Finest Web Suppliers in Maine

What’s the greatest web supplier in Maine?

Maine provides a wide range of strong web selections, however for many households, Fidium Fiber stands out as the highest supplier. Fidium Fiber provides the quickest web speeds (2,000 megabits per second for $85 a month), the least expensive web plan (100Mbps for $25 a month) and the widest fiber web availability amongst main web suppliers in Maine. Plus, plans include free gear rental, limitless knowledge and no contract necessities.

In areas the place Fidium Fiber is unavailable, GoNetspeed could supply fiber web service. In any other case, you’ll wish to depend on cable web from Spectrum and Xfinity, DSL from Consolidated Communications or a set wi-fi web supplier for broadband in your space. Some areas may additionally be eligible for T-Cell’s web plans.

The web service supplier you select and its connection kind make an enormous distinction in velocity, value and total worth. Listed below are the greatest web suppliers to search for in Maine.

Finest web in Maine

Supply: CNET evaluation of supplier knowledge.

Different web choices in Maine

• Consolidated Communications: The mum or dad firm of Fidium Fiber, Consolidated Communications, additionally provides DSL web service all through a lot of Maine. Most speeds are slower than what’s out there from cable, fiber or presumably even fastened wi-fi service, so discover all of your web choices earlier than signing up with Consolidated Communications.
• GoNetspeed: The second largest fiber web supplier in Maine, GoNetspeed provides symmetrical speeds starting from 500 to 2,000Mbps, beginning at $45 to $75 month-to-month. Service is primarily out there in elements of Portland, Bangor, Biddeford and Brunswick. 
• Xfinity: Elements of southwestern Maine, together with Sanford and Kittery, together with the higher Brunswick space from Bowdoin to Small Level, could also be serviceable for Xfinity. Service is comparatively cheap contemplating the speeds you get, however the gear rental charge (non-obligatory), knowledge cap and eventual, doubtlessly steep, value enhance could decrease the general worth.
• Fastened wi-fi web: Apart from T-Cell Residence Web, fastened wi-fi web service is out there in Maine from suppliers akin to US Mobile, Redzone Wi-fi and Trailrunner. Speeds, pricing and repair phrases will differ by supplier and placement.  
• Satellite tv for pc web: Some areas in Maine haven’t any sensible broadband choices apart from satellite tv for pc web. Hughesnet and Viasat are common selections, with Hughesnet being the cheaper service, whereas Viasat could supply quicker speeds and extra knowledge. Starlink provides quicker speeds and extra knowledge (limitless) than Hughesnet and Viasat however does little to alleviate the excessive price of satellite tv for pc web, and availability is considerably restricted.

Web breakdown by metropolis in Maine

It’s laborious to cowl the broadband choices of a state like Maine and provides particular person cities the eye they deserve. That’s why we additionally compile lists of the perfect web suppliers in cities throughout the US, together with these in Maine. We deal with particulars akin to web connection varieties, most speeds, least expensive suppliers and extra. Examine again later in the event you don’t discover the town you’re in search of beneath. We’re working so as to add extra places every week. 

Low cost web choices in Maine

With service beginning at $25 a month for speeds as much as 100Mbps, Fidium Fiber has the most affordable house web plan in Maine. Xfinity web service begins at $30 a month and provides double the utmost obtain velocity, as much as 200Mbps, though add speeds are slower and availability is proscribed in Maine.

Apart from Fidium Fiber and Xfinity, web service in Maine begins round $50 a month or increased. Spectrum, T-Cell Residence Web and GoNetspeed, for instance, have beginning costs of $50 to $55 a month.

Supply: CNET evaluation of supplier knowledge.

How you can discover web offers and promotions in Maine

The perfect web offers and prime promotions in Maine rely upon the reductions out there throughout that interval. Most offers are short-lived, however we glance continuously for the most recent provides.

Maine web suppliers, akin to Xfinity, could supply decrease introductory pricing or particular offers for a restricted time. Many, together with Fidium Fiber and Spectrum, run the identical customary pricing year-round. 

For a extra intensive listing of promos, take a look at our information on the greatest web offers. 

How briskly is Maine broadband?

Current Ookla velocity check knowledge positioned Maine fiftieth quickest amongst all US states and Washington, DC, with median obtain speeds of 44Mbps. (Disclosure: Ookla is owned by the identical mum or dad firm as CNET, Ziff Davis.) Nonetheless, quicker max speeds can be found from a number of Maine web suppliers.

Gigabit service, with most speeds of round 1,000Mbps or increased, is out there from a couple of Maine web suppliers, together with GoNetspeed, Spectrum and Xfinity. Fidium Fiber has the quickest plan with symmetrical add and obtain speeds as much as 2,000Mbps beginning at $75 a month.

Supply: CNET evaluation of supplier knowledge.

What’s a superb web velocity?

Most web connection plans can now deal with fundamental productiveness and communication duties. In the event you’re in search of an web plan that may accommodate videoconferencing, streaming video or gaming, you will have a greater expertise with a extra sturdy connection. Here is an summary of the really helpful minimal obtain speeds for numerous functions, in response to the FCC. Word that these are solely pointers and that web velocity, service and efficiency differ by connection kind, supplier and handle.

For extra data, confer with our information on how a lot web velocity you really want.

• 0 to 5Mbps permits you to deal with the fundamentals: looking the web, sending and receiving electronic mail, and streaming low-quality video.
• 5 to 40Mbps provides you higher-quality video streaming and videoconferencing.
• 40 to 100Mbps ought to give one particular person enough bandwidth to fulfill the calls for of contemporary telecommuting, video streaming and on-line gaming. 
• 100 to 500Mbps permits one to 2 individuals to concurrently have interaction in high-bandwidth actions like videoconferencing, streaming and on-line gaming. 
• 500 to 1,000Mbps permits three or extra individuals to interact in high-bandwidth actions on the identical time.

How CNET selected the perfect web suppliers in Maine

Web service suppliers are quite a few and regional. Not like the most recent smartphone, laptop computer, router or kitchen device, it’s impractical to personally check each ISP in a given metropolis. What’s our strategy? We begin by researching the pricing, availability and velocity data drawing on our personal historic ISP knowledge, the supplier websites and mapping data from the Federal Communications Fee at FCC.gov.

It doesn’t finish there: We go to the FCC’s web site to verify our knowledge and guarantee we take into account each ISP that gives service in an space. We additionally enter native addresses on supplier web sites to seek out particular choices for residents. We take a look at sources, together with the American Buyer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Energy, to judge how pleased clients are with an ISP’s service. ISP plans and costs are topic to frequent adjustments; all data supplied is correct as of publication.

As soon as we have now this localized data, we ask three predominant questions:

1. Does the supplier supply entry to fairly quick web speeds?
2. Do clients get first rate worth for what they’re paying?
3. Are clients pleased with their service?

Whereas the reply to these questions is usually layered and sophisticated, the suppliers who come closest to “sure” on all three are those we suggest. When deciding on the most affordable web service, we search for the plans with the bottom month-to-month charge, though we additionally consider issues like value will increase, gear charges and contracts. Selecting the quickest web service is comparatively simple. We take a look at marketed add and obtain speeds and take into account real-world velocity knowledge from sources like Ookla and FCC stories.

To discover our course of in additional depth, go to our how we check ISPs web page.

What’s the ultimate phrase on web suppliers in Maine?

Fiber web, from Fidium Fiber or GoNetspeed, or cable web, from Spectrum or Xfinity, are prone to be your greatest web choices in Maine.

Spectrum has the best availability of any non-satellite ISP in Maine, however Fidium Fiber provides the most affordable plan (beginning at $25 per 30 days for as much as 100Mbps) and the quickest velocity (2,000Mbps beginning at $85 month-to-month).

In areas the place fiber or cable connections are unavailable, fastened wi-fi web — from suppliers akin to T-Cell Residence Web, US Mobile, Redzone Wi-fi, Trailrunner and others — will be the solely possibility for broadband web exterior satellite tv for pc web.

Web suppliers in Maine FAQs