Best Internet Providers in Jacksonville, North Carolina

What is the best internet provider in Jacksonville?

The Spectrum CNET’s pick for the top Internet service provider in Jacksonville, North Carolina. It succeeds because of its excellent balance of broad integration and high speed systems. Spectrum has good coverage in the area, covering about 93% of Jacksonville, and offers download speeds of up to 1,000Mbps. Plans range from 50Mbps to 1,000Mbps and come with unlimited data and no contracts.

If you’re looking for the cheapest internet in Jacksonville, Spectrum offers the lowest-priced plan at $25 for 50Mbps (if you qualify), and its 100Mbps plan for $30, followed by local provider Metronet’s 150Mbps plan for $35. Metronet plans include higher equipment fees than Spectrum. If you’re looking for the fastest internet in Jacksonville, Metronet is the clear winner, with consistent upload and download speeds of up to 5,000Mbps.

Brightspeed offers fiber internet in some areas, but fiber coverage is limited, and much of its availability in Jacksonville relies on slow DSL connections. For those looking for an alternative to Spectrum and Metronet, T-Mobile Home Internet wireless service stands out as the best option.

The best internet in Jacksonville, North Carolina

Source: CNET analysis of supplier data.

Source: CNET analysis of supplier data.

How to find online deals and promotions in Jacksonville

The best online deals and top promotions in Jacksonville depend on what discounts are available at the time. Most deals are temporary, but we often check for the latest offers.

Jacksonville internet providers like Spectrum may offer lower rates or other incentives for a limited time. Many providers, including Metronet, Brightspeed and T-Mobile Home Internet use standard pricing throughout the year.

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

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 Federal Communications Commission. 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 video conferencing, 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 Jacksonville, North Carolina

Internet service providers are many and varied. Unlike the latest smartphone, laptop, router or kitchen appliance, it is not possible to manually check every ISP in a particular city. What is our approach? We start by researching rates, availability and quick information on our ISP historical data, provider sites and map information from the Federal Communications Commission at FCC.gov.

It doesn’t end there. We go to the FCC website to check our data and make sure we are considering every ISP that provides service in the area. We also include local addresses on provider websites to provide residents with specific options. 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 of the time of 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?

The answer to those questions is often layered and complex, but the providers who come closest to saying “yes” to all three are the ones we recommend. When it comes to 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. (Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.)

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

Internet Providers in Jacksonville, North Carolina Frequently Asked Questions