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AT&T vs. Spectrum: Which ISP is right for you?

By Robin Layton Last updated: April 24, 2025

AT&T Fiber Internet has high-performance plans at a great value, but Spectrum’s plans beat AT&T’s DSL internet service.

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AT&T vs. Spectrum internet

Fiber internet plans start at $55.00/mo.,* plus taxes (w/ eligible Autopay & Paperless bill)
Speeds from 300 – 4,700 Mbps**
No contracts or equipment fees

Read our full AT&T review

Check with AT&T

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

Cable internet plans starting at $30.00/mo.
Speeds from 100 – 1,000 Mbps
$10.00/mo. equipment fee

Read our full Spectrum review

Check with Spectrum

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

*Plus taxes (w/ eligible Autopay & Paperless bill). Price after $10/mo discount with eligible Autopay & Paperless bill (w/in 2 bills). Monthly State Cost Recovery Charge in TX, OH, NV applies. One time install chrg may apply. Ltd. avail/areas. Updated as of 04/24/25.
**Speeds based on wired connection. Actual speeds may vary. For 5GIG, single device wired speed maximum 4.7Gbps. For more info, go to www.att.com/speed101.

AT&T vs. Spectrum summary

Spectrum beats AT&T’s 500 Mbps plan in pricing at $50.00/mo. vs. $65.00/mo.,* plus taxes (w/ eligible Autopay & Paperless bill) AT&T is one of the top mobile providers in the country. With AT&T, you can bundle your internet plan with a mobile line to save. Spectrum’s TV plans can be bundled with internet, and comes with free HD, even if you don’t bundle. Overall, AT&T Fiber is a better deal than Spectrum.

What we like about AT&T

Performance – 100% fiber optic network, delivering speeds of 300 to 4,700 Mbps** where available
No fees – Fiber plans have no equipment fees, annual contracts or price increases

Things to consider

Price – Most expensive plan is $250/mo., far more than most people pay for internet

What we like about Spectrum

No extra charges – Spectrum offers plans with no contracts or data caps

Things to consider

Performance – Low upload speeds
Price increase – Although Spectrum offers competitive starting prices, there is a considerable price increase after 12 months

**Speeds based on wired connection. Actual speeds may vary. For 5GIG, single device wired speed maximum 4.7Gbps. For more info, go to www.att.com/speed101. Updated as of 04/24/25.

AT&T vs. Spectrum: internet speeds and pricing

The choice between AT&T internet plans and Spectrum internet comes down to the technology they use. Fiber is faster and more reliable than cable, which is much faster and more reliable than DSL.

AT&T Fiber is both faster and cheaper than Spectrum’s cable internet. But if you’re picking between AT&T’s DSL service and Spectrum, you’re better off with Spectrum if you plan on using the internet with a few devices at a time.

AT&T vs. Spectrum: Additional considerations

Contracts

AT&T: AT&T internet plans do not require a contract.

Spectrum: Spectrum Internet plans are offered month-to-month, allowing subscribers to cancel service anytime without penalty. Potential Spectrum customers can also take advantage of their $500 contract buyout from a previous provider.* Learn more about the fees you’ll see on your monthly bill with each provider.

Installation

AT&T: AT&T’s professional installation fee costs up to $99, but the company is currently waiving it for online orders. Self-installation is also available in some areas.

Spectrum: Spectrum’s self-installation costs up to $24.99 and professional installation costs up to $59.99.

Equipment

AT&T: AT&T used to have a separate fee for equipment, but now the ISP’s costs include that charge.

Spectrum: Spectrum charges an extra $10/mo. for equipment.

Price increases

AT&T: None of AT&T’s plans have regular price increases built-in, but your bill could still go up at any time.

Spectrum: In year two, Spectrum’s prices increase by $25/mo. on every plan.

*To qualify for the Contract Buyout Program, a customer must order and install a combination of qualifying Video and Internet and / or Voice services; offers not available in all areas. Spectrum’s Mobile Services are not eligible for the buyout program. Offer available to qualifying customers only who have no outstanding obligations to Charter. Payment amount will be determined by the Early Termination Fee on the final bill from the previous provider, not to exceed $500. For Contract Buyout qualifications, go to Spectrum.com/buyout. ©2025 Charter Communications, all rights reserved. Updated as of 04/24/25.

AT&T vs. Spectrum deals

Promotional deals vary by provider, but in some cases, you could get free tech worth hundreds of dollars or a year-long streaming subscription for free. In other cases, the deals could be as simple as a price discount for a couple of months. View the latest deals.

AT&T fiber and DSL plans

Allconnect Rating

4.40 / 5

AT&T plan	Allconnect score	Starting price*	Download speed†	Upload speed
Fiber 300	4.36 / 5	$55.00/mo.	300 Mbps	300 Mbps
Fiber 500	4.40 / 5	$65.00/mo.	500 Mbps	500 Mbps
Fiber 1000	4.43 / 5	$80.00/mo.	1,000 Mbps	940 Mbps
2 GIG	4.03 / 5	$145.00/mo.	2,000 Mbps	2,000 Mbps
5 GIG	4.08 / 5	$245.00/mo.	4,700 Mbps	4,700 Mbps
AT&T Internet	2.76 / 5	$60.00/mo.	10 – 300 Mbps	1 – 20 Mbps

*Plus taxes (w/ eligible Autopay & Paperless bill). Price after $10/mo discount with eligible Autopay & Paperless bill (w/in 2 bills). Monthly State Cost Recovery Charge in TX, OH, NV applies. See offer details below. One time install chrg may apply. Ltd. avail/areas. Updated as of 04/24/25.
†Speeds based on wired connection. Actual speeds may vary. For 5GIG, single device wired speed maximum 4.7Gbps. For more info, go to www.att.com/speed101.

Spectrum internet plans

Allconnect Rating

3.75 / 5

Spectrum plan	Starting price*	Download speed**	Upload speed
Spectrum Internet® Advantage	$30.00/mo.^{for 12 mos.}	100 Mbps	10 Mbps
Spectrum Internet® Premier	$50.00/mo.^{for 12 mos.}	500 Mbps	10 Mbps
Spectrum Internet® Gig	$70.00/mo.^{for 12 mos.}	1,000 Mbps	35 Mbps

*Limited time offer; subject to change; new residential customers only (no Spectrum services within past 30 days) and in good standing with Spectrum. Taxes and fees extra in select states. SPECTRUM INTERNET ADVANTAGE: Offer based on eligibility requirements. Standard rates apply after promo period. Additional charge for installation. Speeds based on wired connection. Actual speeds (including wireless) vary and are not guaranteed. Services subject to all applicable service terms and conditions, subject to change. Not available in all areas. Restrictions apply. ©2025 Charter Communications, all rights reserved. Updated as of 04/24/25.
*Limited time offer; subject to change; new residential customers only (no Spectrum services within past 30 days) and in good standing with Spectrum. Taxes and fees extra in select states. SPECTRUM INTERNET: Standard rates apply after promo period. Additional charge for installation. Speeds based on wired connection. Actual speeds (including wireless) vary and are not guaranteed. Capable modem required for all Gig speeds. For a list of capable modems, visit Spectrum.net/modem. Services subject to all applicable service terms and conditions, subject to change. Not available in all areas. Restrictions apply. ©2025 Charter Communications, all rights reserved.
**To qualify for the Contract Buyout Program, a customer must order and install a combination of qualifying Video and Internet and / or Voice services; offers not available in all areas. Spectrum’s Mobile Services are not eligible for the buyout program. Offer available to qualifying customers only who have no outstanding obligations to Charter. Payment amount will be determined by the Early Termination Fee on the final bill from the previous provider, not to exceed $500. For Contract Buyout qualifications, go to Spectrum.com/buyout. ©2025 Charter Communications, all rights reserved.

AT&T vs. Spectrum: Which internet plan should you choose?

Best overall: AT&T Fiber 300 and AT&T Internet 500

When it comes to finding the best value for internet service, AT&T Fiber and Spectrum both offer the lowest cost/Mbps plans available, making their 300 Mbps or 500 Mbps options the best choice for most families.

Fastest speeds: AT&T 5 Gig Internet and Spectrum Internet Gig

Both AT&T and Spectrum offer Gig speed plans that reach download speeds of 940 Mbps* with AT&T and up to 1,000 Mbps with Spectrum. The main difference between these two plans is that AT&T’s Gig speed plan offers upload speeds up to 940 Mbps and Spectrum’s Gig speed plan offers upload speeds of up to 35 Mbps. AT&T also offers 5 Gig plans in some areas, reaching speeds as fast as 4,700 Mbps.*

Most affordable: AT&T Fiber 300 and Spectrum Internet

If you’re looking for cheap internet plans in your area, Spectrum has plans starting at $30.00/mo. for 100 Mbps. AT&T’s cheapest plan costs $55.00/mo.,** plus taxes (w/ eligible Autopay & Paperless bill), and gets you 300 Mbps.* Spectrum charges $10/mo. for equipment, while AT&T includes it for free.

*Speeds based on wired connection. Actual speeds may vary. For 5GIG, single device wired speed maximum 4.7Gbps. For more info, go to www.att.com/speed101. Updated as of 04/24/25.
**Plus taxes (w/ eligible Autopay & Paperless bill). Price after $10/mo discount with eligible Autopay & Paperless bill (w/in 2 bills). Monthly State Cost Recovery Charge in TX, OH, NV applies. See offer details below. One time install chrg may apply. Ltd. avail/areas.

AT&T vs. Spectrum bundles

Bundling services used to be a good way to save money with ISPs, but neither provider offers discounts for bundling internet and TV, and Spectrum is the only one to offer real bundles at all. Cable TV packages are available with Spectrum, and the convenience of having your internet and TV bills in one place gives Spectrum the win by default.

DIRECTV ENTERTAINMENT + AT&T 300 Internet
- Starting price: $124.99/mo.*
- Channels: 165+
- Internet speeds: Up to 300 Mbps*
- Data cap: Unlimited with select bundles
- Bundle savings: $0/mo.
Spectrum Internet® Premier + TV Select Signature
- Starting price: $125.00/mo.** ($20/mo. off reg. rate of $145/mo.)
- Channels: 150+
- Internet speeds: Up to 500 Mbps
- Data cap: Unlimited
- Bundle savings: $20/mo.

*Price after $10/mo discount with eligible Autopay & Paperless bill (w/in 2 bills). Monthly State Cost Recovery Charge in TX, OH, NV applies. Speeds based on wired connection. Actual speeds may vary. For more info, go to www.att.com/speed101. Updated as of 04/24/25.
**$20/mo. off reg. rate of $145/mo. Limited time offer; subject to change; new residential customers only (no Spectrum services within past 30 days) and in good standing with Spectrum. Taxes and fees extra in select states. Mobile devices excluded from offer. Standard rates apply after promo period or if qualifying services not maintained. Offer subject to qualifying services being ordered on the same day. SPECTRUM INTERNET: Additional charge for installation. Speeds based on wired connection. Actual speeds (including wireless) vary and are not guaranteed. Capable modem required for all Gig speeds. For a list of capable modems, visit Spectrum.net/modem. XUMO STREAM BOX: Spectrum Internet required. Separate subscriptions are required to view content through various paid applications. Xumo Stream Box and all other Xumo product names, logos, slogans and marks are the trademarks of Xumo or its licensors. Services subject to all applicable service terms and conditions, subject to change. Not available in all areas. Restrictions apply. ©2025 Charter Communications, all rights reserved.

AT&T vs. Spectrum TV service

AT&T does not directly offer any TV service but you can choose to add DIRECTV to any AT&T internet plan (or any other TV service). Just keep in mind your AT&T and DIRECTV bills will be separate.

Spectrum, however, does offer its own cable TV service. If you are looking for the convenience of having both services on one bill, Spectrum is the better option for you.

Available in all 50 states
TV packages start at $74.99/mo.*
Channels range from 90 – 185+
Record up to five shows at once
Bundles best with AT&T Internet
Two-year contract required

Available in 46 states
TV plans starting at $40.00/mo.**
Channels range from 150 – 170+
Record up to two shows at once
Bundles best with Spectrum Internet®
No contract required

*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. Updated as of 04/24/25.
**Limited time offer; subject to change; new residential customers only (no Spectrum services within past 30 days) and in good standing with Spectrum. SPECTRUM TV STREAM/SPECTRUM TV STREAM LATINO: Price subject to change. Spectrum Internet required. Channel availability based on level of service and not all channels available in all markets or locations. Additional equipment may be required to access PEG channels. Services subject to all applicable service terms and conditions, subject to change. Services not available in all areas. Restrictions apply. ©2025 Charter Communications, all rights reserved.

Use the Spectrum channel guide and our DIRECTV channel guide to find the channel and plan you need.

AT&T vs. Spectrum: Availability

Both AT&T and Spectrum availability will vary based on your location.

AT&T vs. Spectrum: Customer satisfaction

The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) rates AT&T slightly above Spectrum in 2024.

Provider	2024	2023
AT&T	69/100	72/100
Spectrum	68/100	64/100

AT&T vs. Spectrum: Provider scores

We broke down the most important considerations when buying internet and ranked each internet provider based on these five factors. We considered promotional pricing, price increases, plan options, speeds, data caps, customer satisfaction ratings and more.

AT&T Fiber scored the highest overall except for affordability and number of plans. While Spectrum ranks well, it has a hard time competing against AT&T Fiber due to AT&T’s superior speeds and overall value.

Categories	AT&T Fiber	AT&T DSL	Spectrum
Number of plans	5	5	2
Affordability	4.21 / 5	3.58 / 5	3.20 / 5
Performance	4.53 / 5	2.30 / 5	4.38 / 5
Value	4.80 / 5	1.37 / 5	4.25 / 5
Customer satisfaction	3.83 / 5	4.15 / 5	3.18 / 5
Final score	4.40 / 5	2.76 / 5	3.75 / 5

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.

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 500 Mbps plan got a 3.71.

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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AT&T vs. Spectrum: Final verdict

The bottom line: Spectrum is the only one with TV service, but AT&T is the better choice overall.

We recommend bundling AT&T internet with DIRECTV as they offer more options overall with five AT&T Fiber speed tiers and numerous package options from DIRECTV. AT&T’s starting price is slightly higher, but its fast fiber optic internet speeds make the extra cost worth the expense. If your address is only eligible for AT&T DSL, however, look to Spectrum for more internet options and faster speeds.

Spectrum bundles feature options starting at $70/mo. for 12 mos. If you just want to have all your services on one bill, go with Spectrum.

Shop bundles

AT&T vs. Spectrum FAQs

Is AT&T or Spectrum Internet faster?

In areas where AT&T Fiber is available, it’s faster than Spectrum. However, AT&T’s DSL service is much slower.

Can I get NFL SUNDAY TICKET with Spectrum?

No, NFL SUNDAY TICKET is only available with DIRECTV. You can get the next season of NFL SUNDAY TICKET included when you order DIRECTV’s CHOICE package or above.

Does AT&T or Spectrum have faster upload speeds?

AT&T offers significantly faster upload speeds than Spectrum. With AT&T fiber, you receive symmetrical upload/download speeds. Conversely, with Spectrum internet, upload speeds are significantly slower than the advertised download speeds.

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Written by:

Robin Layton

Senior Editor, Broadband Content

Robin Layton is a Senior Editor for Allconnect, dedicated to helping consumers navigate the often-complex world of internet service providers. With 30 years of experience in journalism and marketing, Robin empow… Read more