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What is the best internet provider in Fort Wayne?
Frontier Fiber is the best internet service provider in Fort Wayne, offering plans starting at $40 a month for upload and download speeds of 500Mbps. That’s not just one of the best values you’ll find in Fort Wayne — it’s one of the best plans in the entire country.
If you can’t get Frontier Fiber at your address, Xfinity is the cheapest internet provider in Fort Wayne. Prices start at just $20 a month, but that’s only while the promotional period lasts. After a year or two, you’ll pay between $12 and $42 more. If you don’t want to worry about headaches like that, T-Mobile Home Internet offers a more straightforward alternative. Everything you need is included in the $50 monthly price, and T-Mobile guarantees it won’t ever increase your rates.
CNET considers speeds, pricing, customer service and overall value to recommend the best internet service in Fort Wayne across a number of categories. Our evaluation includes referencing a proprietary database built over years of reviewing internet services. We validate that against provider information by spot-checking local addresses for service availability. We also do a close read of providers’ terms and conditions and, when needed, will call ISPs to verify the details.
Despite our efforts to find the most recent and accurate information, our process has some limitations you should know about. Pricing and speed data are variable: certain addresses may qualify for different tiers of service, and monthly costs may vary, even within a city. The best way to identify your particular options is to plug your address into a provider’s website.
Also, the prices, speed and other information listed above and in the provider cards below may differ from what we found in our research. The cards display the full range of a provider’s pricing and speed across the US, according to our database of plan information provided directly by ISPs, while the text is specific to what’s available in Fort Wayne. The prices referenced within this article’s text come from our research and include applicable discounts for setting up automatic payments each month — a standard industry offering. Other discounts and promotions might be available as well, for things like signing a term contract or bundling with multiple services.
To learn more about how we review internet providers, visit our full methodology page.
Best internet in Fort Wayne, Indiana
It’s rare to find an internet provider with Frontier Fiber’s combination of speed and affordability. You’ll get 500Mbps of upload and download speed for just $40 a month. For comparison, Xfinity’s similar plan costs $55 for 400/10Mbps. Beyond speed and price, Frontier checks every box you’d want: unlimited data, equipment included at no extra cost and no contracts required. Best of all, your bill won’t automatically go up after a year or two.
If you’re looking for the lowest prices, Xfinity is the cheapest internet provider in Fort Wayne by a mile. Xfinity’s cheapest plan starts at just $20 a month — as low as you’ll find anywhere in the country — but it goes up to $52 after a year. Xfinity plans in Fort Wayne increase by anywhere from $12 to $42 in the second or third year. You’ll also need to commit to a two-year contract for the best price on most plans.
T-Mobile is a breath of fresh air after wading through complicated internet plans. It only offers one plan and costs a flat $50 a month with everything you need included. Best of all, T-Mobile guarantees it won’t ever raise your price. Its download speeds top out at 245Mbps — well below Frontier and Xfinity — but that’s still plenty of bandwidth for most people.
Fort Wayne internet providers compared
| Provider | Internet technology | Monthly price range | Speed range | Monthly equipment costs | Data cap | Contract | CNET review score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frontier Fiber | Fiber | $40-$155 | 500-5,000Mbps | None | None | None | 6.3 |
| T-Mobile Home Internet | Fixed wireless | $50 ($30 with eligible mobile plans) | 72-245Mbps | None | None | None | 7.4 |
| Verizon 5G Home Internet | Fixed wireless | $50-$70 ($35-$45 for eligible Verizon Wireless customers) | 50-1,000Mbps | None | None | None | 7.2 |
| Xfinity | Cable | $20-$85 | 75-1,200Mbps | $15 (included in most plans) | 1.2TB | Optional | 7 |
Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
What’s the cheapest internet plan in Fort Wayne?
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Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
How to find internet deals and promotions in Fort Wayne
The best internet deals and the top promotions in Fort Wayne depend on what discounts are available at a given time. Most deals are short-lived, but we look frequently for the latest offers.
Fort Wayne internet providers, such as Xfinity, may offer lower introductory pricing or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Many, including Frontier, 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.
Fastest internet plans in Fort Wayne
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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 Fort Wayne
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:
- Does the provider offer access to reasonably fast internet speeds?
- Do customers get decent value for what they’re paying?
- 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 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.
Internet providers in Fort Wayne FAQs
What is the best internet service provider in Fort Wayne?
Frontier Fiber is the best internet provider in Fort Wayne, with some of the lowest starting prices and speeds up to 5,000Mbps. All Frontier Fiber plans include equipment at no extra cost and unlimited data.
Is fiber internet available in Fort Wayne?
Yes, fiber internet is available to 75% of Fort Wayne, according to FCC data. Frontier is the only fiber provider in the area.
Who is the cheapest internet provider in Fort Wayne?
Xfinity is the cheapest internet provider in Fort Wayne, with plans starting at $20 a month for 75Mbps. That said, prices increase significantly in the second or third year, and a contract is required to get the lowest price on some plans.
Which internet provider in Fort Wayne offers the fastest plan?
Frontier Fiber offers the fastest plan in Fort Wayne, with symmetrical upload and download speeds up to 5,000Mbps.
