AT&T vs. CenturyLink

Bottom line

AT&T gives you fast fiber internet at an excellent price, making it the obvious first pick here—but it may not be available in your area, since AT&T fiber offerings are limited. CenturyLink is also good, especially if you’re tired of promotional shenanigans. It has one of the cheapest fiber plans you can get anywhere, along with straightforward DSL plans, no data caps, and other ways to save on expenses.

AT&T vs. CenturyLink internet

AT&T vs. CenturyLink packages and pricing

AT&T and CenturyLink both offer two options—DSL and fiber internet. Their DSL plans are decently priced and their fiber speeds are as fast as they come.

AT&T has solid ratings in most recent customer satisfaction survey, so you’ll have fewer worries when it comes to technical support and customer service. CenturyLink, on the other hand, is a great pick if you simply want to save some cash. You can buy a CenturyLink modem instead of renting it, and you get unlimited data on all plans.

AT&T packages

AT&T’s 1 Gig Internet plan impresses us because it has very fast speeds at a decent price. You can get even faster plans from AT&T, but to be honest, most customers would great with a slower and more affordable package like Internet 300. This plan also runs over a fiber-optic network, delivering excellent performance—including impressive, symmetrical upload and download speeds. AT&T’s fiber offerings are also very affordable, with the 300Mbps plan costing the same as CenturyLink’s DSL plan while delivering much faster speeds.

Pick AT&T Internet Air as an alternative to DSL

AT&T has been gradually phasing out its DSL internet service, which is slow and out of date. As a replacement, the provider recently introduced Internet Air, a 5G-based fixed wireless service similar to T-Mobile and Verizon’s 5G home internet options. The plan is affordable and relatively fast, giving you speeds up to 225Mbps along with unlimited data and no annual contracts.

Fixed wireless users gave services like 5G home internet rave reviews in our recent customer satisfaction survey, suggesting that Internet Air is well worth trying out.

CenturyLink packages

CenturyLink is a solid pick if you want a good deal on fiber or DSL internet.

CenturyLink’s Simply Unlimited Fiber Internet up to 940 Mbps plan comes at a nice price. Although the baseline monthly fee isn’t quite as cheap as AT&T’s gigabit plan, CenturyLink’s offer comes with a router included and installation at no extra cost. Plus, you get unlimited data and you can cancel any time, since there are no contracts.

Even if you have to rent a router, you can buy a CenturyLink modem/router up front, which will save you some dough in the long run compared to making monthly payments on a rental. Otherwise, its DSL modem costs $15 per month.

Deals and promotions: AT&T vs. CenturyLink

AT&T vs. CenturyLink: Which has the fastest internet speeds?

Internet speeds

AT&T has some of the fastest internet speeds in the country, with the 5G Internet plan clocking in at a max speed of 5,000Mbps. That’s honestly way too more bandwidth than the vast majority of internet users need, but hey, it’s impressive.

AT&T and CenturyLink have fiber internet plans that deliver up to 940Mbps or 1,000Mbps download speeds. These are great plans for big families, gamers, binge-watching TV buffs, and remote workers who spend lots of time on Zoom. You could probably get away with slightly slower speeds and still be doing great, but a gigabit plan is ideal for internet power users and large households.

If you can’t get fiber from either of these providers, then they also have DSL internet plans. DSL is not known for speed, unfortunately—it tops out around 140 Mbps, but the speeds you can get depend on how close your home is to a network node, and some customers will get speeds as low as 1–5Mbps.

DSL is a bit like having a Ford Fiesta instead of a Ferrari. It can still get you decent speeds, just not those eye-popping Ferrari speeds. Anywhere from 50–100 Mbps will still be plenty fast for a modestly sized household with several people all using multiple devices.

Test your speed:

Not sure how much power you’ve got under the hood with your current internet plan? Download our speed test app to see how fast your internet goes.

Test your speed:

Not sure how much power you’ve got under the hood with your current internet plan? Use our speed test tool to see how fast your internet goes.

Internet types

AT&T offers three types of internet—fiber, DSL, and fixed wireless. CenturyLink provides fiber and DSL internet.

Fiber internet is the best type of internet you can get, hands down. It’s the fastest, the most reliable—and also (*drum roll*) the rarest. Fiber is available in only select locations where ISPs have invested in building extremely costly fiber infrastructure.

If you can get fiber Wi-Fi from either of these providers, then you definitely should go for it. You’ll be getting the fastest speeds on the best type of internet infrastructure.

Fixed-wireless internet is mostly useful for rural customers who can’t get anything else in their area except for satellite internet. It’s relatively fast but AT&T’s fixed-wireless plan has a strict data cap of just 350GB per month, with extra fees if you go over. However, AT&T also has a faster version of a fixed wireless plan called Internet Air, which uses 5G networks and is designed more for urban users and former DSL customers. That’s a great option to go for if it’s available where you live.

DSL is a bit of an ugly duckling among internet types. It waddles along through your old-school copper phone lines at speeds below 100Mbps. But DSL plans also cost less and still give you a quality connection and decent speeds.

Do CenturyLink or AT&T offer bundles?

CenturyLink partners with DIRECTV to bill DIRECTV services with CenturyLink services. All bundles rely on DIRECTV’s satellite TV service, but there’s no discounted pricing when you bundle. You can stream DIRECTV to any TV without a satellite dish. You can also get traditional satellite TV service if you can’t get high-speed internet. You an also bundle landline phone service with your CenturyLink internet plan. 

AT&T bundles it’s 300Mbps fiber internet packages with DIRECTV, so you can get a 300Mbps fiber plan and up to 150 channels starting at $124.99/mo. You can stream DIRECTV to any TV without a satellite dish. You can also get traditional satellite TV service if you can’t get high-speed internet.

AT&T vs. CenturyLink fees and contracts

Here’s the thing with internet plans: whether you choose AT&T or CenturyLink (or any other provider), the monthly sticker price is not the whole price. Like a spring-loaded jack-in-the-box toy, your bill will also be popping with installation costs, taxes, and other fees.

We went ahead and collected all those fees and put them into a table right here. This is for your education and for the betterment of a transparent society.

AT&T fees

To get your AT&T Internet up and ready, you can choose between doing self-installation or having a professional technician set it up. Self-installation is free. If you choose a DSL plan it will cost $99 for professional installation.

CenturyLink fees

When it comes to installation, getting Wi-Fi set up in your humble abode will cost a $129 flat fee if you require the services of a professional technician. If you’re fit to install it yourself, CenturyLink will mail you a standard installation kit for $25.

Internet contracts

AT&T and CenturyLink both do not require annual commitments for their internet plans. Their services run month to month, so you can cancel without having to pay a dreaded early termination fee (ETF).

AT&T’s internet plans have a fixed price for 12 months. After that, you will see the price go up on your bill.

AT&T vs. CenturyLink equipment

Renting a modem and router

We think renting the equipment directly from the ISPs is a mighty fine option because it means you’re getting something that’s compatible with the company’s system and easy to troubleshoot or replace.

Buying a modem and router

Buying a modem and router can be good if you’re more of a tech expert and want better options to do things like online gaming, link aggregation, or setting up a guest network. Your own router can also come in handy if you want a long-range router to patch up Wi-Fi dead zones.

CenturyLink also lets you buy its router up front rather than rent it month-by-month. If you ask us, that really is the best option because then you’re saving cash and can keep it long-term.

In the long run, you’ll save money by buying your own modem and router. Just make sure that your equipment is compatible with the internet provider’s network.

Customer satisfaction

AT&T gets above-average results when it comes to customer rankings in our annual customer satisfaction survey. It lands towards the top for overall satisfaction and takes second place for price, enjoying an enviable perch on a list of 15 major internet providers. Fiber customers have responded especially well in our survey, and AT&T’s multi-gig plans help explain why it lands in the top five for speed too.

CenturyLink ranks below average for most categories in our survey, likely because of the limitations inherent in the provider’s relatively slow DSL service. However, CenturyLink scored very well for price, taking fifth place.

AT&T vs. CenturyLink availability

AT&T offers DSL, fixed wireless, and fiber internet across large areas of California and Texas. It’s also available in parts of the Midwest and the South.

CenturyLink has wide DSL coverage across almost all 50 states, especially in the Southwest, the Midwest, and the South. It also has fiber internet in select areas across the same regions.

Pros and cons

Our verdict: Pick AT&T for a great deal on fiber internet.

We think AT&T is the best out of these two juggernaut ISPs because it has fast, reliable internet for the best price. AT&T has solid customer satisfaction ratings and affordable prices. If you can get its fiber gigabit internet plan in your area, then you should definitely go for it because it’s a great deal for some of the speediest internet around.

CenturyLink is still worth considering, especially if you can get a fiber plan. The fiber up to 940Mbps plan delivers excellent speeds and comes with standard installation and a free modem. And the up to 500Mbps fiber plan is a good deal and fast enough for a household of up to four people. But if you’re getting DSL, make sure you can get adequate DSL speeds in your area. If the only speeds available are below 25 Mbps, don’t waste your mun-muns.

AT&T vs. CenturyLink FAQ

Why is my AT&T internet so slow?

You may be experiencing an internet slowdown as web traffic across the country spikes now that millions more Americans than usual are working from home. If you find this problem persisting, consider upgrading your internet plan or budgeting your Wi-Fi usage. For example, you can put less strain on bandwidth by reducing the number of devices people are using simultaneously in your household.

Is CenturyLink internet good?

CenturyLink offers great internet over both DSL and fiber networks. Its Simply Unlimited Fiber Internet up to 940 Mbps plan delivers up to 940Mbps speeds at a very reasonable price over a coveted fiber network. Its DSL plan is slower but less expensive, and that’s ideal if you’re on a budget or don’t use Wi-Fi for advanced purposes.

Which is better: CenturyLink or AT&T?

We think AT&T internet is a better choice because it’s more affordable, with reasonable fiber plans and free self-installation. But CenturyLink is also a great option because it has a very affordable fiber up to 940Mbps plan.