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

Compare AT&T and EarthLink head to head

AT&T and EarthLink are both internet providers that reach a huge amount of the population. AT&T’s plans have lower costs than comparable plans from EarthLink, and its high-end plans reach much faster speeds. EarthLink’s biggest strength is customer service, which is the provider’s main focus.

Data as of 01/04/2023. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.

*Plus taxes. Price after $5/mo Autopay & Paperless bill discount (w/in 2 bills). Monthly State Cost Recovery Charge in TX, OH, NV applies.

**with a 12 month contract.

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

Jump to:

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

Plans and pricing: AT&T vs. EarthLink

AT&T plans and pricing

AT&T offers a variety of packages, many of which use fiber-optic connections. That includes a 5,000 Mbps plan—currently the fastest speed available in the ongoing arms race between fiber providers.

Although 5 Gbps is pretty cool, it’s pretty hard to make use of that much bandwidth, even if you invite your entire neighborhood to bring their laptops and watch different 4K movies all at the same time. You probably get just as much use out of AT&T’s 1G Internet plan, which is reasonably priced compared to other gigabit plans.

Unfortunately, not every location in AT&T’s network has fiber-to-the-home. There are DSL and fixed wireless plans reaching out into more rural areas, which offer faster and cheaper internet than options like satellite.

EarthLink plans and pricing

EarthLink offers service in all 50 states. It is able to do this by renting space on other service providers’ networks. Using all these different networks means that connection speeds and reliability vary by location. Fortunately, EarthLink’s focus on customer service makes it easy to get outages and other issues resolved quickly.

EarthLink fiber plans offer the provider’s best value for speed and reliability, plus they go all the way up to 5 Gig speeds, just like AT&T. Earthlink fiber is slightly more expensive than the DSL options, but it offers up to 20 times the speed. EarthLink also stands out from other fiber providers with its lower fiber-optic speeds than most ISPs, which is great if you want fiber reliability without paying.

Extra fees: AT&T vs. EarthLink

Both AT&T and EarthLink have pretty reasonable fees. The only ones that really stand out are installation fees, which are a bit high, especially for AT&T. Since EarthLink plans require one-year contracts, they also come with early termination fees if you cancel before the end of your agreement, which can get expensive.

Customer ratings: AT&T vs. EarthLink

EarthLink placed last among nationwide providers in our annual customer satisfaction survey, which was unfortunate due to its focus on customer service. Although it has been rated highly in customer satisfaction surveys across multiple years, Earthlink dramatically underperformed this year.

AT&T improved its marks in every category compared to last year and is ranked fourth overall in our survey. It also performed well in the speed category. AT&T has focused on expanding the availability of its fiber plans to give its customers faster and more reliable connections.

Internet types: AT&T vs. EarthLink

Both AT&T and EarthLink use multiple technologies to deliver internet to customers across their network footprints. DSL is the most widely available, and though it’s slow, it often has the lowest prices. Fiber plans are the fastest and most reliable, and they usually offer the best value for the monthly cost.

Fixed wireless plans reach into areas that don’t have the infrastructure for wired connections, but they have severe limitations, especially with monthly data caps. We suggest choosing a wireless plan only if it’s the sole option available in your area (other than satellite).

Data caps: AT&T vs. EarthLink

Most plans for AT&T and EarthLink have unlimited data, so you never have to worry about hitting a cap before the end of the month. We’re big fans of unlimited data, so this is a big plus for both providers.

The major exceptions are the fixed wireless plans, which all have relatively low data allowances. AT&T offers the most data with 350 GB, while EarthLink offers several different plans with 25 GB to 150 GB of data. We recommend avoiding plans with low data caps like those with just 25 GB of data. For reference, you can burn through 25 GB by streaming one movie in 4K, so stretching that data out for a month’s worth of internet use is pretty tough.

Contracts: AT&T vs. EarthLink

AT&T is the clear winner here, as it doesn’t tie you down with a long-term contract. Contracts are a sore spot for many customers, so it’s nice that most providers are starting to do away with them.

EarthLink requires a 12-month contract for all its fiber and DSL plans. Its wireless plans, however, are contract free. That’s not a good enough reason to choose a wireless plan over DSL or fiber unless you already know for a fact that you’re going to be switching providers or moving within the next year.

Installation: AT&T vs. EarthLink

Both AT&T and EarthLink offer professional installation, though EarthLink’s fee is slightly cheaper. Both are on the high end for professional installation costs, especially now that several providers offer free installation for at least some of their plans.

Availability: AT&T vs. EarthLink

AT&T has one of the largest networks in the US, but EarthLink manages to cover even more people. It does this by renting out infrastructure from other providers, including AT&T. EarthLink is present in all 50 states, so regardless of where you live, there’s a good chance you can get EarthLink internet.

Final call: AT&T vs. EarthLink

Our first choice is AT&T’s fiber, if you have access to it. The fiber plans are cheaper than those offered by EarthLink, which makes it an easy decision.

With so many plans from each provider, it’s hard to compare every possible combination, but if you’re looking to avoid hassle with your internet service, EarthLink’s top-notch customer service could be the tiebreaker you’re looking for.

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.

More about AT&T and EarthLink

• AT&T vs. Spectrum
• AT&T vs. Cox
• How Fast Is Fiber?
• Which Internet Service Providers Have Data Caps?