starting price may seem high at first glance, but the reliability and speed may be well worth it to anyone who is a heavy internet user. When price shopping, keep an eye on providers like Xfinity that may bump up prices after a certain amount of time.
Cheap internet options in the SLC metro area
Comcast's Xfinity service wins the battle for the lowest monthly price with its $20-a-month, 75Mbps option, but that comes with a year contract and doesn't include equipment. It's also fairly slow compared to more expensive plans. It could be a cheap way to connect if you already have a compatible modem and router.
But let's talk about value. Users with heavy streaming or gaming demands would do well to pay for the $70 intro price for fast fiber from Google Fiber or CenturyLink. If you like the idea of a stable fiber connection, but that price is too steep, then you can consider CenturyLink's $30 plan for 200Mbps if available.
Low-income households in SLC have access to resources that can help with the cost of home internet. The federal Affordable Connectivity Program may help get you connected to broadband at a good price. Here's how to know if you're eligible for the ACP. For example, the program can connect eligible users for free through Xfinity's Internet Essentials service.
What's the cheapest internet plan in Salt Lake City?
| Provider | Starting price | Max download speed | Monthly equipment fee | Contract |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity Connect | $20 | 75Mbps | $15 (skippable) | 1-year |
| Rise Broadband | $25 | 50Mbps | Router rental optional | None |
| CenturyLink/Quantum Fiber | $30 | 200Mbps | $15 (skippable) | None |
| T-Mobile Home Internet | $50 ($30 with eligible mobile plan) | 182Mbps | None | None |
| Verizon 5G Home Internet | $50 (50% off with eligible mobile plan) | 300Mbps | None | None |
| Google Fiber | $70 | 1,000Mbps | None | None |
Fastest internet providers in SLC
Ookla, the company that offers the popular Speedtest.net service, tracks internet speeds in Salt Lake City. Ookla's data shows the city's fixed internet download speeds are at a median of about 190Mbps. Your mileage will vary depending on your connection type, plan and equipment. If that sounds too slow, check into a speed-demon plan like Google Fiber's 5,000Mbps (better known as 5-gig) option.
There's one clear champion for blazing internet speeds in Salt Lake. Google Fiber's top-of-the-line 5-gig plan delivers the goods for $125. Yes, you pay for the privilege, but it's your best option if you need those zippy download and upload speeds. Here's our look at the best multi-gigabit internet plans. The sticking point is availability. If fiber doesn't reach your address, your next best bet is to go with one of Xfinity's faster plans. Just remember that Xfinity's upload speeds are considerably slower than a fiber connection will offer.
What are the fastest internet plans in Salt Lake City?
| Provider | Max download speed | Max upload speed | Starting price | Data cap | Contract |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Fiber | 5,000Mbps | 5,000Mbps | $125 | None | None |
| Google Fiber | 2,000Mbps | 2,000Mbps | $100 | None | None |
| Xfinity 2 Gigabit | 2,000Mbps | 35Mbps | $120 | 1.2 TB | None |
| Xfinity Gigabit Extra | 1,200Mbps | 35Mbps | $70 | 1.2 TB | None |
| Google Fiber | 1,000Mbps | 1,000Mbps | $70 | None | None |
| Xfinity Gigabit | 1,000Mbps | 35Mbps | $60 | 1.2 TB | None |
| CenturyLink/Quantum Fiber | 940Mbps | 940Mbps | $70 | None | None |
What's the final word on internet providers in Salt Lake City?
Salt Lake City won't overwhelm you with internet providers. There are the big stalwarts like Xfinity and CenturyLink, the rapidly expanding Google Fiber and the conveniently wireless T-Mobile Home Internet to choose from as your main options. Heavy internet users will love having a fiber connection, but Xfinity's low-cost options (sometimes with a few strings attached) can get you connected, no matter your budget.
How CNET chose the best internet providers in Salt Lake City
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’re considering every ISP that provides service in an area. We also input local addresses on provider websites to find specific options for residents. To evaluate how happy customers are with an ISP's service, we look at sources including the American Customer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Power. ISP plans and prices are subject to frequent changes; all information provided is accurate as of the time 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.
To explore our process in more depth, visit our How We Test ISPs page.
Internet providers in Salt Lake City FAQs
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