Top ISPs in Tampa, FL
What is the best ISP in Tampa, Florida?
Among all the fantastic things Tampa has to offer – including beautiful sunsets, waterfront properties and rich culture – there are some fantastic internet opportunities. Based on customer service reviews, pricing and overall value for money, Frontier Fiber is the best overall ISP in Tampa.
However, if Frontier Fiber is not available at your address, there are many others internet service provider options worth checking out. Verizon 5G Home Internet and T-Mobile Home Internet can be excellent budget options if you’re already a wireless customer of either provider, as they offer discounts on internet service when you bundle. Spectrum also provides strong coverage and competitive rates in the Tampa area.
Top ISPs in Tampa
I believe Frontier Fiber provides the best speed and value, but Spectrum or wireless options like Verizon 5G Home Internet may also suit your needs. I’ve listed the best ISPs in Tampa, including their plans and prices, to help you choose the right ISP. Note that prices reflect discounts for paperless invoicing; choosing not to register will result in higher rates.
Note: The prices, speeds and features mentioned in the article may differ from those shown in the product detail maps, which reflect the national offers of the suppliers. The Internet service options available to you, including prices and speeds, will depend on your specific address and may differ from what is described here.
All available home internet providers in Tampa
The vendors mentioned above are not the only ones serving Tampa, but they are the ones I would recommend the most. Here’s a quick comparison of the practical internet options available in the Tampa area.
Tampa ISP details at a glance
| Supplier | Pricing | Download Speed Range (Mbps) | Equipment cost | CNET review result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EarthLink Read the full review |
$65-$190 | 500-5000 | $13 | 6.3 |
| Frontier Fiber Read the full review |
$30-$300 | 200-7000 | There isn’t | 6.3 |
| Spectrum Read the full review |
$50-$70 | 500-1000 | $10 | 7.2 |
| T-Mobile Home Internet Read the full review |
$50-$70 ($30-50 with eligible mobile plan) | 72-245 | There isn’t | 7.4 |
| Verizon 5G Home Internet Read the full review |
$50-$70 ($35-$45 with eligible mobile plan) | 50-250 | There isn’t | 7.2 |
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Source: CNET analysis of vendor data.
Top Tampa ISP Honorable Mentions
EarthLink: A name almost as old as home Internet itself, EarthLink now offers service by connecting to the networks of other providers and municipalities. As a result, you are likely to pay a little more for service compared to other providers. Prices and speeds vary widely by location, but all plans come with a one-year contract.
Fast systems: Local fixed wireless provider Rapid Systems is a decent choice for internet in rural central Florida, but prices are high and speeds are slow in the Tampa Bay area. You’ll want to check out other Internet options at your address before choosing Rapid Systems, as residential prices in Hillsborough County start at $79 per month for maximum speeds of 10Mbps.
T-Mobile Home Internet: With speeds of 72-245Mbps starting at $50 per month ($30 for qualifying Magenta Max customers), T-Mobile rivals Verizon in terms of 5G home internet. While T-Mobile doesn’t have the same speed potential, it boasts greater coverage than Verizon, making it an excellent choice for home internet in suburban and rural areas outside of Tampa.
WideOpenWest: You won’t find WideOpenWest, aka WOW, in Tampa, but it’s available in much of the Tampa Bay area, including Clearwater, East Lake, Oldsmar and St. Petersburg. The cable internet provider is a great choice for cheap, high-speed internet, with service starting at $25 per month for speeds up to 100Mbps.
Satellite internet: HughesNet, Viasat and possibly even Starlink are available in Tampa, but there are plenty of other cheaper and faster options in the area to avoid having to settle for satellite internet.
How much does internet cost in Tampa?
The cost of internet in Tampa depends on the provider and plan you choose. The cheapest Internet plans in Tampa will cost you $50 a month plus taxes and fees, unless you qualify for a discount with Verizon or T-Mobile.
Cheapest internet plans in Tampa
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Source: CNET analysis of vendor data.
Internet options for low-income households in Tampa
At $50 a month, the financial barrier for home Internet service in Tampa is a bit higher than in other parts of Florida. Therefore, you may want to look for more affordable internet services.
Spectrum offers a discounted Internet plan designed to help people in low-income households stay connected. The Spectrum Internet Assist plan comes with download speeds of up to 50Mbps starting at $25 per month.
Frontier doesn’t have a special low-income plan like Spectrum.
How fast is the internet in Tampa?
According to the latest data from Ookla’s speed test (Disclosure: Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis), the state of Florida is ranked #3 in Fourth quarter 2023 for fastest average US download speeds of around 238Mbps. Tampa came in a bit slower than the state, ranking 50th among US cities with an average download speed of 232Mbps.
Spectrum recorded the fastest average speed in Tampa at 267Mbps.
Many factors can affect speed tests, such as Wi-Fi usage and maximum internet plan speeds, but Tampa’s speed test results are impressive and a good indicator of the speeds you can experience with Spectrum and Frontier.
The slowest available plan from both providers (except Spectrum’s Internet Assist) comes with download speeds of up to 500Mbps. Faster plans are available from both providers, while EarthLink offers speeds of up to 5,000 Mbps in select areas.
Fastest internet plans in Tampa
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Source: CNET analysis of vendor data.
How CNET chose the best ISPs in Tampa
Internet service providers are numerous and regional. Unlike the latest ones smartphone, laptop, router or kitchen toolit is not practical to personally test every ISP in a given city. What is our approach? We start by researching pricing, availability, and speed information, drawing on our own historical data from ISPs, provider sites, and mapping information from the Federal Communications Commission on FCC.gov.
It doesn’t stop there: We go to the FCC website to check our data and make sure we’re considering every ISP that provides service in an area. We also enter local addresses on provider websites to find specific options for residents. To gauge how satisfied customers are with an ISP’s service, we look at sources including the American Customer Satisfaction Index and JD Power. ISP plans and prices are subject to frequent change; all information provided is accurate at the time of publication.
Once we have this localized information, we ask three main questions:
- Does the provider offer relatively fast internet access?
- Are customers getting decent value for what they pay?
- Are customers satisfied with their service?
The answer to these questions is often layered and complex, but the vendors that come closest to saying yes to all three are the ones we recommend.
To explore our process in more depth, visit our page at how we test ISPs.
Tampa Home Internet FAQs
Is the internet in Tampa good?
Recent data from Ookla’s speed test shows that Tampa achieved an average download speed of 298 Mbps in Q4 2023, ranking 50th among all major US cities. Frontier Fiber is probably the biggest contributor to high speeds, advertising a maximum download speed of 500Mbps on its lowest speed tier.
The spectrum doesn’t cover the entire Tampa area, however. When cable service is not available, wireless broadband from Verizon 5G Home Internet or T-Mobile Home Internet – with speeds of 50 to 250 Mbps and 72 to 245 Mbps, respectively – may be available to support the connection of Tampa residents.
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