How to pick the right broadband plan for your home

Most people pick a broadband plan based on advertised speed alone. That's usually the wrong starting point. Here's how to think about it.

Start with how many people use it

A single person streaming, working, and gaming on one device is happy on 30 Mbps. A family of four with multiple TVs, work-from-home calls, and a few smart-home devices needs at least 100 Mbps to feel snappy at peak times.

Watch the upload speed

Most consumer broadband is asymmetric — fast download, slow upload. If you do video calls, upload photos, back up to the cloud, or game, upload matters as much as download. Our plans are symmetric, so you don't have to think about it.

Read the data fine print

"Unlimited" often comes with a Fair Usage Policy (FUP) that throttles you after a quota. We don't do FUP — unlimited means unlimited, all month, every month. If you stream a lot or have a household full of devices, ask any ISP about FUP before signing.

Our recommendation

For most homes, the Family plan at 100 Mbps is the right balance of speed and price. Solo apartments do well on Starter; large households or anyone with home servers should look at Pro for the static IP.