What is the best internet provider in Santa Clara?

CNET recommends Xfinity as the best internet service provider in Santa Clara. Not only is it the most widely available cable provider in the area — aside from satellite providers like Hughesnet, Viasat and Starlink — it also offers some of the lowest rates for home internet. You can also find AT&T Fiber, T-Mobile Home Internet and Ridge Wireless at most places in Santa Clara, but it really depends on what’s available at your address.

Xfinity stands out among other competitors by offering the most affordable internet in Santa Clara. For only $20 per month, customers can reach download speeds up to 150 megabits per second. If you need even more speed, Xfinity’s 300Mbps plan costs only $15 more monthly and includes equipment rental.

Now if you’re looking for the speediest connection in Santa Clara, you can’t go wrong with AT&T Fiber. The service offers 5 gigabits of both download and upload speed for $250 a month. While that might sound pricey, it’s only about 5 cents per Mbps, which is pretty cheap for such high speeds. AT&T Fiber and Xfinity offer the next-best plans in the area with speeds of 2,000 Mbps, costing $150 and $80 a month, respectively.

Best internet in Santa Clara, California

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

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. 

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:

1. Does the provider offer access to reasonably fast internet speeds?
2. Do customers get decent value for what they’re paying?
3. 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. (Disclosure: 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