Tampa is a top relocation destination because the city has a lot to like — from sandy beaches to championship-winning sports teams. Home internet options in Tampa aren’t half bad, either. CNET’s pick for the best internet provider overall goes to Frontier Fiber. We considered speed, customer service, pricing and overall value to recommend the best internet providers in a city. However, Frontier Fiber isn’t the only ISP in Tampa, so you’ll want to explore all available internet options in your area before deciding on the best provider for your needs.
Best internet service providers in Tampa
In my opinion, Frontier Fiber delivers the best mix of speed and value, but Spectrum or a wireless ISP like Verizon 5G Home Internet may make more sense for your home. I’ve listed what I consider to be the best internet providers in Tampa, along with plan and pricing details to help you decide which ISP is right for you. All prices listed on this page reflect available discounts for setting up paperless billing. If you decide not to go with automatic monthly payments, your price will be higher.
Note: The prices, speeds and features detailed in the article text may differ from those listed in the product detail cards, which represent providers’ national offerings. Your particular internet service options — including prices and speeds — depend on your address and may differ from those detailed here.
All available Tampa home internet providers
The providers listed above aren’t the only ones to serve Tampa, but they are the ones I would recommend most. Here’s a quick comparison of the practical internet options you may come across in the Tampa area.
Tampa internet provider details at a glance
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Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
Top Tampa ISP honorable mentions
EarthLink: A name nearly as old as home internet itself, EarthLink now offers service by piggybacking off of the networks of other providers and municipalities. As a result, you’re likely to pay a bit more for service compared to other providers. Pricing and speeds vary widely by location, but all plans come with a one-year contract.
Rapid Systems: Local fixed wireless provider Rapid Systems is a decent choice for internet in rural central Florida, but pricing is high and speeds are low in the Tampa Bay area. You’ll want to check out other internet options at your address before opting for Rapid Systems, as residential pricing in Hillsborough County starts at $79 per month for max speeds of 10Mbps.
T-Mobile Home Internet: With speeds of 72-245Mbps starting at $50 per month ($30 for qualifying Magenta Max customers), T-Mobile rivals Verizon regarding 5G home internet. Though T-Mobile doesn’t have the same speed potential, it does boast greater coverage than Verizon, making it an excellent choice for home internet in suburban and rural areas outside of Tampa.
WideOpenWest: You won’t find WideOpenWest, aka WOW, in Tampa, but it is available in much of the Tampa Bay area, including Clearwater, East Lake, Oldsmar and St. Petersburg. The cable internet provider is a great choice for low-cost, high-speed internet, with service starting at $20 per month for speeds up to 100Mbps.
Satellite internet: HughesNet, Viasat and possibly even Starlink are available in Tampa, but there are plenty of other cheaper, faster options in the area to avoid having to settle for satellite internet.
How much is internet in Tampa?
The cost for internet in Tampa depends on the provider and plan you choose. The cheapest internet plans in Tampa will run you $50 per month plus taxes and fees, unless you qualify for a discount with Verizon or T-Mobile.
Cheapest internet plans in Tampa
Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
Internet options for low-income households in Tampa
At $50 per month, the financial barrier for home internet service in Tampa is a bit higher than other parts of Florida. As such, you may want to seek more affordable internet services.
Start by checking to see if you’re eligible for the Affordable Connectivity Program. The federal program grants qualifying households $30 per month to apply towards home internet service. View CNET’s guide to the Affordable Connectivity Program to learn more, including how to apply.
Additionally, Spectrum offers a discounted internet plan designed to help keep those in low-income households connected. The Spectrum Internet Assist plan comes with download speeds up to 30Mbps starting at $30 per month. When applied with the ACP credit, you could get Spectrum Internet Assist for a net cost of $0 per month, though renting a Wi-Fi router will add $5 per month.
Frontier does not have a special low-income plan like Spectrum does, but if you qualify for the ACP credit, you could get speeds up to 500Mbps from the fiber provider for around $20 per month plus taxes and fees.
How fast is internet in Tampa?
According to the most recent Ookla speed test data, the state of Florida ranked No. 1 in Q2 2023 for fastest median download speeds in the US at around 232Mbps. Tampa, though it came in slightly slower than the state, ranked 48th overall among US cities with a median download speed of 220Mbps.
Spectrum clocked the fastest median speed in Tampa at 258Mbps. The provider also ranked first overall among all major providers nationwide with a median download speed of 243Mbps.
There are many factors that can affect speed tests, such as using Wi-Fi and an internet plan’s max speeds, but Tampa’s speed test results are impressive and a good indicator of the speeds you could experience with Spectrum and Frontier.
The slowest available plan from both providers (excluding Spectrum’s Internet Assist) comes with download speeds of up to 500Mbps. Faster plans are available from both providers, while EarthLink offers speeds up to 2,000Mbps in select areas and speeds up to 1,000Mbps may be available from Verizon 5G Home Internet.
Fastest internet plans in Tampa
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Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
How CNET chose the best internet providers in Tampa
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. So 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 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’re considering every ISP that provides service in an area. We also input local addresses on provider websites to find specific options for residents. To evaluate how happy customers are with an ISP’s service, we look at sources including the American Customer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Power. ISP plans and prices are subject to frequent changes; all information provided is accurate as of the time 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.
To explore our process in more depth, visit our page on how we test ISPs.
Tampa home internet FAQs
Does Tampa have fiber internet?
According to the FCC, roughly 70% of Tampa households are serviceable for fiber-optic internet. Frontier is the primary fiber provider in Tampa, though fiber service from EarthLink may be available as well in select areas of the city.
Is internet in Tampa any good?
Recent Ookla speed test data shows Tampa clocked median download speeds of 220Mbps in Q2 of 2023, ranking 48th among all major US cities. Frontier Fiber and Spectrum are likely the largest contributors to the high speeds, as both providers advertise max download speeds of 500Mbps with their lowest speed tier.
Frontier and Spectrum do not cover the entire Tampa area, however. Where wired service is unavailable, a wireless broadband connection from Verizon 5G Home Internet or T-Mobile Home Internet — with speeds of 85 to 1,000Mbps and 72 to 245Mbps, respectively — may be available to help keep Tampa residents connected.
How can I get free Wi-Fi in Tampa?
There are many places throughout Tampa where you can take advantage of free public Wi-Fi networks. Many restaurants, cafes and retail stores offer free Wi-Fi to customers. Free Wi-Fi is available at all Tampa public libraries and many other local government buildings.
If you want free Wi-Fi at your home, you’ll need to qualify for the Affordable Connectivity Program, then apply the $30 credit towards the Spectrum Internet Assist plan or a discounted 5G home internet plan from Verizon or T-Mobile.
Is Frontier or Spectrum better?
Specifically for the Tampa area, I’d recommend Frontier Fiber over Spectrum. The 100% fiber-optic connection is capable of delivering faster speed potential and better speed reliability than Spectrum’s cable internet network.
Pricing is similar between the two on the 500Mbps and 1Gbps speed tiers, but Frontier includes your router rental at no extra cost, whereas Spectrum charges an added $5 per month. And if you want speeds faster than 1Gbps, you can get that from Frontier, but not Spectrum.
Check out our Frontier versus Spectrum comparison piece for a closer look at how the two compare.
