Best Internet Providers in New York, New York

What is the best internet provider in New York?

If you’re living in the city that never sleeps, you’ll need reliable internet. New York City has several internet service providers, but not all are worth your money. After hours of research and testing, CNET recommends Verizon Fios as the best internet service provider for most New Yorkers, thanks to its fast, symmetrical fiber-optic speeds and competitive pricing. New York City also boasts a variety of other top-tier providers, including Optimum, Astound Broadband and Spectrum, making it easy to find a plan that fits your needs and budget.

Optimum offers the fastest internet speeds in the city, with plans reaching up to 8,000Mbps in select areas, but at a premium price of $280 per month. For a more affordable option, Astound Broadband provides the cheapest plans among major providers, including a 1,500Mbps plan for just $55 per month — an excellent value for high-speed internet.

To help you decide, we’ve broken down the best internet providers in Manhattan. If you’re in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens or Staten Island, check out our specialized guides for internet options in those boroughs.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Other available internet providers in New York City

• Optimum: The second-largest cable internet provider in the greater New York City area, Optimum is available to much of Brooklyn and the Bronx but not Manhattan. Optimum speeds and pricing are comparable to Astound, including a gigabit plan starting at $60 per month. Optimum also employs a fiber network through much of New York City, with 100% fiber connections available to roughly 2.7 million households across the country.
• T-Mobile Home Internet: Like Verizon’s 5G home internet service, T-Mobile’s coverage area reaches a good portion of New York City, save for the dead zones between and inside tall buildings. Although the two are in a similar price range and share roughly the same service features, T-Mobile isn’t as fast as Verizon 5G, with maximum speeds ranging from 72 to 245Mbps. Verizon 5G covers more of the city overall than T-Mobile Home Internet, around 87% to T-Mobile’s 76% according to the latest data from the FCC.
• Skywire: Coverage is scattered throughout New York City and with limited availability in Midtown Manhattan, SoHo and Queens. You will find the most coverage in certain parts of Brooklyn. Skywire primarily uses a fixed wireless network, but fiber or DSL service may also be available at select addresses. Pricing and speeds will vary by location.
• Satellite internet: To truly cover all your internet options, satellite internet from Hughesnet and Viasat belong here. Technically, they are available, but there are too many other faster, cheaper and all-around better internet options in New York City to seriously consider satellite internet.

Cheap internet options in New York City

The average price for broadband in New York City is around $40, but there are a few cheaper options if you’re looking for more affordable home internet. Astound Broadband offers the cheapest plan in the city: 300Mbps starting at $20 a month.

What’s the cheapest internet plan in New York City?

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

How to find internet deals and promotions in New York City

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

New York City internet providers, such as Astound Broadband, Spectrum and Optimum, may offer lower introductory pricing or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Many providers, including Verizon Fios, 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 New York City broadband?

Ookla’s latest speed test data reports New York City ranks 56th for internet speed among the 100 most populous cities in the country. With median download speeds of 228Mbps and upload speeds of 32Mbps, NYC’s broadband is slightly faster than the state’s average speed of 226Mbps. (Disclosure: Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.)

If you’re looking for the speediest plan in New York City, Optimum offers speeds up to 8Gbps in select areas for $280 per month. Customers may also access Optimum’s other multi-gigabit offerings: 5- and 2-gigabit plans, for $100 and $80 per month, respectively. Elsewhere, Astound Broadband offers speeds up to 1.5Gbps for $55 per month and Verizon Fios tops out at 2Gbps for $120 monthly before auto pay or cellular incentives.

Fastest internet plans in New York City

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Internet providers in popular cities near NYC

See all results for internet providers in New York state

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 Federal Communications Commission. 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 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 New York City

Internet service providers are numerous. regional and often offer confusing plans or hidden fees. Unlike the latest smartphone, laptop, router or kitchen tool, it’s impractical to personally test every internet service provider in a given city. 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 input local addresses on provider websites to find specific options for residents and 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 answers to those questions are often layered and complex, the providers that 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, although 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 New York City?

NYC has a few reliable broadband options, but your best bet is any provider that offers fiber connection, like Verizon Fios. If fiber is unavailable in your area, other providers like Astound Broadband and Spectrum offer fast speeds and decent pricing as well.

Internet providers in New York City FAQ

Is Verizon Fios or Spectrum better?

Verizon Fios has an advantage over Spectrum thanks to its 100% fiber-optic network. You’ll get symmetrical or near-symmetrical download and upload speeds with Verizon Fios, whereas Spectrum’s maximum upload speeds fall far short of its download speeds. Both providers start at $50 monthly, though Spectrum increases that price by around $30 after one year and charges an equipment fee of $10 if you want to lease your router. As a cable internet provider, Spectrum is also a great choice for bundling internet and TV. 

In short, both providers have their pros and cons, but the fiber network that Verizon Fios offers makes it a better choice. In any case, it’s always a good idea to fully evaluate your home internet needs and the available options in your area before committing to a particular internet provider.

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