![best-internet-providers-in-charleston,-south-carolina-[cnet]](https://i0.wp.com/upmytech.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/198971-best-internet-providers-in-charleston-south-carolina-cnet.jpg?resize=300%2C186&ssl=1)
Best Internet Providers in Charleston, South Carolina [CNET]
What is the best internet provider in Charleston?
AT&T Fiber is CNET’s pick for the best internet provider in Charleston. However, if it’s not available in your area, the Holy City residents have many choices, including fiber plans from AT&T and local provider Home Telecom and cable connections from Xfinity or Spectrum. There’s also 5G home internet from T-Mobile Home Internet or Verizon 5G Home Internet.
According to the Federal Communications Commission, 100% of Charleston households have access to a broadband connection (defined as 100 megabits per second download and 20Mbps upload speeds), and 97% are eligible for plans that offer download speeds up to 250Mbps. That’s unusual. In South Carolina’s capital city of Columbia, for example, 92% have access to internet plans that fast, which would allow a household of four to comfortably stream shows, work from home and game simultaneously, per FCC guidelines.
Charleston internet providers compared
| Provider | Internet technology | Monthly price range | Speed range | Monthly equipment costs | Data cap | Contract | CNET review score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AT&T Internet 100 Read full review |
DSL/Copper | $60 | 10-100Mbps | None | 1.5TB | None | 7.4 |
| AT&T Fiber Read full review |
Fiber | $55-$245 | 300-5,000Mbps | None | None | None | 7.4 |
| Home Telecom | Fiber | $60-$100 | 300-2,000Mbps | None | None | None | N/A |
| Spectrum Read full review |
Cable | $50-$90 | 300-1,000Mbps | Free modem; $5 for router (optional) | None | None | 7.2 |
| T-Mobile Home Internet Read full review |
Fixed wireless | $60 ($40 with eligible mobile plans) | 72-245Mbps | None | None | None | 7.4 |
| Verizon 5G Home Internet Read full review |
Fixed wireless | $50-$70 ($35-$45 with eligible phone plan) | 50-250Mbps | None | None | None | 7.2 |
| WOW Read full review |
Cable | $30-$95 | 100-1,200Mbps | None | None | None | 7 |
| Xfinity Read full review |
Cable | $20-$80 | 150-1,200Mbps | $15 (optional) | 1.2TB | 1-2 years, depending on plan | 7 |
Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
Other available Charleston residential internet providers
Charleston has more ISPs than many other cities in the US, providing a rather extraordinary range of options. Here are some other providers worth considering.
- Home Telecom: This company covers about 8% of Charleston, with availability mostly in the Daniel Island area. Its fiber-optic plans offer 300Mbps, 500Mbps, 1 gig or 2 gig for $60, $70, $80 or $100 monthly — which is a bit more expensive than AT&T’s Fiber plans. But it’s a local outfit, equipment is included and there are no data caps or contracts.
- Satellite internet: We recommend avoiding satellite internet in Charleston, given that cheaper and faster options are widely available. Satellite internet is best for rural areas that cable and fiber don’t reach. If that’s where you live, Hughesnet and Viasat are the most prominent providers, though each requires a two-year contract. Elon Musk’s Starlink, which offers higher download speeds and lower latency, although it requires $499 for a standard installation, not including the monthly rate of $120 per month.
- Spectrum Internet: Charter Communications’ home internet service is available to about 5% of the area, mostly north of the city in Ladson and Summerville. There are three different cable internet plans: 300Mbps for $50 per month, 500Mbps for $70 monthly and a gigabit offering for $90 per month. There are no data caps or contracts. Prices increase by $30 monthly after the first year.
- Verizon 5G Home Internet: Like T-Mobile, Verizon uses its cellular network to wirelessly provide home broadband connections. It offers some plans with higher maximum download speeds than T-Mobile (1,000Mbps vs. 245), but it’s only available to about 23% of Charleston households.
Pricing info on Charleston home internet service
The average starting price for internet in Charleston is around $46 per month — on par with other cities, including Austin, Dallas and Philadelphia.
Cheap internet options in Charleston
| Provider | Starting price | Max download speed | Monthly equipment fee | Contract |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity Connect Read full review |
$20 ($56 after one year) | 150Mbps | $15 (optional) | None |
| WOW Internet 300 Read full review |
$30 | 300Mbps | None | None |
| Spectrum Internet Read full review |
$50 ($80 after one year) | 300Mbps | None | None |
| T-Mobile Home Internet Read full review |
$60 ($40 with eligible mobile plans) | 245Mbps | None | None |
| Verizon 5G Home Internet Read full review |
$50 ($35 with eligible mobile plans) | 100Mbps | None | None |
| AT&T Fiber Internet 300 Read full review |
$55 | 300Mbps | None | None |
| Home Telecom 300 | $70 | 300Mbps | None | None |
Show more (3 items)
Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
How many members of your household use the internet?
Charleston broadband speeds
According to the FCC, 100% of Charleston residents have access to broadband internet and, even more impressively, more than 43% are eligible for gig speed connections (940-1,000Mbps) from either AT&T Fiber, Home Telecom, Spectrum or Xfinity. AT&T also offers multigigabit plans up to 5 gigs (5,000Mbps).
What are the fastest internet plans in Charleston?
| Provider | Max download speed | Max upload speed | Starting price | Data cap | Contract |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AT&T Fiber Internet 5000 Read full review |
5,000Mbps | 5,000Mbps | $245 | None | None |
| AT&T Fiber Internet 2000 Read full review |
2,000Mbps | 2,000Mbps | $145 | None | None |
| Home Telecom | 2,000Mbps | 2,000Mbps | $100 | None | None |
| WOW Internet 1.2 Gigs Read full review |
1,200Mbps | 50Mbps | $95 | None | None |
| AT&T Fiber Internet 1000 Read full review |
1,000Mbps | 1,000Mbps | $80 | None | None |
| WOW Internet 1 Gig Read full review |
1,000Mbps | 50Mbps | $60 | None | None |
| Xfinity Gigabit Extra Read full review |
1,200Mbps | 35Mbps | $85 ($116 after two years) | 1.2TB | 2 years |
| Home Telecom | 1,000Mbps | 1,000Mbps | $80 | None | None |
| Verizon 5G Home Plus Internet Read full review |
1,000Mbps | 25-75Mbps | $70 ($45 with qualifying Verizon 5G mobile plans) | None | None |
| Spectrum Internet Gig Read full review |
1,000Mbps | 35Mbps | $80 ($110 after two years) | None | None |
| Xfinity Gigabit Read full review |
1,000Mbps | 20Mbps | $65 ($106 after one year) | 1.2TB | 2 years |
Show more (7 items)
Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
How CNET chose the best internet providers in Charleston
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? 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.
This guide leverages an in-house artificial intelligence tool called RAMP, which is trained on our own writing and uses our database to generate content about specific internet service providers that our writers can use in determining and presenting our picks for a given guide. Check CNET’s AI policy for more information about how our teams use (and don’t use) AI tools.
Because our database is not exhaustive, we go to the FCC’s website to check the primary data for ourselves and make sure we’re considering every ISP that provides service in an area. Plans and prices also vary by location, so we input local addresses on provider websites to find the specific options available to 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 our prepublication fact-check.
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.
What’s the bottom line on Charleston internet providers?
Residents of Charleston have a variety of options when it comes to choosing a broadband provider. Xfinity covers nearly every address in the city, and some households can get faster upload speeds through fiber connections from AT&T and local provider Home Telecom. And If it’s cheap internet you’re after, look no further than WOW — it has some of the lowest starting prices you’ll find anywhere in the US which don’t spike after 1-2 years of use.
Internet providers in Charleston FAQs
Which is the best internet service provider in Charleston?
It depends on where you live. AT&T Fiber is a solid choice — and CNET’s top pick — but it’s not available to all households; most residents will have to settle for the provider’s DSL connection. If that’s the case, there are better options in that price range. Xfinity covers the greatest number of addresses but comes with data caps and temporary discounts. T-Mobile Home Internet offers no data caps, no price increases and free equipment rental — but its download speeds top out under 240Mbps, which might be insufficient for households with multiple users.
Which is the cheapest internet provider in Charleston?
Charleston’s cheapest internet provider is Xfinity, whose 150Mbps cable internet plan costs $20 per month. However, this price increases to $56 per month after one year. WOW’s 300Mbps plan starts at $30 per month, and if you opt for a $5 price guarantee, it’ll stay that way. WOW’s gigabit plan, which offers 1,000Mbps and costs $60 monthly, is one of the best values in the US at 6 cents per Mbps.
Which Charleston internet provider offers the fastest plan?
The title goes to AT&T Fiber, whose 5,000Mbps plan costs $245 monthly — another great value at around 5 cents per Mbps.
Is fiber internet available in Charleston?
Yes. AT&T Fiber offers three plans for up to 1 gig in several areas and up to 5 gigs in others. Local provider Home Telecom offers three fiber plans with strong coverage penetration in the Daniel Island area.
Internet Providers by City
Internet Providers and Services
Helpful Internet Resources
![filmmakers-adapting-video-games-don’t-have-to-be-fans-—-but-it-helps-[venturebeat]](https://i0.wp.com/upmytech.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/64600-filmmakers-adapting-video-games-dont-have-to-be-fans-but-it-helps-venturebeat.jpg?resize=390%2C205&ssl=1)
![ibm’s-cost-of-a-data-breach-report-finds-invisible-‘cyber-tax’ -[venturebeat]](https://i0.wp.com/upmytech.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/78852-ibms-cost-of-a-data-breach-report-finds-invisible-cyber-tax-venturebeat.jpg?resize=390%2C205&ssl=1)
![how-wholesale-in-different-industries-is-making-a-difference-[readwrite]](https://i0.wp.com/upmytech.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/40841-how-wholesale-in-different-industries-is-making-a-difference-readwrite.jpg?resize=390%2C205&ssl=1)