Astound – Plans starting at $20
WideOpenWest – Plans starting at $20
Ziply Fiber – Plans starting at $20
Price range $55 – $180 per month Speed range 300 – 5,000Mbps Connection Fiber Highlights Unlimited data, no contracts, equipment included
AT&T is our pick for best fiber internet provider overall thanks to its high availability, competitive pricing, fast speeds and unlimited data. All AT&T Fiber plans come with no data cap, which means you can stream, game and browse social media to your heart’s content without fear of incurring overage fees. Starting prices for AT&T Fiber plans range from $55 per month for up to 300Mbps to $180 per month for multi-gig speeds up to 5,000Mbps.
Not all AT&T internet plans are free of data caps, however. AT&T Internet, a copper-based service, and AT&T Fixed Wireless plans come with a data cap, and potentially hefty fees for going over. AT&T Internet service comes with a 1.5TB per month cap while fixed wireless caps your monthly data at 350GB.
Price range $40 – $70 per month Speed range 100 – 1,000Mbps Connection Fiber Highlights Unlimited data, no contracts
Kinetic is another service that comes with unlimited data regardless of whether it’s DSL or fiber optic. Speeds and pricing can and do vary by location with Kinetic, more than just about any major provider it seems, but unlimited data is one standard customers across all markets can enjoy.
Kinetic service areas largely span rural and suburban areas, making the provider a great option for unlimited internet in rural areas. On top of that, Kinetic offers faster DSL speeds than many competing providers with speeds of 100Mbps or higher available to more than 64% of its customer base.
Price range $30 – $80 per month Speed range 50 – 1,000Mbps Connection Fixed wireless Highlights Unlimited data, no contracts, no equipment fees, simple setup
In my review of Starry Internet, I was impressed by the provider’s ability to offer affordable, high-speed service over a fixed wireless network. The provider’s flagship plan offers up to 200Mbps starting at $50 per month, but gig service is available in select areas starting at $80 per month.
Regardless of the Starry plan you choose, it’s going to come with unlimited data as well as no contract requirements or additional equipment fees. Considering the speeds, pricing and extra perks like unlimited data and free equipment, Starry is worth checking out if you happen to live in a city where service is available.
Price range $50 per month ($30 for eligible T-Mobile Magenta Max customers) Speed range 33 – 182Mbps Connection Fixed wireless Highlights Unlimited data, equipment included, no contracts, no additional fees
5G may be the future of home internet, at least in underserved areas where cable and fiber internet is either unavailable or too expensive. Enter T-Mobile. The provider is available to more than 30 million homes, a third of which are in rural or suburban areas.
T-Mobile’s 5G home internet customers will only have one plan option — speeds of 33-182Mbps starting at $50 per month — but the plan does come with unlimited data, no contracts and no additional equipment fees.
Rise Broadband: Rise Broadband is a fixed wireless provider popular in many rural areas due to its ability to deliver internet service without the need of a dedicated phone, cable or fiber wire. It’s also a popular choice for unlimited internet, but only if you opt for (and pay a little extra for) an unlimited plan. Rise Broadband plans range from 25 to 50Mbps starting at $25 to $35 per month but come with a data cap of 250GB. If you want unlimited data, the same plans will cost you around $10 more per month.
Xfinity: Xfinity is the largest internet provider to not include unlimited data with its all plans. That’s not to say unlimited data isn’t available with Xfinity. Service terms can vary widely by location with Xfinity, so select plans in some markets may very well come with unlimited data. In others, unlimited data is available for an additional $11 per month for xFi gateway customers or $30 per month for customers who use their own gateway device. Considering Xfinity plans normally come with a generous 1.2TB of data per month (way more than most will come close to using), it may be more economical to just watch your monthly data usage and avoid going over.
For the most part, the reasons to choose an unlimited internet provider or plan far outweigh the reasons not to, but there may be some instances where accepting a data cap makes sense.
Pros
Cons
Some providers charge a premium for unlimited data, which could add $10 or more to your monthly bill. Others may only offer unlimited data with select service types or plans and, while the unlimited data may be enticing, it’s possible that upgrading to a pricier plan could have you paying for more than you need.
Those instances are fairly uncommon, however, which means internet plans with no data cap are typically the better value. When considering internet providers, I’d always check out the ones with unlimited data first.
Streaming video, especially if it’s in HD or 4K. According to Netflix, streaming in standard definition can consume 1GB per hour, HD can eat up 3GB per hour and 4K can use as much as 7GB per hour. So let’s say you binge all 485 minutes of Squid Game in HD this month. That’ll add up to around 24GB of data.
There’s only so much bandwidth available, so providers may have to enforce data caps to keep everyone happy and connected. This is especially true with satellite internet technology, which has limited bandwidth. Consequently, you’ll find the lowest monthly data allowances, by far, with satellite internet service.
In the case of DSL and cable internet providers, which often come with a data cap of around 1TB, if any, the providers largely just want to discourage excessive usage. If they were planning to make extra money in the form of overage fees, they’d lower the data cap from 1TB, which is typically far more than the average household will use.
There are a number of ways to reduce your internet data use, including streaming in standard definition as opposed to HD, downloading music or TV shows instead of streaming them repeatedly, and disconnecting unused devices from your Wi-Fi network.
