Best Internet Providers in Germany – Pros & Cons [2024]

Are you moving to Germany and thinking about the internet services in Germany? Does it make any difference to have a DSL or cable connection? There are a lot of internet providers in Germany that might confuse you about the best and quality service providers. Each internet has its advantages and disadvantages. DSL is a widely used technology for surfing the internet quickly. Most internet providers are offering their services at a low rate. As a foreign national, you would love to have a fast speed, reliable, and smooth internet connection to stay in touch with your friends and family. Each provider has different pricing, performance, speed, and availability. We will discuss various internet service providers briefly in our latest article.

Top Internet Providers in Germany

Among various internet providers, five are the big and top leading internet providers as listed below;

1. Telekom
2. Vodafone
3. 1 \& 1
4. Eazy
5. O2 Internet

Let’s discuss these internet providers a bit in detail. We will discuss the pros and cons of these providers too.

Telekom

It was state-owned until 1996 and offers the best DSL coverage due to its high number of telephone lines. It is Germany’s number one internet provider with a lot of unique features and the fastest speed. Telekom has almost 21.9 million (2023) customers nationwide and covers 39% of the market share. They offer a DSL connection at cheaper rates for lower age groups or less-income people. Telekom is a bit expensive if we compare it with other German providers.

Pros

✅ It is the biggest internet provider in Germany.
✅ Telekom offers great coverage.
✅ They respond to the queries of their clients as soon as possible.
✅ They are highly focused to provide customer support.
✅ Their activation time is quick because of their own regional lines for connections.

Cons

⛔️ Their customers need to pay an extra amount for the router as they do not include it in the package.
⛔️ Their packages are a bit expensive as compared to the other internet providers.
⛔️ Their contract duration is a minimum of 24 months.

Vodafone

This offers the fastest internet connection with cable. It is the second-largest internet provider in Germany that has the biggest cable network. The major issue is that it is not available in all cities of Germany and the speed also depends on the installed cable lines at your place.

Pros ✅ They offer telephonic and a TV with their package.
✅ They have a gigabit GB network.
✅ The speed of the vodafone connection is very good.
✅ They have very competitive pricing and packages. The price starts from 20 EUR per month.

Cons ⛔️ Their contract duration is a minimum of 24 months.

1 \& 1

It is an internet option without a contract. If you are on an official visit or holiday trip, you do not need to have a permanent internet connection. For a short-term internet connection, you must prefer the DSL offered by 1&1. They are the third-largest internet connection provider after Telekom and Vodafone.

](https://out.liveingermany.de/1und1-internet)

Pros

✅ 1 \& 1 offer free hardware to the customers.
✅ They introduced very competitive pricing with packages. The price starts from 19.99 EUR per month.
✅ They provide a sim to their customers with unlimited data facility that customers may use till the time their connection is activated.
✅ Few of their packages have a minimum duration for the contract.
✅ Their customers may cancel the contract after a three months period. 

Cons

⛔️ Their connection activation time is too long and the client has to wait for a longer time.

Eazy

This internet provider is the cheapest option in the market. Eazy uses the cable network of Vodafone and is very easy to understand. They offer two cheap packages for their customers with different speed options.

Pros

✅ They offer very competitive prices starting from 13.99 Euro per month.

✅ Eazy is available in almost all cities of Germany.

✅ They include the router in their package and charge nothing for it. 

Cons

⛔️ Their minimum contract duration is 24 months.

⛔️ Eazy provides a minimum speed of 40 Mbits per second.

O2 Internet

The previous name of O2 internet was Alice. They changed themselves and their services to provide better and quality experience to their clients. It is just as close to the top third internet provider in Germany.

Pros

✅ O2 offers a very good speed even after the heavy usage of the internet.

✅ O2 provides 250 Mbit per second.

✅ O2 internet connection is comparatively cheap.

✅ O2 offers subsidized hardware to their customers.

✅ Their all contracts include flatrate for both mobile phone and landline.

✅ Their all contracts include flatrate for both mobile phone and landline.

Cons

⛔️ They have a little unprofessional customer support team.

Comparison of Top Five Internet Providers in Germany

Type of Internet Connections in Germany

DSL Connection

Pros

✅ You cannot share the DSL connection with the neighbors.

✅ There is no lag during the peak time frame.

✅ It is available in almost all cities of Germany.

Cons

⛔️ It is the most susceptible to the network interface.

⛔️ You will have slower speed issues if you are away from the internet provider.

Cable Connection

Pros ✅ A cable connection has a faster speed than that of a DSL connection.

Cons ⛔️ As compared to fiber. High as compared to dsl. ⛔️ It is not available in every city in Germany.

Good WiFi Speed in Germany

16 MBit/s speed is fine if you are an average user and you use the internet for watching videos, sending emails, streaming NetFlix, and surfing the web. If you want to have a lot of online audio or video calls, conference meetings, want to play a lot of games, and want to watch high HD movies and videos, you must look for a high-speed connection with higher bandwidth. All big internet providers offer high-speed internet, usually 250 MBit/s downloads and 40 MBit/s upload speed.

Things to Know about Internet Service Providers in Germany

• People living in Germany have a lot of choices when it comes to choosing an internet provider.
• An internet facility is best that offers special options, for example, LTE home tariff or satellite.
• It might be possible that you will not get the mentioned speed in your contract because the connection lines are old and not connected properly.
• The best provider who offers new customer discounts from time to time.
• Companies rely more on online presence to capture more customers and market share.
• No big internet provider is offering English support for their website or services.

What is the major Drawback Internet Provider in Germany

Internet providers are trying to attract new customers while offering them new customer discounts for the first two years. This is a major disadvantage for old customers as they pay much more monthly.

You may feel that getting customer service or contacting the officials for a query is a real pain. They may ask you to dial other numbers, and you would feel they do not want to help. Telecommunication companies can leave you waiting for a longer time which may be tiring and irritating for you and your official matters. It might take a little time if you have called a technician for some connection issue at your home.

How to Choose An Internet Provider?

It is highly recommended that you must select a service provider by comparing prices, features, performance, and special offers. You may prefer an internet facility that is cheaper but compare the features too according to your needs and requirements. You can select the first five big providers, as discussed earlier. You may ask others for recommendations if you want to select other providers. You can also check online and carefully check the rating and reviews of previous customers. You must select an internet provider who is reliable, trustworthy, and offers great packages. This is very important to avoid any inconvenience and additional costs.

Important Instructions While Making Contract

Before signing a contract with an internet provider, you must know the basic implemented laws in the field of telecommunication. This will tell you about your rights to being a valued customer. Before making a contract with an internet provider, you must know these three things.

Prices – you must pay special attention to the costs of provided features. Compare the prices with other providers, if necessary. Internet providers place special offers for new customers, so it is highly recommended that you check the actual prices of the packages you will pay after a few months of special offers or discounts.

Duration – normally, the duration of the contract is 24 months. You can cancel your contract with a notice period of one month.

Monthly Charges – internet providers charge a monthly fee for their wireless routers. This fee usually ranges from 2 to 6 Euros.

Conclusion

The Internet is something without which we all can not live. The list of internet providers is large, so it is always important to compare the current providers and services offered. It is your choice that you sign a contract with a big well-known provider. Many smaller and regional providers are offering the best internet packages. Eazy is a simple and cheap option, but if you are from a rural area, then the only option is Telekom. If you need a temporary connection, 1 \& 1 is the best option.