Satellite Internet Providers in Seattle

Hughesnet and Viasat are the best satellite internet options in Seattle. These two satellite ISPs are usually slower than Starlink and its Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellation, but they tend to have better coverage. In fact, Hughesnet and Viasat are available all over the U.S., including 99% of Seattle.

Even better: Viasat and Hughesnet can deliver download speeds comparable to Starlink—100Mbps from Viasat and 50Mbps for Hughesnet. They’ve both raised their data caps, too. Viasat’s highest-level plan now offers up to 500GB of priority data, which is a great option for video streaming and other heavy-duty internet usage.

Hughesnet is a great choice for customers on a budget and who only need limited data for light internet use—like social media and email.

Seattle is home to three great ISPs offering high-speed cable or fiber internet. Xfinity, CenturyLink, and Ziply Fiber have fast download speeds and are each available throughout the majority of Seattle.

Xfinity reaches 99% of Seattle with cable internet service up to 2,000Mbps. CenturyLink’s Seattle fiber internet speeds go up to 940Mbps and covers 97% of the city. Ziply Fiber has a little less coverage (only 81% availability), but it still has superfast speeds of up to 10,000Mbps.

Keep in mind that no matter which Seattle internet provider you choose, your exact download speeds, plans, and pricing depend on where you live. 

You’ve seen our top picks for the most available internet in Seattle, but some of the ISPs with the best coverage in Seattle also have the fastest internet in Seattle.

Depending on your specific home address in Seattle, you can choose some of the fastest internet options, like ultrafast 10Gbps fiber from Ziply Fiber.

Xfinity covers 99% of Seattle with its fast cable internet, delivering typical top speeds of 1,200Mbps. Even faster speeds of 2,000Mbps are available in some areas. To learn more about Xfinity, check out our Best Cable Providers article.

Ziply Fiber is the champion for fastest fiber internet in Seattle, and fastest provider overall. Ziply Fiber delivers speeds up to 10,000Mbps or 10Gbps, while CenturyLink fiber internet tops out at 940Mbps. But Ziply Fiber is available in only 81% of Seattle. Check your home address to see which Ziply Fiber plans or other fast internet plans you can get.

If you want satellite internet in Seattle or its out-of-the-way surrounding areas, Viasat is the fastest and most available option, with speeds up to 100Mbps, depending on your home’s location. But if you’re watching your budget, just remember that satellite internet is usually more expensive than fiber or cable internet.

Want to save money on your Seattle home internet service? Good news for your bank account: There are a few great choices for lower-cost internet in Seattle.

These are our top choices for the best cheap internet plans in Seattle, listed from least to most expensive plans. Ziply Fiber tops the list, as it not only delivers the fastest internet in Seattle, but also offers the cheapest.

Ziply Fiber’s 100/100 plan is a low-cost fiber internet plan that gives you speedy 100Mbps service for only $10 per month. That’s a great deal, especially compared to the Astound Broadband fiber plan that costs $25 a month and has a data cap of 400GB.

Xfinity also has a lower-cost cable internet plan called Xfinity Connect that’s available in Seattle for a special price of $30.00 per month for 150Mbps. 

AT&T recently launched AT&T Internet Air, its new fixed wireless internet offering. This network delivers internet over the AT&T 5G network and is available in Seattle and a few other cities. AT&T Internet Air is only $47 a month if you have a qualifying AT&T wireless phone plan. Its regular price is $60 a month.

T-Mobile Home Internet is another fixed wireless option. With faster speeds than AT&T Internet Air, depending on where you live, T-Mobile Home Internet could be the fastest low-cost Seattle internet option. But to get that $30-a-month price, you need an eligible T-Mobile phone plan to go with your home internet. Regular pricing for T-Mobile Home Internet alone is $50 a month.

Keep in mind that fixed wireless internet works like cellular data for your home, just like a smartphone but via a home Wi-Fi router. So the speeds are slower than cable or fiber internet.

Hughesnet is our recommended plan for lower-cost satellite internet. But keep in mind that the $49.99 a month cost is just an introductory offer. After 12 months, the cost goes up to $74.99 a month (a cost increase of $25.00 per month). So this low-cost satellite internet plan is still more expensive than the other low-cost internet options on this list.

Be sure to check your home address to see which low-cost Seattle internet plans and pricing are available where you live.

It’s great to save money on your internet service, but sometimes the slower speeds or high-speed data limits of cheap plans aren’t worth the frustration. Only get a cheap, low-speed internet plan if you’re a casual internet user who mainly goes online to check social media or send emails.

In case you’re considering satellite internet, remember that satellite plans typically have high-speed data caps. Plan ahead for how much internet data you need based on the number of people in your home.

CenturyLink, Ziply Fiber, Astound Broadband, and Google Fiber all offer fiber internet in Seattle. The most widely available Seattle fiber internet services are CenturyLink (available in 97% of Seattle), and Ziply Fiber (81%).

Astound Broadband has competitive pricing and fast speeds up to 1,500Mbps, but its service has limited availability—only 55% coverage in Seattle. And Google Fiber, despite its relatively low price of $63.00 a month for 1,000Mbps, is available in only 49% of the city.

Check out the list below for all fiber internet providers in Seattle.

• CenturyLink
• Ziply Fiber
• Astound Broadband
• Google Fiber Webpass

Seattle is America’s 18th largest city and home to major tech companies like Amazon, so it makes sense that there are a lot of ISPs delivering high-speed internet service to The Emerald City.

Here's a look at internet service in Seattle and where you can find it.

• According to SpeedTest, as of July 2023, Seattle internet users had a median fixed internet connection download speed of 107.35Mbps.
• As of 2018, a Seattle city government study found that 95% of Seattle households were connected to the internet—but 45% of lower-income households said their internet access was not adequate or only sometimes adequate for their needs.
• In July 2020, the Seattle City Council passed the Internet for All Resolution, devoted to improving digital equity with programs like free public Wi-Fi, free internet for nonprofit organizations, and low-income internet programs.

Cities in Seattle, Washington—King County

Seattle is home to iconic photo opps like the Space Needle and Pike Place Market, as well as beautiful forests and mountains. So on your next visit, you can stay connected to the internet with Seattle’s extensive public Wi-Fi. In lieu of that, you can also use your cellular data or own mobile hotspot, or head to one of these places to post about your adventures.

• Delridge Community Center
• Garfield Community Center
• Hiawatha Community Center
• Jefferson Community Center
• Rainier Community Center
• Queen Anne Community Center
• Yesler Community Center

All 26 Seattle park community centers offer free public Wi-Fi.

• Four Points by Sheraton Downtown Seattle Center
• Hilton Seattle
• Hotel Five
• Residence Inn by Marriott Seattle Downtown/Convention Center
• Sheraton Grand Seattle
• Warwick Seattle

Many Seattle hotels offer free Wi-Fi to guests in the lobby. But if you’re not a guest, don’t assume that you can get free Wi-Fi; many hotels require a guest-only pass code to access public Wi-Fi networks.

• Beacon Hill Branch Library
• Capitol Hill Branch Library
• Central Library
• Dakota Place Park Building
• Douglass-Truth Branch Library
• International District-Chinatown Branch Library
• Madrona-Sally Goldmark Branch Library
• Magnolia Branch Library
• Queen Anne Branch Library
• West Seattle Branch Library

• Arts at King Street Station
• Garfield Teen Life Center
• King County Administration Building
• Seattle Center Armory Building
• Seattle City Hall
• Seattle Convention Center
• Seattle-Tacoma (SEATAC) International Airport

The City of Seattle offers free public Wi-Fi at numerous public buildings and community centers throughout the city. Check out Seattle’s free public Wi-Fi map to find connectivity near you. Free Wi-Fi has become more common at Seattle coffee shops, bars, and restaurants, too. 

When using public Wi-Fi networks, you may have concerns about information security risks. Public networks are generally safe, especially if you’re using an encrypted connection—check for the lock icon in your browser address bar, to the left of the website URL. But if you want to be extra cautious, avoid entering important personal details while using free public Wi-Fi.

1. Verizon
2. AT&T
3. T-Mobile
4. Visible
5. US Mobile

According to CoverageCritic, Verizon has the best cell coverage in Seattle (8.8 out of 10 rating),  and Visible and US Mobile, which both use the Verizon network, rank highly among low-cost carriers in Seattle. Other providers like AT&T (8.6) and T-Mobile (8.2) are almost as reliable.

Seattle is a major metro area with plenty of cell towers. So if you have a cell phone plan from a big national mobile carrier, you probably don’t need to worry about staying connected to cellular data while in the Emerald City.

Since Seattle gets strong cell coverage from these major providers, Verizon home internet, T-Mobile home internet, or the newly launched AT&T Internet Air could be good options for Seattle fixed wireless home internet.

There are a few good choices for home internet if you live in Seattle suburbs or nearby towns or rural communities. AT&T and T-Mobile offer fixed wireless internet for homes not served by cable or fiber, and satellite internet providers like HughesNet and Viasat cover 99% of the U.S.

According to Numbeo, the average cost of Seattle internet service is $78.65 per month—assuming at least 60Mbps with unlimited data.

There are four fiber internet service providers in Seattle that serve consumer households: CenturyLink, Ziply Fiber, Astound Broadband, and Google Fiber Webpass.

According to HighSpeedInternet.com, the average download speed in the state of Washington is 121.3Mbps.