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Best Internet Providers in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania – CNET [CNET]

October 13, 2023 Joe Supan technology

Harrisburg residents have a few good options for internet, but Verizon Fios is the clear standout.

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What is the best internet provider in Harrisburg?

The best internet provider in Harrisburg is Verizon Fios. The fiber internet provider offers fast, symmetrical download and upload speeds — essential for houses with a lot of gaming and videoconferencing — and your price is guaranteed for two to four years, depending on your chosen plan. If you need higher download speeds, Xfinity is the fastest internet provider in Harrisburg, with a 1,200Mbps plan available in the city. That said, its upload speeds are much slower than Verizon’s, and prices increase significantly after promotions expire. T-Mobile Home Internet is another affordable option in the area that is ideal for smaller households, and they’ll never raise the $50-a-month price tag for as long as you stay a customer.

Best internet in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

Verizon Fios

Best internet provider in Harrisburg, PA

Price range $50 – $120 per month Speed range 300 – 2,000Mbps Connection Fiber Key Info Unlimited data, no contracts, free equipment with gig service

Verizon Fios is one of the best internet providers nationwide, and it’s a no-brainer for Harrisburg residents who can get it. With fiber technology, Verizon provides symmetrical upload and download speeds, making it ideal for households with people gaming online or videoconferencing. Verizon also received the highest satisfaction score of any ISP in Harrisburg’s region, according to J.D. Power’s most recent survey. 

Availability: Verizon Fios is available to 46% of Harrisburg households, according to FCC data. 

Plans and pricing: Verizon offers three internet plans in Harrisburg: 300/300Mbps speeds for $50 a month, 500/500Mbps for $70 and 940/880Mbps for $90. Your price is locked in for two to four years, depending on the plan you choose.

Fees and service details: Verizon Fios doesn’t have data caps, contracts or equipment fees. You can save an extra $25 monthly if you’re a Verizon Wireless customer on a Premium Unlimited plan.

Read our Verizon Fios internet review.

Xfinity

Fastest internet in Harrisburg, PA

Price range $20 – $300 per month Speed range 75 – 6,000Mbps Connection Cable Key Info Data caps on some plans, lots of plan options, solid customer satisfaction numbers

Xfinity’s cable internet service is a slight step down from Verizon Fios, but it’s still a good option for most people. Like all cable ISPs, upload speeds are much lower than fiber, and prices increase significantly after two years. Still, Xfinity customers are largely happy with their service. It scored two points above the industry average for non-fiber providers in the most recent American Customer Satisfaction Index report and second — after Verizon Fios — in J.D. Power’s survey.

Availability: 99% of Harrisburg households can get Xfinity internet service. 

Plans and pricing: Plans start at $30 a month for 200/10Mbps and go up to 1,200/35Mbps for $90. Prices increase after the second and third year on most plans; by year four, you’ll pay between $17 and $47 more per month than when you started. (The $90 plan only increases in the third year.)

Fees and service details: Equipment is included for the first two years on every plan but the $30 monthly tier. After that, it costs $15 a month to rent a modem and router through Xfinity. All Xfinity plans in Harrisburg have unlimited data, and contracts aren’t required.

Read our Xfinity Internet review.

T-Mobile Home Internet

Best fixed wireless in Harrisburg, PA

Price range $50 per month ($30 for eligible mobile customers) Speed range 72 – 245Mbps Connection Fixed wireless Key Info Unlimited data, equipment included, no contracts, no additional fees

T-Mobile’s fixed-wireless internet service is a great choice for smaller households sick of the headaches that come with old-school internet providers. Everything is included in its $50 monthly price tag, and T-Mobile guarantees that it will never raise it as long as you stay a customer. It also has the highest approval rating of any non-fiber provider in the country, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index.

Availability: T-Mobile Home Internet is available to 76% of Harrisburg residents. 

Plans and pricing: T-Mobile offers one plan for $50 a month with speeds of 245/31Mbps. An eligible T-Mobile cellphone plan can save you an extra $20 monthly. 

Fees and service details: There are no data caps, contracts or equipment fees with T-Mobile, and the price is locked in for as long as you remain a customer.

Read our T-Mobile Home Internet review.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data

Other available internet providers in Harrisburg

• Satellite internet: Satellite internet is always an option — it’s just not one I’d recommend unless you’re living in a rural area with no other internet choices. HughesNet and Viasat are the traditional choices; both have high prices, low data allowances, and slower speeds. Starlink provides faster speeds — up to 220Mbps — but it requires a $599 equipment purchase upfront and costs $90 a month after that. 
• Verizon 5G Home Internet: Verizon offers two different internet products in Harrisburg. Like T-Mobile, Verizon’s 5G Home Internet service uses its cellular network to send wireless internet to your home. There are no data caps or contracts, but wireless connections are generally less reliable than wired ones. Still, it’s a solid alternative to T-Mobile and offers speeds up to 1,000Mbps at some addresses. 

Cheap internet options in Harrisburg

The cheapest internet plans in Harrisburg come from Xfinity, T-Mobile Home Internet and Verizon 5G Home Internet. Each provider offers plans at $50 a month or less, but this is a bit misleading with Xfinity. Its Connect More plan starts at $30 monthly, but you’ll pay $50 in year two and $77 in year three. The Xfinity Fast plan increases to $70 in year three and $92 in year four.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data

How to find internet deals and promotions in Harrisburg

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

Harrisburg internet providers such as Xfinity may offer lower introductory pricing or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Many, including Verizon Fios and T-Mobile Home Internet, run the same standard pricing year-round. 

For a more extensive list of deals, check out our guide on the best internet deals. 

How fast is Harrisburg broadband?

According to FCC data, 99.8% of Harrisburg residents have access to 250/25Mbps speeds — higher than Pennsylvania (86.7%) and the US. (87.3%). Four gig-speed plans are available in Harrisburg, which is on par with nearby Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

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

• 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 person sufficient bandwidth to satisfy the demands of modern telecommuting, video streaming and online gaming. 
• 100 to 500Mbps allows one to two people to engage in high-bandwidth activities like videoconferencing, streaming and online gaming. simultaneously. 
• 500 to 1,000Mbps allows three or more people to engage in high-bandwidth activities like videoconferencing, streaming and online gaming simultaneously.

How CNET chose the best internet providers in Harrisburg

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 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 the time of our pre-publication fact-check.

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 it comes to 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 also take into account real-world speed data from sources like Ookla and FCC reports.

To explore our process in more depth, you can visit our How we test ISPs page.

What’s the final word on internet providers in Harrisburg?

Harrisburg has fewer internet options than other cities of its size, but you can’t go wrong with the ones it does have. Verizon Fios is one of the best providers anywhere in the country, and it’s an easy choice if you live in the half of the city where you can get it. If not, Xfinity is a decent backup option — just be prepared for annual price increases. If your house won’t be using many devices at once, T-Mobile Home Internet provides excellent value and won’t raise your price for as long as you stay a customer. 

Internet providers in Harrisburg FAQs