What is the best internet provider in Berkeley?

CNET recommends Sonic Telecom as the top internet provider in Berkeleywhich offers symmetrical gigabit speeds (up to 1,000Mbps) for just $50 a month — an incredible deal for such high performance. While equipment is not included and the price increases by $10 after the first year, the Sonic remains the best overall choice.

For those looking for faster speeds, AT&T Fiber is the go-to option in Berkeley, with plans offering symmetrical speeds of up to 5,000Mbps. Unlike Sonic, AT&T includes equipment in its base price and offers five flexible plans starting at $55 per month.

If affordability is your priority, Xfinity offers the cheapest plan starting at $20 per month for 150Mbps, though prices go up after the first year or two. For a more predictable bill, T-Mobile and Verizon 5G Home Internet offer price-lock guarantees on all their plans.

Best internet in Berkeley, California

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

How to find deals and promotions on the internet in Berkeley

The best deals on the internet and the top promotions in Berkeley depend on the discounts available at that time. Most deals don’t last, but we’re always on the lookout for the latest offers.

Berkeley internet providers, such as Verizon, may offer lower introductory prices or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Many providers, including Sonic Telecom, AT&T Fiber and T-Mobile Home Internet, run the same base price year-round.

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

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 are looking for an internet plan that can accommodate videoconferencing, streaming video or gaming, you will have a better experience with a stronger connection. Here is an overview of the recommended minimum download speeds for different applications, according to the Federal Communications Commission. 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 videoconferencing.
• 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 videoconferencing, 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 Berkeley

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 price, availability and speed information, drawing on our own historical ISP data, provider sites and mapping information from the Federal Communications Commission. 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 an 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:

1. Does the provider offer access to reasonably fast internet speeds?
2. Are customers getting decent value for what they paid for?
3. Are customers happy with their service?

The answer to those questions is often layered and complicated, but the providers who are closest 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 like Ookla and FCC reports. (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 Berkeley FAQs