What is the best internet provider in Hillsboro, Oregon?
HiLight is the best internet service provider in Hillsboro. The city owns and operates the fiber network, so it can offer gig speeds at unusually affordable rates. It doesn’t have any ultra-cheap plans available — prices start at $55 per month for 1,000Mbps upload and download speeds — but you’ll get incredible value for the price.
Even though its speeds go up to 10,000Mbps, HiLight isn’t technically the fastest internet provider in Hillsboro. That title goes to Ziply Fiber, which offers jaw-dropping speeds up to 50,000Mbps. That’s beyond overkill for most people, but Ziply also offers the cheapest plans in the area at $20 per month. Xfinity is another good option for cheap internet in Hillsboro: Prices also start at $20 monthly, but they increase significantly on all plans after one or two years.
Our methodology
Speed range
1,000 – 10,000Mbps
Price range
$55 – $300 per month
Our take – HiLight, a combination of Hillsboro and the “lightning” fast speeds you can expect, is a fiber network owned and operated by the city. Like other municipal broadband networks, HiLight can keep costs low and speeds fast. Plans start at $55 per month for symmetrical 1,000Mbps speeds; for comparison, the same speeds cost $60 monthly from Ziply Fiber in the first year and $85 afterward.
Connection
Fiber
Speed range
100 – 50,000Mbps
Price range
$20 – $900 per month
Our take – If you need even faster speeds than the 10,000Mbps HiLight can get you, Ziply Fiber is one of the rare internet providers that can top it. The fiber provider offers the fastest internet speeds in the country: 50,000Mbps upload and download speeds for a whopping $900 monthly. It’s hard to imagine a scenario where you’d need anywhere close to that kind of bandwidth, but Ziply’s other plans are excellent deals too. Just be prepared for price increases between $20 and $25 after the first year.
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Speed range
100 – 50,000Mbps
Price range
$20 – $900 per month
Connection
Cable
Connection
Cable
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Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
What’s the cheapest internet plan in Hillsboro, Oregon?
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 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 Hillsboro
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 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 answers to those questions are often layered and complex, the providers that 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.
Internet providers in Hillsboro FAQs
What is the best internet service provider in Hillsboro?
Yes, fiber internet is available to 72% of Hillsboro households, according to FCC data. HiLight and Ziply Fiber both offer fiber service in the city.
What is the cheapest internet provider in Hillsboro?
Ziply Fiber offers the fastest internet plan in Hillsboro, with upload and download speeds up to 50,000Mbps.
