Call now to find your best offers!
CenturyLink Internet Definitive Buyers Guide
It looks like you’re using Amazon.com, Inc. Internet
Are you happy with this Internet service?
Not my provider
CenturyLink Staff Review
CenturyLink’s DSL internet has the limitations of an older technology
CenturyLink is a DSL internet provider owned by a parent company known as Lumen Technologies. Lumen is the seventh-largest ISP in the U.S., based on its combined internet service in both DSL and fiber. Lumen serves a total of about 3 million customers [1]. CenturyLink is the DSL brand owned by Lumen. The fiber brand of Lumen is now known as Quantum Fiber. This review will focus on the CenturyLink DSL half of the Lumen brand. We will cover Quantum Fiber in a separate review, because the two brands provide very different technologies. If your only available internet is CenturyLink, your DSL connection is likely to be slower than if you have cable or fiber. Customer satisfaction for CenturyLink is below average in many places. DSL speed can vary widely depending on your neighborhood and even on the wiring in your home. But CenturyLink, like most DSL companies, will charge you the same $50/month for a slow 10 Mbps download speed as for 100 Mbps download speed. It’s luck of the draw, with no price break for slower service. DSL customers just aren’t getting the same kind of value that fiber customers are getting. And that’s one probable reason that Lumen separated its two brands. Now, it should be easy to tell what you’re getting – mostly. CenturyLink is DSL, and Quantum Fiber is all-fiber. On websites that still mix the two names, though, the speeds of each plan will often be a giveaway. CenturyLink is available in 16 states since it sold half of its DSL network to Brightspeed in 2022. It has a very unusual coverage footprint: think of it as the Western half of the United States, minus California and plus Florida.| PROS | ||
| Consistent prices with no built-in price hikes | No data caps for DSL plans | DSL is sometimes faster than satellite or fixed wireless, depending on the location |
| CONS | ||
| DSL offers little speed for the money compared to fiber or cable | DSL speeds vary widely and are sometimes below broadband speed | Customer service gets poor reviews from many customers |
$50
Lowest price package
940 Mbps
Highest Speed
CenturyLink internet - Up to 140Mbps.
Most Popular Package
3.75
Customer Rating
3.3
Staff Rating
Call today & find the best CenturyLink internet deals
1-833-926-2709
Top cities with CenturyLink availability
Pricing
|
Plan
|
Service Type
|
Download Speed
|
Monthly Price
|
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
CenturyLink Internet - Up To 940Mbps.
Free Equipment! |
Fiber Internet | Up to 940 Mbps |
Only $75 /mo. /w No Annual Contract. *Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
|
1-833-926-2709 |
| CenturyLink Internet - Up To 500Mbps. | Fiber Internet | Up to 500 Mbps |
Only $50 /mo. /w No Annual Contract. *Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
|
1-833-926-2709 |
| CenturyLink Internet - Up To 140Mbps. | DSL Internet | Up to 140 Mbps |
Only $55 /mo. /w No Annual Contract. *Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
|
1-833-926-2709 |
| CenturyLink Internet - Up To 100Mbps. | DSL Internet | Up to 100 Mbps |
Only $55 /mo. /w No Annual Contract. *Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
|
1-833-926-2709 |
Call today & find the best CenturyLink internet deals
1-833-926-2709
Enter a zip code or address to unlock the best Internet deals near you!
Reliability and Performance
“But it was so fast in the ‘90s!” DSL shows its age in many locations
CenturyLink DSL uses one of the oldest internet technologies: copper cables originally designed as telephone wire. In some things, age is good. Age brings wisdom to people, depth to a wine, and richness to cheese. But in internet technology, age is usually a negative, and especially when it comes to internet speed. Only 65% of CenturyLink’s DSL achieves speeds over 25 Mbps, or what the FCC calls “high-speed” internet. 85% of the CenturyLink DSL network is above 10 Mbps. That means a good 15% of CenturyLink’s DSL customers have very, very slow connections below 10 Mbps [3]. If DSL gives you under 10 Mbps download speed and only 1 Mbps upload speed, you won’t be able to play real-time games online with any kind of reliability. You may also experience glitching if multiple people stream or videoconference at the same time. To be fair, some DSL connections will give you faster speeds such as the 28% of customers who will get 100 Mbps download, and that will considerably improve your performance. But if you are considering ordering CenturyLink DSL, make sure you know what your other options are. You can test your actual speed here to see what kind of performance your current internet connection is giving you.Call today & find the best CenturyLink internet deals
1-833-926-2709
Equipment, Installation and Bonus Features
Option to use your own modem/router or self-install your connection
With the CenturyLink DSL plan, there’s a $15 a month modem/router rental fee, which is on the high end of equipment fees. You can avoid the modem/router fee by buying your own. And that might not be a bad plan, given that you will make up the price of a typical modem/router in a year or less. You may have to pay for a professional installation, which is usually a one-time fee of $99. Fortunately, in many places you may also have the option to self-install for $15. It depends whether there is still a working CenturyLink DSL connection in your home.Call today & find the best CenturyLink internet deals
1-833-926-2709
Customer Experience & Support
CenturyLink runs below average in some satisfaction rankings
CenturyLink’s customer satisfaction rankings vary widely by region on the J.D. Power survey [3]. In the North Central region, CenturyLink ranks above average. In the West, CenturyLink ranks slightly below average, and in the South, CenturyLink is second from last in customer satisfaction. The North Central and West regions where CenturyLink/Quantum Fiber rank higher are also the regions in which Quantum Fiber provides most of its fiber access. The South only includes one state with fiber internet coverage, which means most of that low customer satisfaction rating is based on CenturyLink’s DSL. The American Customer Satisfaction Index confirms that split in results by dividing “CenturyLink” specifically into fiber and DSL. Fiber ranks 16 points higher than the DSL service [4]. For CenturyLink and Quantum Fiber, these customer satisfaction rankings tell the story clearly. CenturyLink’s DSL service is not as likely to please you. However, be aware that there is a certain amount of online cross-marketing between the two companies. So, if CenturyLink says they are able to sell you “fiber” as they seem to imply on their homepage, all that means is that they’re going to send you to a Quantum Fiber plan if your address has fiber availability.Call today & find the best CenturyLink internet deals
1-833-926-2709
FAQ's
Where can I order CenturyLink Internet?
To order or learn more, call the number on this page or visit BuyCenturyLink.com.
What is CenturyLink internet?
CenturyLink internet is an affordable DSL home internet service that offers unlimited data. It allows you to work from home, shop online, connect multiple users and devices, and stream movies. There is no annual contract, and the service is available in various speed options.
Is CenturyLink available in my area?
Internet availability may vary depending on your location. To check if CenturyLink internet is available in your area, enter your zip code here at CompareInternet.com. We’ll give you a complete list of providers available in your area.
What is the installation process for CenturyLink internet?
CenturyLink offers either professional installation or self-installation for your internet service. Professional installation will carry a higher one-time fee but will be guaranteed to fix any issues as soon as possible. Self-installation will be less expensive and not too complicated with their self-install kit.
Can I connect multiple users and devices to CenturyLink DSL?
Yes, CenturyLink allows you to connect multiple users and devices simultaneously. Whether it's for work, school, or entertainment purposes, you can connect and use multiple devices on the same internet connection. Fiber will give you higher speeds than DSL that may work better for multiple devices.
Does CenturyLink offer Wi-Fi service?
Yes, CenturyLink provides Wi-Fi service. With Wi-Fi, you can enjoy wireless connectivity in your home, allowing you to connect your devices without the need for wired connections. The maximum internet speed available for Wi-Fi may vary depending on your location and your internet plan.
Call today & find the best CenturyLink internet deals
1-833-926-2709
Sources
[1] Dgtlinfra.com. "Top 125 Internet Providers in the U.S.'' [2] FCC Broadband Map [3] J.D. Power. "2022 U.S. Residential Internet Service Provider Satisfaction Study." [4] American Customer Satisfaction Index. "Internet Service Providers."
CenturyLink Customers Reviews
Love my internet
David Felts F from Bastian, VA
August 2023
Service so far has been great
Tami Shrewsbury S from Carlos, MN
August 2023
nnnn
E n from Labelle, FL
August 2023
None
Keri J from Des Moines, IA
August 2023
Service is sometimes slow.
Terry Conyers C from Shippensburg, PA
July 2023
I have no issues with my provider
Jeffrey S
July 2023
Not a great experience being transferred around to multiple offshore partners who really did not have a lot of power to help with issues.
Don from Columbia, MO
June 2023
Kenneth Hall from Littleton, CO
May 2023
Amelia Scott from Rio Rancho, NM
May 2023
Matthew Turner from Twin Falls, ID
May 2023
Lily Flores from Wilson, NC
April 2023
Richard Baker from The Bronx, NY
April 2023
Ellie Gray from Boise, ID
April 2023
Victoria Nelson from Pocatello, ID
April 2023
Timothy Baker from Maple Grove, MN
March 2023
Scarlett Miller from Bend, OR
March 2023
Elizabeth Parker from Austin, AR
February 2023
Hazel Jackson from Seattle, WA
February 2023
Aurora Turner from Davenport, IA
January 2023
Violet Howard from Nampa, ID
January 2023
Zoey Green from Portland, OR
January 2023
Larry Davis from Pleasantville, IA
November 2022
Ava Mitchell from Beemer, NE
November 2022
Maya Cooper from Kimberling City, MO
November 2022
Camila Cook from Seattle, WA
November 2022
Samuel Hall from Branson, MO
October 2022
Charlotte Carter from Unknown, CO
October 2022
Grace Fisher from Boise, ID
October 2022
Harper Garcia from Boise, ID
October 2022
Timothy Wright from Sioux Falls, SD
October 2022
Hannah Hayes from Nampa, ID
September 2022
Grace Jones from Phoenix, AZ
August 2022
William Wright from Boise, ID
August 2022
Camila Lopez from Foley, AL
August 2022
Richard Smith from Eugene, OR
July 2022
Mia Davis from Seattle, WA
June 2022
Charles Turner from Princeton, WI
June 2022
Layla Garcia from Columbia, MO
May 2022
Emma Rodriguez from Columbia, MO
May 2022
Lily Morris from Las Vegas, NV
April 2022
Audrey Foster from Albuquerque, NM
April 2022
Addison Johnson from Caldwell, ID
April 2022
Samuel Smith from Lovington, NM
April 2022
Daniel Perez from Seattle, WA
March 2022
Edward Lewis from Waterford, CT
February 2022
Douglas Martinez from Eugene, OR
February 2022
Penelope Evans from Unknown, LA
January 2022
Victoria White from Meridian, ID
January 2022
Chloe Taylor from Phoenix, AZ
January 2022
Emily Harris from Omaha, NE
December 2021
Brian Smith from Las Vegas, NV
December 2021
George Moore from Meridian, ID
October 2021
Samuel Martinez from Fargo, ND
October 2021
Lucy Mitchell from Phoenix, AZ
October 2021
Matthew Davis from Connelly Springs, NC
October 2021
Albert King from Phoenix, AZ
September 2021
Stella Hughes from Grants Pass, OR
August 2021
Penelope Parker from Albuquerque, NM
August 2021
John Davis from Spokane, WA
August 2021
Chloe Martin from Denver, CO
August 2021
Mia Nelson from Portland, OR
August 2021
Eleanor Lee from Cedar Rapids, IA
August 2021
Riley Martinez from Andalusia, AL
July 2021
Bella Cox from Charlottesville, VA
July 2021
Scarlett Johnson from Cabot, AR
July 2021
Mia Hall from West Des Moines, IA
July 2021
Dennis Jackson from Phoenix, AZ
June 2021
Brian Hill from Roseville, MN
June 2021
Harper Edwards from West Jordan, UT
June 2021
Emma Baker from Knightdale, NC
June 2021
Very happy with fiber optic - much faster and no issues with speed
Cheryl Sadelson from Englewood, CO
April 2021
Th prceis not great bu I think in time the app b better
Jamie Hitson from Nampa, ID
April 2021
Sophia Ross from Jamestown, ND
March 2021
Quinn Coleman from Denver, CO
March 2021
Joseph Perez from Minneapolis, MN
February 2021
Audrey Wilson from Sioux Falls, SD
February 2021
Layla Williams from Phoenix, AZ
February 2021
Sophia Clark from Vancouver, WA
February 2021
Larry Robinson from Salt Lake City, UT
December 2020
Ella Lewis from Russellville, AR
December 2020
Zoey Thompson from Albuquerque, NM
December 2020
Sophie Collins from Albuquerque, NM
December 2020
Leah Diaz from Elk Point, SD
November 2020
Evelyn Smith from Samson, AL
November 2020
George Harris from Omaha, NE
November 2020
Victoria Kelly from Beaufort, SC
November 2020
Albert Harris from Meridian, ID
September 2020
Lucy Young from Phoenix, AZ
September 2020
Thomas Turner from Plymouth, IN
September 2020
Penelope Martinez from Nampa, ID
September 2020
Olivia Adams from Perry, IA
August 2020
Lily King from Bozeman, MT
August 2020
Robert Carter from Burlington, IA
July 2020
Avery Lee from Meridian, ID
July 2020
Patrick Turner from Portland, OR
July 2020
Elizabeth Hernandez from Jacksonville, FL
July 2020
Charlotte Phillips from Kalispell, MT
July 2020
Everly Jones from Idaho Falls, ID
July 2020
David Gonzalez from Alexandria, VA
July 2020
good
Tamara Sabrina from New York, NY
July 2020
Joseph Young from East Newark, NJ
July 2020
Ava Bennett from Portland, OR
June 2020
James Young from Boise, ID
May 2020
they have been both fast and reliable.
Lindsay Doyle from Crawfordville, FL
May 2020
Century Link offers good speed for a decent price. Some cities are better than others, and mine is pretty good. I have heard bad stories, but the ones here a good, for a good price.
Liliana Middleton from Boise, ID
May 2020
Great service
Markus Buchanan from Salt Lake City, UT
May 2020
It literally took a year of calling them all the time to get a bill error fixed that was their fault.
Larry Villanueva from Las Vegas, NV
May 2020
Centurylink provides good, fast Internet to rural areas without throttling.
Travis Mckay from Chicago, IL
May 2020
It sometimes is slow
Johnathan Solomon from Killeen, TX
May 2020
It works very well.
Tobias Singleton from Rocky Mount, VA
May 2020
The speed is not as fast as advertised
Mariam Hall from Las Vegas, NV
May 2020
i think we need more people who are fair and not determine who bad and who deserves something need to stop
Fabian Sheppard from Denver, CO
May 2020
I think they misrepresent their speed when making a sale. Otherwise service and response time is fairly good; better than average.
Jensen Horn from Freeport, FL
May 2020
They have been good
Jordyn Snow from Minneapolis, MN
May 2020
i liked them
Mariela Cooley from Denver, CO
May 2020
none
Briley Dyer from Denver, CO
May 2020
Great company
Mariam Benjamin from Chicago, IL
May 2020
The are decent
Camden Dickerson from Los Angeles, CA
May 2020
Good speed for being in a rural area surrounded by mountains and bordering national forest. You would think I couldn't get connection where I live but Iat least get DSL.
Francesca Padilla from Aurora, CO
May 2020
I think the price is a bite high for the amount of speed we have. 50.70 is our bill. Just for the internet. Other than that there is no issues.
Keshawn Simmons from Lady Lake, FL
May 2020
Not the best service slow some days no service we can’t get any one else in our area .we have had the service over 20 years
Caylee Preston from Foley, AL
May 2020
Excellent customer service and good bundling prices. I have used this company for many years and have never had a serious problem.
Chaya Salinas from Killeen, TX
May 2020
I believe that CenturyLink does not care very much about their customers. They are the only option, other than satellite internet, so they know we have no choice
Edgar Pollard from Iowa, LA
May 2020
They are slow and don’t offer a higher speed in my area. It stops working frequently. Not too happy with it. Looking into switching to Comcast
Colten Kidd from Monrovia, CA
May 2020
I haven't had any problems with century link except for buffering issues when I'm trying to stream off of services like Disney+ or Netflix
Glenn Hicks from Omaha, NE
May 2020
I wish we were offered other options where we live. Its 2020 and living rural we still don't have what is normal in a town city in the way of cable and internet. Its spotty and the weather affects everything.
Turner Dunn from Newville, PA
May 2020
Great value and services. Have had no issues with speed or price. Fast internet service and quality work. We moved to a new city and wanted to o use CenturyLink because of their fast speed internet service and good prices. We have not been disappointed
Lindsey Roy from Bountiful, UT
May 2020
DSL with slow speeds and occasional outages the service is a bargain but not suitable for online gaming or online work.
Sergio Rhodes from Boise, ID
May 2020
Amelia Hill from Twinsburg, OH
May 2020
Amelia Foster from Seattle, WA
May 2020
Emily Lewis from Mount Gilead, OH
May 2020
Emilia James from Boise, ID
April 2020
Quite good
Juliana Siska from Denver, CO
April 2020
very intertested
Kathleen Haman from Springfield, MA
April 2020
Aria Jenkins from Seattle, WA
March 2020
Abigail King from Boise, ID
February 2020
Matthew Jackson from Duluth, MN
February 2020
Michael Adams from Sacramento, CA
February 2020
Dennis Clark from Naples, FL
February 2020
Evelyn Gonzalez from Ogden, KS
February 2020
David Harris from Hayward, WI
January 2020
James King from Boise, ID
January 2020
Harper Roberts from West Jordan, UT
January 2020
Daniel Lee from Twin Falls, ID
December 2019
Kenneth Baker from New Bern, NC
November 2019
Scarlett Gonzalez from Salt Lake City, UT
November 2019
Dennis Smith from Fargo, ND
November 2019
Dennis Wright from Oskaloosa, IA
October 2019
Layla Moore from Omaha, NE
October 2019
Christopher Clark from Nampa, ID
October 2019
Michael Robinson from Albuquerque, NM
September 2019
William Hernandez from Ankeny, IA
September 2019
Thomas Adams from Albuquerque, NM
September 2019
Elizabeth Jackson from Unknown, LA
September 2019
Richard Lewis from Omaha, NE
August 2019
Grace Perez from Lapwai, ID
August 2019
Abigail Hall from Waukee, IA
August 2019
Daniel Hill from Las Vegas, NV
August 2019
Riley Thomas from Portland, OR
August 2019