meganwoolsey Home
Related Articles
With how necessary the internet has become to our daily lives, unlimited data should be a given. Still, some internet providers put a pesky cap on the amount of data you can use each month, and enforce those caps either by charging fees or significantly throttling speeds.
Instead of monitoring your monthly data use to avoid penalty, I would recommend opting for an internet provider with unlimited data. Here are the top ISPs to offer truly unlimited data with no monthly caps.
Best internet providers with no data caps
100 – 1,500 Mbps
$20 – $80 per month
Our take – Speeds, pricing and special offers from Astound are a bit all over the place from one market to the next, but unlimited data is one perk available in all service areas.
100 – 1,500 Mbps
$20 – $80 per month
300 – 5,000 Mbps
$55 – $250 per month
Our take – AT&T is our pick for the best fiber internet provider overall thanks to its high availability, competitive pricing, fast speeds and unlimited data. All AT&T Fiber plans come with no data cap, which means you can stream, game and browse social media without fear of incurring overage fees.
300 – 5,000 Mbps
$55 – $250 per month
10 – 140 Mbps
$55 per month
Our take – Lumen Technologies brands CenturyLink and Quantum Fiber are vastly different internet services. CenturyLink offers DSL internet service with max speeds of 100Mbps at $50 monthly while Quantum Fiber offers a fiber-optic internet starting at $30 a month for 200Mbps download and upload speeds. One attribute the two services have in common, however, is unlimited data. Regardless of which provider is available in your area, your internet plan will come without a data cap to fret over.
10 – 140 Mbps
$55 per month
500 – 5,000 Mbps
$50 – $155 per month
Our take – Unlike AT&T, Frontier offers unlimited data with both its DSL and fiber-optic internet services. Equipment costs are also included in the monthly cost and no contracts are required, making Frontier one of the more straightforward providers when it comes to pricing.
500 – 5,000 Mbps
$50 – $155 per month
100 – 1,000 Mbps
$40 – $70 per month
Our take – Kinetic is another service that comes with unlimited data regardless of whether it’s DSL or fiber optic. Speeds and pricing can and do vary by location with Kinetic, more than just about any major provider it seems, but unlimited data is one standard customers across all markets can enjoy. It’s entry-level tier starts at $40 a month for 300Mbps. There’s also a 1-gig tier for $70 monthly ($40 for three months as a promo rate) and a 2-gig tier for $100 monthly. Equipment rental costs are an extra $11 monthly.
100 – 1,000 Mbps
$40 – $70 per month
300 – 8,000 Mbps
$40 – $280 per month
Our take – Optimum includes unlimited data with all plans. Along with that advantage, Optimum plans are priced lower than most considering the speeds you get. For example, you can get 1,000Mbps for just $60 monthly ($75 monthly after one year, which is still on par with competitors) and an introductory tier of 300Mbps for $40. Optimum also offers 2-gig, 5-gig and 8-gig tiers for $120, $180 and $280 a month, respectively.
300 – 8,000 Mbps
$40 – $280 per month
Quantum Fiber offers an impressive range of speeds and prices, starting at 200Mbps and topping out at 8,000Mbps. Since Quantum Fiber is 100% fiber, you get symmetrical download and upload speeds.
There are no equipment fees (at least initially), data caps or contracts.
Read our Quantum Fiber review .
500 – 1,000 Mbps
$50 – $80 per month
Our take – All Spectrum internet plans come with fast speeds, no contracts and, you guessed it, unlimited data. That, plus an equipment fee of $10 per month if you choose to rent a router puts Spectrum right up there with Frontier when it comes to straightforward pricing.
500 – 1,000 Mbps
$50 – $80 per month
20 – 250 Mbps
$90 – $120 per month
Our take – Restricting data caps were a common pain point with satellite internet, but Starlink is remedying many of satellite internet’s drawbacks, including limited data. Unlimited data is included with each Starlink plan, but select tiers include an allotment of priority data that grants “network precedence over standard and mobile data, meaning users will experience faster and more consistent download and upload speeds.” Once the priority data pool is exhausted, users fall to the standard, yet still unlimited, data tier.
20 – 250 Mbps
$90 – $120 per month
Fixed wireless
50 – 1,000 Mbps
$30 – $80 per month
Our take – In my review of Starry Internet, I was impressed by the provider’s ability to offer affordable, high-speed service over a fixed wireless network. The provider’s flagship plan offers up to 200Mbps starting at $40 per month, but gig service is available in select areas starting at $85 per month.
Fixed wireless
50 – 1,000 Mbps
$30 – $80 per month
Fixed wireless
72 – 245 Mbps
$60 per month
Our take – 5G may be the future of home internet, at least in underserved areas where cable and fiber internet is either unavailable or too expensive. Enter T-Mobile. The provider is available to more than 30 million homes, a third of which are in rural or suburban areas.
Fixed wireless
72 – 245 Mbps
$60 per month
300 – 2,000 Mbps
$50 – $120 per month
Our take – Verizon Fios ranks right up there with AT&T Fiber when it comes to speeds, pricing and customer satisfaction. Another thing going for the provider: unlimited data. Each Verizon Fios plan — 300Mbps starting at $50 per month, 500Mbps starting at $70 per month and gig service starting at $90 per month — comes with unlimited data.
300 – 2,000 Mbps
$50 – $120 per month
Fixed wireless
85 – 1,000 Mbps
$50 – $70 per month
Our take – Verizon’s 5G home internet service offers two plans: $50 per month for speeds ranging from 50 to 300Mbps or $70 for anywhere between 85 and 1,000Mbps. The actual speeds you can get will depend on your location, but either way, unlimited data is included with both plans.
Fixed wireless
85 – 1,000 Mbps
$50 – $70 per month
100 – 1,200 Mbps
$20 – $95 per month
Our take – WideOpenWest (WOW) plans start at just $25 per month for speeds up to 300Mbps, but other plans include 600Mbps, 1,000Mbps and 1,200Mbps service. All plans come with unlimited data.
100 – 1,200 Mbps
$20 – $95 per month
100 – 50,000 Mbps
$20 – $900 per month
Our take – Ziply Fiber offers six fiber plans including an impressive 50Gbps tier. DSL service is also available in select areas starting at $40 per month, but speeds vary based on location. Customers can enjoy unlimited data with either service.
100 – 50,000 Mbps
$20 – $900 per month
Best unlimited data internet providers compared
Please note that the plans below show each provider’s cheapest available tier. The max speed is the top advertised speed for that given plan, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Astound Broadband 300 Read full review |
$20 | 300Mbps | 7 cents | None |
| AT&T Fiber 300 Read full review |
$55 | 300Mbps | 18 cents | None |
| CenturyLink Simply Unlimited Read full review |
$55 | 140Mbps | 39 cents | $15 (optional) |
| Frontier Fiber 200 Read full review |
$30 | 200Mbps | 15 cents | None |
| Kinetic Fiber 300 | $40 | 300Mbps | 13 cents | $11 (optional) |
| Optimum 300 Read full review |
$40 | 300Mbps | 13 cents | None |
| Quantum Fiber 200 | $30 | 200Mbps | 15 cents | None |
| Spectrum Internet Read full review |
$50 | 500Mbps | 10 cents | $10 router (optional) |
| Starlink Standard Read full review |
$120 | 150Mbps | 80 cents | $299 one-time purchase |
| Starry Internet 100 Read full review |
$30 | 100Mbps | 30 cents | None |
| T-Mobile Home Internet Unlimited Read full review |
$50 | 245Mbps | 20 cents | None |
| Verizon 5G Home Internet Read full review |
$50 | 300Mbps | 17 cents | None |
| Verizon Fios 300 Read full review |
$50 | 300Mbps | 17 cents | None |
| WOW Internet 300 Read full review |
$25 | 300Mbps | 10 cents | None |
| Ziply Fiber 100/100 | $20 | 100Mbps | 20 cents | $12 (optional) |
Show more (11 items)
Honorable mentions with (sort of) unlimited data
These internet providers are not truly unlimited but either offer unlimited data options or won’t penalize you too harshly for going over your limit. While no data cap is ideal, these providers are a close second if you can’t get the providers listed above.
Hughesnet: Hughesnet has “no hard data caps.” What does that mean, exactly? Hughesnet plans now come with speeds of 50 to 100Mbps and a “priority data” limit of 100 to 200GB per month. If and once you exceed that limit, Hughesnet may lower your speeds for the remainder of your billing cycle to free bandwidth for folks who haven’t yet gone over theirs. There’s no overage fee, though, and you can add more data throughout the month if the slowed speeds are a nuisance.
Rise Broadband: Rise Broadband is a fixed wireless provider popular in many rural areas due to its ability to deliver internet service without the need for a dedicated phone, cable or fiber wire. It’s also a popular choice for unlimited internet but if you want decent speeds, it won’t come cheap.
Sparklight: Sparklight plans boast competitive pricing without contracts, but all Sparklight plans have a soft data cap of 5TB. That’s a ton of data (the average household uses significantly less than 1TB each month), but if you do manage to go over, Sparklight may reduce your speeds for the remainder of the billing cycle — but will not charge any overage fees.
Xfinity: Many of Xfinity’s plans have data caps, and this cable provider is the largest internet provider not to include unlimited data with all its plans. But that’s not to say unlimited data isn’t available with some Xfinity plans and service areas. Service terms and prices can vary widely by location with Xfinity, so select plans in some markets may very well come with unlimited data.
Pros and cons of internet plans with no data caps
For the most part, the pros of choosing an unlimited internet provider far outweighs the cons, but there may be some instances where accepting a data cap makes sense.
Pros
- No overage fees or other penalties for exceeding your limit
- No having to monitor your data usage throughout the month
- Unlimited data is ideal for multiple devices or those who use large amounts of data for working from home or learning online
Cons
- Monthly pricing may be higher
- It may not be worth the upgrade
Some providers charge a premium for unlimited data, which could add $10 or more to your monthly bill. Others may only offer unlimited data with select service types or plans and, while the unlimited data may be enticing, it’s possible that upgrading to a pricier plan could have you paying for more than you need.
Those instances are fairly uncommon, which means internet plans with no data cap are typically the better value. When considering internet providers, I’d always check out the ones with unlimited data first.
Internet providers with no data caps FAQs
What uses the most internet data?
Streaming video, especially if it’s in HD or 4K. According to Netflix, streaming in standard definition can consume 1GB per hour, HD can eat up 3GB per hour and 4K can use as much as 7GB per hour. Let’s say you binge all 485 minutes of Squid Game in HD this month; that’ll add up to around 24GB of data.
Why do internet providers have data caps?
There’s only so much bandwidth available, so providers may have to enforce data caps to keep everyone happy and connected. This is especially true with satellite internet technology, which has limited bandwidth. Consequently, you’ll find the lowest monthly data allowances, by far, with satellite internet service.
In the case of DSL and cable internet providers, which often come with a data cap of around 1TB, if any, the providers largely just want to discourage excessive usage. If they were planning to make extra money in the form of overage fees, they’d lower the data cap from 1TB, which is typically far more than the average household will use.
How can I use less internet data?
There are a number of ways to reduce your internet data use, including streaming in standard definition as opposed to HD, downloading music or TV shows instead of streaming them repeatedly and disconnecting unused devices from your Wi-Fi network.
