Best Internet Providers in Fayetteville, North Carolina – CNET [CNET]

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What is the best internet provider in Fayetteville?

Metronet is the best internet service provider in Fayetteville. It’s the area’s largest fiber internet provider and offers the best plan variety of any ISP in Fayetteville. Among Metronet’s plan selection is the cheapest internet plan in Fayetteville, $30 per month for speeds up to 100Mbps, as well as the fastest speed, up to 5,000Mbps, starting at $110 monthly.

Still a relatively new internet provider in the Fayetteville area, Metronet’s availability is limited to less than half the city’s addresses. In areas where Metronet is unavailable, Fayetteville residents can rely on Spectrum and Brightspeed (operating on networks formerly owned by CenturyLink) for home internet service.

Between Metronet, Spectrum and Brightspeed, living in Fayetteville may present a choice of multiple ISPs. Check out wireless internet service from T-Mobile Home Internet and Verizon 5G Home Internet for more home broadband options. Both providers offer decent speeds for the price, free equipment, unlimited data and a special mobile bundle discount.

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Best internet in Fayetteville, North Carolina

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Speed range

100 – 3,000 Mbps

Price range

$30 – $115 per month

Our take – Metronet has the lowest starting price, the cheapest rate on gig service and the fastest speed of any major ISP in Fayetteville. Service also comes with the fiber-specific benefit of symmetrical upload and download speeds, unlimited data and no contract requirements. There are no equipment fees, but a monthly $12 service fee applies to all plans.

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Speed range

100 – 3,000 Mbps

Price range

$30 – $115 per month

Speed range

100 – 3,000 Mbps

Price range

$30 – $115 per month

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Speed range

100 – 1,000 Mbps

Price range

$30- $90 per month

Our take – Wherever you live in or are moving to the Fayetteville area, from communities including Cade Hill to Kingsford to Haymount and areas in between, your address will likely be serviceable for Spectrum. Fayetteville’s primary cable internet provider offers 500 and 1,000Mbps plans with unlimited data, no contracts and a low, optional router rental fee.

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Speed range

100 – 1,000 Mbps

Price range

$30- $90 per month

Speed range

100 – 1,000 Mbps

Price range

$30- $90 per month

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Speed range

72 – 245 Mbps

Price range

$50 per month

Our take – T-Mobile Home Internet didn’t take long to claim the top spot for customer satisfaction among non-fiber internet providers. Given the low price, $50 per month (plus an available $20 discount for Magenta Max customers), and the simple service terms — no equipment fees, data caps or contracts — it’s easy to see why so many are satisfied with their service.

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Speed range

72 – 245 Mbps

Price range

$50 per month

Speed range

72 – 245 Mbps

Price range

$50 per month

Fayetteville internet providers compared

Provider Internet technology Monthly price range Speed range Monthly equipment costs Data cap Contract CNET review score
Brightspeed DSL, fiber $50-$79 20-100Mbps DSL, up to 940Mbps fiber $15 None None N/A
Metronet Fiber $30-$110 100-5,000Mbps None ($12 tech service fee) None None 6.9
Spectrum Cable $40-$70 500-1,000Mbps Free modem, $5 router rental (optional) None None 7.2
T-Mobile Home Internet Fixed wireless $50 ($30 with eligible mobile plans) 72-245Mbps None None None 7.4
Verizon 5G Home Internet Fixed wireless $50-$70 ($35-$45 for eligible Verizon Wireless customers) 50-1,000Mbps None None None 7.2

Show more (1 item)

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

What’s the cheapest internet plan in Fayetteville?

Plan Starting price Max download speed Monthly equipment fee
Metronet 100 $30 100Mbps None ($12 tech service fee)
Spectrum Internet $40 500Mbps Free modem, $5 router rental (optional)
T-Mobile Home Internet $50 ($30 with eligible mobile plans) 72-245Mbps None
Verizon 5G Home Internet $50 ($35 with eligible mobile plans) 50-300Mbps None
Brightspeed $50 20-100Mbps $15

Show more (1 item)

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Street view of The Market House in downtown Fayetteville
Getty Images

How to find internet deals and promotions in Fayetteville

The best internet deals and top promotions in Fayetteville depend on the discounts available during that period. Most deals are short-lived, but we look frequently for the latest offers. 

Fayetteville internet providers, such as Metronet, may offer lower introductory pricing or promotional gift cards for a limited time. Others, however, including Spectrum and Brightspeed, 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 Fayetteville

Plan Starting price Max download speed Max upload speed Data cap Connection type
Metronet 5Gbps $110 5,000Mbps 5,000Mbps None Fiber
Spectrum Internet Gig $70 1,000Mbps 35Mbps None Cable
Verizon 5G Home Plus Internet $70 ($45 with eligible mobile plans) 85-1,000Mbps 75Mbps None Fixed wireless
Brightspeed Fiber $79 940Mbps 940Mbps None Fiber

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.

For more information, refer to our guide on how much internet speed you really need.

How CNET chose the best internet providers in Fayetteville

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:

  1. Does the provider offer access to reasonably fast internet speeds?
  2. Do customers get decent value for what they’re paying?
  3. 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.

Internet providers in Fayetteville FAQs

most recent FCC data. Serviceability is greatest in the Haymount area and much of southwest Fayetteville. Metronet is the largest fiber internet provider in Fayetteville. Brightspeed also offers fiber internet in select areas after recently acquiring networks from Lumen Technologies (Quantum Fiber).

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Updated Dec. 7, 2023 4:22 p.m. PT

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David Anders Senior Writer

David Anders is a senior writer for CNET covering broadband providers, smart home devices and security products. Prior to joining CNET, David built his industry expertise writing for the broadband marketplace Allconnect. In his 5 plus years covering broadband, David’s work has been referenced by a variety of sources including ArcGIS, DIRECTV and more. David is from and currently resides in the Charlotte area with his wife, son and two cats.

Expertise Broadband providers, Home internet, Security Cameras

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