Best No Contract Internet Providers

A plan without a contract—check. What else do you want from your internet plan? We have a few ideas that may help you figure that out.

• Fiber vs. cable vs. DSL: Fiber internet offers the best download and upload speeds. It’s simply the best. Behind that you’ve got cable, which still gives you very fast (but less reliable) speeds. DSL internet technology is, quite frankly, the worst. But it’s usually cheaper and available where others aren’t.
• Prices can be deceiving: Even no contract plans come with some tricky fine print that you should read. Because you’re not in a contract, the company can raise its prices whenever it wants. ISPs often offer promotional prices that go up after the first 12 months. Look carefully at pricing policies before you sign up.
• Availability: It’s not just about what companies operate in your area (though that obviously matters). It’s also about what kind of services these companies offer. Many ISPs only offer their finest plans (like fiber internet) in certain cities/towns. Sometimes a lower-rated ISP will actually have the best deal in a specific area.
• Cell phone bundling: Some internet providers, like Spectrum, will give you discounts on cell phone data plans if you bundle your internet and cell phone service under the same provider.

Verizon isn’t just a big player in the cell phone industry. If you live in the Northeast, it may be your best bet for powerful, affordable, and contract-free internet service. Let’s dive into it, beginning with the company’s plans and performance.

Verizon Fios Home Internet offers four different plans. We’ve arranged them all in this nifty little chart.

That’s a decent spread of powerful plans. Even the cheapest and slowest of the bunch will deliver 300 Mbps speeds, which is more than enough for most small households. At $50, it’s a pretty good deal.

Verizon’s 100% fiber-optic network means you’ll get reliable performance at any tier, including very fast upload speeds (great for gaming, uploading large files, and video conferencing).

The biggest drawback of Verizon’s internet service is probably the limited availability. It is only available in the following Northeastern states: Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, and Washington, DC.

If you live in one of those states, Verizon’s coverage is generally great. If you don’t live in those states, then don’t despair, there are other great options (check out the AT&T section right below this one).

While it’s still not widely available, Verizon has begun offering 5G home internet in select cities. This wireless, no-contract internet service can give you wildly fast speeds, you don’t have to deal with any fussy cables, and you can save up to $25 a month when you bundle with a mobile plan.

Verizon Fios Home Internet offers fast internet for those who want to cut the cord. But, if you’re not ready to give up cable then you’ll find some great bundle deals from Verizon that don’t require an annual contract.

Fios TV offers up to 425 channels with access to live TV and includes premium channels like HBO, SHOWTIME, and CINEMAX.

Verizon isn’t the only cellular carrier on this list. AT&T offers impressive deals on fiber (and non-fiber) internet, with a huge range of availability. And its 1000 Mbps offers more bang for your buck than any other plan on the market.

AT&T actually has two types of internet service: DSL and fiber-optic. Which service is available depends on where you live. In general, fiber offers faster, more reliable data speeds. All of the plans listed below are AT&T fiber internet, except for the first one.

While AT&T’s DSL plan is okay, it’s the company’s fiber plans that offer the best performance and price. At $80, the AT&T Internet 1000 plan is the most affordable gig-speed internet plan on the market!

Fiber plans also offer faster upload speeds and unlimited data, while AT&T’s DSL plans come with relatively sluggish upload speeds (which can cause issues if you’re trying to play modern video games or Zoom into a work meeting). But at least the DSL plan has unlimited data.

The biggest problem with most fiber internet providers (like Verizon and Google) is that they have a very limited coverage area. But AT&T’s fiber service is available in dozens of communities across the country, from California and Texas to Florida and Michigan.

This map shows the states where AT&T internet operates.

While certain major cities may have other quality, high-speed internet providers available, in many “flyover states” AT&T will clearly be the best game in town.

Now that fancy fiber-optic and 5G technologies are on the market, you might be tempted to shelve cable internet with other relics of the 2000s, like low-rise jeans or Will Ferrel movies. But don’t write it off so fast.

In certain areas where fiber internet isn’t available, cable internet from Spectrum can be your best option for super-fast, contract-free internet.

Spectrum only offers three different plans, at 300, 500, and 1000 Mbps* speeds. The prices on these plans range in download speeds, but their prices aren't too far apart from each other. 

At $49.99 a month, Spectrum’s 300 Mbps* plan is pretty much in line with other ISPs. And it’s higher-tiered plans aren't that much more expensive than similar offerings from Xfinity, Verizon, CenturyLink, and other companies.

But keep in mind that Spectrum has a nasty habit of raising its prices after the first 12 or 24 months of service so be sure to read that fine print before you sign up.

And if you happen to live in New York, North Carolina, or Ohio, you could get higher Spectrum Internet® speeds at a lower cost.

Good news to all of you Tar Heels: Spectrum's North Carolina plans offer the best value, with up to 300Mbps and 500Mbps plans for $10/month less than plans in other regions. All of Spectrum's regional plans are a pretty good deal, giving you double the speeds for half the price.

Despite our complaints about Spectrum’s price hiking, it may be the fastest fish in a small pond, especially in rural parts of the West, Midwest, and Northeast. Just take a look at this impressive Spectrum Internet® coverage.

Spectrum is probably better known for its cable TV service than its internet service. So it’s not surprising that the company offers some cool double-play bundles. These no-contract bundles can hook you up with all your favorite channels and save you some time and energy by combining your TV and internet bills.

Get $10 a month discount on Spectrum Mobile 

If you add a Spectrum Mobile® cell phone plan along with your Spectrum internet plan, you'll get a $10 monthly discount on your service. Spectrum Mobile is one of our favorite cell phone plans with its affordable unlimited plan and Verizon-backed coverage network.

Google made a big splash in the internet market when it revealed its Fiber service a few years ago. And, to be honest, the company mostly lived up to the hype.

Google offers the fastest internet around at a very fair price. The biggest question is, do you live in a place where Google Fiber operates?

Here’s everything you need to know about Google’s no contract internet service.

Google Fiber offers four plans with super-fast gig speeds. This chart has all the details.

$70 for 1000 Mbps may not beat AT&T’s super-low gig-speed internet price, but it is still a very fair price, especially when you consider how reliable Google’s Fiber service is.

Comparing Google’s 2000-8000 Mbps plans to other plans feels like comparing a Lamborghini to a Carolla. It’s just not fair. But it definitely says something that it's 2 Gig plan is cheaper than slower plans from companies like Spectrum.

In short: you want Sonic the Hedgehog level speeds, then this is the way to go.

Obviously, Google’s plans come with no contract obligations. You can cancel at any time (but why would you?)!

So, if it’s so fast, why isn’t everyone using Google Fiber internet? The answer is simple— most people can’t sign up. Fiber is only currently available in 12 metropolitan areas. Here’s a full list of those cities:

There’s a lot of speculation about Google Fiber’s plans to grow to new markets. Some think the service is as good as dead. But others (including Google) see expansion in the future.

In short, if you don’t live in a place that currently has Fiber, don’t wait around for it to come to you.

We’re not going to sit here and tell you that CenturyLink is the best ISP in the world. It isn’t the fastest and it has a reputation for sub-par customer service. But, it does offer cheap, no contract plans in parts of the country where other providers don’t exist. 

CenturyLink’s mixture of value and availability makes it a great backup option for those who can’t get any of the other providers in this list.

Just keep in mind that CenturyLink is an internet only provider, so you won't get any bundle deals.

CenturyLink has two basic plans. One of them is for DSL internet and the other is for fiber internet. Your plan options will depend on where you live, but in most places CenturyLink only offers DSL service.

At $55, CenturyLink’s Simply Unlimited Internet plan is a decent deal. It comes with no data cap, speeds up to 100 Mbps, and (of course) no contract. The biggest issue is that, in some areas, CenturyLink’s internet is actually much slower than 100 Mbps (it can go down to 15 Mbps). So be sure to clarify what speeds you're paying for before you sign up.

CenturyLink’s Fiber Internet plan definitely looks good on paper. $75 a month for up to 940 Mbps is an excellent deal. Unfortunately, CenturyLink’s fiber service isn't available everywhere. It’s mostly concentrated in major cities and suburbs.

Widespread availability is what makes CenturyLink such a great backup option for no contract internet. If you live in a smaller town in Washington, Idaho, or Montana, then CenturyLink may be your best ticket to high-speed internet. You can see all of the states that CenturyLink covers in this map.

That completes our PhD dissertation about no contract internet plans. Here’s the recap for those of you who got bored and skipped to the end to find an easy temporary internet solution.

• Verizon Fios Home Internet: Verizon’s fiber internet service offers fast, reliable, and affordable internet with no contract. If you live in the Northeast, it’s the way to go (and you can get a no contract TV/internet bundle).
• AT&T: AT&T offers the cheapest 1000 Mbps fiber internet plan on the market. Plus, it’s got good nationwide availability. You’ll be hard pressed to find better overall value from an ISP.
• Spectrum: Spectrum’s super fast internet may not have the same upload speeds as fiber, but it’s a great alternative if you live in the right area.
• Google Fiber: Google’s internet service is the fastest, period. The end. (Epilogue: Google’s internet service is still only available in 12 cities, so if you don’t live in one of them you’re out of luck).
• CenturyLink: CenturyLink may not be a top-shelf ISP, but sometimes you just settle for the good-enough, middle-shelf stuff. CenturyLink’s affordable and relatively fast DSL internet is a good contract-free backup option where other companies aren’t available.

We narrowed down our choices for the five best no contract internet providers by looking at the following features:

1. Price
2. Connection type
3. Speeds
4. Availability
5. Reliability and customer satisfaction

We think that these features capture a holistic view of each company. Of course, different features will be weighted differently for different customers (you don’t care about the price of a service that isn’t available in your area, for example).

We strived to outline both the pros and cons of each provider, so that our readers could make informed decisions. Thank you for trusting us to help you find your next internet plan!