Best Internet Providers in Lubbock, Texas

What is the best internet provider in Lubbock?

The best internet provider in Lubbock is AT&T Fiber. It has symmetrical upload and download speeds -- ideal for online gaming or working from home -- and you won’t have to worry about data caps, equipment fees or contracts. Vexus is the cheapest internet provider in Lubbock, with plans starting at just $35 per month for 150 megabits per second, followed by Optimum with its $40 300Mbps plan. T-Mobile is another good option for smaller households: Everything is included in the $50 monthly price tag, and it’s locked in for as long as you stay a customer.

Best internet in Lubbock, Texas

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Other available internet providers in Lubbock

• Rise Broadband: Available to 94% of Lubbock households, Rise Broadband is a fixed wireless internet provider with plans starting at $55 per month for 25Mbps speeds. That’s on the expensive side for internet providers in Lubbock; I’d only recommend Rise over satellite internet providers in the area. 
• Satellite internet: No matter where you live, you can always get satellite internet -- it'll just come with some headaches. Hughesnet and Viasat both come with low data caps, slower speeds and higher prices. Starlink is a faster option, from SpaceX, but you’ll have to purchase the satellite dish for $349 upfront to set up service. 
• Vexus Fiber: If Vexus Fiber was more widely available, it would probably be one of our top picks for internet in Lubbock. As it stands, only 46% of residents can get it, but it’s absolutely worth considering if your address is eligible. Vexus offers symmetrical speeds up to 2,000Mbps, along with unlimited data, and equipment is included in the monthly price. 

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Cheap internet options in Lubbock

There are five internet plans in Lubbock that cost $50 or less. That’s comparable to other Texas cities like Amarillo (five plans), Arlington (five) and Dallas (eight).

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

How to find internet deals and promotions in Lubbock

The best internet deals and the top promotions in Lubbock depend on what discounts are available during that time period. Most deals are short lived, but we check frequently for the latest offers. 

Lubbock internet providers such as Optimum may offer lower introductory pricing or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Many, however, including AT&T Fiber, T-Mobile and Vexus Fiber, run the same standard pricing year-round. 

For a more extensive list of promos, check out our guide on the best internet deals. 

How fast is Lubbock broadband?

According to Ookla speed test data, Lubbock residents receive median internet speeds of 230Mbps down and 51Mbps up. It ranked 52nd out of the 100 most populous cities in the US in Q4 2023. That’s behind Austin, Irving, Plano, Laredo and Fort Worth, but ahead of Houston. Lubbock also has slightly faster speeds than Texas as a whole, which gets median speeds of 224/33Mbps. (Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.)

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

What's a good internet speed?

Most internet connection plans can now handle basic productivity and communication tasks. If you're looking for an internet plan that can accommodate videoconferencing, streaming video or gaming, you'll have a better experience with a more robust connection. Here's an overview of the recommended minimum download speeds for various applications, according to the FCC. Note that these are only guidelines -- and that internet speed, service and performance vary by connection type, provider and address.

For more information, refer to our guide on how much internet speed you really need.

• 0 to 5Mbps allows you to tackle the basics -- browsing the internet, sending and receiving email, streaming low-quality video.
• 5 to 40Mbps gives you higher-quality video streaming and videoconferencing.
• 40 to 100Mbps should give one user sufficient bandwidth to satisfy the demands of modern telecommuting, video streaming and online gaming. 
• 100 to 500Mbps allows one to two users to simultaneously engage in high-bandwidth activities like videoconferencing, streaming and online gaming. 
• 500 to 1,000Mbps allows three or more users to engage in high-bandwidth activities like videoconferencing, streaming and gaming all at the same time.

How CNET chose the best internet providers in Lubbock

Internet service providers are numerous and regional. Unlike the latest smartphone, laptop, router or kitchen tool, it's impractical to personally test every internet service provider in a given city. So what's our approach? For starters, we tap into a proprietary database of pricing, availability and speed information that draws from our own historical ISP data, partner data and mapping information from FCC.gov. 

This guide leverages an in-house artificial intelligence tool called RAMP, which is trained on our own writing and uses our database to generate content about specific internet service providers that our writers can use in determining and presenting our picks for a given guide. Check CNET’s AI policy for more information about how our teams use (and don’t use) AI tools. 

Because our database isn't exhaustive, we use the FCC’s website to check the primary data for ourselves and make sure we’re considering every ISP that provides service in an area. Plans and prices also vary by location, so we input local addresses on provider websites to find the specific options available to residents. We look at sources, including the American Customer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Power, to evaluate how happy customers are with an ISP's service. ISP plans and prices are subject to frequent changes; all information provided is accurate as of the time of our prepublication fact-check.

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

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

Though 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. When it comes to selecting the cheapest internet service, we look for the plans with the lowest monthly fee, though we also factor in things like price increases, equipment fees and contracts. Choosing the fastest internet service is relatively straightforward. We look at advertised upload and download speeds, and also take into account real-world speed data from sources like Ookla and FCC reports.

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

What's the final word on internet providers in Lubbock?

No matter where you live in Lubbock, you should have at least one good option for home internet. AT&T Fiber is an easy pick for the top spot, with symmetrical upload and download speeds, straightforward pricing and no data caps or equipment fees. Optimum offers the cheapest internet in the area, but Lubbock residents have noted issues with outages and poor customer service. T-Mobile Home Internet has some of the happiest customers of any ISP, but speeds might not be fast enough for bigger households. 

Internet providers in Lubbock FAQ