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What is the best internet provider in Washington?
Xfinity is the best internet provider in Washington, according to CNET, thanks to its wide availability and various subscription options. Quantum fiber gets our approval as the best choice for fiber optic, but we did cut back on it due to the provider’s limited coverage area.
Despite its famous tech connections (and being home to a certain famous coffee chain), the Evergreen State doesn’t have the fastest internet in the country. It ranks in the bottom half of Ookla’s Speedtest.net Rankings of broadband speeds for U.S. states. City dwellers have more choices for providers than most rural residents. Big national names like Xfinity, CenturyLink, T-Mobile Home Internet, Verizon 5G Home Internet, and Spectrum all have a presence in Washington. The best ISP for your home depends on which providers serve your location.
Our picks for the best ISPs in Washington aren’t available for every address in the state. For example, Xfinity covers large areas, but you won’t find it in Yakima or Walla Walla. Spectrum covers those spots. So your address matters most when deciding which providers to put on your radar. If you’re in the market for internet service, check out CNET’s ranking of the best ISPs in Washington state.
Internet Options in Rural Washington
| Supplier | Connection type | Price range | Speed range | Data limit | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advanced superfast internet | Fixed wireless connection | $40-$150 | 3-200 Mbps | No | Yakima County |
| Benton REA PowerNET | Fixed wireless connection | $50-$140 | 2-40 Mbps | No | Mid-Columbia and Lower Yakima Valleys |
| Nikola Broadband | Fixed wireless connection | $70-$150 | 10-100 Mbps | No | Sequim area |
| point of view | Fixed wireless/fiber optic | $75-$130 | 5-30 Mbps | No | Pend Oreille County |
| Ptera | Fixed wireless/fiber optic | $45-$90 | 100-1,000 Mbps | No | Inland Northwest |
| ToledoTel | Fiber | $60-$215 | 25-1,000 Mbps | No | Toledo area |
| Washington Broadband | Fixed Wireless/Cable/Fiber Optic | $39-$250 | 1.5-900 Mbps | No | Yakima area |
| Wifiber | Fixed wireless/fiber optic | $45-$160 | 4-1,000 Mbps | No | Eastern Washington |
| Ziply fiber | Fiber | $20-$300 | 100-10,000 Mbps | No | Snohomish County |
Show more (5 items)
Source: CNET analysis of carrier data.
Rural internet can be tricky. Some lucky residents may be able to get fiber. Ziply Fiber has been expanding its presence in Washington by both expanding its network and acquiring existing ISPs. For example, Ptera, a fiber and fixed wireless provider focused on the Inland Northwest, is a Ziply company.
No fiber? I recommend looking at wired options for rural internet first. That might be CenturyLink DSL, which maxes out at 100 Mbps for $55 a month (but can be significantly slower depending on your location). Compare that to T-Mobile Home Internet or Verizon 5G Home Internet, if available. Those 5G services are easy to try with little commitment, and may offer a faster internet experience than DSL.
If wired and 5G internet aren’t working for your home, look into fixed wireless. Washington is littered with local ISPs that offer fixed wireless to rural addresses. Most max out at 100 Mbps, but your mileage will vary depending on your location. You’ll need a good line of sight to a tower. Satellite internet from Starlink, Viasat, or HughesNet is often seen as a last resort. It’s expensive and speeds can be slow.
The companies listed in our chart are just a few of the many ISPs that serve Washington. Enter your address using the FCC National Broadband Map to see which providers can reach your location. You may discover a local ISP that you were not aware of.
Internet Distribution by City in Washington
It’s hard to cover an entire state’s broadband options and give individual areas the attention they deserve. That’s why we’re also compiling lists of the best internet providers in cities across the U.S., including Washington. We’ll tackle details like internet connection types, top speeds, and cheapest providers. Check back later if you don’t see the city you’re looking for below. We’re working to add more locations every week.
Broadband in Washington at a glance
According to the FCC, homes in Washington are fully equipped with broadband internet access, but the real story is more subtle. The FCC is taking into account satellite internet coverage, which isn’t a great option for most residents. The most widely accessible ISP is cable provider Xfinity, but rival cable provider Spectrum covers parts of the state that Xfinity doesn’t. CenturyLink’s DSL network is available in more areas than Quantum Fiber.
FCC data shows that fiber reaches about 28% of homes in the state, with a concentration in larger metropolitan areas. Some — Ziply Fiber being the biggest name — even serve more rural areas. Some smaller local providers also offer limited fiber coverage in addition to fixed wireless service. Quantum Fiber is our top pick for fiber service in Seattle, and it can also be found in parts of Spokane.
How fast is the broadband internet in Washington?
The FCC defines broadband as speeds of at least 25 Mbps down and 3 Mbps up. By that measure, all Washington residents can get broadband internet access. Moving up the speed scale, FCC data tells a different story. About 90% of Washington residents can get speeds of at least 100 Mbps down. However, when we go to a show, only about 28% of homes are covered.
A recent Ookla Speedtest.net Ranking ranked Washington 36th among U.S. states for median download speeds. Washington clocked in at around 189 Mbps. Ookla also tracks the speeds of the 100 most populous cities in the country. Seattle, despite being a tech hub, only ranked 97th. That’s not a great showing. If your internet is feeling choppy, there may be ways to improve it. Try these four steps to speed up your internet connection.
Internet prices in Washington
A monthly bill of around $50 is a pretty standard entry-level price for home internet, but there are ways to save. Xfinity’s 150 Mbps plan will set you back just $20 per month. That cheap plan price is only valid for 12 months with a contract, and you’ll either have to rent your equipment for $15 per month or bring your own. Let’s also look at value. CenturyLink’s 940 Mbps fiber plan for $75 (including modem) is a great value.
T-Mobile or Verizon customers can bundle a suitable mobile plan with home internet service, which could reduce your monthly internet bill by as much as $40 at T-Mobile or $35 at Verizon. Available slots may be limited and speeds may vary depending on your location, but the no-contract plans make it easy to test your connection to see if it works for you.
How CNET Chose the Best Internet Providers in Washington
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, drawing on our own historical ISP data, the providers’ websites, and mapping information from the Federal Communications Commission on FCC.gov.
And it doesn’t stop there. We go to the FCC website to check our data and make sure we account for every ISP that offers service in an area. We also enter local addresses into carrier websites to find specific options for residents. We look at sources including the American Customer Satisfaction Index and JD Power to evaluate how satisfied customers are with an ISP’s service. 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?
While the answers to these questions are often layered and complex, the providers that come closest to “yes” to all three questions are the ones we recommend. When selecting the cheapest internet service, we look for the plans with the lowest monthly fees, though we also consider things like price increases, equipment costs, and contracts. Choosing the fastest internet service is relatively simple. We look at advertised upload and download speeds, and consider real-world speed data from sources like Ookla And FCC Reports.
If you would like to take a more detailed look at our process, please visit our How We Test ISPs page.
The Future of Broadband in Washington
Washington has a good chance to improve its internet performance thanks to a $1.2 billion federal investment from the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment program. BEAD is designed to expand broadband access across the U.S. That includes building out networks to reach unserved and underserved areas. The state is working to secure the funds and invites the public to provide feedback through the Washington State Broadband Office. The office’s data shows that about 264,000 households in the state have not adopted broadband service. Washington hopes to improve access, boost broadband adoption and make internet service affordable. Those are all worthy goals.
Frequently Asked Questions About Internet in Washington
Does Washington have good internet?
Judging by Ookla’s rankings, Washington doesn’t have great internet speeds, but “good” is subjective. Fiber customers, such as those who subscribe to Quantum Fiber or Ziply Fiber, are generally quite happy with their internet, thanks to fast download speeds, equally fast upload speeds and reliable service. Xfinity — Washington’s most widespread ISP — has fast speed tiers available along with above-average customer satisfaction scores. Overall, Washington has room to improve its broadband coverage and speeds.
Is there fiber optic internet in Washington?
Yes, although it’s not very widespread. Quantum Fiber and Ziply Fiber are two of the largest providers in the state, but FCC data shows that less than 30% of Washington households have access to fiber. There are smaller, local ISPs that have limited fiber coverage. Check out our rural internet chart above for some of those providers.
Is CenturyLink or Xfinity Better for Internet Service in Washington?
Both CenturyLink and Xfinity have a significant presence in Washington. If both serve your address, it’s time to take a closer look at your options. CenturyLink’s legacy DSL network typically tops out at 100 Mbps (sometimes much less, depending on your location). If DSL or cable is your thing, consider Xfinity’s higher top speeds first. However, if CenturyLink’s sister network, Quantum Fiber, is available, give it some thought. Fiber is reliable and fast, both up and down. Quantum Fiber’s 940 Mbps speed tier (which includes your equipment rental) is also a good value.
