Best Internet Providers in Georgia – CNET

Posted on August 17, 2023

`Best Internet Providers in Georgia - CNET`

Best Internet Providers in Georgia

Be a peach and read CNET’s guide to the broadband providers available throughout Georgia, including affordable plans, rural internet options and more.

Stephen J. Bronner Contributor

Stephen J. Bronner is a New York-based freelance writer, editor and reporter. Over his more than a decade in journalism, he has written about energy, local politics and schools, startup success tips, the packaged food industry, the science of work, personal finance and blockchain. His bylined work has appeared in Inverse, Kotaku, Entrepreneur, NextAdvisor and CNET, and op-eds written on behalf of his clients were published in Forbes, HR Dive, Fast Company, NASDAQ and MarketWatch. Stephen previously served as contributors editor and news editor for Entrepreneur.com, and was the VP, Content and Strategy, at Ditto PR. He enjoys video games and punk rock. See some of his work at stephenjbronner.com.

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9 min read

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

Or call to order: 844-486-2451

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

Or call to order: 844-255-0319

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

Or call to order: 844-356-1577

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

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

What’s the best internet overall in Georgia?

It’ll depend on where you live, but for those who have access to it, AT&T Fiber is CNET’s 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 Georgia’s 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 don’t 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.

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AT&T Fiber

Best overall among internet providers in Georgia

Or call to order: 844-486-2451

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&T’s fiber internet comes highly recommended due to its speed, value and reliability. Too bad it’s only available to about a third of the state’s 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&T’s 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.

Or call to order: 844-486-2451

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Xfinity

Best cable provider among internet providers in Georgia

Or call to order: 844-255-0319

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.

Or call to order: 844-255-0319

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T-Mobile Home Internet

Most available 5G home internet provider in Georgia

Or call to order: 844-356-1577

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-Mobile’s internet service is available to about 92% of the state’s households, according to the FCC, while Verizon’s reach is limited to 14%.

Availability: Aside from just a few spots on the map, T-Mobile’s 5G is available statewide. However, you’ll need to enter your address into the company’s portal to see if your household is eligible and if there are open slots in your area.

Plans and pricing: T-Mobile’s 5G home internet service offers one plan with speeds ranging from 72 to 245Mbps for $50 monthly. If you already have the company’s Go5G Plus or Magenta Max plan, you’ll 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.

Or call to order: 844-356-1577

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Kinetic by Windstream

Best fiber internet provider for rural Georgia

Or call to order: 844-532-2116

Kinetic by Windstream provides fiber, cable and DSL-based internet in many parts of Georgia that the larger players don’t 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: It’ll depend on the town, but here’s pricing we found for Perry, which has access to Kinetic’s 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.

Or call to order: 844-532-2116

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Google Fiber

Best gigabit service among internet providers in the Atlanta area

Or call to order: 855-665-2792

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.

Or call to order: 855-665-2792

Rural internet options in Georgia

Provider	Connection type	Price range	Speed range	Data cap	Availability
Hargray	Copper/cable/fiber	$45-$115	200-1,000Mbps	No	Fort Valley, Warner Robbins, Hawkinsville, Reidsville, Pooler, Statesboro
HughesNet	Satellite	$65-$175	25Mbps	15-200GB	Entire state
Kinetic by Windstream	Copper/cable/fiber	$40-$300	15-8,000Mbps	No	North, Central, South
Mediacom	Cable/fixed wireless	$20-$130	100-1,000Mbps	200-6,000GB	Atlanta area, southwest, Savannah area
Starlink	Satellite	$120	40 to 220Mbps	1TB	Various spots across state
Viasat	Satellite	$50-$300	25-100Mbps	40-300GB	Entire state outside Atlanta area

Show more (2 items)

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, it’s 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.

Colorful historic houses around Forsyth Park in downtown Savannah, Georgia. — Daniela Duncan/Getty Images

Georgia internet details at a glance

No surprise, but Georgia’s 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 it’s 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 Ookla’s 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 you’ll 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 Xfinity’s 75Mbps plan for $30 per month, the 200Mbps plan for $35 a month, and Mediacom’s 100Mbps plan for the starting price of $20 monthly. Those who qualify for the FCC’s 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.

How CNET chose the best internet providers in Georgia

Internet service providers are numerous and regional. Unlike the latest smartphone, laptop, router or kitchen tool, it’s impractical to personally test every ISP in a given city. So what’s our approach? We start by researching the pricing, availability and speed information drawing on our own historical ISP data, the provider sites and mapping information from the Federal Communications Commission at FCC.gov.

But it doesn’t end there. We go to the FCC’s website to check our data and ensure we’re considering every ISP that provides service in an area. We also input local addresses on provider websites to find specific options for residents. To evaluate how happy customers are with an ISP’s service, we look at sources including the American Customer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Power. ISP plans and prices are subject to frequent changes; all information provided is accurate as of the time of publication.

Once we have this localized information, we ask three main questions:

Does the provider offer access to reasonably fast internet speeds?
Do customers get decent value for what they’re paying?
Are customers happy with their service?

While the answer to those questions is often layered and complex, the providers who come closest to “yes” on all three are the ones we recommend.

To explore our process in more depth, visit our how we test ISPs page.

Internet providers in Georgia FAQs

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Does Georgia have good internet?

It’ll depend on where you live, but most Georgians have fair to good internet access, with about 89% of households able to connect with speeds of at least 100Mbps, according to the FCC. Still, Georgia sits 31st out of the 50 states and the District of Columbia regarding median download speeds. At the same time, Atlanta placed a pitiful 99th place among the 100 most populous cities for median broadband speeds. Of course, options are limited outside of Georgia’s big cities, but 5G home internet and satellite internet are options for those lacking access to wired connections.

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Best Internet Providers in Georgia – CNET

`Best Internet Providers in Georgia - CNET`

Best Internet Providers in Georgia

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Best internet options in Georgia

AT&T Fiber

Best overall among internet providers in Georgia

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Xfinity

Best cable provider among internet providers in Georgia

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T-Mobile Home Internet

Most available 5G home internet provider in Georgia

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Kinetic by Windstream

Best fiber internet provider for rural Georgia

Google Fiber

Best gigabit service among internet providers in the Atlanta area

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How CNET chose the best internet providers in Georgia

Internet providers in Georgia FAQs

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