Internet providers in Los Angeles, CA

What is the best internet provider in Los Angeles?

• AT&T - Great value
• Cox Communications - High-quality equipment
• Spectrum - No data caps
• EarthLink - Multiple service types available
• Frontier - No-contract plans available
• Viasat - Widely available
• HughesNet - Perfect for rural areas

The City of Angels spreads across a wide stretch of Southern California, ranging from the movie-star glitz of Hollywood to the taco trucks and underground music venues of Highland Park.

A city of 3.7 million people needs some big-boy Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to deliver cheap, reliable, high-speed internet. Here’s a breakdown of the best ISPs in La La Land:

Spectrum

In terms of sheer accessibility, Spectrum is the biggest and baddest operator in the city, maintaining a cable network across Los Angeles County. Spectrum delivers some of the most affordable and reliable internet around. And its plans don’t have data caps, so there’s no need to worry about cutting your Shameless binge-watching short on Netflix.

AT&T

AT&T is another major provider in Los Angeles. There are two types of AT&T plans: fiber internet service and DSL internet service. Any DSL AT&T Internet plan is an excellent option, especially for people on a budget who don’t need a ton of download or upload speed.

If you use your internet to mostly just answer emails, pick fights on social media (jk), and surf the interwebs, DSL will do just fine. But if it’s available, you can also tap into AT&T’s fiber-optic network, with speeds topping out at an impressive 940 Mbps.

Frontier

Frontier is available mostly in outer parts of LA—including East Los Angeles, the San Gabriel Valley, Santa Monica, Westwood, and Brentwood. Frontier’s fiber-optic FiOS network also delivers 1,000 Mbps, as well as a range of cheaper options.

Cox

Cox Communications is available only in the South Bay coastal areas of Palos Verdes and San Pedro. If you happen to live around there, the big advantage with a Cox plan is its Panoramic Wi-Fi Modem, which delivers an especially strong signal throughout the house.

This is good if you live in a Palos Verdes enclave like Rolling Hills Estates, famed for its sprawling, five-bedroom ranch homes where Wi-Fi signals can have trouble getting around.

EarthLink

EarthLink got overwhelmingly positive results in our latest customer satisfaction survey, rising to the top for overall performance, speed, reliability, and more. EarthLink provides DSL and fiber internet, with plans going up to 1,000 Mbps. It gives you unlimited data and pledges not to throttle your speeds, so you can use the internet as much as you please with the bandwidth you’re paying for every month.

The prices may look high relative to the internet speeds on offer, but you’re actually getting an honest deal—there are no promotional prices that suddenly jump up after 12 months or a year. EarthLink also gives you unlimited data and pledges not to throttle your speeds, so you can use the internet as much as you please without having to worry about overage charges.

HughesNet and Viasat

There are also satellite internet providers available in Los Angeles: HughesNet and Viasat. If you’re living in a rural area near the city limits, hunkered down in a hippie commune deep in Mount Washington or hanging out way up in the Hollywood Hills, either of these providers will do the trick if no other provider can get through.

Starry Internet

The major ISPs have brand-name recognition, but Los Angeles also has service from the plucky regional provider Starry Internet. Calling itself a “radical new internet service provider,” Starry keeps it simple with a single internet plan at a fixed price, featuring up to 200 Mbps speeds and a router included at no extra cost. It runs on a combination of fiber and wireless internet and is mostly available in apartment buildings. Its network isn’t super huge, but if you can get Starry, it could serve as a lower-cost alternative to traditional fiber or cable internet.

Highest-rated internet providers in Los Angeles

In our most recent customer satisfaction survey, EarthLink was the highest-rated internet provider available in Los Angeles. It gets the top spot out of 15 providers for overall performance and also does great in crucial categories like speed and reliability.

AT&T came in second among internet providers available in Los Angeles, and Spectrum came in just behind AT&T. Both providers get middle rankings for overall performance, but rank decently in several categories, including internet speed, reliability, equipment, customer service, and tech support.

Frontier, HughesNet, and Cox rank farther down in our satisfaction survey, representing the bottom rankings.

Fastest internet service providers in Los Angeles

AT&T offers internet at speeds up to 1000 Mbps

EarthLink offers internet at speeds up to 1000 Mbps

Cox Communications offers internet at speeds up to 940 Mbps

Spectrum offers internet at speeds up to 940 Mbps

If you’re a tech-savvy home professional—like a recording studio engineer or freelance video editor—then consider AT&T’s gigabit fiber plan.

The package is called Internet 1000 and it delivers a download speed of 940 Mbps and an upload speed of 880 Mbps. That’s a stellar choice, giving you more than enough speed to teleconference with industry bigwigs and transfer enormous media files over cloud servers. Working on some top-secret project from Interscope Records or Walt Disney Studios will be a whole lot easier this way.

Spectrum and Cox also offer near gigabit speeds, but make sure to check if they’re available in your part of town. Cox’s Gigablast plan delivers 940 Mbps in the Palos Verdes and San Pedro areas—and that’s all. Spectrum has an Internet Gig plan with 940 Mbps, but, in many LA neighborhoods, it’s more common to find Internet Ultra with 400 Mbps, which is still incredibly fast, so you’ll still have premium Wi-Fi.

However, you will get a much slower upload speed from Spectrum. While AT&T brings the heat with 880 Mbps, Spectrum’s Gig plan gives you only 35 Mbps upload speeds. The Internet Ultra plan has 20 Mbps upload speeds.

This drastically slower upload speed may not make a difference to you, since most internet activities revolve around downloading data (including streaming video and downloading files). But it will impact your ability to do upload-heavy activities like making Zoom video calls and uploading files to a cloud server, so it’s something you should consider if you depend on the fastest speeds for work or play.

Cheap and free internet in Los Angeles

The cheapest internet plan in Los Angeles comes from Frontier, which has multiple plans for under $50 a month. Frontier has no data caps, so you can use as much internet as you please.

AT&T, Spectrum, Cox, and Optimum have also suspended data caps in recent weeks as the country grapples with the economic effects of the new coronavirus pandemic. The providers have all waived late fees and will keep your internet connected even if you can’t cover your next bill. The ISPs’ Wi-Fi hotspots are also available to the public to use at no cost.

If you’re a family with kids in grades K–12 or college students in the house, Spectrum is offering free internet and Wi-Fi until June 30. Spectrum’s Internet Assist program is also available for low-income families in need of an affordable internet plan.

Cox has plans for under $50 per month for customers living in the Palos Verdes area. Also, if you’re a student and qualify for a government assistance program, you can get low-cost internet by signing up to Cox’s Connect2Compete internet program. Those who don’t qualify can look into its Emergency Response Offer, which includes a free month of internet for new customers.

Free Wi-Fi at public libraries in Los Angeles

If you can’t afford a monthly plan, try your local public library. Most libraries are closed due to COVID-19 fears, but they are usually a great resource for free Wi-Fi when they’re open. Both the Los Angeles Public Library and the Los Angeles County Library systems offer free public Wi-Fi.

Four local branches of the Los Angeles Public Library also participate in the Tech2go Hotspot Loan Program, which provides families with Wi-Fi hotspots that they can check out for three weeks at a time. They can be used to provide internet access on laptops, phones, and other mobile devices.

Los Angeles residential internet coverage

Broadband internet service (internet with a download speed of at least 25 Mbps) is available to 99% of Los Angeles residents. That means that nearly every Angeleno has access to broadband internet. Several internet service providers of different types and sizes are available in LA, but AT&T and Spectrum serve the most areas.

Since Los Angeles is such a sprawling megalopolis, the internet services available at your residence may vary greatly depending on what neighborhood you’re in. Here’s a breakdown of what kind of service you’ll find in different parts of the city:

West Los Angeles

Spectrum has you covered for cable internet in Westside areas like Brentwood, Westwood, and Santa Monica—its network spans the entire city. AT&T, meanwhile, offers DSL and fiber options in most of the Westside. However, AT&T isn’t available in coastal communities from Marina del Rey up to Topanga State Park.

If you would like a fiber option in those parts of town, Frontier runs its FiOS fiber-optic service along the coast from the Pacific Palisades to Marina del Rey down to LAX. Frontier’s network then stretches inland to cover areas like Culver City and the University of California, Los Angeles.

Sonic has DSL coverage in much of this area as well, covering Sawtelle and a bit of Culver City just west of I-405. It also covers Century City, Palms, Ladera Heights, and other areas directly east of I-405.

Central Los Angeles

AT&T is the main fiber-optic internet option in Hollywood, Koreatown, Mid-Wilshire, Downtown, and other parts of central Los Angeles.

For cable internet, Spectrum has a wide reach in Central Los Angeles, covering Downtown, Westlake, Little Tokyo, and all the rest. Sonic delivers DSL internet in the same area, with the exception of the University of Southern California campus just north of Exposition Blvd.

Oddly, there seems to be one, tiny, street-block–sized pocket in LA’s Fashion District where there’s no internet available from Spectrum or Sonic. We’re not sure why that’s the case, but if you happen to be in that very, highly specific spot and need internet, we suggest AT&T.

East/Northeast Los Angeles

Whether you’re living in Silver Lake, Highland Park, or Boyle Heights, Spectrum and AT&T both offer high-speed cable internet across the entirety of LA’s thriving and diverse east and northeast neighborhoods.

AT&T provides fiber-optic and DSL coverage, while Spectrum offers cable internet. In addition to East and Northeast LA, they’re both available further east into San Gabriel Valley suburbs like Pasadena, Alhambra, Altadena, and Rosemead. However, AT&T’s coverage cuts off around the Santa Fe Dam Recreation Area. So, you may have trouble getting fiber options if you’re living in Irwindale or West Covina.

For its part, Sonic provides DSL internet from Griffith Park through the city of East Los Angeles and out to the San Gabriel Valley. DSL tends to be slower than cable, but this is worth considering as a more affordable option.

South Los Angeles

AT&T and Spectrum both provide plenty of internet coverage in the southern parts of Los Angeles, including areas like Leimert Park and Central-Alameda just south of Interstate 10, covering LAX and Inglewood and heading down as far as San Pedro.

However, AT&T’s fiber and DSL network falls off in much of Long Beach, while Spectrum doesn’t provide service in the Palos Verdes Peninsula. AT&T also isn’t available in the coastal cities of Hermosa Beach and Redondo Beach.

Frontier’s FiOS network covers LAX, falls off in El Segundo, and picks up again at Rosecrans Ave. and stretches into southwestern Los Angeles County. Frontier would be an alternative if you can’t get fiber service from AT&T in this area.

If you live in the South Bay cities of Rancho Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills, or San Pedro, you can get cable internet from Cox Communications. The Palos Verdes Peninsula is the only place in the city where Cox operates.

San Fernando Valley

AT&T delivers fiber and DSL coverage all across the San Fernando Valley. Spectrum provides cable internet in much the same area. So, you’ll be good to go for broadband internet if you’re living in Burbank, Glendale, North Hollywood, or further out in areas like Chatsworth or Calabasas.

AT&T’s network cuts off in Sylmar, but Spectrum offers internet there. Both internet providers also don’t have service available in remote parts of Simi Valley, especially in a stretch east of Happy Camp Canyon Regional Park.

Frontier’s FiOS network has some availability in the Valley, covering the Van Nuys Airport and Sherman Oaks. It’s also available in Northridge, Porter Ranch, Granada Hills, and other communities straddling California State Route 118. But Frontier doesn’t have internet in areas closer to US Route 101, including North Hollywood, Studio City, and Canoga Park.

Last but not least, Sonic provides DSL internet in most of the San Fernando Valley, including Sherman Oaks, Encino, North Hollywood, and West Hills. But its availability cuts off as you go further north, stopping once you reach more remote suburbs like Shadow Hills, Arleta, and Granada Hills.

Now for some Hollywood trivia. You know that part in the Oscar-winning musical La La Land when Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling dance it out on a hill overlooking the city as the sun goes down?

AT&T, Spectrum, and Sonic all provide internet service in the area surrounding this picturesque spot—located half a mile from the Hollywood sign in Griffith Park.

Almost all internet providers in Los Angeles allow you to bundle your internet service with a TV or phone service. You can use our availability map below to see which providers are available in your neighborhood.