Our picks
Why we selected these suppliers
Kind by
Greatest no-contract ISP (if you may get it)
Greatest no-contract cable web
500 – 1,000 Mbps; 2Gbps obtainable in choose markets
Greatest different for rural areas
Greatest for buyer satisfaction
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In search of the proper internet provider means quite a lot of time and analysis. US adults are paying $195 more for their internet than final yr, in keeping with a CNET survey. As such, you need to make sure that you’ve got picked one of the best internet provider and are getting one of the best on your cash. To save lots of you the time, we have discovered ISPs with aggressive pricing, quick speeds and no contract necessities. Discover your greatest match with our high picks for no-contract web service suppliers.
What’s one of the best no-contract web supplier general?
CNET’s high decide for one of the best general no-contract web is GFiber. With high-speed web (two plans of 1,000 and three,000 megabits per second obtainable in all serviceable areas and even sooner speeds in choose areas), no equipment fees or data caps, it beats all different ISPs on this class. There’s rather a lot to love about GFiber. There’s just one downside — it has restricted availability nationwide. In case you’re not in one of many 19 states the place it operates, don’t be concerned: You’ll be able to nonetheless get fast web speeds for a aggressive worth with AT&T Fiber or any of the opposite suppliers we talk about under.
Take note: Not signing a contract would not all the time imply you are getting one of the best worth. Many 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 have famous the cost per Mbps for every no-contract web supplier. It is a wonderful strategy to examine apples to apples when pitting web plan speeds and costs in opposition to one another.
Greatest no-contract web service suppliers
1,000 – 8,000 Mbps
$70 – $150 monthly
Our take – At first look, GFiber plans appear costly, however they boast a wonderful price per Mbps. There are 5 choices: The most affordable begins at $70 monthly, and the most costly tops out at $150 month-to-month. You’ll be able to count on speeds from 1 gigabit (1,000Mbps) to eight gigabits (8,000Mbps), with the associated fee per Mbps at an inexpensive 7 cents and a couple of cents, respectively. Supported by a fiber-optic connection, you may count on absolutely symmetrical speeds and a dependable connection. You are getting a quick connection on your cash general. On high of that, your tools is included in your month-to-month worth and there isn’t any extra price for set up, which is a good deal.
1,000 – 8,000 Mbps
$70 – $150 monthly
300 – 1,500 Mbps
$30 – $70 monthly
Our take – On the subject of low-cost promo pricing, Astound comes out on high. It has fairly a worth vary obtainable throughout its numerous markets, however an aggressively aggressive common price of 5 cents per Mbps to start out. You will discover a 300Mbps plan for $30 month-to-month all through most of Astound’s footprint. That tough-to-beat worth falls nearer to the pack after your intro interval, however you will be hard-pressed to discover a higher worth on your preliminary service interval. Comparatively, different cable ISPs like Spectrum supply service beginning at $50 monthly. Moreover the worth, your service comes with no information caps or contracts.
300 – 1,500 Mbps
$30 – $70 monthly
10 – 140 Mbps
$55 monthly
Our take – There isn’t a want to fret about cancellation charges on any CenturyLink plan: None of them include any contractual commitments. The worth is fairly sturdy, too, for the reason that firm’s DSL plans supply a hard and fast worth price of $55 a month, which is difficult to beat amongst DSL choices. Nonetheless, the speeds you get can differ relying in your tackle. Your modem/router rental prices $17 additional monthly, however CenturyLink lets you skip it and use your individual tools.
10 – 140 Mbps
$55 monthly
500 – 1,000; 2gbps obtainable in choose markets Mbps
$50 – $80 monthly
Our take – Simple service phrases, strong pace choices and limitless information are all issues that make Spectrum stand out from the remainder of the cable ISPs. There are solely two plans — 500Mbps and 1 Gig — freed from contracts and information caps. The typical price per Mbps within the first yr for the 500Mbps plan is 10 cents, and it is 7 cents for the 1,000Mbps tier, which is kind of good for cable web. Needless to say Spectrum and lots of cable ISPs are infamous for rising their costs. Nonetheless, the second-year soar is not too steep (for an ISP, anyway), as much as 16 cents and 10 cents per Mbps for the 500Mbps and 1,000Mbps plans, respectively.
500 – 1,000; 2gbps obtainable in choose markets Mbps
$50 – $80 monthly
100 – 1,000 Mbps
$40 – $70 monthly
Our take – In case you stay in a rural space, it is simple to get tied down by a two-year contract from a satellite tv for pc ISP (we’re taking a look at you, Hughesnet). However you may ditch the contracts altogether, because of Kinetic by Windstream. You may get both DSL (a majority of its footprint) or fiber service (at present about one-fifth of its community) for a median price of 12 cents per Mbps through the promo interval. Whereas most plans supply a worth lock of 1 to 3 years, be careful for a worth soar within the gig plan, which can soar by $30 after three months.
100 – 1,000 Mbps
$40 – $70 monthly
300 – 5,000 Mbps
$55 – $250 monthly
Our take – Out there to roughly a 3rd of its footprint, AT&T Fiber plans present glorious worth. 5 totally different plan choices (300, 500 and 1,000Mbps, in addition to 2 and 5 gigabits) vary in worth from $55 to $245 monthly, with no information caps or contracts. Altogether, AT&T’s fiber plans common simply over 10 cents per Mbps, which is strong. Much more spectacular are the multi-gigabit plans, which common out to below 7 cents per Mbps.
300 – 5,000 Mbps
$55 – $250 monthly
300 – 2,000 Mbps
$50 – $120 monthly
Our take – Verizon Fios, the corporate’s fiber web possibility, would not require contracts and its pricing is fairly clear-cut. It provides 4 totally different plans: 300, 500, 1 gig and a couple of gigs, with a median price of about 11 cents per Mbps. Moreover, it scores excessive in buyer satisfaction in each ISP survey. It nabbed the highest spot for 2023 and 2024 within the J.D. Energy survey for the East area. It additionally did nicely within the annual American Buyer Satisfaction Index report, scoring 76 out of 100 factors, above the trade common.
300 – 2,000 Mbps
$50 – $120 monthly
Further no-contract web suppliers to contemplate
- Cox Communications: There’s flexibility right here, but it surely comes at a price. Cox would not require you to signal a contract to obtain web service, but it surely does encourage clients to signal a two-year agreement. Cox additionally provides low-cost internet options, which function 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 strategy, you will pay 30 cents per Mbps, which is increased than the typical of all different plans Cox provides.
- Frontier Communications: You will not have to fret about binding contracts for both Frontier Web (DSL) or Frontier Fiber. Gear charges are additionally included within the month-to-month worth. For first-year pricing, Frontier Fiber clients will see a median price of 6 cents per Mbps, whereas DSL clients can count on to pay $2.60 per Mbps.
- Mediacom: Xtream web picks don’t require you to signal a long-term contract. Throughout all three plans, you may count on to pay a median of 10 cents per Mbps through the first to 2 years of service; after that, the typical price per Mbps jumps to 17 cents.
- Optimum: No Optimum plans have information caps or contracts and so they supply a few of the greatest promo pricing for cable web. Your first-year pricing for fiber plans can have a median price per Mbps of slightly below 7 cents. The typical price per Mbps for cable plans is round 10 cents.
- Rise Broadband: This mounted wi-fi web supplier provides obtain speeds from 50Mbps to 1,000Mbps. All plans include no information caps. Rise’s introductory costs differ by location, however the common price per Mbps within the first yr will be between 75 cents and $1. Rise Broadband additionally has a small fiber community, so when you’re eligible for that, the typical price per Mbps shall be round 11 cents.
- Sparklight: Sparklight provides aggressive introductory plans in choose rural areas throughout the nation. Though Sparklight’s pricing modifications relying in the marketplace, within the Alabama market, you may count on to pay a median of 15 cents per Mbps throughout all plans. As soon as the promo interval ends, that common price per Mbps jumps as much as 18 cents, which is not a very costly improve in costs for a rural supplier. Word that Sparklight enforces a tender cap of 5TB, so there’s the potential for extra charges when you exceed your month-to-month limits.
- Starlink: Elon Musk’s budding web service is exclusive amongst satellite internet providers as a result of it would not require a contract. Additionally, the typical price per Mbps of its customary plan (150Mbps) is simply over $1, which is great for that connection sort. The precedence plan, which provides max speeds of 220Mbps, drops the typical price per Mbps to six cents. That is fairly spectacular for an web expertise identified to fall on the pricier aspect. Starlink nonetheless requires a little bit of a dedication: You will need to make a one-time tools buy of $349 to $699 (or a large $1,499 when you’re buying the precedence plans). That is a giant chunk of change, which most cable and fiber web clients get to keep away from. Nonetheless, this could possibly be a digital lifeline for rural regions of the country that don’t have access to those connections.
- Starry Internet: This mounted wi-fi supplier makes use of millimeter-wave expertise to supply an answer much like 5G home internet. It provides no contracts, and the worth consists of tools, set up prices and limitless information. The typical price per Mbps for Starry Web is 17 cents within the first yr earlier than it jumps as much as 22 cents.
- T-Mobile 5G Home Internet: Much like Starry, T-Cell 5G Dwelling Web consists of all the things you want in your month-to-month worth, with no contracts required. All tools, set up charges and taxes are included at $50 to $70 a month (or $35 to $55 monthly for eligible cell clients). The price per Mbps is tough to pin down since speeds differ by tackle. T-Cell says that almost all clients can have a median obtain pace between 87 to 415Mbps. When CNET tested T-Mobile 5G 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. In the meantime, per T-Cell, it is attainable some may doubtlessly max out at 72Mbps. In different phrases, your speeds could differ and can rely upon whether or not you are close to a mobile tower. CNET’s Amanda Kooser described having inconsistent speeds with T-Mobile.
- Verizon 5G Home Internet: Verizon 5G Dwelling Web (its 5G 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 typical of 300Mbps, the typical price per Mbps can be 17 cents. Verizon 5G Dwelling Web is an all-in worth that features taxes, charges and tools.
- 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 provides 5 totally different plan choices, with a extremely aggressive common price of simply over 6 cents per Mbps throughout all plans.
- Xfinity: Xfinity would not require clients to signal a contract to get its lowest worth on web service. Nonetheless, these low costs are solely assured for a yr. That stated, when you select their five-year worth assure, you continue to have the choice to cancel with out penalty. Xfinity additionally provides a prepaid internet option that requires no contract and offers you 30 days of web service for $45 a month. No deposit is required, and there aren’t any extra charges or information caps. The utmost obtain pace provided is 200Mbps, that means this service has a median price of twenty-two cents per Mbps.
- 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 provides DSL and fiber plans, with the typical price per Mbps at 13 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 most cost-effective obtainable tier. The utmost pace is the highest marketed pace for these plans, but it surely won’t be obtainable in your space. Total, one of the best choice for you — and essentially the most cost-effective plan — may be a special tier that gives a sooner pace at the next worth however a greater worth. To extra absolutely perceive this value-based strategy, take a look at CNET’s information to examining the cost per Mbps.
| Plan | Beginning worth | Max obtain pace | Value per Mbps | Gear price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Altafiber Fioptics 400 | $40 | 400Mbps | 10 cents | None |
| Astound Broadband 300 Read full review |
$20 | 300Mbps | 7 cents | None |
| AT&T Fiber 300 Read full review |
$55 | 300Mbps | 18 cents | None |
| AT&T Web Air Read full review |
$60 | 300Mbps | 20 cents | None |
| Brightspeed Fiber 200 | $30 | 200Mbps | 15 cents | None |
| CenturyLink Merely Limitless Read full review |
$55 | 100Mbps | 55 cents | $17 (elective) |
| Frontier Fiber 500 Read full review |
$30 | 500Mbps | 6 cents | None |
| GFiber 1 Gig | $70 | 1,000Mbps | 7 cents | None |
| Kinetic Fiber 300 | $40 | 300Mbps | 13 cents | $11 (elective) |
| Mediacom Xtream 300 Web Read full review |
$50 | 300Mbps | 17 cents | $14 (elective) |
| Optimum 200 Read full review |
$25 | 200Mbps | 12 cents | None |
| Level Broadband Efficiency Plus | $59 | 300Mbps | 19 cents | $14 (elective, free in choose areas) |
| Quantum Fiber 200 | $50 | 200Mbps | 25 cents | None |
| Rise Broadband 50 Read full review |
$45 | 50Mbps | 90 cents | $10 modem (free in choose areas), $5-15 router (elective) |
| Sparklight Join 100 Read full review |
$35 | 100Mbps | 35 cents | $14 modem (elective) |
| Spectrum Web Read full review |
$50 | 500Mbps | 10 cents | Modem free, $10 router (elective) |
| Starlink Normal Read full review |
$120 | 150Mbps | 80 cents | $349 one-time buy |
| Starry Web 100 Read full review |
$30 | 100Mbps | 30 cents | None |
| T-Cell 5G Dwelling Web Limitless Read full review |
$50 | 415Mbps | 12 cents | None |
| Verizon 5G Dwelling Web Read full review |
$35 | 300Mbps | 12 cents | None |
| Verizon Fios 300 Read full review |
$35 | 300Mbps | 12 cents | None |
| WOW Web 300 Read full review |
$30 | 300Mbps | 10 cents | None |
| Xfinity 300Mbps Read full review |
$40 | 300Mbps | 13 cents | None |
| Ziply Fiber 100/100 | $20 | 100Mbps | 20 cents | $15 (elective) |
Present extra (20 gadgets)
Supply: CNET evaluation of supplier information.
Elements to contemplate when selecting a no-contract ISP
The price per Mbps
Crucial think about evaluating any ISP plan is the cost per megabit per second. A value per Mbps between 10 and 20 cents is fairly good, however essentially the most cost-efficient plans price round 5 cents per Mbps or decrease. It is improbable to keep away from signing a contract (and escape the looming menace of early termination charges plus the liberty of switching providers at any time), however you need to nonetheless do your homework.
Web connection sort
As well as, look into the type of internet connection provided by the ISP. Some households — particularly these in underserved or rural areas — could not have many choices. However the common rule is that 5G and satellite home internet are higher than DSL, cable internet is healthier than satellite tv for pc and 5G web, however fiber internet trumps all of them. As you could have already seen, the associated fee per Mbps of fiber web plans is usually fairly low as a result of fiber speeds outpace the speeds provided by different web connection varieties.
How we evaluated one of the best no-contract suppliers
Web service suppliers are quite a few and regional. In contrast to the newest smartphone, laptop, router or kitchen tool, it’s impractical to personally take a look at each ISP in a given metropolis. What’s our strategy? We begin by researching the pricing, availability and pace data, drawing on our personal historic ISP information, the supplier websites and mapping data from the Federal Communications Fee at FCC.gov.
It doesn’t finish there: We go to the FCC’s web site to verify our information and guarantee we think about each ISP that gives service in an space. We additionally enter native addresses on supplier web sites to search out particular choices for residents. We have a look at sources, together with the American Buyer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Energy, to guage how glad clients are with an ISP’s service. ISP plans and costs are topic to frequent modifications; all data offered is correct as of publication.
As soon as now we have this localized data, we ask three fundamental questions:
- Does the supplier supply entry to fairly quick web speeds?
- Do clients get first rate worth for what they’re paying?
- Are clients proud of their service?
The reply to these questions is usually layered and sophisticated, however the suppliers who come closest to “sure” on all three are those we advocate. To discover our course of in additional depth, go to our how we test ISPs web page.
What is the backside line on no-contract ISPs?
Typically, it looks like you have to signal away your firstborn youngster — or at the very least the following two years of your life — to get one of the best internet service in your area. It is easy to be swayed by slimmed-down introductory costs, however hefty invoice will increase and unrelenting additional charges could also be lurking behind that first-year cheer.
Fortunately, that is altering. Competitors is brewing amongst web service suppliers as we change into extra depending on broadband connections. That is one purpose why many ISPs have begun dropping their contract necessities. Plus, chances are you’ll even discover internet deals providing to purchase you out of your contract to get you to modify. That is 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 long-term settlement together with your web service supplier. For instance, with some ISPs, you have to decide to a two-year contract to get broadband protection. That is not no-contract web. True no-contract web means you need to be capable to cancel service at any time with out penalty (however the return of any leased tools).
Can I get Wi-Fi at house with no contract?
We get this query very often, as many assume they have to pay for Wi-Fi individually from their web service. That is not the case, usually. You usually get Wi-Fi if you enroll with an web supplier, as many will offer you a gateway. That is a mix of a modem (which connects your private home to the web) and a router (which takes that web sign from the modem and broadcasts it wirelessly to the opposite gadgets in your house). Even when your ISP solely gives the modem, you may lease a router or use your individual. If you may get an web connection at your tackle with out signing a contract, you need to have the choice to have Wi-Fi at your private home with out committing to a contract.
What’s the greatest no-contract web service supplier?
It could sound like a cop-out, however one of the best no-contract web supplier for you is the one which’s serviceable at your tackle. As we have talked about many instances in our ISP critiques, all issues being equal, if you may get fiber internet at your location, that is the way in which to go. It’s going to provide the greatest efficiency of all of the web connection varieties — you will get symmetrical obtain and add speeds — and can usually be essentially the most inexpensive by way of price per megabit per second. GFiber, which incorporates all tools prices and costs in your month-to-month price, is the most cost effective, averaging just a bit over 4 cents per Mbps. Its availability pales in comparison with the fiber plans of AT&T, for instance. In case you stay in one of many metro markets the place it provides service, GFiber is a straightforward alternative, however AT&T Fiber may be everybody else’s high possibility.
Can I get web with out paying upfront?
