Best Internet Providers in Spokane, Washington

What is the best internet provider in Spokane?

CNET's top option for the best internet service provider in Spokane is Quantum Fiber. There are plenty of fiber internet options in Spokane, but Quantum Fiber is the top choice thanks to of speed, fair prices, and a bill that won't automatically shoot up in a year or two. Although there are only three plans on offer, the lack of data caps, contracts and equipment costs makes Quantum Fiber the best pick.

If you want the cheapest internet in Spokane, it'll be Xfinity, which offers 150Mbps for just $20 a month. All Xfinity plans increase in price after one or two years, but they offer great value during the promotional period. If you don't want to worry about your bill dramatically increasing, T-Mobile Home Internet offers a price-lock guarantee on its single $50 monthly plan. Most households will be able to get by fine with the speed it offers.

Best internet in Spokane, Washington

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

How to find internet deals and promotions in Spokane

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

Spokane internet providers such as Xfinity may offer lower introductory pricing or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Many, including Quantum Fiber, T-Mobile and Verizon, run the same standard pricing year-round. 

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

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

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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 Federal Communications Commission. 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 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 Spokane

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?

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.)

Internet providers in Spokane FAQs