Best Internet Providers in State College, Pennsylvania

What is the best internet provider in State College?

Xfinity is the best internet service provider in State College, Pennsylvania, due to its high availability, low introductory pricing and plan variety. The cable internet provider offers the cheapest internet plan in State College: $25 a month for speeds up to 150 megabits per second, and the fastest speed, up to 1,200Mbps, starting at $65 monthly.

There are some drawbacks to Xfinity, however. Cable internet supports fast download speeds, but your uploads will be significantly slower. Additionally, a contract may be required to get the lowest pricing — not exactly ideal for students living in State College a semester at a time — and renting equipment will add $15 to your bill. 

If Xfinity’s cable connection and service terms have you interested in alternatives, consider Kinetic (but only if it’s fiber, pass on the DSL) or T-Mobile Home Internet. Kinetic offers symmetrical upload and download speeds up to a gig, though availability in State College is limited. 

T-Mobile Home Internet boasts greater availability but a lower speed potential. If you can get by on the speeds — 72 to 245Mbps — the contract-free service is worth checking out, as it includes free equipment rental, unlimited data and a bundle discount for qualifying T-Mobile customers.

Best internet in State College, Pennsylvania

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

How to find internet deals and promotions in State College

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

State College internet providers, such as T-Mobile Home Internet and Xfinity, may offer lower introductory pricing or streaming other incentives for a limited time. Others, however, including Kinetic 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, 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 State College, 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. 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 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, 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 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 State College, Pennsylvania FAQs