Best ISPs in Fremont, CA

What is the best ISP in Fremont, CA?

AT&T Fiber is the best ISP in Fremont. It’s the only fiber optic provider in the area, which means it’s the only one that offers symmetrical upload and download speeds – perfect for remote workers and online gamers. Plans start at $55 and go up to $245 per month for the 5 gig plan. AT&T Fiber also includes equipment at no extra cost, and its prices don’t automatically increase after a year or two.

If you are looking for the lowest possible prices, Xfinity has the cheapest internet in Fremont. Plans start at just $20 per month for speeds of 150Mbps, but there are some caveats. You’ll have to commit to a time-bound contract, equipment isn’t included, and prices increase significantly after the first year.

Verizon 5G Home Internet is another good option for smaller households. The wireless provider’s speeds top out at 300Mbps, but that’s plenty for homes that will only be connecting a few devices at once.

The best internet in Fremont, CA

Source: CNET analysis of vendor data.

Source: CNET analysis of vendor data.

How to Find Internet Deals and Promotions in Fremont

The best internet deals and the best promotions in Fremont depend on what discounts are available during a given time period. Most deals are short-lived, but we’re often on the lookout for the latest deals.

Fremont internet providers, such as Xfinity and Verizon 5G Home internet, may offer lower introductory rates or streaming add-ons for a limited time. However, others, including AT&T Fiber and T-Mobile Home Internet, have the same standard rates year-round.

For a more extensive list of promotions, see our guide to the best internet deals.

Source: CNET analysis of vendor 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 can include video conferencing, streaming video, or gaming, you’ll have a better experience with a more stable connection. Here’s an overview of recommended minimum download speeds for different apps, according to the FCC. Note that these are guidelines only — and that Internet speed, service, and performance vary by connection type, provider, and address.

For more information, see our guide to how much internet speed do you really need?.

• 0 to 5 Mbps lets you handle the basics – surfing the web, sending and receiving emails, streaming low-quality video.
• 5 to 40 Mbps gives you higher quality video streaming and video conferencing.
• 40 to 100 Mbps should provide a single user with enough bandwidth to satisfy the demands of modern telecommuting, video streaming and online gaming.
• 100 to 500Mbps allows one or two users to simultaneously engage in high-bandwidth activities such as video conferencing, streaming and online gaming.
• 500 to 1000 Mbps allows three or more users to engage in high-bandwidth activities simultaneously.

How CNET chose the best Internet providers in Fremont

Internet service providers are numerous and regional. Unlike the latest ones smartphone, laptop, router or kitchen toolit is not practical to personally test every ISP in a given city. So what is our approach? We start by researching pricing, availability, and speed information, drawing on our own historical data from ISPs, provider sites, and mapping information from the Federal Communications Commission on FCC.gov.

But it doesn’t end there. We go to the FCC website to check our data and make sure we’re looking at every ISP that provides service in an area. We also enter local addresses on provider websites to find specific options for residents. We look at sources including the American Customer Satisfaction Index and JD Power to gauge how satisfied customers are with an ISP’s service. ISP plans and prices are subject to frequent change; all information provided is accurate at the time of publication.

Once we have this localized information, we ask three main questions:

1. Does the provider offer relatively fast internet access?
2. Are customers getting decent value for what they pay?
3. Are customers satisfied with their service?

While the answers to these questions are often multi-layered and complex, the vendors that come closest to saying yes to all three are the ones we recommend. When choosing the cheapest internet service, we look for the plans with the lowest monthly fee, although we also take into account things like price increases, equipment fees and contracts. Choosing the fastest internet service is relatively easy. We look at advertised upload and download speeds and consider real-world speed data from sources like Ookla and FCC reports. (Disclosure: 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.

Fremont ISP FAQs