Best ISPs in Harrisburg, PA

What is the best ISP in Harrisburg?

Verizon Fios is our pick for the best ISP in Harrisburg because it offers fast, symmetrical download and upload speeds. This is essential for homes with lots of gaming and video conferencing. Your ISP gives you a price guarantee of two to four years, depending on the plan you choose. If you need faster download speeds, Xfinity is the fastest internet provider in Harrisburgwith a 1200 Mbps plan available in the city. However, its upload speeds are much slower than Verizon’s, and prices increase significantly after promotions expire. T-Mobile Home Internet is another affordable option in the area that’s perfect for smaller households, and they’ll never raise the price tag for as long as you stay a customer.

The best internet in Harrisburg, PA

Source: CNET analysis of vendor data

Other available ISPs in Harrisburg

• Satellite internet: Satellite internet is always an option – I just wouldn’t recommend it unless you live in a rural area with no other internet options. HughesNet and Viasat are the traditional choices; both have high prices, low data allowances and slower speeds. Starlink provides higher speeds – up to 220Mbps – but requires an upfront equipment purchase of $249 and costs $90 per month thereafter.
• Verizon 5G Home Internet: Verizon offers two different internet products in Harrisburg. Like T-Mobile, Verizon’s 5G home internet service uses its cellular network to send wireless internet to your home. There are no data limits or contracts, but wireless connections are generally less reliable than wired connections. Still, it’s a solid alternative to T-Mobile and offers speeds of up to 250Mbps in some addresses.

Cheap internet options in Harrisburg

The cheapest internet plans in Harrisburg come from Xfinity, T-Mobile Home Internet and Verizon 5G Home Internet. Every provider offers plans for $50 a month or less, but it’s a bit misleading with Xfinity. Its Connect More plan begins at $30 a month, but you’ll pay $40 in the second year and $93 in the third year. The Xfinity Extra Gigabit plan increases to $85 in the second year and $123 in the third year.

Source: CNET analysis of vendor data

How to Find Internet Deals and Promotions in Harrisburg

The best internet deals and promotions in Harrisburg depend on what discounts are available at that time. Most deals are short-lived, but we’re often on the lookout for the latest deals.

Harrisburg Internet providers like Xfinity may offer lower introductory rates or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Many, including Verizon Fios and T-Mobile Home Internet, maintain the same standard rates throughout the year.

For a more extensive list of deals, see our guide to the best internet deals.

How fast is the broadband in Harrisburg?

According to FCC data100% of Harrisburg residents have access to 250/25Mbps speeds – higher than Pennsylvania (91.6%) and the US. (90.4%). Four gig speed plans are available in Harrisburg, which is on par with nearby Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

Source: CNET analysis of vendor data

What is 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 include video conferencing, streaming video, or gaming, you’ll have a better experience with a more stable connection. Here’s an overview of recommended minimum download speeds for different apps, according to the FCC. Note that these are guidelines only — and that Internet speed, service, and performance vary by connection type, provider, and address.

For more information, see our guide to how much internet speed do you really need?

• 0 to 5 Mbps lets you handle the basics – surfing the web, sending and receiving emails, streaming low-quality video.
• 5 to 40 Mbps gives you higher quality video streaming and video conferencing.
• 40 to 100 Mbps should provide a single person with enough bandwidth to meet the demands of modern telecommuting, video streaming and online gaming.
• 100 to 500Mbps allows one or two people to participate in high bandwidth activities such as video conferencing, streaming and online gaming. at the same time.
• 500 to 1000 Mbps allows three or more people to engage in high-bandwidth activities such as video conferencing, streaming, and online gaming at the same time.

How CNET chose the best ISPs in Harrisburg

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. So what is 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 FCC.gov mapping information.

This guide uses an in-house artificial intelligence tool called RAMP, which is trained on our own writing and uses our database to generate ISP-specific content that our writers can use in determining and presenting our choices for given guidance. Check it out CNET’s AI policy for more information on how our teams use (and don’t use) AI tools.

Since our database is not comprehensive, we go to the FCC website to check the primary data ourselves and make sure we are considering every ISP that provides service in an area. Plans and prices also vary by location, so we enter local addresses on provider websites to find the specific options available to residents. We look at sources including the American Customer Satisfaction Index and JD Power to gauge how satisfied customers are with an ISP’s service. ISP plans and prices are subject to frequent change; All information provided is accurate at the time of our fact checking prior to publication.

Once we have this localized information, we ask three main questions:

1. Does the provider offer relatively fast internet access?
2. Are customers getting decent value for what they pay?
3. Are customers satisfied with their service?

While the answer to these questions is often layered and complex, the vendors that come closest to saying yes to all three are the ones we recommend. When it comes to choosing the cheapest internet service, we look for the plans with the lowest monthly fee, although we also take into account things like price increases, equipment fees and contracts. Choosing the fastest internet service is relatively easy. We look at advertised upload and download speeds and also consider real-world speed data from sources such as Ookla and FCC reports. (Disclosure: Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.)

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

What’s the final word on Harrisburg ISPs?

Harrisburg has fewer internet options than other cities its size, but you can’t go wrong with the ones it has. Verizon Fios is one of the best providers anywhere in the country, and it’s an easy choice if you live in half the city where you can get it. If not, Xfinity is a decent backup option – just be prepared for annual price increases. If your house won’t be using many devices at once, T-Mobile Home Internet provides excellent value and won’t raise your price as long as you stay a customer.

ISPs in Harrisburg Frequently Asked Questions