Spectrum is our favorite cable provider, but AT&T is even better.
Spectrum vs. AT&T Review
Best cable provider
Overall Quality ⁃ 3.8/5
4.0/5 - Speed and reliability
3.8/5 - Dollar value
3.2/5 - Customer experience
Best fiber availability
Overall Quality ⁃ 3.9/5
4.0/5 - Speed and reliability
3.8/5 - Dollar value
4.0/5 - Customer experience 
6 min readWhen it comes to Spectrum versus AT&T, AT&T is the better pick for most customers. Spectrum may be “standard and reliable” (according to customer Sakia Anwar in New York City), but it can’t compete with AT&T’s fiber network or crazy good customer service.
“I have no complaints at all (so far) about AT&T’s internet service,” says longtime AT&T customer Lauren Hannula in San Diego.
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Want to know if Spectrum or AT&T are available where you live? Run a search with your zip code below to find out.
Spectrum vs. AT&T: Plans, pricing, and speed
| Provider | | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per month | $24.99-$79.99 | $55-$245* |
| Download speeds | 50-1000 Mbps† | 300-5000 Mbps |
| Upload speeds | 4-35 Mbps | 300-5000 Mbps |
| Details | View Plans | View Plans |
Data as of 04/05/2023. Offers and availability vary by location and are subject to change.
*
Price after $5/mo Autopay & Paperless bill discount (w/in 2 bills). Plus taxes $ fees. Limited availability. May not be available in your area.
†
Limited time offer; subject to change; valid to qualified residential customers who have not subscribed to any services within the previous 30 days and who have no outstanding obligation to Charter.
AT&T is faster and offers better value than Spectrum.
With Spectrum, your equipment rental fee is nominal, and you pay $65 or less for installation. You initially pay 8–17 cents per Mbps of download speed with Autopay, and after a term of 12 or 24 months, your monthly price increases—to between 10–23 cents per Mbps.
Meanwhile, although AT&T has higher rental and installation fees and steeper overall prices, as long as you enroll in Autopay, the company charges 5–18 cents per Mbps of download speed with no baked-in price hike.
“It’s fast!” says Danny Flanagan, an AT&T customer in Eastlake, Ohio, who switched from Spectrum to AT&T and cut his internet bill in half.
Spectrum vs. AT&T: Fees for modem and installation
What makes this review legit?
Our fact-based research process centers around data analysis, keen-eyed provider comparisons, and interviews with internet customers from across the country. We research and write about internet service every day, with the aim to understand how internet services hold up against diverse needs and challenges.
To put together this review, we looked at results from our speed test, pulled data from customer satisfaction surveys, and pored over the fine print to compare prices and speeds between the two providers. To flesh out our analysis, we also interviewed eleven Spectrum and Google Fiber customers to get their first-hand insights. We let their experiences guide our research and shape our conclusions. We also spoke with a Spectrum spokesperson and experts on internet technology to get answers about Spectrum’s so-called “hybrid fiber coaxial” network and Google’s multi-gigabit capabilities.
The matchup: How we rate Spectrum vs. AT&T
For all our internet reviews, we give a rating based on three main criteria—speed and reliability, dollar value, and customer experience—which we then average to make an overall score.
Here, we compare those ratings face to face. We then offer some analysis and context for important factors to keep in mind.
Want to know more? Read our full-length Spectrum review and AT&T review.
Speed and reliability
Spectrum: 4/5.0 | AT&T: 4/5.0
AT&T is the faster and more reliable provider by a long shot. With Spectrum, your speeds are slower and you (most likely) have a less-reliable cable connection. Spectrum has fiber in some areas and plans to expand the offering, but if you already have Spectrum cable service, an update to fiber is not in your future.
"The company installs it in 'green' markets not claimed by other fiber providers," Kevin Parrish, a Spectrum customer who also works for HighSpeedInternet.com, says of Spectrum fiber. "What it doesn't do is install FTTH in areas it already delivers cable internet."
AT&T charges less than Spectrum for each Mbps even though its fiber network is much faster and more reliable than cable. AT&T also has symmetrical speeds for most of its plans, meaning that its download and upload speeds are the same—something Spectrum lacks.
What’s AT&T Internet Air?
AT&T offers one non-fiber plan: AT&T Internet Air. This wireless plan isn't as fast, reliable, or cost-effective as the fiber options, but it's great if you can't get fiber service.
Dollar value
Spectrum: 3.8/5.0 | AT&T: 3.8/5.0
AT&T offers a better dollar value than Spectrum.
Although AT&T’s equipment and installation fees are higher, you get a faster and more stable fiber connection through AT&T. And although AT&T’s prices are technically higher, when calculated by cents per Mbps, they’re actually lower.
Customer experience
Spectrum: 3.2/5.0 | AT&T: 4/5.0
Spectrum and AT&T have some customer service similarities: No contracts, data overages, or cancellation fees.
But overall, customers are happier with AT&T's customer service than with Spectrum's. Part of that definitely seems to be because AT&T customers encounter fewer issues, which in turn leads to fewer rendezvous with customer service representatives.
Overall quality: Which internet provider should you pick?
Spectrum: 3.7/5.0 | AT&T: 3.9/5.0 (average of previous scores)
AT&T trumps Spectrum in speed, reliability, dollar value, and customer service, making it the better service provider for most people.
That's not to say that Spectrum is a bad option—it's an outstanding cable internet provider. If you don't live in an area with AT&T service, you should consider Spectrum.
Spectrum vs. AT&T: What deals and promotions can you get?
Both Spectrum and AT&T frequently offer appealing deals that can lower your bill or net you additional services.
Free Unlimited Spectrum Mobile phone line for 12 months
Get 12 months of free Spectrum Mobile service when you sign up for a qualifying Spectrum Internet plan.
Get a Visa gift card with your AT&T Fiber service
Get your cancellation fees covered plus up to $150 in Visa gift cards when you switch to AT&T Fiber.
Spectrum add-ons and perks
Sign up for a qualifying Spectrum Internet plan
Sign up for a 300Mbps (or faster) plan
Sign up for Autopay
AT&T add-ons and perks
Download the app to access your smart home equipment
Add to your monthly AT&T Fiber bill for $7.00/mo.
Sign up on the AT&T website starting at $69.99/mo.
Sign up for autopay
Customers generally find Spectrum to be reliable with few connectivity issues. While cable isn't our preferred internet type, Spectrum is a much steadier option than a DSL or satellite internet setup—and even some other cable providers.
The service also has a wide coverage area, making it easy for potential customers to sign up. Its extensive coverage means Spectrum is the only ISP option in some places, leading customer Sean Huntley in Glendale, California, to joke that "Spectrum is competent—and compulsory."
“It’s fast, and we’ve never had an outage.” —Anna Harsanyi, a Spectrum customer in New York City
Spectrum’s biggest issue is unpredictable customer service. Many customers are disgruntled with how Spectrum handles outages and other snafus.
A Spectrum service agent once bombarded Sakia Anwar with upsell attempts while she was trying to get her internet service back up for a work call. “I told him three or four times, ‘No, I am not interested,’ and he just would not stop,” Anwar says of the customer service agent she spoke with.
Another Spectrum customer, Robyn Straw of St. Cloud, Minnesota, experienced frequent outages while trying to work in the summer of 2023. She experienced multiple hours of downtime each time before her Spectrum service got back online.
Customers are overall positive about AT&T internet service.
“I like how fast and reliable it is. I’ve only had one outage in the 5-plus years I’ve had AT&T, and it was resolved within a couple of hours,” Lauren Hannula says.
“I like that I haven’t had any major outages so far,” says Mike Hayden of Oak Park, Illinois. “It was really easy to set up without needing a tech to come out, and the security app is pretty good.”
“Fantastic service and experience.” —Danny Flanagan, an AT&T customer in Eastlake, Ohio
AT&T customers mostly have good things to say about the customer service department—in large part because their service has been so good that they rarely even have to contact customer service. Even Hayden, who was more critical of the service quality than other customers we spoke with, says that AT&T service reps "do seem to fix things quickly."
AT&T's biggest red flag is its lack of robust response to data breaches. The ISP has had multiple data breaches in recent years, with the last occurring as recently as March 2024. Its response to these incidents has been lacking, with vague blame-shifting and reparation services offered to only some affected individuals.
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