If you plan to live in Berlin you should definitely get your own Internet contract instead of sharing your internet with a neighbour.
But how do you find out which contract (which speed, which extras included?) and which internet provider suits you best?
Well there are a few things to keep in mind.
First of all, Germany may be a well developed country and as a customer you are (almost) always right.
But when it comes to service and internet providers you will need to have a lot of patience.
When signing up for any internet provider for the first time at your new address, you will need to wait for a Telekom technician to come to your place.
This appointment may take something between 2-4 weeks after you signed up for your internet contract.
Good news is, if you only need to change from one provider to another a visit from a Telekom technician will not be necessary.
Next on your list should be to make sure the contract includes a router that is WLAN capable.
Otherwise you will be sitting on your couch with a cable attached to your computer and your Internet Provider will charge you extra for the WiFi option afterwards.
Make sure to get a contract including a WLAN router, otherwise you will need to buy one yourself for extra cost.
Insider Tip 1
Frustratingly enough some internet providers offer LAN routers by default (meaning that you need to connect your computer with a cable to the router as it has no Wireless option).
So make sure to pay those few extra bucks and sign up for a WLAN router from the start.
When buying a WLAN router yourself you will usually pay more than if you select one with your new contract.
After the comparison of the best German internet providers make sure to keep on reading to learn about how to save money (Spoiler: you will need to change your internet provider every 24 months).
| 1&1 Internet* | Deutsche Telekom* | O2 Internet* | |
| Internet speed | 16MBits – 1.000MBits | 16MBits – 250MBits | 10MBits – 250MBits |
| Best deal | DSL 100 100MBits Download 40MBits Upload | MagentaZuhause M 50MBits Download 10MBits Upload | o2 my Home M 100MBits Download 40MBits Upload |
| Monthly price best deal | 9,99€ first 10 months 44,99€ afterwards Setup 0€ | 19,95€ first 6 months 42,95€ afterwards Setup 69,95€ Up to 200€ discount possible | 19,99€ first 6 months 34,99€ afterwards Setup 0€ |
| German landline included | Yes Flatrate calls within Germany Flatrate mobile phones 9,99€/month | Yes Flatrate calls within Germany 19,0ct/min mobile phones | Yes Flatrate calls within Germany Flatrate mobile phones |
| Internet/Phone/TV packages | Yes TV in HD quality 4,99€/month | Yes Additional 10,00€/month for TV | No |
| Unlimited high speed internet | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Rated as the best German internet provider in several consumer magazine tests in 2020 1&1 Internet is a very good option to sign up with.
1&1 offers very fast internet via glass fiber as well as options for users that have their focus on a good deal rather than the fastest internet.
So why should you go for 1&1 Internet? There are actually several reasons, which we all gonna talk about here.
For years in Berlin there were very few (especially affordable) options to surf faster than the usual 8-16Mb/s.
Luckily 1&1 changed that and offers really affordable and fast internet with up to 250Mb/s.
If you are one of the few lucky ones you might even get up to 1.000Mb/s if internet via glass fibre is available for your address.
Not only does 1&1 offer one of the fastest internet connections, but also do they have very fair prices for their packages.
What sets them appart from most other German internet providers is the fact, that you will get a good deal for a Homeserver from Fritzbox, which are by far the best routers around these days, if you sign up for 24 months.
Still nowadays a German landline number comes in handy, and what better than that you will get a free landline number with your internet contract.
Calls to other German landlines are free of charge, while calls to cellphones are as cheap as 19,9c per minute.
Calls to mobile phones within the 1&1 mobile network are free of charge.
The cherry on top of the cake.
Now all contracts come with the option of HD TV (up to 86 German TV stations) for just 4,99€ per month.
If you need a new router, we highly recommend chosing the 1&1 HomeServer, which is basically a Fritzbox 7520 (but in black).
If you already own a router, make sure to check if there is a deal live where you get 100€ bonus for not needing a router.
With all these points in mind 1&1 Internet* is at the moment the best option to sign up with for internet in Berlin.
Our recommendation is the option with DSL 100 (we are heavy users and never have we needed or reached the 100MB limit ourselves) including HD TV.
Ignore the highlighted 250MBits option on the 1&1 website and save a few Euros as the 100Mbits are more than enough for all streaming or home-office needs you might have.
Another great option for a German internet provider is Deutsche Telekom.
Deutsche Telekom is definitely not the cheapest option (actually it is probably the most expensive option), but no other provider offers so many extra benefits. So in the end the price is not as high as it seems in the beginning.
That is also why Deutsche Telekom is by far the biggest internet provider in Germany with more than 12 million customers right now.
If you sign up for an internet and for a mobile phone contract with Deutsche Telekom you will get a monthly discount discount of 10€ + double mobile data!
This bonus applies if both contracts are at least 24 months and is called MagentaEINS.
Signing up for an internet and a mobile contract with Telekom will save you another 10€ per months.
Insider Tip 2
Furthermore, no other provider has such a extensive coverage of high speed internet in Germany and Berlin compared to Deutsche Telekom.
And last but not least most contracts with Telekom include benefits such as TV via internet (extra cost may apply).
So have a closer look at the great choices of Deutsche Telekom*, even though at first they might seem more expensive than most other providers.
We have taken the higher cost into account and with Deutsche Telekom we recommend the MagentaZuhause M option with 50Mbits (compared to 100Mbits recommendation with 1&1).
O2 has been for a long time the best Internet Provider in Berlin, but just lost it’s top spot to 1&1 and Telekom in our opinion.
If you look for a 24 months contract you might save some money during the first 12 months, but the period afterwards is more expensive with o2 than with 1&1 Internet.
Also o2 decided to cut internet speed after 100gb of data a month in the cheapest contract option.
This will be no problem for 99% of all internet users, but in the close race with 1&1 Internet and Deutsche Telekom for the top spot this gave 1&1 Internet a little advantage over o2.
O2 now also offers a 10€ per month discount if you sing up for an internet and a mobile phone contract with 24 months.
Insider Tip 3
All current options at o2 include a heavily discounted first 12 months and then after 12 months you will start to pay the full price.
What does this mean?
After 24 months you should definitely cancel your contract and switch to another provider to avoid paying more than necessary.
Another option (more flexible but also a bit more expensive) would be to sign up for a contract that can be canceled at the end of each month.
This will give you more flexibility, but also higher monthly fees.
You can find out if o2 DSL is available in your house here:
During the sign up process of o2 you will have the choice between different routers.
If you don’t own your own router we would recommend you either to get a used one on Ebay or go for the Fritzbox option if available.
Most Germans rely on the Fritzboxes by AVM, which offer the best hardware and service (remember, this is the same as the Homeservers at 1&1).
In case that o2 is available at your place all you need to do is sign up for one of their options that suits you best and wait the obligatory 2-4 weeks until the Telekom technician shows up.
In general, and especially with the added 10€ discount if you happen to be also signed up with o2 for your mobile contract, o2 is the cheapest option for an internet provider in Berlin.
However, as they do cut internet speed in some of the contracts and because the internet speed is not always as high as with the other providers, o2 is only our third recommendation at this point.
Moving flats within Berlin is a common thing, maybe because, after sharing a bathroom and a kitchen with people for a while, you just want to upgrade from a little room in a WG to your own flat.
At least you don’t need to worry about what happens with your contract with your Internet Service Provider (ISP) in Berlin.
Any company lets you change the address on the contract to your new residence, without prolonging the contract for another 24 months.
This needs to be pointed out because in the past, the laws on this were different and a change of residence meant that a contract had to be renewed.
Also, if you can’t move the contract with you (e.g. if you leave Berlin or Germany altogether), then you have the right to cancel the contract before the minimum duration of 24 months.
So there is really no need to go for a more flexible (in terms of contract), but more expensive and slower option, like a Internet Surf Stick.
You might have wondered already why we wrote about how to change your ISP.
Well, as mentioned, this might be needed when you change your apartment.
But most importantly, we highly recommend changing your internet provider every 24 months as you will get higher discounts as a new customer compared to an existing customer.
Most of the time ISPs discount the first 6 months of a new contract before charging the normal rate.
But if you forget to cancel your contract it will be extended another year without any discout.
So set yourself a reminder that you need to cancel your existing contract at least 3 months before the end date of the contract.
Otherwise the automatic extension will lock you in for another year without any discounts.
For obvious reasons, you might want to sign up with an internet provider that delivers internet via glass fiber or cable with very high download and upload rates.
Currently just a few companies offer high speed internet in Berlin via glass fiber or cable.
For fast internet via cable check out Kabel Deutschland, Tele Columbus or Primacom, all of the above mentioned companies already offer internet with up to 1.000 Mbit/s.
For high speed internet via glass fiber check 1&1, Telekom or Vodafone, which currently offer clients up to 1.000 Mbit/s in Berlin.
In case you are moving into a new apartment and you need to wait for a Telekom technician for 4 weeks you should consider getting a mobile surf stick.
Your best option would be to check with your ISP, who might offer a free or very cheap mobile surfing option including a surf stick with your internet contract.
With this mobile surf stick you can have internet at home and also on the go (without needing a mobile Hotspot from your mobile phone) from the start.
Also if you are working a lot with your laptop on the go (especially in trains) then we highly recommend a mobile surf stick.
Now that you’re successfully signed up with an Internet provider in Berlin, it is time to get your mobile phone contract and your cable TV contract.
Be aware that you can only sign up for those contracts in Germany when you have a valid German bank account.
*Since I love to keep my website as up-to-date as possible for you awesome readers, my content may contain affiliate links. All the links in this post marked with ‘*’ are such affiliate links. Even though I might receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you, all opinions on my website remain my own.
And now that you have taken care of your internet contract it is time to enjoy some of the best places in Berlin for food:
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If you now fancy some really good Schnitzel we strongly advise you to keep reading about where to get the best Schnitzel in Berlin.
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Maybe reading about all this fantastic food made you crave a big, fat, juicy burger? Also no problemo, keep reading about where to find the best burgers in Berlin.
