AT&T vs. Sparklight: Which Internet Provider Is Best for You?
When it comes to these two ISPs, it all depends on where you live.
Dec 20, 2023 | Share 
Brand Guides, Provider Comparisons (Versus)
-
Best Overall
AT&T- Customer rating: 3.9/5
- Price: $55.00–$250.00/mo.‡
- Speed: 25–5,000Mbps
- Internet type: Fiber & fixed-wireless
- Data cap: Varies
- Contracts: No contract
-
Best for TV Bundles
Sparklight- Customer rating: 3.8/5
- Price: $39.00–$115.00/mo.*
- Speed: 100–940Mbps
- Internet type: Cable
- Data cap: Varies
- Contracts: No contract
‡ Price after $5/mo Autopay & Paperless bill discount (w/in 2 bills). Plus taxes & fees. Monthly State Cost Recovery Charge in TX, OH, NV applies. One time install chrg may apply. Ltd. avail/areas. Call or go to www.fiber.att.com to see if you qualify.
*Equipment, taxes, fees, and any applicable surcharge extra. $10 charge for each add’l 100GB; Up to $30/mo. Prices vary depending on location. Not all packages available in all locations.
Compare AT&T and Sparklight head to head
If you’re trying to decide between AT&T and Sparklight, your first step should be to find out what plans are in your area because the deal changes dramatically based on where you live (psst… use the zip search below). In short, AT&T is the better choice unless you have access to Sparklight’s Freedom Connect plans, where you’ll find more speed for your money.
Pros and cons: AT&T vs. Sparklight
Pros:
- Fast speeds
- Unlimited data for most plans
- High customer ratings
- No contracts
Cons:
- Small data cap for fixed-wireless
- Limited fiber availability
Pros:
- Cheap install
- No contracts
Cons:
- Confusing regional plan differences
- Low data caps for some plans
- Sudden price hikes
Want to know if you can get AT&T or Sparklight in your area?
Enter your zip code below to find out.
Plans and pricing: AT&T vs. Sparklight
AT&T and Sparklight offer comparable internet plans, most of which provide decent speeds for the money. AT&T has a leg up with max speed and perks, offering connections up to 5,000Mbps and unlimited data for every plan but one. Also, its fiber plans have much faster upload speeds than anything from Sparklight.
You can find a good deal from Sparklight, too, but it’s a little more complicated. Sparklight offers different plans depending on where you live, and some are a lot better than others. If you’re lucky enough to have access to its Freedom Connect plans, choosing between these two ISPs becomes a much tougher call.
AT&T plans and pricing
| Package | Price | Speed | Type | View on AT&T site |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Internet 300 | $55.00/mo.† | 300Mbps | Fiber | View Plan |
| Internet 500 | $65.00/mo.‡ | 500Mbps | Fiber | View Plan |
| Internet 1 Gig | $80.00/mo.§ | 940Mbps | Fiber | View Plan |
| Internet 2 Gig | $125.00/mo.§ | Up to 2,000Mbps | Fiber | View Plan |
| Internet 5 Gig | $225.00/mo.§ | Up to 5,000Mbps | Fiber | View Plan |
| AT&T Internet Air | $55.00/mo.† | 75–225Mbps | 5G fixed wireless | View Plan |
* Plus taxes when bundled w/ qualifying AT&T wireless svc. Incl 350GB data/mo., overage chrgs apply. Ltd. avail/areas in U.S.
† AutoPay and paperless billing required. Monthly State Cost Recovery Charge in TX, OH, NV applies. . Service subj. to Internet Terms of Service at att.com/internet-terms. Offers may be modified, or discontinued, at any time without notice. Other conditions may apply to all offers.
‡ Price after $5/mo Autopay & Paperless bill discount (w/in 2 bills). Plus taxes & fees. Monthly State Cost Recovery Charge in TX, OH, NV applies. One time install chrg may apply. Ltd. avail/areas. Call or go to www.fiber.att.com to see if you qualify.
§ Price after $5/mo Autopay & Paperless bill discount (w/in 2 bills). Plus taxes & fees. Monthly State Cost Recovery Charge in TX, OH, NV applies. Ltd. availability/areas.
AT&T’s plans are easier to understand with uniform pricing and perks, regardless of your location. All plans may not be available in all areas, but the speeds, prices, and data caps stay consistent wherever the plans are offered.
Most AT&T plans are a good value, packing good speeds for your dollar. Plus, all plans come with unlimited data, with the AT&T fixed wireless plan being the only exception. You also have to factor in that most AT&T plans provide fiber internet, which is better than cable in just about every way. The downside is that fiber availability is still rather limited.
Pro tip:
Want to see how much speed you’re getting on your home internet plan? Take a speed test to find out—and don’t forget to download our speed test app.
Sparklight plans and pricing
| Package | Price | Speed | Data cap | View on Sparklight site |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Connect Internet 100 | $50.00/mo.* | Up to 100Mbps | Unlimited | View Plan |
| Internet 300 | $70.00/mo.* ($39.00/mo. for the first 3 months) | Up to 300Mbps | 700GB | View Plan |
| Internet 400 Mbps | $85.00/mo.* | Up to 400Mbps | 1,200GB | View Plan |
| Internet 600 Mbps | $95.00/mo.* | Up to 600Mbps | 1,500GB | View Plan |
| Internet Gig | $115.00/mo.* | Up to 940Mbps | Unlimited | View Plan |
| Freedom Connect 300 | $65.00/mo.† | Up to 300Mbps | Unlimited | View Plan |
| Freedom Connect 600 | $75.00/mo.† | Up to 600Mbps | Unlimited | View Plan |
| Freedom Connect Gig | $85.00/mo.† | Up to 940Mbps | Unlimited | View Plan |
* Equipment, taxes, fees, and any applicable surcharge extra. $10 charge for each add’l 100GB; Up to $30/mo.
† After 5TB of data usage, speed may be slowed for network management.
Sparklight’s plan roster is tougher to crack. Your options change dramatically depending on where you live. The plans themselves don’t change by location, but in certain areas, alternate plans are offered.
Some areas have Sparklight’s new Freedom Connect internet plans, which are an awesome deal: They come with a ton of speed and unlimited data. However, in areas without the Freedom Connect plans, you’re offered Sparklight’s Internet 300/400/600/Gig plans instead, and these plans are not nearly as generous with their bandwidth and perks. Let’s look at an example.
Sparklights Freedom Connect 600 plan gives you 600Mbps and unlimited data for just $75 per month; that’s more speed for the money than anything offered by AT&T. But, let’s say you still want that speed but don’t have access to the Freedom Connect plans. Well, then you’re stuck with the Internet 600 plan, which hikes the price up to a crazy $95 per month, AND you lose the unlimited data perk. In that case, you’d be better off with AT&T, where $15 less per month will buy you 1000Mbps of symmetrical speed.
Deals and promotions: AT&T vs. Sparklight
Order a fiber internet plan to get a reward card worth $100 or $150. You get the $100 card with the 300 Mbps and 500 plans and the $150 card with the gigabit plan or faster.
Get the Deal
Want to know if AT&T or Sparklight are in your area? Take a look by typing in your zip code below.
Extra fees: AT&T vs. Sparklight
| Equipment Fee | Installation Fee | Late fees | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
| Free | $99 (often waived) | Up to $9 late fee |
|
| $12.50/mo. | $30 (activation fee) | $8.00 |
The biggest potential fee is AT&T’s $99 professional installation, but it’s often waived, especially for new customers.
In the long run, it’s the equipment rental fees you have to look out for. AT&T has you covered with a free rental internet gateway (modem/router combo). But to avoid Sparklights equipment charges, you need to buy your own equipment.
Customer ratings: AT&T vs. Sparklight
| Overall Rating | Reliability Rating | Customer Service Rating | Speed Rating | Price Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| 3.9/5 | 3.9/5 | 3.7/5 | 3.8/5 | 3.8/5 |
|
| 3.8/5 | 3.9/5 | 3.2/5 | 3.7/5 | 3.8/5 |
In most areas, these two providers are neck and neck with customer feedback, but AT&T dominates when it comes to price satisfaction. The data from our annual customer satisfaction survey says AT&T customers are much happier with their internet bill. This doesn’t mean that AT&T customers pay less, but it does suggest they feel they’re getting more for their money.
Best TV and internet bundles
| Bundle deal | Internet speed | TV channels | Price | View on provider’s site |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DIRECTV CHOICE All-Included Package + AT&T Fiber Internet 300 | 300Mbps | 105+ | $139.99/mo.† | View Plans |
| Sparklight Internet + TV Internet + TV | Up to 300Mbps | Up to 100 channels | Starting at 186.75/mo.* | View Plans |
† Internet: For 12 mo. plus tax. Autopay & Paperless bill req’d. Price after $5/mo autopay & paperless bill discount (w/in 2 bills). Monthly state recovery charge in TX, OH, NV applies. One time install chrg. may apply. Ltd. avail/areas TV: w/ 24-mo. agmt. AutoPay and Paperless Bill req’d. Advanced Receiver Service Fee $15/mo. and Regional Sports Fee up to $13.99/mo. are extra & apply.
* With Internet 300 plan and Sparklight TV Plus with Standard TV. Pricing and availability may vary by area.
AT&T partners with DirectTV for its TV+internet bundles, meaning you get satellite TV service. Sparklight’s TV is more of a standard cable affair, so it’s likely to be the more reliable of the two, but it’s also more expensive.
Internet types: AT&T vs. Sparklight
| Internet type | Details | |
|---|---|---|
|
| Fiber, fixed-wireless | View Plans |
|
| Cable | View Plans |
AT&T offers fiber and fixed-wireless internet (including 5G internet) while Sparklight uses much more common cable internet. Fiber is the best kind of internet connection you can get. It’s the fastest and most reliable, but availability is limited.
Fixed-wireless is the least capable of the three but receives the best customer feedback, likely due to its convenience.
Cable internet is the broadband workhorse of the nation, getting more people online than any other internet type. It’s not as good as a fiber internet connection, but the real-world difference is often unnoticeable.
Data caps: AT&T vs. Sparklight
| Data Cap | View on provider’s site | |
|---|---|---|
|
| Unlimited 350GB for fixed-wireless | View Plans |
|
| 700GB-unlimited | View Plans |
AT&T offers unlimited data for all it’s plans except AT&T fixed-wireless, which comes with a tiny data cap.
Sparklight’s Freedom Connect internet plans come with unlimited data, but most of its other plans impose data caps. The Internet 300 plan gets the worst of it with a 700GB data cap; that’s a little too close for comfort, with the average household monthly data usage hovering around 600GB per month.
Contracts: AT&T vs. Sparklight
| Contract length | View on provider's site | |
|---|---|---|
|
|
| View Plans |
|
|
| View Plans |
Both AT&T and Sparklight offer month-to-month contracts. You can cancel anytime without penalties.
Installation: AT&T vs. Sparklight
| Installation options | View on provider's site | |
|---|---|---|
|
|
| View Plans |
|
|
| View Plans |
AT&T’s $99 professional install is concerning at first, but don’t let it scare you off as the fee is often waived. Sparklight’s $30 activation fee is definitely on the cheap side compared to other ISPs, and you can whittle it down even further by opting for self-installation.
Availability: AT&T vs. Sparklight
AT&T and Sparklight share a strong presence in the South and Midwest. The outliers are California, where AT&T has huge fiber coverage areas in the Bay Area, Los Angeles and Sacramento, and Idaho, where there’s lots of Sparklight but no AT&T.
To see if AT&T or Sparklight is in your area, enter your zip code below:
Final call: AT&T vs. Sparklight
We think AT&T’s fiber plans offer the most value overall: The prices, speeds, unlimited data, and perks of a fiber internet connection are tough to beat. The one exception is Sparklights Freedom Connect plans, which offer the most speed for the money. Your first step should be to enter your zip code above to see what plans are in your area.
Methodology
Our HighSpeedInternet.com editorial team bases our analyses on customer input from our annual customer satisfaction survey, results from our speed test tool, and proprietary internet provider data on speeds and pricing. To strengthen our research, we look closely at provider contracts to get hard-to-find information on price hikes, data caps, and extra fees, and we keep tabs on the latest news reports and online reviews. When applicable, we also rely on our personal experiences testing these services.
More about AT&T Internet Air and Xfinity
Author - Austin Aguirre
Austin worked as a broadband technician installing and troubleshooting countless home internet networks for some of the largest ISPs in the U.S. He became a freelance writer in 2020 specializing in software guides. After graduating with a BS in technical communication from Arizona State University, he joined the team at HighSpeedInternet.com where he focuses on home network improvement and troubleshooting.
Related Posts
