9 Best Internet Providers in Beaufort County, SC

Compare Providers Ranked by Coverage, Speed, and Customer Ratings

Above are the top 4 providers in Beaufort County, SC for most people based on high speed internet coverage, speeds, and customer reviews. Click below to see all providers in your county.

All Providers

Speed and technology may vary by address for all providers. Please note we may have a financial relationship with some of the providers above, which does not impact the customer ratings displayed. Customer ratings listed above are national ratings, local Beaufort County ratings may vary and are shown below.

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3. Beaufort County, SC Internet Service Providers
   

Who is the Best Internet Provider in Beaufort County, SC?

EarthLink is the best internet provider in Beaufort County based on South Carolina customer satisfaction ratings and reviews. Based on our extensive and unbiased survey, EarthLink had the best reviews at the local, state, and national levels versus all available providers in Beaufort County, making it a solid recommendation among providers with reviews. EarthLink is an option for 66.16% of the county.

The chart and table below show average customer ratings from customers in Beaufort County, South Carolina, and customers throughout the country.

Top Rated Internet Providers in Beaufort County

Local, State, and National Ratings for all Beaufort County Internet Providers

Based on 97 reviews from South Carolina internet customers, EarthLink is the best internet service provider for Beaufort County residents. EarthLink was rated at an average of 5.00 out of 5 in our report for overall customer satisfaction. Verizon wins for second-place in South Carolina, with 4.42 out of 5 stars and 47.2% coverage in Beaufort County.

At a national level, based on 6025 national reviews for any of the providers listed above, Hotwire Communications is rated higher than any other provider, with a rating of 3.70 out of 5.

Who is the Fastest Internet Provider in Beaufort County?

According to unbiased feedback from real internet customers in the county, they reported being happiest with speeds provided by T-Mobile Home Internet. On the other hand, based on data provided by the internet providers to the FCC, Hotwire Communications should have faster speeds at a local level. While we typically put more weight on real-world customer ratings, we display both satisfaction and technical maximum information for customers to decide for themselves.

Data Reported to FCC by ISPs: Average Maximum Available in Beaufort County

	ISP / Tech Type	Max Advertised Speed
	Hotwire Communications	8,000 Mbps
	XFINITY from Comcast	2,000 Mbps
	Brightspeed	2,000 Mbps
	Spectrum	1,000 Mbps
	Sparklight	1,000 Mbps
	Verizon	300 Mbps
	AT&T	100 Mbps
	EarthLink	100 Mbps
	T-Mobile Home Internet	100 Mbps
	Viasat	100 Mbps
	HughesNet	25 Mbps

Customer Ratings for Internet Provider Speeds in Beaufort County

Based on data reported by Beaufort County ISPs to the FCC, the fastest speeds in the county are available through Hotwire Communications. The company offers speeds up to 8,000 Mbps in Beaufort County. Therefore, the average customer can get up to 7,393 Mbps if they're willing to purchase the fastest subscription tier available at their homes.

Additionally, actual customers in the county rated their satisfaction with internet speed highest with T-Mobile Home Internet. This indicates T-Mobile Home Internet reliably delivers speeds expected by the customer based on the plan they are paying for.

Who is the Cheapest Internet Provider in Beaufort County?

South Carolina customers rate T-Mobile Home Internet as the cheapest internet service provider in state. Data comes from customers in the state rating their satisfaction with pricing. This feedback is valuable because it considers price changes and whether the speeds paid for are worth it.

T-Mobile Home Internet received a local rating of 4.33 out of 5, which is about average for the average across all internet providers in the country. EarthLink is rated in second place for affordability by the company’s Beaufort County customers with an average price rating of 4.00 out of 5.

The chart and graph below show how customers in Beaufort County, South Carolina, and the United States rated the affordability of their internet service.

Rated Affordability in Beaufort County

Beaufort County Internet Health Assessment

ISP Reports evaluates the technological infrastructure across the United States. This includes assessing a grade for ISP providers and infrastructure in the county and setting an index number for the digital connectivity of its residents. You can view the ISP Report Card and the Digital Connectivity Index for Beaufort County below, including the metrics used and how Beaufort County compares to the rest of South Carolina and nation.

Beaufort County ISP Report Card: B-

	Metric (hover for details)	Beaufort County	South Carolina	USA
	Fiber Availability Percent The percentage of households in Beaufort County that have a Fiber internet connection available to their home.	70.71%	70.02%	67.25%
	Average Download SpeedThe maximum download speed most households can get on average. This is measured by availability in a block group and weighted by the population in that area.	1,839 Mbps	3,075 Mbps	3,293 Mbps
	Provider CountThe number of providers available for most people. This is a weighted average by block rather than a total for Beaufort County.	5.8	6.3	6.8

 

Beaufort County Digital Connectivity Index: 74 / 100

	Metric (hover for details)	Beaufort County	South Carolina	USA
	Average Household SizeA larger household size in a county indicates that there will be a greater need for bandwidth due to simultaneous usage, multiple devices, and network congestion.	2.5	2.5	2.7
	Work From Home PercentA higher percent of the population working from home indicates bandwidth requirements being more widely needed rather than consolidated to commercial portions of the city.	13%	11%	14%
	Households with DevicesA higher percentage of households with computing devices in the home indicates a higher level of infrastructure needed to support those households.	97%	94%	95%
	Households with InternetA higher percentage of households with internet indicates a higher need for usage and connectivity in people’s daily lives.	92%	88%	90%
	Households with BroadbandA higher percentage of households with a broadband connection (defined as speeds above 25 Mbps) indicates heavier usage needs within these households.	81%	71%	75%
	Broadband Usage vs. AvailabilityThis measures what percentage of households who have a broadband connection to their home actually have an active subscription to that service.	85%	73%	76%

Beaufort County ISP Report Card & Digital Connectivity Index

The ISP Report Card in Beaufort County is B-, which is much better than other counties. The local demand for broadband internet connectivity in Beaufort County is high with a score of 74 / 100 in our Digital Connectivity Index. This means that internet service providers operating in Beaufort County have done a good job meeting the needs of its residents.

The Beaufort County ISP Report Card evaluates the county on availability and speed metrics compared to other counties in the United States. ISP Infrastructure can vary greatly and on its own isn’t a perfect measure of what a county needs. Please see our ISP Report Card along with the Digital Connectivity Index above to evaluate how well the connectivity demand is met by the existing infrastructure.

92% of Beaufort County households have an internet connection despite having 95.68% availability. 81% of households have fiber, cable, or DSL, 9% have satellite, 0% are still on dial-up, and 4% of households have internet but don’t pay for a subscription because it’s subsidized by the Affordable Connectivity Program.

As you can see in the table above, while 81% of households have a broadband connection such as fiber, cable or DSL available to their home, 85% subscribe to it. A very large amount of Beaufort County residents are taking advantage of the available internet infrastructure.

For more details, please visit our ISP Report Card and Digital Connectivity Index pages.

How do Neighboring Counties Compare to Beaufort County?

How Much Speed does a Beaufort County Household Need?

Higher speed is typically preferred, but that comes at a higher price. The average size of a household in Beaufort County is 2.5, which is larger than the South Carolina average of 2.5 and smaller than the national average of 2.7. Beaufort County's average household income is $89,899 which is much higher than the South Carolina average of $74,922 and higher than the national average of $90,606. Homes with more people living in them and with higher incomes tend to indicate more devices being used more often.

Beaufort County also has 12% of its population enrolled in school between the 6th grade and college level, this is lower than the South Carolina average of 15%. Additionally, 13% of residents work from home, which is higher than the 11% of residents in South Carolina who work from home. This and other factors you can see above show us that the community of Beaufort County has a very high need for internet connectivity and speeds.

Compared to the rest of the country, Beaufort County households are much more technology-engaged. 97% of households have some sort of computing device, 88% have desktops or laptops in the home, and 95% have smartphones. To see what speeds you are currently getting, please visit our internet speed test tool.

Which Fiber Internet Providers are Available in Beaufort County?

Which Cable Internet Providers are Available in Beaufort County?

Which DSL Internet Providers are Available in Beaufort County?

Which Fixed Wireless and LTE Internet Providers are Available in Beaufort County?

Which ISP Should You Choose in Beaufort County?

The right ISP for you depends upon your needs, but in general we can make the following suggestions:

• The best all-around internet service provider in Beaufort County is EarthLink.
• The fastest internet provider should be Hotwire Communications. Considering speed for the money and reliability in speeds, T-Mobile Home Internet may be a better choice based on real-world local customer feedback.
• The most affordable internet provider in Beaufort County is T-Mobile Home Internet.
• Viasat, Sparklight, and HughesNet has the broadest coverage in Beaufort County, and is most likely to cover your home. To find out exactly what's available at your home, please use our address search tool.

How does Beaufort County compare to other cities with a similar population?

To see how Beaufort County stacks up on the national level, it's useful to look at some other cities with similarly sized populations. Below you can see a list of these cities and how they compare to Beaufort County's B- ISP Report Card and 74 / 100 Digital Connectivity Index.