Best Internet Providers in Houston, Texas
AT&T Fiber is CNET's pick for the best internet service provider in Houston. It's our top recommendation because it offers thanks to its symmetrical download and upload speeds along with high customer satisfaction scores. Plans range from $55 to $245 for the impressive 5-gig option. Since AT&T Fiber coverage doesn't extend to all Houston neighborhoods, Xfinity and Verizon 5G Home Internet are also solid alternatives to consider if you're outside of AT&T's service area.
For Houston residents seeking budget-friendly internet options, providers have options available. The cheapest ISP in Houston is Astound Broadband, with plans starting with a $30 plan offering speeds of up to 300 megabits per second.
When it comes to blazing-fast speeds in Houston, AT&T Fiber and local internet provider Tachus Fiber lead the pack. Each provider offers up to 5 gigabits of symmetrical speed, costing $245 and $180, respectively.
Houston internet providers compared
Provider Internet technology Monthly price range Speed range Monthly equipment costs Data cap Contract CNET review score
Astound Broadband
Read full review Cable $30-$70 300-1,500Mbps Free modem, $5 for Whole-home Wi-Fi (optional) None None 7
AT&T Internet Air
Read full review Fixed wireless $60 75-225Mbps None None None 7.4
AT&T Fiber
Read full review Fiber $55-$245 300-5,000Mbps None None None 7.4 Brightspeed DSL $55 Up to 140Mbps (varies by location) $15 modem (optional) None None 6.6
Optimum
Read full review Cable $35-$40 500-940Mbps None None None 6.2 Tachus Fiber $65-$180 300-5,000Mbps None None None N/A
T-Mobile Home Internet
Read full review Fixed wireless $50-$70 ($35-$55 for eligible mobile customers with autopay) 87-415Mbps None None None 7.4
Verizon 5G Home Internet
Read full review Fixed wireless $50-$70 ($35-$45 with qualifying Verizon 5G mobile plans and autopay) 50-250Mbps None None None 7.2
Xfinity
Read full review Cable $55-$85 400-2,100Mbps $15-$25 included in some plans 1.2TB on some plans 1 year on some plans 7
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Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
Other available internet providers in Houston
Beyond the three picks above, several other broadband choices exist in the Houston metro area. Some can be found only in small pockets of the city, while others are mainly located in the city suburbs. There are some compelling choices here, even though they're not as widely available.
Astound Broadband: This cable internet provider, known regionally as Grande, offers some of Houston's most competitive starting rates. Its starting price of $30 a month for a 300Mbps plan comes out to an affordable 10 cents per Mbps. The rub is that Astound's price increases are some of the steepest in the industry.
Brightspeed: You'll want to research this because, depending on your location, you may be dealing with mostly DSL coverage for the Houston area (which can be as low as 20Mbps), or if you're in the Kingwood area, you might see the company's much more compelling fiber product.
Kinetic by Windstream: This DSL and fiber provider is available in just a few small pockets within the Houston city limits. Most of that availability is in the southern suburb of Sugar Land. You'll mostly deal with its DSL service rather than the faster fiber-optic plans.
Optimum: First off, I can imagine you might be confused. Suddenlink is the provider you're probably familiar with in the Houston area. Its parent company, Altice USA, renamed it Optimum in 2022. In any case, Optimum service is scattered lightly throughout the metro area but has a heavier density north of the city in Conroe and Kingwood. This cable ISP is notable for its highly competitive starting rates, some of the most affordable in the area.
Tachus: This local ISP, founded in 2018, is notable for its community presence and commitment to building 100% fiber-to-the-home networks within the greater Houston metropolitan area. It's now available to over 50,000 homes in Atascocita, Conroe, East Montgomery County, Kingwood, Magnolia, Oak Ridge County North and The Woodlands. There are five fiber plans, depending on what is available at your location, -- 300Mbps, 600Mbps, 1Gbps, 2.5Gbps and 5Gbps -- ranging from $65 to $180 a month, with no data caps and no contracts. A modem rental is included in the monthly price, but you'll need to provide your own router or rent one for as low as $6 per month.
T-Mobile Home Internet: T-Mobile uses its 5G and 4G LTE networks to power its fixed wireless home internet product, which is available to over 50 million homes nationwide and approximately 53% of residents in the greater Houston area. Check your address on the T-Mobile site
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Cheap internet options in Houston
The average starting price for internet service in Houston is just over $46 a month, but a few providers offer plans cheaper than that.
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Astound Broadband offers the lowest starting price in Houston. Astound Broadband's $30 plan grants download speeds up to 300Mbps and includes your equipment rental.
What's the cheapest internet plan in Houston?
Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
How to find internet deals and promotions in Houston
The best internet deals and top promotions in Houston depend on what discounts are available during a given time. Most deals are short-lived, but we look frequently for the latest offers.
Houston internet providers, such as Xfinity, Astound Broadband and Optimum, may offer lower introductory pricing or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Many, including AT&T and Verizon, run the same standard pricing year-round.
For a more extensive list of promos, check out our guide on the best internet deals.
How fast is Houston broadband?
Houston, we have a problem. Although it's one of the top five most populated metros in the US, H-Town couldn't crack the top 50 on Ookla's list of the country's fastest cities for broadband. (Disclosure: Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.)
Per the speed-testing site' Ookla's most recent reporting, Houston managed to clock in at only No. 58, with a median download speed of around 227Mbps. By contrast, its fellow Lone Star State cities of Austin, Corpus Christi, El Paso, Fort Worth and San Antonio all placed in the top 15. Other Texas towns that placed higher on the speed chart -- adding insult to injury -- include Arlington, Garland, Irving, Lubbock, Laredo and Plano. Some small consolation: Houston finished well ahead of Dallas, which was in the bottom 3.
Some Houstonians may have access to the splashy 5Gbps plans from AT&T which cost $245.
Fastest internet plans in Houston
Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
Internet providers in popular cities near Houston
See all results for internet providers in Texas.
What's a good internet speed?
Most internet connection plans can now handle basic productivity and communication tasks. If you're looking for an internet plan that can accommodate videoconferencing, streaming video or gaming, you'll have a better experience with a more robust connection. Here's an overview of the recommended minimum download speeds for various applications, according to the FCC. Note that these are only guidelines and that internet speed, service and performance vary by connection type, provider and address.
For more information, refer to our guide on how much internet speed you really need.
0 to 5Mbps allows you to tackle the basics: browsing the internet, sending and receiving email and streaming low-quality video.
5 to 40Mbps gives you higher-quality video streaming and videoconferencing.
40 to 100Mbps should give one user sufficient bandwidth to satisfy the demands of modern telecommuting, video streaming and online gaming.
100 to 500Mbps allows one to two users to simultaneously engage in high-bandwidth activities like videoconferencing, streaming and online gaming.
500 to 1,000Mbps allows three or more users to engage in high-bandwidth activities at the same time.
How CNET chose the best internet providers in Houston
Internet service providers are numerous and regional. Unlike the latest smartphone, laptop, router or kitchen tool, it's impractical to personally test every ISP in a given city. What's our approach? We start by researching the pricing, availability and speed information, drawing on our own historical ISP data, the provider sites and mapping information from the Federal Communications Commission at FCC.gov.
It doesn't end there: We go to the FCC's website to check our data and ensure we consider every ISP that provides service in an area. We also input local addresses on provider websites to find specific options for residents. We look at sources, including the American Customer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Power, to evaluate how happy customers are with an ISP's service. ISP plans and prices are subject to frequent changes; all information provided is accurate as of publication.
Once we have this localized information, we ask three main questions:
Does the provider offer access to reasonably fast internet speeds?
Do customers get decent value for what they're paying?
Are customers happy with their service?
While the answer to those questions is often layered and complex, the providers who come closest to 'yes' on all three are the ones we recommend. When selecting the cheapest internet service, we look for the plans with the lowest monthly fee, although we also factor in things like price increases, equipment fees and contracts. Choosing the fastest internet service is relatively straightforward. We look at advertised upload and download speeds and consider real-world speed data from sources like Ookla and FCC reports.
To explore our process in more depth, visit our how we test ISPs page.
What's the final word on Houston internet providers?
Houston offers several high-speed internet choices. You can get hooked up with home internet from fast fiber options, including AT&T and local internet service provider Tachus. You could hop online via cable connections from Optimum. You could join the 5G home internet movement by trying Verizon 5G Home Internet or T-Mobile Home Internet.
Comcast's cable internet offering of Xfinity has Houston covered with the most extensive availability across the metro area. As we say in our CNET home internet reviews, a fiber internet connection outperforms cable almost every time. If you can access a fiber provider in the area -- including AT&T Fiber, Consolidated Communications or Tachus -- don't hesitate to sign on the virtual dotted line.
Best internet providers in Houston FAQs
Which internet service provider has the most coverage in Houston?
More than a dozen different ISPs are in the greater Houston metro, including satellite internet providers like Hughesnet, Starlink and Viasat (all three are available to 100% of the area, according to the FCC). Besides those satellite providers, Xfinity covers the most extensive area. You can find Comcast's cable service as far as Conroe to the north, East Bernard to the west, Baytown to the east, and Freeport and Galveston to the south. Show more
Is fiber internet available in Houston?
Yes. You can find fiber internet throughout H-Town. Houston's top fiber internet providers include AT&T Fiber and Tachus Fiber. It should also be noted that a small percentage of Xfinity locations are also eligible for fiber service, but it first requires a site survey to ascertain if the address is serviceable. Show more
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