What is the best internet provider in Winter Haven?

Offering wide coverage and low costs for residential broadband, Spectrum is CNET's top pick for internet service in Winter Haven, Florida. Spectrum also comes with simple service details, including unlimited data and free equipment, meaning you won't have to worry about added fees. That being said, Frontier and T-Mobile also serve select Winter Havenites and are worth checking out if they're available at your address.

If you're looking for the most affordable service in Winter Haven, Spectrum offers plans that won't break your budget: $30 for 100Mbps and $50 for 500Mbps.

Have a need for speed? Frontier Fiber leaves competition in the dust with its 5-gigabit plan, which costs $155 a month with no data caps or equipment fees. Frontier also offers a 2-gigabit plan for $100 if 5,000Mbps is more speed than you need.

Best internet in Winter Haven, Florida, in 2024

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

How to find internet deals and promotions in Winter Haven

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

Winter Haven internet providers, such as Spectrum, may offer lower introductory pricing or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Others, however, such as Frontier and Verizon, 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 FCC. 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, streaming low-quality video.
• 5 to 40Mbps gives you higher-quality video streaming and videoconferencing.
• 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 to two people to simultaneously engage in high-bandwidth activities like videoconferencing, 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 Winter Haven

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. So 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.

But 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?

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 selecting the cheapest internet service, we look for the plans with the lowest monthly fee, though 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 consider 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 Winter Haven FAQs