ATT is a major internet service provider in the U.S. with a large footprint across the country. This internet provider is mostly available in California, Texas, the South, and the Midwest and offers fiber, DSL, and fixed wireless internet.
Earthlink is one of the most expansive internet service providers in the U.S., offering fiber, DSL, and fixed wireless plans in all 50 states. Earthlink rents space on other internet provider networks instead of building its own infrastructure, allowing the provider to focus more on the customer experience.
CenturyLink offers two types of internet plans: DSL and fiber. Its DSL is more widely available than its fiber plans, but if you are lucky enough to have fiber in your area, you can get gigabit internet for $75 a month. CenturyLink only has one fiber plan and lacks any multi-gig fiber plans.
With satellite internet, you often pay higher prices for slower speeds. Hughesnet offers the most affordable satellite internet option and a straightforward pricing structure that makes it easy to choose a plan or purchase additional data. All Hughesnet plans offer the same amount of speed. Where they differ is how much data comes with each plan.
Understanding how much speed you need for your household is another important consideration. Plans with download speeds of about 100Mbps are good for small households, but you may need more bandwidth for a bigger home. Take our quick speeds needs quiz to find out what speed will be right for you.
As you decide, keep an eye out for introductory prices, required contracts, and extra fees. Some providers have incredible deals on internet plans but after a year, monthly prices may double. Always read the fine print.
Fiber internet sends LED or laser pulses through glass fibers that translate into data. Fiber is the best internet on the market today, capable of speeds up to 10,000 Mbps But its availability remains limited because fiber-to-the-home requires a new infrastructure in your neighborhood versus using existing cable and telephone lines.
Fixed-wireless brings internet service to your home using the same wireless technologies used by mobile devices. This internet type is split into 5G and 4G providers. We recommend you choose a 5G provider (like T-mobile or Verizon) as the service will be faster and more reliable than 4G fixed wireless internet service.
Try our speed test to find out how fast your internet is. This test will measure your download and upload speeds, as well as other information like latency. You can compare your results to the maximum speed advertised with your internet plan.
Yes, most internet providers offer options to bundle internet with TV and phone services. Typically, providers offer incentives like discounts on your monthly bill when you bundle your internet with one or both of these. Veriozn, AT&T, Xfinity, and T-Mobile all offer bundling options.
Yes, internet providers frequently offer discounts and bargains to lower the cost of your monthly bill. You can check out these internet deals for a comprehensive look at what internet providers are offering.
Once you submit your zip code, our database generates a list of internet providers and their plans that are specific to that area. You can use that list to find the best internet plan and price for you.
There are a lot of contenders for the cheapest internet plan, so we keep a running tally of the best cheap internet plans across the country. You can also find deals and promotions on many of these internet plans to save even more money.
***w/ Auto Pay. Regulatory fees included in monthly price for qualified accounts. See full terms. Delivered via 5G cellular network; speeds vary due to factors affecting cellular networks, including data prioritization.
AutoPay and paperless billing required. Monthly State Cost Recovery Charge in TX, OH, NV applies. . Service subj. to Internet Terms of Service at
att.com/internet-terms. Offers may be modified, or discontinued, at any time without notice. Other conditions may apply to all offers. Speeds based on wired connection. Actual speeds may vary. For more info, go to
www.att.com/speed101.
Available in select markets only. Plus taxes and fees. Upload/download speed and device streaming claims are based on maximum wired speeds. Actual Internet speeds are not guaranteed and may vary based on factors such as hardware and software limitations, latency, packet loss, etc.
Disclaimer: All trademarks remain the property of their respective owners, and are used by BROADBANDNOW only to describe products and services offered by each respective trademark holder. BROADBANDNOW is a comparison and research website that does not offer internet, TV, or home phone service.
Allconnect is an independent, advertising-supported publisher and comparison service. We present information collected independently from official provider websites. We regularly update the site in an effort to keep this information up-to-date and accurate at all times. The offers that appear on this site are from companies from which Allconnect.com receives compensation. This compensation may impact how, where and in what order products appear.
We only considered standardized data points in our scoring system. More abstract data like consistency of service and brand reputation is still part of our analysis, but we opted to let our writers address them in the context of each review.
Verizon, Xfinity, AT&T and Spectrum are all good internet provider options to consider if they are available near you. They each offer fair pricing for the speeds you get and have low to no extra fees.
Where you live in the U.S. also plays an important role in which ISPs and what type of internet services are available in your area. Internet provider availability changes by ZIP code and by individual addresses.
Metro areas like New York and Los Angeles will often have more internet availability for fast fiber optic internet or a 5G connection, whereas a small town in Kentucky may only have slower DSL or satellite options.
Behind satellite internet providers like Hughesnet and Viasat, T-Mobile is the most widely available internet provider in the country. According to the FCC, it provides 5G coverage to 89% of the U.S. and is still expanding. T-Mobile offers speeds up to 245 Mbps with no contracts. T-Mobile customers with a cell phone plan can save $10 to $20/mo. by bundling.
While its availability makes it a convenient internet option, T-Mobile may provide inconsistent internet speeds. Its 5G speeds are more erratic than cable or fiber and depend on your proximity to a T-Mobile tower.
Some drawbacks of Xfinity are the hidden fees, rate hikes and regional pricing. Xfinity plans can get pricey once you add in the cost of equipment rentals, and rate hikes are possible with certain plans. Xfinity prices also vary from region to region, so you could pay more depending on your location.
AT&T Fiber offers download speeds ranging from 300 to 4,700 Mbps, some of the fastest in the country. If you have a large household with work/study-from-home users and serious gamers, AT&T Fiber can meet all those needs. You can also take advantage of no data caps, no contracts and no equipment fees with AT&T. Bundles are available with AT&T internet and DIRECTV. AT&T is available across 21 states, with service primarily in the Southern and Midwestern regions of the country
Allconnect asked over 20,000 internet customers what they think about their current internet providers. In our 2024 broadband customer satisfaction report, we summarized the results. The customer reviews showed that Verizon and Xfinity were rated high across the four main survey categories (price, speed, reliability, and customer service), though T-Mobile came out on top for price satisfaction.
Consider the number of devices you have connected to your network and the internet activities you do every day. More connected devices and heavy-bandwidth activities like gaming require more internet speed. From there, you can pick a provider offering the speed you need at a price that works for you.
Finding affordable internet goes beyond comparing plan pricing. Look for hidden fees, price increases and data caps to get an idea of the true cost of internet. Also, be mindful of ways you can save, like switching providers or buying your own modem and router.
Your address defines the type of internet access you have. If you are lucky enough to have fiber or cable access, those are your fastest and most stable connection options, with speeds up to 10 Gig available in some parts of the U.S. Rural areas may only have satellite or 5G home internet options, with speeds up to 300 Mbps. Satellite is available to about 99% of all addresses, and 50% can get 5G. Addresses just need to be within a close distance of a cell tower to access it.
5G is the latest internet technology using cellphone towers to send internet to your home. 5G providers perform similarly to traditional internet providers, reaching speeds as fast as 1,000 Mbps in some areas. Still, the speeds can be inconsistent and depend on your proximity to a cell tower.
Fiber internet is the fastest and most reliable internet option available. It offers symmetrical download and upload speeds and many providers offer multi-gigabit internet plans. Unfortunately, fiber internet has limited availability and is generally more expensive than other technology types.
Cable internet is available to most of the U.S., offers gigabit speeds and is one of the most reliable forms of internet. Cable will have lower upload speeds than fiber, however, and may be slow during peak usage times.
Satellite internet is available in all 50 states and is the most reliable internet option for rural areas. Plans are more expensive than wired connections and will likely come with low data allowances and high latency.
Your internet speed options are based on your address or ZIP code. If you have access to only DSL, your speed options will be limited to under 100 Mbps. Fiber and cable can reach speeds of 10 Gbps or more. Satellite is around 100 Mbps and fixed wireless/5G home internet is under 300 Mbps.
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