Best Internet Providers in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

What is the best internet provider in Harrisburg?

Verizon Fios is CNET's top pick of the best internet providers in Harrisburg, thanks to its symmetrical download and upload speeds. This symmetry is crucial for households where gaming and video calls are everyday activities. Plus, Verizon locks in your rate for two to four years, depending on which plan you select. Need even faster downloads? Xfinity is the fastest internet provider in Harrisburg, with plans reaching 2,100Mbps. Just keep in mind that Xfinity's upload speeds don't match Verizon's, and you'll see significant price hikes once promotional periods end. For smaller households, T-Mobile Home Internet offers an affordable alternative with the added benefit of permanent price protection as long as you remain a customer.

Best internet in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

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 $249 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 250Mbps at some addresses. 

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Cheap internet options in Harrisburg

The cheapest internet plans in Harrisburg come from Xfinity, T-Mobile Home Internet and Verizon 5G Home Internet. All of these providers offer plans at $50 a month or less, but there's a catch with Xfinity. Xfinity's Connect More plan starts at $40 monthly, but the actual price is $50 a month for the one-year price lock and $65 a month for the five-year price lock, and you will pay $93 a month post the introductory period.

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, 100% of Harrisburg residents have access to 250/25Mbps speeds -- higher than Pennsylvania (91.6%) and the US. (90.4%). Four gig-speed plans are available in Harrisburg, which is on par with nearby Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. Ookla's latest data says the median download speed in the city is 224Mbps, which isn't among the fastest, and it's slower than the state's median of 297Mbps. However, there are fast internet plans around, going up to 2 gig.

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. (Disclosure: Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.)

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