The best internet providers in Annapolis, MD

When I last visited Annapolis, the internet service provider was the furthest thing in my mind. However, residents of this historic Chesapeake Bay City have several broadband options. DSL/fiber providers Xfinity and Verizon dominate the area. Other providers, such as Axound Broadband and T-Mobile, are also available, but Xfinity and Verizon are still the best choices for most Annapolis residents. For those who do not have access to high-speed wired broadband, wireless internet providers are also available.

What is the best internet provider for Annapolis?

Verizon Fios is the choice of CNET’s best overall internet provider in Annapolis. It has the obvious advantage of being the only extensive fiber internet provider in the region. Additionally, it has straightforward pricing, symmetric speed and high customer satisfaction ratings. You can choose from three plans for $50 to $90 per month.

Our general rule of thumb when it comes to the home internet connection type is fiber optic rules. This is the most reliable form of broadband, and is less willing to be power outages or slowdowns due to network congestion. That’s why Verizon Fios is the head of Annapolis class. If you can’t get fiber at home, nothing will be lost. You can rely on Xfinity’s excellent program choice, cheap promotional prices from Astound Broadband (starting from $20) or 5G home internet from Verizon and T-Mobile.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

All available Annapolis residential internet providers

Although Annapolis can be seen as primarily a conflict between Xfinity and Verizon Fios, we highlight the other two options highlighted above (Astound Broadband and T-Mobile Home Internet).

• Verizon 5G home internet: As we mentioned earlier, not all Annapolis residents can use the company’s fiber-optic internet service Verizon Fios. Verizon also provides broadband in the region through its 5G home internet service. It matches T-Mobile closely and in some cases it will match it better. Verizon’s 5G Ultra broadband coverage isn’t as wide as T-Mobile in the region, but its 5G home internet does offer potentially higher speeds at the top: in some areas, up to 940Mbps of downloads are available, and its $70 monthly 5G home plus plan. The basic 5G home plan is $50 per month, and the average speed for between 517-551Mbps is $50. If you have a qualified 5G mobile plan, you can reduce the price to $35 per month (or $45 per month for the 5G Home Plus Plan).
• Satellite Internet: If you find yourself without an internet option, you can always switch to satellite internet from Starlink, Viasat or Hughesnet. Do we recommend it? When you have other ways to access the internet. Satellite Internet is known to be clumsy, expensive, and requires a two-year contract commitment, despite Elon Musk’s Starlink cutting contracts.

Annapolis Broadband at a glance

Verizon Fios is our choice of the best Internet provider in Annapolis, but residents have some great options. Xfinity covers 99% of the coverage, so your plan choices won’t be missing. If you want to save money, Verizon and T-Mobile offer discounts if you bundle your home internet service with certain phone plans. Finally, families in the selected section of North Annapolis may turn to amazing broadband at the best cheap internet prices in the region.

Pricing information for Annapolis home internet service

The average starting rate for Annapolis’ Internet service is a nice $50 per month. This is a bit cheaper than its Maryland neighbor Baltimore, which starts at an average price of $51 per month. What’s even more impressive is the cheapest price for $20 to $25 per month, as it downloads at 341Mbps. In comparison, one of Baltimore’s cheapest providers, port network, has a maximum download speed of 100Mbps.

Cheap Internet Options in the Annapolis Region

I just mentioned that the amazing monthly broadband plan costs $20. XFINITY starts at $30 for 400Mbps, and it also has $60 for the monthly plan ($115 in a year) and offers you 1,100Mbps, while ASTOUND offers $45 per month on the 600Mbps level. Don’t forget that T-Mobile Home Internet and Verizon 5G Home Internet offer decent discounts to qualified mobile plan customers, bringing monthly fees to $35.

What is the cheapest internet plan for Annapolis?

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

How fast is broadband in Annapolis?

Recent Ookla speed test data show that Annapolis’ median download speed is about 235Mbps. (Ookla is owned by Ziff Davis’s CNET parent company.) That’s not bad. In the context, Baltimore makes an average loss of 197Mbps to 226Mbps. Additionally, Annapolis’ FCC broadband data show that 100% of Annapolis’ homes have access to 100Mbps broadband speeds and 20Mbps.

The fastest internet provider in Annapolis

Decent speeds can be found in Annapolis, but residents can’t find some of the funky multigene internet plans you’ll find in the city of Google Fiber. The maximum speed in this area is 1,500Mbps and you will find amazing broadband via wired internet connection. XFINITION is the second off of its 1,300Mbps layer. Verizon Fios’ top speed (1,000Mbps) doesn’t match it, but as a fiber connection, its 880Mbps upload speed exceeds that of its competitors. This has had a huge impact on all remote workers and gamers.

What is the fastest internet plan in Annapolis?

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

How CNET Chooses the Best Internet Provider in Annapolis, Maryland

There are numerous and regional Internet service providers. Unlike the latest smartphones, laptops, routers, or kitchen tools, it is impractical to personally test every ISP in a given city. What is our method? We first look at pricing, availability and speed information, leveraging our own historical ISP data, provider sites, and mapping information for fcc.gov.

It doesn’t end: we use the FCC’s website to check our data and make sure we consider all ISPs that provide services in a certain area. We also enter our local address on the provider website to find specific options for residents. We look at resources including the U.S. Customer Satisfaction Index and JD Power to evaluate how satisfied ISP services have with customers. ISP plans and prices change frequently; all information provided is accurate as of publication.

Once this local information is obtained, we ask three main questions:

1. Can providers access reasonable and fast internet speeds?
2. Do customers get decent value for the money they pay?
3. Are customers satisfied with their service?

The answers to these questions are usually layered and complex, but the three we recommend are closest to the “yes” provider. When choosing the cheapest internet service, we look for the lowest monthly plan, although we also consider issues such as price increase, equipment fees and contracts. Choosing the fastest internet service is relatively simple. We view upload and download speeds on ads and consider actual speed data from sources such as Ookla and FCC reports.

To explore our process more deeply, visit our test ISP page.

What is the last word for Annapolis’ internet provider?

Our first suggestion in Annapolis is to look for Verizon Fios. If you don’t have those symmetrical fiber speeds on your address, you can still get a lot of PEP from the cable connections of Xfinity and Astound broadband. If you don’t have multiple users at home, consider T-Mobile and Verizon as 5G home internet alternatives, especially if you can bundle it with a qualified phone plan for deeper discounts.

Annapolis Internet Provider FAQ