Best Internet Providers in Salt Lake City, Utah

Estimated read time 9 min read


Since its establishment in the mid-1800s, Salt Lake City has maintained a modern reputation for cultural and natural wonders, including some of the country’s finest skiing spots. It also has some of the fastest internet service plans around. When you’re not out enjoying the lake and mountains, you want your home internet provider to deliver a rock-solid connection and reliable high speeds to keep you streaming, gaming and browsing in style. 

Salt Lake City doesn’t have many home internet service provider options, but you’ll find some big names in play, including Xfinity, CenturyLink, T-Mobile, and Google. Google Fiber, CNET’s top pick for the best internet service provider in Salt Lake City, Utah, is known for its reliability and blazing speeds (up to an impressive 8 gigabits), and it’s been expanding its presence in Salt Lake City. The right internet service provider for you depends on availability, price and needs. Check out our recommendations for the best Salt Lake City internet providers.

Best internet providers in SLC

Our choice for the best overall Salt Lake City home internet provider is Google Fiber for its fast speeds and high customer satisfaction ranking. If it’s not available at your address or if you’re looking for a bargain, there are other solid options to choose from, including Xfinity, CenturyLink and relative newcomer T-Mobile Home Internet. 

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.

Internet providers in Salt Lake City overview

Provider Internet technology Monthly price range Speed range Monthly equipment costs Data cap Contract CNET review score
CenturyLink
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DSL/fiber $55-$75 60-940Mbps $15 (skippable) None None 6.7
Google Fiber
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Fiber $70-$150 1,000-8,000Mbps None None None 7.4
Rise Broadband
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Fixed wireless $30-$40 25-50Mbps $5-$15 250GB None 6.2
T-Mobile Home Internet
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Fixed wireless $60 or $50 with Auto Pay 72-245Mbps None None None 7.4
Verizon 5G Home Internet
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Fixed wireless $50-$70 50-250Mbps None None None 7.2
Xfinity
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Cable $20-$120 150-2,000Mbps $15 (skippable) 1.2 TB Varies 7

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All available Salt Lake City residential internet providers

  • Rise Broadband: Rise is a fixed wireless provider specializing in rural areas. It counts Salt Lake among its coverage spots. Plans start at $30 (for up to 25 Mbps), with unlimited data costing an additional $20. Pricing goes up by $10 after the first 12 months. If you’re in a more remote area with few internet options, check if Rise has you covered. 
  • Satellite internet: Salt Lake City is well-covered by multiple internet options ranging from cable to DSL to fiber to fixed wireless. Some residents of the region might still consider satellite plans from Starlink, Viasat or HughesNet. It might make sense if you’re in a rural or remote spot or if you travel and want the flexibility of taking a Starlink RV plan on the road.
  • Verizon 5G Home Internet: Verizon offers fixed wireless home internet plans in some parts of Salt Lake City, but its 5G Home Internet service may be elusive. Some addresses qualify for slower $60-a-month ($50 with autopay) LTE plans with download speeds up to 50 Mbps, but that’s unlikely to be your first choice if you have a better option.

Salt Lake City skyline image with snowy mountains in the background. Salt Lake City skyline image with snowy mountains in the background.

DenisTangneyJr/Getty Images

Salt Lake internet pricing

There’s a wide swing in pricing for home internet in Salt Lake City, ranging from as low as $20 per month to as high as $150. The average starting price works out to under $45. 

Xfinity’s $20 budget option won’t blow you out of the salty water with its 150Mbps top speed, but it represents quite a bargain basement price. Google Fiber’s $70 starting price may seem high at first glance, but the reliability and speed may be well worth it to anyone who is a heavy internet user. When price shopping, keep an eye on providers like Xfinity that may bump up prices after a certain amount of time. 

How many members of your household use the internet?

Cheap internet options in the SLC metro area

Comcast’s Xfinity service wins the battle for the lowest monthly price with its $20-a-month, 150Mbps option, but that comes with a yearly contract and doesn’t include equipment. It’s also fairly slow compared to more expensive plans. It could be a cheap way to connect if you already have a compatible modem and router. 

Let’s talk about value. Users with heavy streaming or gaming demands would do well to pay for the $70 intro price for fast fiber from Google Fiber or CenturyLink. If you like the idea of a stable fiber connection, but that price is too steep, then you can consider CenturyLink’s $50 plan for 500Mbps if available.

What’s the cheapest internet plan in Salt Lake City?

Provider Starting price Max download speed Monthly equipment fee Contract
Xfinity Connect
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$20 150Mbps $15 (skippable) 1-year
Rise Broadband
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$30; 25Mbps Router rental optional None
CenturyLink/Quantum Fiber $50 500Mbps None None
T-Mobile Home Internet
Read full review
$60 ($50 with auto pay) 245Mbps None None
Verizon 5G Home Internet
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$50 ($35 with eligible mobile plan) 85Mbps None None
Google Fiber
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$70 1,000Mbps None None

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Fastest internet providers in SLC

Ookla, the company that offers the popular Speedtest.net service, tracks internet speeds in Salt Lake City. Ookla’s data shows the city’s fixed internet download speeds are at a median of about 250Mbps. Your mileage will vary depending on your connection type, plan and equipment. If that sounds too slow, check into a speed-demon plan like Google Fiber’s 8,000Mbps (better known as 8-gig) option. 

There’s one clear champion for blazing internet speeds in Salt Lake. Google Fiber’s top-of-the-line 8-gig plan delivers the goods for $150. Yes, you pay for the privilege, but it’s your best option if you need those zippy download and upload speeds. Here’s our look at the best multi-gigabit internet plans. The sticking point is availability. If fiber doesn’t reach your address, your next best bet is to go with one of Xfinity’s faster plans. Just remember that Xfinity’s upload speeds are considerably slower than a fiber connection will offer.

What are the fastest internet plans in Salt Lake City?

Provider Max download speed Max upload speed Starting price Data cap Contract
Google Fiber 8-Gig
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8,000Mbps 8,000Mbps $150 None None
Google Fiber 5-Gig
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5,000Mbps 5,000Mbps $125 None None
Xfinity 2 Gigabit
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2,000Mbps 200Mbps $120 1.2 TB None
Xfinity Gigabit Extra
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1,200Mbps 200Mbps $70 1.2 TB None
Google Fiber
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1,000Mbps 1,000Mbps $70 None; None
Xfinity Gigabit
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1,000Mbps 100Mbps $65 1.2 TB None
CenturyLink/Quantum Fiber 940Mbps 940Mbps $75 None None

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What’s the final word on internet providers in Salt Lake City?

Salt Lake City won’t overwhelm you with internet providers. There are the big stalwarts like Xfinity and CenturyLink, the rapidly expanding Google Fiber and the conveniently wireless T-Mobile Home Internet to choose from as your main options. Heavy internet users will love having a fiber connection, but Xfinity’s low-cost options (sometimes with a few strings attached) can get you connected, no matter your budget.

How CNET chose the best internet providers in Salt Lake City

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 Salt Lake City FAQs

Is fiber internet available in Salt Lake City?

Yes. Google Fiber and CenturyLink (also known as Quantum Fiber in some areas) offer fiber in Salt Lake City, but they don’t cover every address. Google, in particular, is working hard to expand its fiber reach across the city. Many large apartment complexes are set up and ready for residents to connect to Google’s service. CenturyLink’s residential fiber speed options don’t get as high as Google’s, but it can still be a reasonable option if the service is available at your address.


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Who is the cheapest internet provider in Salt Lake City?

Getting home internet doesn’t mean breaking the bank in Salt Lake City. Xfinity’s wide coverage area and variety of plans (starting as low as $20 a month) can get you hooked up for a reasonable price so long as you’re mindful of contract terms and equipment costs.


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Which internet provider in Salt Lake City offers the fastest plan?

This is an easy one to answer: Google Fiber. The 8,000Mbps plan tops the list for pure speed, both download and upload. It comes at a premium $150-a-month price, and you’ll have to check your address to see if it’s available at your location. 


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Is Xfinity or CenturyLink better?

The ISPs with the widest reach across Salt Lake City are Xfinity and CenturyLink. This is mainly a battle between cable and DSL, although CenturyLink offers fiber in some city areas. Here’s how CenturyLink and Xfinity stack up against each other. CenturyLink’s DSL speeds in the Salt Lake metro area can be very variable, which might push you to Xfinity as a faster option. Your best bet is to run your address through each company and compare speeds and prices.


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