Best Internet Providers in Charleston, South Carolina - CNET
- Prices: $55 – $180 per month
- Speeds: 300 – 5,000Mbps
- Unlimited data
- Prices: $20 – $300 per month
- Speeds: 75 – 6,000Mbps
- Data caps on some plans
- Prices: $50 per month
- Speeds: 72 – 245Mbps
- Unlimited data
- Prices: $20 – $95 per month
- Speeds: 100 – 1,200Mbps
- Good promo prices
I live just under 200 miles from Charleston, South Carolina, and let me be transparent: The last thing on my mind when I visit is my broadband options. I’m usually focused on fluffy biscuits, sandy beaches and bustling markets. But Charleston residents have a solid lineup of cable and fiber internet service choices offered by a wide variety of providers, according to a CNET analysis.
One hundred percent of Charleston households have access to a broadband connection (defined as 25 megabits per second download and 3Mbps upload speeds), according to the Federal Communications Commission, and 98% are eligible for plans that offer download speeds up to 250Mbps. That’s unusual. In South Carolina’s capital city of Columbia, for example, 92% have access to internet plans that fast, which would allow a household of four to comfortably stream shows, work from home and game simultaneously, per FCC guidelines.
Residents of The Holy City have lots of choices, including fiber plans from AT&T and local provider Home Telecom and cable connections from Xfinity or Spectrum. There’s also 5G home internet from T-Mobile Home Internet or Verizon 5G Home Internet.
CNET considers speeds, pricing, customer service and overall value to recommend the best internet service in Charleston across a number of categories. Our evaluation includes referencing a proprietary database built over years of reviewing internet services. We validate that against provider information by spot-checking local addresses for service availability. We also do a close read of providers’ terms and conditions and, when needed, will call ISPs to verify the details.
Despite our efforts to find the most recent and accurate information, our process has some limitations you need to know. Pricing and speed data are variable: Certain addresses may qualify for different tiers of service and monthly costs may vary, even within a single city. The best way to identify your particular options is to plug your address into a provider’s website.
Also, the prices, speed and other information listed above and in the provider cards below may differ from what we found in our research. The cards display the full range of a provider’s pricing and speed across the US, according to our database of plan information provided directly by ISPs, while the text is specific to what’s available in Charleston. The prices referenced within this article’s text come from our research and include applicable discounts for setting up automatic payments each month — a standard industry offering. Other discounts and promotions might be available as well, for things like signing a term contract or bundling with multiple services.
To learn more about how we review internet providers, visit our full methodology page.
Best internet options in Charleston
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Product details
There are two options for fiber internet service if you live in Charleston: local provider Home Telecom, which services just over 7% of the area, or AT&T Fiber, which has a broader reach and offers faster, multigigabit plans in some areas.
Availability: AT&T covers 69% of Charleston homes, according to the FCC. That noted, not all of those will have access to the company’s superior fiber plans, which are concentrated in Lakeview of Lawton Bluff and Oceanview. Those in the West Ashley area and elsewhere must settle for DSL connectivity.
Plans and pricing: Homes eligible for AT&T Fiber have access to three different plans, all with symmetrical download and upload speeds: 300Mbps for $55 per month, 500Mbps for $65 and 1,000Mbps for $80. Some households can access two faster plans: 2,000Mbps for $110 per month or 5,000Mbps for $180.
Fees and service details: AT&T Fiber plans feature no contracts, data caps or equipment costs. Customers who order online may be eligible to receive a $100-$150 gift card, depending on the tier.
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Product details
Comcast’s home internet brand, Xfinity, services the most households of any cable ISP in the country and covers more of Charleston than any other provider. (Satellite internet is technically available to 100% of residents but is far inferior to the cheaper, faster cable connections CNET recommends.)
Availability: Xfinity services most of Charleston, with coverage spanning nearly 92% of households, according to the FCC.
Plans and pricing: Befitting the largest cable provider in the US, Xfinity offers the most plans within the Charleston area. Customers can choose from six service tiers, starting with the 75Mbps Connect plan for $30 per month and topping out with Gigabit Extra (1,200Mbps), which costs $80 monthly.
Fees and service details: Xfinity plans come with some degree of complexity. Most significant to note, the two cheapest tiers don’t require an annual contract — but the rest require a two-year commitment to get the lowest monthly price. And all plans have a 1.25TB monthly data cap (the average household uses about half that — 580GB per month, per OpenVault) unless you pay an additional $30 monthly. If you exceed the data cap, you’ll automatically be charged $10 for each 50GB you go over, with a maximum charge of $100 each month.