AT&T’s fully fiber internet offers top-tier speed and reliability, but WOW! is still a great option on a budget.
AT&T vs. WOW!: Compare Internet Plans
Speed and reliability
4.0 / 5
Dollar value
3.8 / 5
Customer experience
4.0 / 5
Speed and reliability
3.8 / 5
Dollar value
4.5 / 5
Customer experience
3.3 / 5
7 min readAT&T’s fully fiber-optic internet service is among the fastest in the entire country. It’s an ideal option for families of all sizes who want the highest-quality internet connection for streaming, working from home, gaming, and everything else.
“My advertised speeds are 300Mbps download and upload speed, but they’re very often faster than that.” —Lauren Hannula, AT&T internet customer in San Diego
The biggest downside to AT&T’s service is the price. The cheapest plan starts at $55 a month.
If you want a cheaper internet service provider (ISP), WOW! is a great alternative. The company’s cable and fiber internet plans give you fast download speeds and start at just $30 a month.
But, in many areas WOW!’s service is not fully fiber. While you can still get great download speeds with cable infrastructure, you lose the symmetrical upload speeds and reliability.
We go over everything you need to know about both of these ISPs in this article, including prices, contracts, and feedback from real customers.
On this page:
Honest reviews written by real people
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Want to know if AT&T or WOW! are available where you live? Run a search with your zip code below to find out.
Free AT&T Fiber for 6 months
Get AT&T Fiber free for 6 months when you get AT&T Wireless
New and existing mobile customers who purchase AT&T wireless AND new AT&T Fiber service are eligible for 6 months of free Fiber service (via reward card).
AT&T vs. WOW!: Plans, pricing, and speed
| Provider |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Price per month |
$55-$245
|
$30-$185
|
| Download speeds | 100-5000 Mbps | 100-5000 Mbps |
| Upload speeds | 100-5000 Mbps | 50-5000 Mbps |
| Details | View Plans | View Plans |
Offers and availability vary by location and are subject to change. Data verified as of the article's publication date.
AT&T has a straightforward set of five different fiber internet plans that range from 300 Mbps all the way up to 5 gigs. All of the plans are contract free and include unlimited data. The company does have a wireless 5G internet service called AT&T Air, but we mainly cover the company’s wired, fiber-optic service here (we would recommend other providers if you want 5G home internet).
Compare WOW! to T-Mobile's 5G internet plan for example.
On the surface, WOW!’s internet plans look similar to AT&T’s, just with cheaper prices. The plans range in speed from 100Mbps up to 5 gigs. They are also contract free and come with unlimited data. However, there is a key difference. WOW! has two different kinds of wired internet plans: Fiber to the home (FTTH) plans and cable-fiber hybrid plans.
The FTTH plans give a far better performance, including increased upload speeds and more reliability. The cable-fiber hybrid plans are really just glorified cable internet plans, which means you still get fast download speeds, but your upload speeds stay slower. And you might see more fluctuation in speed throughout the day.
“The speed has been great 95% of the time. Every once in a while I get an unstable connection with an intermittent speed.” —Reddit user throwawaydakappa talking about WOW! internet
So, long story short: If you live in an area where WOW! has FTTH connections, then it’s a great deal. But if you’re in an area where it has only cable-fiber hybrid plans, then AT&T is clearly a better option for optimal performance.
AT&T vs. WOW!: Fees for modem and installation
What makes this review legit?
Our fact-based research process centers on interviews with internet customers across the country, helping us 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 WOW! and AT&T customers to get their firsthand insights. We let their experiences guide our research and shape our conclusions. We also speak with ISP spokespeople and industry experts to get insights into connection types, speed capabilities, and other technical issues related to internet service.
The matchup: How we rate AT&T vs. WOW!
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 AT&T Internet review and WOW! Internet review.
Also see how WOW! stacks up against Xfinity.
Speed and reliability
AT&T: 4.0/5.0 | WOW!: 3.8/5.0
If your priority is speed and reliability, then AT&T is clearly the best choice. It is ranked as the best fiber internet provider because it offers incredibly consistent speeds in many different parts of the country.
Our speed test results from 2023 show AT&T has an average download speed of 106Mbps and an average upload speed of 118Mbps. That means you’ll be able to stream, game, Zoom into a work call, and even upload huge videos to YouTube without any issues.
In an interview with Lauren Hannula, an AT&T Fiber customer in San Diego, for our standalone AT&T review, she says, “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.”
WOW!’s internet speeds are less reliable, though still respectable. The average download speed, according to our data from customers, is 125.53Mbps. That makes it great for medium-to-large households with lots of devices. However, the company’s cable internet plans have more sluggish upload speeds, making it worse for video conferencing and uploading big files.
And an additional point of information to consider is HighSpeedInternet.com’s 2023 customer satisfaction survey, which gives AT&T a 3.9/5 for speed and reliability, while WOW! Scores 3.7/5.
Dollar value
AT&T: 3.8/5.0 | WOW!: 4.5/5.0
WOW!’s prices are, generally speaking, better than AT&T’s. With WOW!, you can score a 600Mbps plan for just $45 a month. That’s a bonkers price for such high speeds. You have to pay $65 a month for a similar plan from AT&T.
For our standalone review of WOW! Internet, we interviewed Gary LaPointe, a customer in Dearborn, Michigan. He signed up for the service in 2015 with 30Mbps for $29.99 a month. He pays just $30 for a 300Mbps now. “I'm only paying one cent more than I was nine years ago for 10 times the speed,” he says.
AT&T’s prices are higher than WOW!’s, but they are still fair for the quality of service you get. This is especially true if you’re on an eligible AT&T Wireless plan that gives you up to 20% off your monthly AT&T Fiber bill.
Customer experience
AT&T: 4.0/5.0 | WOW!: 3.3/5.0
AT&T is known for its outstanding customer service. It stands out in an industry that tends to get bad marks. According to the American Customer Satisfaction Survey, AT&T is the top rated fiber provider in the country and the second highest rated internet provider overall. It also comes in second on HighSpeedInternet.com’s survey.
Danny Flanagan, an AT&T customer from Eastlake, Ohio, says that his experience signing up and getting professional installation for his internet service was “fantastic.”
WOW!, unfortunately, doesn’t live up to its name when it comes to the customer experience. HighSpeedInternet.com’s survey has WOW! ranked below average in customer satisfaction. One customer reports that they “think [WOW!’s customer service staff are] just poorly trained and not given the tools to support customer issues.”
Overall quality: Which internet provider should you pick?
AT&T: 3.9/5.0 | WOW!: 3.9/5.0
As you can see, both WOW! and AT&T have the same overall quality rating. But they have the same rating for different reasons.
AT&T’s incredible speeds and superior customer service make it the go-to pick for those who want quality above all else. WOW!’s prices, on the other hand, are unbeatable for those who want to get superfast internet on a tight budget.
AT&T vs. WOW!: What deals and promotions can you get?
AT&T and WOW! both have some deals to sweeten the pot when you sign up. If you’re on an eligible AT&T Wireless plan, you can get up to 20% off your monthly internet bill. Likewise, WOW! internet customers can get sweet discounts when they sign up for WOW! Mobile.
Here’s a look at all of the best deals and perks from both companies.
AT&T Internet add-ons and perks
Sign up on the AT&T website.
Add ActiveArmor to your monthly AT&T Fiber bill.
WOW! Internet add-ons and perks
Adds $5 to your monthly internet bill when you sign up.
Sign up for mobile online when you sign up for internet.
AT&T vs. WOW!: What do customers think?
AT&T receives high praise from customers, with a few caveats
We interviewed four different AT&T internet customers when we were writing our review of the service. We heard mostly positive things.
Danny Flanagan from Ohio tells us it’s a “fantastic service and experience” and he’s “looking forward to moving over to the mobile side in the next few months.”
Jane Collins in the Detroit Area says the “internet is reliable” and “it’s been relatively trouble free.”
We did hear a slightly more critical tone from Hayden, who lives in Illinois. He tells us, “I wouldn’t say it’s a good deal, but it’s comparable to the other ISPs I’ve used.” He does add that AT&T is “better than the alternative in this town.”
“AT&T’s fiber network is fast and reliable.” —Lauren Hannula
WOW! customers offer mixed reviews of the service
Gary LaPointe, a customer who’s been with WOW! Internet in Dearborn, Michigan for over seven years, has nothing but love for WOW! Internet. “It's been rock solid for me, and it's great speed for the price,” he says.
But if you look for other customer feedback about WOW!, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. Reddit user throwawaydakappa says that they were initially “impressed” by the price offer they received and that “they actually showed up the next day. They got everything installed.
However, throwawaydakappa writes, “45 days later my service was disconnected for non-payment. Weird, cause my first month is supposed to be free.”
“I love it. It's reliable, and it's a great price.” —Gary LaPointe
Want WOW! or AT&T? Find it in your area
AT&T’s fiber internet service is among the fastest and most reliable in the country. It also has some of the best customer satisfaction scores according to third party surveys. The biggest downside is the pricing, which trends higher than the competition.
WOW!’s prices are much lower, and its speeds are still quite respectable, especially if you live in an area where WOW! offers fiber service. However, customers tend to be less satisfied with WOW!’s service overall.
Check out all the plans that WOW! and AT&T offer in your area by entering your zip code here.
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