Spectrum vs. AT&T: Which Internet Provider is Better?

Chris Holmes Staff Writer

Updated 18 December 2024

In this Guide

Internet Speeds
Cost, Data and Value for Money
Availability
Customer Reviews
Bundle Packages
Winner: Spectrum vs AT&T

Spectrum and AT&T are two of the biggest internet providers in the United States. Spectrum (the trade name used by Charter Communications) serves millions of customers across 43 states. AT&T, meanwhile, is the largest telecommunications company in the entire world, and their internet plans are available in all 50 states. If you're in the market for home internet, there's a good chance you've come across one of these ISPs in your search.

With so many Spectrum and AT&T customers—and potential customers—nationwide, we thought it time to compare their respective prices, availability, customer reviews and bundles.

AT&T vs Spectrum

Best For	AT&T	Spectrum
Speed	4	5
Cost	3	3
Coverage	5	4
Reviews	2	2
Bundles	5	5
	Go to AT&T	Go to Spectrum

Spectrum vs. AT&T: Internet Speeds

Winner: AT&T

Looking for lightning-fast internet speed? AT&T delivers it via their fiber network, giving customers up to 1 Gbps uploads/downloads (where available). If your needs are a bit more modest, AT&T also sells fiber plans that give you 300 Mbps—which is still pretty darn fast—for a reasonable $70/month.

Spectrum's cable plans can also reach up to 1Gbps where they are available. That said, most customers will not be able to reach those top speeds.

It's difficult an outright speed winner here as what you get from these two carriers is contingent on what is available in your area. If the choice is between AT&T's fiber plans and Spectrum's cable internet plans, AT&T is undoubtedly the way to go.

All in all, though, AT&T has higher top speeds, so we'll hand this category to them.

Speed 5000 Mbps
Fiber Connection
$135/mo
Deal: Get up to $32/mo savings off your internet bill for the first 12 months.

5000 Mbps

View Plan

Cost, Data and Value for Money

Winner: Spectrum and AT&T (tie)

Monthly Cost

Spectrum and AT&T's internet plan prices fall squarely in line with those of their competitors, offering decent if unexceptional value. Keep in mind that—as with nearly all internet providers—Spectrum and AT&T's advertised prices are good for 12 months, and go up after that. Unless you somehow finagle a way to extend it beyond the "introductory" period.

A 300 Mbps fiber plan from AT&T runs $50/month, while a 500 Mbps cable internet plan from Spectrum runs $49.99/month. Both have roughly $100 upfront fees.

All in all, Spectrum and AT&T are pretty equivalent on price.

Data Allowance

Both carriers offer unlimited data allowances with their internet plans, so you can surf the web, play video games, and stream as much as you want.

Availability: Spectrum vs. AT&T

Winner: AT&T

When it comes to sheer ubiquity, AT&T has the edge over Spectrum, with a massive coverage area that blankets the entire United States. Spectrum (Charter) is damn near everywhere as well, as the provider sells plans in 43 states. By the numbers, though, we have to hand this category to "Big Blue," aka AT&T.

Customer Reviews: Spectrum vs. AT&T

Winner: Spectrum and AT&T (tie)

If online reviews are to be believed, both Spectrum and AT&T have ample room for improvement (bear in mind, though, that internet providers are among the most consistently complained about entities in the United States). Customers gripe about Spectrum's rising costs and slower than advertised connections, while AT&T customers complain about frequent service outages and slow speeds.

JD Power's annual residential internet service provider customer satisfaction study provides a slightly different perspective. The 2018 study awards AT&T four "power circles" in the west and five in the south and north central regions (which is tops for both); Spectrum, meanwhile, is near the top in some of the regions.

It's hard to take either of these metrics as gospel, though, so we'll declare this round a toss-up.

Here are some of the most popular plans from AT&T and Spectrum:

Fiber Connection
Speed 300 Mbps
$35/mo
Deal: Get up to $32/mo savings off your internet bill for the first 12 months.

100%

View Plan

Cable Connection
Speed 1000 Mbps
$70/mo

100%

View Plan

Bundle Packages: Spectrum vs AT&T

Winner: AT&T

As you'd expect from these two massive providers, Spectrum and AT&T offer a wide assortment of double and triple play bundles (i.e. internet + phone or TV).

Spectrum makes use of their own Charter cable service for a variety of TV packages, while AT&T does the same with their own satellite DIRECTV service.

Since AT&T generally has more bundling options, we'll give them the nod in this category.

Winner: Spectrum vs AT&T

Winner: AT&T

In this head-to-head between two of the nation's largest ISPs, AT&T wins on speed, availability and bundling, and is tied with Spectrum for customer reviews and price.

Though AT&T wins by the number here, it's hard to definitively declare them the better of the two carriers. Remember that you can only purchase a top plan if it's available in your area. While AT&T is the best nationwide, Spectrum may have a better plan for your region.

AT&T Internet Plans

AT&T	AT&T Internet 300 (Fiber 300Mbps) Fiber 300/300 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Get up to $32/mo savings off your internet bill for the first 12 months. $35/mo Price after Autopay & Paperless bill discount. Plus taxes & fees. Limited availability. May not be available in your area. Price after Autopay & Paperless bill discount. Plus taxes & fees. Limited availability. May not be available in your area. View Plan	$35/mo Price after Autopay & Paperless bill discount. Plus taxes & fees. Limited availability. May not be available in your area. Price after Autopay & Paperless bill discount. Plus taxes & fees. Limited availability. May not be available in your area.	View Plan
AT&T	AT&T Internet 300 (Fiber 300Mbps) + AT&T Wireless Fiber 300/300 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Get up to $32/mo savings off your internet bill for the first 12 months. $35/mo Price after Autopay & Paperless bill discount. Plus taxes & fees. Limited availability. May not be available in your area. Price after Autopay & Paperless bill discount. Plus taxes & fees. Limited availability. May not be available in your area. View Plan	$35/mo Price after Autopay & Paperless bill discount. Plus taxes & fees. Limited availability. May not be available in your area. Price after Autopay & Paperless bill discount. Plus taxes & fees. Limited availability. May not be available in your area.	View Plan
AT&T	AT&T Internet 500 (Fiber 500Mbps) Fiber 500/500 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Get up to $32/mo savings off your internet bill for the first 12 months. $45/mo Price after Autopay & Paperless bill discount. Plus taxes & fees. Limited availability. May not be available in your area. Price after Autopay & Paperless bill discount. Plus taxes & fees. Limited availability. May not be available in your area. View Plan	$45/mo Price after Autopay & Paperless bill discount. Plus taxes & fees. Limited availability. May not be available in your area. Price after Autopay & Paperless bill discount. Plus taxes & fees. Limited availability. May not be available in your area.	View Plan
AT&T	AT&T Internet 500 (Fiber 500Mbps) + AT&T Wireless Fiber 500/500 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Get up to $32/mo savings off your internet bill for the first 12 months. $45/mo Price after Autopay & Paperless bill discount. Plus taxes & fees. Limited availability. May not be available in your area. Price after Autopay & Paperless bill discount. Plus taxes & fees. Limited availability. May not be available in your area. View Plan	$45/mo Price after Autopay & Paperless bill discount. Plus taxes & fees. Limited availability. May not be available in your area. Price after Autopay & Paperless bill discount. Plus taxes & fees. Limited availability. May not be available in your area.	View Plan
AT&T	AT&T Internet 100 (Fiber 100Mbps) Fiber 100/100 Mbps Unlimited Data $45/mo Price after Autopay & Paperless bill discount. Plus taxes & fees. Limited availability. May not be available in your area. Price after Autopay & Paperless bill discount. Plus taxes & fees. Limited availability. May not be available in your area. View Plan	$45/mo Price after Autopay & Paperless bill discount. Plus taxes & fees. Limited availability. May not be available in your area. Price after Autopay & Paperless bill discount. Plus taxes & fees. Limited availability. May not be available in your area.	View Plan
AT&T	AT&T Internet 100 (Fiber 100Mbps) + AT&T Wireless Fiber 100/100 Mbps Unlimited Data $45/mo Price after Autopay & Paperless bill discount. Plus taxes & fees. Limited availability. May not be available in your area. Price after Autopay & Paperless bill discount. Plus taxes & fees. Limited availability. May not be available in your area. View Plan	$45/mo Price after Autopay & Paperless bill discount. Plus taxes & fees. Limited availability. May not be available in your area. Price after Autopay & Paperless bill discount. Plus taxes & fees. Limited availability. May not be available in your area.	View Plan
AT&T	AT&T Internet Air Mobile Broadband 150/20 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Get $12 per month savings off your internet bill for the first 12 months $48/mo Paperless billing required. Plus taxes & fees. Limited availability. May not be available in your area. Paperless billing required. Plus taxes & fees. Limited availability. May not be available in your area. View Plan	$48/mo Paperless billing required. Plus taxes & fees. Limited availability. May not be available in your area. Paperless billing required. Plus taxes & fees. Limited availability. May not be available in your area.	View Plan
AT&T	AT&T Internet 1000 (Fiber 1 GIG) Fiber 1000/1000 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Get a $200 AT&T Visa® Reward Card with purchase of AT&T Fiber. $60/mo Price after discounts: $25/mo for new customers, and $10/mo w/ eligible Autopay & Paperless bill. Monthly State Cost Recovery charge applies in NV, OH, TX. One time install fee may apply. Price after discounts: $25/mo for new customers, and $10/mo w/ eligible Autopay & Paperless bill. Monthly State Cost Recovery charge applies in NV, OH, TX. One time install fee may apply. View Plan	$60/mo Price after discounts: $25/mo for new customers, and $10/mo w/ eligible Autopay & Paperless bill. Monthly State Cost Recovery charge applies in NV, OH, TX. One time install fee may apply. Price after discounts: $25/mo for new customers, and $10/mo w/ eligible Autopay & Paperless bill. Monthly State Cost Recovery charge applies in NV, OH, TX. One time install fee may apply.	View Plan
AT&T	AT&T Internet 2000 (Fiber 2 GIG) Fiber 2000/2000 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Get up to $32/mo savings off your internet bill for the first 12 months. $105/mo Price after Autopay & Paperless bill discount. Plus taxes & fees. Limited availability. May not be available in your area. Price after Autopay & Paperless bill discount. Plus taxes & fees. Limited availability. May not be available in your area. View Plan	$105/mo Price after Autopay & Paperless bill discount. Plus taxes & fees. Limited availability. May not be available in your area. Price after Autopay & Paperless bill discount. Plus taxes & fees. Limited availability. May not be available in your area.	View Plan
AT&T	AT&T Internet 2000 (Fiber 2 GIG) + AT&T Wireless Fiber 2000/2000 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Get up to $32/mo savings off your internet bill for the first 12 months. $105/mo Price after Autopay & Paperless bill discount. Plus taxes & fees. Limited availability. May not be available in your area. Price after Autopay & Paperless bill discount. Plus taxes & fees. Limited availability. May not be available in your area. View Plan	$105/mo Price after Autopay & Paperless bill discount. Plus taxes & fees. Limited availability. May not be available in your area. Price after Autopay & Paperless bill discount. Plus taxes & fees. Limited availability. May not be available in your area.	View Plan

Spectrum Internet Plans

#1	Spectrum	Spectrum Internet Premier Cable 500/20 Mbps Unlimited Data $50/mo ($40 plan + $10 modem) for 1 year + $20 Upfront for 1 year View Plan	$50/mo ($40 plan + $10 modem) for 1 year + $20 Upfront for 1 year	View Plan
#2	Spectrum	Spectrum Internet Premier + Spectrum Unlimited Plus Cable 500/20 Mbps Unlimited Data $60/mo ($40 plan + $20 modem) for 1 year + $20 Upfront for 1 year View Plan	$60/mo ($40 plan + $20 modem) for 1 year + $20 Upfront for 1 year	View Plan
#3	Spectrum	Spectrum Internet Gig Cable 1000/35 Mbps Unlimited Data $70/mo ($60 plan + $10 modem) for 1 year + $20 Upfront for 1 year View Plan	$70/mo ($60 plan + $10 modem) for 1 year + $20 Upfront for 1 year	View Plan
#4	Spectrum	Spectrum Internet Gig + Spectrum Mobile Cable 1000/35 Mbps Unlimited Data $70/mo ($60 plan + $10 modem) for 1 year + $20 Upfront for 1 year View Plan	$70/mo ($60 plan + $10 modem) for 1 year + $20 Upfront for 1 year	View Plan

Chris Holmes

Staff Writer

Chris Holmes is a Contributing Writer for WhistleOut, where he covers the cell phone and internet industries. His work has been cited in publications like The Verge, The New York Times, and WIRED.

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