AT&T vs. Cox: Which Internet Provider Is Best for You?

AT&T is ideal for customers who want the fastest speeds for the least amount of money. Its fastest plan gives you 940 Mbps speeds for less than $100 a month.

Cox also offers 1 gig speeds, but where it really shines is with lower-priced plans. Cox budget packages are perfect if you don’t need the fastest speeds (and most people don’t).

Pros and cons: AT&T vs. Cox

Compare AT&T and Cox head to head

Jump to: Plans and pricing | Extra fees | Customer ratings | Bundles | Internet connection types | Data caps | Contracts | Installation | Availability

Jump to:

• Plans and pricing
• Extra fees
• Customer ratings
• Bundles
• Internet connection types
• Data caps
• Contracts
• Installation
• Availability

Plans and pricing: AT&T vs. Cox

AT&T plans and pricing

AT&T is in the process of transitioning away from older technologies like DSL and expanding its fiber network. This is good news for people with access to AT&T Fiber since you can get a great deal on its fiber plans.

If you live in a rural area, though, you can still get AT&T’s Fixed Wireless Internet, which is designed for internet users living in places where few internet options are available.

If you can get AT&T Fiber, its pricing is competitive—especially at the higher tiers. You can’t do much better than $60 per month for gigabit internet. The price on AT&T’s Internet 1000 plan goes up to $80 per month after the 12-month promotional period ends. But that’s still a fair deal—and if you don’t want to pay that much, you can cancel your plan without facing early termination fees (ETFs).

Cox plans and pricing

Cox packages are all the same type of service: cable. The packages are generally more expensive than AT&T’s comparable plans. Gigablast, in particular, is much more expensive than AT&T’s Internet 1000 plan. That said, if you don’t need superfast internet speeds, Cox can still give you a good deal. Also, you may have an easier time getting a cable plan through Cox than getting a fiber plan from AT&T.

Extra fees: AT&T vs. Cox

Data as of 4/19/21. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.

AT&T and Cox both charge hefty fees for a professional installation, but you can opt for a self-install option to help ease the bill.

As for equipment, your provider will give you everything you need to get online after you sign up. This includes a modem, a router, and a cable box or DVR if you get TV service.

The nice thing about included equipment is it’s guaranteed to work with your service, and if you run into trouble, it’ll be covered by your provider. But it isn’t always free. AT&T charges $10 per month for a router and modem, while Cox has a $12 per month rental fee for its Panoramic Wifi Gateway (a modem/router combo).

Customer ratings: AT&T vs. Cox

AT&T and Cox ranked second and fourth respectively in our latest customer satisfaction report. Customers scored them similarly in reliability and speed, but Cox customers are slightly more satisfied with their customer service than AT&T customers. Both AT&T and Cox received their lowest scores in the price category, but AT&T edged out Cox with a 3.5 satisfaction score compared to Cox’s 3.3.

It’s worth noting that AT&T’s fiber internet customers gave higher ratings in every category compared to the ISP’s DSL customers, especially in the speed and customer service categories. Overall, AT&T fiber customers rated it 3.8, but it’s DSL score is 3.6. So customers actually rated AT&T fiber first, then Cox, and finally AT&T DSL.

Neither ISP has glaring faults—both ranked in the top half of 12 in every category. You’ll probably get satisfactory service from either one. But numbers-wise, AT&T has happier customers.

Best TV and internet bundles

for 12 months plus taxes & internet equip. fee w/ 24-mo. TV agmt & combined bill. Autopay & Paperless bill req’d. Prices higher in 2nd year. $10/mo. internet equip. fee applies*

It makes a lot of sense to bundle your internet and TV with one provider. Not only will you get a simpler bill, but also you’ll usually get a better deal.

Cox offers bundles with its own cable TV service, Cox Contour. Contour is a solid all-around TV service with a good channel selection. We like the Silver Duo, with 170+ channels (including HBO^®, CINEMAX^®, and SHOWTIME^®) and up to 940 Mbps speeds for $149.99 per month.

But you won’t be able to get a bundle package from AT&T. You used to be able to bundle AT&T internet with DIRECTV and AT&T TV, but those offers are no longer available.

Internet connection types: AT&T vs. Cox

AT&T primarily offers fiber-optic internet, but it also has fixed-wireless connections for rural customers. Cox’s network is built on cable lines. In terms of speed and reliability, fiber is by far the best—AT&T can get you up to 940 Mbps speeds for downloads and uploads.

Cable is also fast and reliable. But while Cox can get you 940 Mbps download speeds, your upload speeds will generally be much slower. Keep that in mind if you plan to do upload-intensive tasks like uploading content to social media, hosting livestreams, or attending Zoom meetings.

Since AT&T is no longer offering DSL to new customers, you’re really faced with a choice between cable and fiber. Cox’s cable network is much more widely available, but if you have access to both, we suggest going with fiber.

AT&T vs. Cox: Data caps

AT&T has no data caps for customers on its fiber internet plans. AT&T’s fixed-wireless package has a relatively small 350 GB data cap.

Cox gives all of its customers a 1.25 TB data cap. That’s going to be plenty for most users, though heavy streamers may run into some trouble.

AT&T vs. Cox: Contracts

You won’t need to worry about an annual contract if you sign up for a fiber internet plan with AT&T—all of its fiber internet plans go month to month, so you can cancel any time without worrying about an early termination fee. AT&T TV used to require a two-year commitment, but now you can get it with no contract.

If you decide to cancel AT&T service early when you do have a contract, you’ll need to pay $15 for every month you have left on your agreement.

Cox gives you the option between signing up for a one-year contract or paying $10 a month extra for a month-to-month option. The early termination fee on the annual contract is $10 for each month you have left on your bill. So, you’ll save a little money by signing a contract, but you might have to pay up in the end if you cancel before it’s over.

AT&T vs. Cox: Installation

AT&T and Cox both charge hefty fees for a professional installation, but there are a few tricks to help ease the bill. AT&T offers a free self-install kit, though it’ll tack a $35 activation fee onto your first bill. Still, that’s better than the $99 for professional installation.

Cox charges $75 for professional installation of its internet service, but the price goes down if you have a bundle package. A double-play bundle costs $50 for professional installation, while a triple-play bundle costs you just $25 for pro installation.

Cox also offers a self-install option. If you order internet alone, the kit costs $20. If you bundle with TV or TV plus phone, the kit is free.

AT&T vs. Cox: Availability

AT&T and Cox both offer service in a similar number of states: twenty-one states for AT&T and eighteen for Cox. AT&T tends to have more coverage overall, with wider availability in each state.

To find out if you can get either of these providers, type in your zip code below to see if they’re available in your area.

Final call: AT&T vs. Cox

We think AT&T’s fiber service is the best bet out of what you get from these two providers. It gives you faster speeds and a more reliable connection type compared to Cox’s plans.

The catch? AT&T Fiber is a lot harder to come by than Cox’s cable internet. And AT&T’s prices go up after the 12-month promotion period ends, so you may end up paying more than you were planning for. If you want cheap internet, then a lower-tier Cox plan may be just what you need.

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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.

Additional resources

• Your Guide to AT&T Internet Installation
• AT&T vs. CenturyLink
• Cox vs. Frontier

Disclaimer

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