Searching for a landline and internet offer?
In this article, we’ve compared the 5 best internet and landline phone tariffs you can buy in Germany right now.
We’ve compared each offer based on its speeds, service, and value for money.
Plus, we’ve also explained what you need to know when looking for a combined landline and internet package, to help you find the right tariff for your specific needs.
Best landline and internet offers
In this part of the article, we’ve reviewed and compared five of the best internet and landline phone packages you can buy in Germany at the moment.
1. O2 Internet and landline
All O2 DSL tariffs currently come with flat rate inclusive telephone calls to German landline and mobile numbers, free of charge, which no other providers currently offer. Most other companies only include free calls to landline numbers.
You can get a download speed of up to 500 Mbit/s with O2 my Home XL, for a reasonable monthly cost. There are also fast fibre internet plans available, if you need a better download speed.
The main downside to O2 is they charge a decent connection fee. Their setup costs are quite high.
However, unlike most other internet providers, they give you the option of avoiding having to commit for 24 months, if you don’t want to. You can join O2 Internet without a commitment.
Overall, if you’re looking for good flexibility, and don’t want to pay more for calls to mobile numbers, O2 is a great choice.
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2. 1&1 Internet and landline
1&1 almost always has some of the cheapest DSL tariffs available in Germany.
You can get a download speed of up to 1000 Mbit/s for a very reasonable monthly cost with 1&1, and the price is even lower during the introductory period for new customers, which is normally six months long.
Unlike most other providers, 1&1 gives you 30 days to test out their internet service, before you commit to the full length of the contract. This gives you the opportunity to test and see what download and upload speeds you receive, before having to commit for 24 months.
You also get free cloud storage included, which can be helpful if you have a lot of photos and videos you want to back up, or share with friends and family.
The downside to 1&1 DSL and landline is you’ll have to pay per minute for mobile calls to German numbers, or buy a mobile minutes package.
Unlimited calls are only included by default to German landline numbers.
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3. Maingau Energie Internet and landline
Unlike the other three providers we’ve looked at so far, Maingau Energie doesn’t include unlimited calls to landline or mobile numbers by default.
You have to pay more for an inclusive landline package with Maingau. However, their internet tariffs are so cheap that you might end up paying less overall.
Maingau Energie offers download speeds of up to 250 Mbit/s with DSL, and an upload speed of up to 40 Mbit/s. There are no connection fees most of the time, and their monthly prices are lower than nearly all other providers.
The issue is, these maximum download speeds aren’t very fast compared to most other providers. You can’t get a 500 Mbit/s or 1000 Mbit/s plan.
On the plus side though, with Maingau Energie Internet, you can choose a 12 month contract if you’d prefer. You don’t have to commit for 24 months if you don’t want to, unlike with most other internet service providers.
Also, there are discounts available for existing Maingau Energie customers, making their internet service even better value for money.
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4. Vodafone Internet and landline
Vodafone’s internet and landline plans are relatively basic, which means they’re easy to understand, but they do have some limitations.
You can choose an internet plan with a 16, 50, 100, or 250 Mbit/s average download speed, each of which comes with a landline service by default.
The home phone connection includes unlimited calls to German landlines, as well as Vodafone mobile numbers. Unfortunately, mobile calls to numbers on other networks like Telekom are not included, unless you pay more.
On the plus side though, Vodafone charges no connection fees, and their monthly costs are quite reasonable. They’re a bit cheaper than most other internet service providers in Germany.
Also, you can save even more money on Vodafone Internet if you’re an existing Vodafone mobile customer, which is a nice bonus.
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5. PŸUR Internet and landline
PŸUR isn’t available everywhere in Germany. However, if you can get their internet and home phone service, this company is worth looking into.
Similar to Maingau, PŸUR offers very low monthly costs, even on their fastest 400 or 1000 Mbit/s internet tariff, and there are no connection fees either.
Each PŸUR internet offer comes with a landline connection, including unlimited calls to German landline numbers. Although you have to pay more to also get unlimited calls to mobile numbers, this package is not very expensive to buy.
PŸUR also has quite reasonable router rental fees compared to most other providers. You can get a FRITZ!Box 6660 included for a low monthly cost.
Overall, PŸUR is a good choice, especially if you want fast internet for a low price, or if you don’t need inclusive calls to German mobile numbers.
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What you need to know
In this section, we’ve explained some key things to consider when choosing an internet and home phone package to buy.
How do internet and landline offers work?
Nearly all internet tariffs sold in Germany come with a landline connection that includes unlimited calls to other home phones in the country.
Sometimes, the landline connection also includes calls to German mobile numbers, but most of the time, you’ll have to either pay a per minute call charge, or buy a mobile calls package, in order to call mobile numbers.
You will normally also have the option to buy an international calls package, if you need to make regular calls to people in other countries.
How much can I expect to pay for internet and landline?
The amount you’ll pay per month for a combined internet and landline service mostly depends on the internet speed you get, and whether calls to mobile numbers are included or not.
Most of the time, you can expect to pay about €40-€50 per month for an internet and home phone connection.
If you then choose to purchase the ability to make unlimited mobile calls, you can expect to pay an extra €5-€10 per month.
What internet speed do I need?
When shopping for an internet and phone tariff, you might notice that the main thing that affects how much you’ll pay each month is the internet speed you choose.
With most DSL or cable internet providers, you’ll have the choice of a 50, 100, 250, 500, or 1000 Mbit/s download speed. The 500+ Mbit/s plans will often be especially expensive.
For small families, a 100 Mbit/s download speed will be plenty, most of the time. But you might want a 250 Mbit/s internet tariff if you have a larger family, and many people at home are often online at the same time.
If you’re looking to save money, the only reason you would need a faster tariff is if you often download large files, and want to make the process faster.
In most cases, 100 Mbit/s is plenty, even if you work from home on a regular basis.
Will I have to pay a separate fee for a router or a home phone?
When you change internet provider, you’ll need to ensure you have a compatible Wi-Fi router for your new broadband connection.
Most people choose to rent a router from their internet provider, which will typically cost about €5 per month, depending on how technically advanced the router is – such as how many Ethernet ports it has, and how good its Wi-Fi signal is.
If you’d prefer to avoid paying a monthly charge, you can buy a router yourself, which will cost about €150. Just make sure to check with your provider that the router you’re buying is compatible with your internet connection, given the technology being used (DSL, cable, or fibre) and the speeds you’ll be receiving.
When it comes to your home phone, if you don’t have one already, you’ll need to buy one yourself. Some internet providers sell their own home phones, such as Telekom, but most of the time you’ll need to buy one from a separate retailer.
How to save money on an internet and home phone package
Here are some ways to save money on an internet and landline tariff, if you’re on a tight budget.
- Only pay for the internet speed you really need, given how often you get online, and how many people live at home.
- Carefully consider whether or not you really need the ability to make unlimited calls to mobile numbers from your home phone. If you normally only call other landlines, you should be able to save a decent amount of money with a cheaper home phone package.
- Shop around for the cheapest provider. Sometimes, certain providers run special offers that make their monthly costs significantly lower than the competition, at least for the first quarter or first half of the contract.
- Look for discounts available to customers of other services. For example, you can get a discount on Vodafone internet as an existing Vodafone mobile phone customer.
- Buy a router upfront, if you can afford it, rather than paying a monthly rental fee. This should allow you to save money over the long term.
Which is the cheapest landline and internet provider right now?
In general, either O2 or Maingau Energie normally has the cheapest internet and landline bundles, when taking their overall monthly costs into account.
The difference is, with O2, everything is included. You get unlimited landline and mobile calls included by default.
With Maingau, you have to pay more to get inclusive landline and mobile calls, and avoid paying a per-minute call charge. However, they can sometimes be the cheapest option overall, because their internet plans are very competitively priced.
Does it matter whether I use DSL, cable, or fibre?
You can get an internet and landline package no matter whether you use DSL, cable, or fibre internet.
It’s best to choose the right technology based on what you need from your internet connection.
For example, you might want the fast upload speeds and low latency offered by fibre internet. On the other hand, you might want the lower prices offered by DSL, or you might live in a town where only cable internet is available.
Conclusion
You’ve reached the end of our guide to the best landline and internet offers in Germany in 2024.
When shopping, it’s important to consider the types of landline calls you’ll be making. If you need to call mobile numbers on a regular basis, this will increase the amount you’ll have to pay a decent bit. But if you only normally call other home phones, you don’t need to pay more for a tariff that includes mobile calls.
If you’re still not sure which internet tariff to buy, feel free to ask us a question in the comments below, and we’ll respond as soon as we can.
I’m Roger, and I’m the founder of Broadband 4 Europe.
I grew up in Switzerland but live in Germany now, and also lived in South Tirol for a while in the past.
I have a background in IT and have performed extensive research into the broadband markets of most major European countries. Learning about fixed-line broadband markets is my nerdy hobby, but I’m also excited by the possibilities that 5G (and eventually 6G) broadband will provide us in the future.
When I’m not researching broadband companies and their networks, you’ll find me playing volleyball or the piano.
