Here’s a summary of our top picks for the best internet provider in San Diego:
How we found the best internet provider in San Diego
When determining the best internet provider, many factors influenced our decision, including: While many U.S. metropolitan areas struggle to adapt to fiber-optic technology, AT&T offers lightning-fast, reliable internet service. It has also partnered with DIRECTV for television service, as well as home phone services. Features:
Price: $50 to $70 per month, plus $10/month equipment fee and no activation fee when purchased onlineSpeed and Data: 100, 300, or 1000; 1TB per month for Internet 100 and 300 plans with overage charges; unlimited data for Internet 1000Plans/Packages: Internet 100, 300, or 1000Contract Options: 12 months
Five plans are available with speeds ranging from just 10Mbps to 940Mbps. Opt for Internet 1000 and enjoy unlimited data; otherwise, plans include 1TB of coverage. Speeds are not as high as some of its competitors, but Cox is more affordable and comes with flexible pricing. Plus, customers have access to cloud storage, Cox Security Suite Plus, and more than half a million hotspots for free Wi-Fi. Features:
Price: $30.00 to $99.99 per month, plus equipment feesSpeed and Data: 10, 30, 150, 300, 940 with 1TB/month of data; additional data availablePlans/Packages: Cox Internet Starter 10, Essential 30, Preferred 150, Ultimate 300, Gigablast 940Contract Options: 12 months
There are no data caps, and the company promises no teaser rates. However, Earthlink does charge extra sign-up and monthly fees, so be careful to figure that math into your decision. While widely available, the tradeoff for Earthlink’s accessibility is bedside manner. The company’s customer service leaves much to be desired with just a 1.1 rating from Consumer Reports, despite having 24/7 customer service support. Features:
Price: $14.95 to $49.99 per month, plus $69.95 installation cost, $6.95/month equipment rental, and up to $200 in cancellation feesSpeed and Data: 15, 30, 60, 70, 80, 100, 200, 1000 with unlimited dataPlans/Packages: HyperlinkTM internet Contract Options: 12 months
Coverage. While speed and price are important, it means nothing without service. San Diego offers some of the best internet speeds in the country, but we found AT&T, Cox, and Earthlink to offer some of the best coverage in the city. Value. Pricing varies significantly depending on which company and plan you choose, so things like data caps, download speeds, and contract lengths can all make an enormous difference in the overall value of your plan.Customer Satisfaction. J.D. Power is considered a leading authority on customer satisfaction, so we looked to their 2018 U.S. Internet Service Provider Satisfaction Study to see what actual customers are saying.
Although EarthLink is unrated, Cox and AT&T share the same J.D. Power rating of four out of five. Cox receives top scores in performance and reliability, but it falls in the pricing category, where AT&T takes the lead. Cox also rated just slightly higher in customer service. However, in the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), AT&T is a clear winner, rating slightly better than Cox. Earthlink trails behind in customer service. Households with lots of streaming and gaming may better benefit from fiber-optic’s faster speeds. Check your ZIP code to see what options you have available for your household. If you plan to stream 4K content and play online games continually, more than 200Mbps will be needed.
