In the age of fiber, speed has a lot to do with who can claim the best business internet on the market. But the rest isn’t just “details.” As you know, pricing, contract terms, and available add-ons can make a huge difference to your small business.

Below we’ve compared the best internet providers for business in 2024, first point by point and finally in an overview table. Our research includes data from five leading cable and fiber providers of high-speed internet: Frontier, AT&T, Verizon, Spectrum, and Xfinity.

Fiber looking good to you? Shop Frontier Fiber for Business anytime.

Network type

Fiber and cable internet for business offer similar speeds, but fiber networks have lower lag and better moment-to-moment reliability.

Fiber gets its name from fiber-optic cabling, which transmits data more efficiently than any other wired network. That creates a highly reliable connection with low latency, or lag, at those high speeds you’ve come to associate with fiber.

Cable internet today runs on networks of copper wiring with fiber blended in to boost overall speeds. Unfortunately, the copper in the network still carries less data per strand than fiber and is more vulnerable to heat and data loss. You can still experience higher lag as a result.

The Frontier advantage

Frontier Fiber runs on a network that’s 100% fiber optic — there’s no copper diluting the data transfer. That’s how Frontier offers 2.4x lower latency than the competition, helping you really feel the benefits of all that speed.

Speed

Download speeds from the best business internet providers today start at 50 Mbps and run as high as 5 Gbps, with top fiber speeds clocking in at roughly twice the top cable speeds. One fiber plan even goes up to 1 Tbps (terabits per second), but this speed is usually an Enterprise-level service and not worth the cost for small businesses.

When it comes to upload speeds, the difference between cable and fiber is more pronounced. All fiber providers offer uploads as fast as downloads to support smoother conferencing, cloud backup, and other upload-heavy applications; cable providers offer much lower upload speeds because of network limitations.

The Frontier advantage 

Frontier’s starting fiber speed of 500 Mbps is the highest among the best business internet providers — yet it costs the same or even less than similar plans from other providers. And at Frontier’s fastest fiber speed of 2 Gigs, upload speeds run up to 50x faster than cable.

Pricing

Cable plan pricing starts around $50/mo. The faster speed plans can cost as much as $334/mo. — and that’s for about half the bandwidth of top fiber plans.

Fiber pricing starts around $70/mo. across all providers. At the higher end of the fiber speed scale, 2 Gig plans run between $130/mo. and $185/mo., while the only 5 Gig plan clocks in at $285/mo.

A few things to keep in mind with internet for business pricing: the sticker price may not reflect your monthly router fees. If you’re planning to lease from your provider, factor that in when you’re putting your budget together. (Hint: The table at the end of this article may help.)

The Frontier advantage 

Ranging between $69.99/mo. and $129.99/mo., Frontier Fiber pricing is competitive with and sometimes even better than plans at equivalent speeds. Another unique advantage of Frontier pricing is that there’s no premium upcharge for being a business customer. You’ll pay the same rates as residential customers so you can pinch every penny.

Router & installation fees

About half of our best business internet providers include a Wi-Fi router lease in your package price. Of those that don’t, that lease will increase your monthly total, so remember to tally that as you eye the plans in your budget.

Installation is another fee to consider, although it’s just a one-time charge. The business internet providers with published fees charge $100–$200 for installation. Other providers don’t publish that fee at all, so you may need to phone in for an exact quote.

The Frontier advantage

All Frontier Fiber plans for business come with a next-gen Wi-Fi 6E router designed to accommodate today’s higher speeds and emit signals over longer distances. With Frontier, you can be doubly sure that you have thorough wireless coverage where you work all day, every day.

Frontier Fiber has the lowest published installation fee among the group at $95 — and if you sign up at just the right time, you may even get it for free just by ordering online.

Phone bundles

For most small businesses, phone service isn’t a nice option; it’s a requirement. Among the best business internet providers, the primary business phone offer includes a VoIP (digital) landline, mobile plan, or both.

With some providers, bundling business phone actually lowers your total bill. But watch out for conditional terms with that price reduction, e.g., how long that rate is guaranteed and whether a contract is required. And don’t forget to factor in potentially hidden installation and router fees.

With other business internet providers, bundling still saves you money on the costs of standalone voice service, with bundle rates running $15–$45/mo. over the internet price.

Another factor to consider with phone service: not all business phone plans include unlimited nationwide calling. Unlimited nationwide calling will save you from a lot of piecemeal charges in these common scenarios: (1) people can order your goods or services from anywhere, (2) you routinely work with out-of-state suppliers, or (3) any of your in-area customers use out-of-area cell phone numbers (they do).

The Frontier advantage

Frontier Business Voice offers a competitive rate on business VoIP, with bundle rates starting at $19.99/mo. above sticker price on 1 and 2 Gig plans. Business Voice always includes unlimited local and nationwide calling so you can easily operate the way business is done today.

Annual contract

For most small business owners, month-to-month, no-contract internet is the most appealing plan there is. It’s flexible, respectful, and doesn’t force you to pay penalty fees if your needs change.

Fiber providers on this list were the most likely to offer no-contract plans as a standard benefit with all business plans. Keep in mind that pricing and contract terms may differ for business phone service and other add-ons — you’ll need to check the fine print or call in for details.

Providers on our list with a contract all offer a no-contract option but with an upcharge of at least $10/mo. on top of the base price (before router fees). Contract lengths are a concern too, as they can run up to 3 years on plans with the highest speeds — and the highest rates. That’s a big gamble.

The Frontier advantage

Between fiber and cable providers, Frontier is the only provider in many areas to offer no annual contract as a basic benefit for all business internet plans, without requiring a higher price to get that benefit.

Data caps & tech support

All five of our providers offer truly unlimited data on cable and fiber internet for business. That means they have zero hard data caps with penalty charges for going over the limit, and no soft data caps with reduced speeds either. With cable and fiber providers, you have infinite data to collab in Zoom, rake in the Square payments, and create flyers in Canva.

The best internet providers for business also offer round-the-clock assistance with technical issues  because they know every moment is crucial. All the providers on our list offer 24/7 technical support so nightlife businesses are covered — and so is any solopreneur burning the midnight oil.

The Frontier advantage

Frontier Fiber offers unlimited data over a highly reliable fiber network. If trouble comes knocking anyway, Frontier offers 24/7 technical support to help identify and fix the issue.

Additional business services

The best business internet providers offer additional services to help you smooth out some of your operations and create opportunities where they didn’t exist before. Below you’ll find some of the most common business add-ons from internet providers. Pricing availability is hit-and-miss with this group, so be prepared to request a quote.

• Business TV. All providers on our list either offer TV on their own network or partner with a third-party provider to place both orders at once.
• Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS). More than just a business phone plan, UCaaS is a cloud communications tool that merges chat/messaging, emails, audio and video calls, and more into one platform.
• Security suites. Most business internet providers build security features into your connection. However, premium security add-ons offer even more protection, with products including VPN, static IP, device protection, and more.
• Premium tech support. If you’d like expedited calls and visits, IT support for third-party workplace equipment (e.g., computers, tablets), and similar benefits, premium tech support is where you’ll find it. 
• Internet backup. Every moment matters, and backup internet service keeps you covered if the Wi-Fi or power goes out. Most backup services run on wireless/cellular network signals and battery power.

The Frontier advantage

Frontier offers all five of the popular business add-ons listed above. Frontier Secure Pro stands out among competitors with protection on up to 35 devices — versus the 5 devices offered by one competitor.

Compare the best internet providers for business 2024

For small businesses

Data effective 5/6/24. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.

	Frontier Fiber	AT&T Fiber	Verizon Fios	Spectrum	Xfinity
Network type	100% fiber	100% fiber	100% fiber	Copper + fiber	Copper + fiber
Speeds	500 Mbps–2 Gigs	300 Mbps–5 Gigs	200 Mbps–2 Gigs	300 Mbps–1 Gig	50 Mbps–1.2 Gigs
Pricing	$69.99/mo.–$129.99/mo.	$70/mo.–$285/mo.	$69.99/mo.–139.99/mo.	$49.99/mo.–$129.99/mo.	$49.99/mo.–$334.99/mo.
Wi-Fi router fee	Included	Included	Call for pricing	Included	$22.95/mo.
Installation fee	$95	Call for pricing	Call for pricing	Call for pricing	$199.95
Phone bundle	+$19.99/mo.	+30–45/mo.	-$10/mo.	-$10/mo.	+$15–20/mo.
Annual contract	No contract	No contract	2 years	1 year	2–3 years
Data	No data caps	No data caps	No data caps	No data caps	No data caps
Technical support	24/7	24/7	24/7	24/7	24/7
Business add-ons	TV, UCaaS, security, premium tech support, internet backup	TV, UCaaS, security, internet backup	TV, security, premium tech support	TV, UCaaS, security, internet backup	TV, cloud apps, security

Frontier leads the pack 

In best business internet providers

Frontier Fiber for Business offers the highest starting speed on the market at 500 Mbps, equal uploads and downloads in every plan, 2.4x lower network latency than the competition, and comparable or better pricing megabit for megabit.

With Frontier, your next-gen, Wi-Fi 6E router is included in your plan, as are unlimited data and 24/7 technical support. All this with no annual contract, ever, and installation at a one-time fee of just $95 — or $0, if you catch one of our time-limited offers for free installation.

Frontier business phone service comes with unlimited nationwide calling, as well it should, and is just the start of the Frontier add-on communications services that can boost your business performance.

Last but not least: Frontier won 2023 Broadband Service Provider of the Year at Leading Lights Awards and 2023 Product of the Year at the 13th Annual Best in Biz Awards.

Sound good to you? If yes, it might be time to switch to Frontier.