Best Internet Providers in Seattle, Washington

What is the best internet provider in Seattle?

CNET recommends Quantum Fiber as the best internet provider in Seattle. The fiber provider delivers quality symmetrical speeds and unlimited data, making it the best option for most households, regardless of whether you’re living alone or with family. Prices begin at $40 per month for the 200Mbps plan, which is suitable for basic browsing, streaming, and gaming activities. For those who require more bandwidth, the service offers a premium 2Gbps plan priced at $100 per month, ideal for larger households or users with more intensive internet requirements such as 4K streaming or multiple connected devices. If you’re outside Quantum Fiber’s coverage area, then Astound Broadband, T-Mobile and Xfinity are all solid alternatives, each offering multiple plans.

However, if you’re looking for something a little more affordable that won’t leave your wallet hurting, we’ve got some options for you. Ziply Fiber, Xfinity and Astound all tie for the title of the cheapest internet provider in the city, each offering a broadband plan for only $20 per month. Each option has its pros and cons, but here’s the gist: Ziply Fiber’s plan offers download speeds up to 100Mbps, Xfinity’s Connect plan provides 150Mbps and Astound’s cheapest plan delivers 300Mbps.

Of course, if you’re looking for an internet service provider that can get you the fastest speeds possible in Seattle and money isn’t an issue, you’ll want to look at Ziply Fiber’s 50 gigabit per second plan, costing an eye-watering $900 monthly. If that’s more speed than you need, Ziply and Xfinity offer a 10Gbps tier (in select areas), which is more than enough speed to power most households.

Best internet in Seattle, Washington

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Other available internet providers in Seattle

• Google Fiber Webpass: Don’t be confused by the fiber in the name. This is a fixed-wireless option from Google Fiber that’s focused solely on apartment buildings. Although it’s not fiber internet, it’s still plenty zippy: It offers symmetrical gigabit speeds for $70 a month (or an average of $63 a month if you sign up for the yearly plan via a full, $750 upfront payment). Webpass also features free installation, unlimited data and no equipment fees. If your building cannot support the full gig speeds, Webpass will reduce the pricing. You can find Google Fiber Webpass within Seattle city limits, including the Belltown, Capitol Hill, First Hill, Fremont, Queen Anne and Uptown neighborhoods.

• Satellite internet: This always feels like cheating, but it must be said that no matter the city or area in which you live in the US, this mode of internet connectivity is always an option. Is it a great option for Seattle residents? If you live in the city, no. You’ll have much faster and cheaper choices available to you. Even areas south of Tacoma or north of Everett should have some viable alternatives, but if you find yourself in a rural town with limited options, you might consider it. Hughesnet and Viasat will be your top picks, although both require you to commit to a two-year contract. A more intriguing possibility is Starlink, which just became available in the area in 2023. It features faster download speeds and no term agreement.

• Verizon 5G Home Internet: Why choose Verizon’s fixed wireless home internet product over T-Mobile Home Internet? On the plus side, it has a much faster average download speed (300Mbps) than T-Mobile. If you’re among eligible Verizon Wireless subscribers, it’s even cheaper, with the same “all-in” approach where equipment, installation and fees are all covered in your flat monthly rate. Where it falls short of T-Mobile is availability. Its heavy reliance on its 5G network — T-Mobile uses its 4G LTE network more aggressively, in addition to 5G, to boost its coverage territory — means it doesn’t quite hit the same reach. 

• Ziply Fiber: Despite being relatively new to the game, having launched services in the middle of 2020, Ziply Fiber is a viable option if you’re eligible for its fiber internet, which boasts unlimited data and no long-term contract requirements. Despite its name, some of its footprint includes the much slower DSL type. A Ziply spokesperson tells CNET that the company is actively building a fiber alternative for those communities, including over 112 projects in Seattle and the greater Northwest. Also, Ziply Fiber is rolling out several multi-gigabit plans, including 10Gbps and 50Gbps options. Confirmed cities around Seattle where multi-gig plans are currently available include Bellevue, Bothell, Brier, Edmonds, Everett, Kenmore, Kirkland, Lake Stevens, Lynnwood, Marysville, Mill Creek, Mountlake Terrace, Mukilteo, Redmond, Shoreline, Snohomish and Woodinville.

Cheap internet options in Seattle

The average price for internet service in Seattle is just under $42 per month. If you’re looking for a cheaper internet plan, you’ll find the lowest starting price of $10 a month from Ziply Fiber for its 100Mbps plan. The next cheapest options are Xfinity and Astound’s $20 per month plans which offer speeds up to 150Mbps and 300Mbps, respectively.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

How to find internet deals and promotions in Seattle

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

Seattle internet providers, such as Astound Broadband, T-Mobile, Ziply Fiber and Xfinity, may offer lower introductory pricing or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Others, including CenturyLink, Quantum Fiber and Verizon 5G Home Internet, 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 Seattle broadband?

Seattle is far from being in the first lane when it comes to high-speed internet options. Although the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue region is among the country’s top 20 most populous metro areas, it could muster only a 97th-place finish among the fastest cities in the US for broadband. It ranked just below Denver and above Atlanta, with a median download speed of just over 118Mbps. This makes it the 3rd slowest in the US.

If you’re searching for the speediest internet in the Seattle area, Ziply Fiber takes the gold with its 50Gbps (50,000Mbps) plan for $900 monthly. Ziply and Xfinity also offer 10,000Mbps options, which is still incredibly fast for home broadband.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

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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 all at the same time.

How CNET chose the best internet providers in Seattle

Internet service providers are numerous and regional. 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 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? 

The answer to those questions is often layered and complex, but 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. (Disclaimer: 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 Seattle?

If you’ve been keeping up with CNET’s coverage of the best internet providers across the country — and I certainly hope you have — you may have noticed fewer options in Seattle than in other big US cities. On the other hand, Seattle can brag that it has cheaper internet options than most towns and more multi-gig providers. They’re spread out throughout the area, but they’re there. Xfinity’s seven cable internet plans are the most widely available in Seattle. Still, Astound Broadband’s four cable internet tiers are cheaper and don’t require you to sign a contract to get the lowest price. As we always say, if you’re serviceable for fiber internet in Seattle, including Quantum Fiber, Ziply Fiber or Xfinity’s Gigabit Pro plan, that should be your top option. 

Internet providers in Seattle FAQs