Best Internet Providers in Houston

What are the other internet options in Houston?

Beyond the three picks above, there are several other broadband choices in the Houston metro area. Some can be found only in small pockets of the city, while others are mainly located in the city suburbs. There are some compelling choices here, even though they’re not as widely available.

• : This cable internet provider offers some of Houston’s most competitive starting rates. Its starting price of $26 a month for a 300Mbps plan comes out to an affordable 9 cents per Mbps. By comparison, Xfinity’s cheaper $20 per month plan features download speeds of only 50Mbps, and therefore has a much higher cost per Mbps of 40 cents. The enTouch gig plan is also the cheapest you can find in the city, starting at $50 a month. The rub is that Astound’s one-year price increases are some of the steepest in the industry. For example, reveals that Astound prices that 300Mbps plan at $72 per month after your promo expires. The gig plan sees a slightly less severe jump from $50 per month to $87 per month, but still, beware the bait and switch. 
• : Somewhat similar to AT&T but without as deep a presence. You’ll want to do your research on this one because, depending on your location, you may be dealing with CenturyLink’s DSL service (which can be as low as 20Mbps) or, if you’re in the Kingwood area, you might see the company’s much more compelling fiber product, Quantum Fiber.
• : You won’t find this fiber provider within city limits, but its affordable plans are available to customers in the suburbs of Conroe and Katy. Plans range from 50Mbps to 1 Gig for $25-$60 a month. There are no contracts required and no data cap enforced. There is an additional equipment fee of $10 a month.
• : Frontier has a scattered presence in the greater Houston area. You won’t find it downtown, but you can get its DSL and fiber-optic service in the northeast outskirts of Baytown, Beach City, Cove and Crosby. You’ll also find it in the southern portion of the metro area in League City and Sante Fe. If Frontier FiberOptic is available — it features symmetrical plans of 500Mbps, gigabit or 2Gbps speeds ranging from $50 to $150 per month — it’s a very appealing choice. But if Frontier DSL is your only option, try other alternatives.
• : This DSL and fiber provider is available in just a few small pockets within the Houston city limits, and the majority of that availability can be found in the southern suburb of Sugar Land. You’ll mostly deal with its DSL service rather than the faster fiber-optic plans.
• : First off, don’t let me confuse you. Suddenlink is the provider you’re probably familiar with in the Houston area. However, its parent company Altice recently announced plans . In any case, Suddenlink service is scattered lightly throughout the metro area but has a heavier density north of the city in Conroe and Kingwood. This cable ISP is notable for its highly competitive starting rates, some of the most affordable you can find in the area.
• : Charter Communications’ ISP has some of the more customer-friendly, straightforward terms you’ll find for cable internet service. There are no contracts, no data caps and a free modem rental included in your monthly price, ranging from $50 to $115 a month. It also includes free access to Wi-Fi hotspots across the country. Spectrum service is available north of the city, mainly in Magnolia, Spring, Tomball and The Woodlands. 
• : This local ISP, founded in 2018, is notable for its community presence and commitment to building 100% fiber-to-the-home networks within the greater Houston metropolitan area. It’s now available to over 50,000 homes in Atascocita, Conroe, East Montgomery County, Kingwood, Magnolia, Oak Ridge County North and The Woodlands. There are three fiber plans — 100Mbps, 500Mbps and 1 Gig — ranging from $65 to $90 a month, with no data caps and no contracts. A modem rental is included in the monthly price, but you’ll need to provide your own router.
• : T-Mobile uses its 5G and 4G LTE networks to power its fixed wireless home internet product, which it . Check your address on the  to see if you’re serviceable, though. I have T-Mobile cell service at home, but I’m still not eligible for the home internet service. In any case, it’s an intriguing offering that includes installation fees, taxes and equipment rental under its $50 a month fee, with no data caps or contracts.

Drilling down into the details of Houston home internet

Now that you have an overview of the internet service providers available in Houston, let’s talk more specifically about the cheapest internet plans available and the fastest internet options you can find in the city. 

Houston internet pricing

The average starting price for internet service in Houston is just over $45 a month, which is right about in the middle of other markets we’ve covered thus far, including ($36 a month),  ($38 a month), ($39 per month), ($42 per month), and, all approximately $50 a month — , , and (all approximately $50 a month). 

Xfinity offers the lowest starting price in Houston — its Connect plan (50Mbps) has a promo price of $20 for the first year and then $50 a month after that. It’s also widely available throughout the Houston metro area and the Bayou City burbs. 

It should also be noted that almost all of the providers listed above are participating in the Federal Communication Commission’s , which provides a $30 a month discount to qualifying households to provide affordable, high-speed internet. Some providers even offer a low-cost internet plan targeted at low-income homes and communities. When combined with the ACP benefit, you might be able to get internet service for free.