Greatest Web Suppliers in Houston

Houston, now we have an issue. Though it is one of many prime 5 most populated metros within the US, H-City could not crack the highest 50 on Ookla’s record of the nation’s quickest cities for broadband. 

Per the speed-testing web site’s most up-to-date reporting, Houston managed to clock in at solely No. 59. In contrast, its fellow Lone Star State cities of Corpus Christi, El Paso and San Antonio all positioned within the prime 10. Different Texas cities that positioned increased on the pace chart — so as to add insult to harm — embrace Arlington, Austin, Fort Price, Garland, Irving, Lubbock and Plano. Some small comfort: Houston completed nicely forward of Dallas, which was within the backside 10.

Regardless of the poor displaying, Houston provides a number of high-speed web decisions. You will get connected with dwelling web from quick fiber choices, together with AT&T, Frontier and native web service supplier Tachus. You could possibly hop on-line through cable connections from Optimum and Spectrum. You could possibly be a part of the 5G dwelling web motion by making an attempt Verizon 5G Residence Web or T-Cell Residence Web.

Regardless of the choices at your particular deal with — together with the alternate options of third-party suppliers like EarthLink, EIN and Extremely Residence Web — we might help you select. 

Greatest web suppliers in H-City

Our decide for the finest total ISP in Houston is AT&T Fiber, however there are different high quality suppliers on the market too. Let’s dive into the most effective web service suppliers in Houston.

AT&T Fiber

Greatest web supplier in Houston

Examine availability

Product particulars

Worth vary

$55 – $180 monthly

Pace vary

300 – 5,000Mbps

Connection

Fiber

Highlights

Limitless knowledge, no contracts, tools included

Longtime Houston residents are most likely nicely conscious that whereas AT&T web providers are prevalent within the space, availability for AT&T Fiber stays restricted. Scan via the addresses within the space, and you will find pockets of fiber availability all through varied Houston neighborhoods, together with Hyde Park, Jacinto Metropolis, Northside Village, South Houston and Spring Department. In different components of the corporate’s protection map, prospects are left with AT&T Web, a DSL service, as the one possibility. That DSL infrastructure is so outdated that AT&T publicly introduced its purpose of reducing its copper protection in half by 2025. 

When you’ve got entry to AT&T Fiber, you are in nice form. AT&T Fiber provides 5 plans — 300Mbps, 500Mbps, 1,000Mbps, 2,000Mbps and 5,000Mbps — and every options symmetrical add and obtain speeds, no knowledge caps, no time period agreements and no tools rental price. AT&T additionally is thought for providing some first rate perks, together with the present enticement of a Visa rewards card for many who join on-line.

Learn our AT&T dwelling web overview.

Examine AT&T Fiber availability

Xfinity

Greatest web supplier in Houston for availability

Examine availability

Product particulars

Worth vary

$20 – $300 monthly

Pace vary

75 – 6,000Mbps

Connection

Cable

Highlights

Information caps on some plans, a number of plan choices, stable buyer satisfaction numbers

Comcast’s broadband service is ubiquitous within the Houston metro space (over 86% can get it, in accordance with the Federal Communications Fee’s Nationwide Broadband Map), which may be useful should you’re shifting inside the metropolis and need to switch your service moderately than undergo the rigmarole of organising a brand new service. On prime of that, Xfinity has earned excessive buyer satisfaction marks in latest studies from J.D. Energy and the American Buyer Satisfaction Index.

That stated, a couple of issues may offer you pause. First, as a cable web supplier, Xfinity cannot match the symmetrical speeds of fiber ISPs within the space, together with AT&T, Brightspeed and Tachus. Add speeds will vary from 10 to 35Mbps on most plans. Additionally, in distinction to most different suppliers within the Bayou Metropolis, Xfinity imposes a knowledge cap on its prospects. It is set at an inexpensive 1.2TB (greater than double what the common US family makes use of, in accordance with OpenVault’s most up-to-date findings). Nonetheless, that is perhaps a limiting issue for bigger households and people with heavy web customers and a number of linked gadgets.

Learn our Xfinity overview.

Examine Xfinity Web availability

Verizon 5G Residence Web

Greatest web supplier in Houston for mounted wi-fi service

Examine availability

Product particulars

Worth vary

$50 – $70 monthly (50% off for eligible 5G cell prospects)

Pace vary

85 – 1,000Mbps

Connection

Fastened wi-fi

Highlights

Limitless knowledge, no contracts, free tools, 50% low cost for qualifying Verizon cell prospects

Verizon has been pushing its 5G web service, making some large noise when it unveiled its C-band frequency rollout for its Extremely Wideband community. It is a part of the corporate’s goal to offer a nationwide broadband possibility past the boundaries of its extremely regarded fiber service, Verizon Fios, which is proscribed to people within the Northeast.

Whilst you’ll discover loads of Extremely Wideband availability on Verizon’s 5G protection map, prospects will nonetheless have to test their deal with on the Verizon web site to substantiate if the 5G Residence Web service is accessible to them. If that’s the case, prospects will discover an appealingly versatile service with no contracts, no additional charges and loads of perks, together with a possible $500 credit score towards early termination charges (for these switching out of a contract), value ensures and a 30-day satisfaction assure.

Learn our Verizon 5G Residence Web overview.

Examine Verizon 5G Residence Web availability

All obtainable Houston residential web suppliers

Past the three picks above, a number of different broadband decisions exist within the Houston metro space. Some may be discovered solely in small pockets of town, whereas others are primarily positioned within the metropolis suburbs. There are some compelling decisions right here, regardless that they are not as extensively obtainable.

• Astound Broadband: This cable web supplier, identified regionally as Grande, provides a few of Houston’s best beginning charges. Its beginning value of $25 a month for a 300Mbps plan comes out to an reasonably priced 8 cents per Mbps. By comparability, Xfinity’s cheaper $20 monthly plan options obtain speeds of solely 75Mbps and subsequently has a a lot increased price per Mbps of 27 cents. The Astound 1.2Gbps plan can be the most affordable within the metropolis, beginning at $60 month-to-month. The rub is that Astound’s value will increase are a number of the steepest within the trade. For instance, the corporate’s Houston charge card reveals that Astound costs its 300Mbps plan at $84 monthly after your promo expires. The gig plan sees a barely much less extreme soar from $50 monthly to $94 month-to-month, however nonetheless, beware the bait and swap. 
• Brightspeed: Considerably just like AT&T however with out as deep a presence. You may need to analysis this as a result of, relying in your location, chances are you’ll be coping with DSL service (which may be as little as 20Mbps), or should you’re within the Kingwood space, you may see the corporate’s far more compelling fiber product.
• Consolidated Communications: You will not discover this fiber supplier inside metropolis limits, however its reasonably priced plans can be found to prospects within the suburbs of Conroe and Katy. Plans vary from 50Mbps to 2Gbps for $35 to $85 month-to-month. There are not any contracts required and no knowledge cap enforced. 
• Frontier: Frontier has a scattered presence within the larger Houston space. You will not discover it downtown, however you may get its DSL and fiber-optic service within the northeast outskirts of Baytown, Seaside Metropolis, Cove and Crosby. You may additionally discover it within the southern portion of the metro space in League Metropolis and Sante Fe. If Frontier Fiber is accessible — it options symmetrical plans of 500Mbps, 1Gbps, 2Gbps or 5Gbps speeds starting from $50 to $155 monthly — it is a very interesting alternative. But when Frontier DSL is your solely possibility, attempt different alternate options.
• Kinetic by Windstream: This DSL and fiber supplier is accessible in only a few small pockets inside the Houston metropolis limits. Most of that availability is within the southern suburb of Sugar Land. You may principally cope with its DSL service moderately than the sooner fiber-optic plans.
• Optimum: First off, I can think about you is perhaps confused. Suddenlink is the supplier you are most likely conversant in within the Houston space. Nevertheless, its dad or mum firm, Altice USA, renamed it Optimum in 2022. In any case, Optimum service is scattered frivolously all through the metro space however has a heavier density north of town in Conroe and Kingwood. This cable ISP is notable for its extremely aggressive beginning charges, a number of the most reasonably priced within the space.
• Spectrum: Constitution Communications’ ISP has a number of the extra customer-friendly, simple phrases you may discover for cable web service. There are not any contracts, no knowledge caps and a free modem rental included in your month-to-month value, starting from $50 to $90. It additionally contains free entry to Wi-Fi hotspots throughout the nation. Spectrum service is accessible north of town, primarily in Magnolia, Spring, Tomball and The Woodlands. 
• Tachus: This native ISP, based in 2018, is notable for its neighborhood presence and dedication to constructing 100% fiber-to-the-home networks inside the larger Houston metropolitan space. It is now obtainable to over 50,000 properties in Atascocita, Conroe, East Montgomery County, Kingwood, Magnolia, Oak Ridge County North and The Woodlands. There are three fiber plans — 300Mbps, 600Mbps and 1Gbps — starting from $65 to $90 a month, with no knowledge caps and no contracts. A modem rental is included within the month-to-month value, however you may want to offer your individual router or lease one for $6 month-to-month.
• T-Cell Residence Web: T-Cell makes use of its 5G and 4G LTE networks to energy its mounted wi-fi dwelling web product, which is accessible to over 50 million properties nationwide and roughly 92% of residents within the larger Houston space. That stated, test your deal with on the T-Cell web site to see should you’re serviceable, although. I’ve T-Cell cell service at dwelling, however I am nonetheless not eligible for the house web service. In any case, it is an intriguing providing that features set up charges, taxes and tools rental beneath its $50-a-month price, with no knowledge caps or contracts.

Houston web particulars at a look

Now that you’ve got an summary of the web service suppliers obtainable in Houston, let’s discuss extra particularly concerning the least expensive web plans obtainable and the quickest web choices you’ll find within the metropolis. 

Typical pricing for Houston web 

The typical beginning value for web service in Houston is simply over $45 a month, which is correct about in the course of different markets we have lined so far, together with Brooklyn ($36 a month), Los Angeles ($38 a month), Denver ($39 monthly), San Francisco ($40 a month), New York Metropolis ($41 month-to-month), Seattle ($42 monthly), Dallas and Philadelphia (about $43 a month), Phoenix ($46 monthly), Atlanta ($47 a month), Orlando ($48 monthly) and Charlotte, Chicago, Las Vegas, San Diego and St. Louis (all about $50 a month). 

Low-cost web choices in Area Metropolis

Xfinity provides the bottom beginning value in Houston — its Join plan (75Mbps) has a promo value of $20 for the primary two years after which $50 a month after that. It is also extensively obtainable all through the Houston metro space and the Bayou Metropolis burbs. 

It must also be famous that the majority suppliers listed take part within the Federal Communication Fee’s Inexpensive Connectivity Program, which offers a $30-a-month low cost to qualifying households to offer reasonably priced, high-speed web. Some suppliers even provide a low-cost web plan focused at low-income properties and communities. When mixed with the ACP profit, you may have the ability to get web service without cost. 

What sort of web speeds are you able to get in Houston?

Per the Ookla stats talked about on the prime of this text, Houston is not among the many prime 50 cities with the quickest web speeds. That is to not say you will not have the ability to discover sufficient pace to do all of the issues you might want to do on-line. 

Quickest web suppliers in Houston

Some Houstonians may have entry to the splashy 5Gbps plans unveiled by AT&T and Frontier in 2022. And whereas Comcast boasts its personal multi-gig plan with add and obtain speeds of 6,000Mbps, it is obtainable solely at addresses the cable firm has wired for fiber. The FCC disclosures from June of 2021 peg that proportion at roughly 4% of Comcast addresses.

What is the closing verdict on Houston web suppliers?

Comcast’s cable web providing of Xfinity has Houston lined with essentially the most in depth availability throughout the metro space. However as we are saying in our CNET dwelling web opinions, a fiber web connection outperforms cable virtually each time. So, should you can entry a fiber supplier within the space — together with AT&T Fiber, Brightspeed Fiber, Consolidated Communications, Frontier Fiber or Tachus — do not hesitate to signal on the digital dotted line. 

Greatest web suppliers in Houston FAQs