Best Internet Providers in Philadelphia

In February 2019, Windstream Holdings launched its home internet service by the name of Kinetic. Kinetic combines the power of affordable DSL internet and blazing fast fiber-optic internet to deliver reliable broadband connections in a selected few neighborhoods. At the moment Kinetic is the only internet provider in Philadelphia that can guarantee symmetrical internet speeds up to 2 Gbps (2000 Mbps).

Kinetic’s gigabit and multigigabit internet plans come with unlimited data and a 30-day money-back guarantee. Moreover, you can save yourself from the hassle of signing annual contracts and incurring a hefty fine upon early termination. As a Kinetic Internet subscriber, you will have the option to bundle your service with a Kinetic TV streaming service at discounted rates.

Fiber-Backed, Ultrafast Kinetic Internet Plans

On your Kinetic Internet plans, you can enjoy equal upload and download speeds and up to 99.99 percent network reliability. It must be noted that the price of Kinetic Internet plans increases by at least $20 in the second year of service.

Kinetic by Windstream may be the fastest internet provider in Philadelphia but its availability is limited to 0.02 percent of the city. Currently, there are only 3 cities in Pennsylvania that have full to partial coverage of Windstream fiber Internet and unfortunately, Philadelphia fails to make the cut.

So, in the absence of Kinetic Internet, Xfinity stands out as the speed champion as it can deliver up to 1200 Mbps of download speed on its cable internet network. Therefore, Xfinity Internet is the second-fastest internet provider in Philadelphia.

Comcast Corporation, located in the beating heart of Philadelphia, is America’s largest cable internet provider serving more than 32 million broadband customers. Since 1969, Comcast has been fuelling the digital revolution in the city by offering affordable, fast, and uninterrupted cable internet to thousands of Philadelphians. In 2010, Comcast Corporation turned its laser-sharp focus to residential products and services and rebranded itself as Xfinity.

Today, Xfinity is the second most widely available, terrestrial internet provider in Philadelphia. Its coaxial cable network covers 87.18 percent of the city. At a starting price of $25.00 per month, Xfinity cable internet plans can deliver up to 1200 Mbps of download speed, making it the cheapest internet provider in Philadelphia.

Xfinity’s Affordable Cable Internet Plans

Xfinity’s low-coast cable internet plans are available throughout Philadelphia at a starting price of $25.00 per month. Unlike Verizon Fios and Kinetic internet subscribers, Xfinity Internet customers are required to sign a biennial contract to get promotional discounts for 24 months. With the help of Xfinity’s 2-year-long promo pricing offer, customers can save up to $804 in a year!

All the Xfinity internet plans include a data cap of 1.2 TB and in the case of data overage, you will be charged an additional $10 for every 50 GB of excess data.

Although Xfinity can offer up to 1200 Mbps of download speed on its elite-level plans, the upload speed tops out at 35 Mbps. Slow upload speeds can be a nuisance if you are a pro gamer, binge-watcher, or a home-based worker.

Xfinity Internet’s citywide availability and low monthly rates make it the cheapest internet provider in Philadelphia.

In the September of 2005, Verizon, one of America’s largest wireless network operators, adopted fiber-optic internet technology to provide 100 percent fiber-rich broadband plans to its residential customers. The service came to be known as Verizon Fios. Philadelphians should consider themselves extremely lucky because Verizon Fios’s coverage extends to the surrounding counties of Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery. Verizon Fios is the most widely available, terrestrial internet provider in Philadelphia. Almost 94.8 percent of the city has access to Verizon’s exclusively fiber-optic internet service.

At a starting price of $49.99 per month, Verizon Fios promises the same upload and download speeds of up to 1000 Mbps. We dug a little deeper and found out that the reality on the ground is quite similar to the broad claims made by Verizon Fios. Its Gigabit Connection plan delivers 940 Mbps of download speed and on the upstream channel, you can expect the speed to be as fast as 880 Mbps.

Verizon Fios Internet Plans

All the Verizon Fios internet plans offer unlimited data, no-contract service, and price guarantees for up to 10 years. Despite being a fully fiber-optic internet service, Verizon is counted as one of the most affordable internet providers in Philadelphia. Neither will you experience unexpected price hikes, nor will you have to pay an additional charge on top of your monthly internet fee for leasing the modem-router gateway from Verizon.

So, in other words, you pay a fixed rate of $49.99 per month on your Verizon Fios base plan because the router rental, taxes, and surcharges are included in the monthly price.

Perky Promos on Verizon Fios Plans

The long list of benefits that accompanies Verizon Fios plans is perhaps the main reason why residents have labeled the carrier as the best overall internet provider in Philadelphia. Apart from contract-free service, 10-year price locks, and zero data caps, Verizon Fios customers get a free membership of Walmart (for 3 months), up to $100 in credit on their Verizon Gift Card, and 2 TB of Cloud storage on their Gigabit Connection. That’s nearly $300 worth of giveaways.

Philadelphia is truly living the dream of seamless digital connectivity. Recently, the City Government revealed the findings of its Philadelphia Household Internet Assessment Survey on the official website. The facts and figures show that 84 percent of the households in Philadelphia have access to high-speed internet and the remaining population is getting free or subsidized internet via initiatives like Affordable Connectivity Program, Comcast Internet Essentials, T-Mobile’s Project 10 Million, PHLConnectED, and Emergency Broadband Benefit.

There are a total of 27 internet providers in Philadelphia. Among them:

• 11 offer fiber-optic internet
• 10 offer DSL internet
• 10 offer copper internet connections
• 5 offer coaxial cable internet
• 5 offer fixed wireless internet
• 2 offer satellite internet service

In the table below, we have stated the citywide coverage of the top 10 internet providers in Philadelphia, PA.

Final Word