If you plan on streaming on at least one TV while five or so other devices are also connected to your network, I’d recommend starting with speeds of at least 100Mbps. When you connect multiple devices, especially over Wi-Fi, those devices will compete with each other for available bandwidth. So a plan with speeds of 50Mbps should cover it all, right? Not quite. For other activities, including online gaming, browsing social media and taking a video call, 10Mbps or below will often suffice. Even streaming in 4K, arguably the most demanding internet task in most households, only calls for speeds of 35 to 50Mbps. Interestingly, most of what we use the internet for doesn’t require a lot of speed. For some, download speeds of 25Mbps may be plenty fast, but many will prefer speeds of at least 100Mbps. The more people and devices you have connected to the internet and the heavier the use (lots of online gaming, streaming TV in HD, working from home, etc.), the more speed you’ll want to have. Ultimately, what's “fast” is relative to each household and its internet demands.

I wouldn't consider that threshold fast by any means, and the FCC has since proposed raising those speeds to 100Mbps down and 20Mbps up. The featured providers were selected for their multistate availability, plan selection, unlimited data, overall value and incredibly fast speeds.īack in 2015, the Federal Communications Commission identified high-speed internet, or broadband, as speeds above 25Mbps down and 3Mbps up. You’ll find a good mix of speed and value in my picks for the best high-speed internet providers below. Most high-speed providers also offer plans that, while slower than the ultrafast multigigabit plans, are more practical and affordable while still delivering plenty of speed. Such plans can easily cost $150 or more per month and, quite honestly, deliver way more speed than the average home needs. If you feel the need for uncompromised speed, keep in mind that a high-speed internet provider’s fastest plan is usually also the highest priced. Regional provider Ziply Fiber offers the fastest internet plan of any major ISP, with advertised symmetrical upload and download speeds of up to 50,000Mbps, or 50Gbps.

What's the best high-speed internet overall?Ĭox had the fastest median download speeds in recent Ookla speed tests, averaging 260Mbps.

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