AT&T Internet Review 2023

You’re in the right place. U-verse Internet is now AT&T Internet, which offers a DSL or DSL-fiber hybrid internet connection that costs $55 a month.

AT&T offers a mix of fully fiber and fiber plus DSL hybrid plans. (And, technically, plain old DSL plans while it continues to upgrade its network.)

What plans you can choose from depends on where you live—AT&T Fiber is available mainly in large cities, but its DSL service is available in suburbs and rural areas. (P.S. For simplicity’s sake, we’re referring to AT&T’s DSL-fiber hybrid service as “DSL.”)

AT&T DSL internet plans come with a max speed of 140 Mbps, but depending on your location, you could see speeds as low as 10 Mbps. (More on internet speeds in just a bit.)

That said, if you can get those faster speeds, the price isn’t too bad.

The better end of the deal is AT&T’s fiber plans by far, though. If you’re in an area where AT&T Fiber is available, we say go for it. It comes with some of the lowest prices for the speeds you get—300 Mbps to 5,000 Mbps.

Plus, you get unlimited data and upload speeds that match your download speeds. That’s perfect for school or work at home.

Want TV with your internet? Maybe some phone, too? The good news is that bundling your AT&T service can save you some cash with perks like DIRECTV's streaming service.

You can get AT&T Internet in 21 different states, but its fiber internet plans tend to service only large cities and suburbs in those states.

You can check to see if your city has AT&T Fiber using its fiber coverage map.

AT&T’s fixed wireless internet service brings internet to rural areas of the US by beaming your internet connection from an antenna on your roof to a fixed location.

While fixed wireless is certainly an exciting new technology for rural areas missing out on more than one internet option—or areas with no internet options—it isn’t without its downsides. You can learn more about it in our fixed wireless guide.

In general, AT&T’s prices and speeds are pretty competitive compared to Cox, Spectrum, Comcast Xfinity, and WOW! Internet. 

Both Spectrum and WOW! Internet don’t offer internet plans with speeds lower than 100 Mbps. But if you have the option of either Spectrum or WOW!, the price they charge for more download speed might be a better deal than AT&T’s 300 Mbps plan.

Aside from a middle-of-the-pack price for 100 Mbps speeds, the AT&T Internet 1000 Mbps plan comes with unlimited data. Cox and Xfinity come with a 1.25 TB data cap, respectively, while both WOW! and Spectrum offer unlimited data on their plans. 

Here’s a breakdown of some of AT&T’s internet plans compared to the price you’d pay for similar speeds.

If you’re eyeing gig speeds, AT&T Fiber’s price for its 1000 Mbps plan is hard to beat. But for an extra bit of NOS to jump ahead in the race, Xfinity’s 1,200 Mbps plan costs the same as the AT&T Fiber 1000 Mbps plan. Otherwise, AT&T Fiber is the best deal for gig speeds compared to Cox, Spectrum, and WOW! Internet. Not to mention, if you get AT&T Internet 1000 or higher, you get Max at no extra charge.

Still need to do a little comparison shopping? Check out these other reviews:

• Cox Internet Review
• Spectrum Internet Review
• Xfinity Internet Review
• WOW! Internet Review

Overall, AT&T’s internet prices align with what you’ll see from other ISPs—or cheaper. We think the biggest value is in its fiber internet plans. But AT&T’s DSL internet plans are risky since you don’t always know what speed you’ll get.

• Compared to Cox: AT&T Internet and Cox prices start out even, but Cox’s 1,000 Mbps plan is more expensive than the AT&T Fiber Internet 1,000 plan.
• Compared to Spectrum: Spectrum plans start out at up to 100 Mbps*, and at that speed, you’ll pay more per month for AT&T's 300 Mbps and Up to 140 Mbps plans than if you got Spectrum's 100 Mbps plan. However, AT&T’s gig-speed plan is cheaper than Spectrum’s. The saving grace? Spectrum comes with no equipment fee.
• Compared to Xfinity: AT&T’s DSL plans might be a better deal than Xfinity’s Up to 75 Mbps plan—depending on what speed you can get with AT&T. Otherwise, these two ISPs are neck-and-neck when it comes to price for the speed you get.
• Compared to WOW!: WOW!'s 100 Mbps plan is way cheaper than AT&T's; however, you won't get unlimited data. But you’ll pay almost $15 more per month for gig speeds with WOW! compared to the price of AT&T’s gig plan.

AT&T’s fiber plans come with fairly straightforward internet speeds of 300, 500, 1,000, up to 2,000, and up to 5,000 Mbps. 

But its DSL plan pairs you with the fastest speeds you can get in your area—up to 140 Mbps, depending on which plan you have.

The other downside to AT&T DSL internet is that it doesn’t come with symmetrical, or matching, upload speeds. With DSL, you’ll probably see upload speeds of 8–10 Mbps, which might put a damper on your Zoom calls or uploading email attachments while you work from home.

AT&T Fiber, on the other hand, sports symmetrical internet speeds. So, whatever download speed you get, you’ll get the same upload speed to match. 

That makes AT&T Fiber the superior high-speed internet choice for anyone running a home office, home business, studying from home, or aiming to become the next YouTube sensation.

We dug through speed test data to find the fastest ISPs in the US, and AT&T ranked 15th out of 38 internet providers.

That’s not a great rank, but it’s not horrible either. And more than likely, AT&T’s DSL internet is bringing down its score since DSL is slower than fiber (and sometimes cable, too). Sad fact.

By comparison, Xfinity ranked 7th and Spectrum ranked 14th, while Cox ranked just below AT&T at number 16. (We didn’t have enough data to analyze WOW! Internet’s speeds.)

But looking at the weighted scores, you’ll see that Spectrum, AT&T, and Cox all scored similarly, while Xfinity jumped ahead by over 10 points. While Xfinity is a likely winner for giving you the speeds you pay for, we guess your AT&T customer speeds will be all right, especially if you can get its fiber internet service.

AT&T’s fiber internet plans and Internet Air plans come with unlimited data, which is the best kind of data—no need to worry about downloading that new movie or updating your video game. You’re in the clear.

• AT&T DSL data cap (AT&T Internet Air): Unlimited data
• AT&T Fiber data cap (300–5000 Mbps): Unlimited

AT&T recently said “Bye, Felicia!” to its contract requirements, and we applaud that. The freedom of not having an internet contract is one more worry taken off your plate if you have to move, change your service plan, or just enjoy not getting lassoed into agreements.

When you sign up for AT&T Internet, you’ll get a Wi-Fi gateway modem-and-router combo, so chances are you won’t need your own router to set up your Wi-Fi network.

That Wi-Fi gateway device will come with a $10 per month rental fee, too, but as far as rental fees go, it’s one of the cheaper ones we’ve seen.

• AT&T equipment fee: $10 per month

It’s also really nice that you can sign up for internet service and have the equipment delivered straight to your door. A buddy of mine, Andrew, did this while he was staying in Virginia but needed internet in his new house in Florida.

“They shipped the box on Monday. It came on Wednesday, and my girlfriend hooked it up and followed the instructions. The box activated itself, and she was up and running,” he says.

Imagine that: you move in, and your internet and Wi-Fi connection is set up before you even unload your mattress. Priorities, right?

If you’re on an AT&T DSL internet plan, you could save that $10 a month for something shinier and buy your own modem and router instead. We have tips to help you shop for a modem and choose a new router.

Sorry, y’all. There’s no getting away from fees when it comes to internet service with AT&T or any other internet provider. Here’s a quick overview of what AT&T might charge you.

• Installation fee: Pay a $35 activation fee if you prefer DIY installation, or call the pros for $99.
• Early termination fee: AT&T Internet doesn’t have contracts, so you shouldn’t have to pay an early termination fee (ETF). However, its site does state that some plans may require a contract to get promotional pricing. If you fall into that bucket, you’re looking at an ETF of $15 for each month left on your contract—up to a total of $180.

Customer service is always a pain point for any service provider, and AT&T is no exception. However, it does score 75 out of 100 on the 2023 American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI)—this makes it one of the top-scoring internet providers.

AT&T has improved over the last two years, as the customer service rating used to be 73 the year prior. That puts it ahead of the average score of 72 out of 100.

If you need to get chummy with an AT&T rep, social media or chat may be your best option. Here’s how to get a hold of AT&T, and be sure to try some of our tips for dealing with customer service too.

• AT&T internet customer service phone number: 1-800-288-2020
• Online chat (you’ll need to scroll down for the chat option)
• Facebook: @ATT (hours are 6 a.m.–1 a.m. CST)
• Twitter: @ATTHelp

Your internet is slow or just nonexistent, and you want to flip a table. We’ve all been there. We’ve got some tips you can try to fix the issue on your own and we’re crossing our fingers your internet woes are over soon.

AT&T Internet offers some competitive pricing and zippy fiber speeds, but its DSL internet plans leave something to be desired. Here’s a quick recap of why you might or might not like it.

• Prices and plans: AT&T’s prices match other ISPs serving similar areas or are cheaper. But its DSL plan quickly loses value if you can’t get max speeds of 140 Mbps.
• Download speed: With speeds of 300 to 5,000 Mbps, AT&T Fiber speeds are perfect for a family who works, studies, and has fun online. But AT&T DSL speeds are too slow and too iffy for our liking.
• Data caps: All AT&T Fiber and DSL plans come with unlimited data.
• Contracts, equipment, and fees: We’re happy to say that AT&T Internet comes with no contracts. Plus, its equipment rental and self-installation fees are reasonable.
• Customer service: No ISP is known for great customer service, sorry to say. But AT&T rates as one of the better internet providers out there.

• AT&T Internet Air: $55 per month*^†, up to 140 Mbps download speeds, unlimited data
• AT&T Fiber Internet 300: $55 per month*^†, 300 Mbps download speeds, unlimited data
• AT&T Fiber Internet 500: $65 per month*^†, 500 Mbps download speeds, unlimited data
• AT&T Fiber Internet 1,000: $80 per month*^†, 1000 Mbps download speeds, unlimited data
• AT&T Fiber Internet 2,000: $150 per month*^†, up to 2,000 download speeds, unlimited data
• AT&T Fiber Internet 5,000: $250 per month*, up to 5,000 download speeds, unlimited data