Internet providers in San Diego, CA

What is the best internet provider in San Diego?

• AT&T - Great value
• Spectrum - No data caps
• EarthLink - Multiple service types available
• Cox Communications - High-quality equipment
• HughesNet - Perfect for rural areas
• Viasat - Widely available

The best internet provider in San Diego is AT&T—but only if you can get a fiber plan. Otherwise, stick with Spectrum or Cox for a fast and affordable cable connection.

AT&T’s fiber plans start at 300 Mbps speeds and go all the way up to 5,000 Mbps. So no matter what plan you get, you’re getting something fast and extremely reliable. Prices are reasonable, and you get unlimited data with no contract and plenty of opportunities for deals and promotions.

EarthLink has similar plans to AT&T because it uses AT&T’s fiber lines to get you service; EarthLink has top-rated customer service, so go for that if you value an internet provider with a sympathetic bedside manner.

AT&T also has DSL internet, but it’s not as fast or cost effective—only go for that if you live in a rural part of East or North County.

Spectrum is the second-best option in San Diego, with a variety of plans that give you speeds ranging from 250 Mbps to 1,000 Mbps. Since it’s a cable connection, you don’t get symmetrical upload speeds like you would with AT&T, but these plans are still fast and stay fast even during times of neighborhood-wide network congestion.

Prices for Spectrum plans are roughly the same as AT&T’s fiber plans, and you also get unlimited data and no contracts. Cox Communications is a solid third pick, with speeds similar to Spectrum but higher prices and contracts on its plans.

What is the fastest internet provider in San Diego?

AT&T has the fastest internet service in San Diego—in fact, it has the fastest internet from a major provider in the whole country. The AT&T 5G Internet plan boasts 5,000 Mbps speeds, which is way faster than most people realistically need, but it’s still very impressive.

You can also get plans with 2,000 Mbps, 1,000 Mbps, and slower speeds from AT&T. All of the fiber plans also have symmetrical upload speeds, so the uploads are just as fast as the downloads. And these same speeds are available from EarthLink too, since EarthLink uses AT&T’s fiber network infrastructure.

Spectrum and Cox are the second-fastest internet providers in San Diego. The Spectrum Internet® Gig plan delivers download speeds up to 1,000 Mbps (wireless speeds may vary) using cable instead of fiber. Cox’s Gigablast plan lists a maximum speed of 1,000 Mbps. Both of these gigabit plans deliver upload speeds of 35 Mbps—up to 500 Mbps in some areas if you go with Spectrum.

Uploads are much slower than downloads on cable internet, but that should still be solid for most people.

Fastest internet providers in San Diego

What is the cheapest internet provider in San Diego?

EarthLink, Spectrum, and Cox are the cheapest internet providers in San Diego. All three offer basic plans for around $50 a month (or a little less). AT&T also has an excellent fiber plan for $55 a month that gives you much faster speeds.

There aren’t a lot of truly cheap internet options in San Diego, unfortunately—expect to pay at least $50 to $60 a month for reliable internet service in the city. That’s about average for internet prices nationwide. When you’re looking for cheap internet, aim to get a cable or fiber plan that gets you speeds of at least 100 Mbps.

Cheapest internet plans in San Diego

*with a 12 month contract.

†Limited time offer; subject to change; valid to qualified residential customers who have not subscribed to any services within the previous 30 days and who have no outstanding obligation to Charter.

‡for 12 months with 1-yr. term agreement

§Price after $5/mo Autopay & Paperless bill discount (w/in 2 bills). Plus taxes & fees. Monthly State Cost Recovery Charge in TX, OH, NV applies. One time install chrg may apply. Ltd. avail/areas. Call or go to www.fiber.att.com to see if you qualify.

Internet deals and promotions in San Diego

What are the fiber internet providers in San Diego?

AT&T, EarthLink, Ting, and Race Communications are all fiber internet providers in San Diego. AT&T is the most prominent fiber provider in the city and has both the fastest speeds and the best prices. Ting and Race Communications are regional providers that are well worth considering if you can’t get fiber from AT&T or EarthLink where you live.

Fiber isn’t widely available in San Diego—you’re more likely to find cable or DSL providers in America’s Finest City. But if you can get fiber in your neighborhood, we highly recommend it. Fiber delivers the fastest speeds and most reliable connection, and it’s often cheaper or equal to the price of lesser connection types.

Fiber internet providers in San Diego

• AT&T — Fiber speeds up to 5,000 Mbps
• EarthLink — Fiber speeds up to 5,000 Mbps
• Ting — Fiber speeds up to 1,000 Mbps
• Race Communications — Fiber speeds up to 1,000 Mbps

Highest-rated internet providers in San Diego

T-Mobile Home Internet is the top-rated internet provider available in San Diego, according to our annual customer satisfaction survey. The provider placed first overall and scored at the top for speed, price, and customer service as well.

AT&T also gets high rankings in our survey, coming in second for speed, price, and overall satisfaction.

gets slightly above-average scores in all categories, but the provider’s fiber customers give better ratings on the whole. Cox Communications and Spectrum tie with AT&T for speed and get average to above-average rankings in other categories. 

San Diego residential internet coverage

AT&T covers San Diego’s entire downtown area and suburbs, including La Jolla and Scripps Ranch. The only spots you likely don’t get AT&T coverage are the state parks and military bases.

Spectrum is primarily available on the northwest side of town, north of Interstate 8. Unfortunately, Spectrum doesn’t cover the downtown area, so you’ll have to look at AT&T or Cox if you live in neighborhoods like North Park, South Park, or City Heights.

Cox Communications is available across most of San Diego but misses areas of North County like La Jolla, Torrey Pines, and University City. If you can’t get fiber, Cox’s cable internet makes a great alternative. Google Fiber is also available in select areas of San Diego, along with a handful of local providers, including Telscape.

If you live in rural parts of East and North County where you can’t get internet access easily, HughesNet and Viasat offer satellite internet across the entire region. These satellite providers are a good option if you have no other alternative, but they’re slower and cost more.