We think AT&T’s fiber internet has this win in the bag thanks to its fast speeds and low prices. But if you’ve only got AT&T DSL service in your area, Spectrum is the clear winner. Even if you can get AT&T Fiber in your area, Spectrum still offers no contracts and fairly reasonable prices. We dug into all the details on how these two internet service providers (ISPs) stack up, so let’s dive in. In fact, we don’t really recommend AT&T’s DSL plans unless you can get top-tier speeds of 75 or 100 Mbps. Anything less than that and you’re looking at an internet slowdown if you’ve got a lot of connected devices or lots of housemates using the internet with you. But with faster speeds come higher prices—though AT&T’s prices will get you more speed for less money, especially when it comes to the gig plans. But again, that’s if you can get AT&T Fiber in your area. But as your download speed gets faster, Spectrum’s prices can start to tower over AT&T’s prices. But not by much now that Spectrum reduced the monthly cost of its Gig plan. In the latest American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) report, AT&T’s customer service scored 71 out of 100 and Spectrum scored 63 out of 100. And the internet industry as a whole scored 65 out of 100. But none of those scores are great—they’d all be considered “below average” in a classroom.
Pricing: AT&T is cheaper than Spectrum—but only if you’re in an AT&T Fiber coverage area. If you’ve got only AT&T DSL to choose from, look to Spectrum for reasonable prices for fast speeds. Speed: AT&T offers speeds up to 5,000 Mbps while Spectrum goes up to 1,000 Mbps.* And, more often than not, we think you’ll see speeds close to what each ISP advertises. Customer service: AT&T ranks better, but Spectrum is most improved.
Dig in a little more with our Spectrum Internet review and AT&T review. We place a heavy emphasis on the technical details such as overall download speeds, upload speed, and any included data caps. However, we also consider overall availability, affordability, and contracts involved. Here are the factors we considered when comparing these two services:
Overall download/upload speeds Price of each provider’s plans Whether contracts are required Geographic service availability Included equipment and fees
We recommend checking out our detailed reviews of both AT&T Internet and Spectrum. If low-priced plans are what you are after, both AT&T Internet and Spectrum provide affordable offerings. To find the perfect internet speed for your home or office, we recommend checking out our guide, How Much Internet Speed Do I Need?
