When it comes to warm weather and beautiful beaches, you can’t go wrong with Jacksonville, Florida. But what about its internet service providers? Thanks to several reliable internet providers, Jacksonville ranks among the top 30 US cities for fast broadband access, boasting median download speeds over 249Mbps.

Overall, CNET’s experts recommend AT&T Fiber as the best internet provider in Jacksonville. It offers average download speeds above 300Mbps and plans up to 5,000Mbps aka 5 GIG. That’s a lot of speed, making it the fastest ISP in the area. However, if you don’t need that speed and are looking for the most affordable internet, check out Xfinity’s $30 plan, which offers speeds of up to 400Mbps.

As CNET’s analysis shows internet service providers may offer download speeds that differ from the median observed in real-world conditions. When looking for the best internet in Jacksonville, consider pricing, connection type, speeds and availability. CNET evaluates speed, customer service, pricing and overall value when recommending broadband options in an area.

Best internet providers in River City   

Our recommendations for the best internet providers are based on analyzing contract flexibility, speed, price, data caps and extra fees. All prices listed on this page reflect available discounts for setting up paperless billing. If you decide not to go with automatic monthly payments, your price will be higher.

Note: The prices, speeds and features detailed here may differ from those listed in the product detail cards, which represent providers’ national offerings. Your particular internet service options — including prices and speeds — depend on your address.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

All available Jacksonville residential internet providers  

Beyond the top providers we’ve listed, several other ISPs are available in Jacksonville, though some cover only small portions of the city.

• Kinetic by Windstream: This provider offers DSL in the Jacksonville area that goes up to 100Mbps. Kinetic also offers fiber service in surrounding cities like Bryceville. Fiber runs about $40 per month for 1,000Mbps and goes up to $100 for 2,000Mbps. DSL is $30 to $60 per month.
• Mediacom: Mediacom runs at $20 to $60 monthly for 100 to 1,000Mbps for speeds. It’s a cable provider available in small pockets of southern Jacksonville and offers up to 6TB in monthly data allowance.  
• NEFCOM Communications: NEFCOM offers 15 to 500Mbps plans with prices ranging from $80 to $150 monthly. In 2019, it started its Fiber to the Home initiative in Baker County.    
• Satellite internet: There are several options for satellite internet. Providers include HughesNet, Viasat and Starlink. Satellite providers can be more expensive for lower speeds, but HughesNet stands out for its $50 per month starting price. Viasat offers 25 to 150Mbps for $70 to $400. Starlink is a new offering from SpaceX that is still expanding. 
• Verizon 5G Home Internet: Verizon starts at $25 per month if you pair home internet with an eligible mobile line and autopay. The service features 85 to 300Mbps for average speeds and, in some areas, can reach up to 1,000Mbps. 

Pricing details on Jacksonville home internet service  

The average starting price for internet service in Jacksonville is approximately $46 per month. Of the major cities CNET has covered thus far, that figure puts it right in the middle, on par with cities like Atlanta, Houston and Phoenix.      

Cheap internet options in the Jacksonville metro area 

The cheapest price for internet service in Jacksonville is $20 per month. At that price, you can get Xfinity’s Internet Connect plan, which features 150Mbps download speeds, or Verizon 5G Home Internet (with a max download speed of 300Mbps) if you use the bundle discount.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Fastest internet providers in Jacksonville  

The fastest internet speed providers in the Jacksonville area are AT&T and Xfinity. Each provider offers plans that hit 1 Gig or higher. If you want more details on optimizing speed, check out CNET’s guide on the best multi-gig plans.  

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

What’s the final word on internet providers in Jacksonville? 

Jacksonville is a large city with updated technology, so you have some decent options for internet service. You can get fast speeds up to 5,000Mbps from AT&T Fiber (in some locations) and prices as low as $25 per month from Xfinity. 

How CNET chose the best internet providers in Jacksonville

There are many internet service providers out there, and they’re also 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. And while ISP plans and prices are subject to frequent changes, we make sure all information provided is accurate as of the time of publication.

Once we’ve 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? 

The answer to those questions is often layered and complex, but 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, although we also factor in variables including 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. (Disclosure: 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 Jacksonville FAQs