What is the best internet provider in Santa Clara?
Xfinity is the best internet service provider in Santa Clara. It’s the most widely available cable provider in the area — aside from satellite providers like Hughesnet, Viasat and Starlink — and offers some of the lowest rates for home internet. AT&T Fiber, T-Mobile Home Internet and Ridge Wireless are also available at most addresses in Santa Clara, but it’ll come down to what is serviceable at your address.
Xfinity also tops other competitors by offering the cheapest internet in Santa Clara. For only $20 per month, customers can reach download speeds up to 150 megabits per second. If you need more speed, Xfinity’s 300Mbps plan costs only $15 more a month and includes equipment rental.
Are you hunting for the speediest connection in Santa Clara? AT&T Fiber offers 5 gigabits of symmetrical download and upload speed for $250 monthly. While $250 a month is not cheap, the cost per Mbps of the 5-gigabit plan is a very cheap 5 cents per Mbps. AT&T Fiber and Xfinity also tie for the second-fastest plan in the area, offering 2,000Mbps for $150 and $80, respectively.
Best internet in Santa Clara, California
Santa Clara internet providers compared
| Provider | Internet technology | Monthly price range | Speed range | Monthly equipment costs | Data cap | Contract | CNET review score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AT&T Internet Air Read full review |
Fixed wireless | $60 | 75-225Mbps | None | None | None | 7.4 |
| AT&T Fiber Read full review |
Fiber | $55-$250 | 300-5,000Mbps | None | None | None | 7.4 |
| Ridge Wireless | Fixed wireless | $100-$150 | 20-100Mbps | Varies | None | None | N/A |
| Sail Internet | Fixed wireless | $55 | 200Mbps | None | None | None | N/A |
| T-Mobile Home Internet Read full review |
Fixed wireless | $50-$70 ($40-$50 for eligible Go5G Plus and Magenta Max mobile customers) | 72-245Mbps | None | None | None | 7.4 |
| Verizon 5G Home Internet Read full review |
Fixed wireless | $50-$70 ($35-$45 with qualifying Verizon 5G mobile plans) | 50-300Mbps | None | None | None | 7.2 |
| Xfinity Read full review |
Cable | $20-$80 | 150-2,000Mbps | $15-$25 for some plans (optional) | 1.2TB | 1 year on some plans | 7 |
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Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
What’s the cheapest internet plan in Santa Clara?
| Provider | Starting monthly price | Max download speed | Monthly equipment fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity Connect Read full review |
$20 | 150Mbps | $15 (optional) |
| Xfinity Connect More Read full review |
$35 | 300Mbps | None |
| Verizon 5G Home Internet Read full review |
$50 ($35 with eligible mobile plan) | 100Mbps | None |
| T-Mobile Home Internet Read full review |
$50 ($40 with eligible mobile plan) | 245Mbps | None |
| AT&T Fiber 300 Read full review |
$55 | 300Mbps | None |
| Sail Residential | $55 | 200Mbps | None |
| AT&T Internet Air Read full review |
$60 | 225Mbps | None |
Show more (2 items)
Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
How to find internet deals and promotions in Santa Clara
The best internet deals and top promotions in Santa Clara depend on what discounts are available during that period. Most deals are short-lived, but we look frequently for the latest offers.
Santa Clara internet providers, such as T-Mobile and Xfinity, may offer lower introductory pricing or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Others, such as AT&T and Verizon, run the same standard pricing year-round.
For a more extensive list of promos, check out our guide on the best internet deals.
Renelyn Cunanan-Dinh/Getty Images
Fastest internet plans in Santa Clara
| Provider | Starting monthly price | Max download speed | Max upload speed | Data cap | Connection type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AT&T Fiber 5000 Read full review |
$250 | 5,000Mbps | 5,000Mbps | None | Fiber |
| AT&T Fiber 2000 Read full review |
$150 | 2,000Mbps | 2,000Mbps | None | Fiber |
| Xfinity Gigabit X2 Read full review |
$80 | 2,000Mbps | 200Mbps | 1.2TB | Cable |
| AT&T Fiber 1000 Read full review |
$80 | 1,000Mbps | 1,000Mbps | None | Fiber |
| Xfinity Gigabit Read full review |
$65 | 1,000Mbps | 20Mbps | None | Cable |
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Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
What’s a good internet speed?
Most internet connection plans can now handle basic productivity and communication tasks. If you’re looking for an internet plan that can accommodate videoconferencing, streaming video or gaming, you’ll have a better experience with a more robust connection. Here’s an overview of the recommended minimum download speeds for various applications, according to the FCC. Note that these are only guidelines and that internet speed, service and performance vary by connection type, provider and address.
For more information, refer to our guide on how much internet speed you really need.
- 0 to 5Mbps allows you to tackle the basics: browsing the internet, sending and receiving email and streaming low-quality video.
- 5 to 40Mbps gives you higher-quality video streaming and videoconferencing.
- 40 to 100Mbps should give one user sufficient bandwidth to satisfy the demands of modern telecommuting, video streaming and online gaming.
- 100 to 500Mbps allows one to two users to simultaneously engage in high-bandwidth activities like videoconferencing, streaming and gaming.
- 500 to 1,000Mbps allows three or more users to engage in high-bandwidth activities at the same time.
How CNET chose the best internet providers in Santa Clara
Internet service providers are numerous and regional. Unlike the latest smartphone, laptop, router or kitchen tool, it’s impractical to personally test every ISP in a given city. What’s our approach? We start by researching the pricing, availability and speed information, drawing on our own historical ISP data, the provider sites and mapping information from FCC.gov.
It doesn’t end there: We use the FCC’s website to check our data and ensure we consider every ISP that provides service in an area. We also input local addresses on provider websites to find specific options for residents. We look at sources, including the American Customer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Power, to evaluate how happy customers are with an ISP’s service. ISP plans and prices are subject to frequent changes; all information provided is accurate as of publication.
Once we have this localized information, we ask three main questions:
- Does the provider offer access to reasonably fast internet speeds?
- Do customers get decent value for what they’re paying?
- Are customers happy with their service?
While the answers to those questions are often layered and complex, the providers who come closest to “yes” on all three are the ones we recommend. When selecting the cheapest internet service, we look for the plans with the lowest monthly fee, although we also factor in things like price increases, equipment fees and contracts. Choosing the fastest internet service is relatively straightforward. We look at advertised upload and download speeds and also consider real-world speed data from sources like Ookla and FCC reports. (Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.)
To explore our process in more depth, visit our how we test ISPs page.
Santa Clara internet provider FAQs
What’s the best internet service provider in Santa Clara?
Although Xfinity’s service details vary by location, CNET recommends it as Santa Clara’s top internet provider, thanks to its wide availability and low pricing. According to the latest data from the FCC, over 97% of Santa Clara households have coverage.
Is fiber internet available in Santa Clara?
What’s the cheapest internet provider in Santa Clara?
Xfinity offers two of the cheapest plans in Santa Clara: $20 a month for 150Mbps and $35 for 300Mbps. AT&T Internet Air, a fixed wireless option, offers a $55-a-month plan for download speeds up to 225Mbps. Elsewhere, Verizon and T-Mobile offer discounts for eligible mobile customers.
Which internet provider in Santa Clara offers the fastest plan?
The fastest internet offering in Santa Clara belongs to AT&T Fiber. Customers can get download and upload speeds of 5,000Mbps for $150 monthly. You can bump down that cost with Xfinity’s 2-gigabit plan for $80 monthly. Xfinity doesn’t offer symmetrical speeds, as cable connections feature upload speeds not nearly as fast as fiber connections.
Read More: Best Internet Providers in Santa Clara, California