A Side-by-Side Comparison of AT&T Internet and Spectrum Internet Service in 2019
AT&T and Spectrum are both premium internet providers with widespread availability. AT&T offers fiber-optic coverage that provides lighting-fast internet speeds in select areas. Spectrum does not offer fiber-optic internet to residential customers, but their advancement towards an all-digital network allows them to deliver superior cable services with wide availability.
$50-70/mo.
$49.99-49.99/mo.
†All plans not available in all areas or to all customers. Verify details with AT&T Internet.
†All plans not available in all areas or to all customers. Verify details with Spectrum.
AT&T Internet is a major broadband provider. AT&T offers DSL and fiber Internet services, as well as bundled TV and telephone packages.
Charter Spectrum sells home broadband cable and fiber Internet. They also sell TV packages. Charter's recent acquisition of Time Warner Cable has helped their cable network to become one of the biggest nationwide.
With two types of internet options—fiber and DSL—AT&T offers a wide range of residential and business plans. In addition to their standard internet plan, they also have a variety of bundles with TV and/or phone service. If you are shopping for fiber-optic internet, keep in mind that AT&T fiber is limited to select large metropolitan areas, though they do have plans to expand. Most customers have a higher chance of having access to AT&T’s DSL.
Spectrum is the second largest cable internet provider in the United States, offering high-speed coverage in 44 states with no data caps and complimentary modems. Along with a selection of standard bundle plans, Spectrum offers a variety of Triple Play bundle options with TV, internet and phone service.
41.1% recommendation rating according to 103179 verified users.
49.9% recommendation rating according to 64265 verified Spectrum users.
Altoine B on January 12, 2018
The service has been reliably fast and smooth. My only complaint is that the internet isn't unlimited, unless you choose the package to have TV service which is not desired for myself.
Michael Moore on October 14, 2019
This service is very reliable though I am disappointed that the max download speed averages 10.8 Mbps in my area. I would love to see the 25 Mbps they advertise for Baxley. No one I know has ever seen that. In rural America we have very limited choices, so I suppose I should be grateful that we have an advertised 12 Mbps plan from AT&T.
Kristyn Montrallo on October 18, 2019
My sales rep was very patient and set me up with install time/packages in a timely manner and my installation technician installed over ten units in one day for me. They got the job done and saved me a headache for the following week.
Margaret Hadge on October 29, 2019
5 Stars all the way! Front desk scheduling any time of the day or night. Tech support calls no time limits, smart and always helpful, invested in your problem all the way. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR YOUR KIND ATTITUDE AND WILLINGNESS TO HELP US.
When signing up for AT&T internet service, the installation process can be completed in one of two ways.
You can either order a self-install kit and install your own equipment for a $35 activation fee or have a professional handle the installation process from start to finish for $99. With select Triple Play packages, the installation fee may be waived.
The installation process for Spectrum offers both self-installation and professional installation options.
When completing the self-installation with Spectrum, expect a one-time fee of $9.99 for Wi-Fi activation and another one-time fee of $9.99 to either pick up or have a cable modem shipped your way. Their professional installation is a one-time charge of $49.99 and is handled by a technician.
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AT&T offers 12-month and 24-month contracts with download speeds up to 1,000 Mbps.
Equipment fees vary depending on the plan you purchase. If the agreement is terminated early, you will need to pay $15/month for the remaining months of your contract (up to $180). They also have some prepaid plan options, but these agreements do not extend the same promotional savings offered with a contract plan.
Spectrum is a contract-free provider, which means there are no term commitments or cancellation fees.
Spectrum supplies a free modem and offers an option to rent a router for $5/month.
The limits of AT&T data caps depend on the plan selected, but most come with a 1 TB data cap per month. For unlimited data, opt for their Internet 1000 plan. If you exceed your monthly limit, it’s $10 for every 50GB of additional data.
Spectrum does not have any data caps, which allows users access to unlimited data.
Spectrum’s standard internet plan is $49.99/month, which is around the same price as AT&T’s current lowest-priced plan at $50/month. However, AT&T offers a wider variety of internet plans, with the highest-priced plan currently standing at $70/month.
AT&T currently offers speeds up to 1000 Mbps while Spectrum offers a standalone speed of 100 Mbps. Depending on your location, you may have access to higher speeds with AT&T.
Both internet providers offer unlimited data options. AT&T offers unlimited data with its Internet 1000 plan. With most of AT&T’s plans, they offer 1 terabyte (TB) limit per month, which is a huge amount of data most households rarely exceed. If you go over your monthly limit, you can pay $10 for every 50 GB of additional data. Spectrum offers unlimited data with all internet plans.
Most of AT&T’s plans require a 1-year contract agreement. Spectrum is a contract-free provider.