Best Internet Providers in Buffalo, New York

What is the best internet provider in Buffalo?

For the fastest Internet speeds in Buffalo, CNET ranks Verizon Fios as the best providerthanks to its benchmark upload and download speeds, strong customer satisfaction and competitive prices. However, availability of Fios in Buffalo is limited.

If Fios isn’t available in your area, Spectrum is a solid option as Buffalo’s most affordable provider, though prices typically increase by $20 to $30 after the first year. With the fixed price option, T-Mobile Home Internet promises no price increases. Although it’s slower than Verizon Fios and Spectrum, it’s a reliable choice for small families.

The best internet in Buffalo, New York

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Other internet providers available in Buffalo

• Satellite Internet: You can get satellite internet at almost every address in the country, but it’s worth considering in rural areas where there are few other options. HughesNet and Viasat work in Buffalo but are expensive and don’t offer great speeds. SpaceX’s Starlink Internet is the fastest satellite option, but it requires a $349 equipment purchase to get started.
• Verizon 5G Home Internet: Like T-Mobile Home Internet, Verizon offers wireless Internet in the area. Its plans reach higher speeds than T-Mobile but are not as widely available. That said, you can get a great discount if you bundle with an eligible Verizon Wireless plan.

Cheap internet options in Buffalo

Buffalo has five different internet plans available for $50 a month or less. Although Spectrum has the cheapest plan in the area, prices increase significantly for all plans after a year or two.

Source: CNET analysis of supplier data.

How to find online deals and promotions in Buffalo

Buffalo’s best online deals and promotions depend on what discounts are available at the time. Most deals are temporary, but we often check for the latest offers.

Buffalo Internet providers, such as Spectrum and Verizon Fios, may offer low introductory prices or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Many providers, including T-Mobile Home Internet, use the same pricing throughout the year.

For the most comprehensive list of promos, check out our guide to the best online deals.

How fast is Buffalo Broadband?

According to Ookla speed test data, Buffalo residents see a median download speed of 218Mbps and upload speed of 18Mbps. That ranks Buffalo 70th in the nation’s top 100 most populous cities and suburbs like Cleveland (42nd), but just above Pittsburgh (73rd) and Philadelphia (74th). (Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.)

Source: CNET analysis of supplier data.

What is the best internet speed?

Most Internet connection systems can now handle basic productivity and communication tasks. If you’re looking for an Internet plan that can accommodate video conferencing, video streaming or gaming, you’ll have a better experience with a stronger connection. Here’s an overview of the minimum recommended download speeds for various apps, according to the FCC. Note that these are guidelines only — and that Internet speed, service, and performance vary by connection type, provider, and address.

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

• 0 to 5Mbps lets you handle the basics: browsing the internet, sending and receiving email and streaming low-quality video.
• 5 to 40Mbps gives you high quality video streaming and video conferencing.
• 40 to 100Mbps should provide a single user with enough bandwidth to satisfy the demands of modern telephony, video streaming and Internet gaming.
• 100 to 500Mbps allows one to two users to simultaneously engage in high-bandwidth activities such as 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 picked the best Internet providers in Buffalo

Internet service providers are many and varied. Unlike the latest smartphone, laptop, router or kitchen appliance, it is not possible to manually test every internet service provider in a particular city. So what is our approach? First, we access a proprietary database of pricing, availability and speed information that draws from our ISP historical data, partner data and mapping information from the Federal Communications Commission at FCC.gov.

This guide uses an in-house artificial intelligence tool called RAMP, which is self-trained and uses our database to generate content about specific internet service providers that our writers can use to determine and present our picks for specific reference. Check out CNET’s AI policy for more information about how our teams use (and don’t use) AI tools.

Because our database is not complete, we go to the FCC website to check the primary data for ourselves and make sure we consider every ISP that provides service in the area. Plans and prices also vary by location, so we include local addresses on provider websites to find specific options available to residents. We look to sources, including the American Customer Satisfaction Index and JD Power, to assess how happy customers are with an ISP’s service. ISP plans and prices are subject to frequent changes; All information provided is accurate as per our fact check prior to publication.

Once we have this location information, we ask three main questions:

1. Does the provider offer access to fast internet speeds?
2. Are customers getting a decent value for what they are paying for?
3. Are customers happy with their service?

While the answers to those questions are often buried and complicated, the providers who come closest to saying “yes” to all three are the ones we recommend. When choosing the cheapest internet service, we look for the plans with the lowest monthly fees, although we also take into account factors such as price increases, equipment costs and contracts. Choosing the fastest internet service is straightforward. We look at advertised upload and download speeds and consider real-world speed data from sources such as Ookla and FCC reports.

To explore our process in more depth, you can visit the How We Test ISPs page.

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

When it comes to Internet service in Buffalo, there’s Verizon Fios and everything else. Verizon is the only company that offers fiber internet in the area, the fastest and most reliable form of connection available. If you can’t get Verizon Fios at your address, Spectrum, T-Mobile Home Internet and Verizon 5G Home Internet are all solid backup options, but each comes with its own drawbacks.

Online Providers in Buffalo FAQs