Best Internet Providers in Miami

Sun, surf, beaches, sports, nightlife and art. There are a million reasons to go out in Miami, but sometimes you’ll be kicking back at home, gaming or working remotely. You need a strong, reliable internet connection to maximize your indoor time.

The widest-reaching internet service providers in Miami are AT&T, Xfinity and Breezeline. Some apartment and condo buildings are signed up with specific providers, so you may not have much choice regarding the internet. AT&T Fiber is our pick for the best ISP in Miami, thanks to fast speeds and availability. Verizon and T-Mobile offer fixed wireless in the area as an alternative to fiber, cable or DSL.

That noted, our team considers speeds, pricing, customer service and overall value to recommend the best internet service in Miami in a variety of categories. Breezeline’s cable service is the cheapest internet option, offering a modest 100 megabits per second connection for $20 per month — though it increases to $80 after the first year, at which point there are faster alternatives available at a lower price. Hotwire Communications offers the fastest available internet speed in Miami, with a 10-gigabit fiber connection available at eligible residential locations.

Cue up your favorite Pitbull song, and check out Miami’s best internet service providers. 

Best internet providers in the Magic City

Miami is like a patchwork quilt when it comes to ISPs. Your condo, apartment or house address might have a super-fast fiber option from AT&T or Hotwire Communications, or you might have cable from Xfinity or Breezeline. Maybe you’ve got a strong location (and a well-placed window) for fixed wireless from Google Fiber Webpass, T-Mobile or Verizon. If you’re moving into a new building, check if the HOA agreement includes the internet. What this means is that the best ISP for you is highly dependent on location and availability.

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.

Internet providers in Miami overview

Provider	Internet technology	Monthly price range	Speed range	Monthly equipment costs	Data cap	Contract	CNET review score
AT&T Fiber	Fiber	$55-$180	300-5,000Mbps	None	None	None	7.4
AT&T Internet	DSL	$55	768Kbps-100Mbps	None	1.5TB (no data cap for 100Mbps plan)	None	7.4
Breezeline	Cable	$20-$60 (for 12 months)	100-1,000Mbps	$15 (optional)	None	None	N/A
Google Fiber Webpass	Fixed wireless	$70	Up to 1,000Mbps	None	None	None	N/A
Hotwire	Fiber	Varies	Up to 10,000Mbps	Varies	None	Varies	N/A
T-Mobile Home Internet	Fixed wireless	$50 ($30 with eligible mobile plan)	72-245Mbps	None	None	None	7.4
Verizon 5G Home Internet	Fixed wireless	$50-$70 (50% off with select mobile plans)	85-1,000Mbps	None	None	None	7.2
Xfinity	Cable	$30-$80	75-1,200Mbps	Varies	1.2TB	Varies	7

Show more (3 items)

Shop Providers

Source: CNET analysis of provider data

All available Miami residential internet providers

• AT&T Internet: AT&T’s fiber service is its premium offering, but the company may offer DSL as an alternative in places where fiber isn’t an option. Prices start at $55 per month, but remember that DSL downloads and uploads are typically much slower than fiber. Compare with cable offerings from Xfinity and Breezeline to find your best price-speed ratio. 
• Breezeline: Breezeline’s cable service offers some temptingly affordable plans for your first year of service. The least expensive option is a $20-per-month plan for 100Mbps, but that price is only good for 12 months, after which it jumps to over $80. Breezeline also offers a $60-per-month GigaFast plan for 1,000Mbps, which will rise to over $135 when your year is out. You can always try your luck negotiating back down to a better deal once the promo runs out.
• Google Fiber Webpass: Google’s acquisition of Webpass in 2016 gave it a toehold in some markets. Webpass availability depends on whether your building is hooked up to the fixed wireless service. If it is, you can sign up for a $70-per-month 1,000Mbps plan that includes equipment. There’s no contract and no data caps.
• Hotwire Communications: Not to be confused with the travel website, Hotwire Communications is a fiber provider that offers bulk services to certain residential locations. This option applies to some very specific buildings dealing with the ISP. Pricing can vary, so you’ll have to check what’s available for your unit. Hotwire says it offers speeds up to 10 gigabits in some locations.
• Satellite internet: Starlink, Viasat or HughesNet all offer satellite internet services, but they’re not likely to be your first choice if you can access an affordable, reliable plan from another provider. However, many Floridians love to travel, so a Starlink RV plan might be in the cards if you need to stay connected on the road.
• T-Mobile Home Internet: Verizon’s big rival in the 5G fixed wireless arena is T-Mobile, which has a $50-per-month plan for speeds up to 245Mbps. That’s a slower top speed than Verizon offers, but location can make all the difference in the quality of your 5G internet connection. There are no data caps and no contracts, and equipment is provided. You may have to pay a $35 service charge when getting started, but look for a $50 reward card deal to offset that fee.

Miami broadband at a glance

You may have noticed a theme to this Miami ISP guide: location, location, location. The high density of apartment and condo buildings in The 305 means some places are hooked up with fiber and some aren’t, so provider options are available on a case-by-case basis. Most residents will be covered by cable or DSL from the likes of Xfinity, Breezeline or AT&T Internet. Others may have access to fast fiber plans from AT&T Fiber, Google Fiber Webpass or Hotwire. And if those aren’t appealing, or if you’re looking to bundle phone service for a bargain, check out Verizon or T-Mobile’s fixed wireless plans.

Pricing for Miami home internet service

You could pay very little (Breezeline’s $20 promo deal) or a lot (AT&T Fiber’s 5 gigs for $180) for home internet. The average starting price for residential internet in Miami is just under $50. Bundling phone service with a fixed wireless provider can get you connected cheaply, but some heavy internet users will be more attracted to pricier fiber plans or speedier cable offerings.

Cheap internet options in the Miami metro area

Breezeline ($20 for 100Mbps) and Xfinity ($30 for 75Mbps) offer inexpensive plans for connecting to the internet. They don’t have blazing speeds, but they should be fast enough for most normal internet demands like streaming video. Low-income households should check into the federal Affordable Connectivity Program. Most eligible homes can get $30 off their internet bill, making it free or cheap to get connected. 

What’s the cheapest internet plan in Miami?

Show more (2 items)

Shop Providers

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.

• 0 – 5Mbps allows you to tackle the basics — browsing the internet, sending and receiving email, streaming low-quality video.
• 5 – 40Mbps gives you higher-quality video streaming and videoconferencing.
• 40 -100Mbps should give one user sufficient bandwidth to satisfy the demands of modern telecommuting, video streaming and online gaming. 
• 100 – 500Mbps allows one to two users to engage in high-bandwidth activities like videoconferencing, streaming and online gaming simultaneously. 
• 500 – 1,000Mbps allows three or more users to engage in high-bandwidth activities like videoconferencing, streaming and online gaming simultaneously. 

Fastest internet providers in Miami

Ookla (of Speedtest.net fame) tracks internet speeds for the 100 most populous US cities. Miami doesn’t have the greatest showing. It sits in 84th place with a median download speed of just over 162Mbps and a median upload speed of just over 31Mbps. However, some residents can tap into a fiber firehose with AT&T’s 5-gigabit option or Hotwire’s ability to deliver up to 10 gigabits, provided your residence is hooked up for it.

Your most likely bet for blazing-fast fiber will be with AT&T and its top-of-the-line 5,000Mbps plan. If Hotwire is an option, you could get impressive speeds of up to 10,000Mbps. Hotwire says that in unique situations, it may be able to provide up to 100,000Mbps service to individual residences. Yes, you read that right: 100 gigabits. If that makes your heart flutter, look for a Hotwire hookup for your next move to or within Miami. Multi-gigabit fiber can make sense for households with multiple heavy internet users or gamers. Otherwise, look to Google Fiber Webpass, Breezeline or Xfinity for plans in the 1,000Mbps range. 

What are the fastest internet plans in Miami?

Provider	Max download speed	Max upload speed	Starting price	Data cap	Contract
Hotwire	10,000Mbps	10,000Mbps	Varies	None	Varies
AT&T Fiber 5000	5,000Mbps	5,000Mbps	$180	None	None
AT&T Fiber 2000	2,000Mbps	2,000Mbps	$110	None	None
Xfinity Gigabit Extra	1,200Mbps	35Mbps	$80-$90	1.2TB	Varies
Xfinity Gigabit	1,000Mbops	35Mbps	$75-$85	1.2TB	Varies
AT&T Fiber 1000	1,000Mbps	1,000Mbps	$80	None	None
Google Fiber Webpass	1,000Mbps	1,000 Mbps	$70	None	None
Breezeline GigaFast	1,000Mbps	50Mbps	$60	None	None

Show more (3 items)

Shop Providers

Source: CNET analysis of provider data

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

It might feel a little overwhelming with fiber, cable, DSL and fixed wireless scattered all over Miami. How do you find the best ISP for you? It all starts with your address. Your building may be hooked up with one or more service providers already. Want fiber? Check with AT&T or Hotwire. Otherwise, plug your details into Xfinity or Breezeline’s availability checkers. Still not where you want to be? Check with Verizon or T-Mobile for a fixed wireless alternative.

How CNET chose the best internet providers in Miami

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. 

When it comes to selecting the cheapest internet service — the criteria are relatively simple. We look for the service package with the lowest monthly fee, though we also take into consideration promotional rates and price per megabit. 

As for choosing the fastest internet service, we look at provider throughput. Most often, that means a fiber-optic service. That said, fiber availability may be limited to a smaller percentage of addresses. 

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

Internet providers in Miami FAQs