In any case, it’s a hard choice as to who’s the winner: Comcast is in more states overall, but the states in which AT&T is available have greater coverage than some of Comcast’s additional states. That said, large swathes of the country are left uncovered by either provider, and even in regions highlighted in red, you may find areas that aren’t covered. Otherwise, Comcast is in many places where AT&T is not, and conversely. So the chances are greater that you’ll find Comcast in your area, although there’s considerable overlap in the midwest. In terms of number of states, Comcast is in 39 overall, and AT&T is in just 22. They actually cover some very different regions.Īs you can see by looking at the AT&T coverage map, AT&T internet is primarily available in the midwest and southern parts of the country, while Comcast’s coverage area is more widely distributed. But even so, neither is available in every state. Ouch for Comcast.īoth AT&T and Comcast are pretty widespread - in fact, AT&T is the largest DSL provider in the U.S., and as already alluded to, Comcast Xfinity is the largest cable internet provider, too. But, the kicker is that Xfinity has a huge $1,000 upfront fee for that plan - AT&T makes you pay just $99.99 upfront. In terms of higher speed options, AT&T’s fiber Internet 1000 costs the same as Comcast’s hybrid coaxial-fiber offering of the same speeds. Despite some of the bandwidth-sharing disadvantages of cable, Comcast is the better choice here - you’re more likely to reach advertised speed, and even if your neighbors slow you down, you’ve got a 50Mbps buffer - and for $5 cheaper per month. Comcast’s most comparable plan is the 150Mbps Performance Pro, which clocks in at $44.99 a month - $5 bucks cheaper for 50Mbps more in speed. The big thing to remember is that for both ISPs, the prices advertised are only for the first 12 months - after that, they’ll go up, usually by at least $10 a month.Ĭomparing apples-to-apples, AT&T’s 100Mbps plans come in at $50 a month - for both DSL and fiber. If speed is all you care about – go with Comcast Xfinity.ĪT&T and Comcast’s monthly prices are in line with the rest of the industry. The numbers make it clear: Comcast Xfinity provides faster speeds, more reliably. In contrast, AT&T Internet received a score of 76.0. In terms of plain numbers, that same study gave Xfinity a speed score of 104.67. Ookla’s found the same, with 84.5% of speed samples taken from across the country meeting or exceeding that minimum 25Mbps threshold. And according to the FCC, you’ll get the speed advertised when you subscribe. Meanwhile, Comcast Xfinity starts you off with a little higher base speed of 25Mbps. The speed you get is just based off what is available in your area. They also have a plan that gets up to 100Mbps - and those speeds will vary from 5, 10, 25, 50, 75 or 100Mbps. That’s incredible speed - the fastest available of any providers in the U.S.Īt first glance, it looks like AT&T would have better variety for speeds on the lower end of things, starting out at 5Mbps - and you’d be partially right. With both providers, you can get 1000Mbps (1Gbps) speeds in some locations, and Comcast even offers 2000Mbps speeds in some locations. That said, not all of the fiber connections are pure - due to deteriorating copper cables, AT&T has been merging fiber with them to create a hybrid copper-fiber network of sorts.īoth AT&T and Xfinity have you covered when it comes to speedy internet access. In some cities, Fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) is becoming reality, with speeds reaching 500-1000Mbps. When it comes to AT&T’s fiber-optic internet, it’s a little more limited. That means, while slower overall, your speeds will be more consistent. The upside is that all internet connections are direct to your home - not your neighborhood - so you don’t share bandwidth. But that said, speeds are slower than cable in most cases: usually about 75Mbps - half of what cable is capable of at a minimum. DSL delivers your internet by copper telephone wires, rather than underground cables.ĪT&T actually used updated tech called “Very high speed Digital Subscriber Line,” or VDSL, which gives (you guessed it) faster speeds than ordinary DSL. For most people, DSL is the only option, but it’s pretty widespread. AT&T internet uses DSL and fiber to deliver their internet.
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