Best ISPs in Santa Fe, New Mexico

What is the best ISP in Santa Fe?

Residents of Santa Fe, New Mexico have several options when it comes to Internet service. After reviewing available providers in the region, CNET's broadband experts have made their selection Xfinity as the best ISP in Santa Fe — with both the fastest and cheapest plans in town. Plans start at $20 per month for 150 megabits per second and go up to $80 for the 1,200 Mbps plan. It's available almost everywhere, but be prepared for your monthly bill to increase once you reach your second or third year of service.

If you don't want to worry about such headaches, T-Mobile guarantees that your price will not increase as long as you maintain the service, but its speed may not be sufficient for households with many devices using the Internet at once. NMSurf is a step down from Xfinity and T-Mobile, but still provides better value than satellite or DSL service from CenturyLink.

Best Internet in Santa Fe, New Mexico

Santa Fe ISP Comparison

Provider	Internet technology	Monthly price range	Speed ​​range	Monthly equipment costs	Data cap	Agreement	CNET Review Score
CenturyLink Read the full review	DSL	55 dollars	Up to 100 Mbps	$15 (optional)	No one	No one	6.7
NMSurf	Fixed wireless	60-105 dollars	100-400 Mbps	10-15 dollars	No one	1-2 years (optional)	THAT
T-Mobile Home Internet Read the full review	Fixed wireless	$50-$70 ($40-$50 with eligible cellular plans)	72-245 Mbps	No one	No one	No one	7.4
Verizon 5G Home Internet Read the full review	Fixed wireless	$50-$70 ($35-$45 for eligible Verizon Wireless customers)	85-1,000 Mbps	No one	No one	No one	7.2
Xfinity Read the full review	Cable	20-80 dollars	150-1,200 Mbps	$15 (waived on most plans)	Unlimited with Xfinity equipment	Optional	7

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Source: CNET analysis of provider data

Other available ISPs in Santa Fe

• CenturyLink: CenturyLink only offers DSL plans in Santa Fe, which is considered a slower connection type. Speeds go up to 100 Mbps, which is a decent option for smaller households, but can be much lower depending on your address. I'd still recommend going with NMSurf if you can't get Xfinity or T-Mobile, but CenturyLink is a significant step up from satellite providers.
• Satellite internet: Usually reserved for rural areas without any other options, such as satellite providers HughesNet and Viasat they offer service everywhere in Santa Fe, but there isn't much to recommend them. They're more expensive than other options, and slow speeds and data caps make things like streaming and video conferencing difficult. Starlink is a faster option with unlimited data, but it's $120 per month with the previous $499 price tag on the device now down to $299.
• Verizon 5G Home Internet: If it were more widely available, Verizon would easily be one of our top picks in Santa Fe. It offers some of the fastest speeds in the city at reasonable prices, but is currently only available to 9% of households.

Cheap internet options in Santa Fe

There are four internet plans available in Santa Fe for $50 a month or less. That's less than nearby cities Albuquerque and Colorado Springs. Xfinity's Connect is currently the cheapest plan you'll find at just $20 per month, but when you factor in the $15 monthly equipment fee, the 300Mbps Connect More plan is the same price.

What is the cheapest internet plan in Santa Fe?

Provider	Starting price	Maximum download speed	Monthly subscription for equipment
Xfinity Connect Read the full review	20 dollars	150 Mbps	15 dollars
Xfinity Connect More Read the full review	35 dollars	300 Mbps	No one
T-Mobile Home Internet Read the full review	$50 ($40 with eligible mobile plans)	245 Mbps	No one
Verizon 5G Home Internet Read the full review	$50 ($35 with eligible cell phone plans)	300 Mbps	No one

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Source: CNET analysis of provider data

How to find online deals and promotions in Santa Fe

The best online deals and top promotions in Santa Fe depend on what discounts are available at that time. Most deals are short-lived, but we often look for the latest offers.

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How many members of your household use the Internet?

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Santa Fe ISPs, such as Xfinity, may offer lower introductory rates or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Many, including T-Mobile and NMSurf, have the same standard rates year-round.

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

How fast is the broadband in Santa Fe?

Santa Fe residents don't have as many options for high-speed Internet plans as other cities of its size. Only Xfinity and Verizon offer gigabit speeds, the latter only available to about 1 in 10 residents. Most houses can make do with download speeds well below 1,000 Mbps, although a 40 Mbps download speed may still be limiting for houses with multi-person video conferencing or online gaming.

Fastest internet plans in Santa Fe

Provider	Starting price	Maximum download speed	Maximum upload speed	Data cap	Connection type
Xfinity Gigabit Extra Read the full review	80 dollars	1,200 Mbps	40 Mbps	No one	No one
Xfinity Gigabit Read the full review	65 dollars	1,000 Mbps	20 Mbps	No one	No one
Verizon 5G Home Plus Internet Read the full review	$70 ($45 with eligible Verizon 5G cellular plans)	1,000 Mbps	75 Mbps	No one	Fixed wireless

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Source: CNET analysis of provider data

What is 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 video conferencing, streaming video, or gaming, you'll have a better experience with a stronger connection. Here's an overview of recommended minimum download speeds for different apps, according to the FCC. Note that these are guidelines only and that internet speed, service and performance will vary by connection type, provider and address.

For more information, see our guide to how much internet speed do you really need?.

• 0 to 5 Mbps lets you handle the basics: web browsing, sending and receiving email, and streaming low-quality video.
• From 5 to 40 Mbps, you can enjoy video streaming and video conferencing with higher quality.
• 40 to 100 Mbps should give a user enough bandwidth to meet the demands of modern telecommuting, video streaming and online gaming.
• 100 to 500 Mbps allow one to two users to simultaneously engage in high-bandwidth activities such as video conferencing, streaming and online gaming.
• 500 to 1,000 Mbps allows three or more users to simultaneously engage in high-bandwidth activities such as video conferencing, streaming and online gaming.

How CNET picked the best ISPs in Santa Fe

Internet providers are numerous and regional. Unlike the latest ones smart phone, laptop, router or kitchen toolit is impractical to personally test every internet service provider in a given city. What is our approach? For starters, we use a proprietary database of price, availability, and speed information that is drawn from our historical ISP data, partner data, and mapping information from the Federal Communications Commission at FCC.gov.

This guide uses a homegrown artificial intelligence tool called RAMP, which is trained on our writing and uses our database to generate content about specific internet service providers that our writers can use in determining and presenting our choices for a given a guide. Check it out CNET AI Policy for more information on how our teams use (and don't use) AI tools.

Since our database is not exhaustive, we go to the FCC website to check the primary data for ourselves and make sure we are looking at every ISP that provides service in a particular area. Plans and prices also vary by location, so we enter local addresses on provider websites to find the specific options available to residents. We look at sources, including the American Customer Satisfaction Index and JD Power, to gauge how satisfied customers are with an ISP's service. ISP plans and prices are subject to frequent change; all information provided is correct as of the time of our fact checking prior to publication.

Once we have this localized information, we ask three main questions:

1. Does the provider offer access to reasonably fast internet speeds?
2. Are customers getting decent value for what they are paying for?
3. Are customers satisfied with their service?

While the answer to those questions is often layered and complex, the providers who come closest to saying yes to all three are the ones we recommend. When it comes to choosing the cheapest internet service, we look for the plans with the lowest monthly fee, although we also take into account factors such as price increases, equipment fees and contracts. Choosing the fastest internet service is relatively simple. We look at advertised upload and download speeds and also consider real-world speed data from sources like Okla and The FCC reports. (Disclaimer: Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.)

To explore our process in more detail, you can visit our How we test ISPs page.

What's the final word on ISPs in Santa Fe?

Santa Fe has limited internet options for a city its size. Xfinity is the best ISP by a mile — it offers both the cheapest and fastest plans in the area, and customers are generally happy with its service. If you can't get Xfinity — or you're just sick of its price hikes after the promotional period — T-Mobile is a solid backup option, with speeds up to 245 Mbps for a flat $50 a month. NMSurf is a step down from T-Mobile and Xfinity, but the local provider still offers better value than DSL or satellite options.

Santa Fe ISP FAQs