Shaw Internet vs Telus Internet

By Marisa Crane

Last updated 30 November 2023

Telus

4.5 out of 5 overall

Plans starting at $70/month
Faster speeds

Shaw

4. out of 5 overall

Cable plans starting at $50/month
Up to 1.5Gbps speeds

Contents

In this guide:

Prices
Availability
Connection Types
Internet Speeds and Performance
Customer Service
Recap
FAQs

Shaw and Telus are two of Canada’s predominant internet providers. Shaw provides wireless to customers in Alberta and British Columbia and Telus covers those provinces plus Quebec. Both internet service providers offer affordable, reliable broadband services, though Telus has more plans and connection types to choose from.

In this guide, we’ll break down everything you need to know in order to choose which provider is right for you. Continue reading to learn more about Shaw vs. Telus.

Shaw vs. Telus Summary

Though Telus and Shaw are both worthy internet providers to consider, we think Telus edges out Shaw due to its blazing fast speeds and wider coverage. However, if affordability is your main concern, Shaw offers an affordable plan for just $50/month.


Price
Availability
Connection types
Speed and performance
Customer Service
	Telus Plans	Shaw Plans

Shaw vs. Telus: Plan Prices

Shaw and Telus’ plan prices are fairly comparable, all things considered, though Shaw’s least expensive plan is $20/month cheaper than Telus’ most affordable plan. As the plan prices (and speeds) increase, these providers are pretty much neck and neck. With Shaw, you’ll save some money upfront since there are no costs to get started. Telus, on the other hand, charges $100 upfront for fibre plans and $50 for fixed wireless plans.

Shaw and Telus internet pricing compared

Download speed	Shaw price	Telus price
10Mbps	$50	-
25Mbps	-	$70
50Mbps	-	$104
75Mbps	$79	-
100Mbps	-	$125
250Mbps	$84	-
300Mbps	-	$80
500Mbps	$94	-
940Mbps	-	$89
1Gbps	$99	-
1.5Gbps	$129	$109
2.5Gbps	-	$175

Neither ISP requires you to sign a contract; however, the plan prices are only locked in for two years, after which your cost will go up by anywhere from $10 to $50 per month. The only exception is Telus’ top tier 2.5 Gbps fibre plan, which remains at $175 after the two years.

Since each provider’s pricing is so similar, this section is a draw.

Winner: Tie

Shaw vs. Telus: Availability

Telus and Shaw are both available for customers in British Columbia and Alberta, but Telus has the added advantage of covering people in Quebec as well. If you live in B.C. or Alberta, you’re lucky enough to have both providers to choose from. If you reside in Quebec, though, Shaw won’t be an option for you (though there are plenty of other ISPs in Quebec, like Bell and Virgin Plus).

Telus wins this round because it’s not only available in British Columbia and Alberta, but it also provides internet services to the millions of people in Quebec, which is one of the most populated provinces in Canada.

Winner: Telus

Shaw vs. Telus: Connection Types

Shaw offers cable and hybrid fibre-cable internet plans while Telus offers fibre and fixed wireless.

Cable internet, which is rather fast and reliable, uses cable TV infrastructure to provide homes with an internet connection. It’s an excellent option for most homes and wireless customers.

Meanwhile, fibre internet, which is the fastest of all the connection types and has the lowest lag or ping, transmits data through fibre-optic lines. For heavy streamers, gamers, and large households, fibre internet is often the best choice, and as such, you might want to go with either carrier's fibre if they are available to you. A hybrid fibre and cable connection has a lot of the benefits of pure fibre, but can't quite meet its full bandwidth potential, which usually translates to slower upload speeds.

Alternatively, Telus’ fixed wireless options provide rural homes with 5G or 4G LTE connection using radio frequencies. If you live outside of the city where internet coverage may be less likely, a Telus fixed wireless plan could save you money on exorbitant satellite internet prices while keeping you connected.

Telus

4.5 out of 5 overall

Pure fibre
Fixed wireless

More Plan Details

Shaw

4 out of 5 overall

Cable
Fibre-cable hybrid

More Plan Details

Telus wins this round for its variety of plans, which allows the provider to meet the needs of more people whether they live in the city or in a rural area.

Winner: Telus

Shaw vs. Telus: Internet Speeds and Performance

Telus and Shaw are both incredibly fast and reliable internet service providers, with Telus offering plans with download speeds up to 2.5Gbps and Shaw offering download speeds up to 1.5Gbps. The major difference is in upload speeds.

Since Telus’ plans include fibre internet, the upload speeds are often just as fast as the download speeds, whereas Shaw’s cable plans include slower, albeit still fast, upload speeds. Upload speeds are mostly useful for video chatting, file sharing, live-streaming video, online gaming, video sharing, and posting to social media.

Another important facet of internet performance is latency, which refers to the delay you experience when data travels between sender and receiver. The shorter the latency or ping, the lower the delay and the smoother your internet experience is. Fibre internet, such as through Telus, has the lowest latency of all of the connection types, making it the best option for online gamers and heavy video streamers, though cable internet (like with a Shaw plan) has good latency as well.

We’ll always recommend a fibre connection over a cable one, so this round goes to Telus again since the provider offers fibre internet options at faster speeds.

Winner: Telus

Telus vs. Shaw: Customer Service

Shaw and Telus both offer customer service over the phone and through 24/7 virtual assistants on their sites. Shaw also allows you to message a customer service representative on WhatsApp or via iMessage. With Telus, you can reach out on Twitter as well as connect with other Telus customers on a forum.

Telus has 1.05/5 stars for customer service on the Better Business Bureau website, with many customers complaining about extremely long wait times. Shaw doesn’t fare much better with 1.1 stars out of 5, with customers expressing similar frustrations as Telus. However, it’s important to take these reviews with a grain of salt since people are more likely to write reviews when they’re dissatisfied than when they are happy with their service.

This round is a tie as each ISP offers a number of ways to contact customer support and both score a one out of five based on customer reviews for service.

Winner: Tie

Shaw vs. Telus Internet Recap

When comparing Telus and Shaw, you can’t go wrong with either. They both provide fast internet speeds, good performance and reliability, and decent prices for all that you get. Overall, thanks to its broader internet coverage, variety of plan types, faster speeds, and lower ping, Telus is the better provider of the two, but only if you’re willing to dish out a little extra cash.

#1	Telus	Telus PureFibre Internet 250 Fibre 250/250 Mbps Contract (24 mths) $80/mo Go	$80/mo	Go
#2	Telus	Telus PureFibre X 3.0 Gigabit Internet Fibre 3000/3000 Mbps Contract (24 mths) $120/mo Go	$120/mo	Go
#3	Telus	Telus PureFibre Internet Gigabit Fibre 940/940 Mbps Contract (24 mths) $100/mo Go	$100/mo	Go
#4	Telus	Telus Smart Hub 50 Fixed Wireless 50/50 Mbps Contract (24 mths) $99/mo Go	$99/mo (plan + modem)	Go
#5	Telus	Telus PureFibreX 5 Gigabit Internet Fibre 5000/5000 Mbps Contract (24 mths) $145/mo Go	$145/mo	Go
#6	Telus	Telus Smart Hub 100 Fixed Wireless 100/100 Mbps Contract (24 mths) $110/mo Go	$110/mo (plan + modem)	Go

Telus vs. Shaw: Frequently Asked Questions

Which internet is better, Telus or Shaw?

Telus internet is better than Shaw internet when it comes to speed, connection, and availability based on our extensive research and expertise.

Which is cheaper, Shaw or Telus internet?

Shaw and Telus offer comparably priced plans, although Shaw doesn’t require you to spend money up front. Telus charges an extra $100 for fibre plans and $50 for fixed wireless internet.

Is Shaw internet as fast as Telus?

No, Shaw internet is not as fast as Telus internet. Shaw’s fastest plan reaches 1.5Gbps speeds, whereas Telus’ fastest plan tops out at 2.5Gbps. It’s not a huge difference, but Telus also beats out Shaw in upload speeds as well since it offers fibre plans, which tend to be faster.

Who has the fastest Internet in Canada?

Bell has the fastest internet speeds in Canada, topping out at 8Gbps speeds with its Gigabit Fibe 8.0 plan. However, you have to be a resident of Toronto to take advantage of these lightning-fast speeds.

Methodology

Our team at WhistleOut analyzed proprietary research coupled with user feedback to evaluate Shaw and Telus internet by price, availability, connection type, speed, performance, and customer service. We chose a winner for each category, as well as an overall winner based on our extensive industry expertise and overall findings.