Best Internet Provider in Canada 2022

Which internet service provider is the best in Canada this year? That’s a question that many people are asking, especially now that so many different providers are available. In this review, we will take a look at some of the top internet providers in Canada and see how they compare. We will also discuss what factors you should consider when choosing an internet provider. So, if you are looking for a new ISP or just want to learn more about the options available to you, keep reading!

Best internet service providers in Canada

Here is a quick summary of our pick of the five best internet service providers in Canada for 2022:

1. Telus: Our favorite ISP with the fastest internet speeds in Canada.
2. Rogers: Solid, all-around ISP offering unlimited monthly data caps and excellent customer service.
3. Teksavvy: Lower-cost alternative with DSL, cable, and fiber plans.
4. Bell Canada: Expansive coverage and variety of plans.
5. Oxio: Value provider offering free installation, free equipment, and unlimited data.
6. Shaw: Nine fiber plans and plenty of incentives for signing up.

Telus

Vancouver-based Telus is one of the largest telecoms companies in Canada, alongside Bell Canada and Rogers. Rated Canada’s fastest ISP for two years in a row BY WHOM?, it has excellent reach by PCMag’s Speed Index, covering close to 100% of the urban population.

Telus is good for multiple plans, starting with a basic Internet 25 plan (25 Mbps) up to Fibre+1.5Gb plan (1.5 Gbps) for $155 per month. We love its excellent value. For example, its PureFibner Gigabit Internet package is offered for $80 per month (two-year agreement), blowing past competitor Shaw’s $115 per month (also a two-year agreement) for the same plan.

Pricing

Telus offers three internet plans—Fast, Faster, and Fastest.

• Fast costs $75 per month for PureFibre Internet 75/75 (up to 75/75 Mbps)
• Faster costs $89 for Gigabit Internet (up to 940/940 Mbps)
• Fastest costs $109 per month for PureFibre Gigabit Internet (up to 1500/940 Mbps)

All plans require a two-year term, and termination fees apply. However, users are eligible for a $50 bill credit after ordering online with no $50 activation fee.

Perks

Telus offers some of the best perks and incentives in the industry. Depending on the season, new subscribers can enjoy a free pair of AirPods Pro, free 55-inch TV when signing up for Optik TV® and Internet 75, or additional bill credits when ordering online.

All Telus internet plans also come with a 30-day money-back guarantee and the choice of three flexible installation options—self-install, video install, and professional install.

Availability

Here is a list of all regions with Telus PureFibre availability:

Alberta

• Airdrie
• Blackfalds
• Black Diamond
• Bonnyville
• Calgary
• Coaldale
• Didsbury
• Drayton Valley
• Drumheller
• Edmonton
• Edson
• Hinton
• Innisfail
• Lloydminster
• Okotoks
• Peace River
• Ponoka
• Priddis
• St. Paul
• Stettler
• Taber
• Turner Valley
• Vegreville
• Wainwright
• Westlock
• Wetaskiwin

British Columbia

• Abbotsford
• Belcarra
• Burnaby
• Cariboo
• Castlegar
• Central Saanich
• Chemainus
• Chilliwack
• Comox
• Coquitlam
• Courtenay
• Creston
• Cumberland
• Dawson Creek
• Delta
• Duncan
• Fernie
• Fort St. John
• Forest Grove
• Fraser Canyon
• Gibsons
• Grand Forks
• Hope
• Hudson’s Hope
• Kamloops
• Kelowna
• Keremeos
• Kimberley
• Kitimat
• Lake Country
• Langley City
• Lantzville
• Little Qualicum River Village
• Lumby
• Maple Ridge
• Merritt
• Mission
• Moricetown
• Moyie Lake
• Nanaimo
• Nelson
• North Saanich
• North Vancouver
• Oak Bay
• Okanagan Falls
• Oliver
• Osoyoos
• Peachland
• Pemberton
• Pender Harbour
• Penticton
• Pitt Meadows
• Port Alberni
• Port Coquitlam
• Port Hardy
• Port McNeill
• Port Moody
• Powell River
• Prince George
• Queensborough
• Quesnel
• Revelstoke
• Richmond
• Rolla
• Saanich
• Salmon Arm
• Sechelt
• Smithers
• Sooke
• Spences Bridge
• Spider Lake
• Summerland
• Surrey
• Terrace
• Tofino
• Ucluelet
• Vancouver
• Victoria
• Vernon
• Westshore
• White Rock
• Williams Lake

Pros:

• Excellent plan variety
• Rated Canada’s fastest ISP
• Rollover data for up to 90 days

Cons:

• Two-year term agreement is required on most plans
• Not the best value with a basic Internet 25 plan

Rogers

Rogers is one of the more popular internet service providers in Canada. It offers a variety of plans under its “Ignite” brand, ranging from 150 Mbps to 1 Gbps with no minimum contracts, although there is a $49.95 activation fee.

When compared to other providers, Rogers is close to average with conditions. For example, a $10 per month modem-rental fee applies, on top of a $49.95 activation fee and usage caps on select plans. Service is also limited to Ontario, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland.

Pricing

Rogers comes with five internet plans—Internet 10, Ignite Internet 50u, Ignite Internet 150u, Ignite Internet 500u and Ignite Internet Gigabit

• Internet 10 (10/1 Mbps) costs $49.99 per month with a + $70 upfront charge
• Ignite Internet 50 (50/10 Mbps) costs $89.99 per month with a + $70 upfront charge
• Ignite Internet 150 (150/15 Mbps) costs $%104.99 per month with a + $70 upfront charge

Perks

Rogers offers regular promotions. For select tiers, it offers free SmartStream service for up to 72 months. SmartStream is a streaming box preloaded with all of the most popular free and paid streaming services, including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, and Sportsnet NOW.
Other promotions focus on bill credits and waived setup fees ($39) when ordering online.
For more information on Rogers promotions, visit https://www.rogers.com/promotions/internet

Availability

Rogers is available in parts of Ottawa, Toronto, and Ontario.

To check Rogers internet availability in your area, visit here.

Pros:

• Excellent customer service
• Rapidly growing availability
• Unlimited monthly data cap with higher plans

Cons:

• Not the best value
• Asymmetrical download and upload speeds on all plans

Teksavvy

Chatham, Ontario-based Teksavvy is an up-and-coming ISP considered a lower-cost alternative to big players Telus (western Canada) and Bell (eastern Canada). It offers broadband speeds ranging from low-end plans (25 Mbps) to 1 Gbps. We highly recommend its Cable 1000 Unlimited, Fibre 1000 Unlimited, DSL 6 Lite, and DSL 25 Unlimited plans for most users.

One of Teksavvy’s biggest draws is its customer focus. It is very keen on not imposing data caps and keeping monthly rates low, acting as more of a wholesale carrier.

Pricing

Teksavvy is long on plans, offering a whopping 15+ DSL and cable plan starting at 75/15 Mbps.

However, we only recommend its Fibre 500 Unlimited, Fibre 1000 Unlimited plans, and Cable 1000 Unlimited plans.

• Fibre 500 Unlimited (500/500 Mbps) costs $74.95 per month with a $49.95 upfront fee
• Fibre 1000 Unlimited (1000/750 Mbps) costs $94.95 a month with a $49.95 upfront fee
• Cable 1000 Unlimited (1000/25 Mbps) costs $114.95 per month with a $49.95 upfront fee

Perks

Unfortunately, Teksavvy falls short on incentives. Its only real perk is a $25 Amazon gift card with any two-year term plan, which pales in comparison to the $300 prepaid card offered by competitor Telus.

Bundling will also net small rewards, such as a $15 per month bill credit with select TV packages when signing on for two years.

Outside of the $25 Amazon gift card, Teksavvy offers unlimited data capos and no hidden fees on all plans.

Availability

To view a fibre coverage map, visit here.

Pros:

• No contracts
• No data caps
• Voted best ISP nine years straight by NOW Toronto

Cons:

• A limited number of incentives
• Fiber service limited to the Chatham-Kent area

Bell Canada

With more than 9 million customers, Bell Canada is the largest telecom in Canada. It is prevalent in Ontario and Quebec, known for its Bell Fibe internet plans with speeds from 10 Mbps-1.5 Gbps. Bell Canada also runs the Bell Mobility LTE network, one of the largest networks in the country.

Pricing

Bell Canada has a whopping 14 different plans, from basic DSL to blazing-fast fiber.

For pricing on all plans, see our breakdown below:

• Fibe 15 (15/15 Mbps) costs $54.90 per month
• Fibe 25 (25/10 Mbps) costs $49.95 per month for two years, then $84.95 per month
• Fibe 50 (50/7 Mbps) costs $59.95 per month for two years, then $84.95 per month
• Fibe 150 (150/150 Mbps) costs $64.95 per month for two years, then $92.95 per month
• Fibe 500 (500/500 Mbps) costs $69.95 per month for two years, then $97.95 per month
• Gigabit Fibe (1 Gbps/750 Mbps) costs $70.95 per month for two years, then $107.95 per month
• Gigabit Fibe 1.5 (1.5 Gbps/940 Mbps) costs $89.95 per month for two years, then 117.95 per month
• Gigabit Fibe 3.0 (3/3 Gbps) costs $149.95 per month

Note: pricing is not reflective of a $59.95 upfront fee for all plans

Perks

Bell Canada is pretty sweet on incentives.

New subscribers who select internet packages on a two-year term get a free $100 Visa prepaid card. Other promotions include a free 12-month subscription to Crave, a popular streaming service that carries originals from several premium providers, including HBO and Showtime, and a massive French-language content library.

Normal Crave pricing is $19.99 per month for Crave total and $9.99 for Crave Mobile.

All Bell Canada plans can use the free wi-fi app for those tight on security, and parental controls, which allows users to manage their home networks by sharing passwords with guests, restricting access, and running speed tests. It’s nice to have, especially if you are far from home and need to monitor household usage.

Rounding out Bell Canada’s perks is wi-fi pod rental (two-pack) for only $10 a month. It’s one of the few providers to offer equipment rental outside of modems. However, you can purchase your own and save yourself the rental fee.

Availability

Bell Canada has a strong presence in southern Ontario, Toronto and Ottawa, along with countless metros and smaller regions across Canada.

To check Bell Canada fibre availability in your area, visit here.

Pros:

• Expansive coverage
• Excellent variety of plans
• $100 Visa prepaid card on select plans

Cons:

• So-so customer service
• Rental fee for wi-fi pods

Oxio

Oxio bills itself as a simpler alternative to the major telecoms like Bell Canada and Telus, with a particular focus on transparent pricing, no contracts, and no fine print. Its website tagline reads “Internet without all the telco blah blah blah”, which says it all.

We like Oxio for its value plans. Although it does not include fiber (a big no-no), the 400 Mbps plan only costs $84 per month, which comes with free installation, included modem/router, and unlimited data.

Pricing

Oxio pricing and plans vary by region., See our breakdown below for availability speeds and costs by region.

Alberta

• 25 Mbps – $40/mo.
• 30 Mbps – $43/mo.
• 75 Mbps – $49/mo.
• 100 Mbps – $57/mo.
• 150 Mbps – $71/mo.
• 300 Mbps – $82/mo.

British Columbia

• 25 Mbps – $40/mo.
• 30 Mbps – $43/mo.
• 75 Mbps – $49/mo.
• 100 Mbps – $57/mo.
• 150 Mbps – $71/mo.
• 300 Mbps – $82/mo.

Ontario

• 30 Mbps – $48/mo.
• 75 Mbps – $50/mo.
• 150 Mbps- $79/mo.
• 300 Mbps -$79/mo.

Quebec

• 10 Mbps – $40/mo.
• 30 Mbps – $50/mo.
• 60 Mbps – $53/mo.
• 120 Mbps – $63/mo.
• 200 Mbps -$80/mo.
• 400 Mbps -$84/mo.

Perks

Unlike Telus and Bell Canada, expect incentives at Oxio to be very minimal. There are far fewer free prepaid gift cards and more essentials, with free installation, no data caps, no contracts, and free equipment thrown into the mix.

Although not technically a perk, Oxio also offers one of the cleanest website designs we’ve come across. It is free of clutter with a highly intuitive sign-up process, something Telus and Bell Canada can definitely learn from.

Availability

Oxio internet is available in select regions inside Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec.

To check Oxio availability in your area, confirm your address here.

Pros:

• Free installation
• No data caps and no contracts
• Uses eero 6 router for improved privacy

Cons:

• No fiber availability
• Not the best coverage

Shaw

Billing itself as Canada’s largest wi-fi network, Shaw forms part of the big three alongside Telus and Bell Canada. It offers a variety of internet plans ranging from 25 Mbps to 1 Gbps, including its flagship Fibre+500 plan for only $79 per month on a two-year ValuePlan contract.

Shaw also features attractively priced Fibre+ Internet & Mobile plans or Fibre+ Internet & TV plans.

Pricing

Shaw offers nine fibre plans:

• Fibre+10 (10/1.5 Mbps) costs $50 per month for the first two years, then $60 per month
• Fibre+25 (25/2.5 Mbps) costs $80 per month for the first two years, then $90 per month
• Fibre+75 (75/7.5 Mbps) costs $85 per month for the first two years, then $95 per month
• Fibre+150 (150/10 Mbps) costs $95 per month for the first two years, then $105 per month
• Fibre+300 (300/100 Mbps ) costs $100 per month for the first two years, then $110 per month
• Fibre+500 (150/ Mbps) costs $79 per month for the first two years, then $115 per month
• Fibre+750 (750/10 Mbps) costs $110 per month for the first two years, then $120 per month
• Fibre+GIG (1 Gbps/100 Mbps) costs $115 per month for the first two years, then $125 per month
• Fibre+GIG 1.5 (1.5 Gbps/100 Mbps) costs $135 per month for the first two years, then $175 per month
• Fibre+10, Fibre+25, and Fibre+75 have capped data at 150, 250, and 500 GB respectively. All other plans carry unlimited data.

Perks

Shaw has no shortage of perks for new subscribers. All new subscribers opting for any Total TV to Fibre+ Internet plan receive a free $100 credit. New Fibre+500 subscribers also receive a $50 credit.

Another perk with Shaw is its bundling. For example, adding the Total TV package with up to 114 channels to a Fibre+Gig plan only costs $50 per month, a steal for cable service.

Shaw will also agree to waive a $50 activation fee on any plans if you order them online.

Lastly, Shaw markets itself very heavily to gamers, arguably more so than Telus, Rogers, Bell Canada, and Teksavvy. It pumps its Shaw Fibre+ Gateway 2.0 with WiFI 6, the next level standard promising a lag-free connection. So when your website has a large splash image of gamers wearing virtual reality headsets, it can lend some assurance to hardcore gamers.

Availability

Shaw is available in central and eastern Canada.

To check Shaw’s availability in your immediate area, visit here.

Pros:

• Solid value with Fibre+Gig + Total TV
• $50 activation fee waiver when ordering online
• Free $50 or $100 credit depending on the bundle

Cons:

• Lesser value than Telus
• Limited to central and eastern Canada

Best Internet Providers in Canada FAQs

What internet services are available today?

Depending on your location and internet service provider, you may be able to order one or more of DSL, cable, and fiber-optic internet.

Using copper phone lines, DSL is the lowest data transmission method, rarely exceeding download speeds from 5-35 Mbps and upload speeds from 1-10 Mbps

Cable is faster and the most commonly used internet service. In most cases, cable reaches download speeds of 10-500 Mbps and upload speeds from 5-50 Mbps.

Fiber, today’s fastest option reaches up to 1,000 Mbps download and upload speeds. We highly recommend fiber over DSL and cable. However, availability is limited to specific regions where infrastructure is already installed. The high infrastructure cost and complexity of building a network have stifled fiber expansion, but OSPs continually work on it.

How do I compare all of the different internet service providers?

In evaluating Bell Canada, Telus, Teksavvy, Shaw, and Rogers, we took reputation, speed, reliability, monthly costs, contract options, and perks/incentives.

We highly recommend ISPOs that provide multiple speed plans from basic DSL options upwards of fiber. ISPs should also have a proven reliability record, backed by speed tests and reputable online publications.

Monthly costs and contract options are also significant. Although most require signing up to two or three-year contracts, we evaluated bundling opportunities, unlimited data, and early termination fees to offset.

Lastly, perks and incentives are essential. We are big fans of free prepaid cards, annual subscriptions to popular streaming services, free email accounts, and other add-on services that could mean the difference between signing on with one provider over another.

What is your favorite Telus internet plan?

Hands down, Telus’ PureFibre Internet 150 plan takes the cake when it comes to value. It costs only $155 per month and includes:

• Unlimited data
• A free Norton 360 subscription
• Telus wi-fi app to monitor your network and assign permissions to household users

If speed is most important, we love Telus’ PureFibre 1.5 Gigabit Internet plan, its fastest plan offering download speeds up to 1500Mbps. It can be purchased month-to-month at a discounted rate with a two-year contract, working standalone or including as part of a bundle with other Telus services (e.g., Mobility and TV).

As an aside, we are also big fans of its bundlings. For example, subscriptions can package Optik TV/Pik TV with internet packages for discounts on each service.

Remember that Telus is only available in Alberta, British Columbia, and Quebec.

I’m on a budget. What internet plans do you recommend?

Remember, the smaller the budget, the slower your internet speeds and the higher the likelihood of monthly data caps.

Without regard to speed or unlimited data plans, we highly recommend Teksavvy’s 6Mbps plan for less than $50 a month with unlimited data.

What is Bell Canada’s best internet plan?

We think Gigabit Fibe 1.5 is Bell Canada’s best plan. It offers the fastest speeds (1.5 Gbps/940 Mbps) and unlimited data for less than $130 a month, which is not the cheapest relative to other providers but not the highest either.

If Gigabit Fibe 1.5 is too steep, the Fibe 25 (25/10 Mbps) with unlimited data offers decent value.

Who offers the fastest internet service of all providers?

The winner for fastest internet service is a tie between Bell Canada and Telus, which both offer internet plans topping out at 1.5 Gbps (download) and 940 Mbps (upload speeds).

If not Bell or Telus, coming in third is Qogeco, which is very popular in Quebec.

How much internet speed should I sign up for?

When evaluating different plans, focus on what you will be using the internet for. For example, plans at least 75 Mbps are good enough for streaming HD and 4K video on up to two simultaneous devices.

For larger households with five to six people and up to 10 devices running simultaneously, we recommend plans with 300 Mbps or more.

For the highest data consumption (e.g., daily audio/video conference or streaming your favorite Playstation 5 multiplayer game), we recommend fiber speeds to reach upwards of 940 Mbps.

If in doubt, opt for the highest speeds—always.

What’s the difference between download and internet speeds?

Download speeds refer to how fast you receive data. Upload speeds refer to how fast you can transmit data.