Best Internet Providers in New York, New York

What is the best internet provider in New York?

New York City houses a range of some of the best internet providers. Out of those options, it could be hard to find the service that's compatible with your household needs. Your choice will depend on what you're looking for and where you live, but Verizon Fios will be the best internet service provider for most New Yorkers. It offers fast, symmetrical speeds and competitive pricing of Verizon's fiber-optic service, but internet from Astound, Spectrum and others are top options, too.

Optimum boasts the fastest home internet speeds in New York, up to 8,000 megabits per second in select areas, although the plan is also one of the most expensive at $280 per month. Cable internet provider Astound Broadband offers the cheapest internet of any major provider in New York. It also has a 1,500Mbps plan for $55 per month, which might not be as fast as Optimum but is still a good deal.

Which New York internet provider is best for your home? We've listed details on the top providers in Manhattan to help you decide. If you're looking for internet around New York City, check out our roundups of the best internet in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Other available internet providers in New York City

• Optimum: The second-largest cable internet provider in the greater New York City area, Optimum is available to much of Brooklyn and the Bronx but not Manhattan. Optimum speeds and pricing are comparable to Astound, including a gigabit plan starting at $50 per month. Optimum also employs a fiber network through much of New York City, with 100% fiber connections available to roughly 2.7 million households across the country.
• T-Mobile Home Internet: Like Verizon's 5G home internet service, T-Mobile's coverage area reaches a good portion of New York City, save for the dead zones between and inside tall buildings. Although the two are in a similar price range and share roughly the same service features, T-Mobile isn't as fast as Verizon 5G, with maximum speeds ranging from 72 to 245Mbps. Verizon 5G covers more of the city overall than T-Mobile Home Internet, around 87% to T-Mobile's 76% according to the latest data from the FCC.
• Skywire: Coverage is scattered throughout New York City and with limited availability in Midtown Manhattan, SoHo and Queens. You will find the most coverage in certain parts of Brooklyn. Skywire primarily uses a fixed wireless network, but fiber or DSL service may also be available at select addresses. Pricing and speeds will vary by location.
• Satellite internet: To truly cover all your internet options, satellite internet from Hughesnet and Viasat belong here. Technically, they are available, but there are too many other faster, cheaper and all-around better internet options in New York City to seriously consider satellite internet.

Cheap internet options in New York City

The average price for broadband in New York City is around $40, but there are a few cheaper options if you're looking for more affordable home internet. Astound Broadband offers the cheapest plan in the city: 300Mbps starting at $20 a month.

What's the cheapest internet plan in New York City?

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

How to find internet deals and promotions in New York City

The best internet deals and top promotions in New York City depend on what discounts are available during that time. Most deals are short-lived, but we look frequently for the latest offers. 

New York City internet providers, such as Astound Broadband, Spectrum and Optimum, may offer lower introductory pricing or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Many providers, including Verizon Fios, run the same standard pricing year-round. 

Some internet providers like Spectrum and Optimum offer discounted or free internet for eligible households. Optimum Advantage offers up to 50Mbps for just $15 monthly and Spectrum Internet Assist costs $25 for 50Mbps. To qualify for free internet for 60 days from Spectrum or Optimum, your household must participate in an assistance program. Learn more here.

For a more extensive list of promos, check out our guide on the best internet deals.

How fast is New York City broadband?

Ookla's latest speed test data reports New York City ranks 56th for internet speed among the 100 most populous cities in the country. With median download speeds of 228Mbps and upload speeds of 32Mbps, NYC's broadband is slightly faster than the state's average speed of 226Mbps.

If you're looking for the speediest plan in New York City, Optimum offers speeds up to 8Gbps in select areas for $280 per month. Customers may also access Optimum's other multi-gigabit offerings: 5- and 2-gigabit plans, for $100 and $75 per month, respectively. Elsewhere, Astound Broadband offers speeds up to 1.5Gbps for $55 per month and Verizon Fios tops out at 2Gbps for $110 monthly.

Fastest internet plans in New York City

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Internet providers in popular cities near NYC

• Best internet providers in The Bronx, NY
• Best internet providers in Brooklyn, NY
• Best internet providers in Jersey City, NJ
• Best internet providers in Queens, NY
• Best internet providers in Staten Island, NY
• Best internet providers in Yonkers

See all results for internet providers in New York state

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 Federal Communications Commission. 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 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 New York City

Internet service providers are numerous. regional and often offer confusing plans or hidden fees. Unlike the latest smartphone, laptop, router or kitchen tool, it's impractical to personally test every internet service provider in a given city. What's our approach? For starters, we tap into a proprietary database of pricing, availability and speed information that draws from our own historical ISP data, partner data 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 input local addresses on provider websites to find specific options for residents and 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 answers to those questions are often layered and complex, the providers that 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. (Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.)

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

What's the final word on internet providers in New York City?

NYC has a few reliable broadband options, but your best bet is any provider that offers fiber connection, like Verizon Fios. If fiber is unavailable in your area, other providers like Astound Broadband and Spectrum offer fast speeds and decent pricing as well.

Internet providers in New York City FAQ