Best Internet Providers in Austin, Texas

What is the best internet provider in Austin?

For most households in Austin, Texas, Spectrum ranks as the best internet provider. With a wide availability to ATX residents, Spectrum’s plans offer unlimited data and no contract requirements. That being said, service isn’t available for Spectrum everywhere in Austin, so T-Mobile Home Internet and Google Fiber are also solid picks, depending on what’s available in your area.

We’ve also found the lowest prices and the speediest plans to help you break down your options. The cheapest internet plan in Austin is Astound Broadband’s 300Mbps connection, which is $25 a month with no data caps or monthly equipment fees. Kinetic by Windstream offers 8,000Mbps for $300 a month if you’re hunting for the fastest speeds. Google Fiber, AT&T Fiber and Frontier also offer multi-gigabit plans if Kinetic by Windstream isn’t available at your address.

Best internet in Austin, Texas

Speed range

100 – 1,000 Mbps

Price range

$30- $90 per month

Our take – Charter Communications’ broadband service covers a large swath of the greater Austin metro, up over 90% of the area, according to the FCC’s latest numbers. While its upload speeds top out at 35Mbps (which falls well short of what fiber internet can achieve), Spectrum’s reliability — especially compared to the more spotty DSL and satellite internet services that are also prevalent in the area — is tough to overstate.

undefinedundefinedundefined Or call to learn more: (833) 464-0962

Check with Spectrum

Speed range

100 – 1,000 Mbps

Price range

$30- $90 per month

Show more details

Connection

Fixed wireless

Speed range

72 – 245 Mbps

Price range

$60 per month

Our take – T-Mobile and Verizon have been pushing hard for their 5G internet services, but T-Mobile Home Internet gets the nod here for the Live Music Capital of the World. A T-Mobile spokesperson told CNET that approximately a third of T-Mobile Home Internet subscribers are from rural areas, even though less than 10% of the company’s current footprint is rural. So, T-Mobile Home Internet, in just a short time being in business, is becoming a viable option for many where DSL or satellite had been the only choices.

undefinedundefinedundefined Or call to learn more: (877) 687-6988

Check with T-Mobile

Connection

Fixed wireless

Speed range

72 – 245 Mbps

Price range

$60 per month

Show more details

Speed range

1,000 – 2,000 Mbps

Price range

$70 – $100 per month

Our take – Admittedly, this was a tough call. AT&T was nipping at the heels of Google Fiber. However, not all Austin residents are serviceable for AT&T Fiber. Many still have to deal with AT&T’s DSL service, an inferior product whose download speeds max out around 100Mbps and, in some areas, tops out at only around 25Mbps. Conversely, if you have access to Google Fiber, you know exactly what you will get — 100% fiber-optic internet service with symmetrical download and upload speeds. 

undefinedundefinedundefined Or call to learn more: (877) 461-7737

Check with Google

Speed range

1,000 – 2,000 Mbps

Price range

$70 – $100 per month

Show more details

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Other available internet providers in Austin

• Astound Broadband/Grande: You’ll find some of the most competitive starting rates in Austin from this cable internet provider. Astound’s cheapest plan is $25 a month for 300Mbps download speed. That’s a very affordable 8 cents per Mbps. Astound’s 1.5 gig plan is also the cheapest in the city, starting at $60 per month. The catch? A pretty steep increase awaits customers. According to Astound’s rate card (PDF), your rate could triple after your introductory period (from $25 to $84 per month for the 300Mbps plan). Granted, you’re not under a contract, so you can try to negotiate a better deal or bail to a different provider. But you should be aware of that looming increase.
• AT&T: If I had to name a runner up for the best fiber internet provider for ATX, AT&T would take that spot. It has greater availability in the Austin metro area than Google Fiber, and its fiber plans offer a greater diversity of options — from 300Mbps to several multi-gigabit plans, including one as high as 5,000Mbps. However, not all Austin residents are serviceable for AT&T Fiber. Many still have to deal with AT&T’s DSL service, an inferior product whose download speeds max out around 100Mbps and, in some areas, tops out at only around 25Mbps.
• Brightspeed: You won’t find this ISP within city limits. You’ll have to travel north of Austin to the suburb of Hutto to find service. While most addresses may have to settle for DSL service (which can range from 20 to 100Mbps), others may be fortunate to be eligible for the company’s affordable fiber product, which offers 940Mbps for $65 a month.
• Evolve Broadband: This regional provider won’t be found within city limits, but its LTE fixed wireless service caters to rural customers in the outskirts of the Austin metro area, including to the south and southeast in Bastrop, Cedar Creek, Dale and Lytton Springs and west of the city in McDade and Paige. You’ll have to fill out an online form to view plans and pricing, but their website does advertise a $100 plan for 300GB of data per month.
• Frontier: If you’re within Austin city limits, Frontier is not for you. But its mix of DSL and fiber-optic service is a prime option for residents of Georgetown to the north and Dripping Springs and Kyle just south of the city. Check the site to see if Frontier Fiber is available at your address. Featuring symmetrical plans of 500Mbps, gigabit or multi-gig speeds, the company’s fiber service is a compelling option, ranging in price from $40 to $155 a month.
• Kinetic by Windstream: You’ll find this DSL and fiber provider only in a small pocket of Austin near Balcones District Park and north of the city in eastern Round Rock. If you’re serviceable for the company’s fiber-optic plans, it’s worth some exploration, but keep looking if you can only get its DSL service.
• Optimum: Suddenlink is the name many in the Austin area might know, but parent company Altice USA rebranded it in 2022. So, the freshly-named Optimum service is very lightly scattered in the metro area — mostly around the Austin Recreation Center and near Barton Creek Wilderness Park — but is more concentrated north of ATX in Pflugerville. This cable ISP boasts competitive starting rates and decent signing perks, including Visa gift cards and bundling discounts with unlimited mobile plans.
• Ranch Wireless: This VTX-1 wireless provider to south-central Texas services a few towns on the outer reaches of the Austin metro area, including Bastrop, Cedar Creek, Dale, Elgin, Lockhart, Mustang Ridge and Uhland. Customers can expect residential plans ranging from $30 per month for 1Mbps download and 30GB of data to $120 per month for 25Mbps and unlimited data.
• Rise Broadband: One of the country’s top fixed wireless solutions for rural areas. This provider is a viable option for residents living in east Austin, stretching out to the towns of Manor and Elgin and points north of the city, including portions of Georgetown, Pflugerville, Round Rock and Taylor. Speeds can get as high as 50Mbps, and there are unlimited data options as well, so if your choice is between satellite and Rise Broadband, this should win out.
• Satellite internet: Typically, I’d tell anyone in a metro area to run, not walk, away from satellite internet service. You’ll find much cheaper and faster alternatives in the city. However, many outside the urban limits of Austin won’t have the same access. That’s when it’s time to consider either Hughesnet or Viasat, the leading satellite broadband providers. One of the biggest drawbacks to both is they each require a two-year contract commitment. Newcomer Starlink has them beat on that front — the service features no term contract agreements. However, it does still require a hefty upfront payment of $599.
• SOS Communications: Another regional fixed wireless provider, SOS, extends most of its coverage area just beyond the Austin metro area, but serviceability ranges down into Georgetown and Hutto and to the west of Austin in Elgin. Customers must provide their own router, but SOS is set apart from other regional wireless providers because there’s no contract required and no data caps on any of its wireless plans. Available speeds range from 10 to 100Mbps. 
• TexasData: This local ISP offers a fixed wireless solution for customers in the Texas Hill Country west of Austin. It caters to areas unable to get cable or DSL services. Monthly plans cover speeds from 2Mbps to 20Mbps, with prices ranging from $40 to $200 per month. 
• Verizon 5G Home Internet: Availability for Verizon’s 5G fixed wireless home internet product is expanding to more areas. It has a higher average download speed (300Mbps) than T-Mobile Home Internet. It also boasts a similar all-in price that includes equipment rental, installation fees and taxes for $50 per month (and eligible Verizon Wireless customers can get a discount to knock that down to $35 per month). So why’d we list T-Mobile higher? Verizon’s coverage still tends to lean strongly towards metro areas due to its use of Ultra Wideband 5G technology. In contrast, T-Mobile also uses its 4G LTE network to increase availability. If you’re within the Capital City limits, you should explore this option, but many others will find it outside their grasp.

Cheap internet options in ATX

The average starting price for internet service in Austin — taking into account the promo prices, not the elevated regular rates — is approximately $50 a month. But if you’re searching for the cheapest rates, the lowest starting price in Austin is $25 a month, belonging to Astound Broadband. Many other providers, including Ranch Wireless, Kinetic by Windstream, Optimum and TexasData, also offer base plans less than the average internet cost in the area.

Speaking of value, most of the providers we’ve listed are also participating in the Federal Communication Commission’s Affordable Connectivity Program. This FCC initiative provides a $30-a-month discount to qualifying low-income households to help them find affordable, high-speed internet. If you qualify, the ACP benefit can be used towards any internet plan from participating providers. In some cases, especially from the providers who partnered with the White House on its digital divide initiatives, you might get free internet service. 

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

How to find internet deals and promotions in Austin

The best internet deals and top promotions in Austin depend on what discounts are available during that period. Most deals are short-lived, but we look frequently for the latest offers. 

Austin internet providers, such as Spectrum and Astound Broadband, may offer lower introductory pricing or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Many, however, including Google Fiber and AT&T Fiber, run the same standard pricing year-round. 

For a more extensive list of promos, check out our guide on the best internet deals.

How fast is Austin broadband?

Thanks to its multiple fiber options, Austin has a spot among the top 10 fastest cities in the country. In Ookla’s latest reporting, Austin ranked as the 10th fastest city, registering a median download speed of 264 megabits per second. That was good enough to place ATX well ahead of its Texas big-city siblings, Dallas and Houston.

People within the city limits have access to the superior speeds of fiber internet service, tilting the scales here. Case in point, Ookla’s data tags Google Fiber as the fastest provider in Austin, with a median download speed of approximately 313Mbps. But AT&T and Frontier also offer fiber plans as fast as 5Gbps, so those three providers feature the fastest individual plans you’ll find.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Internet providers in popular cities near Austin

See all results for internet providers in Texas.

What’s a good internet speed?

Most internet connection plans can now handle basic productivity and communication tasks. If you’re looking for an internet plan that can accommodate videoconferencing, streaming video or gaming, you’ll have a better experience with a more robust connection. Here’s an overview of the recommended minimum download speeds for various applications, according to the FCC. Note that these are only guidelines — and that internet speed, service and performance vary by connection type, provider and address.

For more information, refer to our guide on how much internet speed you really need.

• 0 to 5Mbps allows you to tackle the basics — browsing the internet, sending and receiving email, streaming low-quality video.
• 5 to 40Mbps gives you higher-quality video streaming and videoconferencing.
• 40 to 100Mbps should give one person sufficient bandwidth to satisfy the demands of modern telecommuting, video streaming and online gaming. 
• 100 to 500Mbps allows one to two people to simultaneously engage in high-bandwidth activities like videoconferencing, streaming and online gaming. 
• 500 to 1,000Mbps allows three or more people to engage in high-bandwidth activities at the same time.

How CNET chose the best internet providers in Austin

Internet service providers are numerous and regional. Unlike the latest smartphone, laptop, router or kitchen tool, it’s impractical to personally test every internet service provider in a given city. So what’s our approach? For starters, we tap into a proprietary database of pricing, availability and speed information that draws from our own historical ISP data, partner data and mapping information from the Federal Communications Commission at FCC.gov. 

But it doesn’t end there. We go to the FCC’s website to check our data and ensure we consider every ISP that provides service in an area. We also input local addresses on provider websites to find specific options for residents. We look at sources, including the American Customer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Power, to evaluate how happy customers are with an ISP’s service. ISP plans and prices are subject to frequent changes; all information provided is accurate as of publication. 

Once we have this localized information, we ask three main questions: 

• Does the provider offer access to reasonably fast internet speeds? 
• Do customers get decent value for what they’re paying? 
• Are customers happy with their service? 

While the answer to those questions is often layered and complex, the providers who come closest to “yes” on all three are the ones we recommend. When selecting the cheapest internet service, we look for the plans with the lowest monthly fee, though we also factor in things like price increases, equipment fees and contracts. Choosing the fastest internet service is relatively straightforward. We look at advertised upload and download speeds and consider real-world speed data from sources like Ookla and FCC reports.

To explore our process in more depth, visit our page on how we test ISPs.

What’s the final word on internet providers in Austin?

Within the city limits of Austin, cable internet is still the most ubiquitous internet connection you’ll find. As far as cable internet providers go, Spectrum and Astound Broadband present solid value with their offerings. But as we’ve often mentioned in our CNET home internet coverage, fiber internet trumps cable every time. If your address is serviceable for Google Fiber or AT&T Fiber — and thankfully, both companies are continuing to expand their fiber networks within ATX — then you shouldn’t give signing up a second thought.

Internet providers in Austin FAQs