Cox vs. AT&T Internet: Which Is the Best Internet Provider?

Get AT&T Fiber if it’s available in your neighborhood—the internet service provider’s (ISP) fiber plans are among the most affordable on the market. But if you aren’t able to get AT&T internet, Cox’s internet network offers alternative service plans—but they can be pricey.

AT&T vs. Cox pros and cons

Jump to:

• Head-to-head comparison
• Plans and prices
• Installation
• Customer satisfaction
• TV bundles

Compare AT&T and Cox head to head

Data effective as of post date. Not all offers available in all areas.
**For 12 mos. w/ 1-yr. term agreement.

Depending on your address, AT&T’s internet plans might offer better value than Cox’s. You’ll have the cream of the crop if your neighborhood has AT&T Fiber internet coverage, but if it doesn’t? Since, as of August 2023, AT&T no longer offers DSL plans, you’d need to settle for AT&T Internet Air. At the same price as AT&T’s old DSL plan and with nearly the same download and upload speeds, Internet Air offers up a solid alternative to DSL.

However, if you’re in a Cox area, we’d definitely recommend shelling out the extra money for Cox rather than settle.

Plans and pricing

AT&T internet plans

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

AT&T’s great fiber internet plans helped the provider earn a spot on our best internet providers list. At $80 per month for the first year with up to 1,000 Mbps download speeds, AT&T Internet 1000 is one of AT&T’s top gigabit internet plans. We always recommend fiber-optic internet if it’s available because you’ll get best-in-class download and upload speeds that’ll easily support streaming 4K movies or online file uploads.

In cities with AT&T Fiber coverage, we’d recommend AT&T Internet 300. At $55 per month for 300 Mbps maximum download and upload speeds, the mid-range plan has enough bandwidth for most households.

Since, as of August 2023, AT&T no longer offers DSL plans, we’d recommend you check out AT&T Internet Air. It costs the same as AT&T’s old DSL plan—$55 per month—and with nearly the same download and upload speeds, Internet Air is a solid alternative to the now-defunct AT&T DSL. However, if you’re in a Cox area, we’ll always recommend cable over a DSL internet connection.

Cox internet plans

Data effective as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
*No annual contract or cancellation fees.
**Not available in all areas. No term agreement. Same price for 2 yrs. Pricing, packages, and policies are subject to change, including when adjusting or removing services or equipment.
†For 12 mos. No annual contract.
‡For 12 mos. w/ 1-yr. term agreement. Data effective as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.

Cox’s Go Fast and StraightUp Internet plans are decent options for affordable cable internet service. Both plans have download speeds of at least 50 Mbps for around $50 per month, and they’ll be a great fit if you just want to send out emails or watch YouTube videos.

Cox’s faster plans are more of a mixed bag. With download speeds of up to 250 Mbps, Go Faster is going to be a decent starter plan for most households. For a mid-sized family of average internet users, we usually recommend an internet plan with download speeds between 100 to 300 Mbps.

But if you want to upgrade, Cox’s other options are an $89.99 500 Mbps plan, a $109.99 1,000 Mbps plan, and a new $149.99 2,000 Mbps plans. All three plans will be more than fast enough for a large household of frequent internet users, but compared to AT&T Fiber, none are a great deal.

Still, Cox’s cable internet network has more consistent availability than AT&T’s fiber internet networks. Whether you’re in Arizona or Louisiana, you’ll still get nearly all of Cox’s internet plans. But with AT&T, you might get AT&T Fiber—or not.

Ultimately, we’d recommend Go Faster for most Cox customers. Although it’s not the fastest or most affordable mid-tier internet plan, it’ll still be fast enough for two- to four-person households that enjoy Netflix sessions or occasional video calls.

Cox vs. AT&T installation

AT&T and Cox have hefty installation fees in the fine print, but it’s easy to avoid the charges. Depending on your house’s wiring setup, you can avoid AT&T’s installation fee by ordering service online. If you’re okay with installing your own modem and Wi-Fi router, Cox offers free installation kits.

Cox earns the win over AT&T thanks to its open hardware policy. Although Cox offers a combo Wi-Fi router/modem for $13.00 a month, you can also use your own modem and wireless router for free. We’re fans of this flexibility because you’ll save in the long-term by buying your own equipment and avoiding rental fees.

But on AT&T’s plans, you’ll have to pay a mandatory $10.00 monthly equipment fee for AT&T’s combo router/modem, and there’s no way to use your own equipment. AT&T’s leased equipment can be convenient if you’d prefer not to troubleshoot or buy your own hardware, but we suggest avoiding rental fees whenever possible.

Customer satisfaction

AT&T earned second place on our 2021 internet customer satisfaction survey rankings compared to Cox’s fifth-place finish. AT&T largely maintained its top-three standing throughout our survey, while Cox rotated in the middle tier with providers like Spectrum and CenturyLink.

Cox vs. AT&T TV bundles

*for 24 months plus taxes and fees w/ 24-mo. agmt.; AutoPay and Paperless Bill req’d. Advanced Receiver Service Fee $15/mo. is extra and applies.

To get any basic cable channels on Cox, you’ll have to spring for the provider’s $115.00 per month Cox TV Preferred package. On competing TV packages in the same price range, you’d typically be getting premium channels like Paramount+ with SHOWTIME®.

Cox TV Preferred has a decent channel lineup, but the only ways to get popular networks like Disney XD and DIY Network on Cox is to upgrade to Contour TV Ultimate for $152.00 per month or pay for Cox’s à la carte channel packs ($10.00 to $12.00 per month). With Cox TV Preferred, you’re paying premium cable prices for a basic cable channel lineup.

AT&T, as of January 2024, no longer offers bundles with DIRECTV STREAM like they have in the past. Even if they don’t offer the bundles anymore, we’d still recommend you go for DIRECTV STREAM over Cox’s TV plans. With DIRECTV STREAM’s ENTERTAINMENT ($69.99/mo.) and CHOICE ($84.99/mo.) packages, you’ll get channels like Nick Jr. and B1G Network for far less than Cox offers them. Cox’s lone advantage is Contour TV Ultimate, which includes every premium and basic cable channel for $7.00 less than DIRECTV STREAM’s PREMIER package.

Spring for Cox’s Contour TV Ultimate package if you want to load up on premium and basic cable channels. But for most households, DIRECTV STREAM offers stronger basic cable lineups for less per month compared to Cox—just remember that you can no longer do an official bundle with AT&T internet.

Is Cox or AT&T internet more worth it?

If your neighborhood gets AT&T Fiber service, we’ve got an easy recommendation: get AT&T and don’t second-guess it.

But if you’re stuck between Cox and AT&T Internet Air, our recommendation comes with a few asterisks.

AT&T Internet Air offers some value if you’re in a neighborhood with at least a 75 Mbps plan and you don’t need the best internet service. But if your household has more than a few regular internet users, your best options will be either Cox’s faster internet packages or looking for other ISPs in your area.

AT&T vs. Cox FAQ

Why you should trust us

We analyzed data including our annual customer customer satisfaction survey and provider terms of service, rating Cox and AT&T on bang for your buck, reliability, and features. Then we matched up both companies head to head to give a clearer picture of their strengths and weaknesses. For more information on our methodology, check out our How We Rank page.