CNET’s experts rank AT&T Fiber as the best internet provider in San Antonio, thanks to its wide availability, reliable performance and fast fiber speeds starting at just $55 per month. It even edges out Google Fiber as our top pick thanks to better coverage in more neighborhoods. Other strong contenders include Spectrum for cable internet and Astound, which offers a solid 300Mbps plan for just $30 a month, making it perfect for budget-conscious people.
If you’re in the New Braunfels area or beyond city limits, there are still good alternatives. T-Mobile and Verizon 5G Home Internet offer solid fixed wireless solutions, while HughesNet and Viasat provide satellite options for more rural locations. No matter where you land in the region, CNET’s experts have reviewed every major provider to help you find the right balance of speed, price and reliability.
Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
You can find many broadband options across the San Antonio-New Braunfels metropolitan region. Availability depends on your address, but you may be able to find some appealing choices beyond our highlighted picks.
The average starting price for home internet in San Antonio is approximately $46 a month. That considers the promo prices you'll get at the beginning, not the standard rates you'll get hit with a year or so later. The lowest starting price in the River City is Astound Broadband's 300Mbps plan for $30 monthly. It is a great value for a less expensive internet option — if you're lucky enough to live at an address they service.
Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
The best internet deals and promotions in San Antonio depend on what discounts are available during a given time. Most deals are short-lived, but we check frequently for the latest offers.
San Antonio internet providers, such as Astound Broadband, Spectrum and Rise Broadband, may offer lower introductory pricing or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Others, including AT&T, Google Fiber 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.
As I mentioned earlier, River City is one of the fastest broadband cities in Texas and one of the country's fastest cities when it comes to internet download speeds. According to the latest results from the speed-testing site Ookla, which tracks city speeds based on daily tests run by customers across the US, San Antonio residents enjoy median download speeds of over 271Mbps and median uploads of approximately 38Mbps. (Disclosure: Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.) This solidifies the San Antonio metro area in the country's top 10, ahead of kindred Texas cities like Dallas and Houston.
The city's impressive internet speed numbers are undoubtedly buoyed by the fiber internet service of AT&T (which features a 5Gbps plan in some areas of the city) and Google Fiber, whose cheapest (and slowest) plan is a full gigabit and fastest is an 8-gig offering.
Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
See all results for internet providers in Texas.
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, 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.
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 the Federal Communications Commission at FCC.gov.
It doesn't end there: We go to 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:
The answers to those questions are often layered and complex, but the providers that 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 consider real-world speed data from sources like Ookla and FCC reports.
To explore our process in more depth, visit our how we test ISPs page.
We mention it often in our CNET home internet reviews, but it bears repeating: All things being equal, fiber internet service trumps other internet connection types every time. What matters is what's available at your address. You're in great shape if you can get AT&T Fiber or Google Fiber. If not, there are still affordable cable options -- like Astound Broadband and Spectrum -- that'll get you plenty of speed and decent reliability.
Is fiber internet available in San Antonio?
Yes. AT&T is the area's most widely available fiber provider, but ensure you're serviceable for its fiber service, not Internet Air. Google Fiber is also available within city limits. Some suburban areas might also have access to Rise Broadband's fiber plans, although these will be much more scarce.
What is the cheapest internet provider in San Antonio?
Astound Broadband wins for the cheapest internet plan. In San Antonio, Astound's 300Mbps plan is only $30 per month, which comes out to ten cents per Mbps. Sticking with overall value, Astound's 1,500Mbps plan, at $70 monthly, is a great deal at five cents per Mbps.
Which internet provider in San Antonio offers the fastest plan?
Based solely on download speed, Google Fiber offers the fastest available plan at 8Gbps. Among other providers, AT&T has a 5Gbps option. Speed test data says Google Fiber is the fastest provider in San Antonio for median download speeds, at over 323Mbps. That information comes from Ookla, a company that quarterly ranks all ISPs nationwide based on customer-run data.