Best Internet Service for Seniors in 2025, Tested and Reviewed

Spectrum^®, a subsidiary of Charter Communications, earned our choice for the best low-cost internet for seniors thanks to its Spectrum Internet Assist plan. To qualify for Spectrum Internet Assist, one or more members of your household must receive assistance under Supplemental Security Income (SSI) for applicants 65 or older, the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), or the National School Lunch Program (NSLP).

Pricing

Spectrum’s internet plan pricing is subject to change after the first year of service and may also vary by location. Spectrum offers three standard plans with the following introductory rates:

• Spectrum Internet Advantage: $30 per month (first year)
• Spectrum Internet Premier: $50 per month (first year)
• Spectrum 1 Gig: $70 per month (first year)

These prices are far cheaper than comparable plans from AT&T. If you want to spend even less on your internet, Spectrum’s Internet Assist program offers high-speed internet, a free internet modem, and the option to add Wi-Fi for only $25 more per month. It’s simple to apply online, or you can print the application and mail it in.

» Save More Cheap Internet for Seniors

You will not qualify for the Spectrum Internet Assist program if you owe any debt to Charter Communications (up to one year before your application) or have been a Charter Communications customer within the past 30 days. Learn more about Spectrum’s low-cost and traditional internet plans in our Spectrum Internet review.
Spectrum Internet review.

Customer Satisfaction

Spectrum has established itself as an affordable internet provider. The company boasts a stable financial outlook and high-performance metrics.

• S&P: BBB- (adequate credit)
• BBB: A+ (high trustworthiness and performance)
• BroadbandNow.com: 3.38 out of 5

From our team’s experience, Spectrum’s customer service agents have always been reliable, kind, and helpful. Agents are quick to respond. One of our favorite features is the company’s online chat feature. It offers an easy way to get questions answered quickly. Similar to Cox Communications, Spectrum offers 24/7 support.

Chatting with Spectrum Support

Internet Speeds

Spectrum advertises plans with speeds ranging from 50 Mbps and 1 Gbps. According to Spectrum’s website, customers have recorded average download speeds of 234.80 Mbps. The top 10th percentile of speed tests averages around 336.16 Mbps.1

When our team tested Spectrum, we found that our download speeds were often slower during peak internet traffic times, though they were still very fast. When using the 500 Mbps package, we consistently experienced download speeds of just under 250 Mbps.

While this is only half of the plan’s advertised speed, it was still plenty of speed for gaming, working from home, and streaming shows. Spectrum offers contract-free plans for decent prices, though, and you may have a better experience in your area.

We consistently experienced download speeds of about 243 Mbps when we ran speed tests on the Internet Ultra plan.

AT&T provides mobile and broadband services to over 250 million consumers in North America; nearly 30 million homes and businesses are powered by AT&T fiber internet.2 AT&T earned our accolades for the best variety of internet plans for seniors. The company’s internet services are top-notch, delivering a high-speed, secure internet connection with 99 percent reliability.

Using my AT&T internet

Every AT&T internet plan includes the AT&T Internet Security Suite powered by McAfee, a robust security software to protect your computer from dangerous viruses, hackers, and spyware. Older adults are often victims of scams, so we appreciate the added layer of protection. You can learn more from our AT&T 2025 internet review.

Pricing

We love budget-friendly perks, and AT&T doesn’t disappoint! AT&T internet plans range from $52 (300 Mbps) to $204 (5 Gbps) per month, and tech-savvy customers can save $50 or more on professional installation by using the company’s free self-installation kit.

Customer Satisfaction

AT&T offers a wide range of services in addition to its internet plans. Many of its customer satisfaction ratings extend beyond its internet service, but examining those ratings can still help you understand AT&T’s business practices and customer service.

• S&P: BBB (adequate credit)
• BBB: A+ (high trustworthiness and performance)
• BroadbandNow.com: 3.39 out of 5

Our experience with AT&T’s customer service was very positive. While it would often take more than 15 minutes to get a human on the phone, every representative we spoke to was friendly and knowledgeable.

Internet Speeds

One of our tech experts tested AT&T's internet to verify its dependability. She lives in a four-person household with multiple people who work from home and spend a lot of time online. She found that her connection was always reliable and offered consistent download speeds throughout the day with AT&T.

AT&T advertises speeds up to 5 Gbps. Like most providers, it rarely delivers those speeds. Three of AT&T’s most popular internet plans advertise speeds of 300 Mbps, 500 Mbps, and 1 Gbps, while the top 10 percent of nationwide speed tests record speeds around 402.45 Mbps. Even if you only have access to these three plans where you live, AT&T still offers more variety than CenturyLink, which only offers two plans in most locations.

We tested AT&T’s 50 Mbps plan and found very consistent speeds. We typically experienced download speeds of around 45 Mbps, just under our plan’s advertised speeds.

Our speed test while using AT&T internet

Our team found that Xfinity by Comcast offers the best bundling options that give seniors access to high-speed internet, hundreds of HDTV channels, and a home phone line. The bundles offer significant discounts with longer-term contracts compared with purchasing each service separately. Some bundles come with perks, such as faster internet, premium channels, and free on-demand movies and shows.

Testing out Xfinity cable TV

As an Xfinity customer, I can attest to the provider’s fast speeds. work from home, and I’ve rarely experienced issues with speed or lag. Getting set up with Xfinity was also a breeze. I called and spoke to a representative to ensure I chose the best plan for my needs. I then walked into my local Xfinity store, picked up my equipment, and had it all set up the same day — no appointment or lengthy installation required.

Pricing

The company doesn’t provide senior-specific discounts, but internet rates start around $50 to $65 per month with no contract. Like AT&T, Xfinity offers $10 off your bill when you enroll in AutoPay and Paperless Billing. Exact pricing varies by location, though.

Xfinity offers prepaid contract-free bundling and internet options, so you won’t have to commit long-term if you don’t want to. You also save up to $20 per month on select Xfinity internet plans for up to 24 months if you sign up for Xfinity Mobile.

» For Mobile Plans: Xfinity Senior Cell Phone Plans

You’ll get the best rates with a term contract, so we recommend it if you decide to stick with Xfinity for at least a year. Remember that contracts may come with early cancellation fees. Fortunately, Xfinity also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee for even greater peace of mind.

Customer Satisfaction

Internet providers like Xfinity and their parent company, Comcast, must balance dependability with quality customer service to provide a better overall experience. We’ve evaluated Xfinity’s customer satisfaction with a few customer ratings.

• Standard & Poor’s (S&P): A- (stable credit)
• Better Business Bureau (BBB): A+ (high trustworthiness and performance)
• BroadbandNow.com: 3.45 out of 5

Expert Insights

From Taylor Shuman, Senior Tech Expert

Many family members and I have been Xfinity customers for over a decade. We have always had pleasant experiences with Xfinity’s customer service team. Representatives are patient and helpful in person and over the phone, and we rarely experience long wait times.

Internet Speeds

Xfinity speeds can vary substantially by location and plan type, but the provider offers some of the fastest internet speeds in the country. The top nationwide speeds based on customer speed tests are around 458.55 Mbps, which even outperforms AT&T. In most areas, Xfinity offers advertised download speeds ranging from 300 to 2,000 Mbps.

CenturyLink takes customer satisfaction seriously. Connecting with an online specialist is easy, with live chat available from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. CST daily (though not 24/7 like Cox and Spectrum). However, you may have to wait a while for an available agent. If you’re wondering how CenturyLink stands up against the competition, check out our CenturyLink internet for seniors review.

Pricing

CenturyLink offers straightforward pricing, with plans starting at $55 per month for speeds up to 100 Mbps. For $75 per month, you can upgrade to the 940 Mbps Fiber Internet plan. We love the lack of promotional rates that expire after a few months. These prices are comparable to AT&T, but AT&T offers more plan options.

However, CenturyLink does require you to lease or purchase a modem from the company. We’ve found that CenturyLink offers some of the best prices for fiber plans, but they may not be available in your city.

Customer Satisfaction

CenturyLink has decent ratings for overall customer satisfaction.

• S&P: BB (adequate credit)
• BBB: NR (no rating)
• BroadbandNow.com: 3.13 out of 5

CenturyLink is known as a reliable company, and we found that to be true during our testing. We were able to chat with customer service any day of the week, and their hours are much longer than most other internet service providers. This made it easy to have our questions answered by friendly agents.

Internet Speeds

CenturyLink speeds range from 100 Mbps to 940 Mbps, although most locations only offer two plans/speeds. Across all plans, CenturyLink customers record top speeds of around 186.77 Mbps, but individual speeds will vary.

Cox Communications offers top-notch technical support. The company provides internet, cable TV, and telephone services to over 6.5 million homes and businesses across 19 states.

Cox has a 30-day money-back guarantee, letting you change your plan without pressure. Plus, orders placed before 1 p.m. Monday through Friday receive free next-day delivery. If you are tech-savvy and prefer to set up things yourself, just use Cox Easy Connect, a convenient self-installation kit. Head to our Cox internet review to see how Cox compares to other top internet providers.

Pricing

Cox offers several internet plans, ranging in price from $50 per month for the entry-level plan called Fast, to the $150-per-month 2 GB Go Beyond Fast plan. Cox internet plans don’t require term contracts, so you aren’t locked into anything long-term. These are decently priced plans for the speed you get, but still not as affordable as Spectrum.

Expert Insights

From Taylor Shuman, Senior Tech Expert

While many internet providers vary prices depending on where you live, Cox keeps prices consistent in most locations. I’m a big fan of this transparency and consistency.

Customer Satisfaction

Cox performs better than many similarly noteworthy ISPs, particularly regarding customer service and internet speeds.

• S&P: BBB (adequate credit)
• BBB: A+ (high trustworthiness and performance)
• BroadbandNow.com: 3.66 out of 5

We loved having access to technical support 24/7. While CenturyLink offers long customer service hours, it can’t compete with the technical support provided around the clock by Cox Communications. Even though we had to wait a few minutes to connect to a person sometimes, the service was always excellent, with knowledgeable technicians always ready to help.

Internet Speeds

Cox offers a broad range of plan speeds, starting as low as 100 Mbps and going as high as 2 Gbps. Cox Communications’ fast and reliable speeds add to its high ratings. BroadbandNow lists Cox speeds between 400 and 500 Mbps. It’s important to note that monthly data caps could result in throttled speeds for heavy internet users.

While many people are familiar with T-Mobile’s popular senior cell phone plan, the provider also offers fiber internet and home internet service over their 5G network. While speeds can fluctuate with this provider, one can typically expect 5G download speeds between 133 and 415 Mbps. Fiber internet plans offer symmetrical speeds up to 2,000 Mbps.

Plus applicable taxes & fees. Not available in all areas. Return each device undamaged or fee may apply. Wi-Fi Mesh Extender: Includes up to 2 mesh extenders as needed based on professional installer assessment. AutoPay discount requires bank account or debit card, otherwise $5 more/line/mo. May not be reflected on first bill. See Terms and Conditions (including arbitration provision) at https://fiber.t-mobile.com/legal/terms.

Rely, All-In, and Amplified Internet plans can experience fast speeds with T-Mobile’s latest 5G gateway, delivering typical download speeds between 133 Mbps – 415 Mbps. 25% of our customers see speeds below and 25% see speeds above these ranges. T-Mobile Home Internet is delivered via 5G cellular network and speeds vary due to factors affecting cellular networks. See https://t-mobile.com/OpenInternet for additional details.

One of our favorite aspects of T-Mobile home internet is the ease with which you can install it. To install our internet, we simply plugged in our T-Mobile Gateway, paired it with the companion smartphone app, and, in minutes, we had our internet up and running. T-Mobile offers 24/7 support if you need help, too.

It’s important to note that the Gateway’s location matters. If we had our equipment at one end of the house while working at the other end, we experienced slow speeds. Luckily, it was easy to move our equipment closer to our workstation. Read our full T-Mobile home internet review to learn more about our experience with this provider.

Using our T-Mobile Gateway

Plus applicable taxes & fees. Not available in all areas. Return each device undamaged or fee may apply. Wi-Fi Mesh Extender: Includes up to 2 mesh extenders as needed based on professional installer assessment. AutoPay discount requires bank account or debit card, otherwise $5 more/line/mo. May not be reflected on first bill. See Terms and Conditions (including arbitration provision) at https://fiber.t-mobile.com/legal/terms.

Rely, All-In, and Amplified Internet plans can experience fast speeds with T-Mobile’s latest 5G gateway, delivering typical download speeds between 133 Mbps – 415 Mbps. 25% of our customers see speeds below and 25% see speeds above these ranges. T-Mobile Home Internet is delivered via 5G cellular network and speeds vary due to factors affecting cellular networks. See https://t-mobile.com/OpenInternet for additional details.

Pricing

T-Mobile offers three fiber internet plans and three 5G home internet plans.

Rely Home Internet costs $50 per month with AutoPay, Amplified Home Internet costs $60 per month with AutoPay, and All-In Home Internet costs $70 per month with AutoPay. All plans offer download speeds ranging from 133 to 415 Mbps.

The Amplified and All-in plans also include a more advanced Wi-Fi Gateway, a Mesh Access Point, and Advanced Cyber Security, making them ideal for larger households. The All-In Home Internet package includes additional perks like streaming subscriptions.

If you bundle a voice line with any of the plans and sign up for AutoPay, you’ll receive a $25 discount on your monthly bill. That means with a phone and internet bundle, Rely Home Internet will cost $25 per month with AutoPay plus taxes and fees.

You’ll be required to pay a one-time $35 device connection charge for the Rely Home Internet plan only. Luckily, none of their plans have long-term contracts or early termination fees.

New this year, T-Mobile is also offering three fiber internet plans: Fiber 500 provides symmetrical speeds of 500 Mbps for $75 per month or $65 a month with a voice plan; Fiber 1 Gig offers 1,000 Mbps speeds for $85 or $75 with voice; and Fiber 2 Gig goes for $105 a month or $95 with voice and provides download and upload speeds of 2,000 Mbps. All fiber plans come with no annual contracts, unlimited data, and a 5-year price guarantee.

Plus applicable taxes & fees. Not available in all areas. Return each device undamaged or fee may apply. Wi-Fi Mesh Extender: Includes up to 2 mesh extenders as needed based on professional installer assessment. AutoPay discount requires bank account or debit card, otherwise $5 more/line/mo. May not be reflected on first bill. See Terms and Conditions (including arbitration provision) at https://fiber.t-mobile.com/legal/terms.

With $10 monthly bill credit. Limited-time; subject to change. Qualifying credit, T-Mobile postpaid voice line as Fiber account phone number, and a new Fiber Internet line required. Credits may take up to 2 bill cycles; credits will stop if you cancel any lines or change plans. Limit 1/account. May not be combined with some offers, discounts, or promotions.

Disclaimer: Guarantee exclusions like taxes and fees apply. 5-year price guarantee means that we won't change the price of fiber internet data for at least 5 years while you are on an eligible plan. Taxes & fees, voluntary equipment or speed upgrades, future wireless generations, select limited-time promotions, per-use charges, third-party services, and network management practices aren't included. This guarantee starts when you activate or switch to an eligible plan and doesn't restart if you add a line or change plans after that.

Customer Satisfaction

T-Mobile has slightly lower ratings than the other providers on this list; however, we noticed a plurality of the complaints were related to their cellular service, not their home internet.

• S&P: BBB (adequate credit)
• BBB: B+ (not officially accredited)
• BroadbandNow.com: 3.16 out of five

Internet Speeds

Currently, T-Mobile’s fastest fiber connection provides speeds up to 2,000 Mbps. T-Mobile’s 5G home internet plans have speeds rated at 133 to 415 Mbps. Our tests found that while speeds fluctuate throughout the day, they were generally within (or above) this stated range. We were shocked that our speeds were often over 415 Mbps, above T-Mobile’s advertised speeds. That’s something you don’t see with most internet providers.

Taking a speed test using T-Mobile s internet connection

T-Mobile also includes unlimited data usage on their plans, and the company won’t throttle your speeds or levy an overage charge after exceeding a certain data usage threshold.