The best internet providers in Buffalo, New York

What are the best internet providers in Buffalo?

CNET’s top choice for the best internet provider in Buffalo is Verizon Fios. ISP benefits from its fast, symmetric upload and download speeds, strong customer satisfaction and competitive price peaks. The only gain? FIO everywhere in the city.

If you don’t have Verizon Fios on your address, Spectrum is a reliable backup. Spectrum offers the most affordable internet plans in Buffalo. Remember that prices usually jump to $20 to $30 after the first year. T-Mobile Home Internet is another option worth considering. While it may not match the speed of FIO or spectrum, it is a reliable, unrivalled pricing option for smaller homes.

The best internet in Buffalo, New York

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Other Internet providers in Buffalo

• Satellite Internet: You can get satellite internet at almost every address in the country, but there are only a few options worth considering in rural areas. Hughesnet and Viasat run in Buffalo, but are expensive and not very fast. SpaceX’s Starlink Internet is a faster satellite option, but it’s time to start buying a $349 device.
• Verizon 5G home internet: Like the T-Mobile Home Internet, Verizon provides fixed wireless internet in the area. Its plan to achieve a higher top speed than the T-Mobile, but with less usability. That said, you get a big discount when you bundled with a qualified Verizon wireless program.

Cheap Internet Options in Buffalo

Buffalo has five different internet plans for $50 per month or less. Although Spectrum has the cheapest plans in the region, the prices of all plans have risen significantly after a year or two.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

How to find internet deals and promotions in Buffalo

The best internet deals and top promotions in Buffalo depend on the discounts available during this period. Most transactions are short-lived, but we often look for the latest quotes.

Buffalo Internet providers, such as Spectrum and Verizon Fios, may offer lower introductory pricing or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Many providers, including T-Mobile Home Internet, run the same standard pricing year-round.

For a wider list of promotions, check out our guide on the best internet deals.

How fast is Buffalo broadband?

According to Ookla speed test data, the median number of Buffalo residents is 218Mbps download and 18Mbps upload speed. This puts Buffalo at No. 70 below the country’s most populous city and Cleveland, but is in Pittsburgh (73rd) and Philadelphia (74th). (Ookla is owned by CNET and Ziff Davis, the same parent company.)

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

What is good internet speed?

Most Internet connectivity programs can now handle basic productivity and communication tasks. If you are looking for an internet plan that can accommodate video conferencing, streaming videos or games, you will get better experience and have a stronger connection. According to the FCC, this is an overview of the minimum download speeds recommended for various applications. Note that these are just guides – Internet speed, services and performance vary by connection type, provider and address.

For more information, see our guide on how much internet speed you really need.

• 0 to 5Mbps allows you to solve the basics: browse the internet, send and receive emails and stream low-quality video.
• 5 to 40Mbps provides you with higher quality video streaming and video conferencing.
• 40 to 100Mbps should provide a user with enough bandwidth to meet the needs of modern remote office, video streaming and online gaming.
• 100 to 500Mbps allows one to perform high bandwidth activities for two users simultaneously, such as video conferencing, streaming and online gaming.
• 500 to 1,000Mbps allows three or more users to engage in high bandwidth activities simultaneously.

How to choose the best internet provider in Buffalo

There are numerous and regional Internet service providers. Unlike the latest smartphones, laptops, routers, or kitchen tools, it is impractical to test every internet service provider in a given city in person. So what is our method? For beginners, we leverage a proprietary database that leverages information from FCC.GOV’s Federal Communications Commission from our own historical ISP data, partner data and mapping information.

Since our database is not exhaustive, we visit the FCC’s website, check the main data in person, and make sure that we are considering all ISPs that provide services in a certain area. Plans and prices also vary by location, so we enter our local address on the provider website to find specific options available to residents. We look at resources including the U.S. Customer Satisfaction Index and JD Power to evaluate how satisfied ISP services have with customers. ISP plans and prices change frequently; all information provided is accurate based on our pre-publication fact checks.

Once this local information is obtained, we ask three main questions:

1. Can providers access reasonable and fast internet speeds?
2. Do customers get decent value for the money they pay?
3. Are customers satisfied with their service?

Although the answers to these questions are often layered and complex, the three we recommend are closest to the provider of “yes”. When choosing the cheapest internet service, we look for the lowest monthly plan, although we also consider issues such as price increase, equipment fees and contracts. Choosing the fastest internet service is relatively simple. We view upload and download speeds on ads and consider actual speed data from sources such as Ookla and FCC reports.

To explore our process more deeply, you can access our test ISP pages.

What’s the last sentence of Buffalo’s internet provider?

When it comes to Buffalo’s internet service, there’s Verizon Fios and everything else. Verizon is the only company that offers fiber optic internet in the region, the fastest and most reliable type of connection available. If you can’t get Verizon Fios at your address, Spectrum, T-Mobile Home Internet, and Verizon 5G Home Internet are all reliable backup options, but each has its own drawbacks.

Internet provider of FAQs in Buffalo