AT&T home internet review

Best AT&T plans for your home

Compare AT&T Internet plans & pricing

There are currently 10 AT&T internet plans to choose from, but what speeds you’re actually eligible for depends on your location.

*PABP & Paperless billing + taxes and equip fee. Price includes $5/mo. AutoPay & Paperless billing discount (within 2 bills). $10/mo. equip. fee applies. Prices updated 05/07/21.
**ABP & Paperless billing + taxes and equip fee after $5/mo. AutoPay & Paperless billing discount (within 2 bills). $10/mo. equip. fee applies. Incl. 1TB data/mo.; overage chrgs apply. Prices updated 07/1/22.

If your address is serviceable for only DSL hybrid service, you won’t have much of an option when choosing a plan. All AT&T Internet plans cost $55/mo., but you’ll only have access to one. AT&T automatically provides the highest speed available with these plans. 

Those in areas serviceable for AT&T Fiber, however, may find themselves torn between the 300 and 500 plan, or wondering if going all-in on gigabit service is worth it. Here’s our take on each one:

AT&T DSL internet plans increase in price after 12 months

If you only have access to AT&T’s DSL plans, your bill will go up by $10/mo. in the second year. AT&T Fiber plans don’t have any price increases. This is about average for internet plans. Some Xfinity plans increase by $50/mo. in the second year, but Verizon Fios doesn’t have any rate increases at all.

Low-income internet assistance 

AT&T participates in the federal Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which allows qualified households to lower their internet or wireless costs by $30/mo., or by $75/mo. if they live on Tribal lands. AT&T then offers a 100 Mbps plan for $30/mo., making your internet service free. 

AT&T also has its own plan for low-income households called Access from AT&T. You can apply for ACP and then you are eligible for Access, which provides Access from AT&T provides free installation and in-home Wi-Fi®, no annual contract, no deposit and internet service for $30/mo. or less based on the maximum speed available at your address up to 100 Mbps.

You can also apply for Access as a standalone program, without going through ACP. 

Shop AT&T Internet plans

AT&T provides fast and reliable internet, a variety of discounted TV bundles and home phone with unlimited nationwide calling.

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or call us today: (844) 451-2720 (844) 451-2720

AT&T internet speed averages

With most internet providers, there’s often a gap between the speeds that are advertised and what you actually get. This doesn’t always mean your provider is under-delivering — things like your Wi-Fi router and the size of your home can slow your connection down — but some companies consistently come up short. 

According to the FCC’s Ninth Measuring Broadband America report, AT&T’s DSL plans actually provided faster speeds on average than they advertised. That said, AT&T has been called out specifically for pressuring the FCC to remove unflattering data from these reports. In the latest version, AT&T opted not to be included at all.

So what kind of speed can you actually expect to get from AT&T internet? According to the latest numbers from Ookla, a website that uses speed tests to create a score that combines download and upload speeds, AT&T came in fifth out of the six largest providers in the country for both speed and consistency. 

That might sound like a ding, but AT&T’s 114.78 Speed Score™ is nothing to sneeze at. Unlike the companies that scored ahead of it — Cox, Spectrum, Xfinity and Verizon — AT&T still has nearly 10 million subscribers using its slower AT&T Internet and legacy DSL plans, which brings its overall score down.

Wi-Fi equipment, installation, contracts and data caps

Along with speed and price, equipment fees, data allowances and contracts are major considerations when choosing an internet service. With low equipment fees, unlimited data on most plans and no contracts, we find AT&T to be one of the more customer-friendly internet providers.

No equipment fees

AT&T Fiber includes the cost of equipment in the monthly price. If you get a DSL plan, the cost for your equipment from AT&T is $10/mo. This fee is a few bucks lower per month than other major internet providers like Verizon and Xfinity.

Free professional installation

AT&T is currently waiving its $99 professional installation fee. Self-installation is available in some areas, but most customers will have to schedule an appointment with an AT&T technician. 

No contract required for internet

AT&T internet plans do not require a contract. However, a term agreement may be required in some instances in order to qualify for select promotional offers.

Unlimited data with AT&T Fiber, select bundles

There are no data caps on any of the AT&T Fiber plans, and AT&T Internet customers who bundle with a qualifying TV service can also take advantage of unlimited data. 

AT&T’s 10-100 Mbps plans come with a monthly data allowance of 1TB/mo. Going over that limit could add a fee up to $50 to your bill, but the good news is the average household typically doesn’t come close to using that much data. If you have multiple people in your house binge-watching shows in HD and 4K all month long, however, you may want to keep an eye on your usage. You can also add unlimited data to these plans for an extra $30/mo.

Allconnect Rating

4.43 / 5

AT&T internet compared to other providers

In most areas serviceable for AT&T internet, a cable provider may also be available. You may also have access to competing DSL or fiber optic internet providers. Take a look at how AT&T compares to other internet service providers below:

*Wireless speeds may vary.
Pricing per month plus taxes for length of contract. Additional fees and terms may apply. Pricing varies by location and availability. All prices subject to change at any time. May or may not be available based on service address. As of 07/1/22.

Overall, AT&T grades out as the best nationwide provider if you can get its fiber service, but the worst if you’re stuck with DSL. This tracks with the state of broadband in the U.S. as a whole: Fiber internet is almost always a better option than cable, which is still better than DSL or satellite.

But where you usually have to pay a premium for the fastest internet, AT&T Fiber is actually reasonably priced for the speeds you get. Its gig-speed plan costs $80/mo., but that’s still far less than Spectrum charges for the same speeds — $109.99/mo. in year one and $134.99/mo. in year two — and the same as Xfinity’s price for gig speeds. 

But when you factor in that all fees included are with AT&T, it ends up being more affordable for top speeds than any other provider.

Add TV service to AT&T internet

There are a few ways to bundle AT&T internet with TV. You can add DIRECTV STREAM to any AT&T internet plan, but the company doesn’t offer much incentive to do so. The price isn’t discounted from what you’d pay if you bought the services separately, whether you go with an AT&T Fiber or Internet plan. 

You can also bundle AT&T Internet with DIRECTV satellite service, but again, the price is exactly the same as it would be if you subscribed to each service separately. 

If you want to add TV to the mix when you sign up for AT&T Internet, we recommend comparing DIRECTV STREAM with other live TV streaming services like Hulu + Live TV and YouTube TV. These services are available everywhere in the country, so you’ll have plenty of options no matter where you live. 

Our take on AT&T internet plans

AT&T fiber plans are some of the best you can get anywhere in the country, but its DSL and fixed wireless options should be viewed as more of a last resort. We scored AT&T internet service on a scale of 1 to 5 across four major categories. To learn more, read our review methodology.

AT&T Fiber internet rating

Allconnect Rating

4.43 / out of 5 stars

This score is based off of the 5 plans AT&T Fiber has available

Rating breakdown

• Affordability

  4.21 / 5

• Performance

  4.53 / 5

• Value

  4.80 / 5

• Customer satisfaction

  4.10 / 5

How we calculated our rating

AT&T DSL internet rating

Allconnect Rating

2.80 / out of 5 stars

This score is based off of the 5 plans AT&T DSL has available

Rating breakdown

• Affordability

  3.64 / 5

• Performance

  2.3 / 5

• Value

  1.45 / 5

• Customer satisfaction

  4.1 / 5

How we calculated our rating

If you can get it, we scored AT&T Fiber as one of the best internet options in the country. It received the highest score for performance and value of any internet provider, with download speeds ranging from 300 to 4,700 Mbps. AT&T Fiber also got our highest score for value, which measures the price per Mbps on every plan. 

Even though the connection uses the same network until the last mile, AT&T’s DSL plans have almost the opposite scores: they were our lowest-rated plans of any cable company for both performance and value. It is more affordable than AT&T Fiber, but you’ll get a lot slower speeds for that cheaper price. 

How we scored internet providers

We evaluate broadband providers in four categories: affordability, performance, value and customer satisfaction. Each category contains multiple sub-factors, all of which are weighted differently to impact the provider’s overall score.

We evaluate broadband providers in four categories: affordability, performance, value and customer satisfaction. Each category contains multiple sub-factors, all of which are weighted differently to impact the provider’s overall score.

For each sub-factor, we score all providers on a continuous scale of 1 to 5, relative to the industry as a whole. Because the average download speed in America is currently 180 Mbps, for example, we assigned all plans with download speeds between 100 and 299 Mbps a score between 3 and 4. Xfinity’s 200 Mbps plan received a 3.50 score for download speed, while Spectrum’s 400 Mbps plan got a 4.16.

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.

Learn more about our methodology

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Best customer service

AT&T customer satisfaction

Ranked above most internet providers – ACSI 2021

The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) gives the largest internet providers annual customer satisfaction scores based on feedback from actual customers. In 2021, AT&T received a 71/100 — the highest of all internet providers, including Xfinity (67/100), Spectrum (63/100) and Cox (63/100). The only provider to equal AT&T’s score was Verizon.

Best overall satisfaction – J.D. Power

J.D. Power also performs annual customer satisfaction for the largest internet providers. In 2020, J.D. Power rated AT&T number one in overall satisfaction in every region it had service. Contributing to AT&T’s high satisfaction score were high marks for Performance and Reliability, Cost of Service and Customer Service.

Middle of the pack – Consumer Reports

Consumer Reports members were the one group who weren’t as positive about their experiences with AT&T internet. In a survey of 23,668 internet subscribers, AT&T received an overall score of 58/100. That might sound like a failing grade, but it’s more a reflection on the industry as a whole — TDS led the pack with a 64/100. 

That said, if you’re concerned you’ll need regular technical support, it’s worth taking into account. AT&T got Consumer Reports’ lowest possible score for customer service.

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Written by:

Joe Supan

Principal Writer, Broadband Content

Joe Supan is a principal writer for CNET and Allconnect. He has helped build the proprietary metrics used on Allconnect’s review pages, utilizing thousands of data points to help readers navigate these complex… Read more

Edited by:

Robin Layton

Editor, Broadband Content

Read bio