Best internet providers in Los Angeles, California
As you’d expect, Los Angeles has plenty of internet provider options. Out of those options, AT&T fiber earns our top spot with fast downloads, proven reliability, and one unfortunate catch–it’s not available everywhere.
On the other hand, our other two recommendations have great coverage in Los Angeles–just at slightly slower upload speeds. In fact, T-Mobile clocks in at 94.55% coverage in Los Angeles, and Spectrum is just behind, making either a good option for those who can’t get AT&T.
- Plans starting at $55.00 - $180.00
- Download speeds up to 5000Mbps
- Upload speeds up to 5000Mbps
Disclaimer: Availability and pricing are subject to location. Conditions apply. For offer details, view disclaimers
- Plans starting at $29.99 - $169.97
- Download speeds up to 1 Gbps
- Upload speeds up to 1 Gbps
Disclaimer: Availability and pricing are subject to location. Conditions apply. For offer details, view disclaimers
- Plans starting at $50.00
- Download speeds up to 182 Mbps
- Upload speeds up to 23 Mbps
Disclaimer: Availability and pricing are subject to location. Conditions apply.
Our top 3 ISP choices in Los Angeles, CA
If you can get it at your address, we recommend AT&T fiber, but, ultimately, all three of our recommendations will get you reliable internet access.
#1: AT&T fiber internet
AT&T fiber internet is our top choice for internet providers in Los Angeles, provided you can get it at your
location. While AT&T has coverage across most of LA county, some of the coverage is actually DSL and not available to new customers. You’re especially out of luck if you live in central or downtown LA, where fiber coverage is spotty. No matter where you live, we suggest you check your location’s fiber coverage on our provider availability map.
If you can get fiber, you’ll have fast downloads and uploads–a perk specific to fiber internet–at an affordable price. In fact, we consider it one of the best values offered by internet providers.
Read our full AT&T review.
#2: Spectrum internet
Spectrum has great coverage in Los Angeles with 86% of the city covered. As a cable internet provider, Spectrum also offers great speeds and reliability and some affordable beginner plans. What we’re less excited about are the small fees that can add up and the hefty second year price hike. It’s not enough to keep us from recommending it, but it’s worth being prepared for.
Read our full Spectrum review.
#3: T-Mobile internet
T-Mobile internet matches AT&T in affordability and has great coverage in LA. Plus, if you’re already a T-Mobile customer, you can often get a discounted price. It’s simple to set up with a simple price structure and no data caps. However, because it’s fixed wireless internet, its speed and reliability can vary depending on location, weather, and peak-hour usage.
Read our full T-Mobile review.
All internet providers in Los Angeles
Like we mentioned before, Los Angeles isn’t hurting for internet provider options. In addition to the providers we recommend, Verizon and Starry offer fixed wireless internet in LA. Both have pretty affordable costs, but the coverage is significantly less than T-Mobile’s.
Satellite internet companies like HughesNet or Starlink offer better coverage, but we recommend you steer clear as satellite services often nail you with slow speeds, high fees, and data caps.
Fastest internet providers in Los Angeles
AT&T fiber offers upload and download speeds of up to 5 Gbps. That’s crazy fast internet, but also way more than the average household needs. Spectrum also offers pretty fast speeds of 1 Gbps, and T-Mobile comes in at a still respectable 182 Mbps, though fixed wireless speeds can vary a lot by location and weather.
How much speed do you need?
Cheapest internet providers in Los Angeles
The most affordable internet plans in Los Angeles are often discount plans for low-income residents. Starry Connect comes in at the cheapest at only $15 a month for 30 Mbps. However, this discount plan is available only in specific buildings already set up for Starry’s internet.
Other cheap options include Verizon 5G Home, which offers internet starting at $25 a month for existing Verizon customers (normally $50–$70) and T-Mobile, which offers similar discounts for its current customers.
Internet options in nearby cities
In surrounding cities, T-Mobile is the most consistent offering for internet service. Almost all neighboring LA cities have large coverage with T-Mobile, while the fiber offers are a little more variable. For instance, Anaheim and Pasadina have AT&T fiber coverage , but Long Beach has almost none. Instead, Frontier Fiber, which has almost no coverage in LA, becomes the frontrunner for Long Beach.
What Los Angeles residents are saying on Reddit
We’ve scanned social media sites, checking for what Los Angeles residents are really saying about their internet providers. Overall, AT&T fiber customers sing its praises, while Spectrum customers complain about yearly price hikes. Consistent throughout, however, is a desire for more fiber coverage.
My Dad tried it in Cleveland, Ohio and he hated it. I'm a content creator from home and I want to try something cheaper but I cannot start it until April 18th because of a work trip. I'm aware of the 15 day test drive but I want to know everyone's experiences upfront.
My sister has it (lives along the 110) and she likes it. I use it when I’m visiting and had it in my house back in Denver and can’t complain about the reliability. It’s not gigabit internet but it gets the job done for Zoom and remote work.
I'm an avid critic of their monopoly in certain areas of LA, but I have to recognize that their practice to proactively increase speeds without any request is a pleasant surprise.
Service suffers interruption 1-3 times a year, price is good with proper discounts etc.
Is all the criticism towards Spectrum justified?
I switched to AT&T fiber as soon as it was offered on my block, and it’s worked well for less than I was paying Spectrum. Spectrum kept raising their prices. Price suddenly went up 20% early in the pandemic. I was on hold on the phone for 2 hours only to be told they weren’t able to lower the price, well they could but then after the promotional period the price would jump 40% higher than my original “grandfathered in” service price. After a few months with AT&T, Spectrum came to my door and offered a $30/mo. promotion price. I thanked them for the offer, but said I was still salty they couldn’t keep my price down when they were a monopoly.
My internet has been out since midnight. The Spectrum app said it was planned maintenance and they couldn’t give a time estimate when I contacted them last night. Also hate that I didn’t even receive a warning or notification. The app now says it’s expected to be out until 1pm but said 10:30am and 12pm earlier this morning. I’m attending an online school, and so was upset last night when I was trying to rewatch our session last week to catch up on work. But now the outage cuts into an actual class, though luckily it’s an extras optional one.
Spectrum has been my only real option the entire 3 years I’ve been at my apartment. Only other option is ATT with only a 25mbps. So in the past they pretty much called my bluff. I live in Koreatown so it suck being near center of LA and have such limited options when it comes to ISPs
I have T-mobile for cell service and it’s fine everywhere except my own apartment lol but I checked last night and I’m actually eligible for their 5G home internet service which cost $30 if I upgraded to their Magenta Max plan that’s $103 for a single line (whey do they punish single people🥲)
Anyway, I had some discount I was able to get because of covid for internet that recently ended but no promo so my internet bill is $74.99 and on my last bill said it was going up $5 next month for Spectrums lowest internet tier.
T-mobile internet service finally gives me a bargaining chip. So I called this morning saying I wanted to disconnect my service when I mentioned my internet being out and still out and being an online student/WFH the rep said she felt really bad lol and so I got some great offers. A promo for internet where she upgraded my speed but I think it”ll be 19.99 for 36 months and an offer for their mobile service for a free year and a $30 a month after. They use Verizon’s towers for cell services so I might get better cell service because I have 1-2 bars on my phone and would not make it through a zoom call nor would using mobile hotspot be worth attempting right now. They said they’ll mail me out a SIM card and no activation fee, also credited $15 dollars for the inconvenience.
I checked but I’m not eligible for Verizon 5G Home internet. The original Spectrum plan I signed up for was 100mbps now their lowest tier is 300mbps but I often checked and rarely got 300mbps but was honestly fine with 100mbps since I live with just my dog. So I still might try and see how fast/stable T-mobile internet is in my home or if it’s as crappy as my cell service.
TLDR;
If Spectrum is your only option it might be worth checking out if you’re eligible for T-Mobile or Version 5G home internet. When I check my address to see who’s services I can get in my area neither come up. But I’m actually eligible for T-Mobile so have another option for once and easier to get better promo from Spectrum if want to stay with them.
Hi OP, i feel your pain re Spectrum. A couple of months ago my neighbor’s tree lost a branch and it severed the cable and it took them a whole week to come and make the repairs. I also used to use their cellular service, and the service was ok since they use Verizon towers, but they wanted to charge me double in the rare occasion I went over my data limit.
For good or bad, I still have their cable/internet service, but I’ve changed cellular service since to Mint Mobile, I’m pretty happy with their service and pay way less than what I used to pay for Spectrum Mobile I haven’t had any issues with reception or otherwise, I know they use T-Mobile towers. BTW I live in the Eagle Rock area. Hope this helps you.
Once again, garbage spectrum has raised my internet only price for the 420mbps speed from $90 to $105 per month. Not only are both of these prices ridiculous for these speeds, but there was no communication about the change either.
I have family in TX that has gigabit fiber for $50/month. Why is LA so behind on this? Why do I not have choices for internet?
I just needed to vent about this before I call spectrum. Thx
My internet was included in my rent. Just received a notice that it will no longer be included. No phone line in my room so can’t do it thru a phone line.
I'm assuming you're renting a room and the person running the house/apartment/whatever is now cutting you off? If so, your best bet would be the T-Mobile 5G at home service for $50 a month unlimited.
Internet news and infrastructure in Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles (and California in general) has been doing a lot to build up its internet infrastructure in the last few years. First, in July 2021, Governor Newsom signed into law Senate Bill 156, which basically set the goal of expanding the state’s broadband fiber infrastructure and increasing connectivity. (1) This led to the October 2022 construction of the first leg of the 10,000 mile broadband network–a planned statewide network.
Specifically in Los Angeles, the Committee for Greater LA has set the goal “for all L.A. County residents to be connected to broadband service of at least 100/20 Mbps for $30 or less per month” by 2024. This is specifically attempting to tackle what’s called the “digital divide”—the disadvantaged access some demographics have to the internet. (2) By 2027 the goal is for LA to be a national leader in broadband equity.
Starry is one of these companies helping expand affordable internet access in Los Angeles. It offers some very affordable prices, which we love, but in terms of longevity, things are less clear. Recently, Starry shut down all service in Columbus, OH, citing “the challenging macroeconomic environment.” (3) According to Starry’s CEO, this shutdown will allow them to channel more resources into Starry’s main hub cities, which includes Los Angeles. We hope this means new things for Los Angeles and stability for Starry.
All in all, we think this all sounds like a pretty good direction for Los Angeles to be headed.
Frequently asked internet questions in Los Angeles
T-Mobile is a fixed wireless internet, meaning it sends radio waves to a fixed antenna on your home. This form of transportation can run into trouble from weather and location and thus has wide variations in speed and reliability. Spectrum, on the other hand, is a cable internet provider, which means fast speeds and overall reliability. The downside is the price. While T-Mobile is often decently cheap–especially if you’re already a customer—Spectrum starts out affordable but has yearly price increases and fees.
No, Spectrum is not the only internet provider in Los Angeles. While Spectrum does have pretty good coverage, Los Angeles is also covered by AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, and more.
The short answer is yes, fiber internet is available in Los Angeles. The long answer is it depends on where you live. There are three companies that offer fiber in the Los Angeles area: AT&T, Frontier Communications Corporation, and Vast Networks. Each of these companies has limited fiber availability depending on where you live. For example, AT&T does offer fiber internet in the LA area, but not in central or downtown LA.
- “State Begins Construction on New 10,000-mile Broadband Network to Bring High-Speed Reliable Internet Service to All Californians,” California Department of Technology. Accessed 22 April 2023.
- “Los Angeles group seeks broadband at $30/month for entire county,” Los Angeles Daily News. Accessed 22 April 2023.
- “Starry Announces Intention to Depart Columbus Market.” Businesswire. Accessed 2 May 2023.