Quantum Fiber is the best internet service provider in Tacoma. It’s the only fiber provider in the city, giving you symmetrical upload and download speeds — essential for remote workers or online gamers. Quantum Fiber also has some of the lowest prices in Tacoma, and it guarantees they’ll never increase.
Xfinity has the cheapest internet plans in Tacoma, starting at just $20 monthly. Prices increase on all plans after a year or two, but you’ll find this with many internet providers. Lightcurve is the best regional internet provider in Tacoma, and while its starting prices are slightly higher than Xfinity’s, there are no built-in price increases. If you want to guarantee your bill won’t ever go up — and can’t get Quantum Fiber — T-Mobile is an excellent wireless provider in Tacoma and comes with a price-lock guarantee.
Our methodology
Speed range
200 – 8,000Mbps
Price range
$30 – $165 per month
Our take – Quantum Fiber (a sibling company of CenturyLink) is Tacoma’s only fiber internet provider, and its plans are incredibly appealing. Prices start at just $30 a month, and they’re guaranteed for life. Compare that to the other major internet provider in Tacoma, Xfinity, which doubles its price on some plans after two years. Quantum Fiber also earned the second-highest score of any ISP in the country in the most recent American Customer Satisfaction Index survey.
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Check with Quantum
Speed range
200 – 8,000Mbps
Price range
$30 – $165 per month
Connection
Fiber Show more details
Connection
Cable
Connection
Cable
Speed range
75 – 2,000Mbps
Price range
$20 – $120 per month
Speed range
200 – 1,000Mbps
Price range
$40 – $70 per month
Our take – If you want to get your internet from a local provider, Lightcurve (formerly Rainier Connect) is a great option that only serves the Tacoma and Puyallup areas. Like Xfinity, it uses a cable internet connection, so its upload speeds are also on the slow side — 20Mbps on every plan. Unlike Xfinity, prices don’t automatically increase after a year or two.
Connection
Cable
Speed range
200 – 1,000Mbps
Price range
$40 – $70 per month
Speed range
72 – 245Mbps
Price range
$50 per month
Our take – If comparing internet plans gives you a migraine, T-Mobile Home Internet offers a refreshingly simple alternative. It only has one plan for $50 a month and everything is included. Even better, T-Mobile guarantees that it won’t ever raise your rates. Speeds aren’t as fast as the other three options, but most households will get by fine.
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Check with T-Mobile
Speed range
72 – 245Mbps
Price range
$50 per month
Connection
Fixed wireless Show more details
Tacoma internet providers compared
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Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
What’s the cheapest internet plan in Tacoma?
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Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
Meleah Reardon Photography / Getty Images
How to find internet deals and promotions in Tacoma
The best internet deals and the top promotions in Tacoma depend on what discounts are available during that time. Most deals are short-lived, but we look frequently for the latest offers.
Tacoma internet providers, such as Xfinity and Lightcurve, may offer lower introductory pricing or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Others, however, including Quantum Fiber and T-Mobile Home Internet, run the same standard pricing year-round.
For a more extensive list of promos, check out our guide on the best internet deals.
Fastest internet plans in Tacoma
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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 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 person sufficient bandwidth to satisfy the demands of modern telecommuting, video streaming and online gaming.
100 to 500Mbps allows one to two people to simultaneously engage in high-bandwidth activities like videoconferencing, streaming and online gaming.
500 to 1,000Mbps allows three or more people to engage in high-bandwidth activities at the same time.
How CNET chose the best internet providers in Tacoma
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 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 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, 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.
To explore our process in more depth, visit our how we test ISPs page.
Internet providers in Tacoma FAQs
What is the best internet service provider in Tacoma?
Yes, fiber internet is available to 40% of Tacoma residents, according to FCC data. Quantum Fiber is the only fiber provider in the area.
Who is the cheapest internet provider in Tacoma?
Xfinity offers the fastest download speeds in Tacoma at 1,200Mbps. Quantum Fiber offers the fastest speeds all around, with download and upload speeds up to 940Mbps.
