The best internet providers in San Marcos, Texas

What are the best internet providers in San Marcos?

If you live in San Marcos, Texas and look for internet options, we can serve you. Although there are several good providers in the area, CNET Recommended spectrum Be the best internet service provider for most San Marcos homes. According to the availability of FCC data for about 90% of addresses, Spectrum is likely an option for residential internet, no matter where you are located in Texas.

You can count on spectrum to expect reasonable prices and fast bandwidth, but the Abound Broadband and Verizon 5G home internet are also worth a try – especially for speed and affordability.

Shocked Broadband is the cheapest and fastest provider in San Marcos. In the first year, Astound's 300 megabit plan costs only $30 per month, but be aware of the sharp rise after the promotion period is over. If you're looking for a lightning-fast connection, Astound's 1.5 Gig plan costs $70, including devices and unlimited data.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

How to find internet deals and promotions in San Marcos

The best internet deals and top promotions in San Marcos depend on the discounts available during this period. Most transactions are short-lived, but we often look for the latest quotes.

San Marcos internet providers, such as Astound Broadband, may offer lower introductory pricing or streaming add-ons for a limited time. However, others (such as Verizon) run the same standard pricing throughout the year.

For a wider list of promotions, check out our guide on the best internet deals.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

What is good internet speed?

Most Internet connectivity programs can now handle basic productivity and communication tasks. If you are looking for an internet plan that can accommodate video conferencing, streaming videos or games, you will get better experience and have a stronger connection. According to the FCC, this is an overview of the minimum download speeds recommended for various applications. Note that these are just guides – Internet speed, services and performance vary by connection type, provider and address.

For more information, see our guide on how much internet speed you really need.

• 0 to 5Mbps allows you to solve the basics – browse the internet, send and receive emails, and stream low-quality video.
• 5 to 40Mbps provides you with higher quality video streaming and video conferencing.
• 40 to 100Mbps should provide a user with enough bandwidth to meet the needs of modern remote office, video streaming and online gaming.
• 100 to 500Mbps allows one to perform high bandwidth activities for two users simultaneously, such as video conferencing, streaming and online gaming.
• 500 to 1,000Mbps allows three or more users to engage in high bandwidth activities simultaneously.

How to choose the best internet provider in San Marcos

There are numerous and regional Internet service providers. Unlike the latest smartphones, laptops, routers, or kitchen tools, it is impractical to personally test every ISP in a given city. So what is our method? We begin by looking at pricing, availability and speed information, leveraging our own historical ISP data, provider sites, and information from the FCC.Gov FCC.

But that's not over. We visit the FCC’s website to check our data and make sure we consider all ISPs that provide services in a certain area. We also enter a local address on the provider's website to find specific options for residents. We look at resources including the U.S. Customer Satisfaction Index and JD Power to evaluate how satisfied ISP services have with customers. ISP plans and prices change frequently; all information provided is accurate as of publication.

Once this local information is obtained, we ask three main questions:

1. Can providers access reasonable and fast internet speeds?
2. Do customers get decent value for the money they pay?
3. Are customers satisfied with their service?

Although the answers to these questions are often layered and complex, the three we recommend are closest to the “yes” provider. When choosing the cheapest internet service, we look for the lowest monthly plan, although we also consider issues such as price increase, equipment fees and contracts. Choosing the fastest internet service is relatively simple. We view upload and download speeds on ads and consider actual speed data from sources such as Ookla and FCC reports. (Ookla is owned by CNET and Ziff Davis, the same parent company.)

To explore our process more deeply, visit our test ISP page.

Internet provider of FAQs in San Marcos