Best Internet Providers in San Marcos, Texas

What is the best internet provider in San Marcos?

CNET recommends Spectrum as the best internet service provider for most San Marcos households. With availability to over 92% of addresses, according to FCC data, Spectrum will most likely be an option for residential internet wherever you’re located in this Texas town.

You can count on reasonable prices and speedy bandwidth with Spectrum, but Astound Broadband and Verizon 5G Home Internet are also worth checking out — especially for speed and affordability.

Astound Broadband is the cheapest and fastest provider in San Marcos. Astound’s 300-megabit-per-second plan costs only $20 per month for the first two years, but watch out for a steep price hike after the promo period ends. If you’re looking for a lightning-fast connection, Astound’s 1.5-gig plan costs $55 and includes equipment and unlimited data.

San Marcos internet providers compared

Provider Internet technology Monthly price range Speed range Monthly equipment costs Data cap Contract CNET review score
Astound Broadband
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Cable $20-$55 300-1,500Mbps None None None 7
Brightspeed DSL/Fiber $50-$65 10-940Mbps $15 or $200 one-time fee (optional) None None N/A
Spectrum
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Cable $50-$70 300-1,000Mbps Free modem; $7 router (optional) None None 7.2
Spry Wireless Fixed wireless $79-$139 150-400Mbps Varies None None N/A
T-Mobile Home Internet
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Fixed wireless $50 ($40 for eligible Go5G Plus and Magenta Max mobile customers) 72-245Mbps None None None 7.4
Verizon 5G Home Internet
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Fixed wireless $50-$70 ($35-$45 with qualifying Verizon 5G mobile plans) 50-1,000Mbps None None None 7.2

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Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

What’s the cheapest internet plan in San Marcos?

Provider Starting monthly price Max download speed Monthly equipment fee
Astound Broadband 300
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$20 300Mbps None
Brightspeed 200 $50 200Mbps $15 (optional)
Spectrum Internet Ultra
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$50 300Mbps $7 (optional)
Verizon 5G Home Internet
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$50 ($35 with eligible mobile plan) 300Mbps None
T-Mobile Home Internet
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$50 ($40 with eligible mobile plan) 245Mbps None
Spry Silver $79 150Mbps Varies

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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 what discounts are available during that period. Most deals are short-lived, but we look frequently for the latest offers. 

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How many members of your household use the internet?

San Marcos internet providers, such as Astound Broadband, may offer lower introductory pricing or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Others, however, such as Verizon, run the same standard pricing year-round. 

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

Statue of Justice on top of copper dome in San Marcos, Texas.

Photo by DKAR Images/Getty Images

Fastest internet plans in San Marcos

Provider Starting price Max download speed Max upload speed Data cap Connection type
Astound Broadband 1500
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$55 1,500Mbps 20Mbps None Cable
Astound Broadband 1000
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$45 1,000Mbps 20Mbps None Cable
Spectrum Internet Gig
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$70 1,000Mbps 35Mbps None Cable
Verizon 5G Home Plus Internet
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$70 ($45 with eligible mobile plan) 1,000Mbps 75Mbps None Fixed wireless
Brightspeed 1 Gig $65 940Mbps 940Mbps None Fiber

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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 email, 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 Marcos

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? We start by researching the pricing, availability and speed information, drawing on our own historical ISP data, the provider sites 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:

  1. Does the provider offer access to reasonably fast internet speeds?
  2. Do customers get decent value for what they’re paying?
  3. Are customers happy with their service?

While the answers to those questions are often layered and complex, the providers that 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.

Internet providers in San Marcos FAQs

What is the best internet service provider in San Marcos?

Thanks to its wide availability in San Marcos, speeds up to 1 gigabit and simple service terms, Spectrum is the best internet provider for most households in the area.

Is fiber internet available in San Marcos?

The FCC reports that fiber internet is available to almost 44% of San Marcos addresses. The largest fiber networks in the area are offered by Brightspeed and Pavlov Media, but select homes may also be serviceable for fiber under Spectrum.

What is the cheapest internet provider in San Marcos?

Astound Broadband offers the cheapest service in San Marcos: $20 monthly for download speeds up to 300Mbps.

Which internet provider in San Marcos offers the fastest plan?

The fastest speed available in San Marcos is 1.5 gigabits — or 1,500Mbps — which Astound Broadband offers for $55 monthly.