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Beautiful sunsets, waterfront real estate, diverse culture, thriving economy — these are all ingredients that make up Tampa. However, good internet can make or break your experience in the city. That said, the best internet provider according to our standards is Border fiberbased on customer service, pricing, and overall value. But if it’s not available at your address, there are other internet provider options worth looking into before you commit.
Best Internet Providers in Tampa
In my opinion, Frontier Fiber offers the best mix of speed and value, but Spectrum or a wireless ISP like Verizon 5G Home Internet might make more sense for your home. I’ve rounded up the best internet providers in Tampa, along with plan and pricing details, to help you decide which ISP is right for you. All prices on this page reflect available discounts for setting up paperless billing. If you decide not to opt for automatic monthly payments, your price will be higher.
Remark: The prices, speeds, and features described in the article text may differ from those in the product detail cards, which represent national carrier offerings. Your specific Internet service options, including prices and speeds, depend on your address and may differ from those described here.
All available home internet providers in Tampa
The above providers aren’t the only ones serving Tampa, but they are the ones I would recommend the most. Here’s a quick comparison of the practical internet options you might find in the Tampa area.
Tampa Internet Service Provider Data at a Glance
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Source: CNET analysis of carrier data.
Honorable Mentions for Best Tampa ISP
EarthLink: A name almost as old as home internet itself, EarthLink now provides service by piggybacking on the networks of other providers and municipalities. As a result, you will likely pay a bit more for service compared to other providers. Prices and speeds vary widely by location, but all plans come with a one-year contract.
Fast systems: Local fixed wireless provider Rapid Systems is a good choice for internet in rural central Florida, but prices are high and speeds are slow in the Tampa Bay area. You’ll want to check out other internet options in your address before opting for Rapid Systems, as residential prices in Hillsborough County start at $79 per month for maximum speeds of 10 Mbps.
T-Mobile Home Internet: With speeds of 72-245 Mbps starting at $50 per month ($30 for qualifying Magenta Max customers), T-Mobile rivals Verizon for 5G home internet. While T-Mobile doesn’t have the same speed potential, it does have greater coverage than Verizon, making it a great choice for home internet in suburban and rural areas outside of Tampa.
BreedOpenWest: You won’t find WideOpenWest, also known as WOW, in Tampa, but it is available in much of the Tampa Bay area, including Clearwater, East Lake, Oldsmar and St. Petersburg. The cable internet provider is a great choice for cheap, high-speed internet, with service starting at $20 per month for speeds up to 100 Mbps.
Satellite internet: HughesNet, Viasat, and possibly even Starlink are available in Tampa, but there are plenty of other cheaper, faster options in the area that you don’t necessarily need 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 discount with Verizon or T-Mobile.
Cheapest Internet Plans in Tampa
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Source: CNET analysis of carrier data.
Internet Options for Low Income Households in Tampa
At $50 per month, the financial barrier to home internet service in Tampa is a bit higher than in other parts of Florida. Therefore, you may want to look for more affordable internet services.
Start by checking to see if you qualify for the Affordable Connectivity Program. The federal program gives eligible households $30 per month to apply for home internet service. Check out CNET’s guide to the Affordable Connectivity Program for more information, including how to apply.
Additionally, Spectrum offers a discounted internet plan designed to keep people in low-income households connected. The Spectrum Internet Assist plan has 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 does.
How fast is the internet in Tampa?
According to the latest Ookla speed test data, the state of Florida ranked #1 for the fastest median download speeds in the U.S. in Q2 2023 at around 232 Mbps. Tampa, while slightly slower than the state, ranked 48th among all U.S. cities with a median download speed of 220 Mbps.
Spectrum clocked in the fastest median speed in Tampa at 258 Mbps. The provider also ranked first among all major carriers nationwide with a median download speed of 243 Mbps.
There are many factors that can affect speed tests, such as Wi-Fi usage and the maximum speed of an internet plan. However, Tampa’s speed test results are impressive and give a good indication of the speeds you can experience with Spectrum and Frontier.
The slowest available plan from both carriers (excluding Spectrum’s Internet Assist) has download speeds of up to 500 Mbps. Faster plans are available from both carriers, while EarthLink offers speeds of up to 2,000 Mbps in select areas and speeds of up to 1,000 Mbps can be available from Verizon 5G Home Internet.
Fastest Internet Plans in Tampa
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Source: CNET analysis of carrier data.
How CNET Chose the Best Internet Providers in Tampa
Internet service providers are numerous and regional. Unlike the latest smartphone, laptop, router, or kitchen utensil, it’s impractical to personally test every ISP in a given city. So how do we approach this? We start by examining pricing, availability, and speed information based on our own historical ISP data, the providers’ websites, and mapping information from the Federal Communications Commission at FCC.gov.
But it doesn’t stop there. We head to the FCC website to check our data and make sure we consider every ISP that offers service in an area. We also enter local addresses into provider websites to find specific options for residents. To evaluate how satisfied customers are with an ISP’s service, we look at sources like the American Customer Satisfaction Index and JD Power. ISP plans and pricing are subject to frequent change; all information provided is accurate at the time of publication.
Once we have this localized information, we ask ourselves three main questions:
- Does the provider offer access to reasonably fast internet speeds?
- Do customers get value for their money?
- Are customers satisfied with their service?
Although the answers to these questions are often layered and complex, we recommend the providers that come closest to ‘yes’ to all three questions.
Want to learn more about our process? Visit our How We Test ISPs page.
Frequently Asked Questions About Home Internet in Tampa
Is the internet good in Tampa?
Recent Ookla speed test data shows Tampa achieved median download speeds of 220 Mbps in Q2 2023, ranking 48th among major U.S. cities. Frontier Fiber is likely the biggest contributor to the high speeds, peaking at 500 Mbps in its lowest speed tier.
Spectrum doesn’t cover the entire Tampa area, however. Where wired service isn’t available, wireless broadband from Verizon 5G Home Internet or T-Mobile Home Internet — with speeds of 85 to 1,000 Mbps and 72 to 245 Mbps, respectively — may be available to keep Tampa residents connected.
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