AT&T Internet Air vs. Verizon: Which Internet Provider Is Best?
Both providers have affordable 5G—but only Verizon has fast fiber
Aug 13, 2025 | Share 
Provider Comparisons (Versus)
-
Best for former DSL customers
- Customer rating: 3/5
- Price: $60/mo.*
- Speed: Up to 300Mbps
- Internet type: 5G
-
Best for fast speeds
- Customer rating: 3/5
- Price: $49.99–$109.99/mo.† w/ Auto Pay
- Speed: 300–2,300Mbps
- Internet type: Fiber, 5G
Data as of 07/29/2025. Availability and speed may vary by location, and prices are subject to change. See disclaimers.
Compare AT&T Internet Air and Verizon head-to-head
If you have a choice between Verizon and AT&T Air, go with Verizon. Both offer fixed wireless 5G and 4G LTE home internet service, which uses a wireless signal from local cell towers. Both providers offer free equipment, but you’re more likely to qualify for service from Verizon, and you’ll have a better choice of plans and speeds.
Depending on where you live, you may also be able to access Verizon’s unbeatable Fios fiber internet service, which blows 5G out of the water in terms of speed and value.
Pros and cons: AT&T Internet Air vs. Verizon
Pros
Free internet gateway
No contracts or data caps
Solid coverage in rural areas
Cons
Smaller geographic footprint
Slower speeds than Verizon 5G
Pros
Multiple plan options
More deals for new customers
Streaming service perks
Cons
Expensive mobile bundles
Higher price for 5G
On this page:
Plans and pricing | Extra fees | Customer ratings | Bundles | Installation | Availability
On this page:
Plans and pricing: AT&T Internet Air vs. Verizon
Both AT&T Internet Air and Verizon offer fixed wireless home internet service nationwide, but only in areas where the providers have excess capacity on their cell towers.
Both offer faster and cheaper services than satellite internet. However, both can suffer from poor latency and congestion-related slowdowns and can be more expensive and less reliable than cable internet.
Verizon 5G has been around longer and gets you faster speeds than AT&T’s 5G, while its Fios fiber internet packages remain the gold standard for speed and reliability.
AT&T Internet Air plans and pricing
| Package | Starting price | Speed | Connection type |
|---|---|---|---|
| AT&T Internet Air | $60.00/mo.* | Up to 300Mbps | 5G fixed wireless |
Data as of 07/29/2025. Availability and speed may vary by location, and prices are subject to change. See disclaimers.
You get a solid deal from AT&T Internet Air, especially if you were previously stuck on a subpar DSL plan. The package costs a flat fee of $60 a month with no extra fees for installation or equipment and no need to sign an annual contract. In exchange, you get download speeds up to 300Mbps, upload speeds as fast as 30Mbps, and unlimited data.
The price is a little higher than we recommend for basic home internet, but you get a 20% monthly discount if you bundle Internet Air with a qualifying AT&T mobile phone plan. That brings your total to a very reasonable $48 per month.
Verizon plans and pricing
| Package | Starting price | Speed | Connection type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fios 300 Mbps | $49.99/mo.† w/ Auto Pay | 300Mbps | Fiber |
| Fios 500 Mbps | $74.99/mo.† w/ Auto Pay | 500Mbps | Fiber |
| Fios 1 Gig | $89.99/mo.† w/ Auto Pay | Up to 940Mbps | Fiber |
| Fios 2 Gig | $109.99/mo.† w/ Auto Pay | Up to 2,048Mbps | Fiber |
| 5G Home Ultimate | $75/mo.† w/ Auto Pay | Up to 1,000Mbps | 5G fixed wireless |
| 5G Home Plus | $60/mo.† w/ Auto Pay | Up to 500Mbps | 5G fixed wireless |
| 5G Home | $50/mo.† w/ Auto Pay | Up to 300Mbps | 5G fixed wireless |
| LTE Home | $50/mo.† w/ Auto Pay | Up to 50Mbps | 4G LTE fixed wireless |
| LTE Home Plus | $70/mo.† w/ Auto Pay | Up to 50Mbps | 4G LTE fixed wireless |
Data as of 08/13/2025. Availability and speed may vary by location, and prices are subject to change. See disclaimers.
† Price per month with Auto Pay & without select 5G mobile plans. Consumer data usage is subject to the usage restrictions set forth in Verizon’s terms of service; visit: https://www.verizon.com/support/customer-agreement/ for more information about 5G Home and LTE Home Internet or https://www.verizon.com/about/terms-conditions/verizon-customer-agreement for Fios internet.
Verizon offers multiple fixed wireless and fiber plans, but what you can get depends on your address. The fiber plans provide the best value and reliability, since you’ll have fiber-optic cables laid to your house. If you’re stuck with a 4G LTE or 5G plan, start with the cheaper plan and upgrade only if you have bandwidth issues.
Both 5G plans cost more than AT&T Internet Air, but they get you much faster speeds. And you can get a $15 monthly discount on your plan when you bundle with a Verizon unlimited phone plan.
Shopping for speedy home internet?
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Deals and promotions: AT&T Internet Air vs. Verizon
- Get a gift card worth up to $150 when you order an AT&T fiber plan with at least 1 Gig speeds
- Get six months of fiber internet free when you bundle with AT&T mobile and buy a smartphone on installment
- Get your cancellation fee covered in full when you switch to AT&T fiber
- Get free access to NFL Sunday Ticket or $400 off Samsung products when you sign up for Fios 1 Gig, 2 Gig, 5G Home Ultimate, or LTE Home Plus from Verizon by August 27
- Veterans, teachers, and first responders can get Fios home internet from Verizon for just $45 per month
- Get one Verizon Perk free when you sign up for certain fixed wireless or fiber plans, worth up to $10 per month
Extra fees: AT&T Internet Air vs. Verizon
You don’t have to pay extra fees with either Verizon or AT&T Air, other than the standard taxes charged by your local jurisdiction. Equipment is covered in your plan price, and there are no contracts or data caps to worry about. You can even waive the $99 installation fee on Verizon Fios if you order online.
Price hikes are also rare among these providers, and Verizon even offers a sweet multi-year price guarantee depending on when you sign up.
Customer ratings: AT&T Internet Air vs. Verizon
|
|
| |
|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 3.9 | 3.9 |
| Reliability | 3.8 | 4.0 |
| Customer service | 3.8 | 3.9 |
AT&T and Verizon both got top rankings in our Annual Customer Satisfaction Survey. At the end of the day, both providers have happy customers.
5G and other fixed wireless tech types got the highest ratings for overall satisfaction, price, and customer service—beating out even fiber-optic internet, the usual belle of the ball.
Looking for reliable home internet?
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Best mobile and internet bundles
| Bundle deal | How to get it | View on provider’s site |
|---|---|---|
| 20% off AT&T Internet Air | Order a qualifying AT&T mobile plan | |
| $15/mo. off Verizon home internet | Order a qualifying Verizon mobile plan |
You can get both home internet and mobile phone service from either AT&T or Verizon, and you’ll save money on your monthly internet bill if you do. Mobile phone plans from each provider can be expensive, though, unless you have multiple lines on your account.
Installation: AT&T Internet Air vs. Verizon
| Installation options | View on provider’s site | |
|---|---|---|
|
| No fee for installation | |
|
| Free installation for 5G Home; $99 installation fee for Fios (waived when you order online) |
Installation is straightforward, whether you’re ordering from Verizon or AT&T. With AT&T Internet Air, you get a self-install kit in the mail and use an app to get instructions on setting up a gateway called the All-Fi Hub. Verizon 5G Home Internet also comes with a self-install kit and easy instructions (available via app) showing you how to set it up. In both cases, you can get your internet up and running within 15 to 20 minutes.
Verizon’s Fios fiber service may be a little more complicated. If you don’t already have a fiber drop and optical network terminal (ONT) at your house, you’ll need to get a technician to come by and set that up. Aside from that, though, setup is relatively easy, mainly consisting of you setting up the gateway and choosing a Wi-Fi network name and password.
Availability: AT&T Internet Air vs. Verizon
Verizon 5G fixed wireless reaches about 25% of areas tracked by the FCC, while AT&T reaches about 15%. Whether you can sign up depends on how many other customers there are in your area, though. Furthermore, your signal quality depends on your distance from the nearest tower and whether there are any obstructions (like buildings and trees) between you and the tower.
Start by entering your address on each provider’s site. If you’re eligible, you’ll see a list of plans. If you don’t know what plan to pick, start by calculating how much speed your household needs and comparing prices for plans with enough bandwidth.
Looking for faster home internet?
Enter your zip code to compare local providers.
Final call: AT&T Internet Air vs. Verizon
We choose Verizon over AT&T in this contest because the service is easier to get and you have more plan choices, but you really can’t go wrong either way.
Disclaimers
* AT&T Air
Price includes $10/mo. discount when you sign up for paperless billing and AutoPay with a debit card or bank account. Or $5/mo. with a credit card.
† Verizon
Price per month without select 5G mobile plans. Consumer data usage is subject to the usage restrictions set forth in Verizon’s terms of service; visit: https://www.verizon.com/support/customer-agreement/ for more information about 5G Home and LTE Home Internet or https://www.verizon.com/about/terms-conditions/verizon-customer-agreement for Fios internet.
Author - Chili Palmer
Chili Palmer covers home tech services, with a special focus on understanding what families need and how they can stay connected on a budget. She handles internet access and affordability, breaking news, mobile services, and consumer trends. Chili’s work as a writer, reporter, and editor has appeared in publications including Telecompetitor, Utah Business, Idaho Business Review, Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, and Switchful.com.
Editor - Jessica Brooksby
Jessica loves bringing her passion for the written word and her love of tech into one space at HighSpeedInternet.com. She works with the team’s writers to revise strong, user-focused content so every reader can find the tech that works for them. Jessica has a bachelor’s degree in English from Utah Valley University and seven years of creative and editorial experience. Outside of work, she spends her time gaming, reading, painting, and buying an excessive amount of Legend of Zelda merchandise.
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