Tech Reviews & Gadgets

Best Internet Provider in Pittsburgh, PA

For the residents of Steel City, Verizon Fios Voted Pittsburgh’s Best Internet Provider by CNET. It’s at the top of our list due to its wide coverage and speed. If you’re one of the few Pittsburgh residents not covered by Verizon Fios, Xfinity and T-Mobile Home Internet are solid options, but unlike Verizon Fios, you’ll see price increases and slower speeds.

When recommending the best internet services in Pittsburgh, CNET considers high-speed internet, pricing, customer service and overall value. We also randomly check local addresses for service availability. Additionally, we carefully read the provider’s terms and conditions and, if necessary, call the ISP to verify the details.

However, our process has some limitations. Pricing and speed profiles are variable: Some addresses may qualify for different service tiers or special discounts, and monthly costs may vary even within the same city. The best way to determine your choice is to visit the provider’s website and enter your address.

Please note that the prices, speeds, and other information listed above and in the provider cards below may differ from what we found in our research. These cards show all pricing and speeds from providers across the United States, based on our database of plan information provided directly by ISPs. At the same time, this text is specific to what is available in Pittsburgh. The prices quoted in this article are from our research and include applicable discounts for setting up automatic payments each month – which is standard industry offering. Other discounts and promotions may also apply when signing up or bundling with a mobile phone plan.

To learn more about how we review internet providers, visit our full methodology page.

Pittsburgh’s Top Internet Providers

There are three main internet options in Pittsburgh: Verizon Fios, Xfinity or T-Mobile Home Internet. The only other ISPs available in the city are Verizon 5G Home Internet (not very widespread) and satellite providers (not very good).

Pittsburgh Internet Provider Comparison

provider Internet Technology monthly price range speed range Monthly equipment cost data cap contract CNET Review Score
unlimited
Read full review
cable $35-$95 300-2,000Mbps $15 (optional) without any Elective 7
T-Mobile Home Internet
Read full review
fixed wireless $50-$70 ($35-$55 with qualifying mobile plans) 72-245Mbps without any without any without any 7.4
Verizon Fios
Read full review
fiber $50-$110 300-2,000Mbps without any without any without any 7.6
Verizon 5G Home Internet
Read full review
fixed wireless $50-$70 ($35-$45 for eligible cell phone plans) 85-1,000Mbps without any without any without any 7.2

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Source: CNET analysis of provider profiles

How many people in your family use the Internet?

Other Pittsburgh Residential Internet Providers Available

Aside from the three providers highlighted above, Pittsburgh doesn’t have many other online options. Here are all other ISPs operating in the city:

  • satellite network: No matter where you live in the country, satellite internet is always an option – just not a great one. HughesNet and Viasat are slow, have small data caps and are expensive, but are widely available in Pittsburgh. Starlink will give you faster speeds and lower latency, but it’s more expensive: You’ll have to pay $499 for the device, and plans start at $120 per month.
  • Verizon 5G Home Internet: Like T-Mobile Home Internet, Verizon offers wireless plans using its massive 5G network. It’s not very widespread in Pittsburgh, but it’s worth a look if you hit a dead end elsewhere.

Pittsburgh skyline

Mike Klein

Pricing information for Pittsburgh home internet services

Pittsburgh has five internet plans starting at $50 or less, putting it on par with nearby Cleveland, Columbus and Philadelphia. Xfinity’s $35-per-month plan is one of the cheapest in the country, but that’s only temporary—the price jumps to $90 after a year. T-Mobile and Verizon’s introductory plans are less affordable at $50 per month, but both prices are locked in for at least two years.

Cheap Internet Options in Pittsburgh

provider starting price Maximum download speed Monthly equipment fee contract
Xfinity connects more
Read full review
$35 ($90 after one year) 300Mbps $15 (optional) without any
Xfinity fast
Read full review
$45 ($105 after one year) 500Mbps $15 (optional) without any
T-Mobile Home Internet
Read full review
$50 ($35 with eligible mobile plans) 245Mbps without any without any
Verizon 5G Home Internet
Read full review
$50 ($35 with eligible cell phone plans) 300Mbps without any without any
Verizon Fios
Read full review
$50 300Mbps without any without any

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Source: CNET analysis of provider profiles

How fast is broadband in Pittsburgh?

Pittsburgh offers five gigabit speed plans, which are comparable to other similarly sized cities. According to Ookla speed test data, Pittsburgh’s average internet speed ranks 73rd among the 100 most populous cities in the United States. (Revelation: Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET Ziff Davis.) Residents had average download speeds of 215Mbps and upload speeds of 52Mbps, while the country as a whole had download speeds of 253/39Mbps. Verizon Fios is the fastest provider in the city, with average download speeds of 234Mbps.

Pittsburgh’s Fastest Internet Plans

provider Maximum download speed Maximum upload speed starting price data cap contract
Xfinity Gigabit X2
Read full review
2,000Mbps 300Mbps $95 ($120 after one year) without any Elective
Verizon Fios 2 Gigabit
Read full review
2,300Mbps 1,500Mbps $110 without any without any
Verizon 5G Home Internet
Read full review
1,000Mbps 50Mbps $70 ($45 with qualifying Verizon 5G mobile plan) without any without any
Xfinity Gigabit
Read full review
1,000Mbps 100Mbps $60 ($115 after two years) without any Elective
Verizon Fios 1Gig
Read full review
940Mbps 880Mbps $90 without any without any

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Source: CNET analysis of provider profiles

What’s the final decision on Pittsburgh’s internet provider?

No matter where you live in Pittsburgh, you should have access to some good internet providers. Verizon Fios is the best of them all. It gives you symmetrical upload and download speeds with no additional device fees, and you don’t have to worry about price increases after a year. Xfinity offers fast download speeds, but extremely slow upload speeds, and all plans see significant price increases after one to three years. T-Mobile is an affordable backup option, but households with multiple people may need more bandwidth.

CNET How to Choose the Best Internet Provider in Pittsburgh

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 is our approach? We first looked at pricing, availability, and speed information, using our own historical ISP data, provider websites, and map information from the Federal Communications Commission’s FCC.gov.

It’s not over yet. We visited the FCC’s website to check our data and make sure we accounted for every ISP serving an area. We will also enter your local address on the provider website to find specific options for residents. To assess customer satisfaction with ISP services, we looked at sources including the US Customer Satisfaction Index and JD Power. ISP plans and prices may change frequently; all information provided is accurate as of publication time.

Once we have localized information, we ask three main questions:

  • Does the provider offer reasonably fast internet speeds?
  • Are customers getting value for money?
  • Are customers satisfied with their service?

While the answers to these questions are often layered and complex, we recommend the providers who come closest to a “yes” on these three questions.

To explore our process in more depth, visit our How to Test ISPs page.

Pittsburgh Internet Providers FAQs

What is the best Internet service provider in Pittsburgh?

Verizon Fios is Pittsburgh’s best internet provider. It gives you symmetrical speeds of up to 2,000Mbps and unlimited data, and the equipment is included in the price. Xfinity is available almost anywhere in the city, but its lower upload speeds and rising prices make it less attractive. T-Mobile Home Internet is another good backup, with download speeds of up to 245Mbps and no data caps.

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Is there fiber optic internet in Pittsburgh?

Yes, fiber optic internet is available in Pittsburgh. Verizon Fios offers four fiber-optic plans in cities with speeds up to 2,000Mbps and unlimited data.

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Who is the cheapest internet provider in Pittsburgh?

Xfinity is Pittsburgh’s cheapest internet provider, with prices starting at $35 per month for 300/100Mbps speeds. That means the price of the plan will rise to $90 per month after one year. Verizon Fios and T-Mobile both start at $50 per month, but there are additional discounts for qualifying mobile customers.

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Which internet provider in Pittsburgh offers the fastest plans?

Xfinity and Verizon Fios offer the fastest plans in Pittsburgh, up to 2,000Mbps. However, Verizon Fios has faster upload speeds as a fiber provider.

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