Best 5G Home Internet Providers

5G home internet has become a bit of a hot topic over the last couple years. It’s been just T-Mobile and Verizon in the market for a while, but AT&T and Straight Talk have now thrown their hats into the ring, bringing some much-needed competition to the industry.

Overall, we think T-Mobile is still the best all-around option due to its wide network coverage, consistent speeds, and great pricing. However, recent price increases have narrowed the gap between providers—there are now more reasons to choose an alternative like Verizon or Straight Talk. In this article, we’ll explore those reasons and cover everything you need to know to choose a 5G home internet provider for yourself or your family.

With 5G home internet, you’re ultimately looking for the same things that you’d look for in any other type of internet service: fast speeds, lots of data, and a low price. One thing you’ll notice as you explore 5G home internet options is that they pretty much all cover these bases. In fact, they’re really very similar: They all offer unlimited data and the prices are relatively similar.

On paper, the main variation is speed. Some appear to be significantly faster than others. However, it’s important to remember that these are often theoretical maximum speeds—especially in Verizon’s case. There are some actual differences in speed, but these are less pronounced and more influenced by where you live than the specs might lead you to believe.

With all that said, the two main considerations for most people are going to be local network strength and which provider you use for cell service. There can be a lot of variability in network performance from one spot to the next, so that a seemingly slower provider like AT&T might be faster where you live than T-Mobile or Verizon.

Many of the discounts that make the prices so compelling are tied to cell service bundles. There may be times when it makes more sense to go with a different provider for cell service and home internet, such as if you don’t have or want one of the qualifying plans, but generally bundling makes the most sense.

T-Mobile is our all-around favorite 5G home internet provider. It’s a super-simple service, with just one plan on tap: unlimited data, speeds up to 245Mbps, and no contracts or hidden fees. All that will cost you just $60 per month, and you can drop that price even further (to $50 or $40 per month) when you have a qualifying cell plan with T-Mobile.

T-Mobile Home Internet is also built on T-Mobile’s excellent 5G network. The general speed and availability of T-Mobile 5G is unmatched by any other network. That wide availability means T-Mobile Home Internet service is an excellent rural option for customers that don’t have many other options.

Now, T-Mobile isn’t perfect. Although the price is still low, it has increased recently, so it no longer really undercuts the competition the way it used to. Additionally, speeds can vary a lot by location. (Although, this is pretty universal across all 5G providers, as we’ll see.)

Our number two pick for best 5G home internet is Verizon. It’s also our recommendation for users that want the fastest potential speeds from their 5G internet. Verizon advertises maximum speeds up to 1,000Mbps, which is far faster than other 5G providers (although, there are some caveats that we’ll get into in a minute).

Unlike most other 5G home internet services, Verizon offers two plans. 5G Home is more affordable (starts at $60 per month) and offers speeds up to 300Mbps. 5G Home Plus starts at $80 per month and offers the faster 1,000Mbps speeds. Both plans can have prices reduced (to $35 and $45 per month, respectively) when bundled with qualifying cell plans. Verizon also offers up to $500 towards early termination fees with your current internet provider, which could go a long way towards making the switch easier.

The main issue with Verizon 5G Home Internet is that the speeds aren’t necessarily going to be as fast as advertised. While it’s certainly possible to see 1,000Mbps, these speeds are going to be limited to relatively small areas with Verizon’s Ultra Wideband 5G technology. Most locations are likely to see speeds more in line with T-Mobile. And again, this varies a lot with network coverage.

Speaking of coverage, Verizon 5G Home Internet is not quite as widely available as T-Mobile, but it’s still quite widespread. Most people shouldn’t have an issue with Verizon availability.

AT&T Internet Air is our pick for AT&T customers that live in one of the (very) few coverage areas. Internet Air is currently the most affordable of all 5G home internet services, at $55 per month (or $35 per month with eligible wireless plans). It’s extremely simple: one plan, one speed, no frills.

Maximum advertised speeds are slightly lower than T-Mobile and Verizon, at 225Mbps. This is potentially a consequence of AT&T’s generally less-developed 5G network. Again, though, speeds with these services are highly variable, so it’s entirely possible AT&T will actually be the fastest option in your area. We also really appreciate the fact that AT&T’s router looks relatively normal on a shelf—sometimes it’s the little details that make the difference.

The big downside with AT&T Internet Air is that it’s still really hard to get. It’s only available in a handful of locations. These also happen to all be big cities, which unfortunately rules out Internet Air as a rural internet option. AT&T’s plan is to eventually roll out Internet Air to a wider audience as a replacement for older DSL services, but how long this process will take remains to be seen.

Our general recommendation is to go with whatever provider you already have for cell service, to take advantage of discounts. The best part of most of these plans is the low price, but you usually have to have eligible cell service to get the best deals. That’s not the case with Straight Talk Home Internet—it’s a fantastic option for almost any user, regardless of which provider you use for cell service.

Straight Talk is a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO). In other words, it rents bandwidth on  other providers’ networks to provide service. Straight Talk uses a combination of T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T towers, which gives it a very large coverage area. Even better, Straight Talk doesn’t require you to have a cell plan with the company to get the best prices—the Home Internet plan starts at $45 per month, and if you sign up for auto-renewal, you can save $5, bringing the total down to just $40 per month.

There are two potential downsides to Straight Talk Home Internet. The first is that it advertises the slowest max speeds of any 5G home internet plan, at 100Mbps. While your actual speed may be similar to other providers, it’s also possible that you’ll get faster speeds elsewhere—again, it just varies from place to place.

Our other gripe is that Straight Talk requires customers to purchase a router for a one-time cost of $99. All the other 5G home internet services include a router with your plan at no additional cost. We assume the difference here is because Straight Talk is a prepaid service. It’s not a huge fee, given the low monthly price, but it’s worth mentioning.

Overall, we still think T-Mobile is the best all-around service. If you have T-Mobile or are considering switching to it for cell service, the price is tough to beat. It’s also fast, reliable, super-simple, and built on the largest 5G network in the U.S. Perhaps the best part is that the huge coverage area makes it a realistic option for many rural customers, who might otherwise be stuck with slower and much more expensive satellite service.

That said, we also think most people should just go with whichever provider they use (or plan to switch to) for cell service. These services are all so similar that price usually becomes the deciding factor, and bundling is usually how you get the best price. The one exception here is Straight Talk, which we recommend for any customers on an MVNO plan like Mint Mobile, Visible, or (obviously) Straight Talk. 

At SatelliteInternet.com, we base our analyses on thorough research, including customer interviews, first-hand testing, results from our speed test tool, and proprietary internet provider data on speeds and pricing. We also dive deep to get all the details on plans, fees, and future developments. We then bring this info together in one place so you can find it easily. Finally, we use our satellite internet industry expertise to help you make the best decisions you can for your household. As always, thanks for reading!

Yes, 5G is definitely fast enough for home internet. That said, it’s not going to be as fast as a more traditional cable or fiber connection. For example, T-Mobile is generally the most consistently fast 5G provider, and its maximum average speeds range from 72 to 245Mbps. Obviously, that’s not going to match up to a cable or fiber plan with 500 or 1,000Mbps. Where 5G really shines is in rural areas or other spots where those speedy cable and fiber plans aren’t available.

No, not likely. The main reason is that the vast majority of devices (including tablets and laptops) don’t have cellular connectivity on board—but they do have Wi-Fi. In fact, the way 5G home internet works is by taking a 5G signal and turning it into a home Wi-Fi network that your other devices can connect to, sort of like a permanent in-home hotspot.

5G home internet prices range from around $35 per month to $80 per month. Generally, the lowest prices are reserved for customers that also have a qualifying cell plan. For example, T-Mobile Home Internet is $60 per month, but bundling with certain wireless plans can drop the price down to $50 or even $40 per month.

5G home internet speeds vary a lot based on location. Providers advertise speeds ranging from up to 100Mbps (Straight Talk) to as much as 1,000Mbps (Verizon). However, the actual speeds customers will see depend heavily on the network in a given area—how many towers, how many other users, etc. For these reasons, it’s really hard to predict the speed you’ll see with a given provider.

That said, a good indicator could be cell coverage in your area. If a provider has a reputation for a strong signal and lots of coverage, you’re more likely to have a good experience with its 5G home internet service in that area.