Best Internet Providers in Seattle, Washington

What’s the finest web supplier in Seattle?

CNET recommends Quantum Fiber as the perfect web supplier in Seattle. The fiber supplier provides quick, symmetrical speeds, limitless knowledge and inexpensive plans beginning at $50 for 500Mbps. Energy customers that want extra knowledge can go for a 2Gbps plan at $95. If Quantum isn’t accessible at your deal with, Astound Broadband, T-Mobile and Xfinity are stable alternate options.

If you happen to’re on the lookout for the cheapest internet in Seattle, Ziply Fiber and Astound provide plans beginning at $20 to $30 per 30 days. Ziply provides as much as 100Mbps, and Astound delivers 300Mbps.

Want the quickest speeds? Ziply’s 50Gbps plan will run you an costly $900 month-to-month. For extra sensible high-speed choices, Ziply and Xfinity each provide 10Gbps plans in choose areas.

Greatest web in Seattle, Washington

Supply: CNET evaluation of supplier knowledge.

Different accessible web suppliers in Seattle

• Google Fiber Webpass: Do not be confused by the fiber within the title. It is a fixed-wireless possibility from Google Fiber that is targeted solely on condo buildings. Though it isn’t fiber web, it is nonetheless lots zippy: It provides symmetrical gigabit speeds for $70 a month (or a median of $63 a month when you join the yearly plan by way of a full, $750 upfront cost). Webpass additionally options free set up, limitless knowledge and no tools charges. In case your constructing can’t assist the complete gig speeds, Webpass will scale back the pricing. You’ll find Google Fiber Webpass inside Seattle metropolis limits, together with the Belltown, Capitol Hill, First Hill, Fremont, Queen Anne and Uptown neighborhoods.

• Satellite internet: This all the time appears like dishonest, nevertheless it should be mentioned that regardless of town or space by which you reside within the US, this mode of web connectivity is all the time an possibility. Is it a terrific possibility for Seattle residents? If you happen to reside within the metropolis, no. You may have a lot quicker and cheaper selections accessible to you. Even areas south of Tacoma or north of Everett ought to have some viable alternate options, but when you end up in a rural city with restricted choices, you would possibly contemplate it. Hughesnet and Viasat might be your high picks, though each require you to decide to a two-year contract. A extra intriguing chance is Starlink, which simply grew to become accessible within the space in 2023. It options quicker obtain speeds and no time period settlement.

• Verizon 5G Home Internet: Why select Verizon’s mounted wi-fi dwelling web product over T-Mobile Home Internet? On the plus aspect, it has a a lot quicker common obtain pace (300Mbps) than T-Cellular. If you happen to’re amongst eligible Verizon Wireless subscribers, it’s even cheaper, with the identical “all-in” strategy the place tools, set up and charges are all coated in your flat month-to-month charge. The place it falls in need of T-Cellular is availability. Its heavy reliance on its 5G community — T-Cellular makes use of its 4G LTE community extra aggressively, along with 5G, to spice up its protection territory — means it would not fairly hit the identical attain. 

• Ziply Fiber: Regardless of being comparatively new to the sport, having launched companies in the course of 2020, Ziply Fiber is a viable possibility when you’re eligible for its fiber web, which boasts limitless knowledge and no long-term contract necessities. Regardless of its title, a few of its footprint contains the a lot slower DSL kind. A Ziply spokesperson tells CNET that the corporate is actively constructing a fiber different for these communities, together with over 112 tasks in Seattle and the better Northwest. Additionally, Ziply Fiber is rolling out a number of multi-gigabit plans, together with 10Gbps and 50Gbps choices. Confirmed cities round Seattle the place multi-gig plans are at present accessible embody Bellevue, Bothell, Brier, Edmonds, Everett, Kenmore, Kirkland, Lake Stevens, Lynnwood, Marysville, Mill Creek, Mountlake Terrace, Mukilteo, Redmond, Shoreline, Snohomish and Woodinville.

Low cost web choices in Seattle

The common value for web service in Seattle is just below $42 per 30 days. If you happen to’re on the lookout for a less expensive web plan, you will discover the bottom beginning value of $20 a month from Ziply Fiber for its 100Mbps plan. The subsequent least expensive possibility is Astound’s $30 per 30 days plan, which supply speeds as much as 300Mbps, respectively.

Supply: CNET evaluation of supplier knowledge.

Learn how to discover web offers and promotions in Seattle

One of the best web offers and high promotions in Seattle rely upon the reductions accessible throughout that interval. Most offers are short-lived, however we glance often for the newest provides.

Seattle web suppliers, corresponding to Astound Broadband, T-Cellular, Ziply Fiber and Xfinity, could provide decrease introductory pricing or streaming add-ons for a restricted time. Others, together with CenturyLink, Quantum Fiber and Verizon 5G House Web, run the identical normal pricing year-round.

For a extra in depth listing of promos, take a look at our information on the best internet deals.

How briskly is Seattle broadband?

Seattle is way from being within the first lane on the subject of high-speed internet options. Though the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue area is among the many nation’s high 20 most populous metro areas, it may muster solely a 97th-place end among the fastest cities in the US for broadband. It ranked just under Denver and above Atlanta, with a median obtain pace of simply over 118Mbps. This makes it the third slowest within the US.

If you happen to’re trying to find the speediest web within the Seattle space, Ziply Fiber takes the gold with its 50Gbps (50,000Mbps) plan for $900 month-to-month. Ziply and Xfinity additionally provide 10,000Mbps choices, which continues to be extremely quick for dwelling broadband. Nevertheless, availability of those plans may be very restricted.

Supply: CNET evaluation of supplier knowledge.

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What’s a superb web pace?

Most web connection plans can now deal with primary productiveness and communication duties. If you happen to’re on the lookout for an web plan that may accommodate videoconferencing, streaming video or gaming, you will have a greater expertise with a extra sturdy connection. Here is an outline of the really helpful minimal obtain speeds for numerous purposes, according to the FCC. Notice that these are solely pointers and that web pace, service and efficiency differ by connection kind, supplier and deal with.

For extra data, consult with our information on how much internet speed you really need.

• 0 to 5Mbps permits you to deal with the fundamentals: searching the web, sending and receiving e mail and streaming low-quality video.
• 5 to 40Mbps offers you higher-quality video streaming and videoconferencing.
• 40 to 100Mbps ought to give one person adequate bandwidth to fulfill the calls for of contemporary telecommuting, video streaming and on-line gaming. 
• 100 to 500Mbps permits one to 2 customers to concurrently have interaction in high-bandwidth actions like videoconferencing, streaming and on-line gaming. 
• 500 to 1,000Mbps permits three or extra customers to have interaction in high-bandwidth actions all on the identical time.

How CNET selected the perfect web suppliers in Seattle

Web service suppliers are quite a few and regional. In contrast to the newest smartphone, laptop, router or kitchen tool, it is impractical to personally check each web service supplier in a given metropolis. What’s our strategy? For starters, we faucet right into a proprietary database of pricing, availability and pace data that attracts from our personal historic ISP knowledge, companion knowledge and mapping data from the Federal Communications Fee at FCC.gov. 

It would not finish there: We go to the FCC’s web site to test our knowledge and guarantee we contemplate each ISP that gives service in an space. We additionally enter native addresses on supplier web sites to search out particular choices for residents. We have a look at sources, together with the American Buyer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Energy, to guage how completely happy prospects are with an ISP’s service. ISP plans and costs are topic to frequent modifications; all data offered is correct as of publication. 

As soon as we now have this localized data, we ask three major questions: 

• Does the supplier provide entry to moderately quick web speeds? 
• Do prospects get first rate worth for what they’re paying? 
• Are prospects proud of their service? 

The reply to these questions is commonly layered and complicated, however the suppliers who come closest to “sure” on all three are those we suggest. When choosing the most affordable web service, we search for the plans with the bottom month-to-month charge, though we additionally think about issues like value will increase, tools charges and contracts. Selecting the quickest web service is comparatively easy. We have a look at marketed add and obtain speeds and contemplate real-world pace knowledge from sources like Ookla and FCC reports. (Disclaimer: Ookla is owned by the identical dad or mum firm as CNET, Ziff Davis.)

To discover our course of in additional depth, go to our how we test ISPs web page.

What’s the ultimate phrase on web suppliers in Seattle?

If you happen to’ve been maintaining with CNET’s protection of the perfect web suppliers throughout the nation — and I definitely hope you’ve — you could have seen fewer choices in Seattle than in different huge US cities. However, Seattle can brag that it has cheaper web choices than most cities and extra multi-gig suppliers. They’re unfold out all through the world, however they’re there. Xfinity’s six cable web plans are essentially the most broadly accessible in Seattle. Nonetheless, Astound Broadband’s 4 cable web tiers are cheaper and do not require you to signal a contract to get the bottom value. As we all the time say, when you’re serviceable for fiber web in Seattle, together with Quantum Fiber, Ziply Fiber or Xfinity’s Gigabit Professional plan, that needs to be your high possibility. 

Web suppliers in Seattle FAQs