AT&T vs. Mediacom

Compare AT&T and Mediacom head to head

AT&T and Mediacom rarely go head to head, but when they do, AT&T is the better long-term deal if you can get its fiber. It has faster speeds and better reliability than Mediacom’s cable internet, plus AT&T doesn’t raise your rates after 12 months or enforce data caps (fiber only) as Mediacom does. Go with AT&T if you can get it.

Plans and pricing: AT&T vs. Mediacom

AT&T provides fiber internet and Mediacom has cable, so your choices really boil down to the type of internet connections you can get. But keep in mind Mediacom has price hikes after the first year whereas AT&T doesn’t.

AT&T plans and pricing

AT&T has one of the fastest home fiber plans you can get at 5,000Mbps, but it ain’t cheap. Its slower plans are very affordable, though, and don’t increase in price after a specific period. You can cancel your fiber service at any time without worrying about early termination fees.

And while AT&T is available in many areas, very few of these areas are wired for fiber. You may see its fixed wireless internet instead if there’s no other wired connection in your area.

Mediacom plans and pricing

Mediacom is a decent megabits-per-dollar value during the first 12 months. Its gigabit plan is a steal when we compare it to similar plans offered by cable internet rivals Spectrum and Xfinity. But the price skyrockets after the first year—up to $85 more, depending on where you live. Ouch.

Another caveat is the data cap Mediacom enforces on each plan. AT&T doesn’t inflate your prices after 12 months, nor does it have data caps on its fiber plans, making it the better long-term deal. On the flip side, AT&T’s fiber rarely competes with Mediacom in the same space, so you’ll likely only see AT&T’s fixed wireless service overlapping Mediacom’s cable internet.

Extra fees: AT&T vs. Mediacom

Technically, both AT&T and Mediacom have data caps, but AT&T’s caps only apply to its DSL and fixed wireless internet, not its fiber. Both charge $10 for every 50GB you go over your monthly data allowance. Other than that, expect to pay high prices for pro installation and the typically-priced fees for equipment rentals.

Customer ratings: AT&T vs. Mediacom

AT&T ranks fourth in overall satisfaction among the 15 national internet providers in our latest customer satisfaction survey. Its strongest rating is in price satisfaction, with a score better than the national average in terms of no price hikes. AT&T ranks in the top four across all other categories, including speed satisfaction, where it pulls far ahead of Mediacom in meeting speed needs and delivering advertised speeds.

Mediacom ranks in the bottom half of every category in our customer satisfaction survey. It ranks best in speed, placing it eleventh out of 15 internet providers. Its weakest link is in price satisfaction, landing it near rock bottom and just ahead of Optimum. Mediacom’s introductory prices are great, but it has some of the highest price hikes we’ve seen, hence the low score.

Best TV and internet bundles

AT&T doesn’t bundle TV with its fiber internet even though we list bundles above. Instead, you can sign up for DIRECTV through AT&T to complement its fiber internet. You can stream DIRECTV to any TV without a satellite dish. You can also get traditional satellite TV service if you can’t get high-speed internet. There are no perks or discounts as seen with traditional TV and internet bundles.

Mediacom’s pricing for its gigabit plan and Variety TV includes a few extra perks than its other bundles, like the XtreamHD receiver. As with its standard internet service, its bundled plans go up in price after the first year, so be wary about what you tack on after you sign up.

Internet types: AT&T vs. Mediacom

DSL uses existing telephone lines to deliver internet to your home or office. It’s the slowest of the three types, with speeds of up to 140Mbps. AT&T does not offer DSL service to new customers.

Fiber is currently the fastest connection you can get. The maximum is 10,000Mbps both ways, but the fastest AT&T enables right now is 5,000Mbps. Cable internet is just as capable, but the most download speed you’ll see right now is 2,000Mbps. Mediacom’s fastest plan is half that.

AT&T is the only provider of the two with fixed wireless. This connection type uses transmitters to send and receive internet signals and is the best connection over satellite internet if you can’t get a landline connection.

Data caps: AT&T vs. Mediacom

As the chart shows, AT&T and Mediacom enforce data caps. The only exception is AT&T’s fiber, which (thankfully) doesn’t have data caps. Otherwise, expect to pay $10 for every 50GB you go over your monthly allowance.

Contracts: AT&T vs. Mediacom

AT&T’s internet plans come with no annual contracts, so you can cancel any time. Mediacom doesn’t require a contract either, but there are one- to three-year options.

Installation: AT&T vs. Mediacom

Don’t be fooled by AT&T’s cheap self-install option. We’re talking about fiber internet here, so your home or office must be wired for fiber internet already. If it’s not, a pro comes out and installs fiber from the street. Self-installing AT&T fiber usually consists of connecting a single gateway.

The same is true with Mediacom’s cable internet: It needs to be present in your home or office already to use the self-install option—which probably means just connecting a modem and router (or mesh system).

Availability: AT&T vs. Mediacom

AT&T’s fiber internet has a large presence in the Eastern and Central time zones except in the Northeast, where Verizon dominates the area from Virginia to Massachusetts. It has some fiber in Texas, too, and in California’s major metropolitan areas.

Mediacom’s cable internet mostly resides in Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. There’s some Mediacom cable scattered across the South and in Deleware, too, but you’ll rarely see it overlap with AT&T’s fiber internet.

AT&T’s fixed wireless also resides in the Eastern and Central time zones. It has a larger presence than AT&T’s fiber and Mediacom’s cable, although right now, AT&T’s fixed wireless doesn’t normally overlap Mediacom.

Final call: AT&T vs. Mediacom

AT&T’s fiber internet is the best you can get if it’s available in your area. With no contracts, no data caps, and great long-term pricing, it’s a far better deal than Mediacom’s cable internet, hands down.

Honestly, we’re on the fence about Mediacom, even if it’s your only option when fiber isn’t available to you. With its price hikes, data caps, and low ratings in our recent customer satisfaction survey, suggesting Mediacom is difficult. Is it better than DSL? In speed, yes, but is it worth the cost? That depends on your budget. You may be better off signing up with AT&T’s fixed wireless if it’s available to you.