Best Internet Providers in Riverside, California

What is the best internet provider in Riverside?

Spectrum is the best internet service provider for most households in Riverside, California. In addition to Spectrum’s wide network, this cable giant offers reasonable prices, speeds and service to over 90% of homes, according to data from the Federal Communications Commission. If you’re trying to get fiber or fixed wireless connectivity, CNET recommends AT&T Fiber or T-Mobile Home Internet for residential internet. Ultimately, the best internet provider for you will come down to what’s available at your location.

We’ve also found the lowest prices and fastest services in Riverside, to make your broadband shopping easier. Frontier Fiber offers the cheapest plan, costing only $45 monthly for symmetrical speeds up to 500 megabits per second. If Frontier’s service isn’t available at your address, Spectrum’s 300Mbps plan for $50 will be your next best option for affordability. Folks needing the speediest plan in Riverside should check out AT&T Fiber and Frontier Fiber, which both offer 5 gigabit plans in the area, but Frontier offers a much lower starting price.

Best internet in Riverside in 2024

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

How to find internet deals and promotions in Riverside

The best internet deals and top promotions in Riverside depend on what discounts are available during that period. Most deals are short-lived, but we look frequently for the latest offers. 

Riverside internet providers, such as Spectrum, may offer lower introductory pricing or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Others, such as AT&T, Frontier 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. 

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

What’s 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 accommodate videoconferencing, 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.

• 0 to 5Mbps allows you to tackle 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 give one user sufficient bandwidth to satisfy the demands of modern telecommuting, video streaming and online gaming. 
• 100 to 500Mbps allows one to two users to simultaneously engage in high-bandwidth activities like videoconferencing, streaming and online gaming. 
• 500 to 1,000Mbps allows three or more users to engage in high-bandwidth activities at the same time.

How CNET chose the best internet providers in Riverside

Internet service providers are numerous and regional. Unlike with 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 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:

1. Does the provider offer access to reasonably fast internet speeds?
2. Do customers get decent value for what they’re paying?
3. Are customers happy with their service?

The answer to those questions is often layered and complex, but the providers who 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 also 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.

Internet providers in Riverside FAQ