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Optimum vs. Internet Providers Compared

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Rosslyn Elliott

Written by Rosslyn Elliott - Pub. Jul. 27, 2023 / Updated Oct. 9, 2024

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Optimum Vs

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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: $20

Popular Package: Fiber Internet 10 Gig

Download speeds up to: 10 Gbps

Connection Types: Fiber

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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 4.3 million subscribers receive cable internet service. But the ISP is also adding some all-fiber connections in select markets. Optimum is the internet brand name of Altice USA, which rolled 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 2-year price guarantee

Cons

Poor customer satisfaction scores Slower upload speeds for cable than all-fiber Price hikes after promo rates
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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 those prices will be locked for 2 years. 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 those two years, standard prices will take effect, which will spike your bill higher. 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 two-year promotion.
Call today & find the best Optimum internet deals
1-833-337-0356

Pricing

0.0
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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. Optimum’s current fiber internet customer base is small but has doubled in the last couple of years from around 100,000 to over 200,000 subscribers [4]. By 2025, Optimum plans to create over 6.5 million fiber passings [5]. Fiber internet’s most striking advantage over cable internet is that fiber offers symmetrical upload and download speeds. This is a game-changer for online gaming, videoconferencing, and large homes with multiple devices. When Altice merged Suddenlink under the Optimum brand, the company had two distinct “footprints” left from where the old 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 in the next year or two will be better if you live in the tri-state area.
Call today & find the best Optimum internet deals
1-833-337-0356

Reliability and Performance

0.0
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Optimum Equipment, Installation and Bonus Features

4.0

No equipment rental fees, free installation with Optimum plans

Optimum will provide your modem/router as part of your monthly plan fee, with no extra rental charge. If you have a compatible cable plan, you may even get a Wi-Fi 6 router, which will give you higher speeds for multiple devices than Wi-Fi 5. Fiber internet plans from Optimum will often include the Wi-Fi 6 gateway as well. 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 Optimum plans.
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1-833-337-0356

Equipment, Installation and Bonus Features

0.0
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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 random sampling of online user reviews seems to indicate 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 around to different departments, and getting contradictory responses from different phone reps when trying to solve billing issues. Because this is a fairly even distribution of complaints, it’s likely that Optimum is just not quick enough in responding to customer concerns, whether they be 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 gets better ratings, we have to give them only 3 stars for customer satisfaction.  
Call today & find the best Optimum internet deals
1-833-337-0356

Experience & Support

0.0
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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.
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1-833-337-0356

FAQ's

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Optimum Accolades

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Accolades

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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

Internet Plans

PlanService TypeDownload SpeedMonthly Price
FREE EQUIPMENT!
Fiber Internet 10 GigFiber InternetUp to 10,000 Mbps Only $300
*Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
FREE EQUIPMENT!
Fiber Internet 5 GigFiber InternetUp to 5,000 Mbps Only $90
*Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
FREE EQUIPMENT!
Fiber Internet 2 GigFiber InternetUp to 2,000 Mbps Only $60
*Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
FREE QUIPMENT!
Fiber Internet GigFiber InternetUp to 1,000 Mbps Only $50
*Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
FREE EQUIPMENT!
Fiber Internet 300/300Fiber InternetUp to 300 Mbps Only $30
*Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
FREE EQUIPMENT!
Fiber Internet 100/100Fiber InternetUp to 100 Mbps Only $20
*Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
Call today & find the best Ziply internet deals
1-833-926-2709

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
Catherine Pape
2.0
from Watertown, CT on August 2025
Last dec.switched to fiber and was told there was no price increase. Went from under 200 to 282. Also they keep charging me for three tvs and I only have 2. Will not give me credit or change my bill.
Robert P
1.3
from Watertown, CT on August 2025
This is the worst internet company that I have rented from. The price points are at best on par with their competitors, and at worst, grossly overcharged. But the most significant concern with Optimum is their piss-poor customer service. If you ever have an issue with coverage or billing, prepare to navigate a Kafkaesque labyrinth of sleepy phone representatives, with the personalities of a baked potato from Applebees and the reasoning capabilities of a beta Chatbot. Optimum served its purpose... for one year. When I moved, I temporarily disconnected my Wifi service, intending to renew it in the new location. The company rep assured me that I could keep the same equipment and plan in the next apartment... only to get there and have Optimum tell me that I needed to upgrade to fiber. Well, not wanting to deal with the 100 dollar install fee and 20 dollar monthly price hike, I decided to switch to Verizon (a great decision by the way—I cut my bill in half, and could install the wifi gateway myself). A new Odyssey of phone calls with Optimum's "retention" team began. Let me save you the trouble: they will offer you competitive counteroffers, gift cards, credits, and other perks, but read the fine print, because the good stuff expires long before the price lock that they promise. At one point, I nearly thought they wouldn't actually let me leave. In short, it's a load of dug, and this is the type of company that needs to swindle and lie in order to stay afloat. Please, save yourself the money and gray hairs. Look elsewhere.
Douglas K
2.3
from Ozark, MO on August 2025
Run around every time you try to talk to someone. Too much money for basic internet
Amanda Hunter
3.3
from Boyce, LA on August 2025
They're not very willing to work with you on anything
Doreen Depalo
1.5
from Yonkers, NY on July 2025
Service is too expensive for just WI. Fi, i'm on the fixed income and low subsidy service does nothing but buffer all the time not worth the price
Call today & find the best Optimum internet deals
1-833-337-0356

Customers Review

0.0
Pricing
0.0
0.0
Reliability & Performance
0.0
0.0
Equipment, Installation & Features
0.0
0.0
Customer Experience & Support
0.0
0.0
Overall Rating
0.0
Call today & find the best Ziply internet deals
1-833-926-2709
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