Best Internet Service Providers in Salinas, California

What is the best internet provider in Salinas, California?

The broadband experts at CNET did the research and testing to find the best ISPs in Salinas, California. As of now, AT&T Fiber It is the best internet service provider in Salinas. It’s the only fiber provider in the city – which means it’s the only one with identical upload and download speeds. Plans start at $55 per month for 300 Mbps and go up to $245 for 5,000 Mbps. The only downside is availability: FCC data It shows that only one in five homes in the city has access to fibre.

If you are looking for the lowest prices, Xfinity It is the cheapest internet service provider in Salinas. Plans start at the incredibly low price of $20 per month, but that’s a bit misleading — prices rise significantly after a year or two on all plans. Wireless internet from T-Mobile and Verizon It’s also available in parts of Salinas, but it doesn’t offer the same top speeds as Xfinity or AT&T Fiber, and it’s more susceptible to network congestion.

Best Internet in Salinas, CA

Compare ISPs in Salinas

provider	Internet technology	Monthly price range	Speed ​​range	Monthly equipment costs	Data ceiling	a contract	CNET Review Score
AT&T Fiber Read the full review	Fiber	$55 – $245	300-5,000 Mbps	no one	no one	no one	7.4
Starlink Read the full review	Satellite	$120	30-150 Mbps	$299	no one	no one	6.5
T-Mobile home internet Read the full review	Fixed wireless	$50 – $70 ($40 – $50 with mobile plans)	72-245 Mbps	no one	no one	no one	7.4
Verizon 5G Home Internet Read the full review	Fixed wireless	$50 – $70 ($35 – $45 for eligible Verizon Wireless customers)	85-250 Mbps	no one	no one	no one	7.2
Xfinity Read the full review	cable	$20 – $120	150-2,000 Mbps	$15 (included in most plans)	1.2 TB (unlimited on most plans)	My choice	7

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Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

What is the cheapest internet plan in Salinas?

provider	Starting price	Maximum download speed	Monthly equipment fees
Xfinity Connect Read the full review	$20	150 Mbps	$15 (optional)
Xfinity connect more Read the full review	$35	300 Mbps	no one
Verizon 5G Home Internet Read the full review	$50 ($35 with qualifying mobile plans)	85 Mbps	no one
T-Mobile home internet Read the full review	$50 ($40 with qualifying mobile plans)	245 Mbps	no one
Xfinity is fast Read the full review	$55	500 Mbps	$15 (optional)

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Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

How to Find Internet Deals and Promotions in Salinas

The best online deals and best promotions in Salinas are based on discounts available during a specific time period. Most offers are short-term, but we frequently check for the latest offers.

Salinas ISPs, such as Xfinity and Verizon 5G Home Internet, may offer lower introductory rates or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Others, including AT&T Fiber, apply the same standard rates year-round.

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How many members of your family use the Internet?

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For a more comprehensive list of promotions, see our guide to Best offers online.

Fastest internet plans in Salinas

provider	Starting price	Maximum download speed	Maximum download speed	Data ceiling	Connection type
AT&T Internet 5000 Read the full review	$245	5,000 Mbps	4,000 Mbps	no one	Fiber
AT&T Internet 2000 Read the full review	$145	2,000 Mbps	2,000 Mbps	no one	Fiber
Xfinity Gigabit X2 Read the full review	$120	2,000 Mbps	200 Mbps	1.2 TB	cable
Xfinity Gigabit Extra Read the full review	$75	1,200 Mbps	200 Mbps	1.2 TB	cable
Xfinity Gigabit Read the full review	$65	1,000 Mbps	100 Mbps	1.2 TB	cable

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Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

What is 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 video conferencing, video streaming, or gaming, you’ll get a better experience with a more robust connection. Below is an overview of the minimum recommended download speeds for various applications, According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).. Note that these are just guidelines and that internet speed, service, and performance vary by connection type, provider, and address.

For more information, see our guide about How much internet speed do you really need.

• Speeds of 0 to 5 Mbps let you handle the basics: browsing the Internet, sending and receiving email, and streaming low-quality videos.
• 5 to 40 Mbps gives you high-quality video streaming and video conferencing.
• 40 to 100 Mbps should provide one person enough bandwidth to meet the demands of modern remote work, video streaming, and online gaming.
• Speeds of 100 to 500 Mbps allow one or two people to simultaneously engage in high-bandwidth activities such as video conferencing, live streaming, and online gaming.
• Speeds of 500 to 1000 Mbps allow three or more people to engage in high-bandwidth activities at the same time.

How CNET chose the best ISPs in Salinas

ISPs are numerous and regional. Unlike the latest Smartphone, Laptop, Router or Kitchen toolit is impractical to personally test every ISP in a given city. What is our approach? We start by searching for pricing, availability, and speed information, relying on our own historical ISP data, provider locations, and mapping information from the Federal Communications Commission at FCC.gov.

And it doesn’t end there: We go to the FCC’s website to verify our data and make sure we take into account every ISP that offers service in an area. We also enter local addresses on provider websites to find specific options for residents. We look to sources, including the US Customer Satisfaction Index and JD Power, to evaluate how happy customers are with their ISP service. ISP plans and prices are subject to frequent changes; All information provided is accurate as of the time of publication.

Once we have this local information, we ask three main questions:

1. Does the provider provide access to reasonably fast internet speeds?
2. Are customers getting adequate value for what they pay?
3. Are customers satisfied with their service?

While the answer to these questions is often multi-layered and complex, the providers that come closest to “yes” on all three questions are the ones we recommend. When choosing the cheapest internet service, we look for plans with the lowest monthly fees, although we also take into account things like price increases and equipment and contract fees. Choosing the fastest internet service is relatively simple. We look at advertised upload and download speeds and take into account real-world speed data from sources such as Okla 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 website How we test ISPs page.

Frequently Asked Questions for Internet Service Providers in Salinas