Best Internet Providers in Sarasota, Florida [CNET]

On Florida’s Cultural Coast, fast speeds and cheap introductory rates are available to most. Check out CNET’s picks for home internet in Sarasota.

What is the best internet provider in Sarasota?

CNET recommends Xfinity as the best internet service provider for most Sarasota households. Xfinity offers wide coverage in the area, so you’ll likely be serviceable for its speeds of up to 2 gigabits and low monthly costs for home internet.

Other providers, such as Frontier Fiber and T-Mobile Home Internet, also serve Sarasota and are worth considering for broadband. Ultimately, it’ll come down to what’s available at your address.

Shopping for affordability or the fastest speeds Sarasota has to offer? Xfinity Connect is the cheapest plan in Florida’s Cultural Coast, costing $30 monthly for download speeds up to 150 megabits per second. Frontier Fiber offers the speediest service: 7,000Mbps of symmetrical speeds for $300 per month.

Best internet in Sarasota, Florida

Sarasota internet providers compared

Provider	Internet technology	Monthly price range	Speed range	Monthly equipment costs	Data cap	Contract	CNET review score
Blue Stream Fiber	Fiber	$45-$75	100-1,000Mbps	None	None	2 years (optional)	N/A
Frontier Communications Read full review	DSL/Fiber	$50-$130	500-5,000Mbps	None	None	None	6.3
Rapid Systems	Fixed wireless	$79-$99	10-25Mbps	Varies	None	None	N/A
T-Mobile Home Internet Read full review	Fixed wireless	$60 ($40 for eligible Go5G Plus and Magenta Max mobile customers)	72-245Mbps	None	None	None	7.4
Verizon 5G Home Internet Read full review	Fixed wireless	$50-$70 ($35-$45 with qualifying Verizon 5G mobile plans)	50-1,000Mbps	None	None	None	7.2
Xfinity Read full review	Cable	$20-$85	150-1,200Mbps	$15 gateway rental (optional)	1.2TB	1-2 years on some plans	7

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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 per 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 per 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 $30 per 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?

Provider	Starting monthly price	Max download speed	Monthly equipment fee
Xfinity Connect Read full review	$20	150Mbps	$15 (optional)
Xfinity Connect More Read full review	$35	300Mbps	None
Blue Stream 100	$45	100Mbps	None
Frontier Fiber 500 Read full review	$45	500Mbps	None
Verizon 5G Home Read full review	$50 ($35 with eligible mobile plan)	300Mbps	None
T-Mobile Home Internet Read full review	$60 ($40 with eligible mobile plan)	245Mbps	None

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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 237Mbps, with an upload speed of 41.75Mbps. 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 per month.

Fastest internet plans in Sarasota

Provider	Starting monthly price	Max download speed	Max upload speed	Data cap	Connection type
Frontier Fiber 5 Gig Read full review	$155	5,000Mbps	5,000Mbps	None	Fiber
Frontier Fiber 2 Gig Read full review	$100	2,000Mbps	2,000Mbps	None	Fiber
Xfinity Gigabit Extra Read full review	$85	1,200Mbps	35Mbps	1.2TB	Cable
Blue Stream 1 Gig	$75	1,000Mbps	1,000Mbps	None	Fiber
Frontier Fiber 1 Gig Read full review	$60	1,000Mbps	1,000Mbps	None	Fiber
Verizon 5G Home Plus Internet Read full review	$70 ($45 with eligible mobile plan)	1,000Mbps	75Mbps	None	Fixed wireless
Xfinity Gigabit Read full review	$65	1,000Mbps	20Mbps	1.2TB	Cable

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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.

• 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 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.

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