Best Internet Providers in Ontario, California

What is the best internet provider in Ontario, California?

Frontier Fiber is the best internet provider in Ontariowith fast, symmetrical speeds, unlimited data, and no extra charges for your devices. Frontier also has some of the lowest prices in the region, and doesn’t automatically raise prices after a year or two.

Spectrum has the cheapest internet plans in Ontariostarting at just $30/month for 100Mbps speeds. Prices go up significantly after two years, but that’s pretty common in the internet world. If you don’t want to worry about price increases, T-Mobile Home Internet is the only ISP in Ontario that offers a Price Lock Guarantee, which should provide plenty of speed for most homes.

Best Internet in Ontario, California

Source: CNET analysis of carrier data.

Source: CNET analysis of carrier data.

How to Find Online Deals and Promotions in Ontario

The best internet deals and top promotions in Ontario depend on what discounts are available at any given time. Most deals are short-lived, but we regularly check for the latest offers.

Ontario internet providers, such as Frontier and Verizon, may offer lower introductory prices or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Many providers, including Spectrum and T-Mobile, maintain the same standard prices year-round.

For a more comprehensive overview of all promotions, check out our guide to the best online deals.

Source: CNET analysis of carrier data.

What is a good internet speed?

Most internet plans now can handle basic productivity and communication tasks. If you’re looking for an internet plan that’s suitable for video conferencing, streaming video, or gaming, you’ll have a better experience with a more robust connection. Here’s a look at the recommended minimum download speeds for different applications, according to the Federal Communications CommissionPlease note that these are guidelines only and that Internet speed, service and performance vary by connection type, provider and address.

For more information, check out our guide to how much internet speed you really need.

• With 0 to 5 Mbps you can perform basic tasks: surfing the web, sending and receiving email, and streaming low-quality videos.
• 5 to 40 Mbps gives you higher quality video streaming and video conferencing.
• 40 to 100 Mbps should provide enough bandwidth for a single user to meet the demands of modern teleworking, video streaming, and online gaming.
• With 100 to 500 Mbps, one or two users can simultaneously participate in high-bandwidth activities such as video conferencing, streaming, and online gaming.
• With 500 to 1,000 Mbps, three or more users can participate in high-bandwidth activities simultaneously.

How CNET Chose the Best Internet Providers in Ontario

Internet service providers are numerous and regional. Unlike the latest smartphone, laptop, router, or kitchen utensil, it’s impractical to personally test every ISP in a given city. So how do we do it? We start by examining pricing, availability, and speed information based on our own historical ISP data, provider sites, and mapping information from the Federal Communications Commission at FCC.gov.

And it doesn’t stop there: We go to the FCC website to check our data and make sure we account for every ISP that offers service in an area. We also enter local addresses into carrier websites to find specific options for residents. We look at sources including the American Customer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Power to evaluate how satisfied customers are with an ISP’s service. ISP plans and pricing are subject to frequent change; all information provided is accurate at the time of publication.

Once we have this localized information, we ask ourselves three main questions:

1. Does the provider offer access to reasonably fast internet speeds?
2. Do customers get value for their money?
3. Are customers satisfied with their service?

While the answers to these questions are often multi-layered and complex, the providers that come closest to “yes” to all three questions are the ones we recommend. When selecting the cheapest internet service, we look for the plans with the lowest monthly fees, though we also consider things like price increases, equipment costs, and contracts. Choosing the fastest internet service is relatively simple. We look at advertised upload and download speeds, and consider real-world speed data from sources like Ookla And FCC Reports.

If you would like to take a more detailed look at our process, please visit our How We Test ISPs page.

Frequently Asked Questions About Internet Providers in Ontario