Best Internet Providers in Annapolis, Maryland

When I last visited Annapolis, its internet service providers were far from my mind. I was preoccupied with the area’s renowned crab cakes. Residents of this historic, Chesapeake Bay city have a handful of broadband options. The area is dominated by two nationally known brands, cable provider Xfinity and DSL/fiber provider Verizon. There are some other providers available too (Astound Broadband and T-Mobile, for example), but Xfinity and Verizon are the top choices of Annapolis residents as of now. There are also wireless internet providers in the area, in case you can't get high-speed wired broadband at your address.

What is the best internet provider in Annapolis?

Verizon Fios is CNET’s pick for the best overall internet provider in Annapolis. It’s got the distinct advantage of being the only extensive fiber internet provider in the area. Additionally, it boasts straightforward pricing, symmetrical speeds and high customer satisfaction ratings.

Our general rule of thumb when it comes to home internet connection types is that fiber rules. It’s the most reliable form of broadband and is less prone to outages or slowdowns due to network congestion. That’s why Verizon Fios is head of the class in Annapolis. If you can’t get fiber at your house, all is not lost. You can lean on Xfinity’s superior range of plan selections, Astound Broadband’s cheap promo prices or 5G home internet from Verizon and T-Mobile. 

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

All available Annapolis residential internet providers

Although Annapolis could be seen as mainly a clash between Xfinity versus Verizon Fios, there are a few other options beyond the two others (Astound Broadband and T-Mobile Home Internet) we highlighted above.

• Verizon 5G Home Internet: As we mentioned earlier, not all Annapolis residents have access to Verizon Fios, the company's fiber-optic internet service. Verizon also supplies broadband in the area via its 5G home internet service. It closely rivals T-Mobile and, in some cases, betters it. Verizon's 5G Ultra Wideband coverage isn't as widespread as T-Mobile's in the area, but its 5G Home Internet does offer potentially higher speeds on the top end: downloads of up to 940Mbps are available with its $70-per-month 5G Home Plus plan in some areas. The basic 5G Home plan is $50 monthly for average speeds between 517-551Mbps. If you have an eligible 5G mobile plan, you can knock the price down to $35 per month (or $45 monthly for the 5G Home Plus plan).
• Satellite internet: If you find yourself without internet options, you can always turn to satellite internet from Starlink, Viasat or Hughesnet. Do we recommend it? Not when you have other ways of getting online. Satellite internet is notoriously laggy, expensive and requires two-year contract commitments, although Elon Musk's Starlink nixes the contracts.

Richard T. Nowitz/Getty Images

Annapolis broadband at a glance

Verizon Fios is our pick for the best internet provider in Annapolis, but residents have some decent options. Xfinity covers the area to the tune of 99% coverage, so your plan options won't be lacking. If you want to save money, Verizon and T-Mobile offer discounts if you bundle home internet service with certain phone plans. Finally, households in the select portions of northern Annapolis can turn to Astound Broadband for the area's best cheap internet rates. 

Pricing info on Annapolis home internet service

The average starting rate for internet service in Annapolis is a decent $50 per month. That's slightly cheaper than its Maryland neighbor Baltimore, which rings in at an average starting price of $51 monthly. Even more impressive are the cheapest rates of $20-$25 per month, from Astound, which come with decent download speeds 341Mbps. Comparatively, one of Baltimore's cheapest providers, Port Networks, features maximum download speeds of 100Mbps.

Cheap internet options in the Annapolis region

I just mentioned that Astound offers monthly broadband plans for $20. Xfinity starts at $35 for 300Mbps, and it also has a $50 monthly plan ($115 after one year) that'll get you 1,000Mbps, and Astound offers a 600Mbps tier for $45 per month. Let's not forget that T-Mobile Home Internet and Verizon 5G Home Internet offer decent discounts to eligible mobile plan customers, bringing those monthly costs down to $30 and $45, respectively.

What's the cheapest internet plan in Annapolis?

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

How fast is the broadband in Annapolis?

Recent Ookla speed test data shows Annapolis with median download speeds around 242Mbps. That's not bad. For context, Baltimore notched an average of 226Mbps and the state of Maryland averages 244Mbps. Also, FCC broadband data for Annapolis shows that 99.7% of Annapolis households can access broadband speeds of 100Mbps down and 20Mbps up. Again, that's slightly higher than the rest of the state at 96%.   

Fastest internet providers in Annapolis

Decent speeds can be found in Annapolis, but residents won't find some of the snazzy, multi-gig internet plans you'll find in Google Fiber cities, for example. The top speed in the area is 2,000Mbps, which you'll find with Xfinity via cable internet connection. Verizon Fios' top speed (1,000Mbps) doesn't match that, but as a fiber connection, its upload speed of 880Mbps out paces the 115Mbps upload speeds of its competitors. That makes a huge difference for all you remote workers and gamers out there.

What are the fastest internet plans in Annapolis?

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

How CNET chose the best internet providers in Annapolis, Maryland

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 FCC.gov.

It doesn’t end there: We use 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:

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?

The answers to those questions are often layered and complex, but the providers that 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, although 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 Annapolis?

In Annapolis, our first recommendation is to look to Verizon Fios. If those symmetrical fiber speeds aren't available at your address, you can still get plenty of pep from the cable connections of Xfinity and Astound Broadband. If you don't have multiple users at home, consider T-Mobile and Verizon as 5G home internet alternatives, especially if you can bundle them with an eligible cellphone plan for a deeper discount.

Annapolis internet provider FAQs