Internet providers in Chicago, IL

Most of the greater Chicago area has only two major options for home internet, but people living near the shoreline—either in the Hyde Park area or around Wrigley Field—will have a few more.

The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) defines broadband as internet service with at least 100Mbps download speed and at least 20Mbps upload speed. Those speeds are enough for most internet activities, including streaming video or playing games online.

Based on the latest available census data, 100% of Chicagoans have access to broadband internet. AT&T and Xfinity offer broadband to most communities around Chicago. RCN and Atlantic Broadband also offer home internet service to some neighborhoods close to Lake Michigan.

The provider WOW! also offers internet service in a few blocks around UIC (University of Illinois at Chicago) and in areas north of O’Hare or south of Midway, as well as some of the western suburbs. If these options don’t work for you, Viasat offers satellite internet service to nearly the entire Chicagoland area.

Most of these providers also offer TV service, which means you can save when you bundle the two services together. Even AT&T, the major internet provider for much of Chicago, offers discounts when you bundle with DIRECTV.

What’s a good internet speed?

Take our quiz to find out how much internet speed you need. Or use our internet speed test to test your current speeds.

0–5 Mbps

Works for:

Checking email
Streaming music on one device
Searching on Google

5–40 Mbps

Works for:

Streaming video on one device
Video calling with Skype or FaceTime
Online gaming for one player

40–100 Mbps

Works for:

Streaming HD video on a few devices
Multiplayer online gaming
Downloading large files

100–500 Mbps

Works for:

Streaming video in UHD on multiple screens
Downloading files quickly
Gaming online for multiple players

500–1,000+ Mbps

Works for:

Doing a lot of almost anything

What is the fastest internet provider in Chicago?

AT&T is the fastest home internet provider in Chicago with fiber speeds up to 5000 Mbps—that’s really fast, but probably more speed than you need. The Chicago area also has access to the smaller fiber internet service providers (ISPs) Upstream and Everywhere Wireless, each offering plans up to 1,000 Mbps.

Chicago has two very fast cable ISPs for those that don’t have access to fiber. Xfinity is the fastest, with plans up to 1,200 Mbps. Xfinity came in at second in our fastest internet providers in 2022 analysis, higher than any other cable ISP.

Fastest internet providers in Chicago

AT&T — Up to 5,000Mbps
Xfinity — Up to 2,000Mbps
Astound — Up to 1,200Mbps
EarthLink — Up to 5,000Mbps
T-Mobile 5G Home Internet — Up to 245Mbps
Easy Internet Now — Up to 5,000Mbps

Want an easy way to test and track your internet speed?

Download our free, easy-to-use speed test app for quick and reliable results.

What is the cheapest home internet provider in Chicago?

Astound Broadband is the cheapest major home internet service provider in Chicago, with its 300Mbps plan starting at $30 per month. Xfinity also offers affordable plans starting at $55, but you get almost double the download speed with the 500 Mbps plan. While we recommend going with Astound Broadband’s speeds if your can, both of these reliable cable internet plans offer good value.

Cheapest home internet providers in Chicago

Provider	Price	Max speeds	View plans
Astound	$30/mo.*	300Mbps	View Plans for Astound
Xfinity	$55/mo.^† ^{for 12 mos.}	500Mbps	View Plans for Xfinity
Viasat	$69.99/mo.^‡	50Mbps	View Plans for Viasat
AT&T	$34/mo.^§	100Mbps	View Plans for AT&T

See disclaimers.

Home internet deals and promotions in Chicago

Provider	Available Deal	View on Provider’s Site
	Get a gift card worth up to $150 when you order an AT&T fiber plan with at least 1 Gig speeds Save 20% every month when you bundle unlimited wireless with home internet from AT&T Get your cancellation fee covered in full when you switch to AT&T fiber	Get the Deal for AT&T
	Spectrum Internet^® customers get one line of Spectrum Mobile^® Unlimited for a year Get a Spectrum Internet® Premier or Gig plan free for 1 month	Get the Deal for Spectrum
	Get a gift card worth $200 when you sign up for a fiber internet plan with at least 300Mbps from Earthlink Save $20 per month for a year when you sign up for Earthlink's 100Mbps fiber internet Get $10 off the monthly price of a 100GB Essentials plan from Earthlink	Get the Deal for EarthLink
	Students can get a $200 gift card to Uber Eats or Amazon when they sign up for 1 Gig internet from Xfinity by Oct. 21 Earn up to $500 per year by referring friends to Xfinity Military members get exclusive discounts on Xfinity Mobile, NOW TV, and more with an Xfinity internet plan	Get the Deal for Xfinity
	Get a $200 gift card and up to 50% off professional installation when you sign up for 1500Mbps speeds with Astound and use code GIG200 Get a free month of internet service and up to 50% off installation when you sign up for 300Mbps speeds with Astound and use code LIVEMORE Get a $100 service credit when you refer a friend to Astound Internet and earn up to $1,200 annually	Get the Deal for Astound
	Save up to $25 every month in your first year of service with Hughesnet Internet Get free professional installation of Hughesnet Internet, including Wi-Fi setup and device connection	Get the Deal for Hughesnet
	Get $20 off per month for three months when you call in to sign up for Viasat internet Get free standard installation (with credit qualification) when you sign up for a qualifying home internet plan from Viasat	Get the Deal for Viasat

What fiber internet providers are available in Chicago?

The main fiber internet provider in Chicago is AT&T, with fiber speeds up to 5,000 Mbps. Earthlink also provides fiber internet in Chicago, with symmetrical speeds up to 5,000 Mbps.

The smaller fiber ISPs, Upstream and Everywhere Wireless also gigabit fiber internet plans in the Chicago area.

Fiber internet providers in Chicago

AT&T—Fiber speeds up to 5,000 Mbps
EarthLink—Fiber speeds up to 5,000 Mbps
Everywhere Wireless—Fiber speeds up to 1,000 Mbps
Upstream Network—Fiber speeds up to 1,000 Mbps

What are the highest-rated internet service providers in Chicago?

T-Mobile earned the highest ratings in our annual internet customer satisfaction survey, receiving the top ratings for price, customer service, and overall satisfaction. T-Mobile provides an excellent customer experience with a service that is extremely easy to set up, use, and maintain due to its wireless tech and thoughtful design. The plan and pricing are also very straightforward, with everything included for one flat rate ($50 per month) without any hidden fees or surprise costs; this explains why T-Mobile earned the highest price satisfaction scores we’ve ever seen for a national ISP.

Xfinity also scored well in our customer satisfaction survey, having earned the top rating for speed for the second year in a row and a high overall satisfaction rating of 3.9 out of 5.

How much speed do you need?

Take a quick quiz to decide what speeds are best for your household

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FAQ about home internet in Chicago

What’s the best internet service provider in Chicago?

What’s the best deal on internet service in Chicago?

What’s the best Chicago provider for bundling TV and internet?

Will my apartment management set up my internet service?

What do I need to install AT&T?

What is the cheapest internet provider in Chicago?

Is fiber internet available in Chicago?

How much does high-speed internet cost in Chicago?

Internet Provider Availability Map

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Cicero Stickney Berwyn Oak Park Riverside Forest Park Lyons Summit Hines Burbank River Forest Evergreen Park Summit Argo Brookfield Maywood Elmwood Park

Summary of Chicago internet providers

Provider	Type	Download speeds up to	User rating	Order online
Xfinity	Cable	2000 Mbps	3.5/5	View Plans for Xfinity
T-Mobile Home Internet	5G Home	415 Mbps	4.0/5	View Plans for T-Mobile Home Internetor call 833-469-4276
AT&T	Fiber	5000 Mbps	3.5/5	View Plans for AT&T
EarthLink	Fiber	5000 Mbps	4.0/5	View Plans for EarthLink
Astound	Cable & Fiber	1200 Mbps	3.0/5
Hughesnet	Satellite	100 Mbps	3/5	View Plans for Hughesnet
Viasat	Satellite	150 Mbps	3/5
Easy Internet Now	DSL & Fiber	5000 Mbps	4.5/5
ispMint	5G Home	5 Mbps	4.5/5	Link not provided
Everywhere Wireless	Fiber	1000 Mbps	N/A
e-vergent	Fixed Wireless	60 Mbps	N/A
Urban Communications	Fixed Wireless	100 Mbps	N/A
Upstream Network	Fiber	1000 Mbps	N/A	Learn more about Upstream Network
ConVergence Technologies, Inc.	Fixed Wireless	10 Mbps	N/A

Availability and speeds displayed are not guaranteed and are subject to change.

Technology Type

DSL:

DSL provides internet service via phone cables and is up to ten times faster than dial-up service.

Cable:

Cable provides internet speeds faster than DSL through the same cables used for cable TV.

Satellite:

Satellite internet is widely available, but offers slower speeds due to a far-traveling signal.

Fiber:

Fiber relies on glass strands to relay digital code and is much faster than both DSL and cable.

°Speed based on wired connection. Available Internet speeds may vary by address. Gig capable modem required for Gig speed. For a list of Gig capable modems, visit Spectrum.net/modem.

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Methodology

HighSpeedInternet.com compares internet providers within cities and metro areas to give customers the most relevant insights into their internet options. When comparing providers, we consider the following:

Provider coverage areas
Advertised speeds
Real-world speeds (speed test data)
Customer feedback
Other relevant localized data

We source localized coverage data displayed on our coverage maps from the FCC coverage database, which is updated every six months. For the most current summary of providers in your area, we recommend you use our zip code search tool, which offers the most recent coverage data straight from internet service providers (ISPs).

Our city overviews compare advertised provider speeds. We may also include real-world speed data gathered from millions of annual speed test results. To process our speed test data, we first filter out outliers and providers with low test counts. We then calculate speed averages with every ISP subject to the same parameters.

We gather ISP customer feedback data from our comprehensive annual surveys and direct customer feedback submitted to HighSpeedInternet.com. Unless stated otherwise, average ratings are calculated nationally.

Disclaimers

* Regional price differences may apply. 24 Month Internet Pricing. No contract required. Equipment priced separately. Includes $5 discount for 12 months w/ ebill & autopay. Experienced speeds may vary. New residential customers only.

† For 24 months. No term contract. Taxes not included. Includes $10/mo automatic payments and paperless billing discount.

‡ Offer available to new qualifying customers. One-time standard installation fee may be due at checkout. Minimum 24-month service term required. Equipment lease fee is $12.99/mo. Taxes apply. Service is not available in all areas. Offer may be changed or withdrawn at any time.

§ Price after $5/mo Autopay & Paperless bill discount (w/in 2 bills). Plus taxes & fees. Monthly State Cost Recovery Charge in TX, OH, NV applies. One time install chrg may apply. Ltd. avail/areas. Call or go to www.fiber.att.com to see if you qualify.

Internet providers in Chicago, IL

What’s a good internet speed?