To find these cheap Wi-Fi plans, we dug through pricing data, fees, and fine print. We also made sure these plans offered at least enough speed and data for you to, you know, actually use your internet connection rather than wait for everything to load. And we considered how service areas are limited, which is why you won’t see Astound Broadband, powered by RCN or Grande in our top five. Read on to see how these ISPs provide the most value without upending your budget. Check out our ACP guide for more info on whether you can get this $30 subsidy and how to apply. As opposed to AT&T Fiber, T-Mobile doesn’t make you sign any contracts, pay any activation fees, or go through any credit checks to get the service. Setup is also incredibly easy, you just plug in the provided router, download the app, and you’re up and running. The only extra expense you’ll need to worry about is the one-time $99 payment for the 5G gateway router. After that, your internet payment stays flat. Just to be safe, enter your ZIP code below to make sure that you can get T-Mobile 5G Home Internet in your neck of the woods: If you’re interested in adding TV to your internet, AT&T offers the option to bundle any DIRECTV Stream package with your AT&T service. And good news for any TV-lovers interested in bundling: You’ll get three free months of STARZ, HBO Max, SHOWTIME, MGM+, and Cinemax. If you live where AT&T Fiber is available, we recommend its 300 Mbps plan. At the same price as AT&T’s 75 Mbps plan, AT&T’s 300 Mbps Fiber plan has over three times as much download speed. You’ll also get unlimited data and impressive upload speeds. You’ll find AT&T internet service in 21 different states, mostly around the midwest. Comcast also upgraded its slowest internet plan last year, bumping the download speed up from 25 Mbps to 50 Mbps. That’s a better starting speed: 50 Mbps should allow you to stream, game, and work from home if you’re not sharing the internet with lots of devices or other people. You should also keep in mind that all Xfinity internet plans come with a 1.2 TB data cap. While most of us won’t come close to using this much data in a month, you may want to look elsewhere if you run a home business or freelance as a creative professional. Xfinity has options to add data, but they’ll cost you $10–$30 extra per month. And more data won’t fix those slower upload speeds of 10 Mbps. At that upstream speed, your FaceTime or Zoom calls will probably lag. In fact, if you just need a Spectrum modem, it comes included with your plan. There’s no extra cost per month to rent it. Now that is a customer-friendly approach to equipment if we’ve ever seen one. But the real star of the show is Spectrum’s Contract Buyout program. If you’re stuck in a contract with your current ISP and want to swap, Spectrum will pay up to $500 to buy out that contract if you swap to its service. If you’re looking for the cheapest WOW! Internet plan, look no further than Internet 100. Even at its standard rate, it rings in under $50 a month and comes with a decent data cap of 1.5 TB. This speed works great for a small family who enjoy streaming and gaming together. And if one of you works from home, 100 Mbps download speeds should keep your connected devices running smoothly even through those Zoom calls. And hey, the price for Internet 100 right now is one of those deals.
Promo pricing and what your price becomes after the promotional period Extra fees, like installation and equipment or device rental Any red flags in the fine print
Red flags in the fine print is why you’ll find Optimum lower on the list. We took a look at a list of its fees and were startled by the sheer number of extra charges you might rack up, plus we were appalled at the fact that every Optimum customer now pays a “network enhancement fee.” And sky-high installation fees are one of the reasons why we don’t recommend Spectrum’s Gig plan. (Not to mention it has a very high monthly price for the speed you get.) Don’t forget to check for local internet providers as well, since a small ISP might offer you a better deal than these well-known companies.
AT&T AccessComcast Xfinity Internet EssentialsCox Connect2CompeteInternet First (Astound Broadband, powered by Grande, RCN, and Wave)Mediacom Connect2Compete
You can find out more about who qualifies for these low-cost internet plans and how to get them in our internet assistance guide. Our top picks above, T-Mobile 5G Home Internet, CenturyLink, Xfinity, Spectrum, and WOW! are good places to start. If you don’t work from home and aren’t a creative professional, like a photographer or YouTuber, you probably don’t need unlimited Wi-Fi. Chances are you might find a cheaper Wi-Fi plan if you’re okay with a lower data cap. You may also get a good deal on a cellular Wi-Fi plan. Just set up a hotspot and your mobile device as well as all your wireless devices should be good to go. We recommend looking for a low-cost internet plan if you qualify, or using our zip code tool below to quickly and easily find the cheapest internet plans in your area.
