Internet Providers in Austin, Texas

Best Internet Providers in Austin, TX

The best internet provider in Austin, Texas, is AT&T Fiber. Fiber internet is the best and most reliable option for internet, and AT&T Fiber is AT&T’s brand name for its fiber connection. With speeds of up to 5 Gbps and great customer satisfaction, AT&T Fiber is Austin’s top-shelf choice.

In areas that don’t have access to AT&T’s fiber internet plans, Austin residents should look for one of the city’s other fiber internet providers. Google Fiber’s top speed of 8 Gbps is more than a typical family would ever need, making it a real competitor to AT&T Fiber. Astound Broadband Powered by Grande also offers fiber internet in some areas, with speeds topping out at 1.2 Gbps.

If fiber internet options don’t serve your area, your next-best option is Spectrum® Internet. Spectrum uses a cable connection to deliver download speeds of up to 1 Gbps. It’s a very strong fallback option for people who don’t have — or don’t want to pay for — fiber internet in their area. Spectrum also offers cable television, making it a solid option for residents who want to bundle their internet and TV.

Fastest Internet Providers in Austin, TX

The fastest internet provider in Austin is AT&T Fiber, which offers speeds of up to 5 Gbps. The second-fastest is Google Fiber, which can reach 8 Gbps. Since those companies are both fiber internet providers, the top speeds are symmetrical — meaning their upload speeds are just as fast as their download speeds.

Of course, not all users need super-fast upload speeds. For a typical household, 1 Gbps of download speed is plenty fast. Spectrum’s cable connection reaches that threshold, making it a strong option even if it’s not quite the fastest in town.

Internet Availability in Austin, TX

Depending on where you live in Austin, you will have different options for internet service.

Downtown, near the Texas State Capitol and the University of Texas, the most widely available fiber provider is Astound Broadband Powered by Grande. Google Fiber doesn’t have much of a presence in the downtown area, and AT&T serves the area primarily with its AT&T Internet product (AT&T Internet has an IPBB connection, which uses DSL and other connection types together to deliver internet).

North of the University of Texas, in Hyde Park, AT&T Fiber is more widely available. Farther north, into the Northwest Hills, North Austin, and Great Hills neighborhoods, you’ll start to see both AT&T Fiber and Google Fiber become more widely available.

Fiber options are strong just south of the Colorado River. In Zilker, Bouldin Creek, and Travis Heights, you’ll likely be able to choose between AT&T Fiber and Google Fiber. Astound’s fiber internet network has some coverage in those areas too.

The selection of internet companies and plans gets a little thinner south of Route 290. Google Fiber has a solid presence in South Austin, but coverage from its fiber competitors gets a little spottier once you’re past South Manchaca and East Congress.

Fiber availability varies in Austin, but other forms of broadband are pretty consistently available. You’ll be able to get Spectrum Internet’s cable coverage just about anywhere within Austin’s city limits since 94.2% of Austin is covered. AT&T Internet (AT&T’s IPBB offering) is also available at almost any address in Austin.