Best Internet Providers in Virginia Beach, Virginia – CNET

If Fios is available at your address, it’s tough to beat in terms of broadband. Although Verizon 5G Home Internet is also highly rated by CNET, Fios offers symmetrical speeds through its fiber connection — a perk that fixed wireless service (or cable or satellite, for that matter) can’t match. 

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Check with Verizon

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Other available internet providers in Virginia Beach

• Comcast Xfinity: This national cable provider has limited coverage across the Virginia Beach area, and is more prominent in cities like Emporia, Disputanta and Templeton. However, if you can access Xfinity at your address, it’s definitely worth checking out. It offers the cheapest internet plan in Virginia Beach and hits speeds up to 1.2Gbps.
• Satellite internet: No matter where you are in the country, satellite internet will always be an option. But it’s probably not the best one. With high prices and slow speeds, providers like HughesNet, Viasat and Starlink shouldn’t be your go-to for broadband.
• Spectrum: Although service is unavailable in Virginia Beach, those living near Cape Charles, Suffolk or Belleville should be able to access home broadband from Spectrum. It offers only three plans, costing as low as $50 per month. 
• Verizon 5G Home Internet: If Verizon Fios isn’t available at your household, its fixed wireless network might be. For $50 per month, customers can reach speeds up to 300Mbps with no data cap or equipment fee. Customers can also upgrade their service to a gigabit of speed for $20 more per month.

Cheap internet options in Virginia Beach

If you’re hunting for the lowest internet service in the city, look no further than Xfinity’s Connect More plan. For $25 per month, customers can reach speeds up to 200Mbps. But if Xfinity isn’t accessible at your household, check out T-Mobile Home Internet. This provider offers the best value for cheap plans: $50 monthly for 245Mbps with no data caps, monthly equipment fees or required contracts. Plus, you can save $20 per month if you’re an existing mobile customer.

Most of the providers we’ve mentioned also participate in the FCC’s Affordable Connectivity Program, which gives eligible low-income households a $30 monthly discount (or up to $75 for households on tribal lands) for high-speed internet. You can use the ACP toward any internet plan — not just the cheapest ones — from participating providers.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

How to find internet deals and promotions in Virginia Beach

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

Virginia Beach internet providers, such as Cox Communications, Xfinity and Spectrum, may offer lower introductory pricing or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Many, however, including T-Mobile and Verizon, run the same standard pricing year-round. 

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

How fast is Virginia Beach broadband?

According to Ookla speed data, Virginia Beach has a median download speed of about 242Mbps, with Cox and Verizon being the city’s two fastest providers. But if you’re wanting an internet connection faster than that mark, many providers offer plans faster than 242Mbps. 

Cox Communications brings home the gold with its 2,000Mbps plan, which is the fastest speed Virginia Beach residents can reach. This plan costs $120 per month and includes a 1.25TB data cap. 

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 Virginia Beach

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. 

But it doesn’t end there. We go to the FCC’s website to check our data and ensure we consider every ISP that provides service in an area. We also input local addresses on provider websites to find specific options for 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 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 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 consider real-world speed data from sources like Ookla and FCC reports.

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

What’s the final word on internet providers in Virginia Beach?

As we like to say, you can’t go wrong with a fiber connection for your household. In addition to offering symmetrical download and upload speeds, fiber service is also less prone to lags and delays caused by network congestion. If you can get your hands on Verizon Fios in the Virginia Beach area, that should be your top pick for home internet. But Fios coverage misses almost half of the area’s residents, so for most addresses, your top option will be Cox Communications. Cable may not be able to match all of fiber’s capabilities, but it’s still a reliable connection type that should allow most households to do all they need to do. 

Internet providers in Virginia Beach FAQs