Best Internet Providers in Rockford, Illinois

What is the best internet provider in Rockford, Illinois?

Xfinity is the best internet service provider in Rockford. That’s not because it offers incredible service -- Xfinity’s customer satisfaction scores are slightly above average -- but because it’s the only wired provider in the area. That means it has the fastest and most reliable plans, but caveats like price increases, data caps and contracts can make Xfinity feel like a cheap trick (and I don't mean the rock band from Rockford).

T-Mobile Home Internet is the best alternative to Xfinity, and it’s available to less than half of Rockville, according to FCC data. (Verizon’s 5G Home Internet is an even better wireless option, but only 7% of Rockford residents can access it.) You may sacrifice some reliability with wireless internet, but it offers plenty of speed for most households. 

Starlink is the best satellite internet provider in Rockford. It’s not often we recommend satellite internet in a city, but since there are few other options in Rockford, Starlink is a viable alternative. Just be prepared to pay $599 for equipment when you sign up.

Best internet in Rockford, Illinois

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Other available internet providers in Rockford, Illinois

The internet pickings are slim in Rockford, and there aren’t many alternatives to the options listed above. Still, you might get lucky and have a few more options available at your address. Here’s every other internet provider that offers service in the city:

• Satellite internet: We already mentioned Starlink as a viable option above, but there are two other satellite internet companies available in Rockford: HughesNet and Viasat. The difference between these two and Starlink is that Starlink uses low-orbit satellites, which is able to provide faster speeds and significantly lower latency. HughesNet and Viasat also come with low data caps that make things like streaming video impractical.
• Rise Broadband: Rise Broadband offers wireless home internet for $55 per month to about half of Rockford. Speeds are significantly lower than T-Mobile or US Cellular, topping out at 50Mbps download and 15Mbps upload. Rise Broadband does offer unlimited data, but you’ll have to pay an extra $10 each month for equipment rental. 
• US Cellular: US Cellular is another wireless internet provider that relies on a cellular network to deliver home internet. Depending on where you live in Rockford, you can get download speeds up to 195Mbps and upload speeds up to 50Mbps. The main downside is that there’s a 600GB data cap on its plan; for context, the average US household uses 641GB of data each month. You won’t get hit with fees after you reach this data cap, but your traffic will be deprioritized. FCC data shows that 92% of Rockford addresses have access to US Cellular home internet.
• Verizon 5G Home Internet: It’s available to only 7% of homes in Rockford, but if you can get it, Verizon is a solid option for wireless internet. Its plans cost $50 to $70 monthly for speeds up to 300Mbps, but you can save $15 to $25 each month by bundling with an eligible cellphone plan. Equipment is included in the price, and Verizon currently offers a five-year price-lock guarantee -- a lifetime in the internet world.

Cheap internet options in Rockford

Rockford has some of the cheapest internet plans you’ll find anywhere in the country -- primarily due to Xfinity’s plans. Outside of Xfinity, Verizon 5G Home Internet is the only provider that has a plan available for $50 monthly or less, although T-Mobile Home Internet is available for as low as $40 a month when you bundle with an eligible cellphone plan.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Benkrut / Getty Images

How to find internet deals and promotions in Rockford

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

Rockford internet providers, such as T-Mobile Home Internet and Xfinity, may offer lower introductory pricing or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Many, however, including Verizon 5G Home Internet and Starlink, 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 Rockford broadband?

On average, Rockford broadband is slower than you’ll find in nearby cities like Chicago, Milwaukee and Madison. Xfinity is the only provider in the city that offers gig speeds -- or any speeds over 300Mbps. For comparison, Chicago has nine plans above 1,000Mbps available in the city. 

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 Rockford

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 the time 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 answers to those questions are often layered and complex, the providers that come closest to “yes” on all three are the ones we recommend. When it comes to 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 also take into account 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.

What's the final word on internet providers in Rockford?

Internet in Rockford is a mixed bag. On the one hand, every address in the city has access to minimum broadband speeds -- defined by the FCC as 100Mbps download and 20Mbps upload. The downside is that that’s almost entirely through one provider: Xfinity. While T-Mobile Home Internet and Starlink are viable options in some areas, Xfinity is so far ahead of the competition that there isn’t actually much competition in the city.

Internet providers in Rockford FAQs