HomeUncategorizedBest Internet Providers in Ohio – CNET

Best Internet Providers in Ohio – CNET

October 11, 2023

Best Internet Providers in Ohio - CNET

Sports, rock ‘n’ roll and Cincinnati chili. Birthplace to multiple US presidents and Neil Armstrong. Ohio has it all. It’s home to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But is Ohio also worthy of the Home Internet Hall of Fame? Ohio came in 16th in a recent Ookla Speedtest.net ranking of US states by home internet speeds, so it’s not exactly the Roger Staubach of residential broadband, but it’s doing OK.

Ohio has some reliable internet service providers to lean on. Spectrum is our choice for the best ISP in Ohio, largely based on its availability across the state and reasonably fast speeds. When it comes to fast uploads to go along with fast downloads, look to AT&T Fiber for speedy plans and straightforward pricing. Its limited availability in the Buckeye State keeps AT&T from the top slot.

We all know Cleveland rocks, but Ohio as a whole knows how to roll, and residents deserve fast, reliable home internet for work and play. Read on for rural broadband options, a look at 5G home internet as an alternative and a special hometown-hero ISP recommendation for residents of Cincinnati. You can also check out our city-specific Cleveland, Columbus and Dover guides.

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Our methodology

CNET considers speeds, pricing, customer service and overall value to recommend the best internet service in Ohio across several 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 should know about. Pricing and speed data are variable: certain addresses may qualify for different service tiers, and monthly costs may vary, even within a city. The best way to identify your 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. At the same time, the text is specific to what’s available in Ohio. 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 also be available 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 Ohio

Coverage area is a key consideration when picking a state-wide best ISP in Ohio, and no other wired provider tops the extent of Spectrum’s cable network. AT&T Fiber is a great option if you can get it, while Verizon 5G Home Internet offers up to 1,000Mbps downloads in some areas. Picking the best ISP for your home depends on which providers service your address and which plan gives you the best bang for your buck. 

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Spectrum

Best internet provider in Ohio

. . . Or call to order: Call to Learn More (877) 361-3842

Product details

Price range $30- $70 per month Speed range 100 – 1,000Mbps Connection Cable Key Info Unlimited data, simple pricing, no contracts, modem included, free access to nationwide Wi-Fi hotspots

Gig speeds, good introductory pricing deals and wide availability vault Spectrum into the top spot for Ohio ISPs. It’s not the fastest around, and it still has some work to do in improving customer satisfaction, but it likely reaches your home and is worthy of consideration.

Availability: Spectrum reaches far and wide across Ohio. FCC data shows the ISP reaches over 73% of households in the state, the most of any wired home internet provider.  

Plans and pricing: Typically, Spectrum will offer 500Mbps service for $40 per month or 1,000Mbps service for $60 per month. Spectrum doesn’t always tell you about every available plan online. You may also be able to get a 100Mbps plan for $30 per month. Call to find out the full suite of offerings for your address. 

Fees and service details: Prices may jump a couple of years after your initial introductory period. Look for offers that include a free modem. There are no contracts or data caps.

Read our Spectrum Internet review.

. . . Or call to order: Call to Learn More (877) 361-3842

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AT&T Fiber

Best fiber provider in Ohio

. . . Or call to order: Call to Learn More (866) 431-6052

Product details

Price range $55 – $250 per month Speed range 300 – 5,000Mbps Connection Fiber Key Info Unlimited data, no contracts, equipment included

This recommendation is specifically for AT&T Fiber, not AT&T’s older, slower DSL network. The DSL network covers more ground in Ohio, but it can’t touch the speed of fiber. 

Availability: AT&T offers fiber service in dozens of Ohio cities, including parts of Akron, Cleveland, Columbus, Canton, Dayton, Toledo and Youngstown. AT&T has been expanding the availability of its 5-gig speeds, but that hasn’t reached everywhere in Ohio yet, so most locations max out at 1 gig. However, customers in Dayton and Toledo may be able to get the fastest speeds. 

Plans and pricing: The most widely available plans are 300Mbps for $55, 500Mbps for $65 and 1,000Mbps for $80 per month. Those with access to higher speeds expect to pay up to $150 for 2,000Mbps and $250 for 5,000Mbps.

Fees and service details: AT&T keeps its plans straightforward. There are no data caps, equipment fees or contracts. Look out for special offers like a reward card for ordering online and coverage of your cancellation fee if switching from another provider.

Read our AT&T home internet review.

. . . Or call to order: Call to Learn More (866) 431-6052

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Verizon 5G Home Internet

Best wireless home internet for Ohio’s cities

. . . Or call to order: Call to Learn More (877) 545-6781

Product details

Price range $50 – $70 per month (50% off for eligible 5G mobile customers) Speed range 85 – 1,000Mbps Connection Fixed wireless Key Info Unlimited data, no contracts, free equipment, 50% discount for qualifying Verizon mobile customers

Maybe you don’t like the ISPs available to you. Maybe you’re a Verizon phone customer who wants to bundle your home internet for monthly savings. With speeds up to 1,000Mbps and service in some of Ohio’s most populous cities, Verizon makes a case for going wireless. 

Availability: Verizon’s coverage map highlights Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus, Cleveland and Akron as 5G Home Internet cities. Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband network reaches these metro areas, but you’ll need to check your address to see if an open slot is available.

Plans and pricing: Verizon offers 5G Home and 5G Home Plus plans. The 5G Home plan offers typical speeds of 50-300Mbps and runs $50 per month with a two-year price guarantee. The 5G Home Plus plan comes with a three-year price guarantee, access to Verizon Cloud Unlimited storage and typical speeds of 300-1,000Mbps for $70 per month. Bundle with an eligible phone plan to bring your home internet price down to $35 or $45 monthly.  

Fees and service details: There are no data caps, equipment fees or contracts, which makes this an easy service to try out. Look for deal-sweeteners like a free HomePod or gift card with a 5G Home Plus plan.

Read our Verizon 5G Home Internet review.

. . . Or call to order: Call to Learn More (877) 545-6781

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Altafiber

Best internet provider in Cincinnati

. . . Or call to order: Call to Learn More (866) 237-8058

Product details

Price range $45 – $85 per month Speed range 400 – 2,000Mbps Connection Fiber Key Info No data caps, no contracts, first month free

Altafiber (once known as Cincinnati Bell) is CNET’s top-recommended ISP for Cincinnati based on its speed, reliability and pricing. 

Availability: Altafiber, headquartered in Cincinnati, covers much of the metro area, including parts of Dry Ridge and Oxford. 

Plans and pricing: The entry-level 400Mbps tier runs $40 per month. Other options are 600Mbps for $50 or 800Mbps or 1,000Mbps for $60. You might as well go with the faster speed for the same price. The top-tier 2,000Mbps plan costs $90 per month. Prices are good for one, two or three years, depending on your plan choice, but you may see a rate increase after that. 

Fees and service details: There are no contracts or data caps. You can rent a gateway for $11 monthly or provide your own gear. Altafiber’s standard upload speeds are half the download speeds, but you can upgrade to symmetrical upload speeds for an additional $10 monthly.

. . . Or call to order: Call to Learn More (866) 237-8058

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Finding fast, reliable rural internet can be challenging for Ohio residents living outside the main metro areas. Fixed wireless is one way rural households can get connected. Here’s how fixed wireless compares to other internet connection types. Fixed wireless in Ohio is primarily provided by local ISPs. You’ll need a clear line of sight to a tower. Our chart includes just some of the fixed wireless ISPs that service the state, but there are more out there. Run your address through the FCC Broadband Map’s Location Summary tool to find ISPs that may service your rural home.

Fixed wireless may be one of the most widespread rural internet options available, but some lucky locations may be able to get fiber. Imagine Networks, for example, services some rural areas north of Dayton with speeds up to 1,000Mbps.

Satellite internet is often a last resort when wired ISPs don’t reach your home and fixed wireless doesn’t work out for you. Starlink, Viasat and HughesNet are the competitors, and they all have pros and cons. Starlink has the potential for faster speeds than the others. It also doesn’t require a contract, but you’ll have to swallow a hefty initial equipment fee. Check out our comparison of the best satellite internet providers.

Ohio broadband at a glance

Every household in Ohio can access broadband speeds by the government’s definition of 25Mbps downloads and 3Mbps uploads, according to the FCC. However, that includes satellite internet, which can be expensive and slow. If we look at wired internet (DSL, cable and fiber) only, about 90% of Ohio homes are hooked up to broadband speed. There are pockets of fiber around the state, primarily in the bigger metro areas. AT&T Fiber is a provider to look out for, but also keep an eye on regional ISPs like Buckeye Broadband in northwest Ohio and Altafiber in Cincinnati.

How fast is Ohio broadband?

Faster speeds can be elusive in the Buckeye State. FCC data shows only about 28% of Ohio homes can get 1,000Mbps downloads with 100Mbps uploads. That reflects that less than a third of Ohio households can access fiber internet. Ookla’s Speedtest.net data shows Ohio with an average median download speed of about 204Mbps, with Spectrum as the state’s fastest provider.

Columbus has a respectable showing in Ookla’s ranking of internet speeds for the country’s 100 most populous cities. It appears in 35th place with a median download speed of 229Mbps. Cleveland clocks in at 52nd place with 216Mbps, and Cincinnati languishes down in 83rd place at 173Mbps. Still, that’s better than Toledo in 94th place with 131Mbps. If raw internet speed is important to you and you have some flexibility in where you move in Ohio, then these city rankings can help guide your decision. 

ISP availability can depend highly on address, and you might find fiber in some unexpected places. For example, Buckeye Broadband will feature residential 10-gig fiber in some spots, including Sandusky, by the end of 2023. Frontier services some smaller towns like Dover with fiber up to 5,000Mbps. 

Some pockets of Ohio can enjoy some of the fastest residential speeds in the nation. That includes AT&T Fiber and Frontier’s 5,000Mbps plans, and Buckeye Broadband’s blazing 10,000Mbps plan, which comes at a hefty price of $1,000 per month (PDF link). There’s limited availability for these plans, though. Most Ohio residents with access to Spectrum or other cable providers can expect speeds in the gig range. 

Slow internet is no fun. One remedy is to upgrade your plan or move over to a faster provider. If those aren’t options for you, try these four essential steps for speeding up your internet connections to get the most out of what you already have.

Internet pricing in Ohio

Expect to pay around $50 per month for internet in Ohio. There are some cheaper plans, like the $40-per-month 500Mbps service from Spectrum. That’s a good deal for as long as the introductory pricing lasts. If you’re shopping online for Spectrum and don’t see the 100Mbps plan for $30 per month, call the ISP to see if it’s available to you. 

Fiber can be pricey at the highest speed levels, but some decent deals can be found at the gig level and below. AT&T Fiber’s $55-per-month 300Mbps plan is the ISP’s cheapest plan, but the gig plan at $80 per month is a better value for power users. If you are in Altafiber’s coverage area, you can get fiber for the relatively low price of $40 per month for 400Mbps. When figuring out the best bargain for your home, factor in the cost of renting or buying equipment (if necessary) alongside your need for speed. If you’re a gaming fanatic, have multiple high-demand users or have to move big files around, investing more in a faster fiber plan can be worth it.

Internet for low-income households in Ohio 

The Affordable Connectivity Program should be the first stop for low-income households needing home internet assistance. This federal program provides qualified residences with a $30 ($75 on tribal lands) monthly internet subsidy. That means free or cheap internet. Most ISPs participate in the program; many offer special plans for ACP recipients. Spectrum, for example, has a free 100Mbps plan for ACP recipients with a free modem and no data cap or contract requirement.

How CNET chose the best internet providers in Ohio

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. So 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. 

But 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? 

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 selecting the cheapest internet service, we look for the plans with the lowest monthly fee, though 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.

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

The future of broadband in Ohio

The state’s BroadbandOhio Office estimates 300,000 households (representing nearly 1 million Ohioans) lack access to high-speed internet. One of the biggest challenges is to get rural residents and underserved areas connected to better internet options. There’s some good news when it comes to funding that expensive effort. The federal Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program is delivering nearly $800 million to the state to develop broadband for unserved and underserved communities. It can take time to disperse funds and build out networks, but it’s a positive step in the right direction for broadband equality in the Buckeye State.

Internet in Ohio FAQs

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