Best Internet Providers in Erie, Pennsylvania

What is the best internet provider in Erie?

Erie is home to the oldest amusement parks in the United States. While it may not be as exciting as Waldameer, Erie has just about everything you could need, including high-speed internet. Spectrum is the best internet service provider in Erie, Pennsylvania, according to CNET's research and testing. It gets the top spot thanks to its broad local high-speed coverage and straightforward pricing. Spectrum, the area’s largest cable internet provider, has excellent coverage, covering nearly 95% of Erie households. It offers plans with speeds ranging from 500 to 1,000 megabits per second, which include free modem rental, unlimited data and no contract requirements.

If you're looking for the cheapest internet in Erie, Spectrum ties Verizon 5G Home Internet and T-Mobile Home Internet at $50 per month. Spectrum offers more speed and better reliability, but Verizon includes free equipment rental (a $10 monthly value compared with Spectrum) and a potential discount for qualifying Verizon mobile customers. 

T-Mobile Home Internet also offers a mobile bundle discount, although standard pricing is higher, while potential maximum speeds are lower than Verizon 5G Home Internet. Still, the fixed wireless provider has the local availability and customer-friendly service terms to be a practical broadband alternative to Spectrum.

VNET Fiber is the area's top fiber provider if you're looking for fiber-optic connectivity. Availability is limited, but if your address is serviceable, VNET Fiber is perhaps the best choice in Erie for speed, reliability and overall value. VNET Fiber ties Spectrum for the fastest download speeds in Erie, up to 1,000Mbps, but also has the advantage of offering symmetrical upload speeds.

Best internet in Erie, Pennsylvania

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Getty Images

How to find internet deals and promotions in Erie

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

Erie internet providers, such as Spectrum, may offer lower introductory pricing or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Many providers, including VNET Fiber and Verizon 5G Home Internet, run the same standard pricing year-round. 

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

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 and 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 Erie, Pennsylvania

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 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, 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. (Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.)

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

Internet providers in Erie, Pennsylvania FAQs