Best Internet Providers in Aiken, South Carolina

What is the best internet provider in Aiken?

The fiber internet coverage in Aiken is increasing and if your home has access to it, fiber internet is the best choice for most. AT&T Fiber is CNET’s pick for the best internet service provider in Aiken. It gets the top spot because it offers speeds going up to 5,000Mbps at reasonable prices, and also has high reliability. You also don’t have to face the hassles of contracts or data limits, nor do you have to pay for equipment rental, making it a great deal.

If you live outside the coverage areas of AT&T, you can opt for one of the other options like Breezeline, Xfinity or T-Mobile, especially if affordability is a factor. Breezeline and Xfinity have some affordable internet plans starting at just $20 and $30, respectively. Xfinity offers a slightly higher speed of 150Mbps compared to 100Mbps from Breezeline, but equipment costs may be higher with Xfinity and a 1.2TB data cap may apply.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

How to find internet deals and promotions in Aiken

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

Aiken internet providers, such as Xfinity, may offer lower introductory pricing or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Many, including AT&T Fiber, Breezeline and T-Mobile Home Internet, run the same standard pricing year-round. 

For a more extensive list of deals, 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 video conferencing, 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 video conferencing.
• 40 to 100Mbps should give one person sufficient bandwidth to satisfy the demands of modern telecommuting, video streaming and online gaming. 
• 100 to 500Mbps allows one or two people to simultaneously engage in high-bandwidth activities like video conferencing, streaming and online gaming. 
• 500 to 1,000Mbps allows three or more people to engage in high-bandwidth activities at the same time.

How CNET chose the best internet providers in Aiken, South Carolina

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 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?

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 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 consider real-world speed data from sources like Ookla and FCC reports. (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 Aiken, South Carolina, FAQs