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What is the best internet provider in Chicago?
Chicago residents have a wide range of options when it comes to internet. But with so many choices, it can be tough to narrow down the best one for your needs and budget. That’s why we’ve set out to do the legwork for you and find the top options in the city. CNET’s pick for the best internet service provider in Chicago is AT&T Fiber. It delivers ultrafast symmetrical speeds, easy-to-understand pricing and decent availability. If AT&T Fiber doesn’t service your neighborhood, Xfinity, Verizon 5G Home Internet and Rise Broadband offer solid alternatives.
We’ve identified the best deals and quickest internet speeds for Chicago residents. Astound Broadband and Xfinity are both offering the most affordable plans starting around $20 and $35 per month, respectively. Astound stands out with superior value, delivering download speeds up to 300Mbps compared to Xfinity’s 150Mbps.
If you’re craving top-tier speed, AT&T Fiber has the fastest internet option in the area. For $245 per month, you can enjoy blazing download speeds of up to 5,000Mbps, all without data caps or longterm contracts.
Best internet in Chicago, Illinois
Chicago internet providers compared
| Provider | Internet technology | Monthly price range | Speed range | Monthly equipment costs | Data cap | Contract | CNET review score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Wans | Fixed wireless | $50-$100 | 3-15Mbps | $9 router (optional) | None | None | N/A |
| Astound Broadband Read full review |
Cable | $20-$55 | 300-1,500Mbps | None | None | None | 7 |
| AT&T Home Internet Read full review |
DSL hybrid | $60 | 10-100Mbps | None | 1.5TB | None | 7.4 |
| AT&T Fiber Read full review |
Fiber | $55-$245 | 300-5,000Mbps | None | None | None | 7.4 |
| Rise Broadband Read full review |
Fixed wireless | $55 | 50Mbps | $10 modem; $5-$15 router (optional) | None | None, but required for some promotions | 6.2 |
| T-Mobile Home Internet Read full review |
Fixed wireless | $50-$70 ($40-$50 for eligible mobile customers) | 72-245Mbps | None | None | None | 7.4 |
| Verizon 5G Home Internet Read full review |
Fixed wireless | $50-$70 ($35-$45 with eligible Verizon 5G mobile plans) | 50-1,000Mbps | None | None | None | 7.2 |
| Xfinity Read full review |
Cable | $35-$95 | 150-1,200Mbps | $15 (optional) | 1.2TB on some plans | 1-2 years on some plans | 7 |
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Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
Other available internet providers in Chicago
Air Wans: Air Wans is a folksy fixed wireless provider servicing the rural areas of Illinois and Indiana surrounding Chicago. Pricing ranges from $50 to $100 a month with no contracts, data caps, throttling or price increases after the first year. The rub is that Air Wans speeds are some of the slowest you’ll find, ranging from just 3 to 15Mbps with the downloads and uploads aggregated together.
Astound Broadband: Astound boasts strong pricing during the first two years of service. Monthly rates on all four of the plans offered to Chicagoans will increase by $20 after the introductory period, and you can expect to pay additional fees on top of that, including an arbitrary monthly network access fee of up to $17 that isn’t included in your base rate.
Satellite internet: A satellite internet connection uses a receiver dish mounted outside your home to connect with satellites orbiting overhead to get you online. You’ll find service available from Hughesnet, Viasat and perhaps Starlink. In most cases, the prices are too high, the speeds too slow and the data caps too restrictive compared to other Chicago internet options. It’s only worth considering if you lack other alternatives, and for most of Chicago, that won’t be the case.
T-Mobile Home Internet: Like Verizon, T-Mobile now offers cellular home internet service in hundreds of cities nationwide, including Chicago. You’ll simply plug in a cellular modem that gets its signals not from wires in the wall, but over the 5G and LTE airwaves, like your phone. T-Mobile offers just two plans at $50-$70 a month, and speeds will range from 72 to 245Mbps in most homes with a strong enough signal to sign up. There are no data caps or contracts to worry about, and your price won’t arbitrarily rise after 12 months, either.
Cheap internet options in Chicago
You won’t need to pay more than $20 a month if you’re looking for the most affordable internet plan at your Chicago address. The Connect plan from Xfinity is a decent consolation available almost everywhere, with download speeds of 150Mbps and upload speeds of 10Mbps for $35 a month. In the Chicago area overall, the Astound Broadband 300Mbps plan for $20 is a better value among cheaper plans.
What’s the cheapest internet plan in Chicago?
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Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
How to find internet deals and promotions in Chicago
The best internet deals and top promotions in Chicago depend on what discounts are available during a given time. Most deals are short-lived, but we look frequently for the latest offers.
Chicago internet providers, such as Xfinity and Rise Broadband, may offer lower introductory pricing or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Many, including AT&T and Verizon, run the same standard pricing year-round.
For a more extensive list of promos, check out our guide on the best internet deals.
How fast is Chicago broadband?
Ookla speed test data put the Windy City in the bottom 10 among the nation’s top 100 most populous cities (at an inglorious 95th position). It chalks up a median download speed of approximately 135Mbps, over 100Mbps behind a top-twenty city like North Las Vegas. Chicagoans still have plenty of ways to get high-speed internet in their homes.
Your fastest option for getting online in Chicago is to go with a fiber provider, but the service isn’t available everywhere. AT&T is your best bet, with its fastest plan for Chicago ringing in with download and upload speeds of 5,000Mbps at a hefty flat monthly rate of $245. At many Chicago addresses, a cable plan with download speeds of up to 1,500Mbps and upload speeds of 50Mbps will be your fastest plan, which costs $55 a month with no data cap.
Fastest internet plans in Chicago
| Provider | Starting price | Max download speed | Max upload speed | Data cap | Connection type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AT&T Fiber 5000 Read full review |
$245 | 5,000Mbps | 5,000Mbps | None | Fiber |
| AT&T Fiber 2000 Read full review |
$145 | 2,000Mbps | 2,000Mbps | None | Fiber |
| Astound Broadband 1500 Read full review |
$55 | 1,500Mbps | 50Mbps | None | Cable |
| Xfinity Gigabit Extra Read full review |
$95 | 1,200Mbps | 35Mbps | 1.2TB | Cable |
| Astound Broadband 1000 Read full review |
$45 | 1,000Mbps | 20Mbps | None | Cable |
| AT&T Fiber 1000 Read full review |
$80 | 1,000Mbps | 1,000Mbps | None | Fiber |
| Verizon 5G Home Plus Internet Read full review |
$70 ($45 with eligible mobile plan) | 1,000Mbps | 50Mbps | None | Fixed wireless |
| Xfinity Gigabit Read full review |
$75 | 1,000Mbps | 20Mbps | 1.2TB | Cable |
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Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
Internet providers in popular cities near Chicago
See all results for internet providers in Illinois.
What’s 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 accommodate videoconferencing, streaming video or gaming, you’ll have a better experience with a more robust connection. Here’s an overview of the recommended minimum download speeds for various applications, according to the FCC. Note that these are only guidelines and that internet speed, service and performance vary by connection type, provider and address.
For more information, refer to our guide on how much internet speed you really need.
- 0 to 5Mbps allows you to tackle the basics: browsing the internet, sending and receiving email and streaming low-quality video.
- 5 to 40Mbps gives you higher-quality video streaming and videoconferencing.
- 40 to 100Mbps should give one person sufficient bandwidth to satisfy the demands of modern telecommuting, video streaming and online gaming.
- 100 to 500Mbps allows one to two people to simultaneously engage in high-bandwidth activities, like videoconferencing, streaming and gaming.
- 500 to 1,000Mbps allows three or more people to engage in high-bandwidth activities all at the same time.
How CNET chose the best internet providers in Chicago
Internet service providers are numerous and regional. Unlike the latest smartphone, laptop, router or kitchen tool, it’s impractical to personally test every ISP in a given city. What’s our approach? We start by researching the pricing, availability and speed information, drawing on our own historical ISP data, the provider sites and mapping information from FCC.gov.
It doesn’t end there: We use 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?
The answers to those questions are often layered and complex, the providers that 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, although 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 also consider real-world speed data from sources like Ookla and FCC reports. (Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.)
To explore our process in more depth, visit our how we test ISPs page.
What’s the final word on internet providers in Chicago?
The Windy City has a lot of options when it comes to home internet, including both speedy and more affordable service. If you can get your hands on fiber connectivity, like AT&T Fiber, that will be your best choice. Cable companies like Xfinity and Astound Broadband have wider coverage for Chicagoans, so you might have to go with those providers instead.
Internet providers in Chicago FAQs
How much is internet per month in Chicago?
Prices will vary depending on your provider and select plan, but most entry-level internet plans in Chicago range from $20 to $60 a month. Faster plans will cost more, with gigabit service from AT&T costing $80 to $245 a month in Chicago. Some providers enforce a price increase after your first year — Xfinity’s fastest Chicago plan nets you download speeds of 1.2Gbps and costs $95 a month for the first two years, then $126 a month after that.
Can I get fiber internet in Chicago?
It depends on your address. AT&T offers fiber service in Chicago, but its footprint currently covers “hundreds of thousands” of residents in a city of 2.71 million. That means the odds are somewhat low that you’ll find it available at your address. Smaller regional providers like Zentro Internet also offer fiber service at select addresses, but only to a scattering of buildings throughout the city.
Does Chicago have Google Fiber?
Chicago isn’t a Google Fiber city, so you won’t find fiber internet plans from Google in the area. The company offers its Google Fiber Webpass service in Chicago: It’s a high-speed fixed wireless internet service available only in select buildings equipped with antennas capable of receiving the signal. Gigabit speeds are possible at some locations with Webpass, and the service costs $70 or $63 a month with a one-year contract. You can find serviceable addresses listed on the Google Webpass site.
What are the disadvantages of cable internet?
Although cable internet can offer fast, gigabit-level download speeds over the same wiring traditionally used to deliver television signals, it offers upload speeds that are much slower and typically limited to the double digits, at best. That can limit device performance whenever you send lots of data to the web (video calls and large uploads might be slower than you’d like). Cable is also slightly more susceptible to network slowdowns during peak usage than fiber connections.
