Like many cities, Baltimore has grappled with rural dead zones and a digital divide for years. In 2018, about 41% of the city’s households didn’t have access to wireline internet service, and a third lacked laptops or desktop computers. The city also ranked in the bottom third when measuring internet speed among the nation’s 100 most populated cities in 2023.
Baltimore is taking steps — like opening its Office of Broadband and Digital Equity — to expand internet access to all of its residents. The city promises it will permanently close its digital divide by 2030.
What are the options for internet service across Charm City right now? Xfinity is the most widely available and has low-cost plans for high-speed internet. Here we’ll break down all your options.
Best internet providers in Charm City
The best internet in Baltimore comes down to a mix of affordable pricing, a variety of speed options and, ultimately, what’s available to you. For most Baltimore residents, that means Xfinity, which offers extensive coverage throughout the area with a low starting price. The providers listed below were chosen due to their favorable service terms and overall value.
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.
Cable
Cable
300 – 2,000 Mbps
$50 – $120 per month
Our take – Verizon Fios is a 100% fiber-optic service that’s available in some parts of Baltimore and the city’s surrounding areas. The major draw of fiber service is speed. Fiber is about 20 times faster than cable internet because it relies on light instead of electricity to transmit data. (Keep in mind, internet speeds can vary based on the provider and location.) Verizon’s service also gets top marks for customer service.
300 – 2,000 Mbps
$50 – $120 per month
Satellite
Satellite
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What’s the final word on internet providers in Baltimore?
While fiber internet is typically a better option than cable internet, that’s not the case in Baltimore. Verizon Fios simply doesn’t cover enough people in the area. If you can get it, great. Start there. But for most in Baltimore, your best option is Xfinity, which offers fast, reliable service with several plans to suit just about any household.
How CNET chose the best internet providers in Baltimore
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.
To explore our process in more depth, visit our How We Test ISPs page.
Internet providers in Baltimore FAQs
Which is the best internet service provider in Baltimore?
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