What is the best internet provider in Amarillo?

Finding the right internet provider and plan in Amarillo, Texas, can feel overwhelming with so many choices available. After reviewing the options in the region, CNET's top pick for the best internet service provider in Amarillo is AT&T Fiber. With its blistering speeds up to 5,000Mbps and numerous plans, finding the right option for your needs is simple. You can also look into Vexus and local provider AW Broadband as alternatives.

But given the city's mix of urban and rural areas, fiber isn't available to everyone. Most residents will likely have access to cable services from Optimum, but others may need to look to fixed wireless options from Plains Internet, AW Broadband, Verizon 5G Home Internet or T-Mobile Home Internet.

For remote or home workers, having a fast, reliable internet connection is crucial for streaming, gaming and business. CNET examined customer service reviews, speed, pricing and overall value to recommend the best local broadband providers. With that in mind, let's sort through the best internet providers in Amarillo.

Best internet providers in Amarillo, TX

Amarillo ISPs give you options for getting online, whether you want to feed your need for speed with fiber or connect with cable or fixed wireless. Your choice will largely come down to availability. If your address is hooked up for fiber, then AT&T and Vexus are our top picks. T-Mobile Home Internet and Verizon 5G Home Internet offer no-fuss fixed wireless alternatives if you're in a location with a strong signal.

Note: The prices, speeds and features detailed in the article text may differ from those listed in the product detail cards, which represent providers’ national offerings. Your particular internet service options -- including prices and speeds -- depend on your address and may differ from those detailed here.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

All available Amarillo residential internet providers

AT&T Fiber and Vexus topped our list for best ISPs in Amarillo thanks to fast speeds and reliable connections. T-Mobile offers broad coverage for its 5G home internet. They're not the only games in town, though. Here are other ISPs to consider.

• AW Broadband: Regional ISP AW Broadband, formerly Amarillo Wireless, delivers internet services via fixed wireless and fiber. AW covers all of Amarillo with fixed wireless and an estimated 15% of the city with fiber, with a concentration on newly built neighborhoods and suburbs. Equipment is included with an optional Wi-Fi router lease for $10 a month. There are no contracts. A $149 installation fee applies, with discounts for seniors, military and first responders. 
  
• Optimum: Formerly known as Suddenlink, Optimum is a wide-reaching provider of cable internet across Amarillo. Pricing starts at $40 per month for 300Mbps service on up to $60 per month for 1,000Mbps (called the 1 Gig plan). Standard installation and equipment are included at no additional cost and there's no annual contract. Keep an eye out for bonuses like a prepaid Visa rewards card. If you're shopping on price, then the 1 Gig plan is a tempting deal for the speed you get. 
  
• Plains Internet: Fixed wireless provider Plains Internet may be an option for residences that are more rural or otherwise don't have coverage from a fiber or cable provider. Basic plans start from $45 and speeds can vary depending on location with a top speed of 100Mbps. There's an $80 installation fee. Plains has two very small pockets of fiber service in north and east Amarillo, but fixed wireless is its mainstay for the area. 
  
• Satellite internet: Starlink is a little pricey and the startup cost is expensive, but it's a solid alternative for rural areas that don't have a good fiber, cable or fixed wireless option. Also, check into satellite providers Viasat or HughesNet.
  
• Verizon 5G Home Internet: Verizon is T-Mobile's national competitor in the fixed wireless arena. It offers a max speed of 1,000Mbps in some places in the country, but speeds are dependent on location and network demand. Not every city is covered by Verizon's fastest technology, so Amarillo customers can look for speeds of up to 300Mbps. Plans run from $50 to $70, but you can qualify for significant savings when bundling with an eligible mobile plan. When deciding between T-Mobile Home Internet and Verizon 5G Home Internet, start with the one you have a mobile plan with (if either of them), then check availability.
  

Amarillo broadband at a glance

If fiber services your address, then give it strong consideration. Fast fiber upload speeds are nice to have, and the Amarillo fiber providers have better customer service reputations than cable rival Optimum. Some locations, especially ones outside the city limits, may not have much choice in ISP, so look to fixed wireless from T-Mobile, Verizon, Plains Internet or AW Broadband as an alternative.

Pricing for Amarillo home internet service

Getting started with a new internet connection in Amarillo can be very affordable, compared to other cities. The average monthly starting price for an internet plan in Amarillo works out to about $47. Optimum and AW Broadband have options starting at around $50. Eligible T-Mobile and Verizon phone customers can enjoy discounted fixed wireless internet. You can also drop a pretty penny ($245 per month) if AT&T Fiber offers its fastest 5,000Mbps speed tier at your location.

Cheap internet options in the Amarillo area

The cheapest internet plan in Amarillo is Verizon 5G Home Internet's $35 fixed wireless deal if you bundle the service with an eligible phone plan. On the cable side, Optimum offers a competitive $40 tier for 300Mbps. Your best bargain in fiber is the Vexus 500Mbps plan for $40 per month, but the network access fee bumps that to $50.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

How fast is the internet in Amarillo?

Amarillo's internet speeds are all over the map. According to Ookla's Speedtest.net data, Amarillo's residential internet options deliver a very respectable median download speed of about 338Mbps for fixed internet. Some residents are able to connect to fiber networks with residential speeds topping out at 5,000Mbps from AT&T Fiber. Most fiber customers will be plenty happy with 1,000Mbps service from AT&T or Vexus. (Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.)

Fastest internet providers in Amarillo

AT&T Fiber and Vexus Fiber are the fastest internet providers in Amarillo. AT&T offers its zippy 5,000Mbps in some areas of the city, otherwise, you can look at slower (but still very fast) fiber plans at the 2,000Mbps or 1,000Mbps tiers. Vexus comes in with a top speed of 2,000Mbps and undercuts AT&T's price by a little, though keep an eye on future price changes after the first year. Read our guide to the best multi-gigabit internet plans.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

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

The Amarillo area is a place where city and country life cross over, so internet services are very location-dependent. Parts of the city are covered by fast fiber, while more rural spots may need to look into fixed wireless or even satellite internet options. If AT&T, Vexus or AW Broadband services your address with fiber, then that's a smart way to go for fast upload and download speeds. Otherwise, consider cable internet from Optimum or fixed wireless from T-Mobile or Verizon, or a regional provider like AW Broadband or Plains Internet.

How CNET chose the best internet providers in Amarillo

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. So 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.

But it doesn’t end there. We use 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 the time of publication.

Once we have this localized information, we ask three main questions:

1. Does the provider offer access to reasonably fast internet speeds?
2. Do customers get decent value for what they’re paying?
3. Are customers happy with their service?

While the answer to those questions is often layered and complex, the providers who come closest to “yes” on all three are the ones we recommend. Within those recommendations, we also look for the cheapest and fastest ISPs from that region. To explore our process more thoroughly, check out our page on how we test ISPs.

Amarillo internet provider FAQs