Best Internet Providers in Richardson, Texas

What is the best internet provider in Richardson?

AT&T Fiber is the best internet provider overall for most households in Richardson. With symmetrical speeds and no data caps or monthly equipment costs, it’s a great choice for home internet in the city. If AT&T Fiber isn’t available at your address, Spectrum and T-Mobile are solid picks that also offer unlimited data. 

If you’re hunting for the lowest monthly cost in Richardson, Astound Broadband offers a 300 megabits per second connection for $20 a month. Astound’s coverage is sparse in the area, so Spectrum's 100Mbps for $30 per month may be the cheapest option for most residents. For those in need of speed, the fastest available internet speed in the city is 5,000Mbps, which is offered by AT&T Fiber for $225 per month.

Best internet in Richardson, Texas

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Other available internet providers in Richardson

• Astound Broadband: Although Astound Broadband isn’t available to most Richardson residents, some households might be able to access service near Dallas, Frisco or McKinney. Astound offers speeds up to 1,500Mbps for only $55, so it’s worth checking to see if it’s an option for you. 
• Frontier: If you live closer to Garland or Plano, you’ll probably be serviceable for Frontier Communications. Frontier has great pricing with one of the highest speeds offered in Richardson.
• Rise Broadband: This fixed wireless internet provider offers plans starting at $55 per month for speeds up to 50Mbps. Rise Broadband is available in areas near Garland and Plano. 
• Satellite internet: Of course, satellite internet from Hughesnet, Viasat or Starlink is an option wherever you live. But it shouldn’t be your first pick – with high prices and slow speeds, there are cheaper and faster options available. 
• Verizon 5G Home Internet: Available to about 34% of Richardson households, Verizon 5G Home Internet can reach speeds up to 250Mbps. You can pick between two plans: $50 per month for 50-85Mbps and $70 per month for 85-250Mbps. Neither plan requires a contract or monthly equipment fees; data is unlimited.

Cheap internet options in Richardson

Astound Broadband offers 300Mbps for $20 per month for those searching for the cheapest option possible. Yet many residents in the area won’t be serviceable for Astound Broadband, according to the FCC’s coverage map. A more widely accessible option for cheap broadband is Spectrum’s Advantage plan, which offers download speeds of 100Mbps for only $30 per month. 

What's the cheapest internet plan in Richardson?

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

How to find internet deals and promotions in Richardson

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

Richardson internet providers, such as Spectrum and Astound Broadband, may offer lower introductory pricing or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Many, including AT&T and Verizon, run the same standard pricing year-round. 

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

Photo by Alan D Wainstein/Getty Images

How fast is Richardson broadband?

Recent Ookla speed test data ranks Texas as the 15th fastest state for broadband, with a median download speed of 224Mbps. For Richardson, Ookla reports that the city’s median download speed is around 291Mbps, surpassing the state average and the nearby city of Dallas’ median speed of 148Mbps. (Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.)

If you're searching for blazing-fast plans in Richardson, you have a few providers. AT&T Fiber offers speeds up to 5Gbps, which is pretty fast for home internet. AT&T's speediest plan will cost you $250 a month. Spectrum offers 1 gig of speed for $50 monthly if you can only access a cable connection.

Fastest internet plans in Richardson

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 and 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 online gaming all at the same time.

How CNET chose the best internet providers in Richardson

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. What's our approach? For starters, we tap into a proprietary pricing, availability and speed database that draws from our own historical ISP data, partner data and mapping information from the Federal Communications Commission at FCC.gov. 

It doesn’t end there: We go to the FCC’s website to check our data and ensure we consider every ISP that provides service in an area. We also input local addresses on provider websites to find specific options for 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 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? 

The answer to those questions is often layered and complex, but the providers who come closest to “yes” on all three are the ones we recommend. When selecting the cheapest internet service, we look for the plans with the lowest monthly fee, although 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 consider real-world speed data from sources like Ookla and FCC reports.

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

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

Although you might have to go with whatever provider is available at your household, there are still plenty of speedy plans and affordable options in Richardson. AT&T Fiber ranks as the top choice for residents due to its symmetrical download and upload speeds and simple service details. If you want to bundle your TV service and internet, Spectrum is the best option in town. For smaller households, T-Mobile Home Internet is also a solid choice in the area and might fit your home internet needs better.

Internet providers in Richardson FAQs