Lexington doesn’t have many options when it comes to internet providers, and for now, the best we can do is Windstream Internet. Windstream offers DSL internet to Lexington, which maxes out at 100Mbps. Many folks may not get close to that 100Mbps. You’re more likely to get slower speeds. But you can still stream and game with those internet speeds.
The best part about Windstream is that it costs way less than the satellite internet alternatives. You also don’t need to worry about data caps with Windstream, so you can use as much internet as you want, you’ll just need to live with the slower speeds.
If you have access to Windstream’s fiber internet plans where you live, then you won the jackpot and you should sign up for a fiber plan right away.
Best Windstream internet plan for most people: Kinetic Internet by Windstream, up to 100Mbps for $39.99/mo.
Most (if not all) of Windstream’s coverage in Lexington is DSL, so if that’s what you can get in your neighborhood, this plan is your best bet. Even if you get slower speeds than the 100Mbps maximum, the price tag is still fair.
If satellite is your only option for getting an internet connection where you’re at, Hughesnet’s cheapest internet plan costs less than anything you can get with the other big satellite provider, Viasat. Hughesnet offers a 50GB data cap plan that costs $49.99 a month, which can work for minimalist internet users who mostly log on for light email and browsing. If you plan on streaming every University of Kentucky basketball game, you will definitely hit that data cap quickly.
Your internet speeds likely end up very similar to what DSL internet can offer, usually hovering between 20 and 30Mbps. That’s still enough internet speeds to stream live TV or Netflix, but you may have to settle for SD streaming quality.
Best Hughesnet internet plan for most people: 100GB for $74.99/mo.
Rather than separating plans by data speeds, Hughesnet plans differ by data caps. You can get as high as a 200GB data cap with Hughesnet, but it costs you a whopping $149.99 a month. Since we don’t want an internet bill that feels more like a car payment, we recommend making the 100GB data plan work.
Viasat starts at $69.99 a month and gives you a 60GB data cap with 25Mbps download speeds. It’s a bit more expensive than Hughesnet’s base internet plan, but you do get a higher data cap, which means more online streaming and gaming. You can tear through a 60GB data cap pretty quickly—a day or two of Seinfeld binge-watching could do it—so you need to keep an eye on our data usage every month. When you hit your cap, your speeds slow down considerably.
As opposed to Hughesnet, you can pay more every month for faster internet speeds with Viasat. You can get up to 100Mbps with a 500GB data cap, but it costs $299 a month. We would never recommend spending that much on your internet plan unless you absolutely need the fast internet speeds and high data cap.
Best Viasat internet plan for most people: Choice 25, 25Mbps for $69.99/mo.
Try to make the cheapest Viasat satellite internet plan work to keep your internet costs within a reasonable range.