It might be overwhelming purchasing for a brand new web service supplier that provides aggressive pricing, quick speeds and would not require you to tie your self to a contract. We’ve acquired you coated. Narrow your search with our high picks for no-contract web service suppliers.
What’s the most effective no-contract web supplier total?
CNET’s decide for the most effective total no-contract web is Google Fiber. With constant speeds (two plans of 1,000 and a pair of,000 megabits per second obtainable in all serviceable areas and even quicker speeds in choose areas), no gear charges or information caps, it stands out among the many competitors. Google Fiber has restricted availability throughout the nation. If you are not in one of many 19 states the place it operates, don’t fret: You can nonetheless get fast web speeds for a aggressive worth with AT&T Fiber or any of the opposite suppliers we focus on under.
One little bit of enterprise first: Just as a result of you do not have to signal a time period settlement would not at all times imply you are getting the most effective worth. Some suppliers will put a premium on their pay-as-you-go plans whereas their contract charges are cheaper. To assist maintain your prices in perspective, we famous the price per megabit per second for every no-contract web supplier. It’s a superb option to examine web plan speeds and costs towards one another.
Best no-contract web service suppliers of 2024
1,000 – 8,000 Mbps
$70 – $150 per 30 days
Our take – At first look, Google Fiber plans appear costly. There are 5 choices: the most affordable at $70 per 30 days and the most costly at $150 month-to-month. These plans provide speeds from 1 gigabit (1,000Mbps) to eight gigabits (8,000Mbps), so the precise price per Mbps is 7 and a pair of cents, respectively, which is superb. Supported by a fiber-optic connection, you’ll be able to anticipate symmetrical speeds. You’re getting a quick connection on your cash. On high of that, your gear is included in your month-to-month worth, which is a superb deal.
1,000 – 8,000 Mbps
$70 – $150 per 30 days
100 – 1,500 Mbps
$20 – $80 per 30 days
Our take – This cable ISP boasts a number of the finest pricing out of the gates. It has fairly a variety of pricing throughout its varied markets however an aggressively aggressive common price of 5 cents per Mbps to start out. You’ll discover a 300Mbps plan for $20 per 30 days in lots of areas. That’s glorious. That tough-to-beat worth falls nearer to the pack after your intro interval, however you may be hard-pressed to discover a higher worth on your preliminary years of service. The pricing as soon as the promo interval ends is one other story, along with your month-to-month invoice doubling by the second yr.
100 – 1,500 Mbps
$20 – $80 per 30 days
10 – 140 Mbps
$55 per 30 days
Our take – There isn’t any want to fret about cancellation charges on any CenturyLink plan — none of them include any contractual commitments. The worth is fairly robust too — the corporate’s DSL plans provide a set worth fee of $55 a month, which is tough to beat amongst DSL choices.
10 – 140 Mbps
$55 per 30 days
500 – 1,000 Mbps
$50 – $80 per 30 days
Our take – Spectrum is as simple as you may get amongst cable ISPs. There are two plans — 500Mbps and 1 Gig — freed from contracts and information caps. The common price per Mbps within the first yr for the five hundredMbps plan is 10 cents, and it is 7 cents for the 1,000Mbps tier, which is sort of good for cable web. Perhaps extra spectacular, the second-year soar is not too steep (for an ISP, anyway), as much as 16 cents and 10 cents per Mbps for the five hundredMbps and 1,000Mbps plans, respectively.
500 – 1,000 Mbps
$50 – $80 per 30 days
100 – 1,000 Mbps
$40 – $70 per 30 days
Our take – In many suburban and rural areas the place it usually competes with satellite tv for pc suppliers (most of which require a two-year contract), Kinetic by Windstream units itself aside by ditching long-term agreements altogether. You can get both DSL (a majority of its footprint) or fiber service (at the moment about one-fifth of its community) for a median price of 16 cents per Mbps in the course of the first yr.
100 – 1,000 Mbps
$40 – $70 per 30 days
300 – 5,000 Mbps
$55 – $250 per 30 days
Our take – Available to roughly a 3rd of its footprint, AT&T Fiber plans present glorious worth. Five completely different plan choices (300, 500 and 1,000Mbps, in addition to 2 and 5 gigabits) vary in worth from $55 to $245 per 30 days, with no information caps or contracts. Altogether, AT&T’s fiber plans common simply over 10 cents per Mbps, which is stable. Even extra spectacular are the multi-gigabit plans, which common out to below 7 cents per Mbps, which is superb.
300 – 5,000 Mbps
$55 – $250 per 30 days
300 – 2,000 Mbps
$50 – $120 per 30 days
Our take – Verizon Fios, the corporate’s fiber web possibility, would not require contracts. Additionally, it scores excessive in buyer satisfaction in each ISP survey. It nabbed the highest spot for 2023 and 2024 within the latest J.D. Power survey for the East area. It additionally did properly within the annual American Customer Satisfaction Index report, scoring 77 out of 100 factors, six factors above the trade common.
300 – 2,000 Mbps
$50 – $120 per 30 days
Additional no-contract web suppliers to contemplate
- Cox Communications: There’s flexibility right here, however it comes at a price. Cox would not require you to signal a contract to obtain web service, however it does encourage clients to signal a two-year settlement. Cox additionally presents low-cost web choices, which characteristic no contracts and no credit score checks or deposits. The ConnectAssist plan is priced at $30 a month for 100Mbps in obtain speeds and comes with a free modem. For that streamlined method, you may pay 30 cents per Mbps, which is larger than the common of all different plans Cox presents.
- Frontier Communications: You will not have to fret about binding contracts should you can entry Frontier Internet (DSL) or Frontier Fiber. In addition to that, gear charges are included within the month-to-month worth too. Customers of Frontier Fiber will see a median price of seven cents per Mbps for first-year pricing, whereas DSL clients can anticipate to pay $2.60 per Mbps.
- Mediacom: Although you may must deal with information caps, Mediacom’s Xtream web choices don’t require you to signal a long-term contract. Across all three plans, you’ll be able to anticipate to pay a median of 9 cents per Mbps throughout your first yr; after that, the common price per Mbps jumps to 17 cents.
- Metronet: This Midwest fiber-optic web supplier serves 16 states throughout the nation. No time period contracts are required for any plans and gear is included along with your service. The promo costs are first rate, particularly for its gigabit plan, which is a nifty price of 5 cents per Mbps for one yr. The common price per Mbps of its common charges is 12 cents, which rises to fifteen cents after the primary yr. Metronet will increase its races yr over yr by round $10, so maintain that in thoughts.
- Optimum: All Optimum plans characteristic no information caps, no contracts and a number of the finest promo pricing for cable web. Your first-year pricing for fiber plans will characteristic a median price per Mbps of slightly below 7 cents. The common price per Mbps for cable plans is round 10 cents.
- Rise Broadband: This mounted wi-fi web supplier presents obtain speeds from 50Mbps to 1,000Mbps. All plans include no information caps. Rise’s introductory costs fluctuate by location, however the common price per Mbps within the first yr might be between 75 cents and $1. Rise Broadband additionally has a small fiber community, so should you’re eligible for that, the common price per Mbps shall be round 11 cents.
- Sparklight: Sparklight presents aggressive introductory plans in choose rural areas throughout the nation. Across the 4 plans, you’ll be able to anticipate to pay a median of 17 cents per Mbps. Once the promo interval ends, that common price per Mbps jumps as much as 24 cents, which is not a very costly enhance in costs for a rural supplier. Note that Sparklight enforces a mushy cap of 5TB, so there’s the potential for added charges should you exceed your month-to-month limits.
- Starlink: Elon Musk’s budding web service is exclusive amongst satellite tv for pc web suppliers as a result of it would not require a contract. Also, the common price per Mbps of its normal plan (100Mbps) is simply over $1, which is superb for that connection kind. The precedence plan, which presents max speeds of 220Mbps, drops the common price per Mbps to six cents. That’s fairly spectacular for an web know-how identified to fall on the pricier facet. Starlink nonetheless requires a little bit of a dedication: you should make a one-time gear buy of $349 to $599 (or a large $2,500 should you’re buying the precedence plans). That’s a giant chunk of change, which most cable and fiber web clients get to keep away from. Still, this could possibly be a digital lifeline for rural areas of the nation that do not have entry to these connections.
- Starry Internet: This mounted wi-fi supplier makes use of millimeter-wave know-how to supply an answer much like Fifth Generation house web. It options no contracts, and the worth contains gear, set up prices and limitless information. The common price per Mbps for Starry Internet is 17 cents within the first yr earlier than it jumps as much as 22 cents.
- T-Mobile Home Internet: Similar to Starry, T-Mobile Home Internet options all the pieces below one worth, with no contracts required. All gear, set up charges and taxes are included at $50 to $70 a month (or $40 to $50 per 30 days for eligible cell clients). The price per Mbps is troublesome to pin down since speeds will fluctuate by deal with. T-Mobile claims that the majority clients may have a median obtain pace between 72 and 245 Mbps. When CNET examined T-Mobile Home Internet, we hit a most of 132Mbps, and we have additionally acquired anecdotal proof of consumers hitting speeds of as much as 300Mbps in some areas. Meanwhile, per T-Mobile, it is attainable some may probably max out at 72Mbps. In different phrases, your mileage could fluctuate — but when your deal with has a powerful connection to a close-by cell tower, T-Mobile could possibly be properly price a shot.
- Verizon Fifth Generation Home Internet: Verizon Fifth Generation Home Internet (its Fifth Generation mounted wi-fi web service) can be squishy as a result of its obtain speeds, starting from 50 to 1,000Mbps, aren’t assured. Assuming the common of 300Mbps, the common price per Mbps could be 17 cents. Verizon Fifth Generation Home Internet is an all-in worth that features taxes, charges and gear.
- WOW: WideOpenWest, which prefers to go by WOW, goals to wow its clients by requiring no contracts and really aggressive beginning charges. This cable web supplier presents 5 completely different plan choices, with a extremely aggressive common price of simply over 6 cents per Mbps throughout all plans.
- Xfinity: Unfortunately, Xfinity requires clients to signal a one-year contract to get its lowest worth on web service. Sometimes, and for some plans, it even requires a two-year dedication. Xfinity does provide a pay as you go web possibility that requires no contract and offers you 30 days of web service for $45. No deposit is required, and there are not any extra charges or information caps. The most obtain pace supplied is 200Mbps, which means this service has a median price of twenty-two cents per Mbps, barely decrease than the 25 to 39 cents per Mbps different Xfinity clients can pay.
- Ziply Fiber: This firm started providing service in 2020 after buying Frontier Communications networks in 4 Northwest states. It goals to simplify the buying course of by skipping credit score checks, information caps and time period agreements. It options DSL and fiber plans, with the common price per Mbps at 9 cents for the promo interval for the fiber plans and 21 cents after the primary yr.
No-contract web suppliers in contrast
Please observe that the plans under present every supplier’s least expensive obtainable tier. The most pace is the highest marketed pace for these plans, however it may not be obtainable in your space. Overall, the most effective choice for you — and essentially the most cost-effective plan — is perhaps a distinct tier that gives a quicker pace at a better worth however a greater worth. To extra totally perceive this value-based method, take a look at CNET’s information to analyzing the price per Mbps.
| Plan | Starting worth | Max obtain pace | Cost per Mbps | Equipment payment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Altafiber Fioptics 100 | $35 | 100Mbps | 35 cents | $12 (non-compulsory) |
| Astound Broadband 300 Read full overview |
$20 | 300Mbps | 7 cents | None |
| AT&T Fiber 300 Read full overview |
$55 | 300Mbps | 18 cents | None |
| AT&T Internet Air Read full overview |
$60 | 225Mbps | 27 cents | None |
| Brightspeed Fiber 200 | $49 | 200Mbps | 25 cents | None |
| CenturyLink Simply Unlimited Read full overview |
$55 | 140Mbps | 39 cents | $15 (non-compulsory) |
| Frontier Fiber 200 Read full overview |
$30 | 200Mbps | 15 cents | None |
| Google Fiber 1 Gig Read full overview |
$70 | 1,000Mbps | 7 cents | None |
| Kinetic Fiber 300 | $40 | 300Mbps | 13 cents | $11 (non-compulsory) |
| Mediacom Xtream Connect Read full overview |
$15 | 100Mbps | 15 cents | $14 (non-compulsory) |
| Metronet 150 Read full overview |
$35 | 100Mbps | 23 cents | None |
| Optimum 300 Read full overview |
$40 | 300Mbps | 13 cents | None |
| Point Broadband Performance Plus | $60 | 300Mbps | 20 cents | $14 (non-compulsory) |
| Quantum Fiber 200 | $50 | 200Mbps | 25 cents | None |
| Rise Broadband 50 Read full overview |
$55 | 50Mbps | $1.10 | $10 modem; $10-15 router (non-compulsory) |
| Sparklight Connect 100 Read full overview |
$40 | 100Mbps | 40 cents | $13 (non-compulsory) |
| Spectrum Internet Read full overview |
$50 | 500Mbps | 10 cents | Modem free; $10 router (non-compulsory) |
| Starlink Standard Read full overview |
$120 | 150Mbps | 80 cents | $349 one-time buy |
| Starry Internet 200 Read full overview |
$40 | 200Mbps | 20 cents | None |
| T-Mobile Home Internet Unlimited Read full overview |
$50 | 245Mbps | 20 cents | None |
| Verizon Fifth Generation Home Internet Read full overview |
$50 | 300Mbps | 17 cents | None |
| Verizon Fios 300 Read full overview |
$50 | 300Mbps | 17 cents | None |
| WOW Internet 300 Read full overview |
$25 | 300Mbps | 8 cents | None |
| Ziply Fiber 100/100 | $20 | 100Mbps | 20 cents | $12 (non-compulsory) |
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Source: CNET evaluation of supplier information.
Factors to contemplate when selecting a no-contract ISP
Make certain you take a look at the price per megabit per second of the supplier’s plans to higher perceive whether or not you are getting a great deal. A price per Mbps between 10 to twenty cents is fairly good, however essentially the most cost-efficient plans price round 5 cents per Mbps or decrease. It’s improbable to keep away from having to signal a contract (and escape the looming menace of early termination charges), you continue to wish to do your homework and ensure you’re not paying a premium for the liberty of not having a time period settlement.
Also, look into the kind of web connection supplied by the ISP. While some households — particularly these in underserved or rural areas — could not have many choices, the final rule is that Fifth Generation and satellite tv for pc house web is healthier than DSL, cable web is healthier than satellite tv for pc and Fifth Generation web however fiber web trumps all of them. As you’ll have already observed, the price per Mbps of fiber web plans is mostly fairly low as a result of fiber speeds outpace the speeds supplied by different web connection varieties.
How we evaluated the most effective no-contract suppliers
Internet service suppliers are quite a few and regional. Unlike the most recent smartphone, laptop computer, router or kitchen instrument, it’s impractical to personally take a look at each ISP in a given metropolis. What’s our method? We begin by researching the pricing, availability and pace info, drawing on our personal historic ISP information, the supplier websites and mapping info from the Federal Communications Commission at FCC.gov.
It doesn’t finish there: We go to the FCC’s web site to examine our information and guarantee we contemplate each ISP that gives service in an space. We additionally enter native addresses on supplier web sites to seek out particular choices for residents. We take a look at sources, together with the American Customer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Power, to judge how completely satisfied clients are with an ISP’s service. ISP plans and costs are topic to frequent adjustments; all info offered is correct as of publication.
Once we have now this localized info, we ask three predominant questions:
- Does the supplier provide entry to moderately quick web speeds?
- Do clients get first rate worth for what they’re paying?
- Are clients pleased with their service?
The reply to these questions is commonly layered and complicated, however the suppliers who come closest to “sure” on all three are those we suggest.
To discover our course of in additional depth, go to our how we take a look at ISPs web page.
What’s the underside line on no-contract ISPs?
Sometimes, it appears like you should signal away your firstborn baby — or no less than the following two years of your life — to get web service in your space. It’s straightforward to be swayed by slimmed-down introductory costs, however lurking behind that first-year cheer generally is a hefty invoice enhance and unrelenting further charges should you dare change your thoughts or have to maneuver.
Thankfully, that is altering. Competition is brewing amongst web service suppliers as we turn into extra depending on broadband connections. That’s one motive why some ISPs have dropped their contract necessities. You could even discover web offers providing to purchase you out of your contract to get you to modify. That’s excellent news for anybody seeking to successfully discover their house web choices.
No-contract web service FAQs
What does “no-contract web” imply?
“No-contract web” — typically known as month-to-month web service — refers to broadband service that does not require you to signal a time period settlement along with your web service supplier. For instance, with some ISPs, you should decide to a two-year contract to get broadband protection. That’s not no-contract web. True no-contract web means you need to be capable of cancel service at any time with out penalty (however the return of any leased gear).
Can I get Wi-Fi at house and not using a contract?
We get this query very often, as many assume they need to pay for Wi-Fi individually from their web service. That’s not the case, usually. You usually get Wi-Fi once you enroll with an web supplier, as many will give you a gateway. That’s a mixture of a modem (which connects your house to the web) and a router (which takes that web sign from the modem and broadcasts it wirelessly to the opposite units in your house). Even in case your ISP solely offers the modem, you’ll be able to hire a router or use your individual. If you may get an web connection at your deal with with out signing a contract, you need to have the choice to have Wi-Fi at your house with out committing to a contract.
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What is the most effective no-contract web service supplier?
It could sound like a cop-out, however the most effective no-contract web supplier for you is the one which’s serviceable at your deal with. As we have talked about many instances in our ISP critiques, all issues being equal, if you may get fiber web at your location, that is the best way to go. It’ll provide the finest efficiency of all of the web connection varieties — you may get symmetrical obtain and add speeds — and can usually be essentially the most reasonably priced when it comes to price per megabit per second. Google Fiber, which incorporates all gear prices and charges in your month-to-month fee, is the most affordable, averaging simply over 4 cents per Mbps. Its availability pales in comparison with the fiber plans of AT&T, for instance. If you reside in one of many metro markets the place it presents service, Google Fiber is a simple alternative, however AT&T Fiber is perhaps everybody else’s high possibility.
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Can I get web with out paying upfront?
Unfortunately, not one of the main web suppliers provide buy-now-pay-later plans. You can flip to ISPs like Xfinity and Cox, which supply plans which might be freed from contract by pay as you go web or low-cost web plans.
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