I love Denver. I was born there and will forever be a Broncos fan because of my time living near the Rocky Mountains. It’s a beautiful part of the country with interesting attractions. In other words, my bias for the Mile High City runs deep. But when the 19th most populous US metro area places in the bottom five among the country’s fastest cities for broadband, even I have to admit, that’s not so good.

The company Ookla, known for its Speedtest, keeps tabs on the top 100 cities in the US and ranks them for median download speeds based on data gleaned from the countless speed tests run by the site’s users. Based on Ookla’s fourth-quarter 2022 report, Denver limped into 96th place with a median download speed of approximately 112 megabits per second. That’s the second slowest median speed among the cities CNET has covered thus far, including the smaller cities of Austin (239Mbps), Charlotte (223Mbps), Orlando (181Mbps) and St. Louis (206Mbps).

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One major reason for Denver’s lower median speeds is the lack of faster fiber connections throughout the metro area. Yes, you can get fiber service in Colorado’s capital city, but one of the main providers, CenturyLink, is just as likely to only have DSL service at many addresses as it is its Quantum Fiber offering. That said, decent speeds are also available from Comcast’s cable internet service, Xfinity, which also has a wide footprint in the area.

Denver also has a variety of fixed wireless solutions, including 5G home internet options, to help get Coloradans connected. To help you sort out the choices you may have in the Mile High City, here’s what you need to know about the best internet providers in Denver.

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CenturyLink/Quantum Fiber

Best internet provider in Denver for fiber service

• Price range: $49 to $65 a month
• Speed range: 200 to 940Mbps
• Highlights: Unlimited data, no contracts, equipment included with gigabit tier 

CenturyLink’s fiber service, which has been branded Quantum Fiber in some areas (but not all, which is confusing, I know), is one of the few fiber providers in the greater Denver area. Buyer beware, though: Just because your address is serviceable for CenturyLink doesn’t ensure you’re serviceable for the company’s fiber service. Its DSL service still makes up approximately three-quarters of its coverage map, per the Federal Communication Commission’s most recent figures (though, admittedly, those numbers are from June 2021).

But for those eligible for CenturyLink’s fiber service — which includes the Denver metro area, but predominantly Aurora, just to the east, and the northern suburbs of Commerce City and Thornton — you can expect one of the most affordable internet plans in the area. For example, at $65 per month, the fiber gigabit plan offers very good value at 7 cents per megabit-per-second, plus your gateway device is included (which is an additional $15 per month for customers of the 200Mbps plan).

You don’t get the diversity of options you might see from other providers. There are only two plans from which to choose, the high-value gigabit plan or the 200Mbps tier (which is $49 in some areas, $50 in others, but either way is around 25 cents per Mbps, which isn’t anything special). But CenturyLink still scores points here because fiber service is scarce in Denver. It’s tough to beat the symmetrical download and upload speeds it provides, and CenturyLink additionally boasts no contracts and unlimited data.

Read our CenturyLink home internet review.

 

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Xfinity

Best internet provider in Denver for availability

• Price range: $25 to $300 a month
• Speed range: 75 to 6,000Mbps
• Highlights: Decent customer satisfaction numbers, a variety of plan options
• Special offers: Bundle discounts, free Flex streaming device

While CenturyLink’s fiber offerings are confined to two flavors (200Mbps and 1 gig), Comcast’s cable internet service, Xfinity, gives customers a wider range of options, including seven different plans. You can get a cheap internet plan for $25 a month (75Mbps), or you can go bold with a 6,000Mbps plan, though that’ll cost you a pretty penny — $300 per month, one of the most expensive home internet plans we’ve seen at CNET. Xfinity’s Gigabit Extra plan (at 1,200Mbps) is faster than CenturyLink’s top option (940Mbps), but it’s also more expensive, and as a cable connection, doesn’t feature symmetrical upload speeds.

While CenturyLink can be found throughout the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood metro area, you might be rolling the dice on whether you’re looking at DSL service or the more desirable fiber connection. On the other hand, Xfinity features all plan offerings in all locations throughout Broncos Country. That means you can get connected with Xfinity if you’re as far north as Broomfield and Boulder, or ranging south of the city from Centennial to Castle Rock.

The biggest caveats here are the contracts and caps. You’ll be required to sign a term agreement (typically for 12 months, but the Gigabit Pro plan requires a full two-year contract) to get the best monthly rates on your home internet plan. Also, Xfinity places a monthly data cap of 1.2 terabytes on some plans. While that’s more than double the 496 gigabytes the average US household used in 2022 (per Open Vault’s quarterly findings), it might be a bit of a squeeze on those with a home full of connected devices.

Read our Xfinity home internet review.

 

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Starry Internet

Best internet provider in Denver for fixed wireless service

• Price range: $15 to $80 a month 
• Speed range: 30 to 1,000Mbps
• Highlights: Free installation and no data caps, no contracts and no additional fee for equipment
• Special offers: Happy Interneting Guarantee, a policy that pledges a full refund to customers if they’re not satisfied and decide to cancel within the first month of service

Starry garnered some buzz and headlines in 2022. In late March, Starry became a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange. Shortly after, it was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential Companies of 2022. Unfortunately, it also ended the year on the outs with the New York Stock Exchange.

Nevertheless, Starry uses a millimeter-wave, fixed wireless technology similar to 5G to deliver broadband internet service to households (especially, but not exclusively, apartment complexes). Most customers will be eligible for the 200Mbps plan for $50 a month, though some might also have access to Starry Gigabit, an $80-a-month plan that features 1,000Mbps download speeds and 500Mbps upload. 

Starry is available throughout the Denver metro area, including Alamo Placita, Cherry Hills, Englewood, Glendale, Highlands Square and Holly Hills neighborhoods. It also features a low-cost internet program called Starry Connect, which gives broadband access to residents in public and affordable housing (a $15-a-month plan for 30Mbps symmetrical speeds). Starry Connect has local partnerships with the Denver Housing Authority, Englewood Housing Authority and Aurora Public Schools.

Read our Starry Internet review.

 

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Are there additional internet providers in Denver?

The Denver-Aurora-Lakewood metro area has other internet service providers beyond our top three picks. Here are some of your other ISP options.

• Google Fiber Webpass: This fixed wireless solution from Google Fiber is similar to Starry Internet. It’s focused on apartment buildings and offers a high-speed service that’s one plan only: symmetrical gigabit speeds for $70 a month (or $63 a month with a yearly plan). Like its Google Fiber offering, Webpass features free installation and requires no contracts and equipment fees. Not as widely available in the Mile High City as Starry Internet, Webpass can be found at select addresses located mainly in the Highland, River North Art District and West Colfax areas.
• Rise Broadband: Though you can find some availability within city limits for this fixed wireless provider, it’s a likelier solution for the more suburban and rural areas of the Denver metro area, including Evergreen to the west and Parker to the south. You can expect to see speeds as high as 50Mbps and some unlimited data options too, so Rise Broadband is a viable option in rural areas where satellite may be the main competition.
• Satellite internet: No matter where you live in the US, satellite internet is an option. Is it your best option? Probably not, especially if you live within Denver city limits. There are going to be cheaper and faster plans available. But if you’re in the more rural outskirts of the Mile High City (I’m thinking Highlands Ranch, Roxborough Park, Sedalia and the like), then you might seriously consider this mode as a way of being connected. HughesNet and Viasat, which both require two-year contract commitments, are your two most likely choices. Starlink, which currently has the Denver area on a waitlist (per the Starlink availability map), might be an attractive alternative later in 2023. 
• T-Mobile Home Internet: T-Mobile’s fixed wireless solution uses the carrier’s 4G LTE and 5G networks to provide cellular internet coverage for your home. The mobile carrier has been aggressively pushing its $50-per-month service, and T-Mobile recently announced new perks of a price-lock guarantee and a $20 discount for eligible Magenta Max customers. It’s appealingly straightforward — no contracts, equipment or setup fees and no data caps. While T-Mobile Home Internet is available throughout the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood metro area, you’ll need to check your address on the T-Mobile site to determine if you’re eligible for home internet service. 
• Ting Internet: This fiber internet provider is local to the south Denver suburb of Centennial. It caters to those looking for superfast and reliable internet service, featuring a symmetrical 1,000Mbps plan for $89 a month. There’s also an affordable option at $19 per month for symmetrical 5Mbps speeds. Equipment rental is $9 monthly or a one-time fee of $199. Suppose you’re interested in preordering service because Ting is not yet available in your neighborhood. In that case, the company requires a $9 deposit, which will be credited back to your first month’s bill (or refunded if Ting does not ultimately come to your area).
• Verizon 5G Home Internet: Verizon’s 5G fixed wireless home internet product has a higher average download speed (300Mbps) than T-Mobile Home Internet and subscribes to a similar “everything’s included in one price” approach — installation, equipment and fees for $50 a month. On top of that, eligible Verizon Wireless customers can get a 50% discount to boot.

Digging down into the details of Denver home internet

Beyond an overview of the internet providers in Denver, there are more specific details about the types of internet plans you can get in the Mile High City. Let’s take a look at the cheapest internet in Denver, as well as the fastest internet plans you can find. 

Internet pricing in Denver 

If you look at the promo prices for all providers (and not the regular rates that kick in after the introductory period), the average starting price for internet service in Denver is approximately $39 per month. That’s pretty good. It puts Coloradans’ beloved “Cow Town” near the front of the line of other cities CNET has covered thus far, including Brooklyn ($36 a month), Los Angeles ($38 a month), San Francisco ($40 a month), New York City ($41 per month), Seattle ($42 a month), Austin, Dallas and Philadelphia (all around $43 per month), Houston ($45 a month), Phoenix ($46 per month), Atlanta ($47 a month), Orlando and San Antonio ($48 per month) and, all at $50 monthly — Charlotte, Chicago, Las Vegas, San Diego and St. Louis. 

Regarding specific plans, the lowest starting price belongs to Starry Connect, which offers a low-income internet plan of 30Mbps for only $15 a month. However, that’s only available to eligible public and affordable housing complexes. For everyone else, the cheapest internet plan you can find in Denver is Xfinity’s Connect plan, which features 75Mbps download speeds for $25 per month. Granted, that price jumps to $50 after your promo period, but at that point, you can consider other options (or negotiate with your provider) before committing to that plan at the higher price. 

Lastly, regarding cheap internet, particularly low-income internet options, you should be aware that all the providers we’ve listed also participate in the FCC’s Affordable Connectivity Program. It provides a $30 monthly discount to eligible low-income households for affordable, high-speed internet. The ACP can go towards any internet plan (not just lower-tiered offerings) from participating providers. In May of 2022, 20 providers partnered with the White House on its digital divide initiatives and vowed to offer plans of at least 100Mbps that customers could ultimately get for free when paired with the ACP. 

Internet speeds in Denver

Regarding internet speeds, “Cow Town” is almost too appropriate. As mentioned earlier, Denver didn’t fare well on its median download internet speeds compared to other top US cities. For example, there’s only one multi-gigabit provider within the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood metro area — Xfinity’s Gigabit Pro plan, which is not widely available. Additionally, Ookla’s speed test data shows Xfinity as Denver’s fastest provider, but its median download speed of approximately 224Mbps in the area is nothing special. Let’s say that Denver’s not exactly Chattanooga fast regarding internet speed.

The final word on internet providers in Denver

While you can certainly find ways to get connected in Denver, there aren’t the same multitude of options available here as you might find in some other big cities across the country. Xfinity’s cable internet — and the seven different plans it offers — will probably be your top option, but if your address is serviceable for CenturyLink’s fiber offering (and make sure it’s fiber, not the DSL service), make that your first choice. 

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