Rate Your Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

Things To Consider

Reliability

The type of technology and ISP you choose will determine how reliable your service will be. Most broadband technologies rarely see downtime once deployed, but that doesn't mean they never have issues. DSL connections are subject to interrupted service at a higher rate than cable, and satellite options are among the least reliable internet signals available to consumers. Just as with connection speeds, you will pay higher prices for more reliable services.

Pricing

The general rule of thumb when it comes to ISP pricing is the faster and more reliable the service is, the more expensive it will be. Users requiring higher bandwidth for streaming content or gaming usually look for cable or fiber optic services, but will pay considerably more for those options. Consumers looking to simply access the internet for information or basic tasks, such as email and web browsing, can find very affordable plans using DSL or satellite, but access speeds and uptime are significantly reduced compared to cable and fiber optic offerings.

Customer Service And Support

When choosing an ISP, it is not so much how often your service fails, but how your provider handles that failure; this is perhaps one of the most important factors when considering an internet service provider. Friendly support and speedy remediation go a long way with anyone who is victim of a service interruption, and no ISP is innocent of these types of occurrences. While some companies offer excellent customer service, some miss the mark on key considerations like convenience, response time and professionalism.

Derek Forrest
Derek Forrest is a Contributing Writer for Tom's Hardware US. He writes hardware news and reviews gaming desktops and laptops.
Latest in Network Providers
A satellite
China's rival to Elon Musk’s Starlink has the potential to challenge its reach by 2030, says report
Starlink
Starlink touts $9 a month 5GB data cap plan to Australian users — marketed as a 'Backup' option
cut fiber optic cable
Two internet cables connecting Sweden and Finland suffered damage — one caused by construction, the other still under investigation
Undersea fiber optic cable
NATO believes Russia poses a threat to the West’s internet and GPS services
Technician working on fiber optic cable
Overnight fiber optic sabotage disrupts telecommunications in several French regions — Paris and the Olympic Games unaffected
A network switch
FCC quadruples requirements for basic broadband service — 100Mbps download and 20Mbps upload are now the base standard
Latest in Opinion
Lunar Lake
Why I won't buy an Intel Lunar Lake-powered laptop
Microsoft Copilot
Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC just made “AI PCs” obsolete, leaving anyone who bought a 2024 laptop behind
Intel’s Ice and Comet Lake CPU Names Are Confusing for Customers
Community Questions: On the Road to VR?
PC Makers: We Need to Talk About the Boot Drive
Our 2019 CPU Predictions: AMD Gains While Intel's Stuck at 14nm
  • Kewlx25
    I hope my ISP upgrades speeds again soon. I keep hearing about all of these 1Gb and 10Gb networks around the USA. 100Mb is getting old.
    Reply
  • freeskier93
    NextLight/City of Longmont gigabit fiber here, $50 a month for charter members, what isn't there to like?
    Reply
  • Gam3r01
    500KBps here from Ponderosa, whats to like?
    XD
    Reply
  • Doug_1
    I just want Google Fiber. Everything else can bite it at this point.
    Reply
  • hatib
    we paying 2200 Pakistani Rupees including tax and other things which is $22 in usd for 4 megabit per second and up speed 2 megabit per second a month and now in pakistani ptcl have started 100 megabit per secoend which is for 28000 pkr without taxs which is $280
    Reply
  • whiteruski
    I like how Pakistan has better ISPs that the USA... :)
    Reply
  • GoZFast
    If you want cheap 1-10Gbps internet...go to Japan lol They had 1Gbps for ~20$US years ago, way before we even hear about it here.
    Reply
  • GoZFast
    That's 1Gbps both ways, up and down. In Canada, we can't have over 30Mbps upload without business optic fiber priced unreasonably.
    Reply
  • hatib
    Do you think Pakistan has better isp because you can get google fibre for $60 and there is only one isp in whole pakistan yeah there are isps available but there are very limited like 1mbps down speed and they only cover like about max 20 streets
    Reply
  • beetlejuicegr
    yeah here in Greece due to the economic crisis we are really slow on the vdsl front, struggling here with 7mbps synced out of a 24mbps payed ...
    Reply