Contracts, Availability, Speed: How Germany’s Internet Providers Perform in 2026

Based on more than 100,000 validated speed tests and continuous measurements from around 1,200 mini-computers, the study paints a comprehensive picture of contract fulfillment, stability, and speed in the German internet market.

Deutsche Telekom Wins Overall Ranking

In this year’s test, Deutsche Telekom secured first place with an overall score of 1.53, ahead of the three other nationwide providers: Vodafone (1.58), 1&1 (1.60), and O2 (1.70). Telekom performed particularly well in the categories of contract fulfillment (1.46) and applications (1.35) — two areas where reliable and stable connections are essential. This makes Telekom the most balanced overall package among the providers tested.

1&1 Dominates the Value-for-Money Comparison

1&1 stands out especially in terms of value for money: the provider came out on top in three of the five speed categories — 50, 100, and 250 Mbit/s. Customers looking for solid internet performance at a fair price will therefore find attractive options with 1&1 in the mid-range bandwidth segments. Only in the higher-end categories does the competition take over: Deutsche Telekom delivers the best value at 500 Mbit/s, while Vodafone wins the value-for-money category at 1,000 Mbit/s.

Vodafone Excels in Speed

Vodafone remains the speed champion among the nationwide providers. With a score of 1.05 in the speed category and 1.07 for value for money, Vodafone achieved the best individual results in the entire test. Customers receive more Mbit/s per euro than with competing providers. The only weak spot is network availability (1.99), where there is still room for improvement.

Regional Providers in Focus

In addition to the nationwide rankings, CHIP also published separate evaluations for each German federal state. Alongside the major national operators, regional providers such as PYUR, Deutsche Glasfaser, M-net, EWE TEL, and TNG were included in the analysis. These regional results show that local fiber-optic providers can compete with — and in some cases even outperform — the national market leaders in certain states.

How the Test Was Conducted

The evaluation is based on two major data sources: around 1,200 Raspberry Pi-based mini-computers continuously monitored the connection quality of German households under real-world conditions, including automatic availability checks every five minutes. In addition, more than 100,000 speed tests from speedtest.chip.de were included in the analysis, with each customer’s subscribed tariff being validated. This tariff validation prevents providers from being disadvantaged when their customers more frequently use lower-cost plans with reduced data rates. The assessment considered factors such as adherence to promised download and upload speeds, network availability, and the actual performance achieved in key real-world usage scenarios.

All test details and results are available at chip.de/festnetztest.