Best DSL Internet Providers 2022

About 88% of the urban US and 69% of the rural US have access to DSL internet—which means if you’re reading this, you probably do too. And while DSL isn’t lightning-fast like fiber internet, many areas have DSL home connections that wire into a fiber backbone, making it a faster, more reliable internet option.

For an affordable, reliable DSL-hybrid internet service, we recommend AT&T first for its strong customer service reputation and affordable prices, but Frontier and CenturyLink are also good options.

Jump to:

• AT&T
• CenturyLink
• Frontier

Best DSL providers

Data effective as of post date. Actual speeds may vary. Installation, equipment fees, taxes, & other fees apply. Services subject to availability and all applicable terms and conditions.

Before you sign up with a DSL internet provider, give your local plans a look on the provider sites to see what speeds are available in your area. Some areas have internet speeds of 6 Mbps or lower, which is too slow to enjoy most streaming, video calls, and online gaming.

While 100 Mbps is a good internet speed, we know that DSL speeds aren’t optimal in all areas or for every lifestyle. Check out our article “Best Internet Providers” to see what other internet options are out there.

AT&T – Best overall

AT&T labels its DSL hybrid as “AT&T Internet” (as opposed to “AT&T Fiber”). It doesn’t have all the same speeds as its AT&T Fiber service, but it comes with AT&T’s strong customer service reputation and access to AT&T’s hotspot network.

You can also save on equipment since AT&T offers its Wi-Fi gateway router for no extra charge. Other internet providers charge about $10 per month for router rentals, so this perk can save you quite a bit in the long run.

AT&T will usually offer only two plans in every area—an Internet Basic plan and an Internet plan—which are both $35.00 and $45.00 per month, respectively.

The speeds of those two plans vary by area, so you won’t have much control over your options. If you’re lucky, though, you might have Internet 100 available, which is as fast as many baseline fiber plans. Paying $35.00 per month is a great deal for that much speed.

AT&T is an excellent choice if customer satisfaction is important to you. But if AT&T plans in your area are slower than 25 Mbps, we recommend checking your other options so you don’t get bogged down by buffering.

Data effective as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.

CenturyLink – Best upload speeds

It’s rare to find high upload speeds on DSL internet, but upload speeds are important for video calls, online gaming, and uploading large files like videos to the internet. CenturyLink’s offers upload speeds up to 30 Mbps in some areas, making it one of the best DSL providers for all of the above activities.

CenturyLink’s $50 per month charge is about the average price of an internet plan in the US, but you may be able to find cheaper internet from a local provider in your area.

Data effective as of post date. Rate excludes taxes. Additional Fees Apply. Speed may not be available in your area.

Frontier – Cheapest

You should also be aware that Frontier placed low in reliability in our customer satisfaction survey. DSL lines often slow during “peak hours”—usually in the evening when everyone and their dog is at home using the internet.

Fido, get off the iPad already.

And unfortunately, we weren’t able to find information on Frontier’s upload speeds for its DSL hybrid plans. When internet providers don’t list upload speeds, you can usually assume they’re trying to sweep their slow speeds under the rug.

But we recognize that some internet is better than no internet at all. And Frontier doesn’t charge as much for internet as AT&T and CenturyLink. It’s a good option for the bargain shoppers among us, or folks who only use the internet occasionally.

Data effective as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.

What to look for in DSL

When you’re signing up for DSL, look for a plan with speeds that match your lifestyle. Both download and upload speeds play a role in making your internet experience the best it can be.

Download and upload speeds

Internet Service Providers (ISPs) advertise their plans based on download speed. The fastest DSL hybrid download speeds are around 100 Mbps. That’s plenty to support your family and its internet-ready devices.

If you’re the only person on your internet, though, 25 Mbps can be plenty. That download speed is the FCC’s standard for broadband internet, and it will support streaming with little trouble.

Speeds lower than 25 Mbps are fine for web browsing, but streaming could be difficult.

Upload speeds are also crucial, though most ISPs don’t advertise them. You’ll need at least 1 Mbps to support video conferences or online gaming, and while even the slowest packages in this article advertise speeds up to 1 Mbps, up to is very different from at least.

Because of this, it’s safer to go with plans that offer higher upload speeds. That way you’re less likely to lose a video call if your internet isn’t performing at its peak.

Data caps

We didn’t go into detail about data caps earlier because AT&T, Frontier, and CenturyLink all have either high data caps or unlimited data usage.

But if you’re going with another DSL provider, we recommend checking out its data allowance policy. The standard is about 1 TB, which is plenty for most people.

Data caps limit how much you use the internet, and going over them can lead to high fees. Read our data cap article for more information on these limits and the providers who have them.

Our final take

There are a lot of DSL providers out there, but AT&T, Frontier, and CenturyLink are some of the strongest big-name brands.

We recommend you find out if these ISPs are in your area, then give them a call to see what speeds they can offer you. Enter your zip code below to get started.

Methodology

Our experts have studied DSL internet trends for years and spent hundreds of hours researching DSL internet providers. We rated these services based on price, speed, features, and bang for your buck. For more information on our methodology, check out our How We Rank page.