8 Best Internet Providers in Rapides Parish, LA

Compare Providers Ranked by Coverage, Speed, and Customer Ratings

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

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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 Rapides Parish ratings may vary and are shown below.

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3. Rapides Parish, LA Internet Service Providers
   

Who is the Best Internet Provider in Rapides Parish, LA?

AT&T is the best internet provider in Rapides Parish based on Louisiana customer satisfaction ratings and reviews. Based on our extensive and unbiased survey, AT&T had the best reviews at the local, state, and national levels versus all available providers in Rapides Parish, making it a solid recommendation among providers with reviews. AT&T is an option for 80.79% of the county.

The chart and table below show average customer ratings from customers in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, and customers throughout the country.

Top Rated Internet Providers in Rapides Parish

Local, State, and National Ratings for all Rapides Parish Internet Providers

Based on 58 reviews from Louisiana internet customers, AT&T is the best internet service provider for Rapides Parish residents. AT&T was rated at an average of 3.83 out of 5 in our report for overall customer satisfaction. Optimum wins for second-place in Louisiana, with 2.00 out of 5 stars and 87.1% coverage in Rapides Parish.

At a national level, based on 2323 national reviews for any of the providers listed above, SwyftConnect is rated higher than any other provider, with a rating of 2.81 out of 5.

Who is the Fastest Internet Provider in Rapides Parish?

According to unbiased feedback from real internet customers in the county, they reported being happiest with speeds provided by Optimum. On the other hand, based on data provided by the internet providers to the FCC, MetroNet 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 Rapides Parish

	ISP / Tech Type	Max Advertised Speed
	MetroNet	5,120 Mbps
	AT&T	5,000 Mbps
	EarthLink	5,000 Mbps
	SwyftConnect	1,000 Mbps
	Optimum	940 Mbps
	Verizon	300 Mbps
	Brightspeed	100 Mbps
	T-Mobile Home Internet	100 Mbps
	Viasat	100 Mbps
	HughesNet	25 Mbps

Customer Ratings for Internet Provider Speeds in Rapides Parish

Based on data reported by Rapides Parish ISPs to the FCC, the fastest speeds in the county are available through MetroNet. The company offers speeds up to 5,120 Mbps in Rapides Parish. Therefore, the average customer can get up to 2,778 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 Optimum. This indicates Optimum reliably delivers speeds expected by the customer based on the plan they are paying for.

Who is the Cheapest Internet Provider in Rapides Parish?

Louisiana customers rate AT&T 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.

AT&T received a local rating of 4.00 out of 5, which is lower than the average across all internet providers in the country. Optimum is rated in second place for affordability by the company’s Rapides Parish customers with an average price rating of 1.50 out of 5.

The chart and graph below show how customers in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, and the United States rated the affordability of their internet service.

Rated Affordability in Rapides Parish

Rapides Parish 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 Rapides Parish below, including the metrics used and how Rapides Parish compares to the rest of Louisiana and nation.

Rapides Parish ISP Report Card: C+

	Metric (hover for details)	Rapides Parish	Louisiana	USA
	Fiber Availability Percent The percentage of households in Rapides Parish that have a Fiber internet connection available to their home.	52.29%	63.58%	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.	2,140 Mbps	3,179 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 Rapides Parish.	5.2	6.8	6.8

 

Rapides Parish Digital Connectivity Index: 44 / 100

	Metric (hover for details)	Rapides Parish	Louisiana	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.	2.6	2.6	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.	6%	8%	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.	92%	93%	95%
	Households with InternetA higher percentage of households with internet indicates a higher need for usage and connectivity in people’s daily lives.	86%	85%	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.	61%	66%	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.	62%	68%	76%

Rapides Parish ISP Report Card & Digital Connectivity Index

The ISP Report Card in Rapides Parish is C+, which is comparable to other counties. The local demand for broadband internet connectivity in Rapides Parish is high with a score of 44 / 100 in our Digital Connectivity Index. This means that internet service providers operating in Rapides Parish have done a average job meeting the needs of its residents.

The Rapides Parish 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.

86% of Rapides Parish households have an internet connection despite having 97.85% availability. 61% of households have fiber, cable, or DSL, 10% have satellite, 0% are still on dial-up, and 2% 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 61% of households have a broadband connection such as fiber, cable or DSL available to their home, 62% subscribe to it. A moderate amount of Rapides Parish 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 Rapides Parish?

How Much Speed does a Rapides Parish Household Need?

Higher speed is typically preferred, but that comes at a higher price. The average size of a household in Rapides Parish is 2.6, which is smaller than the Louisiana average of 2.6 and smaller than the national average of 2.7. Rapides Parish's average household income is $60,843 which is about average for the Louisiana average of $69,055 and lower than the national average of $90,606. Homes with more people living in them and with lower incomes tend to indicate a fairly average device usage pattern.

Rapides Parish also has 16% of its population enrolled in school between the 6th grade and college level, this is lower than the Louisiana average of 16%. Additionally, 6% of residents work from home, which is lower than the 8% of residents in Louisiana who work from home. This and other factors you can see above show us that the community of Rapides Parish has an average need for internet connectivity and speeds.

Compared to the rest of the country, Rapides Parish households are more technology-disengaged. 92% of households have some sort of computing device, 68% have desktops or laptops in the home, and 89% have smartphones. To see what speeds you are currently getting, please visit our internet speed test tool.

Which Fiber Internet Providers are Available in Rapides Parish?

Which Cable Internet Providers are Available in Rapides Parish?

Which DSL Internet Providers are Available in Rapides Parish?

Which Fixed Wireless and LTE Internet Providers are Available in Rapides Parish?

Which ISP Should You Choose in Rapides Parish?

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

To see how Rapides Parish 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 Rapides Parish's C+ ISP Report Card and 44 / 100 Digital Connectivity Index.