What is the best internet provider in Asheville, North Carolina?
CNET’s top choice for internet in Asheville is AT&T Fiber,which offers the fastest speeds in the city, along with symmetrical upload and download speeds and a wide range of plans. Prices start at $55 and go up to $245 per month for speeds up to 5,000Mbps, making it an easy pick if fiber is available at your address.
If AT&T Fiber isn’t in your neighborhood, Spectrum is a solid alternative, with strong speeds and reliable service. Many homes in Asheville also have the option of 5G home internet from T-Mobile or Verizon, which can be a great value if you bundle it with an eligible phone plan.
For those looking to save, T-Mobile and Verizon’s 5G bundles bring monthly internet rates as low as $35 monthly. But for sheer speed, nothing beats AT&T’s 5,000Mbps fiber plan.
CNET considers speeds, pricing, customer service and overall value to recommend the best internet service in Asheville, North Carolina 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 U.S., according to our database of plan information provided directly by ISPs. At the same time, the text is specific to what’s available in Ashville, North Carolina. 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.
Top Asheville internet providers compared
| Providers | Internet technology | Month price range | Speed range (Mbps) | Monthly equipment fee | Data cap | Contract | CNET review score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AT&T Read full review |
DSL, fiber | $55-$245 | 10-100 DSL, 300-5,000 fiber | None | None | None | 7.4 |
| Verizon 5G Home Internet Read full review |
Fixed wireless | $50-$70 ($35-$45 with eligible phone plans) | 50-1,000 | None | None | None | 7.2 |
| T-Mobile Home Internet Read full review |
Fixed wireless | $50-$70 ($35-$55 with eligible phone plan) | 72-245 | None | None | None | 7.4 |
| Hughesnet Read full review |
Satellite | $50-$65 | 100-200 | $15 monthly or $300 upfront | None, 100-200GB Priority Data | None | 6 |
| Starlink Read full review |
Low-orbit satellite | $120 | 20-200 | $349 purchase fee | None | None | 6.5 |
| Viasat Read full review |
Satellite | $120 | 25-150 | $15 monthly or $250 upfront | None | None | 6.1 |
| Spectrum Read full review |
Cable | $30-$50 | 100-1,000 | $10 (optional) | None | None | 7.2 |
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Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
Other available Asheville internet providers
AT&T Fiber and Spectrum Cable Internet are your best options for efficient broadband speeds at reasonable prices. Residents can turn to fixed wireless providers or satellite internet if need be, hopefully only as a last resort. Here are your other internet provider options in Asheville:
- US Cellular: Like T-Mobile, this cellular provider offers fixed internet service that starts at $40 per month and covers roughly 85% of households in Asheville. US Cellular doesn’t charge for exceeding a data threshold but the company will slow your speeds after you use your monthly allotment of 600GB.
- Carolina West Wireless: Another fixed wireless provider, Carolina West, uses its (much smaller) cellular network to provide home internet to about 72% of households in the Asheville area.
- Skyrunner: Available to more than 94% of Asheville residents, Skyrunner offers fixed wireless plans that are more expensive than T-Mobile’s. The company also charges hefty installation fees and imposes data caps on some service plans.
- Satellite internet: Satellite internet is typically a last resort. The drawbacks include lengthy contracts, slow speeds, high upfront costs for equipment, low data caps and high latency. Starlink, Hughesnet and Viasat are the major satellite providers in the country.
Cheap internet options in Asheville
Spectrum’s 500Mpbs cable plan, at $40 per month, is slightly cheaper than the entry-level AT&T Fiber plan, which costs $55 per month. You can get an even cheaper monthly price if you bundle home internet service with an eligible cell phone plan with T-Mobile or Verizon.
Skyrunner, a local fixed wireless provider with select fiber options, offers a rate of $45 per month for their standard plan with download speeds of 5Mbps. Although Skyrunner’s price may seem reasonable compared to the likes of AT&T and Spectrum, this standard tier comes out to around $4 per Mbps.
You’ll find better value and higher speeds from Spectrum’s introductory tier of 500Mbps at $40 per month, which comes out to 10 cents per Mbps. Keep in mind that Spectrum’s introductory prices will increase by $30 after the first 12 months.
Cheapest internet plans in Asheville
| Provider | Starting price | Max download speed | Monthly equipment fee | Contract |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spectrum Internet Premier Read full review |
$40 ($80 after 12 months) | 500Mbps | $10 (optional) | None |
| Spectrum Internet Advantage Read full review |
$30 | 100Mbps | $10 (optional) | None |
| AT&T Fiber Read full review |
$55 | 300Mbps | None | None |
| T-Mobile Home Internet Read full review |
$50 ($35 with eligible mobile plans) | 245Mbps | None | None |
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Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
How fast is Asheville broadband?
AT&T is the one provider that offers fiber to a significant percentage of households in the area. Spectrum’s cable service tops out at 1,000Mbps — not as fast as AT&T’s top-tier plans, but plenty fast for most households.
Fastest internet plans in Asheville
| Provider | Max download speed | Max upload speed | Starting price | Data cap | Contract |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AT&T Fiber 5000 Read full review |
5,000Mbps | 5,000Mbps | $245 | None | None |
| AT&T Fiber 2000 Read full review |
2,000Mbps | 2,000Mbps | $145 | None | None |
| AT&T Fiber 1000 Read full review |
1,000Mbps | 1,000Mbps | $80 | None | None |
| Spectrum Internet Gig Read full review |
1,000Mbps | 35Mbps | $50 ($100 after 12 months) | None | None |
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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 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 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 Asheville
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. What’s our approach? For starters, we tap into a proprietary pricing, availability and speed database that draws from our own historical ISP data, partner data and mapping information from the Federal Communications Commission at FCC.gov.
Because our database is not exhaustive, we go to the FCC’s website to check the primary data for ourselves and make sure we’re considering every ISP that provides service in an area. Plans and prices also vary by location, so we input local addresses on provider websites to find the specific options available to 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 our prepublication fact-check.
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. (Disclosure: Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.)
To explore our process in more depth, visit our how we test ISPs page.
What’s the final word on internet providers in Asheville?
Choosing an internet provider in Asheville is pretty straightforward: If your household is eligible for AT&T Fiber, that’s what you want. Its symmetrical 1Gbps service, at $80 per month, will strike the right balance between speed and price for most households. Otherwise, Spectrum’s cable internet service is the best alternative, with speeds between 100Mbps to 1Gbps starting at $30 to $50 monthly, respectively.
Internet providers in Asheville FAQS
Which is the best internet service provider in Asheville?
AT&T is the best internet service provider in Asheville — but only if you’re eligible for the company’s fiber service. Otherwise, Spectrum is your best option, with speeds of up to 1,000Mbps for $50 per month for the first year. Finally, as a last resort, there’s T-Mobile, which offers 5G home internet with speeds ranging from 72 to 245Mbps for $50-$70 per month, but via a fixed wireless connection that’s less robust or reliable than cable or fiber.
Which is the cheapest internet provider in Asheville?
Starting at $30 per month, Spectrum’s 100Mbps cable internet plan is the most cost-efficient option in the area unless you qualify for one of T-Mobile or Verizon’s cellular bundles. Local providers, like Skyrunner, offer plans that start at $45 but for much slower broadband speeds. AT&T’s cheapest fiber plan is only $5 more than Spectrum at $55 monthly.
Is fiber internet available in Asheville?
Yes, fiber internet is available in about 44% of Asheville homes. AT&T Fiber is the only provider with a significant fiber footprint in the area. Coverage varies throughout the region, but there are higher levels of availability in the Erskine-Walton, Morningside Park and Oakley neighborhoods.
Which internet provider in Asheville offers the fastest plan?
The fastest internet provider in Asheville is AT&T, which offers fiber internet with download and upload speeds up to 5,000Mbps. If fiber isn’t available at your address, the fastest internet plan in Asheville is 1,000Mbps.
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