Best Internet Providers in Oregon

What is the best internet provider in Oregon?

Xfinity is CNET’s pick for best internet service provider overall for most households in Oregon. It offers wide availability and a broad choice of plans. However, Xfinity isn’t available everywhere in Oregon, so CenturyLink or Ziply Fiber are also solid picks, depending on what’s available in your area. 

We’ve also found the top options if you’re hunting for the lowest price or fastest speed. Some of Oregon’s cheapest internet plans come from Ziply Fiber, Astound Broadband and Xfinity at $20 a month. The fastest internet speed in Oregon comes from Ziply Fiber. Ziply offers up to 50 gigabits per second within its fiber footprint. Keep an eye out for local ISPs if you live in a small town or rural area. There are more providers in Oregon than we’ve listed in this guide. 

Best internet in Oregon

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Rural internet options in Oregon

• Alyrica: Alyrica covers rural areas around Salem, Albany, Corvallis, Brownsville and Harrisburg primarily through a fixed wireless network and some fiber-optic offerings. In case you’re curious here’s how fixed wireless stacks up against other connection types. Basic plans range from $60-$100 per month, though Alyrica doesn’t advertise the specific fixed wireless speeds you’ll get for those prices. Some customers may be able to get up to 400Mbps downloads, though. There’s a $99 installation fee, and router rental is optional. Alyrica’s fiber plan offers speeds ranging from 100Mbps to 1,000Mbps for $50 to $100 monthly.
• FireServe: FireServe reaches across part of southern Oregon with mostly fixed wireless but also some fiber. Fiber can be found in Merrill, Malin and Bonanza. Pricing varies with location. If you’re in the Klamath Basin, fixed wireless plans range from $40 to $80 monthly for 10 to 30Mbps service. Yes, that’s slow, but rural residents may have few other options. Typical fiber plans top out at $99 per month for 1,000Mbps service and go as low as $30 for 10Mbps.
• Hunter Communications: Hunter reaches rural areas via fixed wireless and also provides fiber in some towns, including parts of Medford, Coos Bay, College Hill in Eugene and Klamath Falls. Fixed wireless reaches into multiple counties, including Benton, Clackamas and Yamhill. Pricing ranges from $60 to $120 monthly for speeds up to 2,500Mbps. There are no data caps.
• PEAK Internet: PEAK reaches remote spots in the Mid-Willamette Valley like the Linn, Polk and Lane counties with its fixed wireless offering. It’s not cheap. Prices range from $40 to $80 per month for speeds of 6 to 30Mbps. That lowest tier comes out at a steep price of $6 per Mbps. There are no monthly equipment fees and PEAK offers a 30-day trial of free internet to test out the service. Compare with satellite internet as an alternative. PEAK also offers some fiber in East Linn County.
• TNET: TNET’s fixed wireless service reaches parts of southern Oregon, notably the area around Lakeview. Residential plans start at $38 per month for 25Mbps and go up to $68 per month for 40Mbps. There’s a $70 installation fee. TNET also has fiber offerings, starting at a high price of $100 a month for residents of Lakeview with speeds up to 300Mbps.
• Yellowknife Wireless: Yellowknife brings fixed wireless and fiber-optic options to rural central Oregon including Culver, Powell Butte and Bend. The service is aimed at homes with few or no other options for getting online. Speeds top out at 50Mbps. Plans range from $50 to $100 and may come with a data cap.
• Satellite internet: When wired internet doesn’t reach your home and fixed wireless isn’t working out (or is too slow or expensive), it’s time to check into satellite internet from Starlink, Viasat or Hughesnet. Satellite can be pokey and pricey, but it could be your best bet for getting online. Of the three, take a close look at Starlink. There’s a $500 upfront equipment cost, but it comes with a 30-day trial and no contract requirement, so you can test out the service to see how well it works for you.

Internet breakdown by city in Oregon

It’s hard to cover the broadband options of an entire state and give individual cities the attention they deserve. That’s why we also compile lists of the best internet providers in cities across the US, including those in Oregon. We tackle details such as internet connection types, max speeds and cheapest providers. Check back later if you don’t find the city you’re looking for below. We’re working to add more locations every week.

Cheap internet options in Oregon

For widely available bargain-basement introductory deals, check in with Astound, Ziply or Xfinity. Xfinity offers a $20-per-month 150Mbps plan, but that price jumps up to $56 per month after a one-year contract. For a better value, look at Xfinity’s 300Mbps plan for $30 per month with equipment included and no contract required; that pricing is good for two years.

If you fall in Ziply Fiber’s coverage zone, look for a $20-per-month 100Mbps fiber plan. Astound Broadband offers perhaps the most cost-efficient broadband plan at $20 per month for 300Mbps which comes out to just 6 cents per Mbps.

T-Mobile and Verizon customers can check into bundling an eligible phone plan to earn substantial savings on home internet. The right combo can get you T-Mobile Home Internet for as low as $40 per month or Verizon 5G Home Internet for $35 monthly. That can be a nice deal if you’re in a good location for 5G home internet.

What’s the cheapest internet plan in Oregon?

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

How to find internet deals and promotions in Oregon

The best internet deals and top promotions in Oregon depend on what discounts are available during a given time. Most deals are short-lived, but we look frequently for the latest offers.

Oregon internet providers, such as T-Mobile Home Internet, Xfinity and Spectrum, may offer lower introductory pricing or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Others, including CenturyLink and Quantum Fiber, tend to run the same standard pricing year-round.

For a more extensive list of promos, check out our guide on the best internet deals.

How fast is Oregon broadband?

A recent Ookla speed test ranking of US states placed Oregon in the 34th position with a median fixed internet download speed of nearly 195Mbps. Xfinity checks in as the state’s fastest provider. Compare that to the top state in the ranking: Rhode Island had a median download speed of 257Mbps.

While a few Oregonians have access to the fastest residential internet in the nation (Ziply’s 50,000Mbps plan), most residents can expect to find cable or fiber providers with gig-level (or slightly higher) plans. Rural residents will likely find slower DSL, fixed wireless or satellite as their main options.

Fastest internet plans in Oregon

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 like 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 user sufficient bandwidth to satisfy the demands of modern telecommuting, video streaming and online gaming.
• 100 to 500Mbps allows one to two users to simultaneously engage in high-bandwidth activities like videoconferencing, 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 chose the best internet providers in Oregon

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 pricing, availability and speed database that draws from our own historical ISP data, partner data 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 consider every ISP that provides service in an area. We also input local addresses on provider websites to find specific options for 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 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. When 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 consider real-world speed data from sources like Ookla and FCC reports.

To explore our process in more depth, visit our how we test ISPs page.

What’s the final word on internet providers in Oregon?

No single ISP dominates Oregon. CenturyLink has wide coverage, but most is due to the ISP’s outdated DSL network. Xfinity also covers a lot of homes but doesn’t reach beyond the northwest corner of the state. Xfinity is a solid choice for most Oregonians, but look for Spectrum, Astound or TDS if you’re outside Xfinity’s zone. If you fall within a fiber footprint from Quantum Fiber, Ziply Fiber or a local ISP like Hunter Communications, check into that first. Speedy fiber uploads are a worthwhile perk.

Internet providers in Oregon FAQs