10 Best Internet Providers in Winston County, AL

Compare Providers Ranked by Coverage, Speed, and Customer Ratings

Above are the top 4 providers in Winston County, AL 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 Winston County ratings may vary and are shown below.

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3. Winston County, AL Internet Service Providers
   

Who is the Best Internet Provider in Winston County, AL?

Tombigbee Fiber is the best internet provider in Winston County based on Alabama customer satisfaction ratings and reviews. Based on our extensive and unbiased survey, Tombigbee Fiber had the best reviews at the local, state, and national levels versus all available providers in Winston County, making it a solid recommendation among providers with reviews. Tombigbee Fiber is an option for 63.48% of the county.

The chart and table below show average customer ratings from customers in Winston County, Alabama, and customers throughout the country.

Top Rated Internet Providers in Winston County

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

Based on 97 reviews from Alabama internet customers, Tombigbee Fiber is the best internet service provider for Winston County residents. Tombigbee Fiber was rated at an average of 4.50 out of 5 in our report for overall customer satisfaction. Verizon wins for second-place in Alabama, with 4.00 out of 5 stars and 12.3% coverage in Winston County.

At a national level, based on 3826 national reviews for any of the providers listed above, Point Broadband is rated higher than any other provider, with a rating of 3.97 out of 5.

Who is the Fastest Internet Provider in Winston County?

According to unbiased feedback from real internet customers in the county, they reported being happiest with speeds provided by Tombigbee Fiber. On the other hand, based on data provided by the internet providers to the FCC, Cullman Electric Cooperative 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 Winston County

	ISP / Tech Type	Max Advertised Speed
	TDS	8,000 Mbps
	AT&T	5,000 Mbps
	EarthLink	5,000 Mbps
	Cullman Electric Cooperative	2,000 Mbps
	Point Broadband	1,000 Mbps
	Spectrum	1,000 Mbps
	Tombigbee Fiber	1,000 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 Winston County

Based on data reported by Winston County ISPs to the FCC, the fastest speeds in the county are available through Cullman Electric Cooperative. The company offers speeds up to 8,000 Mbps in Winston County. 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 county rated their satisfaction with internet speed highest with Tombigbee Fiber. This indicates Tombigbee Fiber reliably delivers speeds expected by the customer based on the plan they are paying for.

Who is the Cheapest Internet Provider in Winston County?

Alabama customers rate Tombigbee Fiber 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.

Tombigbee Fiber received a local rating of 4.25 out of 5, which is about average for the average across all internet providers in the country. T-Mobile Home Internet is rated in second place for affordability by the company’s Winston County customers with an average price rating of 4.20 out of 5.

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

Rated Affordability in Winston County

Winston 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 Winston County below, including the metrics used and how Winston County compares to the rest of Alabama and nation.

Winston County ISP Report Card: B-

	Metric (hover for details)	Winston County	Alabama	USA
	Fiber Availability Percent The percentage of households in Winston County that have a Fiber internet connection available to their home.	96.44%	68.19%	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.	1,341 Mbps	3,158 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 Winston County.	4.7	6.3	6.8

 

Winston County Digital Connectivity Index: 25 / 100

	Metric (hover for details)	Winston County	Alabama	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	2.6	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.	88%	93%	95%
	Households with InternetA higher percentage of households with internet indicates a higher need for usage and connectivity in people’s daily lives.	78%	86%	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.	44%	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.	44%	67%	76%

Winston County ISP Report Card & Digital Connectivity Index

The ISP Report Card in Winston County is B-, which is much worse than other counties. The local demand for broadband internet connectivity in Winston County is high with a score of 25 / 100 in our Digital Connectivity Index. This means that internet service providers operating in Winston County have done a poor job meeting the needs of its residents.

The Winston 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.

78% of Winston County households have an internet connection despite having 98.93% availability. 44% 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 44% of households have a broadband connection such as fiber, cable or DSL available to their home, 44% subscribe to it. A very low number of Winston 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 Winston County?

How Much Speed does a Winston County Household Need?

Higher speed is typically preferred, but that comes at a higher price. The average size of a household in Winston County is 2.5, which is smaller than the Alabama average of 2.6 and smaller than the national average of 2.7. Winston County's average household income is $51,135 which is lower than the Alabama average of $70,756 and much 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.

Winston County also has 11% of its population enrolled in school between the 6th grade and college level, this is lower than the Alabama average of 16%. Additionally, 6% of residents work from home, which is lower than the 8% of residents in Alabama who work from home. This and other factors you can see above show us that the community of Winston County has a very low need for internet connectivity and speeds.

Compared to the rest of the country, Winston County households are much more technology-disengaged. 88% of households have some sort of computing device, 61% have desktops or laptops in the home, and 85% have smartphones. To see what speeds you are currently getting, please visit our internet speed test tool.

Which Fiber Internet Providers are Available in Winston County?

Which Cable Internet Providers are Available in Winston County?

Which DSL Internet Providers are Available in Winston County?

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

Which ISP Should You Choose in Winston 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 Winston County is Tombigbee Fiber.
• The fastest internet provider should be Cullman Electric Cooperative. Considering speed for the money and reliability in speeds, Tombigbee Fiber may be a better choice based on real-world local customer feedback.
• The most affordable internet provider in Winston County is Tombigbee Fiber.
• T-Mobile Home Internet, HughesNet, and Viasat has the broadest coverage in Winston 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 Winston County compare to other cities with a similar population?

To see how Winston 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 Winston County's B- ISP Report Card and 25 / 100 Digital Connectivity Index.