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Best no-contract ISP (if you can get it)
Best no-contract cable internet
500 – 1,000 Mbps; 2Gbps available in select markets
Best alternative for rural areas
Best for customer satisfaction
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Looking for the perfect internet provider means a lot of time and research. US adults are paying $195 more for their internet than last year, according to a CNET survey. As such, you want to be sure that you’ve picked the best internet provider and are getting the best for your money. To save you the time, we’ve found ISPs with competitive pricing, fast speeds and no contract requirements. Find your best match with our top picks for no-contract internet service providers.
What’s the best no-contract internet provider overall?
CNET’s top pick for the best overall no-contract internet is GFiber. With high-speed internet (two plans of 1,000 and 3,000 megabits per second available in all serviceable areas and even faster speeds in select areas), no equipment fees or data caps, it beats all other ISPs in this category. There’s a lot to like about GFiber. There’s only one problem — it has limited availability nationwide. If you’re not in one of the 19 states where it operates, don’t worry: You can still get quick internet speeds for a competitive price with AT&T Fiber or any of the other providers we discuss below.
Keep in mind: Not signing a contract doesn’t always mean you’re getting the best price. Many providers will put a premium on their pay-as-you-go plans, while their contract rates are cheaper. To help keep your costs in perspective, we’ve noted the cost per Mbps for each no-contract internet provider. It’s an excellent way to compare apples to apples when pitting internet plan speeds and prices against each other.
Best no-contract internet service providers
Speed range
1,000 – 8,000 Mbps
Price range
$70 – $150 per month
Our take – At first glance, GFiber plans seem expensive, but they boast an excellent cost per Mbps. There are five options: The cheapest starts at $70 per month, and the most expensive tops out at $150 monthly. You can expect speeds from 1 gigabit (1,000Mbps) to 8 gigabits (8,000Mbps), with the cost per Mbps at a cheap 7 cents and 2 cents, respectively. Supported by a fiber-optic connection, you can expect fully symmetrical speeds and a reliable connection. You’re getting a fast connection for your money overall. On top of that, your equipment is included in your monthly price and there’s no additional cost for installation, which is a great deal.
Speed range
1,000 – 8,000 Mbps
Price range
$70 – $150 per month
Speed range
300 – 1,500 Mbps
Price range
$30 – $70 per month
Our take – When it comes to cheap promo pricing, Astound comes out on top. It has quite a price range available across its various markets, but an aggressively competitive average cost of 5 cents per Mbps to start. You’ll find a 300Mbps plan for $30 monthly throughout most of Astound’s footprint. That tough-to-beat price falls closer to the pack after your intro period, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better price for your initial service period. Comparatively, other cable ISPs like Spectrum offer service starting at $50 per month. Besides the price, your service comes with no data caps or contracts.
Speed range
300 – 1,500 Mbps
Price range
$30 – $70 per month
Speed range
10 – 140 Mbps
Price range
$55 per month
Our take – There is no need to worry about cancellation fees on any CenturyLink plan: None of them come with any contractual commitments. The value is pretty strong, too, since the company’s DSL plans offer a fixed value rate of $55 a month, which is hard to beat among DSL offerings. However, the speeds you get can vary depending on your address. Your modem/router rental costs $17 extra per month, but CenturyLink allows you to skip it and use your own equipment.
Speed range
10 – 140 Mbps
Price range
$55 per month
Speed range
500 – 1,000; 2gbps available in select markets Mbps
Price range
$50 – $80 per month
Our take – Straightforward service terms, solid speed offerings and unlimited data are all things that make Spectrum stand out from the rest of the cable ISPs. There are only two plans — 500Mbps and 1 Gig — free of contracts and data caps. The average cost per Mbps in the first year for the 500Mbps plan is 10 cents, and it’s 7 cents for the 1,000Mbps tier, which is quite good for cable internet. Keep in mind that Spectrum and many cable ISPs are notorious for increasing their prices. However, the second-year jump isn’t too steep (for an ISP, anyway), up to 16 cents and 10 cents per Mbps for the 500Mbps and 1,000Mbps plans, respectively.
Speed range
500 – 1,000; 2gbps available in select markets Mbps
Price range
$50 – $80 per month
Speed range
100 – 1,000 Mbps
Price range
$40 – $70 per month
Our take – If you live in a rural area, it’s easy to get tied down by a two-year contract from a satellite ISP (we’re looking at you, Hughesnet). But you can ditch the contracts altogether, thanks to Kinetic by Windstream. You can get either DSL (a majority of its footprint) or fiber service (currently about one-fifth of its network) for an average cost of 12 cents per Mbps during the promo period. While most plans offer a price lock of one to three years, watch out for a price jump in the gig plan, which will jump by $30 after three months.
Speed range
100 – 1,000 Mbps
Price range
$40 – $70 per month
Speed range
300 – 5,000 Mbps
Price range
$55 – $250 per month
Our take – Available to approximately a third of its footprint, AT&T Fiber plans provide excellent value. Five different plan options (300, 500 and 1,000Mbps, as well as 2 and 5 gigabits) range in price from $55 to $245 per month, with no data caps or contracts. Altogether, AT&T’s fiber plans average just over 10 cents per Mbps, which is solid. Even more spectacular are the multi-gigabit plans, which average out to under 7 cents per Mbps.
Speed range
300 – 5,000 Mbps
Price range
$55 – $250 per month
Speed range
300 – 2,000 Mbps
Price range
$50 – $120 per month
Our take – Verizon Fios, the company’s fiber internet option, doesn’t require contracts and its pricing is pretty clear-cut. It offers four different plans: 300, 500, 1 gig and 2 gigs, with an average cost of about 11 cents per Mbps. Additionally, it scores high in customer satisfaction in every ISP survey. It nabbed the top spot for 2023 and 2024 in the J.D. Power survey for the East region. It also did well in the annual American Customer Satisfaction Index report, scoring 76 out of 100 points, above the industry average.
Speed range
300 – 2,000 Mbps
Price range
$50 – $120 per month
Additional no-contract internet providers to consider
- Cox Communications: There’s flexibility here, but it comes at a cost. Cox doesn’t require you to sign a contract to receive internet service, but it does encourage customers to sign a two-year agreement. Cox also offers low-cost internet options, which feature no contracts and no credit checks or deposits. The ConnectAssist plan is priced at $30 a month for 100Mbps in download speeds and comes with a free modem. For that streamlined approach, you’ll pay 30 cents per Mbps, which is higher than the average of all other plans Cox offers.
- Frontier Communications: You won’t have to worry about binding contracts for either Frontier Internet (DSL) or Frontier Fiber. Equipment fees are also included in the monthly price. For first-year pricing, Frontier Fiber customers will see an average cost of 6 cents per Mbps, while DSL customers can expect to pay $2.60 per Mbps.
- Mediacom: Xtream internet selections do not require you to sign a long-term contract. Across all three plans, you can expect to pay an average of 10 cents per Mbps during the first to two years of service; after that, the average cost per Mbps jumps to 17 cents.
- Optimum: No Optimum plans have data caps or contracts and they offer some of the best promo pricing for cable internet. Your first-year pricing for fiber plans will have an average cost per Mbps of just under 7 cents. The average cost per Mbps for cable plans is around 10 cents.
- Rise Broadband: This fixed wireless internet provider offers download speeds from 50Mbps to 1,000Mbps. All plans come with no data caps. Rise’s introductory prices vary by location, but the average cost per Mbps in the first year can be between 75 cents and $1. Rise Broadband also has a small fiber network, so if you’re eligible for that, the average cost per Mbps will be around 11 cents.
- Sparklight: Sparklight offers competitive introductory plans in select rural areas across the country. Although Sparklight’s pricing changes depending on the market, in the Alabama market, you can expect to pay an average of 15 cents per Mbps across all plans. Once the promo period ends, that average cost per Mbps jumps up to 18 cents, which isn’t a particularly expensive increase in prices for a rural provider. Note that Sparklight enforces a soft cap of 5TB, so there’s the potential for additional fees if you exceed your monthly limits.
- Starlink: Elon Musk’s budding internet service is unique among satellite internet providers because it doesn’t require a contract. Also, the average cost per Mbps of its standard plan (150Mbps) is just over $1, which is excellent for that connection type. The priority plan, which offers max speeds of 220Mbps, drops the average cost per Mbps to 6 cents. That’s pretty impressive for an internet technology known to fall on the pricier side. Starlink still requires a bit of a commitment: You must make a one-time equipment purchase of $349 to $699 (or a sizable $1,499 if you’re purchasing the priority plans). That’s a big chunk of change, which most cable and fiber internet customers get to avoid. Still, this could be a digital lifeline for rural regions of the country that don’t have access to those connections.
- Starry Internet: This fixed wireless provider uses millimeter-wave technology to offer a solution similar to 5G home internet. It offers no contracts, and the price includes equipment, installation costs and unlimited data. The average cost per Mbps for Starry Internet is 17 cents in the first year before it jumps up to 22 cents.
- T-Mobile 5G Home Internet: Similar to Starry, T-Mobile 5G Home Internet includes everything you need in your monthly price, with no contracts required. All equipment, installation fees and taxes are included at $50 to $70 a month (or $35 to $55 per month for eligible mobile customers). The cost per Mbps is difficult to pin down since speeds vary by address. T-Mobile says that most customers will have an average download speed between 87 to 415Mbps. When CNET tested T-Mobile 5G Home Internet, we hit a maximum of 132Mbps, and we’ve also received anecdotal evidence of customers hitting speeds of up to 300Mbps in some areas. Meanwhile, per T-Mobile, it’s possible some could potentially max out at 72Mbps. In other words, your speeds may vary and will depend on whether you’re near a cellular tower. CNET’s Amanda Kooser described having inconsistent speeds with T-Mobile.
- Verizon 5G Home Internet: Verizon 5G Home Internet (its 5G fixed wireless internet service) is also squishy because its download speeds, ranging from 50 to 1,000Mbps, aren’t guaranteed. Assuming the average of 300Mbps, the average cost per Mbps would be 17 cents. Verizon 5G Home Internet is an all-in price that includes taxes, fees and equipment.
- WOW: WideOpenWest, which prefers to go by WOW, aims to wow its customers by requiring no contracts and very competitive starting rates. This cable internet provider offers five different plan options, with a highly competitive average cost of just over 6 cents per Mbps across all plans.
- Xfinity: Xfinity doesn’t require customers to sign a contract to get its lowest price on internet service. However, those low prices are only guaranteed for a year. That said, if you choose their five-year price guarantee, you still have the option to cancel without penalty. Xfinity also offers a prepaid internet option that requires no contract and gives you 30 days of internet service for $45 a month. No deposit is required, and there are no additional fees or data caps. The maximum download speed offered is 200Mbps, meaning this service has an average cost of 22 cents per Mbps.
- Ziply Fiber: This company began offering service in 2020 after acquiring Frontier Communications networks in four Northwest states. It aims to simplify the purchasing process by skipping credit checks, data caps and term agreements. It offers DSL and fiber plans, with the average cost per Mbps at 13 cents for the promo period for the fiber plans and 21 cents after the first year.
No-contract internet providers compared
Please note that the plans below show each provider’s cheapest available tier. The maximum speed is the top advertised speed for those plans, but it might not be available in your area. Overall, the best selection for you — and the most cost-effective plan — might be a different tier that provides a faster speed at a higher price but a better value. To more fully understand this value-based approach, check out CNET’s guide to examining the cost per Mbps.
| Plan | Starting price | Max download speed | Cost per Mbps | Equipment fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Altafiber Fioptics 400 | $40 | 400Mbps | 10 cents | None |
| Astound Broadband 300 Read full review |
$20 | 300Mbps | 7 cents | None |
| AT&T Fiber 300 Read full review |
$55 | 300Mbps | 18 cents | None |
| AT&T Internet Air Read full review |
$60 | 300Mbps | 20 cents | None |
| Brightspeed Fiber 200 | $30 | 200Mbps | 15 cents | None |
| CenturyLink Simply Unlimited Read full review |
$55 | 100Mbps | 55 cents | $17 (optional) |
| Frontier Fiber 500 Read full review |
$30 | 500Mbps | 6 cents | None |
| GFiber 1 Gig | $70 | 1,000Mbps | 7 cents | None |
| Kinetic Fiber 300 | $40 | 300Mbps | 13 cents | $11 (optional) |
| Mediacom Xtream 300 Internet Read full review |
$50 | 300Mbps | 17 cents | $14 (optional) |
| Optimum 200 Read full review |
$25 | 200Mbps | 12 cents | None |
| Point Broadband Performance Plus | $59 | 300Mbps | 19 cents | $14 (optional, free in select locations) |
| Quantum Fiber 200 | $50 | 200Mbps | 25 cents | None |
| Rise Broadband 50 Read full review |
$45 | 50Mbps | 90 cents | $10 modem (free in select areas), $5-15 router (optional) |
| Sparklight Connect 100 Read full review |
$35 | 100Mbps | 35 cents | $14 modem (optional) |
| Spectrum Internet Read full review |
$50 | 500Mbps | 10 cents | Modem free, $10 router (optional) |
| Starlink Standard Read full review |
$120 | 150Mbps | 80 cents | $349 one-time purchase |
| Starry Internet 100 Read full review |
$30 | 100Mbps | 30 cents | None |
| T-Mobile 5G Home Internet Unlimited Read full review |
$50 | 415Mbps | 12 cents | None |
| Verizon 5G Home Internet Read full review |
$35 | 300Mbps | 12 cents | None |
| Verizon Fios 300 Read full review |
$35 | 300Mbps | 12 cents | None |
| WOW Internet 300 Read full review |
$30 | 300Mbps | 10 cents | None |
| Xfinity 300Mbps Read full review |
$40 | 300Mbps | 13 cents | None |
| Ziply Fiber 100/100 | $20 | 100Mbps | 20 cents | $15 (optional) |
Show more (20 items)
Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
Factors to consider when choosing a no-contract ISP
The cost per Mbps
The most important factor in evaluating any ISP plan is the cost per megabit per second. A cost per Mbps between 10 and 20 cents is pretty good, but the most cost-efficient plans cost around 5 cents per Mbps or lower. It’s fantastic to avoid signing a contract (and escape the looming threat of early termination fees plus the freedom of switching providers at any time), but you should still do your homework.
Internet connection type
In addition, look into the type of internet connection offered by the ISP. Some households — especially those in underserved or rural areas — may not have many options. But the general rule is that 5G and satellite home internet are better than DSL, cable internet is better than satellite and 5G internet, but fiber internet trumps them all. As you may have already noticed, the cost per Mbps of fiber internet plans is generally pretty low because fiber speeds outpace the speeds offered by other internet connection types.
How we evaluated the best no-contract providers
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. 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.
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. To explore our process in more depth, visit our how we test ISPs page.
What’s the bottom line on no-contract ISPs?
Sometimes, it feels like you must sign away your firstborn child — or at least the next two years of your life — to get the best internet service in your area. It’s easy to be swayed by slimmed-down introductory prices, but hefty bill increases and unrelenting extra fees may be lurking behind that first-year cheer.
Thankfully, that’s changing. Competition is brewing among internet service providers as we become more dependent on broadband connections. That’s one reason why many ISPs have begun dropping their contract requirements. Plus, you may even find internet deals offering to buy you out of your contract to get you to switch. That’s good news for anyone looking to effectively explore their home internet options.
No-contract internet service FAQs
What does “no-contract internet” mean?
“No-contract internet” — sometimes called month-to-month internet service — refers to broadband service that doesn’t require you to sign a long-term agreement with your internet service provider. For example, with some ISPs, you must commit to a two-year contract to get broadband coverage. That’s not no-contract internet. True no-contract internet means you should be able to cancel service at any time without penalty (notwithstanding the return of any leased equipment).
Can I get Wi-Fi at home without a contract?
We get this question quite often, as many assume they must pay for Wi-Fi separately from their internet service. That’s not the case, generally. You often get Wi-Fi when you sign up with an internet provider, as many will provide you with a gateway. That’s a combination of a modem (which connects your home to the internet) and a router (which takes that internet signal from the modem and broadcasts it wirelessly to the other devices in your home). Even if your ISP only provides the modem, you can rent a router or use your own. If you can get an internet connection at your address without signing a contract, you should have the option to have Wi-Fi at your home without committing to a contract.
What is the best no-contract internet service provider?
It may sound like a cop-out, but the best no-contract internet provider for you is the one that’s serviceable at your address. As we’ve mentioned many times in our ISP reviews, all things being equal, if you can get fiber internet at your location, that’s the way to go. It’ll give you the best performance of all the internet connection types — you’ll get symmetrical download and upload speeds — and will often be the most affordable in terms of cost per megabit per second. GFiber, which includes all equipment costs and fees in your monthly rate, is the cheapest, averaging just a little over 4 cents per Mbps. Its availability pales compared to the fiber plans of AT&T, for example. If you live in one of the metro markets where it offers service, GFiber is an easy choice, but AT&T Fiber might be everyone else’s top option.
