Best Internet Providers in New Orleans, Louisiana

The last time I was in New Orleans, I wasn’t thinking about internet service providers. I was too busy eating beignets, riding street cars and ogling Anne Rice’s epic Garden District house. Now I’m immersed in New Orleans ISPs as I seek out the best broadband providers for Big Easy residents. The scene is dominated by cable provider Cox and DSL/fiber provider AT&T. There are a few alternatives, including 5G home internet from Verizon and T-Mobile, but it’s mostly a two-horse race.

AT&T Fiber is CNET’s pick for the best overall internet provider in New Orleans due to straightforward pricing, fast speeds and equally fast uploads. It’s not available to every address in the metro area, which is where Cox comes in with its wide coverage. CNET examines customer service, speed, pricing and overall value before recommending the best broadband in your area.

Your ISP choices will vary depending on location, but Cox and AT&T Fiber can deliver gigabit speeds. 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. Cue up some Louis Armstrong, and let’s look at the best internet providers in New Orleans.

Best internet providers in The Big Easy

I’m fully on the fiber train for home internet, so AT&T Fiber is at the top of my recommended list for New Orleans. If you can’t get fiber at your house, look to Cox’s cable service or 5G home internet from T-Mobile or Verizon. 

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.

New Orleans internet providers compared

Source: CNET analysis of provider data

All available New Orleans residential internet providers

While New Orleans is mainly an AT&T-versus-Cox battleground, there are a few other options. Verizon 5G Home Internet is especially worthy of a look if you can’t get fiber and want an alternative way to get online.

• AT&T Internet: I chose AT&T Fiber for special recognition, but there’s another side to the company’s internet offerings. AT&T Internet is the ISP’s outdated DSL service. Speeds max out at 100Mbps in some areas, but many New Orleans residents may find drastically lower speeds. There’s no contract, and service costs $55 per month for whatever speed level you can get at your address. Consider this a last-ditch option if fiber, 5G or cable doesn’t work out for you.
• Skycom1: Local fixed wireless ISP Skycom1 primarily serves businesses, hotels and apartment buildings. It doesn’t advertise pricing online, so check with your apartment complex to determine if it services your address.
• Verizon 5G Home Internet: Verizon gives T-Mobile a run for its money regarding 5G home internet. Which one you choose will depend on open slots, your location and if you have a phone with one or the other. Verizon has strong 5G Ultra Wideband coverage across the metro area and even offers speeds up to 1,000Mbps through its $70-per-month 5G Home Plus plan in some spots. The ISP’s basic 5G Home plan runs $50 monthly for typical speeds of 85-300Mbps. Verizon is instituting a price hike for bundled plans, bringing the lowest-cost plan up to $35 per month when paired with an eligible phone plan.
• Satellite internet: If you’re out of faster or more affordable options, there’s always satellite internet from Starlink, Viasat or HughesNet. Satellite service can be slow and expensive, so it’s usually of interest to rural residences with few (or no other) choices in ISP.

New Orleans broadband at a glance

ISP availability is extremely address-dependent in New Orleans. Your buddy a couple of blocks away may have AT&T Fiber while your home only gets Cox or AT&T DSL. Home internet from Verizon or T-Mobile can save you a little money if you bundle with a phone plan. Those services are easy to test out, and I recommend giving them a whirl if you’re not satisfied with your wired ISP options. 

Pricing info on New Orleans home internet service

Expect to pay at least $50 per month for home internet in New Orleans. Cox’s service, for example, runs $50 per month for 100Mbps downloads. When it comes to value, AT&T Fiber’s $55-per-month 300Mbps plan is worthy of consideration. 

Cheap internet options in the New Orleans metro area

It’s a challenge to bargain shop for internet in New Orleans since all the major providers kick off at about the $50-per-month level. If you’re already a Verizon or T-Mobile phone customer, then check into pairing your home internet with an eligible mobile plan for a bundle discount.

Low-income households should look into eligibility for the federal Affordable Connectivity Program. If you qualify you can get $30 (or $75 on tribal lands) off your monthly internet bill. Cox offers discounted plans for qualified low-income customers and families with children. The ConnectAssist program gets you 100Mbps speeds for $30 a month while the Connect2Compete (for families with kids) is $10 per month. Cox also participates in the ACP. AT&T offers a similar deal for a 100Mbps plan that’s free with the ACP subsidy.

What’s the cheapest internet plan in New Orleans?

Source: CNET analysis of provider data

How fast is the broadband in New Orleans?

Recent Ookla speed test data put New Orleans way down in 93rd place for median download speeds among the 100 most populous cities in the US. New Orleans logged an average of 158Mbps. Compare that to top-ranked Raleigh, North Carolina at nearly 280Mbps. While FCC data shows that all of New Orleans can access broadband internet, remember that the FCC says 25Mbps down and 3Mbps up qualify as broadband. Yes, that’s pretty slow. Gig speeds and higher are harder to come by in the Big Easy. Your best bets for fast speeds will be with AT&T Fiber or Cox.   

Fastest internet providers in New Orleans

It’s hard to touch AT&T Fiber when it comes to the fastest internet in New Orleans. The ISP maxes out at 5,000Mbps and no one else comes close. The catch is its patchwork availability across the metro area. If you’re moving to town and multi-gig speeds are a must, then do your homework on AT&T Fiber’s service areas and aim to land within its coverage zone. If fiber doesn’t come to your home, then check into Cox’s 1-gig cable plan as an alternative. Just keep in mind that cable can’t touch fiber’s fast upload speeds.

What are the fastest internet plans in New Orleans?

Source: CNET analysis of provider data

What’s the final word on internet providers in New Orleans?

In New Orleans, the most common question when it comes to home internet is “AT&T or Cox?” I recommend looking at A&T Fiber first and Cox cable second. Don’t sleep on T-Mobile and Verizon as 5G home internet alternatives, particularly if fiber isn’t available to you.

How CNET chose the best internet providers in New Orleans

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. 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.

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 New Orleans FAQs