Best Internet Providers in Richardson, Texas

What is the best internet provider in Richardson?

AT&T Fiber Optic is generally the best internet provider for most households in Richardson. With symmetrical speeds and no data caps or monthly equipment fees, it’s an excellent choice for home internet in the city. If AT&T Fiber isn’t available at your address, Spectrum and T-Mobile are solid choices that also offer unlimited data.

If you’re looking for the lowest monthly costs in Richardson, Astound Broadband offers a 300 megabit per second connection for $20 per month. Astound’s coverage is sparse in the area, so Spectrum’s 100 Mbps for $30 per month may be the cheapest option for most residents. For those who need speed, the fastest available internet speed in the city is 5,000 Mbps, which is offered by AT&T Fiber for $245 per month.

Best internet in Richardson, Texas

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Other available internet providers in Richardson

• Amazing broadband: While Astound Broadband is not available to most Richardson residents, some households may be able to access services near Dallas, Frisco or McKinney. Astound offers speeds of up to 1,500 Mbps for just $55, so it’s worth seeing if this is an option for you.
• Border: If you live closer to Garland or Plano, you can probably get service from Frontier Communications. Frontier has great prices with one of the fastest speeds offered in Richardson.
• Rise broadband: This fixed wireless internet provider offers plans starting at $55 per month for speeds up to 50 Mbps. Rise Broadband is available in areas near Garland and Plano.
• Satellite internet: Of course, satellite internet from Hughesnet, Viasat or Starlink is an option, wherever you live. But it shouldn’t be your first choice: with high prices and slow speeds, there are cheaper and faster options available.
• Verizon 5G home internet: Verizon 5G Home Internet is available to approximately 34% of Richardson households and can reach speeds of up to 250 Mbps. You can choose between two plans: $50 per month for 50-85 Mbps and $70 per month for 85-250 Mbps. Neither plan requires a contract or monthly equipment fees; data is unlimited.

Cheap Internet Options in Richardson

Astound Broadband offers 300 Mbps for $20 per month for those looking for the cheapest option. However, many residents in the area will not be reachable by Astound Broadband, according to the FCC’s coverage map. A more widely accessible option for cheap broadband is Spectrum’s Advantage plan, which offers 100 Mbps download speeds for just $30 per month.

What is the cheapest internet plan in Richardson?

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

How to Find Internet Deals and Promotions in Richardson

The best internet deals and top promotions in Richardson depend on what discounts are available during that time. Most offers are short-lived, but we regularly review the latest offers.

Richardson internet providers such as Spectrum and Astound Broadband may offer lower introductory prices or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Many, including AT&T and Verizon, have the same standard prices year-round.

For a more comprehensive list of promos, check out our guide to the best internet deals.

How fast is Richardson broadband?

Recently Ookla speed test data ranks Texas as the 15th fastest state for broadband, with an average download speed of 224 Mbps. For Richardson, Ookla reports that the city’s average download speed is about 318 Mbps, which is higher than the state average and the nearby city of Dallas’ average speed of 143 Mbps. (Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.)

If you’re looking for high-speed plans in Richardson, you have a few providers. AT&T Fiber offers speeds of up to 5 Gbps, which is pretty fast for home internet. AT&T’s fastest plan will cost you $245 per month. Spectrum offers 1 gig of speed for $70 per month if you only have access to a cable connection.

Fastest Internet Plans in Richardson

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

What is a good internet speed?

Most internet plans can now handle basic productivity and communication tasks. If you’re looking for an internet plan that’s suitable for video conferencing, video streaming, or gaming, you’ll have a better experience with a more robust connection. Here you will find an overview of the recommended minimum download speeds for different applications, according to the FCC. Please note that these are guidelines only and internet speed, service and performance will vary by connection type, provider and address.

For more information, see our guide to how much internet speed you really need.

• With 0 to 5 Mbps you can handle the basics: surfing the web, sending and receiving email, and streaming low-quality video.
• 5 to 40 Mbps gives you higher quality video streaming and video conferencing.
• 40 to 100 Mbps should give one person enough bandwidth to meet the demands of modern telecommuting, video streaming and online gaming.
• With 100 to 500 Mbps, one to two people can simultaneously participate in high-bandwidth activities such as video conferencing, streaming and online gaming.
• With 500 to 1,000 Mbps, three or more people can simultaneously participate in high-bandwidth activities such as video conferencing, streaming and online gaming.

How CNET chose the best Internet providers in Richardson

Internet providers are numerous and regional. Unlike the latest smartphone, laptop, router, or kitchen tool, it’s impractical to personally test every Internet provider in a given city. What is our approach? For starters, we use a proprietary pricing, availability, and speed database that’s based on our own historical ISP data, partner data, and Federal Communications Commission card information at FCC.gov.

It doesn’t stop there: we go to the FCC’s website to check our data and make sure we’re taking into account every ISP that provides service in an area. We also enter local addresses on provider websites to find specific options for residents. We look to sources, including the American Customer Satisfaction Index and JD Power, to evaluate how satisfied customers are with an ISP’s service. ISP plans and prices are subject to frequent changes; all information provided is accurate at the time of publication.

Once we have this localized information, we ask three main questions:

• Does the provider offer access to reasonably high internet speeds?
• Do customers get a good price for what they pay?
• Are customers satisfied with their service?

The answers to these questions are often layered and complex, but the providers that come closest to ‘yes’ to all three questions are the ones we recommend. When selecting the cheapest internet service, we look at the subscriptions with the lowest monthly amount, but we also take into account things such as price increases, equipment costs and contracts. Choosing the fastest internet service is relatively easy. We look at advertised upload and download speeds and take into account real-world speed data from sources such as Ookla And FCC reports.

Visit our page on how we test ISPs to explore our process in more depth.

What’s the final word on ISPs in Richardson?

While you may have to go with whichever provider is available in your home, there are still plenty of fast plans and affordable options in Richardson. AT&T Fiber ranks as the top choice for residents due to its symmetrical download and upload speeds and simple service details. If you want to bundle your TV service and internet, Spectrum is the best option in town. For smaller households, T-Mobile Home Internet is also a good choice in the region and may better suit your home internet needs.

Internet Service Providers in Richardson Frequently Asked Questions