Best Internet Providers in Bloomington, Indiana

What is the best internet provider in Bloomington?

AT&T Fiber is the best internet service provider in Bloomington, Indiana. The broad fiber coverage, high customer satisfaction and consumer-friendly service terms, such as unlimited data and free equipment rental, make AT&T Fiber the Bloomington area’s premier provider. 

Xfinity is another solid choice for home internet in Bloomington and boasts far greater availability than AT&T Fiber, although that coverage comes via a cable internet network. Among Xfinity’s plan selection is a 150 megabits per second speed tier starting at $20 per month, the cheapest internet plan of any major ISP in Bloomington. 

Xfinity also offers a decent high-speed internet plan with download speeds up to 1,200Mbps, but AT&T Fiber holds the title as the fastest in Bloomington, thanks to its multigigabit speeds. AT&T Fiber’s fastest plan delivers up to 5,000Mbps at the recently discounted monthly rate of $245 and comes with the benefit of symmetrical upload and download speeds.

Aside from AT&T and Xfinity, fixed wireless internet from T-Mobile Home Internet or Verizon 5G Home Internet and fiber internet from local provider Smithville are worth checking out. Smithville offers a competitively priced gig plan while Verizon 5G Home Internet and T-Mobile Home Internet feature customer-friendly service terms and a potential discount for mobile customers.

Best internet in Bloomington, Indiana

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

How to find internet deals and promotions in Bloomington

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

Bloomington internet providers, such as Xfinity, may offer lower introductory pricing or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Many providers, including AT&T Fiber and Smithville, 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 Federal Communications Commission. 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 and 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 Bloomington

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. 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.

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 it comes to selecting the cheapest internet service, we look for the plans with the lowest monthly fee, although 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 also take into account real-world speed data from sources like Ookla and FCC reports.

To explore our process in more depth, visit our how we test ISPs page.

Internet providers in Bloomington FAQs

Which internet provider in Bloomington offers the fastest plan?

AT&T Fiber offers the fastest internet plans in Bloomington, with speeds up to 5,000Mbps starting at $245 per month and 2,000Mbps for $145 monthly. Its plans feature symmetrical upload and download speeds and the reliability of a 100% fiber-optic network.