Internet

Best Internet Providers in Georgia

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AT&T Fiber – Best overall among internet providers in Georgia

• Prices: $55 – $180 per month
• Speeds: 300 – 5,000Mbps
• Key Info: Unlimited data, no contracts, equipment included

Xfinity – Best cable provider among internet providers in Georgia

• Prices: $20 – $300 per month
• Speeds: 75 – 6,000Mbps
• Key Info: Data caps on some plans, lots of plan options, solid customer satisfaction numbers

Check with Xfinity Internet

T-Mobile Home Internet – Most available 5G home internet provider in Georgia

• Prices: $50 per month
• Speeds: 72 – 245Mbps
• Key Info: Unlimited data, equipment included, no contracts, no additional fees

Google Fiber – Best gigabit service among internet providers in the Atlanta area

• Prices: $70 – $100 per month
• Speeds: 1,000 – 2,000Mbps
• Key Info: Unlimited data, no contracts, equipment included

Metaphorically speaking, Georgians, what internet service provider will allow you to use the web the way some of your states drivers use its roads (that is, very fast in the left lane)?

Whats the best internet overall in Georgia?

Itll depend on where you live, but for those who have access to it, AT&T Fiber is CNETs pick for the best internet in Georgia. It will be your best bet for its speed, reliability and pricing. CNET examines customer service, speed, pricing and overall value before recommending the best broadband in your area. 

AT&T Fiber, however, is fairly limited within the state, and worse yet, there are only a handful of ISP options even within Georgias urban areas — check out our guide to ISPs in Atlanta — mainly Xfinity, Spectrum and Google Fiber. AT&T also offers its copper-based internet in Georgia, but we dont recommend it. 

In rural areas, there are even fewer choices, mainly boiling down to Kinetic by Windstream, Mediacom and Sparklight, depending on the area. Statewide, 5G home internet from both T-Mobile and Verizon are available based on individual addresses as well as satellite internet from HughesNet, Viasat and SpaceX, whose Starlink satellite internet service is available in certain pockets of the Peach State. 

Best internet options in Georgia

Your choice of ISP may be limited in Georgia, particularly if you live in a rural area, but the below list should make choosing among your available options a bit easier. All prices listed on this page reflect available discounts for setting up paperless billing. If you decide not to go with automatic monthly payments, your price will be higher.

Note: The prices, speeds and features detailed in the article text may differ from those listed in the product detail cards, representing providers national offerings. Your particular internet service options — including prices and speeds — depend on your address and may differ from those detailed here.

AT&T Fiber

Best overall among internet providers in Georgia

Check availability

Product details

Price range

$55 – $180 per month

Speed range

300 – 5,000Mbps

Connection

Fiber

Key Info

Unlimited data, no contracts, equipment included

For those Georgians who have the option, AT&Ts fiber internet comes highly recommended due to its speed, value and reliability. Too bad its only available to about a third of the states households.

Availability: AT&T Fiber is available in Atlanta and its surrounding suburbs, Fort Oglethorpe, Lagrange, Macon, Columbus, Augusta, Savannah, Albany, Valdosta and Brunswick. AT&Ts lesser copper-based internet is also available in these same areas as well as Royston, Elberton, Cedartown, Greenville, Woodbury, Cochran, Eastman, Dublin, Sandersville, Swainsboro, Waynesboro, Vidalia, Waycross, Americus, Cordele, Sylvester, Tifton, Camilla, Bainbridge and Jesup.

Plans and pricing: AT&T offers five fiber internet plans, ranging from 300Mbps for $55 a month, 500Mbps for $65, 1,000Mbps for $80, 2,000Mbps for $110 and 5,000Mbps for $180. The $55 a month copper-based service features download speeds from 5 to 100Mbps.

Fees and service details: There are no data caps or contracts for AT&T Fiber, which offers free Wi-Fi equipment.

Read our AT&T home internet review.

Check AT&T Fiber availability

Xfinity

Best cable provider among internet providers in Georgia

Check availability

Product details

Price range

$20 – $300 per month

Speed range

75 – 6,000Mbps

Connection

Cable

Key Info

Data caps on some plans, lots of plan options, solid customer satisfaction numbers

Xfinity, Comcast’s internet service, is available in many of the same places as AT&T’s fiber service in Georgia, and our recommendation tips toward the latter. But if AT&T Fiber is not an option for you, or you want a cheaper internet plan, Xfinity is a solid choice.

Availability: Xfinity’s internet offering (mostly cable, but on rare occasion fiber, based on address) is available in Atlanta and its surrounding suburbs, LaFayette, Fort Oglethorpe, Elberton, Hartwell, Augusta, Waynesboro, Savannah, Jesup, Brunswick, Montezuma, Homerville and Kingsland.

Plans and pricing: Xfinity offers seven plans in Georgia: 75Mbps for $30, 200Mbps for $35 a month, 400Mbps for $55, 800Mbps for $65, 1,000Mbps for $75, 1,200Mbps for $80 and 2,000Mbps for $100.

Fees and service details: Xfinity does not cap data in Georgia, and there’s an optional $15 fee for a router and modem. The prices for the 400, 800, 1,000 and 1,200 plans require a two-year term contract.

Read our Xfinity Internet review.

Check Xfinity Internet availability

T-Mobile Home Internet

Most available 5G home internet provider in Georgia

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Product details

Price range

$50 per month ($30 for eligible mobile customers)

Speed range

72 – 245Mbps

Connection

Fixed wireless

Key Info

Unlimited data, equipment included, no contracts, no additional fees

5G home internet offerings from both T-Mobile and Verizon are available in Georgia, but where the former outshines its competitor is its reach: T-Mobiles internet service is available to about 92% of the states households, according to the FCC, while Verizons reach is limited to 14%.

Availability: Aside from just a few spots on the map, T-Mobiles 5G is available statewide. However, youll need to enter your address into the companys portal to see if your household is eligible and if there are open slots in your area.

Plans and pricing: T-Mobiles 5G home internet service offers one plan with speeds ranging from 72 to 245Mbps for $50 monthly. If you already have the companys Go5G Plus or Magenta Max plan, youll pay $30 a month, while T-Mobile customers with Go5G, Magenta or Essentials plans pay $40.

Fees and service details: There are no equipment fees, data caps or contracts with T-Mobile Home Internet.

Read our T-Mobile Home Internet review.

Check T-Mobile availability

Kinetic by Windstream

Best fiber internet provider for rural Georgia

Check availability

Kinetic by Windstream provides fiber, cable and DSL-based internet in many parts of Georgia that the larger players dont service.

Availability: Kinetic internet is available in towns north of Atlanta going to the Tennessee and North Carolina borders, including Dalton, Blairsville, Cleveland, Nelson and Commerce, Athens, Milledgeville, Thomaston, Perry, Warner Robins, Springfield, Douglas, Moultrie, Folkston, Quitman and Cuthbert.

Plans and pricing: Itll depend on the town, but heres pricing we found for Perry, which has access to Kinetics fiber internet: 500Mbps for $40 per month, 1,000Mbps for $70, 2,000Mbps for $180 and a whopping 8,000Mbps for $300.

Fees and service details: There are no data caps and contracts with Kinetic. Equipment is optional, with the company charging $10 monthly for a Wi-Fi hub.

Read our Kinetic by Windstream review.

Check Kinetic by Windstream availability

Google Fiber

Best gigabit service among internet providers in the Atlanta area

Check availability

Product details

Price range

$70 – $100 per month

Speed range

1,000 – 2,000Mbps

Connection

Fiber

Key Info

Unlimited data, no contracts, equipment included

Google Fiber doesn’t have a big footprint in Georgia, but if you’re within its coverage area, you can get a lot of speed for a fair price.

Availability: As noted in our Atlanta internet guide: « Serviceability is scarce in the heart of Atlanta, but surrounding areas, particularly to the north and east such as Old Fourth Ward, Midtown and Buckhead will see the best Google Fiber availability. »

Plans and pricing: Google Fiber’s gig plan starts at $70 a month. Its higher tier plan with max download speeds of 2,000Mbps and upload speeds of up to 1,000Mbps cost $100.

Fees and service details: Wi-Fi equipment and unlimited data are included at no extra cost. No contract is required.

Read our Google Fiber review.

Check Google Fiber availability

Source: CNET analysis of provider data

Internet access in rural Georgia isn’t too hard to come by. Various ISPs, including Hargray, Kinetic by Windstream and Mediacom, provide wired connections in various parts of the state. Still, its worthwhile to compare these providers to the 5G home internet options from T-Mobile and Verizon, which have availability throughout Georgia. If your options are still severely limited, there are three choices for satellite internet, although Viasat and Starlink have limitations within the state.

Georgia internet details at a glance

No surprise, but Georgias cities fare much better in terms of ISP choices than the rest of the state. Even still, only 36% of Georgians have access to fiber-based internet. But everyone in the Peach State can get online at decent speeds, even if its through a rural or satellite carrier.

Georgia internet speeds

Likely due to the availability of fiber internet from AT&T, Google and Kinetic by Windstream, median download speeds in Georgia sit at about 178Mbps, according to Ookla, positioning the state at 31st among the 50 states and the District of Columbia in terms of download speeds. Interestingly, Ookla does not hail one of the fiber providers as the fastest in Georgia. That distinction goes to Spectrum, with median download speeds of about 234Mbps. On the city side, in Ooklas rankings of the 100 most populous US cities, Atlanta fared poorly, coming in near the bottom at 99th place, with median download speeds of about 93Mbps. Google Fiber is the fastest carrier there, with median speeds of approximately 276Mbps.

Internet pricing in Georgia

What youll pay for internet in Georgia will come down to where you live and what providers service your area, but a good expectation for the monthly cost of connecting online in the Peach State is about $40. The cheapest plans available are Xfinitys 75Mbps plan for $30 per month, the 200Mbps plan for $35 a month, and Mediacoms 100Mbps plan for the starting price of $20 monthly. Those who qualify for the FCCs Affordable Connectivity Program could get $30 knocked off their monthly bills.

The future of broadband in Georgia

Georgia is set to receive $1.3 billion in federal funds from the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program, the Georgia Recorderreports. BEAD aims to build thousands of miles of fiber-optic cables and provide a $30 monthly discount on internet bills for economically disadvantaged families. This is the latest funding the state received to expand internet access. Earlier this year, Governor Brian Kemp announced $234 million in funding to improve connectivity for 28 Georgia counties. Smaller projects are already taking shape. Conexon Connect, an ISP formed by the rural fiber-optic network design and construction management company, announced plans to expand fiber access in Grady County using federal funds. Windstream has also announced plans to expand access in Georgia’s southern and northern parts.