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What is the best internet provider in Portland, Maine?
Spectrum is CNET’s top choice for the best overall internet provider in Portland. We recommend it as the go-to ISP in town because it offers gigabit speeds, reliable service and is available to 88% of Portland residents. Plans start at $30 and go up to $70 for the gig plan. For Portland residents who need a little more speed, Fidium Fiber is a good option, offering multi-gigabit plans.
If you’re looking for the lowest prices or fastest speeds, Fidium Fiber is also the best option. On the cheaper end, it offers a 100 megabits per second plan for $25 monthly and if you need speed, it has a 2-gigabit (2,000Mbps) tier, too.
Portland, Maine, internet providers, such as Spectrum, may offer lower introductory pricing or streaming add-ons for a limited time. You can also bundle with a phone plan to get additional savings. Other providers, including Fidium Fiber and T-Mobile, 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 Portland, Maine, broadband?
Everyone in Portland has access to at least 100Mbps, according to the FCC. Ookla data puts Portland’s median download speed at a healthy 287Mbps, higher than the US median of approximately 274Mbps. (Disclosure: Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.) Those numbers can be attributed to the broad availability of Spectrum’s cable broadband connections and Fidium Fiber’s multi-gig internet plans.
Fastest internet plans in Portland, Maine
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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 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 Portland, Maine
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 pricing, availability and speed database 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 Portland, Maine?
It all comes down to your needs as a household. If you’re an average internet consumer, your best bet for broadband providers is either Spectrum for fixed broadband or T-Mobile Home Internet for fixed wireless, 5G coverage. If you need symmetrical speeds for online gaming or remote work (or crave multigigabit speeds), your best option will be Fidium Fiber.
Internet providers in Portland, Maine FAQs
Who is the cheapest internet provider in Portland, Maine?
Fidium Fiber offers the cheapest plan in the area and features the fastest plan with its symmetrical 2Gbps tier.
Is fiber internet available in Portland, Maine?
Apart from satellite internet, which covers 100% of the area, the greatest coverage belongs to the fixed wireless services of Viasat. It serves 99% of households in Portland, Maine.
