Best 5G Home Internet Providers
We spoke to hundreds of customers to determine which 5G home internet provider lands on top.
Price: $35.00–$70.00/mo.
Download speed: 87-415 Mbps
Upload speed: 12-55 Mbps
Price: $35.00–$70.00/mo.
Download speed: 87-415 Mbps
Upload speed: 12-55 Mbps
Price: $35.00–$80.00/mo. (w/ Auto Pay)**
Download speed: 85–1,000Mbps
Upload speed: 10–50Mbps
Price: $35.00–$80.00/mo. (w/ Auto Pay)**
Download speed: 85–1,000Mbps
Upload speed: 10–50Mbps
Price: $60.00/mo.*
Download speed: 75–225Mbps
Upload speed: 10–30Mbps
Price: $60.00/mo.*
Download speed: 75–225Mbps
Upload speed: 10–30Mbps
Who is the best 5G home internet provider?
5G home internet is one of the biggest upgrades to the home internet market in recent years. 5G home internet offers an unbeatable combination of value and performance for homes that simply need affordable and good enough internet service. But which 5G home internet service provider (ISP) reigns supreme?
Keep on reading to find out the biggest upsides and downsides for AT&T Internet Air, T-Mobile 5G Home Internet, and Verizon 5G Home Internet.
Compare best 5G home internet providers head to head
| Service or product | Price | Download speed | Upload speed | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T-Mobile 5G Home Internet | $35.00–$70.00/mo. | 87-415 Mbps | 12-55 Mbps | |
| Verizon 5G Home Internet | $35.00–$80.00/mo. (w/ Auto Pay)** | 85–1,000Mbps | 10–50Mbps | |
| AT&T Internet Air | $60.00/mo.* | 75–225Mbps | 10–30Mbps |
Data effective as of publish date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change. See full disclaimer for details.
T-Mobile 5G Home Internet earned our Editor’s Choice award thanks to its solid reliability and strong value for standalone and T-Mobile phone customers alike. Verizon’s 5G Home Plus plan doesn’t have the widest availability, but if it’s available in your area, you’ll get the fastest 5G home internet speeds around.
AT&T Internet Air doesn’t offer much in the way of bells and whistles. But if you need basic internet service or are migrating away from AT&T’s DSL network, Internet Air is worth a second look.
What to look for
Download speeds
5G ISPs rely on their existing 5G coverage towers for service, but this means that download speeds heavily depend on network traffic in your area. It’s also why each provider’s listed download speeds cover a wide range.
- If you’re close to a tower, you might have stellar download speeds that could meet or exceed your provider’s listed speeds.
- But if you’re farther away from a tower or in an area with heavy network traffic, you might have inconsistent speeds that could be in the sub-200 Mbps range.
Take full advantage of each 5G carrier’s free trial period to ensure your area’s 5G coverage meets your household’s needs.
Equipment options
Unlike cable ISPs, you won’t need to install a modem and Wi-Fi router on your office floor. 5G ISPs typically include a gateway device, which is similar to a combo modem/Wi-Fi router. However, you’ll need to install it on or near a window to get the best 5G connection due to 5G being a wireless internet technology.
Availability
5G home internet service is more widely available than in past years, but ISPs are still rolling out service city by city. You’ll have better luck if you’re in or near a major city, and we recommend using our address availability checker to confirm 5G home internet coverage in your area.
Pro tip: Still confused about 5G home internet? Check out our 5G Home Internet Guide to learn how this new internet technology works.
Best 5G home internet providers in depth
5G home internet offers value-friendly home internet service, but it differs from traditional cable or fiber internet in several key areas. Let’s break down everything you’ll need to know about T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T 5G home internet.
T-Mobile 5G Home Internet
Pros
- Unlimited data
- Great pricing and reliability
Cons
- Inconsistent availability
- Only one download speed tier
T-Mobile 5G Home Internet earned our Editor’s Choice award because it covers all the bases for a 5G home internet provider.
Tired of dealing with annual price increases? T-Mobile has flat-rate and contract-free internet service, so you’ll pay one rate without worrying about contract pricing trickery. T-Mobile also offers solid base pricing alongside bundle discounts if you add a qualifying T-Mobile cell phone line.
T-Mobile 5G Home Internet also swept the 5G competition in our research. The provider was tied for fifth place (alongside Verizon) on overall satisfaction in CableTV.com’s annual Internet Customer Satisfaction Survey —it beat cable ISPs like Xfinity and Cox.
According to speed test data from our partners at HighSpeedInternet.com, T-Mobile also led 5G providers in internet speed reliability. Tests show 48% of T-Mobile 5G Home Internet’s speed test results were at or above the advertised speeds from T-Mobile.
But as with other 5G ISPs, T-Mobile 5G Home Internet’s mixed availability is a downside for potential customers. T-Mobile also offers only a single speed tier for the service. Still, if you’re looking for a cable internet alternative and have T-Mobile 5G Home Internet coverage in your area, we’d recommend trying it out.
Read our T-Mobile 5G Home Internet review for a full breakdown of T-Mobile’s home internet service.
T-Mobile 5G Home Internet test results
| Test | Score |
|---|---|
| Average latency | 40.7 milliseconds |
| Internet reliability approval rating | 74% approval |
| Internet speed approval rating | 77% approval |
| Average download speed | 96.4 Mbps |
| Reliability rating from speed tests | 48% reliability |
Verizon 5G Home Internet
Pros
- No annual contracts
- More download speed options
Cons
- Higher base pricing
- Mixed reliability scores
Verizon regularly throws out the red carpet for new customers, and Verizon 5G Home Internet is no different. Verizon offers standard additions like unlimited data, contract-free service, and flat-rate pricing.
But unlike AT&T and T-Mobile, Verizon offers a higher-tier 5G Home Plus plan that provides download speeds between 300 and 1,000 Mbps—it’ll be a great fit if your home has multiple people with heavy internet needs. You’ll also get additional benefits like free hardware, longer price guarantees, and a rotating selection of new customer deals. Past offers have included add-ons like gaming consoles and free streaming subscriptions.
But at the same time, you’ll need to pay extra for Verizon compared to the competition. Verizon’s base pricing starts at $60 monthly—which is tied for the highest among 5G ISPs and higher than T-Mobile for comparable service—but you’ll also get a $25 to $35 monthly discount on your internet service when you add a qualifying Verizon cell phone plan.
Additionally, Verizon was an decent performer in our reliability research and data. Verizon’s latency mark of 34.4 milliseconds beat out T-Mobile, but its HighSpeedInternet.com speed test reliability scores were a step behind our Editor’s Choice pick. Only 36% of HighSpeedInternet.com test results were at or above Verizon 5G Home Internet’s advertised speeds. That said, Verizon 5G Home Internet outperformed T-Mobile in our customer satisfaction survey—more than 80% of customers approved of Verizon’s speeds and reliability compared to T-Mobile.
Read our full Verizon 5G Home Internet review to learn more.
Verizon 5G Home Internet test results
| Test | Score |
|---|---|
| Average latency | 34.4 milliseconds |
| Internet reliability approval rating | 84% approval |
| Internet speed approval rating | 85% approval |
| Average download speed | 87.8 Mbps |
| Reliability rating from speed tests | 36% reliability |
AT&T Internet Air
Pros
- Flat-rate pricing
- No contracts and bundled equipment
Cons
- Variable download speeds
- Small availability
AT&T Internet Air’s very much a by-the-basics internet service, and it extends to the 5G ISP’s fine print. As with T-Mobile and Verizon, you’ll get standard features like contract-free plans and bundled equipment.
But AT&T Internet Air only comes in a single plan with download speeds up to 225Mbps, so you’ll run into bandwidth issues if you have more than a few heavy internet users in your household. AT&T Internet Air’s recent price increase aligns it with Verizon, which offers much faster speeds and performance than Internet Air.
AT&T also had similarly middling results in our internet speed research. According to speed test data from our partners at HighSpeedInternet.com, Internet Air had average latency and download speed marks behind T-Mobile and Verizon. In our customer satisfaction survey, around 75% of customers approved of AT&T Internet Air’s performance. On top of that, only 33% of HighSpeedInternet.com test results were at or above Internet Air’s advertised speeds.
AT&T Internet Air’s essentially designed to be a stopgap to help AT&T customers leave AT&T’s aging DSL network. If you’re one of these customers or simply need basic internet service, AT&T Internet Air will be great! But you’ll likely hit a wall if you need more from your internet provider.
Check out our full AT&T Internet Air review to learn more.
AT&T Internet Air test results
| Test | Score |
|---|---|
| Average latency | 42.5 milliseconds |
| Internet reliability approval rating | 74% approval |
| Internet speed approval rating | 76% approval |
| Average download speed | 72.6 Mbps |
| Reliability rating from speed tests | 33% reliability |
Best 5G home internet providers FAQ
How fast is Verizon 5G Home Internet?
Verizon 5G Home Internet has download speeds between 85 and 1,000Mbps. What speeds you get also depends on the area you live in and the ISP’s infrastructure.
Is 5G home internet good?
5G home internet is great if affordability is more important to your household than download speeds. 5G home internet offers average download speeds, but you’ll frequently get flat-rate pricing and won’t have to deal with annual price increases.
How fast is 5G home internet?
Most 5G home internet users will get speeds around 100Mbps, but exact download speeds vary heavily on 5G towers and coverage in your area.
What is 5G home internet?
5G home internet is a new type of internet technology that uses 5G cell phone towers to connect your home to the internet. Major 5G home internet providers include Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile.
Where is 5G home internet available?
5G home internet providers are rolling out coverage on a city-by-city basis. Exact availability varies widely by provider, but 5G home internet is generally available in major cities and around mid-sized suburbs.
Who is the best 5G internet provider?
T-Mobile 5G Home Internet is CableTV.com’s pick for the best 5G home internet provider. T-Mobile offers fast internet speeds, excellent reliability scores, and low flat-rate pricing.
Methodology
Our experts drew from our existing T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T 5G home internet reviews, which involved weeks of research and testing. We also interviewed thousands of customers for each provider as part of CableTV.com’s annual Internet Customer Satisfaction Survey to learn more about each provider’s strengths and weaknesses.
Additionally, we analyzed more than a year of speed test data from our partners at HighSpeedInternet.com to track how all three providers performed in real life. We analyzed more than 267,000 speed test results to find out what level of performance and speed reliability you can expect from each provider.
For more on our process, see our How We Rank page.
** w/ Auto Pay and select 5G mobile
*$60/mo after $5 discount when enrolled in Autopay. Paperless billing req’d. Not available in NY. Monthly State Cost Recovery Charge in TX, OH, NV applies. . Service subj. to Internet Terms of Service at att.com/internet-terms. Offers may be modified, or discontinued, at any time without notice. Other conditions may apply to all offers. Speeds based on wired connection. Actual speeds may vary. For more info, go to www.att.com/speed101.
