Best DSL Internet Providers (2023)

Tue, Jan 10, 2023 10:58 PM cheap internet deals

At the very least, DSL is available almost anywhere. And that is one of its best features. DSL internet is available in about 88 percent of urban areas and 69 percent of rural areas in the United States, so if you're reading this, you probably have it as well.

Sure, it's not as fast as fiber, but you don't need to live in a major city like California to get it.

DSL home connections are mostly wired to a community node that links to a fiber backbone. This DSL hybrid is less expensive for providers than fiber-to-the-home connections, but it slows down DSL speeds significantly.

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Best DSL internet providers

AT&T
Max Download speed: 5-100Mbps
Price Range: $35-$40mo.
Customer Satisfaction: 4.09/5

CenturyLink
Max Download speed: 10-100Mbps
Price Range: $49mo.
Customer Satisfaction: 3.99/5

Frontier
Max Download speed: 6-115Mbps
Price Range: $37.99-54.99mo.
Customer Satisfaction: 3.99/5

AT&T – Overall winner

AT&T calls its DSL hybrid "AT&T Internet" rather than "AT&T Fiber." It really doesn't provide the same speed as AT&T Fiber, but it does come with AT&T's excellent customer support and connections to the company's hotspot service.

You will also save money on equipment because AT&T provides the Wi-Fi gateway router for free. Other internet providers charge about $10 a month for router rentals, so this benefit will save you a lot of money over time.

In most areas, AT&T can only sell two plans: an Internet Basic plan and an Internet plan, all of which cost $35.00 and $45.00 a month, separately.

Related: AT&T Business Internet: Things You Need To Know! Complete Guide

You won't have much control over your choices because the speeds of those two plans differ by region. If you're fortunate, you may be able to get Internet 100, which is as fast as many basic fiber plans. For that much speed, $35.00 per month is a great deal.

If customer service is essential to you, AT&T is a great option. However, if AT&T plans in your region are slower than 25 Mbps, we suggest looking into other solutions to avoid buffering.

View AT&T Plans

CenturyLink offers the most competitive long-term prices.

If you like the big picture and don't travel around much, CenturyLink's Price for Life plans is great for you.

Though most internet providers sell new customers discounted plans, CenturyLink sticks to its guns with rates that will never go up as long as you stay with them.

* Click here to learn more about CenturyLink for business *

This is also better than promotional pricing in the long run. Many internet service providers increase their base rates every year, but you won't have to think about that with CenturyLink.

Although CenturyLink doesn't have the same low starting prices as AT&T and Frontier, it's a decent long-term investment. And, because installation is included with your service at no additional cost, you'll have less to think about right now.

View CenturyLink Plans

Frontier – Fastest

Frontier's Premium Internet plan outperforms AT&T and CenturyLink's DSL hybrid speeds. 115 Mbps download speeds are more than enough to help internet-obsessed families and their smart home devices.

Even if you don't need internet that quickly, Frontier's broad range of plans and scalability pricing provide lots of free stuff.

We couldn't find any detail about Frontier's upload speeds for its DSL hybrid plans. We hope its DSL upload speeds are passable, but we can't be sure since its fiber service, Frontier FiberOptic, has matched upload and download speeds.

During “peak hours,” when everybody at home using the internet, DSL lines are notoriously slow.

In any case, we suggest Frontier to speedsters and bargain hunters alike.

However, if you prefer to stick with one business for a long time, CenturyLink should be your first choice.

View Frontier Plans