AT&T vs. CenturyLink
HighSpeedteck.com uses our proprietary data and expert insights to compare these internet service titans.
Best for customer care
- Plans start at $55.00/mo.
- Super low starting price on gigabit internet
- Solid customer satisfaction ratings
- Limited availability for fiber plans
Best for budget options
- Plans start at $50.00/mo.
- Affordable price on DSL internet plans
- Wide availability for internet plans
- Unpredictable DSL speeds
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 straightforward DSL plans, no data caps, and other ways to save on expenses.
Pro tip:
See our internet deals for more bargains from AT&T, CenturyLink, and other internet providers.
AT&T vs. CenturyLink internet
Type of service
Fiber, fixed-wireless, DSL
Price
$55.00–$180.00/mo.*
Contract
Month-to-month
Download speeds
25–5,000 Mbps
Equipment fees
$10.00/mo.
Installation fee
$35.00–$99.00
Customer satisfaction
(3.8/5)
Type of service
DSL, fiber
Price
$50.00–$65.00/mo.†
Contract
Month-to-month
Download speeds
15–1,000 Mbps
Equipment fees
$15.00/mo. or $150.00 flat fee
Installation fee
$15.00–$99.00
Customer satisfaction
(3.5/5)
Data effective 1/18/22. Not all offers available in all areas.
*Plus taxes. Price after $5/mo Autopay & Paperless bill discount (w/in 2 bills). Monthly State Cost Recovery Charge in TX, OH, NV applies.
†Rate requires paperless billing. Additional taxes, fees, and surcharges apply. Speeds may not be available in your area. Maximum download/upload speed of up to 940 Mbps via a wired connection.
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 some of the best ratings in the biz, 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
| Package | Price* | Speed | Internet type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet up to 100 Mbps | $35.00/mo. | Up to 75, 100 Mbps | DSL |
| Fixed Wireless Internet | $69.99/mo. | Up to 25 Mbps | Fixed wireless |
| Internet 300 | $55.00/mo. | 300 Mbps | Fiber |
| Internet 500 | $65.00/mo. | 500 Mbps | Fiber |
| 1G Internet | $80.00/mo. | 1,000 Mbps† | Fiber |
| 2G Internet | $110.00/mo. | 2,000 Mbps† | Fiber |
| 5G Internet | $180.00/mo. | 5,000 Mbps† | Fiber |
Data as of 1/18/22.
*Plus taxes. Price after $5/mo Autopay & Paperless bill discount (w/in 2 bills). Monthly State Cost Recovery Charge in TX, OH, NV applies.
†Internet speed claims represent maximum network service capability speeds and based on wired connection to gateway. 1GIG speeds avail. to new customers with the latest router (“BGW320”) and recommended setup. For 5 GIG speed, single device wired speed maximum 4.7 Gbps. Actual customer speeds may vary based on a number of factors and are not guaranteed. For more information, go to www.att.com/speed101.
AT&T’s 1 Gig Internet plan impresses us because it has very fast speeds at a decent price. Even more impressive is the 5G Internet plan—the fastest internet plan available from a major internet provider in the United States, topping out at 5,000 Mbps.
But do you really need internet that fast? For the vast majority of internet users, no. You’ll probably do great with Internet 300. This plan also runs over a fiber-optic network, delivering excellent performance—including impressive upload speeds of 300 Mbps. And it’s a very affordable plan, costing just a little more than CenturyLink’s DSL plan but delivering much faster speeds. It’s perfect for a household of several people who regularly stream, game, and Zoom on multiple devices.
Pro tip:
Read our affordable internet guide to find government programs and other subsidies for low-income and low-cost Wi-Fi plans.
CenturyLink packages
| Package* | Price | Speed | Internet type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simply Unlimited Internet | $50.00/mo. | Up to 100 Mbps | DSL |
| Fiber Internet | $65.00/mo. | 1,000 Mbps (1 Gbps) | Fiber |
*Data as of 2/17/21. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change. Plus taxes, equip. charges and fees.
†Rate requires paperless billing. Additional taxes, fees, and surcharges apply. Speeds may not be available in your area. Maximum download/upload speed of up to 940 Mbps via a wired connection.
CenturyLink is a solid pick if you want a good deal on fiber or DSL internet.
CenturyLink’s fiber gigabit 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. You get unlimited data and you can cancel any time, since there are no contracts. Boo-yah!
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.
AT&T vs. CenturyLink deals and promotions
Get Xfinity internet and streaming for as low as $30/mo. when you add a regularly priced Xfinity Mobile plan (starting at $45/mo.). Plus, get extra perks like unlimited data and no-cost equipment for plans with speeds 300 Mbps and above.
Available through 2022
Get a $150 or $200 reward card when you sign up for a fiber internet plan. The 300 Mbps and 500 Mbps plans come with a $150 reward card and the gigabit plans include a $200 reward card.
BEST DEAL
Order CenturyLink Fiber Internet and get a waiver on the cost of modem rental and installation.
AT&T vs. CenturyLink: Which has the fastest internet speeds?
Internet speeds
AT&T has the fastest internet speeds available in the country, with the 5G Internet plan clocking in at a max speed of 5,000 Mbps. No other major internet provider can get you a connection that fast.
AT&T and CenturyLink also both have gigabit fiber internet plans that deliver up to 1,000 Mbps download speeds. These are great plans for big families, gamers, binge-watching TV buffs, and remote workers who spend lots of time on Zoom—although to be honest you could probably get away with slightly slower speeds and still be doing great.
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 100 Mbps, and there’s no guarantee you can even get DSL that fast where you live.
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.
Internet types
AT&T and CenturyLink offer two types of internet—DSL and fiber.
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.
DSL is a bit of an ugly duckling among internet types. It waddles along through your old-school copper phone lines at speeds below 100 Mbps. But DSL plans also cost less and still give you a quality connection and decent speeds.
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 350 GB per month, with extra fees if you go over.
Do CenturyLink or AT&T offer bundles?
CenturyLink offers bundle package with internet and landline phone, but it has no bundles with TV packages. AT&T no longer offers bundle deals.
You used to be able to get bundles from AT&T that combined internet service with DIRECTV or AT&T TV, but those deals are no longer available. You can still order a TV package from DIRECTV or DIRECTV STREAM (the company’s new streaming-based service) but it costs the same price whether you combine it with internet or not.
AT&T vs. CenturyLink fees and contracts
Here’s the thing with internet plans: whether you choose AT&T or CenturyLink (or any other ISP), 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
| Fees | Amount |
|---|---|
| Modem rental | $10.00 |
| Installation | $35.00 (self-install) or $99.00 (professional install) |
| Late fees | Up to $10.00 |
| Data overages | $10.00 per 50 GB (fixed-wireless plans only) |
| Taxes | Cost may vary |
To get your AT&T Internet up and ready, you can choose between doing self-installation or having a professional technician set it up. If you decide to install it yourself, you’ll need to fork over $35 for an “activation fee.” For a pro to do it, you’ll pay $99. The choice is yours.
CenturyLink fees
| Fees | Amount |
|---|---|
| Modem rental | $15.00/mo. (or $150.00 flat fee) |
| Installation | $15.00–$99.00 (free for gigabit fiber) |
| Secure Wi-Fi service | $5.00/mo. (optional) |
| Declined payment | $10.00–$25.00 |
| Late fees | $15.00 |
| Taxes | Cost may vary |
When it comes to installation, getting Wi-Fi set up in your humble abode will cost a $99 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 free of charge.
Pro tip:
Make sure to check with CenturyLink to see if you can opt for standard installation, which costs a lot less. We’ve heard of some cases in which a technician was required to make adjustments to a customer’s plan.
Read our guides to CenturyLink installation and AT&T installation for more information on the differences between setting up your home network yourself and having a pro do it.
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.
Our take:
CenturyLink and AT&T both deserve props here for not requiring annual commitments from internet customers.
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.
AT&T vs. CenturyLink customer service
AT&T gets average rankings for customer service—it comes in fifth place among 12 major ISPs in our annual customer satisfaction survey. On the other hand, CenturyLink gets low rankings, coming in second to last place.
Installation and setup
AT&T gets top results when it comes to customer rankings. It gets second place for overall performance in our annual customer satisfaction survey, sitting pretty high on a list of 12 major internet providers. It also gets above-average ratings for speed and reliability.
CenturyLink comes in second to last place for overall satisfaction in our survey, likely because of the limitations inherent in the provider’s relatively slow DSL service. However, CenturyLink’s fiber customers are generally a lot more pleased with their service—the fiber customers we surveyed gave CenturyLink a much higher, 3.7 rating for speed and reliability.