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Optimum vs. Verizon Internet Providers Compared

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Optimum Vs Verizon

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Rosslyn Elliott

Written by Rosslyn Elliott - Pub. Jul. 27, 2023 / Updated Jan. 30, 2026

You are currently comparing:

Optimum Vs Verizon

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Plans starting at: $40

Popular Package: 1 Gig Fiber Internet

Download speeds up to: 1 Gbps

Connection Types: Fiber & Cable

Call today & find the best Optimum internet deals
1-833-337-0356

Plans starting at: $34.99

Popular Package: 2 Gig

Download speeds up to: 2 Gbps

Connection Types: Fiber

Call today & find the best Verizon internet deals
1-833-718-3939

Optimum Staff rating

3.5

Optimum features good speeds but poor customer satisfaction scores

Optimum is a major national cable internet provider. Most of Optimum’s 4.4 million subscribers receive cable internet service [7]. But the ISP is also adding some all-fiber connections in select markets--most prominently in the Northeast [8]. Optimum is the internet brand name of Altice USA, which rebranded the company formerly called Suddenlink into the Optimum brand in 2022 [1]. Altice/Optimum is the 6th-largest ISP in the nation [2]. Optimum seems to check off all the right boxes for many of its offerings. You will have no data caps and no required contracts with Optimum internet plans. You will also get free equipment rental included with your monthly plan price. And Optimum’s prices are good (at least while the promotions last). So why are Optimum’s national customer satisfaction scores so low? We’ll check into that as we give you an overview of what to expect from an Optimum internet connection.

PROS

Gigabit download speeds No data caps or contracts 5-year price lock on select plans

Cons

Poor customer satisfaction scores Slower upload speeds for cable than all-fiber Price hikes after promo rates
Call today & find the best Optimum internet deals
1-833-337-0356

Verizon Staff rating

4.5

Verizon Fios delivers lightning-fast speeds and competitive, straightforward pricing

Verizon Fios is the premium all-fiber internet service that Verizon offers to its customers, in addition to its well-known mobile and fixed wireless networks. The all-fiber-optic network of Verizon Fios is popular in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. Though Verizon is the 4th largest internet service provider in the nation, Verizon Fios is currently only available in 9 states and the Washington DC area [1]. It’s quite a claim to fame that Verizon took the #1 spot in customer satisfaction in the J.D. Power national survey for its region [2]. What’s more, Verizon beat the competition by a large margin. Verizon Fios offers superfast, symmetrical multi-gigabit speeds up to 2000 Mbps in select areas. Offering a choice of several plans and attractive, low prices, Verizon Fios is one of the best internet plans you’ll find on the market today.

PROS

Gigabit symmetrical speeds with all-fiber internet Top-ranked performance on customer satisfaction No data caps or contracts required

Cons

All-fiber Fios network only available to 50% of wired internet customers Verizon’s DSL is pricier and much slower than all-fiber Verizon Fios Not available in some rural or remote areas
Call today & find the best Verizon internet deals
1-833-718-3939

Optimum Pricing

3.0

Good initial prices followed by price hikes

Cable internet is the chief type of connection that Optimum provides its customers. Because of improvements to cable internet technology, you can get gigabit download speeds from many cable internet companies like Optimum. You just won’t get the same upload speeds from cable as you will from an all-fiber connection [3]. Whether you get the usual cable service or all-fiber, you will get good prices from Optimum, and, on select plans, those prices will be locked for 5 years (as of January 2026) [9]. Here’s an example. You’ll pay $40/month for Optimum’s first-tier plan, which is up to 300. That is a good price for these speeds. The catch is that after the promotional period ends, standard prices will apply, which will increase your bill. That may be why Optimum is seeing year-over-year declines in its cable customers [4]. The price hikes may be pushing people to other options at the end of their promotional period.
Call today & find the best Optimum internet deals
1-833-337-0356

Verizon Pricing

4.5

Verizon Fios offers great prices for cutting-edge, all-fiber internet with no hidden fees

Verizon Fios offers three all-fiber internet plans in most of its service areas. The first-tier begins at $34.99/month for up to 300 Mbps. Those fiber speeds are symmetrical, which means that upload and download speeds are equal. No other internet technology offers equal speeds. So you will get a lot more speed for your money with fiber than with any other type of internet connection. Verizon Fios gives you stable prices from the beginning, not introductory prices that will jump up much higher after a year. Here at CompareInternet.com, we give our best ratings to providers whose prices are not only low, but also clear and consistent for customers. Verizon Fios ranks at the top of the industry for its simplicity of pricing. Another major plus of Verizon Fios is that their plans don’t impose data caps. Even with a large household of internet users streaming in HD or gaming, you won’t have to worry about your data usage. Finally, Verizon will give you the option to bundle your cell phone service and your TV. You can get very low combined deals by bundling that can save you a lot of money compared to typical cell phone plan pricing. Many customers do choose to bundle because Verizon phone service is known for its high-quality signals.
Call today & find the best Verizon internet deals
1-833-718-3939

Optimum Reliability and Performance

4.0

Cable and fiber both provide fast download speeds, but cable's upload speeds are slower

With hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) technology, Optimum gives its cable customers gigabit download speeds but much slower upload speeds. That’s typical for cable internet service. Optimum is comparable to other major cable internet providers such as Spectrum and Xfinity, offering upload speeds at a maximum of around 35-50 Mbps. Optimum differs from the cable internet competition because it is also launching into the all-fiber internet market. As of November 2025, Optimum has over 3 million fiber passings and continues to expand [10]. Fiber internet’s most striking advantage over cable internet is its symmetrical upload and download speeds. This is a game-changer for online gaming, videoconferencing, and large homes with multiple devices. When Altice merged Suddenlink into the Optimum brand, the company had two distinct “footprints” from where the former Optimum and Suddenlink coverage had existed. Suddenlink’s coverage area had been primarily in the South and West. Optimum was strong in the Northeast, and particularly in the tri-state area of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Now, the fiber buildout is fastest in that tristate area [1]. Your chances of getting fiber internet from Optimum is better if you live in the tri-state area.
Call today & find the best Optimum internet deals
1-833-337-0356

Verizon Reliability and Performance

4.5

Verizon Fios performance is best-of-the-best with all-fiber speeds, but make sure you’re getting Fios

It’s really hard to beat all-fiber internet. If you’re getting a Verizon Fios plan, you’re going to have enough bandwidth for practically everything you need to do in your home. Fiber speeds are so fast that numerous people could be streaming or gaming at once in your home, and your connection would not slow down or glitch. Bandwidth is just not an issue for most households once you get internet speeds up past 200 Mbps. You will avoid ISP throttling and any of the other speed issues that happen with slower internet technologies. There’s just one issue to be aware of. Only 50% of Verizon’s wired network is Verizon Fios [3]. The rest is Verizon Internet, which is DSL-based. As you probably know, there is a vast difference between the speeds you get with all-fiber internet vs. DSL internet. Verizon also offers fixed wireless internet plans under LTE and 5G. And while all these plans can still give you high-speed internet, none of them will give you the premium performance of Verizon Fios. So when you’re signing up for Verizon Fios, make sure you look for the Fios all-fiber brand name. If only Verizon DSL or fixed wireless is available in your area, those can also be good options depending on what else is around. But you’ll want to check out your complete list of internet choices by entering your zip code here on our website.
Call today & find the best Verizon internet deals
1-833-718-3939

Optimum Equipment, Installation and Bonus Features

4.0

No equipment rental fees, free installation with Optimum plans

Optimum will provide you with a WiFi 6E gateway as a part of your monthly plan fee, with no extra rental charge [9]. If you would rather use your own modem and router, Optimum will allow it. Just be sure to check for compatibility with their specs. Standard installation is free with most Optimum plans.
Call today & find the best Optimum internet deals
1-833-337-0356

Verizon Equipment, Installation and Bonus Features

4.5

Verizon Fios includes a free router with your monthly plan fee

Fios offers what we consider the best possible equipment option: no extra equipment fee. Your router is included with the basic charge for your plan [4]. You get a simpler, more predictable price because your equipment is included in your monthly fee. The other benefit of getting a router directly from your ISP is that their tech support will be better able to help you if you ever need troubleshooting. Verizon charges a $99 installation fee, but the fee may be waived with some promotions. You can also self-install Verizon Fios if there is already a Fios Optical Network Terminal in your home from previous Fios service.
Call today & find the best Verizon internet deals
1-833-718-3939

Optimum Experience & Support

3.0

Optimum customer satisfaction: the big question mark

With so many seemingly good points to its service and pricing, why has Optimum’s customer satisfaction scored significantly below average according to J.D. Power? [6] A sampling of online user reviews suggests two major complaints. The first is outages and failure of technical response. The second is a more general dissatisfaction with the phone system: being transferred to different departments and receiving contradictory responses from different phone reps when trying to resolve billing issues. Because this is a fairly even distribution of complaints, it’s likely that Optimum is not responding quickly enough to customer concerns, whether they are technical or billing-related. We can’t know the reason for this dysfunction. Often, these kinds of responsiveness issues happen when companies are understaffed or have high staff turnover in their customer service. But until Optimum improves its ratings, we have to give it only 3 stars for customer satisfaction.  
Call today & find the best Optimum internet deals
1-833-337-0356

Verizon Experience & Support

4.5

Verizon Fios ranks first in customer satisfaction

In the Eastern region of the United States, Verizon tops the J.D. Power customer satisfaction survey for residential internet providers. Not only that, but Verizon has ranked first in that survey for nine years, far outscoring the competition [2]. This is especially impressive because that ranking includes Verizon’s DSL service as well as Fios. Usually, DSL providers rank much lower in customer satisfaction. Yet even with a network that includes DSL, Verizon is clearly doing customer service very well. Verizon has all the usual perks of customer service from a large internet provider: phone help, tech support, and a mobile app called My Fios to manage all aspects of your account. If you are lucky enough to be in the coverage area for Verizon Fios, you are going to be very happy with your hyperspeed internet connection, its low price, and with strong customer support from Verizon.
Call today & find the best Verizon internet deals
1-833-718-3939

Optimum FAQ's

To order or learn more, call the number on this page or visit OptimumSavings.com.
No, Optimum does not impose data caps on any of its internet plans. You will have unlimited data on both cable internet and fiber internet plans from Optimum.
Optimum offers a free internet speed upgrade service to loyal customers, providing faster speeds and better value without changing the current price.
Optimum provides two options for renting a modem: one includes tech support and equipment replacement, while the other option is for purchasing a compatible modem.
To explore different speed options for your Optimum Internet service, you can enter your zip code here at CompareInternet.com to see what plans are available in your area.
Optimum offers savings on monthly bills through their Internet + Mobile Savings program, allowing customers to save up to $30/month by combining Optimum Internet and Optimum Mobile services.
Only Optimum Mobile and Optimum Internet customers are eligible for the Internet + Mobile Savings program offered by Optimum.
Call today & find the best Optimum internet deals
1-833-337-0356

Verizon FAQ's

To order or learn more, call the number on VerizonDeal.com.
The My Fios App allows you to pay or manage your bill, check your plan details, and get self-help tools. You can even configure your Wi-Fi router and analyze its performance.
No, Verizon Fios does not impose data caps or overage charges for exceeding data allowances. You will have unlimited data with your Verizon Fios plan.
Fios internet starts its prices on the low side of industry averages. Enter your zip code here at CompareInternet.com for a full list of providers, plans and pricing in your area.
Call today & find the best Verizon internet deals
1-833-718-3939

Optimum Internet Plans

PlanService TypeDownload SpeedMonthly Price
$200 Optimum Prepaid Mastercard! Free installation!
1 Gig Fiber InternetFiber InternetUp to 1,000 Mbps Only $80
*Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
$50 Optimum Prepaid Mastercard! Free installation!
500 Mbps Fiber InternetCable InternetUp to 500 Mbps Only $60
*Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
Free Installation!
300 Mbps Fiber InternetCable InternetUp to 300 Mbps Only $40
*Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
Call today & find the best Optimum internet deals
1-833-337-0356

Verizon Internet Plans

PlanService TypeDownload SpeedMonthly Price
5-year price guarantee! Samsung 43″ Q7F QLED TV, Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE 5G or Save $15/mo for 3 years. Get up to a $500 credit to switch.
2 GigFiber InternetUp to 2,000 Mbps Only $94.99
*Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change. Read more
5-year price guarantee! Samsung 43″ Q7F QLED TV, Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE 5G or Save $15/mo for 3 years. Get up to a $500 credit to switch.
1 GigFiber InternetUp to 940 Mbps Only $74.99
*Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change. Read more
4-year price guarantee! Save $15/mo for 3 years. Get up to a $500 credit to switch.
500 MbpsFiber InternetUp to 500 Mbps Only $59.99
*Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change. Read more
3-year price guarantee! YouTube TV $10/mo. off for 12 mos. $72.99/mo. for 12 mos. Then $82.99/mo. after. Get up to a $500 credit to switch We’ll help cover the cost of early termination fees. Get up to a $500 credit to switch
300 MbpsFiber InternetUp to 300 Mbps Only $34.99
*Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change. Read more
Call today & find the best Verizon internet deals
1-833-718-3939

Optimum Customers Review

3.0
Pricing
3.0
4.0
Reliability & Performance
4.0
4.0
Equipment, Installation & Features
4.0
3.0
Customer Experience & Support
3.0
3.5
Overall Rating
3.5
Cierra Walker
3.5
from Georgetown, TX on January 2026
Internet runs great. The charges per month is high and I believe should not be over 130 for just having internet. Customer service is terrible. I had an issue because I was charged twice. Without asking me they applied a credit to my account. I request a refund and was told it could take up to 7 business days. It's been 7 business days and still have not gotten my money back. I reached back out and was now told 10-14 days. It didn't take days to take the money out of my account so it should not be taking this long to put my funds back. I am frustrated and this is trull unsettling. Will not continue with this internet service when i move.
Daniel W
1.8
from Quaker City, OH on January 2026
Senior citizen discounts all of a sudden don't apply, was $30 mo. A year ago, now $55 month, no extra streaming either. Goes out every heavy rain storm, snow, or windy day.
Keri L
1.0
from Aubrey, TX on January 2026
Forget saying that Optimum is the worst internet company to use. Optimum is the worst company, period to use. If you want a company to refuse to cancel service and steal money right out of your account, and then send you over to collections, go with Optimum. If you want to spend hours on the phone with who knows how many customer service representatives who can’t speak English, go with Optimum. If you want to finally get your case escalated to executive customer relations a year after you canceled service, and have executive customer relations give you the middle finger, go with Optimum. Or, you could save yourself all the time, trouble, and aneurysms and just not use Optimum.
Willie Davis
1.3
from Clovis, NM on December 2025
Try to charge for all the things that goes bad
Cassandra K
1.0
from Sloatsburg, NY on December 2025
I hate that being a customer of theirs since the '90s means absolutely nothing to the company. Only new customers get good deals and then if you don't read the fine print couple months after you get your service All of a sudden the jack up $10 on your bill but the fact that they don't have any kind of thank you for being loyal and staying with our company you deserve a break too why did new people signing up and I have to pay for equipment but I do why do I have to and update my equipment also wtf why can't I get a break What was their answer every company does this okay cool well I'm not going to be part of this ridiculous dumpster fire circus which is basically every corporation it seems like there is no benefit for being a loyal customer to anyone and I hate the fees and all the forcing sales when they're trying to call because you have a problem what's happened to customer service common sense I don't know not happy Good luck
Call today & find the best Optimum internet deals
1-833-337-0356

Verizon Customers Review

4.5
Pricing
4.5
4.5
Reliability & Performance
4.5
4.5
Equipment, Installation & Features
4.5
4.5
Customer Experience & Support
4.5
4.5
Overall Rating
4.5
Terri Gold
2.0
from Allentown, PA on February 2026
Worst customer service ever. Wrong pricing. They somehow "forget" the discounts I'm entitled to.
Tamera Hughs
1.0
from Roscommon, MI on January 2026
They lied to us saying that that when we ordered 2 phones it would only be $119 a month. Come to find out it was $450 dollars. When the call was recorded and the lady never said anything about 450 dollars. It was supposed to be $119 a month. So, we are changing internet service..
Tiffiny Grover
3.0
from Trona, CA on January 2026
not too happy with their service.... the price is too high for the service they offer
(301) 275-5056
2.5
on December 2025
N/A
Jennifer P
3.8
from Hamilton, WA on November 2025
We are currently using this service and it's been actually pretty reliable. The signal stays strong all night and day and the plan we're using is completely unlimited everything with an unlimited hotspot as well for the kids to use. And so far it's doing the job. It's not as fast as Astound or Ziply with the fiber option, but it's been sufficient. But we're an extremely low income family so the price is a bit much. But it keeps the kids from whining so for now we're making the sacrifice and have been using it for the last 2 months.
Call today & find the best Verizon internet deals
1-833-718-3939