Google Fiber Vs AT&T Fiber Internet: Which Is Better?
Both services are similar in many ways: they promise no data caps and contracts, their plans both start at 1-gigabit speed, and they include the hardware needed to connect to their ridiculously fast fiber networks. There are some small but distinct differences between the two, however, when it comes to the perks tossed in with the plans. Google Fiber isn’t available in as many places as AT&T Fiber, for example, potentially making the latter your only option. If you live in a city covered by both services, however, you have a few more things to consider, including the max speeds available to you, extra fees you may have to pay, and more.
What is Google Fiber?
What is AT&T Fiber?
AT&T Fiberis a fiber optic internet service offered by AT&T at speeds up to an insanely fast 5 gigabits — though, of course, you have to be living in one of the limited regions where that option is available. The company is one of the most competitive with Google Fiber, as it boasts some of the same perks: no contracts, included equipment, and the same upload speeds as download speeds.
Price and availability
Google Fiber charges $70 per month for its 1-gigabit residential internet plan and $100 per month for its 2-gigabit plan (viaGoogle). While the 1 Gig plan offers up to 1-gigabit upload speed, the 2 Gig plan doesn’t have equal uploads and instead tops out at 1 gigabit. Neither option requires a contract, both include free cloud storage, and both include installation as part of the plan.Google also includes mesh networkingwith its plan for free, unlike AT&T, which charges $10 per month for Wi-Fi extenders.
Meanwhile, AT&T Fiber is priced at $80 per month for the 1-gigabit plan and $110 per month for the 2-gigabit plan, making it $10 more expensive per month compared to Google Fiber, though AT&T does have the edge when it comes to upload speeds: you’ll get up to 2-gigabit upload speeds when on the 2-gigabit plan. AT&T includes All-Fi (Wi-Fi 6) with its fiber plans.
AT&T Fiber is clearly the winner when it comes to availability, as it offers multi-gig internet service in more than 100 metro regions — though it’s important to note that only “parts of” these regions get the 5-gigabit plan (viaAT&T). The company plans to expand from seven to 30 million customer locations over the next two years, with a few earmarked to be added in Ohio, Oklahoma, and Texas in 2022.Google Fiberhas a more limited footprint and is only available in a few dozen cities.
Internet speeds
To help put this into perspective,Googlesays a 1-gigabit connection can be used to download a 2.5-hour-long Full HD movie in just under one minute or a 4K movie in a bit under two-and-a-half minutes. You could download a playlist with 30 songs in less than two seconds and, perhaps the most appealing part, a 10 GB game update in less than two minutes. Assuming you’re getting optimal speeds, of course, the 2 Gig plan would cut those times in half. AT&T’s 5 Gig plan probably feels downright instantaneous in comparison.
Features and restrictions
The good news is that neither Google nor AT&T comes with a data cap, meaning you can download as many games and 4K movies as you want at blistering speeds. Both AT&T and Google include equipment with their plans, though you can still use your own. Google has a slight edge here, as it includes a mesh networking solution, while AT&T charges an extra $10 per month for that.
AT&T Fiber offers self-setup with the option of requesting a technician come out and install the hardware instead. The self-setup process takes place with a mobile app. While you have to pay $10 per month for thesmart Wi-Fi extender, it includes up to five of the extenders, which is more than double the two included with Google Fiber’s 1 Gig plan. If you’re not comfortable managing your network security yourself, you can pay $7 per month for the AT&T ActiveArmor add-on. With that, you get access to things like content controls, a VPN, alerts about identity leaks, and a “threat activity dashboard” that shows what the service has blocked (viaAT&T), among other things.
