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Cox vs. T-Mobile: Which Internet Provider Is Best for You?

T-Mobile’s convenient and affordable service is perfect for average internet use, but Cox has more variety and faster plans.

  • Best for Customer Service
    • Customer rating: 3.6 / 5
    • Price: $49.99–$109.99/mo.*
    • Speed: 100Mbps–1,000Mbps
    • Internet type: Cable
    • Data cap: 1.25TB
    • Contract: 1-year contract, month-to-month, and prepaid options
  • Best for Value
    • Customer rating: 4.1/5
    • Price: $50.00/mo.
    • Speed: 72–245Mbps
    • Internet type: 5G fixed wireless
    • Data caps: None
    • Contract: month-to-month

Compare Cox and T-Mobile head to head

T-Mobile’s only internet plan provides one of the most hassle-free and all-inclusive services we’ve seen yet. Cox has more options and faster speeds but tends to be more expensive.

Pros and cons: Cox vs. T-Mobile

Pros:

  • Faster speeds
  • Good plan variety

Cons:

  • Expensive installation
  • Price hikes after 12 months
  • Extra fees

Pros:

  • Low pricing
  • No data caps
  • No contracts
  • Easy setup

Cons:

  • No gigabit speeds

Want to know if Cox or T-Mobile are in your area? Take a look by typing in your zip code below.

Plans and pricing: Cox vs. T-Mobile

T-Mobile has one stellar internet plan while Cox packs in a ton of variety. Which is best for you comes down to whether or not T-Mobile’s bandwidth meets your needs.

Cox plans and pricing

PlanPriceDownload speedView on Cox's site
Cox Internet Preferred 250$49.99/mo.250MbpsShop Plans
Cox Internet Ultimate 500$69.99/mo.Up to 500MbpsShop Plans
Cox Gigablast$99.99/mo.Up to 1,000MbpsShop Plans
Cox StraightUp Internet$50.00/mo.*Up to 100MbpsShop Plans
Cox Essential 100 No Contract$49.99/mo.§Up to 100MbpsShop Plans
Cox Internet Preferred 250 No Contract$59.99/mo.§Up to 250MbpsShop Plans
Cox Internet Ultimate 500 No Contract$79.99/mo.§Up to 500MbpsShop Plans
Cox Gigablast No Contract$109.99/mo.§Up to 1,000MbpsShop Plans

Cox certainly has more choices than T-Mobile and faster speeds. Cox’s cable internet is the main broadband workhorse in the U.S.; it’s fast, reliable, and readily available. But keep in mind, Cox’s advertised prices are not as worry-free as T-Mobile’s due to extra fees like modem rental and installation fees. The installation is also more of an ordeal because of the need for coaxial cabling to and throughout your home. However, if you want ultrafast speeds, Cox has them.

T-Mobile plans and pricing

PackagePriceSpeedView on ISP site
T-Mobile 5G Home Internet $50.00/mo.72–245MbpsView Plan

T-Mobile only has one internet plan, but it’s a good one; mainly because the plan covers everything for one low price: there are no hidden monthly fees, rental costs, or price hikes. You get fast service, unlimited data, no annual contract, and a free rental gateway.

With speeds up to 245Mbps, T-Mobile’s fixed wireless is fast enough for the majority of households. In our home test of T-Mobile’s home internet, we almost always clocked speeds at or above the advertised speed range, but the quality of service will depend on how good your home’s 5G reception is.

In general, a 5G wireless signal, like that used for T-Mobile’s internet service, is going to be less stable than Cox’s cable internet. But, again, we didn’t experience any issues in our home test, and according to our annual customer satisfaction survey, reliability isn’t an issue for most T-Mobile Internet customers.

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Deals and promotions: Cox vs. T-Mobile

Get free installation with one of Cox’s several TV and internet bundling options.

Get the Deal

Get $50 back when you switch to T-Mobile Home Internet.

 

Get the Deal

Want to know if Cox or T-Mobile are in your area? Take a look by typing in your zip code below.

Extra fees: Cox vs. T-Mobile

Equipment FeeInstallation FeeOther Fees
Cox$13.00/mo$100.00; free self-installation$10.00/mo. (early termination), late fees based on state laws and regulations
T-MobileFree rental gatewayNoneNone

T-Mobile has no extra fees: no install fee, no equipment rental fee, and no data charges. Cox, is the opposite, packing all the usual ISP charges, with the $100 installation fee being a particularly tough pill to swallow.

Customer ratings: T-Mobile vs. Cox

OverallReliabilityCustomer service RatingSpeedPrice
Cox3.6 / 53.63.63.93.1
T-Mobile4.1/5.04.0/5.04.0/5.04.1/5.04.0/5.0

T-Mobile received some of the highest scores in our annual customer satisfaction survey. T-Mobile customers reported being satisfied with nearly every aspect of this relatively new internet service. The majority of Cox customers said they’re satisfied with their service as well, but, between the two, T-Mobile takes the cake when it comes to customer satisfaction.

Best TV and internet bundles

Internet speedTV channelsPriceView on Cox site
Cox Internet Essential 100 + Contour Stream Player100MbpsN/A$115.99/mo.*View Plan
Cox Internet Preferred 250 + Contour TV Preferred250Mbps140+$148.99/mo.*View Plan
Cox Internet Ultimate 500 + Contour TV Preferred500Mbps140+$168.99/mo.*View Plan

TV and internet bundles are one area where T-Mobile can’t compete as it doesn’t offer TV service. Cox on the other hand has 14 different TV and internet bundles to choose from, making it easy to find something that fits your needs. Cox’s bundle discounts are modest, but it is convenient having your internet and TV service grouped under the same bill.

Internet types: Cox vs. T-Mobile

Internet typeView on provider site
CoxCableView Plans
T-Mobile5G Fixed-wirelessView Plans

Cox’s cable internet has a leg up on T-Mobile’s fixed-wireless. Cable internet is faster, more reliable, and has better latency than fixed-wireless. This is why Cox is able to offer faster speeds. Internet tech has come a long way in the last decade, but you still can’t beat a solid wired connection. If you need uncompromising stability and ultra-fast gig speeds, Cox is the way to go.

That being said, our experience with T-Mobile’s fixed wireless was outstanding. We had it running side-by-side with a Cox cable internet connection and didn’t notice much difference. The T-Mobile connection was a little less stable, but it was barely noticeable. The low price and added convenience of T-Mobile’s service easily make up for this minor shortcoming.

Data caps: Cox vs. T-Mobile

Data CapView on provider site
Cox1,280GBView Plans
T-MobileUnlimitedView Plans

T-Mobile’s unlimited data means you don’t have to stress counting gigabytes or worry about data overage fees. Cox imposes a standard 1.28TB data cap, but that’s more than enough for most households. In the US, average internet monthly data use is around 600GB, about half of Cox’s 1.28TB data cap.

Contracts: Cox vs. T-Mobile

Contract lengthView on provider site
Cox1-year, month-to-month option for $10/month extra, or prepaid (new)View Plans
T-Mobilemonth-to-monthView Plans

T-Mobile continues the theme of simplicity and convenience with its month-to-month internet plan that you can cancel at any time with no penalty. Cox takes a more standard approach, with 12-month contracts on most plans. You can get a month-to-month plan with Cox, but it costs extra.

Installation: Cox vs. T-Mobile

Installation optionsView on provider site
Cox
  • $100 for professional installation

  • Free self-install

View Plans
T-Mobile
  • Free self-install
View Plans

Both T-Mobile and Cox offer a free self-installation. T-Mobile’s self-installation is a lot easier due to not requiring any networking cables. For a self-install to work with Cox, your residence needs to have an active connection to Cox’s cable internet network.

To learn more about Cox and T-Mobile internet installations, see our install guides:

Availability: Cox vs. T-Mobile

Both of these ISPs have huge coverage areas, but T-Mobile’s wireless delivery gives it the edge. Cable internet networks also have excellent coverage in the U.S., but usually, only one cable ISP is available in any given area. The good news is you can skip the guesswork and use our handy zip code search tool below to instantly get a list of ISPs in your area.

To see if Cox or T-Mobile is in your area, enter your zip code below:

Final call: Cox vs. T-Mobile

If you have average internet needs and want a hassle-free internet service at a great price, T-Mobile is the way to go. It’s fast enough, the setup is super easy, and you don’t have to worry about any pesky fees or data limits. On the other hand, if you need a lot of bandwidth for a large household or intense internet use, Cox’s cable internet is technically superior. It delivers up to gig speeds and comes with the reliability of a wired network.

View Cox Plans

View T-Mobile Plans

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.

Author -

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.