Best Internet Providers in Irvine, California

What is the best internet provider in Irvine?

According to CNET experts, AT&T Fiber is the best internet provider in Irvine. It offers the fastest speeds in the area, with upload speeds as fast as download speeds. Although Google Fiber provides comparable speeds, AT&T's plans are overall more affordable and have received higher ratings in customer satisfaction surveys.

If you can’t get AT&T or Google Fiber at your address, Cox has the broadest coverage in Irvine, and some neighborhoods even have access to Cox’s fiber internet service. Whether you get fiber or Cox’s standard cable internet, its plans are reasonably priced and they all include unlimited data and free equipment for the first two years.

Wireless internet from T-Mobile and Verizon is also widely available in the area. These connections don’t reach the same top-end speeds as cable or fiber internet, but they provide plenty of bandwidth for most homes.

Best internet in Irvine, California

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

How to find internet deals and promotions in Irvine

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

Irvine internet providers such as Verizon may offer lower introductory pricing or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Many, including Cox, Google Fiber and AT&T Fiber, 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 Federal Communications Commission. 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 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 Irvine

Internet service providers are numerous and regional. Unlike 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 from 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 the time 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 it comes to 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 take into account 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 Irvine FAQs