Best Internet Providers in Sarasota, Florida

What is the best internet provider in Sarasota?

CNET top recommendation for the best internet provider in Sarasota is Xfinity. It’s our top pick for most households because it has wide coverage in the area, and offers speeds of up to 2 gigabits at competitive prices. Xfinity has a decent selection of plans to meet all budgets and needs, whether you’re streaming, gaming or working from home.

If you’re outside the area covered by Xfinity’s network, you can also look at Frontier Fiber and T-Mobile Home Internet, both of which are solid options. If you want the cheapest internet, you can opt for the Xfinity Connect plan, the cheapest one offered in Florida’s Cultural Coast at $35 monthly, offering download speeds up to 150Mbps. If budget is no bar and you need the fastest speeds, Frontier Fiber delivers symmetrical speeds of up to 7,000Mbps for $300 monthly.

Best internet in Sarasota, Florida

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Other available internet providers in Sarasota

• Blue Stream Fiber: This DSL, cable and fiber provider offers a limited network in Sarasota, serving less than 1% of addresses. Speeds up to 1 gigabit are available to select homes and prices start at $45 monthly.
• Rapid Systems: Rapid Systems is a local ISP that covers Sarasota, Hardee, Fort Lonesome, Desoto and other small towns in Florida. It’s on the pricier side for home internet and speeds only reach up to 25Mbps.
• Satellite internet: No matter where you are in the country, satellite internet will always be an option. It’s probably not the best one. With high prices and slow speeds, providers like Hughesnet, Viasat and Starlink shouldn’t be your go-to for broadband.
• Verizon 5G Home Internet: Similar to T-Mobile, Verizon also offers fixed wireless services in Sarasota. Customers can choose from two plans: $50 per month for 100Mbps or $70 a month for 300Mbps. Plus, eligible mobile customers can get $15 to $25 off their monthly bill.

Cheap internet options in Sarasota

The average cost for residential broadband in Sarasota is $50 a month. That number may seem high, but there are a few providers in the area that offer internet for less than that.

Xfinity is Sarasota’s cheapest ISP, offering a 150-megabit-per-second plan for only $35 a month. Frontier Fiber and Blue Stream Fiber also offer service for less than the average price, but Frontier’s plan offers better cost-per-Mbps compared with Blue Stream.

What’s the cheapest internet plan in Sarasota?

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

How to find internet deals and promotions in Sarasota

The best internet deals and top promotions in Sarasota depend on what discounts are available during that period. Most deals are short-lived, but we look frequently for the latest offers. 

Sarasota internet providers, such as Xfinity and Blue Stream Fiber, may offer lower introductory pricing or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Others, such as Frontier Fiber and Verizon, run the same standard pricing year-round. 

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

How fast is Sarasota broadband?

According to Speedtest by Ookla, Sarasota’s median download speed is 280Mbps, with an upload speed of 61Mbps. (Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.) Xfinity and Frontier Fiber compete for speed in this Florida city, both reaching download speeds close to 210Mbps.

If you’re looking for faster connection in Sarasota, Frontier Fiber will be your best bet. This ISP offers symmetrical speeds up to 7 gigabits — or 7,000Mbps — for $300 a month.

Fastest internet plans in Sarasota

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.

• 0 to 5Mbps allows you to tackle the basics: browsing the internet, sending and receiving email and streaming low-quality video.
• 5 to 40Mbps gives you higher-quality video streaming and videoconferencing.
• 40 to 100Mbps should give one person sufficient bandwidth to satisfy the demands of modern telecommuting, video streaming and online gaming. 
• 100 to 500Mbps allows one to two people to simultaneously engage in high-bandwidth activities like videoconferencing, streaming and online gaming. 
• 500 to 1,000Mbps allows three or more people to engage in high-bandwidth activities at the same time.

For more information, refer to our guide on how much internet speed you really need.

How CNET chose the best internet providers in Sarasota

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. 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.

It doesn’t end there: We use 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?

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 Sarasota FAQs