5G home internet competition is heating up in the US and providers like T-Mobile and Verizon are offering some big incentives to attract customers. Follow our 5G home internet comparison for speeds, prices and fine details for each provider.
Update 1.8.: T-Mobile recently expanded its 5G home internet availability to 81 new cities in five new states. The Uncarrier previously said it was available to 40 million homes, and that brings the figure to 45 million.
Meanwhile, Verizon has not only given out $25 for its 5G home internet for cellular customers, but also for Fios and LTE home plans.
background
It’s been just over a year since Verizon and T-Mobile launched their 5G home internet services, and both are building momentum.
T-Mobile said its 5G home internet is available to 40 million homes (now 45 million), and Verizon said in January its 5G home internet is available to 20 million.
While Verizon stepped up its incentives with offers like a 50% discount for existing customers, T-Mobile announced similar promotions of its own.
AT&T does not have 5G home internet, but offers 4G home internet for rural customers and businesses. While it falls far short of Verizon and T-Mobile across the board, we’ll include it in the comparisons below for reference.
5G Home Internet Comparison: T-Mobile vs. Verizon
speeds
Verizon offers the fastest potential speeds for both downloads and uploads, while T-Mobile’s service is more widely available.
With both, keep in mind that your average 5G speeds will vary based on location and coverage. And yes, AT&T’s 4G home internet is terribly slow.
| 5G home internet | T Mobile | Verizon | AT&T (4G only) |
| download speeds | 33 to 182 Mbps | 85 to 1,000 Mbps | 10 to 25 Mbps |
| upload speeds | 8 to 25 Mbps | 10 to 50 Mbps | up to 1 Mbit/s |
One more detail: To get access to Verizon’s 300-1,000Mbps download speeds, you need to select the 5G Home Plus plan.
Prices, furnishings, fine details
Both T-Mobile and Verizon offer very affordable pricing, especially for customers bundling a qualifying cellular plan. That brings T-Mobile’s 5G home internet to $30/month and Verizon’s is even cheaper at $25/month.
Even if you don’t have your smartphone service through either, the plans at T-Mobile and Verizon are still affordable at $50/month each with Autopay.
| 5G home internet details | T Mobile | Verizon | AT&T |
| Price with cellular plan | $30/month | $25-35/month | $59.99/month |
| Price without mobile phone tariff | $50/month | $50-70/month | $69.99/month |
| contract | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Taxes and Fees | Included | Included | extra |
| data cap | ❌ | ❌ | 350 GB |
| self setup | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| installation fee | ❌ | ❌ | $99 |
| price lock | lifespan | 2-3 years | ❌ |
AT&T’s offering is not only more expensive, it’s also much slower, has a data cap, and requires a $99 install.
incentives
Both T-Mobile and Verizon have an enticing list of incentives to lure customers away from traditional broadband providers.
Both make the switch free by covering early termination fees of up to $500, having free trials, and offering extra perks like free streaming devices and streaming services.
| 5G home internet incentives | T Mobile | Verizon | AT&T |
| Free trial period | ✅ – 15 days | ✅ – 30 days | ❌ |
| Up to $500 for early semester fees | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Free streaming device | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| T-Mobile Tuesday perks | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Free Disney+ bundle up to 1 year | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Free Paramount+ for 1 year | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| 50% off YouTube TV for 1 year | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
Verizon is offering its own Stream TV set-top box for free, while T-Mobile is offering $50 that can be used on any streaming device, including the Apple TV.
5G Home Internet Comparison Summary
As T-Mobile and Verizon both work hard to deliver compelling 5G home internet service, consumers will benefit from affordable pricing, free trials, no contracts, and more.
Hopefully, with the launch of more C-band 5G coverage this year, AT&T will officially enter the 5G home Internet space, which will bring more choice and competition.
If you’re not happy with your broadband provider at this point, it’s easy to do a risk-free trial with T-Mobile or Verizon’s 5G home internet, and you can even try it alongside your existing internet.
It’s hard to say if there’s a clear winner between T-Mobile and Verizon. T-Mobile gets points for better availability and a lifetime price lock. And Verizon is ahead with a cheaper price for bundlers and higher overall speeds.
But if you already have one of the providers for your phone plan, it makes sense to give that one a try first.
Check if T-Mobile or Verizon 5G home internet is available in your area.
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