Best Internet Providers in Charlottesville, VA

Everyone needs a reliable Internet connection to function, go to school, watch streaming media, and stay connected with friends and family near or far. As home to the University of Virginia, Charlottesville’s network services must meet the needs of academics and permanent residents.

What is the best internet provider in Charlottesville?

CNET recommends Xfinity as the best Internet service provider in Charlottesville due to its plan options and extensive coverage across the region. If you’re looking for gig internet, local fiber provider Ting is an excellent choice. For a low-cost internet alternative, you might consider T-Mobile’s 5G home internet service, which covers most of Charlottesville and offers top speeds of 72 to 245 Mbps.

Best Internet Options in Charlottesville

All available Charlottesville internet providers

The providers listed above may not be your only internet options in Charlottesville. They are our most recommended and the first to consider when moving to the area. Brightspeed is another possible option for Charlottesville’s fiber network, while satellite might best serve residents in surrounding rural areas who don’t have access to other connection types.

Source: CNET analysis of provider profiles.

speed of light: Brightspeed recently took over CenturyLink’s operations in the Charlottesville area. Its service is available to about 5% of Charlottesville households, with most on its slower and less-than-ideal DSL product, while fiber service reaches the rest.

Fiber starts at $49 per month, which is lower than Ting, so it’s worth checking if your address is available. Locations where fiber is unavailable can still use Brightspeed’s DSL service, which starts at $50 per month and offers speeds up to 100Mbps.

satellite network: Hughesnet, Viasat and satellite network star Starlink already cover Charlottesville and the surrounding area. Before switching to satellite internet, other faster and more economical options should be considered.

Charlottesville Broadband at a Glance

All Charlotteville residents can enjoy broadband speeds of 25Mbps downlink, 3Mbps uplink or even higher. Nearly every Charlottesville home can enjoy faster speeds, with speeds of up to 250Mbps downlink and 25Mbps uplink. Many will also get gigabit speeds, with providers like Brightspeed, Xfinity and Ting offering speeds up to 1,000Mbps or more.

Charlottesville Internet Pricing

Xfinity offers the cheapest internet service, starting at $25 per month with speeds up to 300Mbps, followed by T-Mobile Home Internet, which starts at $55 per month (or $40 per month with the mobile bundle discount). Brightspeed has the best deal on gigabit service with symmetrical download and upload speeds for $75 per month, but again, availability in Charlottesville is very limited.

Source: CNET analysis of provider profiles.

How fast is broadband speed in Charlottesville?

According to the latest Ookla speed test data, the average download speed in Charlottesville is about 81Mbps. That’s lower than the national average of 250Mbps and the state average of 250Mbps, but it’s worth noting that various providers in Charlottesville offer plans with faster maximum speeds.

Source: CNET analysis of provider profiles.

CNET How to Choose the Best Internet Provider in Charlottesville

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 is our approach? First, we leverage a proprietary pricing, availability, and speed database drawn from our own historical ISP data, partner data, and map information from FCC.gov.

This guide leverages an in-house AI tool called RAMP, which is trained on our own writing and uses our database to generate content about specific ISPs that our writers can use to identify and Presenting the selection from our given guide. Check out CNET’s AI policy to learn more about how our team uses (and doesn’t use) AI tools.

Since our database is not exhaustive, we head to the FCC website to check the primary data ourselves and make sure we account for every ISP that provides service in a certain area. Plans and prices also vary by location, so we entered local addresses on provider websites to find specific options available to residents. We evaluate customer satisfaction with ISP services by looking at sources such as the US Customer Satisfaction Index and JD Power. ISP plans and prices may change frequently; all information provided is accurate as of our fact-checking prior to publication.

Once we have localized information, we ask three main questions:

1. Does the provider offer reasonably fast internet speeds?
2. Are customers getting value for money?
3. Are customers satisfied with their service?

While the answers to these questions are often layered and complex, we recommend the providers who come closest to a “yes” on these three questions. When choosing the cheapest internet service, we look for the plan with the lowest monthly fee, although we also consider factors like price increases, equipment costs, and contracts. Choosing the fastest internet service is relatively simple. 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 to Test ISPs page.

Charlottesville online review

Many Charlottesville residents will find Xfinity to be the best ISP in the area in terms of availability and plan selection. However, that provider’s wired service doesn’t quite offer the upload speeds of a fiber connection, which is where regional providers Ting and Brightspeed may have an advantage. Those looking to “cut the cord” for a potentially cheaper, hassle-free and less expensive Internet connection should check to see if T-Mobile Home Network is available.

Charlottesville Internet Provider FAQs