Best Internet Service Providers in Tampa, Florida

What is the best internet provider in Tampa, Florida?

Of all the great things Tampa has to offer — including beautiful sunsets, waterfront real estate, and rich culture — it has some great online options. Based on customer service reviews, prices and overall value for money you pay, Border fibers It is the best overall internet service provider in Tampa.

However, if Frontier Fiber is not available at your address, there are plenty of other services Internet service provider options Worth checking out. Verizon 5G Home Internet and T-Mobile home internet They can be excellent budget options if you’re already a wireless customer of either provider, as they offer discounts on internet services when you bundle a package. range It also provides strong coverage and competitive rates in the Tampa area.

Best Internet Service Providers in Tampa

I think Frontier Fiber offers the best speed and value, but it’s the Spectrum or Wireless options that I prefer Verizon 5G Home Internet It may also suit your needs. I’ve listed the best Tampa ISPs, including their plans and prices, to help you choose the right ISP. Note that prices reflect discounts on non-paper bills; Choosing not to register will result in higher prices.

Note: Prices, speeds and features mentioned in the article may differ from those shown in the product detail cards, which reflect the providers’ national offerings. The Internet service options available to you, including rates and speeds, will depend on your specific address and may differ from what is detailed here.

All Home Internet Providers in Tampa

The providers listed above are not the only ones serving Tampa, but they are the ones I recommend the most. Here’s a quick comparison of practical internet options available in the Tampa area.

Tampa internet provider details at a glance

provider	Pricing	Download speed range (Mbps)	Equipment cost	CNET Review Score
Earthlink Read the full review	$65 – $190	500-5000	$13	6.3
Border fibers Read the full review	$30 – $300	200-7000	no one	6.3
range Read the full review	$50-$70	500-1000	$10	7.2
T-Mobile home internet Read the full review	$50-$70 ($30-50 with eligible mobile plan)	72-245	no one	7.4
Verizon 5G Home Internet Read the full review	$50 – $70 ($35 – $45 with eligible mobile plan)	50-250	no one	7.2

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Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

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Top Honorable Mention Tampa ISP

Earthlink: A name almost as old as home Internet itself, EarthLink now provides service by leveraging the networks of other providers and municipalities. As a result, you will likely pay a little more for the service than other providers. Prices and speeds vary widely by location, but all plans come with a one-year contract.

Rapid systems: Local fixed wireless provider Rapid Systems is a decent Internet option in rural Central Florida, but prices are high and speeds are low in the Tampa Bay area. You’ll need to check other internet options at your address before choosing Rapid Systems, with residential pricing in Hillsborough County starting at $79 per month for top speeds of 10 Mbps.

T-Mobile home internet: With speeds ranging from 72 to 245 Mbps starting at $50 per month ($30 for eligible Magenta Max customers), T-Mobile rivals Verizon in terms of 5G home internet. Although T-Mobile doesn’t have the same speed potential, it has greater coverage than Verizon, making it an excellent choice for home internet in rural and suburban areas outside of Tampa.

Wide Open West: You won’t find WideOpenWest, also known as WOW, in Tampa, but it is available throughout most of the Tampa Bay area, including Clearwater, Eastlake, Oldsmar, and St. Petersburg. This cable ISP is a great option for low-cost, high-speed internet, with service starting at $25 per month for speeds up to 100 Mbps.

Satellite Internet: Hughes Net, Viasat Maybe even Starlink Available in Tampa, but there are plenty of other cheaper and faster options in the area to avoid having to settle for satellite internet.

How much does internet cost in Tampa?

The cost of internet in Tampa depends on the provider and plan you choose. The cheapest internet plans in Tampa will cost you $50 per month plus taxes and fees unless you qualify for a rebate from Verizon or T-Mobile.

Cheapest internet plans in Tampa

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Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Internet options for low-income families in Tampa

At $50 per month, the financial barrier for home internet service in Tampa is slightly higher than in other parts of Florida. As such, you may want to look for affordable internet services.

Spectrum offers a discounted internet plan designed to help keep people in low-income households connected. The Spectrum Internet Assist plan comes with download speeds of up to 50 Mbps starting at $25 per month.

Frontier does not have a special plan for low-income people like Spectrum.

How fast is the internet in Tampa?

According to Ookla’s latest speed test data (disclosure: owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis), Florida ranked third in Fourth quarter 2023 For the fastest average download speeds in the US are around 238Mbps. Tampa came in slightly slower than the state, ranking 50th overall among US cities with an average download speed of 232 Mbps.

Spectrum recorded the fastest average speed in Tampa at 267 Mbps.

Many factors can affect speed tests, such as Wi-Fi usage and maximum internet plan speeds, but the Tampa speed test results are impressive and a good indicator of the speeds you can experience with Spectrum and Frontier.

The slowest plan available from both providers (except Spectrum’s Internet Assist) comes with download speeds of up to 500Mbps. Faster plans are available from both providers, while EarthLink offers speeds of up to 5,000Mbps in select areas.

Fastest internet plans in Tampa

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Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

How CNET chose the best ISPs in Tampa

ISPs are numerous and regional. Unlike the latest Smartphone, Laptop, Router or Kitchen toolit is impractical to personally test every ISP in a given city. What is our approach? We start by researching pricing, availability, and speed information based on our own historical ISP data, provider locations, and mapping information from the FCC at FCC.gov.

And it doesn’t end there: We go to the FCC website to check our data and make sure we consider every ISP that provides service in an area. We also enter local addresses on provider websites to find specific options for residents. To assess how happy customers are with an ISP’s service, we look to sources including the US Customer Satisfaction Index and JD Power. ISP plans and prices are subject to frequent changes; All information provided is accurate as of the time of publication.

Once we have this local information, we ask three main questions:

• Does the provider provide access to reasonably fast internet speeds?
• Are customers getting adequate value for what they pay?
• Are customers satisfied with their service?

The answer to these questions is often multi-layered and complex, but the providers that come closest to “yes” on all three questions are the ones we recommend.

To explore our process in more depth, visit our page at How we test ISPs.

Frequently asked questions about home internet in Tampa