Best Internet Providers in the Bronx, New York

What is the best internet provider in the Bronx?

CNET recommends Verizon Fios as the best internet provider in the Bronx. The service offers symmetrical upload and download speeds, no data caps and a five-year price guarantee on premium plans. It's a great choice for remote workers, gamers and anyone who needs consistent high-speed internet. If it’s available at your address, Fios is the best all-around option.

Need even more speed? Optimum offers the fastest internet in the Bronx, with plans reaching up to 8,000Mbps. However, only some areas have access to those speeds. While that level of bandwidth may be more than most households need, Optimum offers a range of plans that balance speed and price. T-Mobile Home Internet is another appealing alternative, with flat-rate pricing between $50 and $70 monthly and a price-lock guarantee that ensures your rate won’t go up as long as you stay a customer.

Best internet in the Bronx, New York

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Other available internet providers in the Bronx

• Satellite internet: You can get satellite internet anywhere with a clear view of the southern sky, but it doesn’t make sense to use it in a city like New York with plenty of other options. HughesNet, Viasat and Starlink are all available in the Bronx, but speeds are on the slow side and you’ll pay a premium to rent or own the satellite dish. 
• Verizon 5G Home Internet: Like T-Mobile Home Internet, Verizon utilizes its cellular network to offer fixed wireless internet. It’s not as widely available as T-Mobile or Verizon Fios — a much better option — but there are some areas where it might be your best bet, especially if you can bundle with a Verizon cellphone plan.  

Cheap internet options in the Bronx

The Bronx has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to cheap internet. There are six plans $50 and under in the borough — compared with seven in Brooklyn — and you can get extremely affordable prices through Starry Internet.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

How to find internet deals and promotions in the Bronx

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

The Bronx internet providers, such as Verizon Fios and Optimum, may offer lower introductory pricing or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Many, however, including T-Mobile Home Internet and Starry Internet, 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 broadband in the Bronx?

There are seven internet plans in the Bronx that reach gig speeds, and many of those are fiber providers that offer symmetrical upload and download speeds. Optimum’s fiber plans are the fastest in the borough by far, with speeds reaching 8,000Mbps.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

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 the Bronx

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. 

Because our database isn't exhaustive, we go to the FCC’s website to check the primary data for ourselves and make sure we’re considering every ISP that provides service in an area. Plans and prices also vary by location, so we input local addresses on provider websites to find the specific options available to 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 the time of our pre-publication fact-check.

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

1. Does the provider offer access to reasonably fast internet speeds? 
2. Do customers get decent value for what they're paying? 
3. 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 it comes to 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 also take into account real-world speed data from sources like Ookla and FCC reports. (Disclosure: Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.)

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

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

The Bronx has some of the fastest internet plans I’ve seen in any city as well as some of the cheapest. If you’re looking for the best all-around internet provider, though, it’s hard to go wrong with Verizon Fios. The fiber ISP offers fast upload and download speeds at a fair price, and your bill is locked in for at least two years. 

Internet providers in the Bronx FAQs