As a top destination for remote workers, Portland has many broadband options that make it easy to call the city home. Known for its excellent digital infrastructure, Portland provides some of the most reliable and fastest download speeds in the US. The Federal Communications Commission notes that internet penetration covers 99% of the Portland metro area.
Although there are many internet providers in the city, Xfinity (a subsidiary of Comcast), CenturyLink and T-Mobile top our list of the best internet providers in Portland.
Best internet providers in The City of Roses
We’ve reviewed the top internet providers, and our pick for the best ISP in Portland is Xfinity. We’ve narrowed the list so you don’t have to listen to unnecessary sales pitches and speed claims or comb through the fine print with a magnifying glass. CNET examines customer service, speed, pricing and overall value before recommending the best broadband in your area.
All prices listed on this page reflect available discounts for setting up paperless billing. If you decide not to go with automatic monthly payments, your price will be higher.
Note: The prices, speeds and features detailed in the article text may differ from those listed in the product detail cards, which represent providers’ national offerings. Your particular internet service options — including prices and speeds — depend on your address and may differ from those detailed here.
Xfinity
Best internet provider in Portland
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 is the most dominant provider in the area, with the best plan variety and value of the big three ISPs in Portland.
Availability: Xfinity offers internet services that cover 99% of Portland residents, but there may be small pockets where the service is unavailable. According to Comcast service, there’s rarely any downtime and any significant service outages are restored to normal fairly quickly.
Plans and pricing: There are seven plans on Xfinity’s site. But bear in mind that the available service will depend on the area’s existing internet infrastructure. Portland has a well-developed copper cable network infrastructure so cable internet service will be the predominant option with Xfinity. To take advantage of Xfinity’s Gigabit Pro plan, you must contact Xfinity and schedule a site survey. The closer your home is to a fiber node, the better the chances you can get on its 2Gbps fiber plan.
Fees and service details: Xfinity’s costs vary depending on how long you stay on the plan. The prices range from $20 to $120 monthly for the first twelve or twenty-four months, and $61 per month to $130 monthly after that. Expect data speeds of 75Mbps up to 2,000Mbps.
Read our Xfinity Internet review.
CenturyLink
Best fiber internet in Portland
Price range
$30 – $70 per month
Speed range
200 – 940Mbps
Connection
Fiber
Key Info
Unlimited data, no contracts, equipment included with gigabit tier
CenturyLink is an excellent choice for reliable and affordable fiber internet service. The company is well known for offering no annual contracts.
Availability: One of the significant advantages of CenturyLink is that the company has partnered with several residential communities to preinstall the service, making it more convenient to use. To start using CenturyLink’s services, visit its website and check if it offers service in your area. If it does, follow the instructions on the website to get started. It’s a straightforward process that anyone can quickly complete. It’s important to note that CenturyLink also offers a much slower DSL service.
Plans and pricing: CenturyLink offers both DSL and fiber service. The DSL service has download speeds that go up to 100Mbps. CenturyLink’s fiber service (which might also go by Quantum Fiber in some areas) has a two-tiered pricing structure. Both plans offer unlimited data on a network that is 99.9% reliable. The download speed is 500Mbps for $50 monthly and 940Mbps for the $75-a-month plan.
Fees and service details: CenturyLink’s fiber service has no installation fees or contract requirements. The 940Mbps fiber plan comes with a modem. All other plans have a $15-a-month modem lease fee. There may be special pricing deals to entice new customers to try the service, but the only way to know if deals exist is to connect to the network where you want to set up the new service.
Read our CenturyLink home internet review.
Starlink
Best satellite internet in Portland
Price range
$20 – $80 per month
Speed range
20 – 250Mbp
Connection
Satellite
Key Info
1TB data limit, no term contract, low latency
Starlink is the new kid on the satellite internet block. The company’s website shows there is coverage in the Portland metro area. However, the service isn’t cheap. You’ll have to fork over nearly $600 to get the standard equipment or $2,500 if you’re going for the premium service.
Availability: Though Starlink is available in Portland, there may be a waiting list, so be prepared for a delay in setting up your service.
Plans and pricing: Starlink has two plans on its website: a standard and a premium plan. The standard plan costs you $599 for the mountable satellite dish and router, while the premium plan will cost $2,500 for the equipment. On the pricing side, there will be a $120 monthly fee for the standard plan or a $250 monthly fee for the premium, or the priority plan.
Fees and service details: Data speeds for either plan range from 20Mbps to 100Mbps for the standard package and 60Mbps to 250Mbps for the premium service. According to the internet speed-tracking site Ookla, which analyzed satellite internet performance during the first quarter of 2023, the company had an average data speed of approximately 69.29 Mbps. It’s worth noting that the premium tier offers a different satellite dish and equipment for higher download speeds.
Read our Starlink overview.
T-Mobile Home Internet
Best fixed wireless internet in Portland
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
If you want to avoid dealing with installation headaches, then T-Mobile’s 5G wireless home internet service might be perfect for you.
Availability: According to the T-Mobile Home Internet eligibility site, the service is available throughout the greater Portland metro area. However, you must enter your address to ensure an open slot at your location. While you might be excited to jump on the 5G bandwagon, you need to know that having 5G service in your neighborhood does not mean that T-Mobile Home Internet will be available for your residence.
Plans and pricing: T-Mobile Home Internet offers a single plan for $50 a month. The data speeds range from 72Mbps to 245Mbps. In addition, if you’re a T-Mobile phone customer, you’re in luck. You can get the plan for only $30 if you’re an eligible Go5G Plus or Magenta Max mobile customer.
Fees and service details: If you’re on the fence about 5G home internet, T-Mobile has a 15-day “worry-free” test drive, meaning you can try it out for two weeks without having to commit to a contract or even cut ties with your current provider until you’re sure T-Mobile Home Internet will work for you. The company’s price-lock guarantee ensures that your monthly bill will never increase. Additionally, T-Mobile offers unlimited data, no annual contracts and no additional equipment fee. It might be time to ditch your wired internet connection permanently.
Read our T-Mobile Home Internet review.
Overview of top Portland internet providers
| Provider | Internet technology | Monthly price range | Speed range | Monthly equipment costs | Data cap | Contract | CNET review score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CenturyLink/Quantum Fiber | DSL/Fiber | $30-$70 | 20-940Mbps | $15 (optional) | None | None | 6.7 |
| HughesNet | Satellite | $50-$175 | 50Mbps | $15 or $350 one-time purchase | 15-200GB | 2 years | 5.7 |
| Starlink | Satellite | $120-$250 | 20-250Mbps | $599 one-time purchase ($2,500 for Premium) | 1TB | None | N/A |
| T-Mobile Home Internet | Fixed wireless | $50 ($30 for eligible Go5G Plus and Magenta Max mobile customers) | 72-245Mbps | None | None | None | 7.4 |
| Verizon 5G Home Internet | Fixed wireless | $50-$70 ($35-$45 with qualifying Verizon 5G mobile plans) | 50-1,000Mbps | None | None | None | 7.2 |
| Xfinity | Cable/Fiber | $20-$120 | 75-2,000Mbps | $15-$25 (included in some plans) | 1.2TB for some plans | Required for some plans | 7 |
Show more (1 item)
Source: CNET analysis of provider data
All available Portland residential internet providers
There are other ISPs that operate in the Portland metropolitan area, but their coverage and reliability do not score as high as the other providers we’ve mentioned earlier.
- Astound Broadband Powered by Wave: This ISP provides a cable internet service and covers 25% of the Portland area. The service starts at $25 monthly and offers data speeds between 100Mbps to 1,500Mbps.
- EarthLink: This ISP provides internet service and covers 33% of the Portland area. The EarthLink service starts at $50 a month and offers plans with data speeds starting from 10Mbps up to 1,000Mbps.
- Verizon 5G Home Internet: As one of the largest mobile phone operators in the US, Verizon has expanded into the 5G home internet market like its competitor T-Mobile. The company offers home internet services that start at $50 per month and go up to $70 (or $35-$45 with qualifying Verizon 5G mobile plans). The data speed for the 5G service is between 50Mbps to 1,000Mbps. There are no data caps, no contracts and no equipment charges.
- Ziply Fiber: Ziply offers both DSL and fiber internet service. The fiber service starts at $10 per month and has a $10 monthly router rental fee. The data speed for the fiber service starts at 100Mbps and goes all the way up to 10,000Mbps.
Satellite service from HughesNet and Viasat is also available throughout the greater Portland metro area, including all suburbs and rural areas. But with plenty of other internet options available, including Starlink, most satellite internet is not worth the cost.
Pricing info on Portland home internet service
In Portland, the average starting price for broadband service is approximately $50 a month. However, there are many options under and over that $50 mark, depending on how much internet speed you’re looking to get.
If cost is a major factor in choosing an internet provider, Ziply Fiber offers the lowest starting price at $10 a month for speeds up to 100Mbps. After the first year, the price jumps up to $40 per month, which is still less than the average cost of connection in Portland.
What’s the cheapest internet plan in Portland?
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Source: CNET analysis of provider data
How fast is broadband in Portland?
Regarding data speeds, Portland’s ISPs have speeds that range from 20Mbps to 10,000Mbps. A report published by Ookla shows that Xfinity has the fastest median data speed in Portland, coming in at around 212Mbps. Yet Ziply Fiber offers the fastest plan overall: 10,000Mbps for $300 per month.
What are the fastest internet plans in Portland?
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Source: CNET analysis of provider data
What’s the final word on internet providers in Portland?
When choosing an internet service provider, you’re always better off choosing fiber internet over all other options, if it’s available. Ziply Fiber and CenturyLink offer the best fiber internet plans in Portland. If fiber is unavailable in your neighborhood, cable internet or 5G fixed wireless providers offer fast and reliable connections. Just steer clear of data caps or any binding long-term contracts.
How CNET chose the best internet providers in Portland
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’re considering every ISP that provides service in an area. We also input local addresses on provider websites to find specific options for residents. To evaluate how happy customers are with an ISP’s service, we look at sources including the American Customer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Power. ISP plans and prices are subject to frequent changes; all information provided is accurate as of the time of publication.
Once we have this localized information, we ask three main questions:
- Does the provider offer access to reasonably fast internet speeds?
- Do customers get decent value for what they’re paying?
- 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.
To explore our process in more depth, visit our how we test ISPs page.
Internet providers in Portland FAQ
Who is the cheapest internet provider in Portland?
Is fiber internet service available in Portland?
Which internet provider in Portland offers the fastest plan?
Source: CNET
