Verizon 5G Home Internet Review
Get fast internet at a bargain price—just watch out for occasional disconnects.
available in 
Price: $25.00–$70.00/mo.*
Speeds: Up to 1,000 Mbps
Data cap: None
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◊ Provider star ratings are based on user reviews and our independent customer satisfaction survey.
*w/ Auto Pay. Available in select areas.
Our Verizon 5G Home Internet review
Verizon 5G Home Internet uses the cell carrier’s 5G Ultra Wideband network to get you an impressively fast connection at a cheap price. A relatively new service, it’s not as time-tested as fiber or cable—and our experience with recurring disconnects suggests that Verizon still has some bugs to figure out. But it’s still worth a try because a reliable Verizon 5G Home connection beats out many cable internet providers thanks to its straightforward pricing, absence of data caps, and reliably fast speeds.
Pros
- Affordable monthly rates
- No annual contract or data cap
Cons
- Occasional drops in connection
- Limited availability
Jump to: Plans and pricing | Speed and data caps | Fees | Installation, equipment, and contracts | Customer ratings | Verizon vs. the competition | Bottom line | FAQ
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Compare Verizon 5G Home Internet plans and pricing
| Package | Price | Speed | View on Verizon site |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verizon 5G Home | $25/mo. (for Verizon Unlimited phone plan subscribers)* or $50/mo. (for nonsubscribers, w/ autopay)† | Up to 300 Mbps | |
| Verizon 5G Home Plus | $35/mo. (for Verizon Unlimited phone plan subscribers)* or $70/mo. (for nonsubscribers, w/ autopay)† | Up to 1,000 Mbps |
Data as of 03/24/2023. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
Verizon 5G Home Internet speeds: What’s best for you?
Verizon 5G Home Internet uses a wireless signal to get you a connection, so speeds may vary depending on the quality of cell service you normally see in your area. In our experience, when we set up Verizon 5G Home Internet in our house, it delivered consistently fast speeds that typically ranged between 245–360 Mbps—even when we had over a dozen Wi-Fi computers, phones, and smart home devices pulling from the network.
Upload speeds are roughly equivalent to what you get from a cable internet provider: our uploads usually clock in at around 20–30 Mbps. Although you may want faster internet if you have very serious bandwidth requirements, these speeds are perfect for small- to mid-sized households in which users frequently game, stream, and make Zoom calls on several devices.
Pro tip:
Use our “How Much Internet Speed Do I Need?” tool to see if speed of up to 300 Mbps are right for you.
Watch out for occasional disconnects
A few weeks into our service, we experienced regular issues with our connection dropping out on phones and computers, including in the middle of Zoom calls. Every time this happened, we had to restart the 5G router that came with the service—quite the hassle considering this became a weekly occurrence.
We’re not sure what the problem is, but we’ve read about these disconnect issues happening with other Verizon 5G internet users, and it happened frequently enough on our service that we may consider it a dealbreaker if we can’t get the issues resolved soon. Clearly 5G internet has some technical kinks that providers still need to work out.
Verizon 5G Home Internet data caps
Verizon 5G Home Internet doesn’t have any data caps. Although some internet providers still have data limits on their plans, Verizon 5G internet lets you stream, game, Zoom, and more all month long without worrying about overage charges or throttled speeds.
Our favorite plan:
We think Verizon’s standard 5G Home Internet plan is the best pick. It’s quite affordable—this plan costs less than the average cable, DSL or fiber plan, and you get a 50% discount if you have a qualifying Verizon phone plan. And when the service works smoothly, it delivers excellent speeds. At our house, we consistently get around 245–360 Mbps on a Verizon 5G Home connection.
We love that the monthly bill comes at a flat fee—there are no hidden costs for equipment and installation. And you can get the plan for half price (a ridiculously low $25 per month) if you also have a qualifying Verizon mobile phone plan.
Verizon 5G Home Internet ongoing deals
You get 50% a month off 5G Home and 5G Home Plus when you also have the 5G Play More, 5G Do More or 5G Get More phone plan.
Verizon 5G Home and 5G Home Plus come with a 10-year price guarantee. You can also get up to $500 credit to cover early termination fees when you’re switching from another provider.
Verizon 5G Home Internet fees
| Cost | |
|---|---|
| Equipment Fee | None |
| Installation Fee | None |
| Early Termination Fee | None |
| Unreturned equipment Fee | Up to $500 |
No extra fees is one of Verizon 5G Home’s biggest selling points. You don’t need to pay for equipment or installation, and you can cancel any time without early termination fees.
Keep in mind, though, that you do need to return the 5G Internet Gateway (the modem/router device) that came with the plan when you close out your service. Otherwise you incur an unreturned equipment fee. The equipment you use ranges in cost from $200 to $300, and if you have both, you’re on the hook for $500.
Verizon 5G Home Internet installation, equipment, and contracts
Installation is super easy with this service. It’s a simple setup, and all you need to do is find a good location in your home (usually somewhere near a window) for wireless 5G signals.
Verizon 5G Home Internet installation and equipment
Verizon’s 5G Home plan comes with an Internet Gateway that you get in the mail after you’ve signed up. The gateway is a combination modem and router, and to get it going you need to download a phone app from the Verizon website. The app comes with a tool that helps you locate a spot in your home where the 5G signal is strong—usually somewhere near a window, but not necessarily.
Some equipment may require mounting on a wall or window, and some setups may require a separate router as well, which Verizon provides. Once you find a place for the gateway, plug it in and wait as it runs through the setup. The whole process only takes about 15 minutes max. You can even use the same password as your previous Wi-Fi network to keep all of your devices logged into the new system. However, it also might be a good idea to change your password just for security purposes.
Verizon 5G Home Internet contracts
Unlike many cable internet plans, Verizon 5G Home Internet doesn’t come with an annual contract. You can cancel any time you want, and you don’t need to worry about early termination fees.
Verizon 5G Home Internet customer ratings
| Overall Rating | Reliability Rating | Customer service Rating | Speed | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verizon customer satisfaction rating | 3.9/5 | 3.9/5 | 3.8/5 | 4.0/5 | 3.5/5 |
| Average rating* | 3.6/5 | 3.6/5 | 3.6/5 | 3.8/5 | 3.2/5 |
*Based on our annual customer satisfaction survey
Verizon gets top rankings in our annual customer satisfaction survey, landing in second place (just behind EarthLink) for overall satisfaction and scoring in the top three in crucial categories like speed, reliability, and customer service.
In the survey, 91% of Verizon customers said their internet speeds always or usually meet their needs. And 83% said it was easy to get help from customer service. Verizon’s 5G Home Internet customers showed positive opinions as well, giving the provider high marks for price, customer service, and speed.
How Verizon 5G Home Internet compares to the competition
| Provider | Plan price range | Speeds (range) | User rating║ | Order online |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T-Mobile | $50.00/mo.* | 72-245Mbps | 4.1/5 | View Plans |
| Starry Internet | $30.00–$50.00/mo.† | 100–1,000Mbps | N/A | View Plans |
| AT&T | $55.00–$180.00/mo.† | 25–5,000Mbps | 3.7/5 | |
| Xfinity | $25.00–$299.95/mo.‡ | 50–3,000 Mbps | 3.7/5 | View Plans |
| Spectrum | $49.99–$89.99/mo.§ | 200–1,000 Mbps | 3.7/5 | View Plans |
Verizon’s 5G Internet is evenly matched with T-Mobile 5G internet on price—both have plans with similar prices, no annual contracts, and no data caps. But Verizon 5G Home internet delivers faster speeds. Verizon’s 5G home internet also beats out Starry Internet, another fixed-wireless option that uses 5G networks. Starry Internet isn’t a bad deal, but it’s slower and not as widely available.
AT&T’s fiber-optic plans deliver faster speeds (much, much faster in some cases) and gets you a far more reliable connection overall. But we like Verizon more than the rival cable internet options you can get. Xfinity has some cheaper internet plans, but you have to deal with data caps and annual contracts. Spectrum has higher prices for roughly similar internet speeds.
Is Verizon 5G Home Internet right for you?
Verizon 5G Home Internet is cheap, fast, and super easy to set up. That all makes it an excellent option for most internet users—and so long as you’re not getting regular disconnects like we are, then this should be a fantastic option. It’s especially great for netizens looking to get away from the excessive fees and Byzantine pricing structures of cable internet.
Granted, you might still want to spring for fiber-optic internet from a provider like Verizon Fios if you really need something powerful and reliable. Fiber internet is the fastest internet you can get, and you don’t have to regularly restart your router on a fiber plan either. We’re a little concerned about the recurring disconnects of Verizon 5G Home. But other than that, it’s an affordable and practical service.
FAQ about Verizon 5G Home Internet
Is Verizon 5G Home Internet better than Verizon Fios?
Verizon 5G Home internet is the same price as an entry-level Verizon Fios plan, but we ultimately think Fios is a slightly better option. Verizon Fios plans come at great prices and deliver much faster speeds, with a gigabit option as well as symmetrical uploads and downloads. If you need a highly reliable and responsive internet setup for activities like online gaming, then Verizon Fios is the way to go. Still, Verizon 5G Home Internet is also a great deal and works excellently for most people.
How is Verizon 5G Home Internet different from Verizon LTE Home Internet?
Verizon 5G Home Internet and Verizon LTE Home Internet work in the same way, getting you a connection over wireless cellular networks. However, 5G Home uses Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband network whereas LTE Home uses Verizon’s older, slower 4G LTE network. Verizon LTE speeds aren’t as fast, but this service is more widely available in rural areas, where customers may find that it’s a faster and more affordable alternative to satellite internet.
Methodology
Our HighSpeedInternet.com editorial team bases our analyses on customer input from our annual customer satisfaction survey, results from our speed test tool, and proprietary internet provider data on speeds and pricing. To strengthen our research, we look closely at provider contracts to get hard-to-find information on price hikes, data caps, and extra fees, and we keep tabs on the latest news reports and online reviews. When applicable, we also rely on our personal experiences testing these services.
Sources
- Verizon, “Reliable Internet, More Space Top Priorities When Moving, New Study Reveals,” March 9, 2022.
Disclaimers
Compare Verizon 5G Home Internet plans and pricing
*w/ Auto Pay and select 5G mobile plans. Available in select areas.
†w/ Auto Pay. Available in select areas.
How Verizon 5G Home Internet compares to the competition
*w/ Auto Pay. Regulatory fees included in monthly price for qualified accounts. See full terms.
†fAvailable in select areas only. Price per month with Auto Pay & without select 5G mobile plans. Fios plan prices include taxes & fees.
‡For the first 12 months with a 1-year agreement. Includes $10/mo automatic payments and paperless billing discount.
§Limited time offer; subject to change; valid to qualified residential customers who have not subscribed to any services within the previous 30 days and who have no outstanding obligation to Charter.
║Based on our annual customer satisfaction survey.