TekSavvy and Telus represent two very different approaches to Canadian home internet. Telus is a national incumbent building its own fibre network — PureFibre in BC and Alberta, OPTIK in Quebec, and expanding PureFibre coverage in Ontario — offering symmetrical speeds on most fibre tiers (with 1000 Mbps upload on 1.5 Gbps plans), a 5-year price lock on select plans, and discounts stacked for existing Telus Mobility or Koodo customers. TekSavvy is one of Canada's largest independent resellers, offering cable, DSL, and fibre plans at competitive introductory prices across ten provinces, with no ownership of its own last-mile network. For price-conscious households in provinces where Telus doesn't lay its own fibre, TekSavvy can be a compelling alternative. This comparison draws entirely from current plan data on Topicks.ca for both providers.
Plans and pricing
TekSavvy's plan range is wide: cable plans start as low as $32.95/month in Ontario and Western Canada during promotional periods, with multi-province fibre plans reaching up to $109.95/month. Telus home internet plans start at $60/month for mobile internet, with fibre plans beginning at $71/month for OPTIK 250 in Quebec (no contract) and $80/month for PureFibre 500 in BC/AB on a 24-month term. The five representative plans shown in each card below highlight the most broadly available options from each provider's current lineup.
TekSavvy's introductory cable pricing is significantly lower: a 100 Mbps plan in Ontario is $38.95/month promotional versus Telus's entry fibre at $71/month. However, TekSavvy promotional rates revert to regular pricing after the promotional period (typically 12 months), while Telus PureFibre plans include a 5-year price lock on select tiers — meaning the promotional rate is locked for the full 5-year period rather than reverting. Telus also offers higher symmetrical upload speeds on most fibre plans, while TekSavvy cable uploads top out at 200 Mbps and DSL uploads are significantly lower.
Network and coverage
TekSavvy does not own its network infrastructure — it resells capacity on incumbent networks including Rogers, Bell, Shaw/Freedom, Cogeco, Eastlink, and others depending on the province. This means TekSavvy's service quality depends on the underlying carrier, and its coverage footprint tracks roughly with those incumbents. Telus owns and operates its PureFibre and OPTIK networks directly, offering fibre and mobile wireless internet, which allows it to guarantee its own speed tiers and invest in fibre-to-the-premise builds. TekSavvy's reseller model allows it to be present in more provinces, but with varying technology types (cable, DSL, and fibre depending on location).
TekSavvy lists plans in ten provinces, making it one of the broadest-reach internet providers in Canada by number of regions served. Telus's own-network fibre plans are concentrated in BC, Alberta, Quebec (OPTIK), and Ontario (PureFibre expanding). In provinces where Telus doesn't offer its own home internet — including Atlantic Canada, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan — TekSavvy can be the more accessible choice as a reseller of local incumbents.
Head-to-head comparison
| Feature | TekSavvy | Telus |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $32.95/mo (Cable 30 - ON/West, promotional) | $60/mo (Mobile 5GB) · $71/mo (OPTIK 250, fibre) |
| Entry-level cable/fibre speed | 30 Mbps down (Cable); 100 Mbps symmetrical at $38.95/mo (ON) | 250/250 Mbps at $71/mo (QC OPTIK, no contract) |
| Network type | Reseller (cable, DSL, fibre — varies by region) | Owned fibre network (PureFibre / OPTIK) + Mobile Wireless |
| Upload speeds | Symmetrical on cable/fibre where noted; 940 Mbps upload on 1.5 Gbps fibre plans | Symmetrical on most plans; 1000 Mbps upload on 1.5 Gig tiers |
| Top residential speed | 3,000 Mbps (Fibre 3G) | 5,000 Mbps (PureFibre 5 Gig) |
| Data cap | Unlimited (all plans listed) | Unlimited (all fibre and mobile plans) |
| Contract options | No contract on all plans | No contract (OPTIK/QC) or 24 months (PureFibre AB/BC/ON) |
| Price lock | Introductory rates revert after promo period (12 months typical) | 5-year Plan Price Lock on select PureFibre plans |
| Gigabit pricing (approx.) | $71.95/mo (Cable 1 Gbps ON, 1024/200 Mbps) | $95/mo (PureFibre 1 Gig AB/BC, 940/940 Mbps, 24-month) |
| 1.5 Gbps plan pricing | $89.95/mo (Fibre, no contract — MB,NB,NL,NS,ON,PE,QC) | $95/mo (PureFibre 1.5G AB/BC, 24-month); $130/mo (ON/QC, no contract) |
| Provinces served (home internet) | AB, BC, MB, NB, NL, NS, ON, PE, QC, SK | AB, BC, ON, QC (fibre); all provinces (mobile internet) |
| Bundle with TV | Yes — internet and TV bundles available | Yes — OPTIK TV bundle with internet |
| Mobility bundle discount | Not available | $10/mo off for existing Telus Mobility or Koodo customers |
| Pre-authorized payment discount | Not listed | $10/mo off with pre-authorized bank payments |
| 2-year term discount | Not listed | $10/mo off with 24-month term (PureFibre AB/BC) |
| Hardware / activation / shipping | $0 hardware loan, $0 activation, $0 shipping on select plans | $0 professional installation on select plans |
| Mobile internet option | Not available | Yes — 5GB/20GB/50GB mobile plans, $60–$135/mo |
| Customer rating (Topicks.ca) | Not yet rated | 2.0/5 |
Contract and pricing details
TekSavvy operates on no-contract terms across all plans. Most cable plans carry introductory promotional rates that revert to the regular price after the promotional period. For example, Cable 30 in Ontario is $32.95/month promotional, rising to $65.95/month afterward — effectively doubling. The 1 Gbps cable plan in Ontario is $71.95/month promotional (was $120.95), with the credit applying during the promotional window. Quebec cable plans are listed without promotional credits at full no-contract pricing. TekSavvy fibre plans (1.5 Gbps and 3 Gbps) are no-contract with promotional credits during the promotional period. The Chatham-Kent Ontario fibre 1 Gbps plan is also no-contract at $74.95/month promotional (was $94.95).
Telus offers a more structured set of discounts that can be stacked by qualifying customers. OPTIK plans in Quebec are no-contract and include a pre-authorized payment discount that varies by tier ($5/month on OPTIK 250, $14/month on OPTIK GIGA 1.5, $24/month on OPTIK GIGA 3.0). PureFibre 1.5G in Ontario and Quebec are now no-contract at $130/month with free professional installation included. PureFibre plans in BC and Alberta on a 24-month term benefit from two potential stacked discounts: $10/month off with pre-authorized bank payment, plus a 2-year term discount that varies by plan ($30/month off on PureFibre 500 and 1 Gig, $35/month off on 1.5 Gig and 3 Gig, $25/month off on 5 Gig). The most competitive PureFibre plans also include a 5-year Plan Price Lock, which freezes the promotional rate for the full five years rather than reverting to the regular rate. Free professional installation is included on select PureFibre plans.
Perks and add-ons
Telus's discount stacking is a meaningful differentiator for customers who qualify. An existing Koodo or Telus Mobility customer signing up for PureFibre 1.5 Gig in BC on a 24-month term with pre-authorized payments could potentially access up to $45/month in stacked discounts (Mobility/Koodo + $10 pre-auth + $35 2-year term) on top of the base rate, locked for 5 years. TekSavvy's advantage is in the low entry price and no-contract flexibility across all plans.
Customer support
TekSavvy does not yet have a customer rating on Topicks.ca. As a reseller, TekSavvy handles billing and account support directly, but technical issues with the underlying line may require coordination with the network owner — which can add friction when resolving outages or hardware problems. Telus owns its own network, which means service calls and outage resolution go through a single point of contact. Telus's 2.0/5 customer rating on Topicks.ca is consistent with large Canadian telecom providers generally; reviewer feedback most commonly references difficulty reaching live support.
Who should choose which?
- You want the lowest possible starting price — cable plans from $32.95/month in Ontario and Western Canada during the promotional period
- All plans are no-contract — no term commitment required
- You live in Atlantic Canada, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, or another province where Telus doesn't offer its own fibre home internet
- You need a 1 Gbps plan at under $75/month and are in a Rogers or Bell cable service area
- You want a 1.5 Gbps fibre plan on a no-contract basis (available in MB, NB, NL, NS, ON, PE, QC)
- You are not an existing Telus Mobility or Koodo customer and won't benefit from Telus's stacked discounts
- You live in BC or Alberta, where Telus PureFibre is the primary owned-fibre option and TekSavvy's AB/BC cable plans start at $48.95/month (100 Mbps)
- You want symmetrical upload speeds — most Telus PureFibre and OPTIK plans are symmetrical, with the exception of 1.5 Gbps tiers which deliver 1000 Mbps upload
- Long-term price certainty matters: the 5-year Plan Price Lock on select PureFibre plans means no rate increase for five years
- You are an existing Telus Mobility or Koodo wireless customer and qualify for the $10/month internet discount
- You want to bundle home internet with OPTIK TV for a single-provider package
- You need speeds above 3 Gbps — Telus offers plans up to 5 Gbps symmetrical; TekSavvy tops out at 3 Gbps
TekSavvy wins on entry price, no-contract flexibility, and provincial reach, with cable plans from $32.95/month and coverage across ten provinces. It's the stronger pick for budget-conscious households in Ontario and Atlantic Canada who want no-contract flexibility or are in areas outside Telus's own network. Telus wins on network quality, upload speeds, long-term price certainty, and bundle value, especially for existing Telus Mobility or Koodo customers who can stack up to $30/month in discounts on a PureFibre plan with a 5-year price lock. In BC and Alberta specifically, Telus PureFibre offers symmetrical speeds and a locked rate that TekSavvy's reseller cable plans cannot match on an apples-to-apples basis once the promotional period ends.
