This year, you couldn’t watch the news without seeing headlines about price increases and inflation concerns. When subscribers have to stretch their dollar even further to make ends meet, where does that leave internet service providers (ISPs) when it comes to delivering internet to your home?
For the 2026 edition of the CableTV.com Internet Customer Satisfaction Survey, we spoke with more than 8,000 internet customers across the U.S. to gauge their real-life experiences with their ISPs in areas such as price satisfaction and customer service. Read on to see which providers have the most satisfied customers.
Home internet trends for 2026
Between factors like fiber network investment and cable ISP service diversification, the home internet space remains in an interesting transitional spot heading into 2026. Here are some of the biggest takeaways we saw from this year’s survey.
2026’s best internet providers for customer satisfaction
The best major ISPs for overall customer satisfaction in 2026 are Starlink, Google Fiber, T-Mobile, and AT&T. Regional ISP Ziply Fiber—which services customers in the Pacific Northwest—also landed a top spot with an 87% approval rating.
For yet another year, 5G and fiber ISPs dominated our top ISP spots. Both internet service types offer flexible pricing or faster internet performance compared to cable and DSL internet.
Unlike last year’s survey, no cable ISPs reached a top spot in this category. Xfinity cracked the top five in last year’s survey with an 80% overall approval rating, but fell back to earth due to a 5% year-over-year drop.
5G and fiber: a five-alarm fire for cable ISPs
Among our survey respondents, cable internet remains the most popular way to get online.
But compared to last year’s survey, cable ISPs shouldn’t rest on their laurels:
- The number of respondents with fiber internet jumped 12% year over year.
- We also saw a threefold increase in respondents with 5G home internet (7% to 21%).
- Most concerningly, the number of respondents with cable internet dropped 24% from 2024 to 2025.
Cable ISPs have long had a reputation for restrictive pricing contracts, annual bill hikes, and tacked-on fees. Cable internet networks are still entrenched throughout much of the U.S., but between fiber’s growing footprint and aggressive 5G home internet marketing, consumers clearly know cable’s no longer the sole option in town.
Fiber consolidation reaches consumers
If you can’t beat them, join them. Or in the case of fiber ISPs, buying someone else’s network is far easier than building your own.
Consumers began to see the effects of last year’s fiber ISP acquisitions in 2025, resulting in notable survey results. T-Mobile technically owns two spots in our top five, as new acquisition Lumos broke the 80% mark for overall satisfaction and maintained a regular top-three spot throughout this year’s survey. Elsewhere, Frontier’s merger with Verizon is still in progress, but it saw a minor 3% drop in overall satisfaction among fiber customers.
Most of these acquired providers aren’t fully integrated into their new parent companies just yet, so we’ve continued to separate them in this year’s survey. But with many of these deals expected to close in 2026, we’ll continue to track whether this affects the customer experience for subscribers.
Red carpet treatment keeps price stress at bay
Concerns about price increases are everywhere these days, but surprisingly, internet pricing bucked this trend among our respondents. Across the board, we continued to see jumps in overall price satisfaction among respondents.
| Question | 2024 rating | 2025 rating | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Given your initial expectations, how would you rate the price that you pay for your internet services? | 56% positive, 20% negative | 63% positive, 15% negative | 66% positive, 11% negative |
| Given the quality of your internet services, how would you rate the price that you pay for them? | 55% positive, 19% negative | 63% positive, 14% negative | 66% positive, 10% negative |
| Given competitors’ prices, how would you rate the price that you pay for your internet services? | 54% positive, 18% negative | 61% positive, 13% negative | 63% positive, 11% negative |
As we previously highlighted, internet sticker prices generally go down over time as newer and faster plans replace an ISP’s premium offerings.
To bolster their plan value, ISPs also rolled out new subscriber deals that would’ve been unthinkable a few years ago. For instance, Xfinity had long been the poster child for second-year internet price hikes, but one of its big 2025 promotions was a five-year internet price guarantee that included free unlimited data and no contract.
Although internet price satisfaction can generally be provider dependent, most ISPs ultimately face more pressure to make customers feel like their dollar is going further.
Are you getting the internet speeds you’re paying for?
Everyone could use faster internet speeds, but how do you know you’re getting the download speeds you’re paying for? As part of this year’s survey, we asked respondents to detail their internet setup, list the advertised download speed of their internet plan, and take a download speed test to measure their real-world speeds.
How are customers typically getting online?
- Ethernet offers greater speed and connectivity than Wi-Fi, but unless your house has preexisting wiring (or an accommodating partner), running cables through your home is a hassle. 90% of respondents reported using Wi-Fi to power their home’s internet connection.
- Similarly, most households are willing to pay extra to avoid shopping for Wi-Fi equipment. 66% of respondents said they used or rented Wi-Fi hardware from their ISP.
Factors like the age of your home’s devices, your network traffic, and even the construction of your home’s walls make Wi-Fi speeds generally unpredictable, even in best-case scenarios. Our survey’s findings backed this up:
- More than 50% of respondents purchased plans with advertised speeds between 200 Mbps and 600 Mbps. On the other hand, only a quarter of respondents sprung for gigabit internet plans, which aligns with our past reporting on these premium options.
- That said, nearly half of our respondents had sub-100 Mbps speed test results. Internet type also heavily influenced this trend line:
| Internet type | Percentage of respondents with 25–150 Mbps/low percentile speed test results |
|---|---|
| Cable | 53% |
| DSL* | 71% |
| Fiber | 38% |
| 5G | 42% |
| Satellite | 55% |
*Percentage of DSL speed test results with download speeds between 0 and 50 Mbps.
What internet providers consistently deliver or outdeliver on their internet service? To find out more, we developed two metrics to evaluate our speed test results:
- Download Speed Against Expectation (DSAE): How close a speed test result was to the advertised maximum speed of a respondent’s internet plan.
- Download Speed Over Average (DSOA): How a respondent’s speed test result compares to the provider’s average speed test result among all respondents.
The following table lists the DSAE and DSOA scores that exceeded 70% of the ISP’s advertised download speed or speed test average for several national ISPs. (We consider results that exceed 70% to be a passing grade.)
| Provider | DSAE (70–100%+) | DSOA (70–100%+) |
|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | 24% | 47% |
| AT&T (Fiber) | 42% | 57% |
| Verizon (Fiber) | 27% | 58% |
| Optimum | 21% | 55% |
| Cox | 29% | 56% |
| Spectrum | 38% | 59% |
In general, your Wi-Fi setup remains a bigger bottleneck than your ISP’s network when it comes to maximizing internet speeds. A typical Wi-Fi-powered home network has to split bandwidth among multiple users and devices, and you’ll lose additional speed compared to Ethernet due to Wi-Fi’s built-in limitations.
That said, factors like network reliability and traffic management are firmly in your ISP’s ballpark. If you’re not getting the speeds you’ve paid for, make sure your ISP has turned over every stone and that you’ve optimized your home Wi-Fi setup.
Highest overall satisfaction
These days, internet service is almost just as important as your power or water bill. It’s hard to get by if your internet provider can’t deliver or creates more work for you. In this section, we asked respondents about the ISPs that cleared the bar.
What is your overall satisfaction with your internet service provider?
The best ISPs for customer satisfaction are Starlink, Ziply Fiber, Google Fiber, Lumos, and T-Mobile.
Lumos and Ziply Fiber are new regional entrants to this year’s top five. Lumos is an Atlantic coast-based fiber ISP, while Ziply Fiber offers coverage across the Pacific Northwest. Elsewhere, Starlink, Google Fiber, and T-Mobile continued their hold on our top five for another year.
As previously mentioned, consolidation is one of the big takeaways in this year’s survey. Lumos and Ziply Fiber were respectively acquired by T-Mobile and Bell last year, and Lumos made it into our top five thanks to a 6% year-over-year jump in overall satisfaction.
What is your overall satisfaction with your internet service provider?
| ISP | Completely or very satisfied | Hardly or not at all satisfied |
|---|---|---|
| Starlink | 89% | 1% |
| Google Fiber | 87% | 1% |
| Ziply Fiber | 87% | 4% |
| Lumos | 85% | 8% |
| T-Mobile | 78% | 4% |
| AT&T | 77% | 5% |
| Verizon | 75% | 3% |
| Xfinity | 75% | 6% |
| Astound Broadband | 74% | 7% |
| Metronet | 73% | 4% |
| WOW | 71% | 12% |
| Cox | 69% | 9% |
| Frontier | 69% | 6% |
| Spectrum | 69% | 6% |
| Earthlink | 67% | 15% |
| TDS Telecom | 67% | 2% |
| Quantum Fiber | 65% | 10% |
| CenturyLink | 64% | 10% |
| Optimum | 64% | 10% |
| Xtream | 64% | 8% |
| Sparklight | 63% | 6% |
| Windstream | 62% | 10% |
| Breezeline | 60% | 11% |
| Brightspeed | 57% | 16% |
| Hughesnet | 49% | 13% |
How enjoyable were your interactions with your ISP?
- Starlink (85%)
- Google Fiber (81%)
- Lumos (78%)
Starlink and Google Fiber held onto their top spots for another year, but they were also joined by Lumos.
Notably, Starlink and Google Fiber’s customer support teams remain largely remote—Google Fiber has a small four-store retail footprint, but both largely rely on chat or phone support staff. Lumos has a similarly modest retail store network, but subscribers who’ve migrated to T-Mobile Fiber can also use the carrier’s stores for additional support.
Hear from real Lumos customers
Lumos has done what they promised, and we are satisfied with the service. I have not had any problems with the service.
How enjoyable were your interactions with your ISP?
| ISP | Extremely or very enjoyable |
|---|---|
| Starlink | 85% |
| Google Fiber | 81% |
| Lumos | 78% |
| T-Mobile | 75% |
| Ziply Fiber | 73% |
| AT&T | 70% |
| Verizon | 67% |
| Xfinity | 67% |
| Spectrum | 65% |
| Cox | 64% |
| Metronet | 64% |
| Frontier | 62% |
| Astound Broadband | 60% |
| Sparklight | 60% |
| Earthlink | 59% |
| Quantum Fiber | 57% |
| TDS Telecom | 56% |
| Optimum | 55% |
| Windstream | 55% |
| WOW | 55% |
| Breezeline | 53% |
| Brightspeed | 53% |
| CenturyLink | 53% |
| Hughesnet | 52% |
| Xtream | 51% |
How well did your ISP’s services compare with the ideal internet provider?
- Google Fiber/Starlink (83%)
- Quantum Fiber/Ziply Fiber (78%)
- AT&T/T-Mobile (73%)
The winners in this category prove that good service can make up for a lot when it comes to the customer experience. Google Fiber and Starlink are decidedly pricier than the major ISPs, but still managed to beat them by a sizable margin here. Ziply Fiber, Quantum Fiber, AT&T, and T-Mobile filled out the rest of our top provider results.
How well did your ISP’s services compare with the ideal internet provider?
| ISP | Extremely close or very close to ideal |
|---|---|
| Google Fiber | 83% |
| Starlink | 83% |
| Quantum Fiber | 78% |
| Ziply Fiber | 78% |
| AT&T | 73% |
| T-Mobile | 73% |
| Spectrum | 70% |
| Verizon | 70% |
| Cox | 68% |
| WOW | 68% |
| Xfinity | 68% |
| Frontier | 67% |
| TDS Telecom | 65% |
| Astound Broadband | 64% |
| Sparklight | 63% |
| Brightspeed | 61% |
| Optimum | 61% |
| CenturyLink | 60% |
| Metronet | 60% |
| Breezeline | 56% |
| Hughesnet | 55% |
| Windstream | 54% |
| Xtream | 48% |
To what extent has your ISP met your expectations as an internet provider?
- Lumos, Starlink (87%)
- Google Fiber (86%)
- Ziply Fiber (83%)
Lumos continued its strong run in this year’s polling, cracking our top three alongside regulars Starlink, Google Fiber, and Ziply Fiber. T-Mobile’s fiber shopping spree was acutely felt here, as it landed three of the top five spots between itself, Metronet, and Lumos.
For another year, we also tracked satisfaction ratings for applicable ISPs with separate DSL or 5G services. 2026’s survey results reflected the increasing ubiquity of 5G home internet. Outside of Verizon, which struggled with customer retention and layoffs in 2025, the 5G internet market saw strong year-over-year growth in satisfaction scores.
| ISP | To what extent has your ISP met your expectations as an internet provider? (2025) | To what extent has your ISP met your expectations as an internet provider? (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Verizon 5G Home Internet | 86% positive | 79% positive |
| T-Mobile 5G Home Internet | 82% positive | 86% positive |
| AT&T Internet Air | 74% positive | 86% positive |
Similarly, legacy DSL networks remain a significant albatross for ISPs with split DSL/fiber footprints. Split DSL/fiber providers AT&T, CenturyLink, and Frontier had a 10% to 20% satisfaction gap between their fiber and DSL subscribers.
To what extent has your ISP met your expectations as an internet provider?
| ISP | Completely or very much |
|---|---|
| Lumos | 87% |
| Starlink | 87% |
| Google Fiber | 86% |
| Ziply Fiber | 83% |
| Metronet | 79% |
| T-Mobile | 79% |
| AT&T | 77% |
| Verizon | 76% |
| TDS Telecom | 74% |
| Xfinity | 73% |
| Astound Broadband | 72% |
| Frontier | 72% |
| Quantum Fiber | 70% |
| Spectrum | 70% |
| Cox | 69% |
| WOW | 69% |
| Xtream | 69% |
| Sparklight | 67% |
| Earthlink | 65% |
| Optimum | 65% |
| CenturyLink | 64% |
| Windstream | 62% |
| Breezeline | 61% |
| Brightspeed | 57% |
| Hughesnet | 53% |
Best customer service
Dealing with your ISP can be like a doctor’s visit—you’re rarely there when things are going well. In this section, we asked respondents about the ISPs that made everything from phone calls to installation visits a breeze.
How satisfied are you with your ISP’s customer support?
This year’s top ISPs for customer support were Lumos, Ziply Fiber, Starlink, Google Fiber, and T-Mobile.
One key takeaway is that company size and customer service quality don’t necessarily go hand-in-hand. Outside of T-Mobile, these top providers all have regional footprints and don’t have an army of retail stores and technicians you’d see from a national ISP. Nevertheless, the subscribers we talked to shouted out each provider’s strong response times and friendly customer service teams. Quickly answering customer questions and making sure they’re not on hold forever should be achievable for small and big ISPs alike.
Outside of the top five, this category didn’t see many dramatic shifts for 2026. AT&T, Verizon, and Xfinity were among the remaining big national ISPs to crack our traditional 70% approval threshold—AT&T improved from a 67% approval rating in last year’s edition, although Verizon saw a 4% year-over-year drop.
Similarly, Xfinity came out on top compared to national cable ISP competitors like Spectrum (68%) and Cox (65%), although it also had the highest percentage of dissatisfied customers (13%) among the three ISPs. Other notable ISPs that cracked the 10% mark for dissatisfied customers included Astound Broadband, Earthlink, Quantum Fiber, and Sparklight.
How satisfied are you with your ISP’s customer support?
| ISP | Completely or very much | Hardly or not at all |
|---|---|---|
| Lumos | 85% | 8% |
| Ziply Fiber | 83% | 5% |
| Starlink | 80% | 6% |
| Google Fiber | 78% | 5% |
| T-Mobile | 76% | 5% |
| AT&T | 73% | 6% |
| Astound Broadband | 71% | 13% |
| Frontier | 70% | 11% |
| Verizon | 70% | 8% |
| Xfinity | 70% | 13% |
| Sparklight | 69% | 10% |
| Earthlink | 68% | 13% |
| Metronet | 68% | 5% |
| Spectrum | 68% | 9% |
| Cox | 65% | 11% |
| WOW | 64% | 17% |
| Quantum Fiber | 62% | 20% |
| Windstream | 62% | 16% |
| CenturyLink | 59% | 15% |
| Hughesnet | 59% | 15% |
| Optimum | 58% | 16% |
| Xtream | 58% | 12% |
| TDS Telecom | 56% | 19% |
| Brightspeed | 53% | 23% |
| Breezeline | 50% | 21% |
How easy was it to work with your ISP?
- Google Fiber (88%)
- Starlink (86%)
- Lumos (85%)
Google Fiber and Starlink continued their strong streak alongside Lumos in this category. Notably, a whopping 17 ISPs managed to clear the 70% threshold in this category—by comparison, only 12 ISPs did so last year.
Similarly, responsiveness tends to matter more than ISP scale when it comes to customer service. Among this category’s top ISPs, national ISPs with 24/7 call centers ranked alongside regional ISPs that process individual support tickets.
Hear from real Ziply Fiber customers
They were quick to provide us services, especially when other providers couldn't. Being in a new [town], they were the ones that made it happen for us, so that we could connect with the world again.
How easy was it to work with your ISP?
| ISP | Extremely or very easy |
|---|---|
| Google Fiber | 88% |
| Starlink | 86% |
| Lumos | 85% |
| Ziply Fiber | 84% |
| T-Mobile | 82% |
| AT&T | 79% |
| Verizon | 76% |
| Spectrum | 75% |
| Metronet | 74% |
| Sparklight | 74% |
| Xfinity | 74% |
| Frontier | 73% |
| Quantum Fiber | 73% |
| Xtream | 73% |
| WOW | 72% |
| TDS Telecom | 71% |
| Windstream | 71% |
| Cox | 69% |
| Earthlink | 68% |
| Astound Broadband | 67% |
| CenturyLink | 66% |
| Optimum | 65% |
| Hughesnet | 61% |
| Breezeline | 59% |
| Brightspeed | 52% |
Thinking about your recent ISP interactions, how effectively did they meet your needs?
- Starlink (91%)
- Lumos (85%)
- Google Fiber (84%)
Starlink’s first-place finish reflects its firm grip on the satellite internet market and the lackluster competition. If you’re used to inconsistent performance and spotty customer service from legacy satellite ISPs, Starlink’s faster speeds will blow past your expectations.
Outside the top three, our top providers were predominantly national ISPs. However, notable exceptions with decent approval ratings include mid-sized providers TDS Telecom and WOW. (Despite WOW’s middling overall scores in this year’s survey, I haven’t had major problems with them as a WOW subscriber. Their chat and phone support teams have quickly answered questions I’ve had.)
Thinking about your recent interactions with your ISP, how effectively did they meet your needs?
| ISP | Extremely or very effective |
|---|---|
| Starlink | 91% |
| Lumos | 85% |
| Google Fiber | 84% |
| Ziply Fiber | 83% |
| TDS Telecom | 82% |
| AT&T | 79% |
| Metronet | 78% |
| T-Mobile | 77% |
| Spectrum | 76% |
| Verizon | 76% |
| Xfinity | 75% |
| Frontier | 74% |
| WOW | 74% |
| Optimum | 72% |
| Xtream | 72% |
| Astound Broadband | 71% |
| Quantum Fiber | 71% |
| Windstream | 70% |
| Cox | 69% |
| Sparklight | 69% |
| Earthlink | 68% |
| CenturyLink | 67% |
| Breezeline | 63% |
| Brightspeed | 52% |
| Hughesnet | 52% |
Best bang for your buck
With everything from groceries to gas prices rising this year, value was a growing concern for internet subscribers everywhere. Did your ISP manage to stretch your dollar, or are you getting pummeled with price hikes and extra fees? Here’s what you told us.
Given your ISP’s internet service quality, how would you rate its price?
This year’s top-rated ISPs for price compared to internet service were Google Fiber, T-Mobile, Ziply Fiber, Lumos, and Starlink.
Google Fiber’s continued success, despite its higher base pricing compared to the competition, speaks to how highly its internet service is regarded by customers. When it comes to factors like internet performance and reliability, Google Fiber customers clearly feel it’s worth its price. (“My Google Fiber home internet goes out way less than when I had Xfinity, and I pay about the same price,” says Mike Strayer, our Managing Editor, for example.)
But price generally outweighs internet performance for most subscribers. For another year, roughly three-quarters of ISPs fell under the 70% approval threshold for this category. In short, everyone feels like they should be paying less for internet. That said, fiber internet subscribers were typically 5% to 10% more satisfied compared to 5G or DSL subscribers.
Given your ISP’s internet service quality, how would you rate its price?
| ISP | Excellent or good given the quality | Poor or terrible given the quality |
|---|---|---|
| Google Fiber | 80% | 3% |
| T-Mobile | 78% | 4% |
| Ziply Fiber | 73% | 5% |
| Lumos | 72% | 8% |
| Starlink | 71% | 6% |
| AT&T | 70% | 8% |
| Verizon | 67% | 7% |
| Astound Broadband | 66% | 14% |
| Xfinity | 66% | 10% |
| Frontier | 65% | 10% |
| Cox | 64% | 12% |
| Quantum Fiber | 64% | 13% |
| WOW | 64% | 15% |
| Spectrum | 61% | 11% |
| CenturyLink | 58% | 16% |
| Optimum | 58% | 17% |
| Metronet | 57% | 10% |
| Brightspeed | 54% | 20% |
| Sparklight | 54% | 14% |
| Breezeline | 53% | 15% |
| Earthlink | 50% | 22% |
| TDS Telecom | 50% | 11% |
| Windstream | 49% | 19% |
| Hughesnet | 47% | 33% |
| Xtream | 46% | 17% |
Given competitors’ prices, how would you rate the price that you pay for your ISP’s internet services?
- T-Mobile (79%)
- Lumos (74%)
- Google Fiber (73%)
T-Mobile and Google Fiber held steady in this category’s top three for another year, while Starlink dipped below the 70% approval threshold and lost a top spot to Lumos.
One of the big trends in the internet space this year was ISPs offering aggressive bundle deals and abandoning annual price increases in order to keep customers from changing providers.
In general, this strategy helped to stave off major subscriber dissatisfaction among our respondents—Starlink, Quantum Fiber, and Metronet were the only ISPs to see significant year-over-year drops in price satisfaction, whereas most ISPs held steady within a few percentage points.
The table below lists how several national providers did in this category over the past few years:
Are ISP prices staying competitive with their competitors?
| ISP | 2024 rating | 2025 rating | 2026 rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| AT&T | 60% positive | 63% positive | 66% positive |
| Cox | 49% positive | 53% positive | 61% positive |
| Optimum | 41% positive | 52% positive | 56% positive |
| Spectrum | 51% positive | 59% positive | 60% positive |
| T-Mobile | 74% positive | 79% positive | 79% positive |
| Verizon | 58% positive | 64% positive | 63% positive |
| Xfinity | 47% positive | 64% positive | 61% positive |
Hear from real Xfinity customers
We switched when MetroPCS stopped giving us unlimited Wi-Fi. Now, [we have] what we need for the price we were looking for. We have not had any issues at all, and we have a family of six who all use Wi-Fi.
Given competitors’ prices, how would you rate the price that you pay for your ISP’s internet services?
| ISP | Excellent or good given competitors’ prices |
|---|---|
| T-Mobile | 79% |
| Lumos | 74% |
| Google Fiber | 73% |
| Ziply Fiber | 69% |
| Quantum Fiber | 68% |
| AT&T | 66% |
| Frontier | 65% |
| Earthlink | 64% |
| Starlink | 64% |
| WOW | 64% |
| Verizon | 63% |
| Cox | 61% |
| Xfinity | 61% |
| Metronet | 60% |
| Spectrum | 60% |
| Astound Broadband | 59% |
| Breezeline | 57% |
| CenturyLink | 57% |
| Optimum | 56% |
| Brightspeed | 54% |
| Sparklight | 50% |
| Windstream | 49% |
| Hughesnet | 45% |
| TDS Telecom | 45% |
| Xtream | 45% |
Given your initial expectations, how would you rate the price that you pay for your ISP’s internet services?
- Lumos (81%)
- T-Mobile (78%)
- Ziply Fiber (76%)
T-Mobile was the only major ISP to crack 70% approval in this category, which reflects the uphill climb most national ISPs have to make when it comes to internet pricing expectations. Many regional ISPs offer benefits like contract-free or flat-rate internet pricing, and national ISPs have only recently followed suit.
Similarly, the elimination of budget internet plans has been a similar burden around the necks of major ISPs. Plans with sub-$50 monthly rates are typically restricted to an ISP’s prepaid or government-subsidized programs.
Given your initial expectations, how would you rate the price that you pay for your ISP’s internet services?
| ISP | Excellent or good, given my expectations |
|---|---|
| Lumos | 81% |
| T-Mobile | 78% |
| Ziply Fiber | 76% |
| Google Fiber | 75% |
| Quantum Fiber | 71% |
| Earthlink | 70% |
| Starlink | 70% |
| AT&T | 69% |
| WOW | 68% |
| Astound Broadband | 67% |
| Verizon | 67% |
| Frontier | 66% |
| Xfinity | 65% |
| Cox | 62% |
| Metronet | 62% |
| Spectrum | 62% |
| Optimum | 58% |
| Breezeline | 57% |
| CenturyLink | 57% |
| Brightspeed | 51% |
| Sparklight | 50% |
| Hughesnet | 47% |
| Xtream | 46% |
| TDS Telecom | 44% |
| Windstream | 44% |
What do internet customers think about their phone service?
ISP cell phone plans are as commonplace as TV plans these days, as every internet provider seems to have gotten into the cell phone bundle game. What can you get when you switch to providers like Xfinity Mobile or Spectrum Mobile? Can its service stand up when you’re on the go?
What is your overall satisfaction with your ISP cell phone bundle?
| ISP | Completely or very satisfied |
|---|---|
| Spectrum | 88% |
| AT&T | 87% |
| Cox | 86% |
| Astound Broadband | 84% |
| Verizon | 83% |
| T-Mobile | 82% |
| Xfinity | 82% |
| Breezeline | 79% |
| Optimum | 63% |
Mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) performed well in this category, as our top three spots were filled by MVNOs Spectrum Mobile and Cox Mobile, with AT&T in second place.
MVNOs have a key advantage over traditional carriers, as ISPs have heavily promoted them with deals like a free year of service to entice customers to try them out. Traditional providers are no slouch here—AT&T or Verizon commercials for new iPhone and Samsung deals are commonplace every holiday season—but it’s hard to beat free when it comes to a deal.
Still, this category’s high satisfaction scores reflect how consistent cell phone service can be with either an MVNO or a major provider. Breezeline and Optimum Mobile were the only providers to drop below the 80% approval mark. And even then, respondents felt that Optimum was more middling than bad—only 9% of subscribers were highly dissatisfied with Optimum Mobile.
How satisfied are you with the cost of your cell phone bundle?
| ISP | Completely or very satisfied |
|---|---|
| Spectrum | 88% |
| Breezeline | 83% |
| Cox | 83% |
| AT&T | 78% |
| T-Mobile | 77% |
| Verizon | 72% |
| Xfinity | 72% |
| Astound Broadband | 69% |
| Optimum | 61% |
Few customers are in love with their cell phone and internet prices, as Spectrum, Breezeline, and Cox Mobile were the only providers to crack the 80% approval mark. Among the big three providers, Verizon ranked third with a 72% approval score.
Hear from real Verizon mobile customers
I worked with Mediacom in the past, and the price went up and down. Verizon is our cell phone provider, and they gave us a deal that did not go up and down in price.
ISPs and cell phone reliability
| ISP | How reliable is your ISP’s cell phone plan? | Do you notice dropped calls or slow internet speeds during busy periods? |
|---|---|---|
| Spectrum | 87% approval | 38% yes, 62% no |
| T-Mobile | 85% approval | 39% yes, 61% no |
| AT&T | 83% approval | 51% yes, 49% no |
| Verizon | 83% approval | 38% yes, 62% no |
| Cox | 81% approval | 43% yes, 57% no |
| Xfinity | 75% approval | 30% yes, 70% no |
| Astound Broadband | 73% approval | 59% yes, 41% no |
| Breezeline | 71% approval | 66% yes, 34% no |
| Optimum | 63% approval | 39% yes, 61% no |
MVNOs are more affordable than the major three carriers, but are you trading service quality for a cheaper bill? Spectrum Mobile led all providers in reliability satisfaction, but it was notably followed by T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon (along with Cox Mobile) as the only ISP cell phone plans to crack the 80% approval mark.
That said, our respondents had conflicting opinions about the providers who were most likely to crack under pressure. Respondents with AT&T, Astound Broadband, and Breezeline were the most likely to notice problems with their cell phone service, although Astound and Breezeline lease their network space from T-Mobile and AT&T, respectively.
How easily can your ISP solve your cell phone customer service problems?
| ISP | Extremely or very easily |
|---|---|
| Cox | 87% |
| Breezeline | 83% |
| Spectrum | 81% |
| Astound Broadband | 79% |
| AT&T | 79% |
| Verizon | 78% |
| Xfinity | 77% |
| T-Mobile | 76% |
| Optimum | 72% |
Spectrum Mobile’s first-place streak was broken by some surprising competitors, as Cox and Breezeline took first and second place for the category. Neither ISP had great marks in our general customer service polling, but when it comes to cell phone service, they’re doing something right for their internet and cell phone bundlers.
Highest customer loyalty
In an age of increasing ISP competition and new customer incentives, is your ISP doing enough to keep you around? Or between price hikes, service problems, and poor customer service, are they taking your time for granted?
How likely are you to continue subscribing to your ISP for internet services?
2026’s top ISPs for customer loyalty were Starlink, Lumos, Google Fiber, Ziply Fiber, and T-Mobile.
Notably, T-Mobile was the only national ISP to exceed the 80% approval mark for this category. Outside of Starlink, the remaining ISPs in our top five are regional fiber providers.
Elsewhere, Xfinity led the way among national cable ISPs with a 76% approval score. Lumos customers may need to prepare for volatility, as its 9% dissatisfaction score was the highest among our top providers.
How likely are you to continue subscribing to your ISP for internet services?
| ISP | Completely or very likely | Hardly or not at all |
|---|---|---|
| Starlink | 91% | 2% |
| Lumos | 88% | 9% |
| Google Fiber | 85% | 3% |
| Ziply Fiber | 85% | 7% |
| T-Mobile | 81% | 5% |
| AT&T | 79% | 6% |
| Frontier | 76% | 8% |
| Quantum Fiber | 76% | 12% |
| Xfinity | 76% | 6% |
| Metronet | 75% | 5% |
| WOW | 75% | 7% |
| Verizon | 74% | 5% |
| Cox | 73% | 10% |
| Astound Broadband | 72% | 8% |
| Spectrum | 72% | 5% |
| TDS Telecom | 72% | 9% |
| Brightspeed | 64% | 12% |
| CenturyLink | 64% | 10% |
| Windstream | 64% | 12% |
| Sparklight | 63% | 7% |
| Xtream | 63% | 10% |
| Earthlink | 62% | 19% |
| Optimum | 62% | 8% |
| Hughesnet | 53% | 19% |
| Breezeline | 52% | 13% |
How likely are you to recommend your ISP as an internet provider to a friend or colleague?
- Starlink (86%)
- Google Fiber/Lumos (83%)
- T-Mobile (77%)
One big trend from this year’s survey is how drastically customers prefer smaller ISPs to larger national ISPs. This preference shows up in a variety of small or large annoyances, like trading a cable ISP’s outages and annual price hikes for a smaller fiber ISP with great reliability and flat-rate pricing. But in general, customers tend to love smaller providers and (at best) tolerate national ISPs.
For instance, T-Mobile and AT&T were the only national ISPs to crack a 70% approval mark in this category. Among our category leaders, Starlink’s reliability, compared with satellite ISP competitors, and Google Fiber’s excellent network give it huge word-of-mouth credibility. By comparison, Xfinity, Cox, and Spectrum fell to the 60% approval range.
Hear from real Starlink customers
I believe they stand by what they say they do as a company, and I am thankful because I've gone through too many different providers that let me down. And I spend too much money not to be satisfied with what I should really be getting as a customer.
How likely are you to recommend your ISP as an internet provider to a friend or colleague?
| ISP | Completely or very likely |
|---|---|
| Starlink | 86% |
| Google Fiber | 83% |
| Lumos | 83% |
| T-Mobile | 77% |
| Ziply Fiber | 73% |
| AT&T | 71% |
| Metronet | 71% |
| Verizon | 69% |
| Astound Broadband | 67% |
| Frontier | 66% |
| WOW | 65% |
| Xfinity | 65% |
| Quantum Fiber | 63% |
| Cox | 61% |
| Spectrum | 60% |
| Breezeline | 56% |
| CenturyLink | 56% |
| TDS Telecom | 56% |
| Optimum | 55% |
| Brightspeed | 54% |
| Sparklight | 53% |
| Earthlink | 52% |
| Hughesnet | 50% |
| Windstream | 50% |
| Xtream | 43% |
How likely are you to increase the amount you purchase from your ISP for internet services?
- Google Fiber (58%)
- AT&T (53%)
- T-Mobile (51%)
Internet spending continues to remain static for most households, although availability plays a huge role in consumer willingness to upgrade their download speeds. Google Fiber, AT&T, and T-Mobile all have deep catalogs of internet upgrade options that give subscribers the option to upgrade. But as our internet speed test research earlier showed, most subscribers simply need fast-enough download speeds.
How likely are you to increase the amount you purchase from your ISP for internet services?
| ISP | Completely or very likely |
|---|---|
| Google Fiber | 58% |
| AT&T | 53% |
| T-Mobile | 51% |
| Breezeline | 48% |
| Verizon | 48% |
| Starlink | 46% |
| Xfinity | 44% |
| Quantum Fiber | 42% |
| Spectrum | 37% |
| Cox | 36% |
| Astound Broadband | 35% |
| Frontier | 35% |
| CenturyLink | 33% |
| Hughesnet | 29% |
| Ziply Fiber | 28% |
| Brightspeed | 27% |
| Sparklight | 27% |
| Xtream | 26% |
| Optimum | 25% |
| Windstream | 19% |
| WOW | 19% |
| Metronet | 13% |
Best user experience
Between Minecraft sessions and 4K video streaming, can your internet connection pass the bar, or are you constantly dealing with slow speeds and outages? The best ISPs offer reliability and performance in equal measure.
Are you satisfied with your ISP’s reliability?
The best ISPs for internet reliability are Starlink, Ziply Fiber, Google Fiber, Lumos, and Xfinity.
Beyond our usual category winners, Xfinity held onto its fifth-place position for yet another year with a 78% approval score. The provider also outclassed competitors Spectrum (71%) and Cox (65%) by significant margins.
Still, you’ll generally have consistent-enough internet service if you’re on a major or mid-major ISP. Half of our polled providers had disapproval scores under 10%—outside of DSL and rural internet plans, you’ll rarely have catastrophic internet service if you’re near a major city or suburb.
Are you satisfied with your ISP’s reliability?
| ISP | Completely or very satisfied | Hardly or not at all satisfied |
|---|---|---|
| Starlink | 87% | 4% |
| Ziply Fiber | 83% | 4% |
| Google Fiber | 81% | 4% |
| Lumos | 79% | 5% |
| Xfinity | 78% | 6% |
| Verizon | 77% | 7% |
| Astound Broadband | 75% | 9% |
| AT&T | 75% | 6% |
| T-Mobile | 75% | 6% |
| TDS Telecom | 74% | 7% |
| Metronet | 72% | 6% |
| Spectrum | 71% | 7% |
| Frontier | 69% | 9% |
| WOW | 68% | 14% |
| Earthlink | 67% | 17% |
| Cox | 65% | 11% |
| Optimum | 65% | 11% |
| Sparklight | 65% | 9% |
| Windstream | 65% | 17% |
| CenturyLink | 64% | 13% |
| Brightspeed | 59% | 24% |
| Quantum Fiber | 58% | 21% |
| Xtream | 58% | 15% |
| Breezeline | 53% | 21% |
| Hughesnet | 46% | 20% |
Are you satisfied with your ISP’s internet speeds?
Starlink, Ziply Fiber, Lumos, Google Fiber, and Metronet were the best ISPs for internet speeds in this year’s internet survey. Unsurprisingly, fiber continues to lead this category for another year between Ziply Fiber, Lumos, Google Fiber, and Metronet.
But notable exceptions include yet another first-place finish for Starlink alongside a strong sixth-place finish from TDS Telecom. Xfinity slipped just outside of the top five in this category, but it once again outclassed Spectrum and Cox to take first place among national cable ISPs.
Hear from real Google Fiber customers
I've had zero service interruptions, and they've been very responsive when devices needed upgrading. They are quick to respond, and the employees have always been pleasant.
Are you satisfied with your ISP’s internet speeds?
| ISP | Completely or very satisfied | Hardly or not at all |
|---|---|---|
| Starlink | 89% | 3% |
| Ziply Fiber | 86% | 3% |
| Lumos | 85% | 5% |
| Google Fiber | 84% | 2% |
| Metronet | 81% | 4% |
| TDS Telecom | 80% | 6% |
| T-Mobile | 79% | 4% |
| Xfinity | 76% | 5% |
| Verizon | 75% | 5% |
| Astound Broadband | 74% | 6% |
| AT&T | 74% | 6% |
| Cox | 73% | 9% |
| Xtream | 72% | 3% |
| Spectrum | 71% | 7% |
| WOW | 71% | 5% |
| Frontier | 69% | 7% |
| Optimum | 68% | 7% |
| Quantum Fiber | 68% | 6% |
| Sparklight | 68% | 8% |
| Earthlink | 66% | 15% |
| CenturyLink | 62% | 15% |
| Breezeline | 55% | 19% |
| Windstream | 55% | 18% |
| Brightspeed | 54% | 26% |
| Hughesnet | 52% | 18% |
Are you satisfied with your ISP’s installation and setup process?
- Ziply Fiber (90%)
- Google Fiber (84%)
- Xfinity (82%)
Starlink had a rare drop out of the top three in this category, as satellite internet installations tend to be more involved compared to cable or fiber setups. But along with stalwarts Ziply Fiber and Google Fiber, Xfinity grabbed another top-three finish in this category. All three providers offer similar strengths, such as installation apps, simple self-installation options, and staff (or vetted third-party) installers.
Are you satisfied with your ISP’s installation and setup process?
| ISP | Completely or very satisfied |
|---|---|
| Ziply Fiber | 86% |
| Google Fiber | 82% |
| Xfinity | 82% |
| Astound Broadband | 81% |
| Starlink | 81% |
| Frontier | 80% |
| Xtream | 80% |
| Lumos | 79% |
| T-Mobile | 79% |
| Verizon | 79% |
| AT&T | 78% |
| TDS Telecom | 77% |
| Earthlink | 76% |
| Spectrum | 76% |
| Sparklight | 75% |
| Cox | 73% |
| Metronet | 73% |
| Windstream | 71% |
| CenturyLink | 69% |
| Optimum | 69% |
| WOW | 68% |
| Hughesnet | 65% |
| Quantum Fiber | 63% |
| Breezeline | 60% |
| Brightspeed | 60% |
Are you satisfied with your ISP’s modem/internet equipment?
- Starlink (88%)
- Google Fiber (81%)
- Astound Broadband (73%)
Our top three providers used varying playbooks to deliver equipment to subscribers.
For example, Starlink has long been associated with expensive equipment fees. But this year, the satellite provider rolled out budget-friendly basic plans that offer free equipment and lower rates in exchange for basic download speeds. By comparison, Google Fiber, Astound, and Xfinity offer a mix of free basic hardware and optional rental equipment for homes that want to build out an optimal home or mesh Wi-Fi setup.
Are you satisfied with your ISP’s modem/internet equipment?
| ISP | Completely or very satisfied |
|---|---|
| Starlink | 88% |
| Google Fiber | 81% |
| Astound Broadband | 73% |
| Xfinity | 72% |
| AT&T | 71% |
| Frontier | 71% |
| T-Mobile | 71% |
| Verizon | 71% |
| Spectrum | 66% |
| Xtream | 65% |
| WOW | 63% |
| Cox | 62% |
| Metronet | 61% |
| Sparklight | 60% |
| CenturyLink | 59% |
| Windstream | 57% |
| Breezeline | 56% |
| Optimum | 54% |
| Quantum Fiber | 49% |
| Brightspeed | 47% |
| Hughesnet | 42% |
Methodology
We surveyed more than 8,000 people across the U.S. to measure their satisfaction with their internet providers. Our sample reflected broader U.S. demographics (e.g., gender, race, age, etc.) and was analyzed using prevailing industry standards by our data experts. If you’re a member of the media and you have follow-up questions, feel free to contact us at pr@cabletv.com.
