What is the best internet provider in San Benito?

Spectrum is CNET's pick for the best internet service provider for most households in San Benito, thanks to wide coverage and a top speed of 1,000 megabits per second. However, Spectrum service isn't available everywhere in San Benito, so T-Mobile Home Internet and Verizon 5G Home Internet are also solid picks, depending on what's available in your area. 

Are you looking for the lowest prices or fastest speeds? We've got those top options, too. Spectrum's 100Mbps plan is the cheapest option in San Benito, at $30 per month for the first year. Spectrum's gig plan offers the fastest speed at $70 per month. Keep an eye out for Vexus Fiber, which announced a fiber rollout to San Benito. That will bring some competition to the ISP scene in town.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Other available internet providers in San Benito

• AT&T Internet: AT&T’s legacy DSL network reaches over half the homes in San Benito, but it’s not a fast option. While AT&T Internet’s DSL plans can reach 100Mbps in some places, it’s likely to be much slower. Some areas in San Benito top out at just 18Mbps. You may also encounter a $99 installation fee. All plans except for the 100Mbps level have a 1.5TB data cap. There are no contracts or equipment fees, but $60 is a high price for slow internet.
• Satellite internet: If you live outside of San Benito in a more rural area with few or no home internet options, check into Starlink, Viasat or Hughesnet for satellite internet. These networks are aimed at remote homes that aren’t hooked up to wired internet service and are outside the 5G home internet coverage area. 
• VTX1: Regional fiber and fixed wireless provider VTX1 only provides fixed wireless in San Benito. Prices start at $55 per month. Some areas can get speeds up to 400Mbps, but you’ll need to contact VTX1 to check availability, plan details and pricing for your address. Here’s how fixed wireless compares to other types of internet connections.

Cheap internet options in San Benito

Spectrum’s 100Mbps plan for $30 per month is the cheapest option in San Benito, though it may not be available to every address in town. The price goes up to $50 after the first year and you’ll need to either rent a router for $10 per month or provide your own. If Spectrum’s pricing or service doesn’t work for you, consider bundling a mobile plan with a home internet plan from Verizon or T-Mobile. Here’s what you need to know about 5G home internet.

What’s the cheapest internet plan in San Benito?

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

How to find internet deals and promotions in San Benito

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

San Benito internet providers, like Spectrum, may offer lower introductory pricing or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Others, however, including AT&T Internet and Verizon 5G Home Internet, tend to run the same standard pricing year-round. 

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

How fast is San Benito broadband?

Spectrum’s coverage of San Benito delivers decent download speeds to the city. A recent Ookla speed test report showed a nearly 243Mbps median download speed for fixed internet in San Benito. (Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis). The median speed for Texas overall is close to 270Mbps. Spectrum has the fastest plan in town with its gig option, but uploads are limited to about 35Mbps on the cable network. Fiber ISPs are expanding in the Rio Grande Valley, so San Benito residents may soon have additional options for faster home internet speeds.

Fastest internet plans in San Benito

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 emails, 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 San Benito

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. So what's our approach? For starters, we tap into a proprietary pricing, availability and speed database that draws from our own historical ISP data, partner data and mapping information from the Federal Communications Commission at FCC.gov. 

But 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: 

• 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. When selecting the cheapest internet service, we look for the plans with the lowest monthly fee, though 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.

To explore our process in more depth, visit our how we test ISPs page.

What’s the final word on internet providers in San Benito?

Spectrum is the ISP to start with when shopping for home internet in San Benito. It offers download speeds up to a gig, covers almost all of town and has reasonable introductory pricing. Prices go up after the first year, but that could be a good time to try negotiating. Verizon and T-Mobile are two possible internet alternatives. Both offer 5G home internet in San Benito but are not open for every address in town. Look for Vexus Fiber to roll out its symmetrical offerings in San Benito, but construction can take time.

Internet providers in San Benito FAQs