Best Internet Providers in Salt Lake City, Utah
Our Experts
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 internet provider in Salt Lake City, UT
Our take - 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).
CenturyLink
Best DSL internet in Salt Lake City, UT
Our take - 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.
T-Mobile Home Internet
Best 5G internet in Salt Lake City, UT
Our take - 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.
Xfinity
Best cable internet provider in Salt Lake City, UT
Our take - 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.
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 Read full review | DSL/fiber | $30-$70 | 40-940Mbps | $15 (skippable) | None | None | 6.7 |
|
Google Fiber Read full review | Fiber | $70-$125 | 1,000-5,000Mbps | None | None | None | 7.4 |
|
Rise Broadband Read full review | Fixed wireless | $25-$55 | 25-50Mbps | $5-$15 | 250GB | None | 6.2 |
|
T-Mobile Home Internet Read full review | Fixed wireless | $50 | 33-182Mbps | None | None | None | 7.4 |
|
Verizon 5G Home Internet Read full review | Fixed wireless | $50-$70 | 85-1,000Mbps | None | None | None | 7.2 |
|
Xfinity Read full review | 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 Read full review | $20 | 75Mbps | $15 (skippable) | 1-year |
|
Rise Broadband Read full review | $25 | 50Mbps | Router rental optional | None |
| CenturyLink/Quantum Fiber | $30 | 200Mbps | $15 (skippable) | None |
|
T-Mobile Home Internet Read full review | $50 ($30 with eligible mobile plan) | 182Mbps | None | None |
|
Verizon 5G Home Internet Read full review | $50 (50% off with eligible mobile plan) | 300Mbps | None | None |
|
Google Fiber Read full review | $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 Read full review | 5,000Mbps | 5,000Mbps | $125 | None | None |
|
Google Fiber Read full review | 2,000Mbps | 2,000Mbps | $100 | None | None |
|
Xfinity 2 Gigabit Read full review | 2,000Mbps | 35Mbps | $120 | 1.2 TB | None |
|
Xfinity Gigabit Extra Read full review | 1,200Mbps | 35Mbps | $70 | 1.2 TB | None |
|
Google Fiber Read full review | 1,000Mbps | 1,000Mbps | $70 | None | None |
|
Xfinity Gigabit Read full review | 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
Is fiber internet available in Salt Lake City?
Yes. Google Fiber and CenturyLink (also known as Quantum Fiber in some areas) offer fiber in Salt Lake City, but they don't cover every address. Google, in particular, is working hard to expand its fiber reach across the city. Many large apartment complexes are set up and ready for residents to connect to Google's service. CenturyLink's residential fiber speed options don't get as high as Google's, but it can still be a reasonable option if the service is available at your address.
Who is the cheapest internet provider in Salt Lake City?
Getting home internet doesn't mean breaking the bank in Salt Lake City. Xfinity's wide coverage area and variety of plans (starting as low as $20 a month) can get you hooked up for a reasonable price so long as you're mindful of contract terms and equipment costs. Eligible low-income households can look to the Affordable Connectivity Program to help out.
Which internet provider in Salt Lake City offers the fastest plan?
This is an easy one to answer: Google Fiber. The 5,000Mbps plan tops the list for pure speed, both download and upload. It comes at a premium $125-a-month price, and you'll have to check your address to see if it's available at your location.
Is Xfinity or CenturyLink better?
The ISPs with the widest reach across Salt Lake City are Xfinity and CenturyLink. This is mainly a battle between cable and DSL, though CenturyLink offers fiber in some city areas. Here's how CenturyLink and Xfinity stack up against each other. CenturyLink's DSL speeds in the Salt Lake metro area can be very variable, which might push you to Xfinity as a faster option. Your best bet is to run your address through each company and compare speeds and prices.
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