Best Internet Providers in Miami, Florida

What is the best internet provider in Miami?

AT&T Fiber is our pick for the best ISP in Miami, thanks to its fast speeds and wide availability in the Miami area. The widest-reaching internet service providers in Miami are AT&T and Xfinity Some apartment and condo buildings are signed up with specific providers, so if that’s where you live, you may not have much choice regarding the internet. Verizon and T-Mobile offer fixed wireless in the area as an alternative to fiber, cable or DSL.

Breezeline’s cable service is the cheapest internet option but is only available in certain parts of Miami. According to the FCC National Broadband map, Breezeline only provides coverage to about 5% of Miami. However, they offer a modest 100 megabits per second connection for $20 a month — though it increases to $60 after the first year, at which point there are faster alternatives available at a lower price. AT&T Fiber 5000 offers the fastest available internet speed in Miami, customers can expect download speeds of up to 5,000Mbps available.

Cue up your favorite Pitbull song, and check out Miami’s best internet service providers. 

Best internet providers in Miami, Florida

Sun, surf, beaches, sports, nightlife and art. There are a million reasons to go out in Miami, but sometimes you’ll be kicking back at home, gaming or working remotely. You need a strong, reliable internet connection to maximize your indoor time.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data

Other available internet providers in Miami

• AT&T Internet: AT&T’s fiber service is its premium offering, but the company may offer DSL as an alternative in places where fiber isn’t an option. Prices start at $55 per month, but remember that DSL downloads and uploads are typically much slower than fiber. Compare with cable offerings from Xfinity and Breezeline to find your best price-speed ratio. 
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• Breezeline: Breezeline’s cable service offers some temptingly affordable plans for your first year of service. The least expensive option is a $20-per-month plan for 100Mbps, but that price is only good for 12 months, after which it jumps to over $60. Breezeline also offers a $60-per-month GigaFast plan for 1,000Mbps, which will rise to over $135 when your year is out. You can always try your luck negotiating back down to a better deal once the promo runs out.
  
• Google Fiber Webpass: Google’s acquisition of Webpass in 2016 gave it a toehold in some markets. Webpass availability depends on whether your building is hooked up to the fixed wireless service. If it is, you can sign up for a $70-per-month 1,000Mbps plan that includes equipment. There’s no contract and no data caps.
  
• Hotwire Communications: Not to be confused with the travel website, Hotwire Communications is a fiber provider that offers bulk services to certain residential locations. However, Hotwire is not widely available in Miami. The FCC National Broadband map shows that Hotwire covers about 14% of Miami. This option applies to some very specific buildings dealing with the ISP. Pricing can vary, so you’ll have to check what’s available for your unit. Hotwire says it offers speeds up to 1000Mbps in some locations.
  
• Satellite internet: Starlink, Viasat or HughesNet all offer satellite internet services, but they’re not likely to be your first choice if you can access an affordable, reliable plan from another provider. However, many Floridians love to travel, so a Starlink RV plan might be in the cards if you need to stay connected on the road.
  
• T-Mobile Home Internet: Verizon’s big rival in the 5G fixed wireless arena is T-Mobile, which has a $50-per-month plan for speeds up to 245Mbps. That’s a slower top speed than Verizon offers, but location can make all the difference in the quality of your 5G internet connection. There are no data caps and no contracts, and equipment is provided. You may have to pay a $35 service charge when getting started, but look for a $200 reward card deal to offset that fee.
  

Miami broadband at a glance

You may have noticed a theme to this Miami ISP guide: location, location, location. The high density of apartment and condo buildings in The 305 means some places are hooked up with fiber and some aren’t, so provider options are available on a case-by-case basis. Most residents will be covered by cable or DSL from the likes of Xfinity or Breezeline. Others may have access to fast fiber plans from AT&T Fiber, Google Fiber Webpass or Hotwire. And if those aren’t appealing, or if you’re looking to bundle phone service for a bargain, check out Verizon or T-Mobile’s fixed wireless plans.

Cheap internet options in Miami

You could pay very little (Breezeline’s $20 promo deal) or a lot (AT&T Fiber’s 5 gigs for $245) for home internet. The average starting price for residential internet in Miami is just under $50. Bundling phone service with a fixed wireless provider can get you connected cheaply, but some heavy internet users will be more attracted to pricier fiber plans or speedier cable offerings.

Breezeline ($20 for 100Mbps) and Xfinity ($30 for 150Mbps) offer inexpensive plans for connecting to the internet. They don’t have blazing speeds, but they should be fast enough for most normal internet demands like streaming video.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data

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.

• 0 – 5Mbps allows you to tackle the basics — browsing the internet, sending and receiving email, streaming low-quality video.
• 5 – 40Mbps gives you higher-quality video streaming and videoconferencing.
• 40 -100Mbps should give one user sufficient bandwidth to satisfy the demands of modern telecommuting, video streaming and online gaming. 
• 100 – 500Mbps allows one to two users to engage in high-bandwidth activities like videoconferencing, streaming and online gaming simultaneously. 
• 500 – 1,000Mbps allows three or more users to engage in high-bandwidth activities like videoconferencing, streaming and online gaming simultaneously. 

Fastest internet providers in Miami

Ookla (of Speedtest.net fame) tracks internet speeds for the 100 most populous US cities. Miami doesn’t have the greatest showing. It sits with a median download speed of just over 124Mbps and a median upload speed of just over 11Mbps. However, some residents can tap into a fiber firehose with AT&T’s 5-gigabit option or Xfinity’s Gigabit X2 plan, which can deliver up to 2,000Mbps, provided your residence is hooked up for it.

Your most likely bet for blazing-fast fiber will be with AT&T and its top-of-the-line 5,000Mbps plan. If Breezeline’s Gigafast plan is an option, you could get impressive speeds of up to 1,000Mbps. Multi-gigabit fiber can make sense for households with multiple heavy internet users or gamers. Otherwise, look to Google Fiber Webpass or Xfinity for plans in the 1,000Mbps range. 

Source: CNET analysis of provider data

How CNET chose the best internet providers in Miami

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. So 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.

But it doesn’t end there. We go to the FCC’s website to check our data and ensure we’re considering every ISP that provides service in an area. We also input local addresses on provider websites to find specific options for residents. To evaluate how happy customers are with an ISP’s service, we look at sources including the American Customer Satisfaction Index and J.D. 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 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 it comes to selecting the cheapest internet service — the criteria are relatively simple. We look for the service package with the lowest monthly fee, though we also take into consideration promotional rates and price per megabit. 

As for choosing the fastest internet service, we look at provider throughput. Most often, that means a fiber-optic service. That said, fiber availability may be limited to a smaller percentage of addresses. 

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

What’s the final word on internet providers in Miami?

It might feel a little overwhelming with fiber, cable, DSL and fixed wireless scattered all over Miami. How do you find the best ISP for you? It all starts with your address. Your building may be hooked up with one or more service providers already. Want fiber? Check with AT&T or Hotwire. Otherwise, plug your details into Xfinity or Breezeline’s availability checkers. Still not where you want to be? Check with Verizon or T-Mobile for a fixed wireless alternative.

Internet providers in Miami FAQs