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What is the best internet provider in Santa Ana, California?
There aren’t many internet provider options in Santa Ana, surprisingly. After checking the available options, AT&T Fiber topped our list as the best internet provider in Santa Ana for most households. Although it doesn’t have the best coverage, AT&T Fiber has the fastest speeds in town by a mile. It’s also the only fiber provider in the area, which means you’ll get the same upload and download speeds – great for working from home or gaming online. It also offers some of the most straightforward and reasonable prices you will find in an internet service provider. Prices start at $55 a month for a 300Mbps plan, and go up to $245 a month.
If you are looking for the lowest price, Spectrum has the cheapest internet plans in Santa Ana at $30 per month for 100Mbps. What’s even better is that Spectrum is available almost anywhere in the city, and it’s a solid option to be your default if AT&T Fiber isn’t available at your address. The main downside is that Spectrum increases prices significantly after a year or two.
If you don’t want to worry about these built-in price increases, Verizon 5G Home Internet is the best wireless internet provider in Santa Ana. There’s no guarantee it won’t raise your rates, but unlike Spectrum, they won’t come on schedule and probably won’t be as bad.
Best internet in Santa Ana, California
Santa Ana internet providers compared
| giver | internet technology | Monthly price range | Speed range | The monthly cost of equipment | Data cap | Contract | CNET review score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AT&T Fiber Read the full review |
ravelled | $55-$245 | 300-5,000Mbps | nothing | nothing | nothing | 7.4 |
| AT&T Internet Read the full review |
DSL | $55 | Up to 140Mbps | nothing | 1.5TB on some plans | nothing | 7.4 |
| Spectrum Read the full review |
Cable | $30-$70 | 100-1,000Mbps | $10 (on 500Mbps plan only) | nothing | nothing | 7.2 |
| T-Mobile Home Internet Read the full review |
Fixed wireless | $50-$70 | 72-245Mbps | nothing | nothing | nothing | 7.4 |
| Verizon 5G Home Internet Read the full review |
Fixed wireless | $50-$70 ($35-$45 for eligible Verizon Wireless customers) | 100-300Mbps | nothing | nothing | nothing | 7.2 |
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Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
What is the cheapest internet plan in Santa Ana?
| giver | Starting price | Max download speed | Monthly equipment fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spectrum Internet Read the full review |
$30 | 100Mbps | $10 (optional) |
| Spectrum Internet Read the full review |
$50 | 500Mbps | $10 (optional) |
| Verizon 5G Home Internet Read the full review |
$50 ($35 with eligible mobile plans) | 100Mbps | nothing |
| AT&T Internet 300 Read the full review |
$55 | 300Mbps | nothing |
| T-Mobile Home Internet Read the full review |
$50 ($40 with eligible mobile plans) | 245Mbps | nothing |
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Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
How to find deals and promotions on the internet in Santa Ana, California
The best internet deals and top promotions in Santa Ana depend on which discounts are available at a given time. Most deals don’t last, but we’re always on the lookout for the latest offers.
Internet providers in Santa Ana, such as Verizon 5G Home Internet and AT&T Fiber, may offer lower introductory prices or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Others, including Spectrum, run the same base price year-round.
For a more extensive list of promos, see our guide to best deals on the internet.
Fastest internet plans in Santa Ana, California
| giver | Starting price | Max download speed | Max upload speed | Data cap | Connection type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AT&T Internet 5000 Read the full review |
$245 | 5,000Mbps | 5,000Mbps | nothing | ravelled |
| AT&T Internet 2000 Read the full review |
$145 | 2,000Mbps | 2,000Mbps | nothing | ravelled |
| AT&T Internet 1000 Read the full review |
$80 | 1,000Mbps | 1,000Mbps | nothing | ravelled |
| Spectrum Internet Gig Read the full review |
$70 | 1,000Mbps | 35Mbps | nothing | Cable |
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Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
What is 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 accommodates video conferencing, streaming video or gaming, you’ll have a better experience with a stronger connection. Here is an overview of the recommended minimum download speeds for different applications, according to the FCC. Note that these are only guidelines and internet speed, service and performance will vary by connection type, provider and address.
For more information, see our guide to how much internet speed do you need?.
- 0 to 5Mbps allows you to deal with the basics: browsing the internet, sending and receiving email and streaming low-quality video.
- 5 to 40Mbps gives you higher quality video streaming and video conferencing.
- 40 to 100Mbps should provide a user with enough bandwidth to satisfy the needs of modern telecommuting, video streaming and online gaming.
- 100 to 500Mbps allows one to two users to simultaneously engage in high-bandwidth activities such as video conferencing, streaming and online gaming.
- 500 to 1,000Mbps allows three or more users to participate in high-bandwidth activities at the same time.
How CNET picks the best internet providers in Santa Ana
Internet service providers are numerous and regional. Unlike the latest smartphones, laptop, router or kitchen utensilsit is not practical to personally test every ISP in a city. What is our approach? We started by researching pricing, availability and speed information, drawing on our own historical ISP data, provider sites and mapping information from the Federal Communications Commission of FCC.gov.
It doesn’t end there: We go to the FCC website to check our data and make sure we consider every ISP that provides service in one area. We also input local addresses into provider websites to find specific options for residents. We looked at sources, including the American Customer Satisfaction Index and JD Power, to assess how happy customers are with ISP service. ISP plans and prices are subject to constant change; All information provided is accurate in the publication.
Once we have this local information, we ask three main questions:
- Does the provider offer access to reasonably fast internet speeds?
- Are customers getting decent value for what they paid for?
- Are customers happy with their service?
The answers to these questions are often layered and complex, but providers who are close to “yes” to all three are the ones we recommend. When choosing the cheapest internet service, we look for the plans with the lowest monthly fees, 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 consider real world speed data from sources such as Ookla and FCC reports. (Disclaimer: 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.
Internet providers in Santa Ana FAQs
What is the best internet service provider in Santa Ana?
AT&T Fiber is the best internet provider in Santa Ana. It has the fastest speed by far and is the only fiber internet provider in the city. Unlike Spectrum, AT&T Fiber won’t automatically raise its prices after a year or two.
Is fiber internet available in Santa Ana?
Yes, fiber internet is available in 29% of households in Santa Ana, according to FCC data. AT&T Fiber is the only internet provider that offers fiber internet in the area.
What is the cheapest internet provider in Santa Ana?
Spectrum is the cheapest internet provider in Santa Ana, with plans starting at $30 per month for 100Mbps.
Which internet provider in Santa Ana offers the fastest plan?
AT&T Fiber offers the fastest plan in Santa Ana, with upload and download speeds of up to 5,000Mbps.
