DSL vs. Cable Internet

You can get high-speed internet service from DSL or cable companies. A DSL (Direct Subscriber Line) service uses your existing telephone lines, so you don’t need to install other wiring.

Cable high-speed internet, though, runs through coaxial cables, just like your cable TV, and those cables need to be installed. But the trade-off is that cable internet is typically much faster than DSL.

Both technologies have nationwide service, even to rural areas. But if you don’t have either service in your area, check out some satellite internet providers.

DSL used to be pretty dang slow, but now we’ve seen speeds up to 115 Mbps (notably with Frontier), which rivals even fast cable plans.

However, on average, cable has higher speeds than DSL providers can offer.

However, despite their great download speeds, cable and DSL are both older internet technologies—so you shouldn’t expect fast upload speeds with DSL or cable internet due to technological limitations. These networks were built with telephone and TV in mind, not the internet.

The fastest DSL upload speeds reach 30 Mbps, and cable upload speeds reach about 50 Mbps (which should still work for most users). And a big advantage of fiber-optic internet is its symmetrical speeds (same download and upload speeds), up to 1,000 Mbps—or 2,000 Mbps for a select few areas.

Not many people really need high upload speeds—but you do if you’re big on file-sharing or live streaming, or if you work professionally as a photographer or videographer and often send clients large files.

One of the benefits of choosing either cable internet or DSL internet is that they’re available in most areas. DSL is available to over 84% of the population, whereas cable internet is available to over 88% of the population.1

To find the best DSL or cable internet service in your area, plug in your ZIP code to our handy-dandy tool below.

Both telephone lines and coaxial cable lines run throughout the US, but sometimes those networks don’t reach more remote locations. (Rural areas are still a mixed bag, internet-wise.) If you don’t have cable or DSL in your location, check out satellite internet.

DSL broadband internet is not dial-up internet. It does use phone lines, but it runs on a different frequency than telephone networks, and works about 10 times faster than dial-up.

However, the quality of your DSL service depends on how far you are from your internet service provider’s hubs. They have a maximum distance of three miles, and don’t often go that far.2

DSL service can be as cheap as $20 per month, and the most expensive plans go for a little over $65 per month. So when it comes to cost, DSL definitely takes the upper hand.

You’ll also want a router to distribute Wi-Fi throughout your home. Some modems and routers come in a combination unit, usually referred to as a gateway.

However, if you get DSL and find that your internet speed is lacking, you may want to upgrade to cable internet. Especially if you can get much faster speeds for about the same price.

For example, a cable plan for $25 per month with 25 Mbps download speeds seems like a much better value than a DSL plan for $20 per month with 6 Mbps download speeds. But it all depends on your needs and priorities.

Cable internet prices from providers like Optimum, Astound Broadband Powered by RCN, and WOW! Internet range from $25 per month to $175 per month—and remember you’ll need to buy or rent your cable modems and routers too. Cable pricing can be pretty similar to DSL, if not better in some cases, considering the speeds you can get.

Overall, we’d suggest going with a cable high-speed internet if you can. Cable has higher bandwidth, faster speeds, a more reliable signal, and sometimes better costs than DSL providers.