Best Internet Providers in Fresno, California
Our Experts
There’s a clear hierarchy when it comes to choosing an internet provider in Fresno, California. If you live at one of the addresses that can get AT&T Fiber, you can stop your search now -- CNET’s pick for the best internet provider nationwide serves up fast, reliable internet for a reasonable monthly price. The only downside is that a significant share of Fresno residents aren’t able to get it.
If you can’t get AT&T Fiber, Xfinity offers some of the cheapest internet plans in the country, but you’ll have to be vigilant about price increases and fees. T-Mobile is another decent backup option, but its speeds are best for households with only one or two people.
Our team considers speeds, pricing, customer service and overall value to recommend the best internet service in Fresno across a variety of categories. Our evaluation includes referencing a proprietary database built over years of reviewing internet services. We validate that against provider information by spot-checking local addresses for service availability. We also do a close read of providers' terms and conditions and, when needed, will call ISPs to verify the details.
Our process has some limitations you should know about. Pricing and speed data are variable: Certain addresses may qualify for different service tiers, and monthly costs may vary, even within a city. The best way to identify your particular options is to plug your address into a provider's website.
Note that the prices, speeds and other information listed above and in the provider cards below may differ from what we found in our research. The cards display the full range of a provider's pricing and speeds across the US, according to our database of plan information provided directly by ISPs. At the same time, the text is specific to what’s available in Fresno. The prices referenced within this article’s text come from our research and include applicable discounts for setting up automatic payments each month -- a standard industry offering. Other discounts and promotions might also be available for things like committing to a contract or bundling with a cellphone plan.
To learn more about how we review internet providers, visit our full methodology page.
Top internet providers in Fresno
No matter where you live in Fresno, you’ll likely have access to some good internet options. AT&T Fiber is available to about a quarter of Fresno residents and offers the fastest speeds at fair prices. Those who can’t get AT&T Fiber have a good backup in Xfinity, which is available almost everywhere in the city.
AT&T Fiber
Best internet provider in Fresno, CA
Our take - You’d be hard-pressed to find a better all-around internet provider than AT&T Fiber anywhere in the country. It gets you fast, reliable speeds at reasonable prices, and it doesn’t come with the complicated contracts and price hikes that plague much of the broadband industry. That’s why AT&T Fiber earned the top ranking of any ISP from both the American Customer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Power in Fresno’s region.
Xfinity
Cheapest internet plans in Fresno, CA
Our take - After fiber internet, cable connections, like the ones utilized by Xfinity, are as good as it gets in the internet world. Xfinity offers the cheapest internet plans you’ll find anywhere, but they come with confusing price increases and slower upload speeds -- between 10 and 35Mbps, depending on the plan. If you do a lot of online gaming or videoconferencing, that could be a dealbreaker.
T-Mobile Home Internet
Best wired internet alternative in Fresno, CA
Our take - T-Mobile Home Internet has no contracts or hidden fees, wide availability and discounts for existing mobile customers. It uses a fixed wireless connection, which generally has slower speeds than fiber and cable, and it’s more prone to network congestion during peak hours. Still, T-Mobile is significantly faster than DSL, satellite and other fixed wireless providers in Fresno.
Overview of Fresno internet providers
| Provider | Internet technology | Monthly price range | Speed range | Monthly equipment costs | Data cap | Contract | CNET review score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
AT&T Fiber Read full review | Fiber | $55-$180 | 300-5,000Mbps | None | None | None | 7.4 |
|
AT&T Internet Read full review | DSL | $55 | 768Kbps-100Mbps | None | 1.5TB (none for 100Mbps plan) | None | 7.4 |
|
T-Mobile Home Internet Read full review | Fixed wireless | $50 ($30 with eligible mobile plans) | 72-245Mbps | None | None | None | 7.4 |
|
Verizon 5G Home Internet Read full review | Fixed wireless | $50-$70 (50% off with eligible phone plan) | 85-1,000Mbps | None | None | None | 7.2 |
|
Xfinity Read full review | Cable | $20-$70 | 75-1,200Mbps | $15-$25 (included for 24 mos. on most plans) | 1.2TB (unlimited for two years on some plans) | One-year contract on $20 plan | 7 |
Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
What other internet options are there in Fresno?
There are a few other internet providers operating in Fresno, but they typically have slower speeds and higher prices. Still, they’re worth considering in more rural areas.
- Kingsburg Media Foundation: This fixed wireless provider is only worth a look as a last resort. Plans start at $75 a month for just 10/5Mbps speeds -- a worse value than even satellite internet. The edge it has on satellite is that all of its plans come with unlimited data.
- Satellite internet: In general, satellite internet is only used in rural areas where faster options aren’t available. You can get HughesNet and Viasat everywhere in Fresno, but speeds are low, prices are high and data caps are extremely stingy. Starlink is a newer provider from SpaceX that delivers faster speeds than HughesNet and Viasat, but it has an upfront equipment cost of $599, and plans start at $120 monthly.
- Verizon 5G Home Internet: Like T-Mobile Home Internet, Verizon has begun leveraging its own cellular network to deliver home internet wirelessly. It has two plans available in Fresno, with speeds up to 1,000Mbps at some addresses. That noted, availability is more limited than T-Mobile -- only 26% of Fresno households will be able to get Verizon.
Pricing info on Fresno home internet service
Fresno residents have some extremely cheap internet plans available -- and most of them are from one provider. Xfinity offers some of the cheapest starting prices you’ll find anywhere in the country, but you’ll have to take a close look at the fine print. By Year 3, you’ll be paying $51 for the 75Mbps plan, $63 for 200Mbps and $73 for 400Mbps.
Cheapest internet plans in Fresno
| Provider | Starting price | Max download speed | Monthly equipment fee | Contract |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Xfinity Read full review | $20 | 75Mbps | $15 | One year |
|
Xfinity Read full review | $35 | 200Mbps | None (for 24 mos.) | None |
|
Xfinity Read full review | $50 | 400Mbps | None (for 24 mos.) | None |
|
T-Mobile Home Internet Read full review | $50 ($30 with eligible mobile plans) | 245Mbps | None | None |
|
Verizon 5G Home Internet Read full review | $50 ($25 off with eligible phone plan) | 300Mbps | None | None |
|
AT&T Fiber Read full review | $55 | 300Mbps | None | None |
Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
How fast is Fresno broadband?
Compared to other cities of its size, Fresno has an abundance of fast internet plans available. Three different providers offer “gig speeds” -- download speeds of 940Mbps or higher -- and AT&T Fiber offers symmetrical speeds up to 5,000Mbps in some areas. That said, only 30% of Fresno can get 1,000/100Mbps speeds, compared to 33% nationwide, according to FCC data.
Fastest internet plans in Fresno
| Provider | Max download speed | Max upload speed | Starting price | Data cap | Contract |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
AT&T Fiber Read full review | 5,000Mbps | 5,000Mbps | $180 | None | None |
|
AT&T Fiber Read full review | 2,000Mbps | 2,000Mbps | $110 | None | None |
|
Xfinity Read full review | 1,200Mbps | 35Mbps | $70 | None (for 24 mos.) | None |
|
Xfinity Read full review | 1,000Mbps | 20Mbps | $60 | None (for 24 mos.) | None |
|
Verizon 5G Home Internet Read full review | 1,000Mbps | 50Mbps | $70 ($35 with qualifying Verizon 5G mobile plans) | None | None |
|
AT&T Fiber Read full review | 940Mbps | 880Mbps | $80 | None | None |
Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
What’s the final word on internet providers in Fresno?
For the quarter of Fresno households that have access to AT&T Fiber, picking an internet provider is an easy decision. AT&T has symmetrical upload and download speeds, straightforward and reasonable pricing, and the best customer satisfaction scores of any provider in the country. Xfinity is a worthy backup option, but its pricing is complicated and your bill will increase significantly by Year 3. T-Mobile Home Internet maintains a guaranteed all-in price of $50 a month, but its speeds are best for households with just one or two people.
How CNET chose the best internet providers in Fresno
Internet service providers are numerous and regional. Unlike the latest smartphone, laptop, router or kitchen tool, it's impractical to personally test every internet service provider in a given city. So what's our approach? For starters, we tap into a proprietary database of pricing, availability and speed information that draws from our own historical ISP data, partner data and mapping information from the Federal Communications Commission at FCC.gov.
This guide leverages an in-house artificial intelligence tool called RAMP, which is trained on our own writing and uses our database to generate content about specific internet service providers that our writers can use in determining and presenting our picks for a given guide. Check CNET’s AI policy for more information about how our teams use (and don’t use) AI tools.
Because our database is not exhaustive, we go to the FCC’s website to check the primary data for ourselves and make sure we’re considering every ISP that provides service in an area. Plans and prices also vary by location, so we input local addresses on provider websites to find the specific options available to residents. To evaluate how happy customers are with an ISP's service, we look at sources including the American Customer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Power. ISP plans and prices are subject to frequent changes; all information provided is accurate as of the time of our pre-publication fact-check.
Once we have this localized information, we ask three main questions:
- Does the provider offer access to reasonably fast internet speeds?
- Do customers get decent value for what they're paying?
- Are customers happy with their service?
While the answer to those questions is often layered and complex, the providers who come closest to “yes” on all three are the ones we recommend. To explore our process in more depth, you can visit our How we test ISPs page.
Fresno internet FAQs
Which is the best internet service provider in Fresno?
AT&T Fiber is the best internet service provider in Fresno, with up to 5,000Mbps download and upload speeds and no data caps or contracts. Xfinity’s cable internet offers six plans with speeds ranging from 75Mbps to 1,200Mbps and free subscription to Peacock Premium on some plans. T-Mobile Home Internet offers download speeds up to 245Mbps, no equipment fees, no annual service contracts and no price hikes.
Is fiber internet available in Fresno?
Yes, fiber internet is available in Fresno. AT&T offers fiber internet with no contracts, unlimited data and symmetrical speeds up to 5,000Mbps.
Who is the cheapest internet provider in Fresno?
Xfinity is the cheapest internet provider in Fresno. Its cable internet plans start at just $20 per month for 75/10Mbps speeds, but a one-year contract is required. Equipment adds an extra $15 per month to the $20 plan, but you can also provide your own.
Which internet provider in Fresno offers the fastest plan?
AT&T Fiber offers the fastest plan in Fresno, with up to 5,000Mbps download speeds and no data caps or contracts.
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