Best Internet Providers in Austin

Austin likes keeping it weird, but ask anyone who works and lives there: They also like their internet fast. In fact, they’re in one of the fastest cities in the country when it comes to internet speed. Thanks to its multiple fiber options, Austin has a spot in the top 10 fastest cities in the USA. 

The speed-testing site Ookla keeps track of the top cities in the US for median download speeds based on millions of tests run daily by the company. In Ookla’s second-quarter 2022 report, Austin — the country’s 28th most populous metro area — ranked as the seventh fastest city, registering a median download speed of nearly 214 megabits per second. That was good enough to place ATX well ahead of its Texan big-city siblings Dallas and Houston.

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One thing to note about those speeds: Austin gets a boost from the fast fiber options found within city limits, including AT&T and Google Fiber, and the wide availability of the consistent cable connection provided by Spectrum. But if you venture beyond Travis County to Round Rock, Georgetown or some rural areas east of Austin, you won’t see anything close to those median speeds. Apart from last-resort satellite options like HughesNet and Viasat, there are some regional fixed wireless solutions, as well as the option to explore 5G home internet (though availability is limited more closely to the Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown hub). 

That means you’ve got plenty of internet options to sort through in the Austin area. Whatever those options may be at your address, we’re here to help you comb through your choices. Here’s what you need to know about the best internet providers in Austin.

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• Price range: $70 to $100 a month
• Speed range: 1,000 to 2,000Mbps
• Highlights: Unlimited data, no contracts, equipment included 

Admittedly, this was a tough call. AT&T was nipping at the heels of Google Fiber. But 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. Google Fiber features only two plans — 1,000Mbps and 2,000Mbps — but each has fast internet speeds, no data caps, no contracts and no additional equipment rental fee. Google Fiber may not be your top selection if you’re looking for a cheap internet option. Still, in terms of value, Google Fiber stands tall: The gigabit plan at $70 a month has an affordable cost per Mbps of seven cents, while the two gig plan boasts an even better 5 cents per Mbps. 

As for where you can find Google Fiber in Austin, your best bet is in the heart of ATX, including the South Lamar, South Congress and East Austin neighborhoods. But service is also beginning to extend towards the north portion of the city, including the Allandale, Mueller, North Loop and North Shoal Creek neighborhoods.

Read our Google Fiber home internet review.

 

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• Price range: $50 to $90 a month
• Speed range: 300 to 940Mbps
• Highlights: Simple pricing, no contracts, no data caps, free access to nationwide Wi-Fi hotspots
• Special offers: Bundle discounts, free Peacock Premium for up to 12 months

Charter Communications’ broadband service covers a large swath of the Austin city limits and beyond, including down into Kyle and Dripping Springs and up north into Pflugerville, Round Rock and Leander. That’s especially helpful if you plan to move within the area and don’t want the hassle of setting up with a new service provider. The company’s home internet service also includes the modem in the monthly costs (though you’ll need to add $5 a month if you want a Wi-Fi router). 

Also in Spectrum’s favor is its straightforward approach. No matter where you’re located, you’ll have three plan options — 300, 500 or 940Mbps download speed — and no fear of additional fees from overage charges since there are no data limits. While its upload speeds top out at 35Mbps (which falls well short of what fiber internet can achieve), Spectrum’s reliability compared to the more spotty DSL and satellite internet services that are also prevalent in the area is tough to overstate.

Read our Spectrum home internet review.

 

Spectrum Internet

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• Price range: $50 a month ($30 for eligible T-Mobile Magenta Max customers)
• Speed range: 33 to 182Mbps
• Highlights: No data cap, no contracts, all-inclusive price (no additional fee for equipment or extra charges)
• Special offers: 15-day Test Drive, Price Lock guarantee, free one-year subscription to Paramount Plus, $10 off per month on Philo TV for a year, T-Mobile Tuesdays (weekly perks)

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 MoffettNathanson report from April used Comlinkdata to surmise 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 over a year of business, is becoming a viable option for many where DSL or satellite had been the only choices.

While you’ll find the Austin area included in T-Mobile’s coverage list for Texas, you’ll still need to confirm it’s serviceable at your location. You can plug in your address (or your mobile phone number, if you’re already a T-Mobile customer) on the T-Mobile Home Internet site to find out if it’s available for you.

Read our T-Mobile Home Internet overview.

 

Are there additional internet providers in Austin?

Many broadband options exist for those living in the Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown metro area. Beyond the top three picks we highlighted above, you can find quite a mix of choices, though a few are available only on the outskirts of the surrounding counties.

• 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 $26 a month for 300Mbps download speed. That’s a very affordable 9 cents per Mbps. While you can find a less expensive option in the area — Rise Broadband’s $25-a-month offering, for example — that plan features download speeds of only 25Mbps, which equates to a much higher cost per Mbps of $1. Astound’s gig plan is also the cheapest you can find in the city, starting at $50 a month, and comes with a free year of HBO Max. The catch? A pretty steep increase awaits customers. According to Astound’s rate card, your rate could almost triple after a year (from $26 to $78 a month for the 300Mbps plan). Granted, you’re not under a contract, so you have the freedom to try to negotiate a better deal or simply 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. But 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.
• CenturyLink: 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 a majority of addresses may have to settle for CenturyLink’s DSL service (which can range from 20 to 100Mbps), others may be fortunate to be eligible for the company’s affordable fiber product, Quantum Fiber, which offers 200 to 940Mbps for $49 to $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 can expect 10 to 35Mbps download speed with this cellular service, which Evolve breaks down into three data plans — Bronze (10GB per month for $40), Silver ($50 a month for 30GB) and Gold (60GB a month for $75) with the opportunity to buy additional gigabytes of data on each plan. 

• Frontier: If you’re located 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 FiberOptic is available at your address. Featuring symmetrical plans of 500Mbps, gigabit or 2Gbps speeds, the company’s fiber service is a compelling option, ranging in price from $50 to $150 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 recently rebranded it. 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 to see residential plans that range from $30 a month for 1Mbps download and 30GB of data, to $120 a 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, as well as 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 data caps and no term contract agreements. However, per the Starlink map, Austin’s availability is still on the waitlist until sometime in 2023.
• SOS Communications: Another regional fixed wireless provider, SOS extends the majority of its coverage area just beyond the Austin metro area, but serviceability ranges down into Georgetown and Hutto as well as 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 10-100Mbps. 
• 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 monthly. 
• 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 and boasts a similar all-in price that includes equipment rental, installation fees and taxes for $50 a month (and eligible Verizon Wireless customers can get a 50% discount to drive that down to $25 a month). So why’d we list T-Mobile higher? Verizon’s coverage still tends to lean strongly towards metro areas due to its strong utilization of its 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.

Are there additional details about Austin home internet to know?

After our overview of the internet service providers available in Austin, you may have some more specific questions about the internet plans you can get in the Capital City. Specifically, let’s dive into more about the cheapest internet plans you can find and the fastest internet options available. 

Pricing for Austin home internet service 

The average starting price for internet service in Austin — taking into account the promo prices, not the elevated regular rates — is approximately $43 per month, which puts ATX right in the middle of the pack of the other markets CNET has covered to this point, including Brooklyn ($36 a month), Los Angeles ($38 a month), Denver ($39 per month), San Francisco ($40 a month), New York City ($41 per month), Seattle ($42 monthly), Dallas and Philadelphia (both near $43 per month), Houston ($45 monthly), Phoenix ($46 per month), Atlanta ($47 monthly), Orlando ($48 a month) and Charlotte, Chicago, Las Vegas, San Diego and St. Louis (all approximately $50 monthly). 

Currently, the lowest starting price you can find in Austin belongs to Rise Broadband, which has a 25Mbps plan starting at $25 a month. Impressively, the standard price only jumps by $10 after the first year. 

That said, I have to bring up a plan I mentioned earlier: For just a dollar more (at $26 per month in the first year), Astound Broadband has a 300Mbps cable internet plan. If it’s available at your address, that’s the best value.

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 20 providers who recently partnered with the White House on its digital divide initiatives, you might be able to get internet service for free. 

Internet speeds in Austin

As I mentioned at the start of this article, Austin holds some bragging rights as one of the country’s fastest cities in terms of median download internet speeds. If you live on the outskirts of the Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown metro area, you might be surprised to hear that since fixed wireless or satellite service might be all that’s available to you. But 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 over 247Mbps. 

What’s the bottom line on Austin internet providers?

Within the city limits of Austin, cable internet is still the most ubiquitous internet connection you’ll find. And 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.

Austin internet FAQs