9 Best Internet Providers in Ithaca, NY

Compare Providers Ranked by Coverage, Speed, and Customer Ratings

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

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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 Ithaca ratings may vary and are shown below.

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3. Ithaca, NY Internet Service Providers

Who is the Best Internet Provider in Ithaca, NY?

The chart and table below show average customer ratings from customers in Ithaca, New York, and customers throughout the country.

Top Rated Internet Providers in Ithaca

Local, State, and National Ratings for all Ithaca Internet Providers

Based on 285 reviews from New York internet customers, Dryden Fiber is the best internet service provider for Ithaca residents. Dryden Fiber was rated at an average of 5.00 out of 5 in our report for overall customer satisfaction. EarthLink wins for second-place in New York, with 3.00 out of 5 stars and 11.4% coverage in Ithaca.

At a national level, based on 2952 national reviews for any of the providers listed above, T-Mobile Home Internet is rated higher than any other provider, with a rating of 4.02 out of 5.

Who is the Fastest Internet Provider in Ithaca?

Data Reported to FCC by ISPs: Average Maximum Available in Ithaca

	ISP / Tech Type	Max Advertised Speed
	Haefele Connect	2,000 Mbps
	Fiberspark	2,000 Mbps
	Dryden Fiber	1,000 Mbps
	Empire Access	1,000 Mbps
	Spectrum	1,000 Mbps
	EarthLink	940 Mbps
	Verizon	940 Mbps
	Frontier Communications	115 Mbps
	T-Mobile Home Internet	100 Mbps
	Viasat	100 Mbps
	HughesNet	25 Mbps

Customer Ratings for Internet Provider Speeds in Ithaca

Based on data reported by Ithaca ISPs to the FCC, the fastest speeds in the city are available through Fiberspark. The company offers speeds up to 2,000 Mbps in Ithaca. Therefore, the average customer can get up to 2,000 Mbps if they're willing to purchase the fastest subscription tier available at their homes.

Additionally, actual customers in the city rated their satisfaction with internet speed highest with Dryden Fiber. This indicates Dryden Fiber reliably delivers speeds expected by the customer based on the plan they are paying for.

Who is the Cheapest Internet Provider in Ithaca?

New York 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 5.00 out of 5, which is much higher than the average across all internet providers in the country. Dryden Fiber is rated in second place for affordability by the company’s Ithaca customers with an average price rating of 5.00 out of 5.

The chart and graph below show how customers in Ithaca, New York, and the United States rated the affordability of their internet service.

Rated Affordability in Ithaca

Ithaca 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 city 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 Ithaca below, including the metrics used and how Ithaca compares to the rest of New York and nation.

Ithaca ISP Report Card: C-

	Metric (hover for details)	Ithaca	New York	USA
	Fiber Availability Percent The percentage of households in Ithaca that have a Fiber internet connection available to their home.	38.50%	83.33%	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.	1,281 Mbps	4,072 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 Ithaca.	3.4	4.9	6.8

 

Ithaca Digital Connectivity Index: 69 / 100

	Metric (hover for details)	Ithaca	New York	USA
	Average Household SizeA larger household size in a city indicates that there will be a greater need for bandwidth due to simultaneous usage, multiple devices, and network congestion.	2.0	2.7	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.	23%	13%	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.	90%	90%	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%	76%	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.	94%	77%	76%

Ithaca ISP Report Card & Digital Connectivity Index

The ISP Report Card in Ithaca is C-, which is much better than other cities. The local demand for broadband internet connectivity in Ithaca is high with a score of 69 / 100 in our Digital Connectivity Index. This means that internet service providers operating in Ithaca have done a good job meeting the needs of its residents.

The Ithaca ISP Report Card evaluates the city on availability and speed metrics compared to other cities in the United States. ISP Infrastructure can vary greatly and on its own isn’t a perfect measure of what a city 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.

90% of Ithaca households have an internet connection while having 86.66% availability. 81% of households have fiber, cable, or DSL, 3% have satellite, 0% are still on dial-up, and 8% 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, 94% subscribe to it. A very large amount of Ithaca 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 Cities Compare to Ithaca?

How Much Speed does a Ithaca Household Need?

Higher speed is typically preferred, but that comes at a higher price. The average size of a household in Ithaca is 2.0, which is smaller than the New York average of 2.7 and smaller than the national average of 2.7. Ithaca's average household income is $76,101 which is lower than the New York average of $98,794 and about average for the national average of $90,606. Homes with fewer people living in them and with higher incomes tend to indicate a fairly average device usage pattern.

Ithaca also has 44% of its population enrolled in school between the 6th grade and college level, this is higher than the New York average of 16%. Additionally, 23% of residents work from home, which is higher than the 13% of residents in New York who work from home. This and other factors you can see above show us that the community of Ithaca has a high need for internet connectivity and speeds.

Compared to the rest of the country, Ithaca households are much more technology-engaged. 97% of households have some sort of computing device, 95% 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 Ithaca?

Which Cable Internet Providers are Available in Ithaca?

Which DSL Internet Providers are Available in Ithaca?

Which Fixed Wireless and LTE Internet Providers are Available in Ithaca?

Which ISP Should You Choose in Ithaca?

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 Ithaca is Dryden Fiber.
• The fastest internet provider should be Fiberspark. Considering speed for the money and reliability in speeds, Dryden Fiber may be a better choice based on real-world local customer feedback.
• The most affordable internet provider in Ithaca is T-Mobile Home Internet.
• HughesNet, Viasat, and Spectrum has the broadest coverage in Ithaca, 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 Ithaca compare to other cities with a similar population?

To see how Ithaca 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 Ithaca's C- ISP Report Card and 69 / 100 Digital Connectivity Index.

Customer Reviews

Customer Reviews for Internet Service Providers in New York