AT&T Fiber – Greatest fiber web supplier total
Costs from $55 – $180 per thirty days
Speeds from 300 – 5,000Mbps
Limitless information
CenturyLink – Greatest fiber web protection
Costs from $30 – $70 per thirty days
Speeds from 200 – 940Mbps
Limitless information
Frontier Fiber – Greatest low-cost fiber plan
Costs from $50 – $155 per thirty days
Speeds from 500 – 5,000Mbps
Limitless information
Examine with Frontier Fiber
Google Fiber – Greatest fiber web gig plans
Costs from $70 – $100 per thirty days
Speeds from 1,000 – 2,000Mbps
Limitless information
Examine with Gigabit Fiber Optic Web
Verizon Fios – Greatest signup bonuses
Costs from $50 – $120 per thirty days
Speeds from 300 – 2,000Mbps
Limitless information
Windstream Kinetic – Greatest for fiber in rural areas
Costs from $40 – $70 per thirty days
Speeds from 100 – 1,000Mbps
Limitless information
Examine with Kinetic Web
Ziply Fiber – Quickest fiber web supplier
Costs from $20 – $300 per thirty days
Speeds from 50 – 10,000Mbps
Limitless information
Examine with Ziply Fiber
Present extra (2 objects)
Your web speeds, reliability and total expertise do not rely solely on the web supplier you select. The expertise it makes use of to run service to your property makes a giant distinction as effectively.
If I may advocate any web connection sort above all the remaining, that’d be fiber. My fiber web speeds, add and obtain, are quick and constant, even throughout peak utilization occasions or inclement climate. The usual month-to-month fee of fiber web companies, whereas not the most cost effective service amongst web suppliers in my space, remains to be an incredible worth contemplating the speeds I get.
My expertise with fiber web is not distinctive, however not all fiber ISPs are the identical. You will discover that costs, velocity tiers and phrases of service fluctuate amongst suppliers — and that is why sure fiber ISPs rise above the remaining.
Every of the most effective web suppliers listed under makes use of a fiber-to-the-home community, which all however ensures the most effective connection high quality, velocity and reliability. Moreover, these suppliers stand out for his or her distinctive pricing, availability, buyer satisfaction and different elements. We replace this record periodically.
Sarah Tew/CNET AT&T Fiber Greatest fiber web supplier total
Examine availability
Product particulars
Value vary
$55 – $180 per thirty days
Velocity vary
300 – 5,000Mbps
Connection
Fiber
Highlights
Limitless information, no contracts, gear included
Examine AT&T Fiber availability
Sarah Tew/CNET CenturyLink Greatest fiber web protection
Examine availability
Product particulars
Value vary
$30 – $70 per thirty days
Velocity vary
200 – 940Mbps
Connection
Fiber
Highlights
Limitless information, no contracts, gear included with gigabit tier
Although AT&T Fiber and Verizon Fios can be found to extra individuals, CenturyLink’s fiber community covers extra areas, with fiber service that spans a formidable 25 states. CenturyLink additionally operates primarily in suburban and rural areas, bringing high-speed fiber connections to areas that will not in any other case have entry to them.
Nevertheless, individuals dwelling in CenturyLink fiber service areas solely have two plan choices: 100 or 200Mbps beginning at $30 a month, or gigabit service beginning at $70 a month. Whereas extra plan choices could be good, CenturyLink’s gigabit velocity plan remains to be a fairly whole lot. At $70 a month for speeds as much as 940Mbps and no gear charges, CenturyLink is without doubt one of the least expensive fiber suppliers for gigabit service.
Examine CenturyLink availability
Sarah Tew/CNET Frontier Fiber Greatest low-cost fiber plan
Examine availability
Product particulars
Value vary
$50 – $155 per thirty days
Velocity vary
500 – 5,000Mbps
Connection
Fiber
Highlights
Limitless information, no contracts, no gear charge
Frontier Communications just lately expanded its fiber web protection to 19 states after which rolled out a brand new multigig service to your complete footprint unexpectedly, changing into the primary main ISP to take action.
Frontier’s new multigig plans are priced competitively at $100 a month for speeds as much as 2,000Mbps and $155 month-to-month for the 5 Gig plan. Even when you do not want all that velocity, the decrease tiers — 500Mbps beginning at $60 per thirty days and gig service beginning at $70 month-to-month — are pretty much as good a price as you may discover from any main supplier.
Like AT&T and Verizon Fios, Frontier Fiber plans include limitless information and require no contract. In contrast to many different suppliers, Frontier consists of the gear value with the worth, so apart from taxes, Frontier plan pricing could be very a lot “what you see is what you pay.”
Examine Frontier Fiber availability
Sarah Tew/CNET Google Fiber Greatest fiber web gig plans
Examine availability
Product particulars
Value vary
$70 – $100 per thirty days
Velocity vary
1,000 – 2,000Mbps
Connection
Fiber
Highlights
Limitless information, no contracts, gear included
Google Fiber remains to be round and resuming growth after a multiyear hiatus. The place obtainable, Google Fiber affords fiber web service beginning at $70 a month and a 2Gbps plan beginning at $100 a month. Each include gear included at no further value, no information caps and no contracts.
There’s additionally the newly launched 5 gig and eight gig plans for $125 and $150 per thirty days, respectively. Availability is at the moment restricted, however a Google Fiber spokesperson confirmed with CNET that the supplier goals to increase the plans to all service areas later this 12 months.
Examine Gigabit Fiber Optic Web availability
Sarah Tew/CNET Verizon Fios Greatest signup bonuses
Examine availability
Product particulars
Value vary
$50 – $120 per thirty days
Velocity vary
300 – 2,000Mbps
Connection
Fiber
Highlights
Limitless information, no contracts, free gear with gig service
Verizon Fios is a detailed second to AT&T when it comes to velocity, pricing and repair phrases, however it lacks the identical breadth of protection. Although obtainable to almost the identical variety of potential clients as AT&T Fiber, Verizon Fios primarily serves the mid-Atlantic and Northeast areas.
These fortunate sufficient to reside in a Verizon Fios service space will doubtless discover the fiber web service is difficult to beat, particularly for these searching for a low-cost connection. Beginning at simply $50 a month, the lowest-price Fios web plan comes with concurrent obtain and add speeds of as much as 300Mbps. The following velocity tier can also be a good worth — $70 a month for as much as 500Mbps — however at $90 per thirty days, gigabit service is priced the identical or a contact increased than you may discover with different fiber suppliers.
Whichever Fios plan you join, count on some attractive extras along with your order, like free streaming subscriptions, electronics, present playing cards or different promotional affords.
Examine Verizon Fios availability
Sarah Tew/CNET Windstream Kinetic Greatest for fiber in rural areas
Examine availability
Product particulars
Value vary
$40 – $70 per thirty days
Velocity vary
100 – 1,000Mbps
Connection
Fiber
Highlights
Limitless information, no contracts
One drawback of fiber web is that it is usually solely obtainable in choose neighborhoods of bigger cities. In case you’re dwelling within the suburbs or a rural space, then your greatest likelihood to get fiber web is probably going Kinetic by Windstream. Roughly a 3rd of Windstream’s community — which spans rural and suburban areas throughout 18 states — is fiber optic.
Windstream is without doubt one of the greatest rural web suppliers, bringing high-speed connections to locations doubtless underserved by cable or by different fiber web suppliers. These in a Kinetic service space may also respect the low pricing — $37 a month for speeds of as much as 200Mbps the place obtainable, and gigabit service for under $67 a month — together with limitless information and no contract necessities.
Examine Kinetic Web availability
Sarah Tew/CNET
Ziply Fiber Quickest fiber web supplier
Examine availability
Product particulars
Value vary
$20 – $300 per thirty days
Velocity vary
50 – 10,000Mbps
Connection
Fiber
Highlights
Limitless information, no contracts, quick rural web connection
Ziply Fiber just lately rolled out a 10Gbps plan, successfully making it the quickest main ISP throughout its Northwest footprint in Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington — if not the quickest supplier nationwide.
As streaming, on-line gaming and distant working and studying have turn out to be extra commonplace, quicker web speeds are in excessive demand. Nonetheless, 10Gbps is greater than the common family will want. For everybody else, Ziply Fiber affords a spread of different velocity tiers from 100 to five,000Mbps.
Learn our Ziply Fiber assessment.
Examine Ziply Fiber availability
Fiber web honorable mentions
EarthLink: EarthLink makes use of the fiber networks put in by different suppliers or municipal fiber-optic networks, which suggests obtainable speeds and repair high quality can fluctuate broadly from one area to the following. In choose areas, EarthLink affords fiber service with speeds of as much as 1 gigabit for round $100 a month.Optimum: Optimum is primarily a cable web supplier, however it does have a rising fiber community, notably within the higher NYC space. Roughly 1.6 million households can be found for fiber service within the space. Fiber plans are priced the identical as Optimum’s cable web service.Xfinity: Comcast Xfinity’s fiber service can also be considerably restricted in availability and affords a formidable max velocity of as much as 6,000Mbps. The catch? The plan comes with an equally jaw-dropping value of $300 a month.
Let’s sum it up
If fiber web service is accessible in your space, it is in all probability value getting, particularly if any of the suppliers listed above is an choice. AT&T is best to advocate because of its excessive availability, low prices and favorable service phrases, however Verizon Fios is a detailed second with low pricing, excessive buyer satisfaction and plenty of perks for signing up. Google Fiber, Frontier Fiber, Windstream, CenturyLink and Ziply Fiber spherical out the record of best choices whereas suppliers like EarthLink, Optimum and others are value a glance, too, if obtainable in your space.
Andrew Brookes/Getty Pictures
Fiber web FAQs
Fiber-optic web sends web indicators through skinny glass wires both straight to the house, aka FTTH, or to a node simply outdoors the house, aka FTTN. The expertise permits increased bandwidth and quicker information transmission than every other connection sort, and has the distinctive functionality of delivering symmetrical or near-symmetrical obtain and add speeds. Fiber web makes use of a unique sort of modem than DSL or the DOCSIS gear used for cable. The truth is, fiber technically would not use a modem in any respect, however an optical community terminal that performs the identical perform.
Is fiber the most effective web to get?
Sure. Fiber-optic web affords speeds and reliability that different web connection sorts merely can’t, and you will get it for across the identical month-to-month value as cable web or DSL service. The one downside is availability: Fiber-optic service is just obtainable to about 36% of US residents, in accordance with the Federal Communications Fee.
Is fiber web costly?
Beginning costs for fiber web plans usually vary from $30 to $50 a month, with gigabit service starting from $60 to $80 a month. Whereas there are cheaper plans obtainable with cable or DSL web service in choose areas, fiber service is more likely to include higher velocity and connection high quality for the worth.
When will fiber be obtainable close to me?
If fiber hasn’t reached your tackle but, I am sorry to say you may simply should be affected person, as suppliers are actively increasing their fiber networks throughout the US. You are extra more likely to see fiber come to your neighborhood when you reside in a metropolis or densely populated space, however suppliers like Windstream and CenturyLink present that fiber entry in suburban and rural areas can also be obtainable.