Best Internet Providers in Glendale, California

What is the best internet provider in Glendale, California?

For a city in the most populous county in the US, there are surprisingly few internet providers operating in Glendale, California. The best internet provider in Glendale is AT&T Fiber, and it’s arguably the best internet provider in the country. It offers symmetrical upload and download speeds, straightforward pricing and unlimited data on all plans. Unfortunately, only about 20% of Glendale residents have access to AT&T's fiber internet. Spectrum is available nearly everywhere in Glendale, but its upload speeds are significantly lower and prices increase by $30 after one or two years.

Our team considers speeds, pricing, customer service and overall value to recommend the best internet service. Our evaluation includes referencing a proprietary database built over years of reviewing internet services. We validate that against provider information by spot-checking local addresses for service availability. We also do a close read of providers' terms and conditions and, when needed, call ISPs to verify the details.

Our process has some limitations you should know about. Pricing and speed data are variable: Certain addresses may qualify for different tiers of service and monthly costs may vary, even within a city. The best way to identify your particular options is to plug your address into a provider's website. To learn more about how we review internet providers, visit our full methodology page.

Top internet providers in Glendale

When AT&T Fiber is available in a city, it’s almost always our top pick for internet in the area. Only around 20% of homes in Glendale can access the service. For everyone else, Spectrum is a fine option, with fast speeds -- and a track record of actually delivering them -- and reasonable prices. 

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Other available Glendale residential internet providers

Our top picks are your best bets for internet in Glendale, but if you can’t get the service you’re looking for, there are a few other options to consider:

• Satellite internet: You can get satellite internet at almost every address in the country, but it’s only worthwhile as a last resort in rural areas with no other options. HughesNet and Viasat are the traditional satellite options; both require two-year contracts and come with low speeds, high prices and stingy data caps. The newer Starlink service from SpaceX gets you faster speeds, but you have to pay $349 up front for equipment and plans start at $120 a month.
• Verizon 5G Home Internet: Like T-Mobile Home Internet, Verizon uses its extensive cellphone network to transmit internet wirelessly to your home. It has two different plans available, with speeds going up to 250Mbps at some addresses.

Thomas De Wever/Getty Images

Pricing info on Glendale home internet service

Starting prices for internet in Glendale average around $51 monthly. That’s slightly above other California cities CNET has covered; nearby Los Angeles enjoys average starting prices of just $38. There aren’t any true “budget” options for internet in Glendale unless you bundle internet and cellphone service through Verizon or T-Mobile.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

How fast is Glendale broadband?

Glendale residents have a few options for ultrafast internet in the area. Spectrum and Verizon all offer "gig speed" plans -- download speeds above 940Mbps -- which is the gold standard for fast internet. Only AT&T Fiber offers symmetrical download and upload speeds.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

What’s the final word on internet providers in Glendale?

For a city located within such a large metropolitan area, Glendale has surprisingly few options for internet. Spectrum offers the best combination of value and availability, but upload speeds are low and prices increase after one or two years. AT&T Fiber is the best provider in the area by a long shot, but only around 20% of residents can get it. T-Mobile Home Internet is another affordable option, but it’s best for smaller households. 

How CNET chose the best internet providers in Glendale

Internet service providers are numerous and regional. Unlike the latest smartphone, laptop, router or kitchen tool, it's impractical to personally test every internet service provider in a given city. What's our approach? For starters, we tap into a proprietary database of pricing, availability and speed information that draws from our own historical ISP data, partner data and mapping information from the Federal Communications Commission at FCC.gov. 

This guide leverages an in-house artificial intelligence tool called RAMP, which is trained on our own writing and uses our database to generate content about specific internet service providers that our writers can use in determining and presenting our picks for a given guide. Check CNET’s AI policy for more information about how our teams use (and don’t use) AI tools. 

Because our database is not exhaustive, we go to the FCC’s website to check the primary data for ourselves and make sure we’re considering every ISP that provides service in an area. Plans and prices also vary by location, so we input local addresses on provider websites to find the specific options available to 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 the time of our pre-publication fact-check.

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 answer to those questions is often layered and complex, the providers who come closest to “yes” on all three are the ones we recommend. To explore our process in more depth, you can visit our how we test ISPs page.

Internet providers in Glendale FAQs