The best internet service provider in Sacramento is AT&T Fiber, thanks to its extensive coverage, fast speeds and competitive pricing. AT&T Fiber offers speeds up to 5,000 megabits per second in the Sacramento area. But with a range of options, from fiber to 5G services, Sacramento residents have plenty of choices for reliable internet.
Xfinity offers the cheapest internet in Sacramento, with plans starting at $20 a month. T-Mobile Home Internet and Verizon 5G Home Internet are also options worth considering. Those with existing mobile plans through either provider can save big when bundling services. Check out all of our top picks below.
Cheap internet options in the Sacramento metro area
With most plans at or around $50 a month, you should be able to find an affordable option for internet in Sacramento. The absolute cheapest internet options in Sacramento will cost you approximately $20-35 a month, assuming you’re OK with Xfinity, T-Mobile and Verizon’s slower options.
Otherwise, multiple providers offer something relatively affordable, so if you’re not in the market for the fastest speeds and you don’t live in the most rural areas of Sacramento, you should be able to find a good provider that doesn’t break your wallet.
What are the cheapest internet plans in Sacramento?
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Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
Fastest internet providers in Sacramento
The city’s two largest providers are pretty fast, but one small ISP is its fastest. If you want speeds over 200Mbps, you have the option of stalwarts AT&T and Xfinity or the newer option, Fidium, and its 2Gbps speed and possibly Earthlink if fiber is available in your area. Satellite and cheaper options are as low as 3 or 10Mbps.
In Sacramento, just two providers get into the realm of multi-gigabit speed. AT&T Fiber’s 5,000Mbps is king when available, but the relatively unknown Fidium is another option, with a fast 2Gbps speed available to some Sacramento residents. For most, however, Earthlink and AT&T Fiber’s 5,000Mbps plans as well as Xfinity’s 1,200Mbps plan will be the top options.
What are the fastest internet plans in Sacramento?
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Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
How CNET chose the best internet providers in Sacramento
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.
What’s the final word on internet providers in Sacramento?
Internet speeds in Sacramento come down to one main factor: Is fiber available to you?
If it is, you have some great options. AT&T and Fidium have extremely fast connections that aren’t too expensive. And if you can’t get either, Xfinity’s gigabit plans aren’t a bad option. There are also some affordable choices for those who don’t care about multi-gig plans and even some options for those living in hard-to-reach areas.
Sacramento internet provider FAQs
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