Best Internet Providers in Charlotte, North Carolina – CNET

What is the best internet provider in Charlotte?

Charlotte is home to a few internet providers, but AT&T and Spectrum are the biggest names in the area. Though both providers present unique pros and cons, AT&T Fiber is CNET’s pick for the best Charlotte internet provider overall. AT&T Fiber is the faster provider, but of the two, Spectrum has a cheaper plan and greater high-speed coverage throughout Charlotte.

Google Fiber and Kinetic by Windstream tie for the speediest plan, offering 8 gigabits per second for $150 and $300 per month, respectively. For the most affordable home broadband, check out Kinetic by Windstream’s $40 per month plan, which reaches speeds up to 500 megabits per second. Comporium also offers a $40 plan — which has a wider coverage map — but hits speeds up to only 100Mbps.

As a lifelong resident of greater Charlotte — from Concord to Fort Mill with time spent in University City, Oakhurst and Pineville — I’ve become familiar with the internet providers in the area and have found the cheapest service and the fastest speeds to help you compare your options.

Best internet in Charlotte, North Carolina

Speed range

300 – 1,000 Mbps

Price range

$50 – $80 per month

Our take – Cable providers often get a bad rap, perhaps deservedly in some cases, but Spectrum is a solid choice for home internet in Charlotte. That said, it’s still cable internet. That means significantly slower upload speeds than fiber service and the potential for reduced speeds during peak usage times. The cable connection does, however, make Spectrum a good choice for bundling internet and TV service. 

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Speed range

300 – 1,000 Mbps

Price range

$50 – $80 per month

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Speed range

300 – 5,000 Mbps

Price range

$55 – $250 per month

Our take – AT&T Fiber has the best plan variety and value of any major Charlotte internet provider. The 100% fiber-optic service also offers symmetrical upload and download speeds, a perk you won’t get with cable internet services such as Spectrum.

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Speed range

300 – 5,000 Mbps

Price range

$55 – $250 per month

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Speed range

1,000 – 2,000 Mbps

Price range

$70 – $100 per month

Our take – Google Fiber is more of a premium internet service in the Charlotte area. Starting prices are a touch higher than AT&T and Spectrum, but the entry plan speeds are also significantly higher, starting at 1Gbps. It will be the best value if you want gig speeds or higher, and Google Fiber is available at your address.

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Speed range

1,000 – 2,000 Mbps

Price range

$70 – $100 per month

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Connection

Fixed wireless

Speed range

72 – 245 Mbps

Price range

$60 per month

Our take – T-Mobile’s 5G wireless home internet service makes sense if you’re just outside the Charlotte city limits, say down in Lancaster, South Carolina or out in a rural part of Rowan County. It might also be a viable option if you’re not satisfied with your service from AT&T or Spectrum. 

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Check with T-Mobile

Connection

Fixed wireless

Speed range

72 – 245 Mbps

Price range

$60 per month

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Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Other available internet providers in Charlotte

• Comporium: Outside of the Steele Creek area, specifically Ayrsley, cable internet from Comporium is only available to the south of Charlotte over the border into South Carolina and parts of Union County. With plans starting at $40 per month, Comporium is one of the cheapest providers in the area, but customers should expect a price increase after the first three months.
• EarthLink: Internet service from EarthLink runs on the networks of other providers. In Charlotte, that provider is AT&T, so EarthLink is technically available wherever you find AT&T. However, AT&T has many of the same selling points as EarthLink, such as unlimited data and no contracts, not to mention lower pricing, so you’re better off going with AT&T. 
• Kinetic by Windstream: Kinetic is largely known for offering service in suburban or rural areas, and its coverage in Charlotte is no different. While a few Charlotte neighborhoods are serviceable for Kinetic, you’ll find the best coverage in surrounding areas such as Albemarle, Concord and Matthews. If Kinetic’s fiber service is available at your address, it’s worth checking out, but you may want to pass on the DSL service if that’s all you can get. 
• Satellite internet: Service from Hughesnet and Viasat is also available throughout most of Charlotte and the surrounding area. But with plenty of other internet options, satellite service is not worth the cost.

Cheap internet options in Charlotte

The average starting price for internet service in Charlotte is around $50 per month. Comporium and Kinetic by Windstream are tied for the lowest starting price in the area at $40 per month. However, Kinetic by Windstream has a better base plan with speed up to 500Mbps versus 100Mbps from Comporium.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

How to find internet deals and promotions in Charlotte

The best internet deals and top promotions in Charlotte depend on what discounts are available during that time. Most deals are short-lived, but we look frequently for the latest offers. 

Charlotte internet providers, such as Spectrum and Comporium, may offer lower introductory pricing or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Many, however, including AT&T and Google, run the same standard pricing year-round. 

For a more extensive list of promotions, check out our guide on the best internet deals. 

How fast is Charlotte broadband?

According to Ookla’s speed test index, speeds in the Queen City are faster than the state’s average, with a median speed of around 255Mbps. Keep in mind that many factors go into speed test data, such as equipment, Wi-Fi versus Ethernet connections and the internet plan itself.

Faster speeds than the area’s average are certainly available. Google Fiber and Kinetic by Windstream offer speeds up to 8Gbps to Charlotte residents, and AT&T’s fastest plan hits speeds up to 5,000Mbps. Numerous providers — including Comporium, Google Fiber, Kinetic by Windstream and Spectrum — offer single gigabit plans.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

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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, streaming low-quality video.
• 5 to 40Mbps gives you higher-quality video streaming and videoconferencing.
• 40 to 100Mbps should give one user sufficient bandwidth to satisfy the demands of modern telecommuting, video streaming and online gaming. 
• 100 to 500Mbps allows one to two users to simultaneously engage in high-bandwidth activities like videoconferencing, streaming and online gaming. 
• 500 to 1,000Mbps allows three or more users to engage in high-bandwidth activities at the same time.

How CNET chose the best internet providers in Charlotte

Internet service providers are numerous and regional. Unlike the latest smartphone, laptop, router or kitchen tool, it’s impractical to personally test every internet service provider in a given city. So what’s 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 mapping information from the Federal Communications Commission at FCC.gov. 

But it doesn’t end there. We go to 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? 

While the answer to those questions is often layered and complex, the providers who 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, though 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 consider real-world speed data from sources like Ookla and FCC reports.

To explore our process in more depth, visit our how we test ISPs page.

What’s the final word on internet providers in Charlotte?

As we always say, fiber connectivity will be your best bet for home internet. For Charlotteans, many fiber providers offer blazing speeds at an affordable monthly cost. Using a high-speed internet connection makes consuming lots of data each month easy, which can be problematic if you have a data cap. However, you won’t have to worry about that in Charlotte, as all major ISPs have unlimited data. Contracts aren’t an issue, either, because AT&T, Comporium, Google Fiber, Kinetic, Spectrum and T-Mobile’s 5G home internet service don’t require one when signing up.

Internet providers in Charlotte FAQs