Best Internet Providers in Bangor, Maine

What is the best internet provider in Bangor?

Spectrum is CNET's top pick for the best internet service provider in Bangor. This cable internet giant offers solid promo prices for the first year and gigabit speeds for most of the city. Once the promo period ends, expect your bill to double by the second year. On the bright side, all plans have no contracts or data caps.

Looking for speedy internet? Fidium Fiber and GoNetspeed are tied for the fastest internet in the city, maxing out at 2,000 megabits per second for $75. You can expect symmetrical download and upload speeds supported by a fiber-optic connection.

If you're looking for cheap internet, Fidium Fiber offers the most affordable plan in the city: a $25-a-month plan for 100Mbps. However, that price will increase to $45 in the second year. Verizon 5G Home Internet and T-Mobile Home Internet offer lower rates to eligible mobile customers, making these providers a solid choice if you already have a phone plan through one of these companies.

Best internet in Bangor, Maine

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

What's the cheapest internet plan in Bangor?

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

How to find internet deals and promotions in Bangor

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

Bangor internet providers, such as Spectrum and T-Mobile, may offer lower introductory pricing or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Others, however, including Fidium Fiber and US Cellular, run the same standard pricing year-round.  

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

Fastest internet plans in Bangor

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 -- 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 person sufficient bandwidth to satisfy the demands of modern telecommuting, video streaming and online gaming. 
• 100 to 500Mbps allows one to two people to simultaneously engage in high-bandwidth activities like videoconferencing, streaming and online gaming. 
• 500 to 1,000Mbps allows three or more people to engage in high-bandwidth activities at the same time.

How CNET chose the best internet providers in Bangor

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 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?

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.

Internet providers in Bangor FAQs