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CenturyLink internet reviews

CenturyLink brand
Staff rating
4.0
Customer rating
4.0
(76)
Price: $30.00 - $110.00/moSpeed: 3Mb - 940Mb
staff review
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Rebecca Palmer smiles for the camera
Headshot of Dave Schafer
Researched by
Headshot of Bri Field
Reviewed by
Bri FieldAssigning Editor
Updated 4/6/23

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Great fiber service, if you can get it

CenturyLink offers excellent fiber internet, but it’s available only in limited markets. If you can't get fiber, you may be able to get a DSL connection but you'll pay nearly as much.


What we like

  • Unlimited data across all plans
  • Fast fiber connections in select markets
  • No contracts
What we dislike

  • Limited fiber availability
  • Much slower DSL internet speeds
  • Below-average customer service

CenturyLink internet review 2023 - excellent fiber, average DSL video thumbnail
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CenturyLink internet review 2023 - excellent fiber, average DSL
Our expert review of CenturyLink fiber and DSL internet
Source: Switchful YouTube
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Before digging too deep...
Make sure CenturyLink is available in your area.
Savings tip: CenturyLink often has sign-up promotions for first-time customers. Call 1-833-804-2792 to ask a rep about current deals and discounts.
Check deals

Our expert assessment

Value
4.0
Great fiber value meets high-cost, low-performance DSL plans

CenturyLink offers two types of plans, depending on your location. The more common option is DSL, which is relatively slow and offers inconsistent speeds. The other option is fiber, which is extremely fast and reliable.

Generally speaking, the DSL options are not a great value. The price is reasonable, but the speeds mean you’re likely to get more for your money elsewhere (this is true for many DSL providers). The fiber plans are a much better value—they offer much more speed for the money than CenturyLink’s DSL plans and are competitive with other providers’ fiber offerings. In fact, CenturyLink's 940 Mbps plan costs a little more than half of the national benchmark for similar plans. (1) We highly recommend CenturyLink fiber if you have it available.

Pricing details vary by location. Visit
CenturyLink's website
or call 1-833-804-2792 to speak with a rep.
See pricing
Performance
4.5
Performance is excellent for areas with fiber access

There’s a performance divide based on the type of service available. The CenturyLink DSL plans can range from 15 to 100 Mbps, which is a wide range. Additionally, 15 Mbps just isn’t great these days. It doesn’t even reach broadband speeds (25 Mbps or more). That said, you shouldn’t have to worry about getting the advertised speed—whatever plan you sign up for, you seem to get what you pay for with CenturyLink.

On the other hand, the fiber plans offer Gigabit speeds (up to 940 Mbps), which is excellent. Additionally, fiber internet offers synchronous download speeds and upload speeds, meaning you can game, video chat, or upload large files just as fast as you binge Netflix. Fiber also tends to be inherently reliable because of the way the technology works—the light signals in fiber optic cables can carry more information over longer distances than coaxial cables. We have no complaints about performance on these plans.

Available speeds vary by location. Call 1-833-804-2792 to speak with a CenturyLink rep or
go to its website.
Equipment and installation
4.5
A fee for self-installation, but good equipment at a decent price

CenturyLink installation is more or less on par with other providers in terms of installation procedures and costs. If your neighborhood is wired for only DSL with CenturyLink, you can have your internet service set up by a pro for somewhere between $129 and $300 based on the installation requirements. You can alternatively choose to do a self-install for $15.

If you live in an area wired for CenturyLink fiber, your pro installation and equipment rental are free, and you may be able to self-install for free. You could also wrangle unlimited data and an included mesh wireless network if you sign a contract, so be sure to ask. This is about on par with other fiber internet providers.

Find out whether you need a professional to come by or if you can handle setup yourself.

As for equipment, the CenturyLink modem and router are also pretty standard stuff. The company charges around $15 per month for equipment rentals for DSL customers. The gear is nothing to write home about, but it works. You can also buy the modem outright from CenturyLink for up to $200—whether this is a good deal for you depends on how long you plan to have CenturyLink as a provider.

We don’t particularly recommend buying your own router. Both the DSL and fiber services require a modem certified by CenturyLink to function, so you may as well save some money and use the built-in wireless router.

Equipment and installation options can vary widely depending on
CenturyLink plans
available in your area.
View plans
Customer experience
3.0
Below-average customer service

CenturyLink consistently scores slightly below average in customer satisfaction (2), largely due to complaints about a lack of responsiveness regarding customer service. The service also gets a lot of complaints from new fiber internet customers, but complaints are very common industry-wide.

CenturyLink hires techs and contractors from around the country, so some inconsistency is expected. It redeems itself slightly, though, with an easy-to-use support page.

The company is expanding and we hear that many new cities will have fiber internet hookups from CenturyLink within the next few years. If you can get only DSL, though, you may have a connection as slow as 3 Mbps or one as fast as 100 Mbps, with huge variation in latency depending on how far you are from the nearest access point.

We like that CenturyLink provides DSL to customers who may have no other option, but we don't recommend the DSL offering if you have access to cable or fiber internet from another provider.

Visit CenturyLink's website
or call 1-833-804-2792 for more information on contracts and money-back guarantees.
Go to provider
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Ready for the next step?
See if CenturyLink services your area.
We stand by the validity of our reviews and are committed to transparency: Our team uses consumer sentiment software to source customer reviews, which are entirely unique to this website. Reviewers attest to being current customers of the providers they review and are not incentivized to speak positively or negatively about their experience. We do not alter the reviews in any way. Learn more about how we source reviews.

CenturyLink customer ratings overview

CenturyLink
3.9
(76)
5 Star
34%
4 Star
41%
3 Star
16%
2 Star
8%
1 Star
1%
Our reviews come from real customers who weren't incentivized to leave a review. The rating distribution typically shows a range of experiences and opinions that helps you get a sense for the average customer experience, not just extremes.

Top reviews from CenturyLink customers

D
Davidfrom Vacouver, WA
CenturyLink Customer for 1+ years
Reviewed on: 5-7-2023
The price is better than xfinity. I appreciate their price for life. I like the provided router and not being charged a monthly fee.
S
Steven from Anoka, MN
CenturyLink Customer for 1+ years
Reviewed on: 4-24-2023
They are good company but wifi is to slow. I would hope they improve speed but the customer servous is good.
D
Danielfrom Seattle, WA
CenturyLink Customer for 8+ years
Reviewed on: 4-23-2023
It's average internet. It seems the price is always going up.The fact that my downstairs office gets spotty wifi and it hasn't been adressed after caling many times is frustrating.
T
Trishfrom Gilbert, AZ
CenturyLink Customer for 1+ years
Reviewed on: 4-22-2023
I think it's been a great experience with Centurylink and recommend them. We stream tv as well as participate in zoom meetings as well as working from home and have very few issues.
H
Heatherfrom Denver, CO
CenturyLink Customer for 1+ years
Reviewed on: 4-20-2023
No complaints for myself with Centurylink, but a friend that has them in a different part of town than me is having a horrible experience- customer support and service. slow, and expensive.
V
Vickie from Chubbuck , ID
CenturyLink Customer for 4+ years
Reviewed on: 4-16-2023
The dependability and reliability of Centurylink service is intermittent. To upgrade to a larger plan it's very costly.
J
Jeannefrom Walnut Cove, NC
CenturyLink Customer for 8+ years
Reviewed on: 4-13-2023
BETTER CUSTOMER SERVICE BUT THEY ARE NOW BRIGHTSPEED IN MY AREA, PROBABLY NO BETTER
D
Davefrom Seattle, WA
CenturyLink Customer for 8+ years
Reviewed on: 4-13-2023
they're reliable and didnt crash during pandemic when I needed it for work
M
Melvin from Greenville, NC
CenturyLink Customer for 8+ years
Reviewed on: 4-9-2023
Overall, I believe centurylink is an excellent Internet provider. The only thing that I will say they need to improve s the price, and sometimes the Internet stops thunderstorms
B
Brandyfrom N Las Vegas, NV
CenturyLink Customer for Less than a year
Reviewed on: 4-4-2023
Since switching services from Cox to Century Link, my cost has dropped by over $50. There has been zero interruption of service. The customer service is always fast and reliable
M
Maryfrom Bondurant, IA
CenturyLink Customer for 4+ years
Reviewed on: 4-3-2023
I have not had any issues with my internet within the last year. Speed is the continual concern and obliviously when storms come through, but overall, I am satisfied with Centurylink.
A
Angelfrom Montrose, CO
CenturyLink Customer for 8+ years
Reviewed on: 4-2-2023
In terms of quality when it comes to century link it is very poor. This is because they charge a large amount for internet that is very slow. Another issue I have is that that at times the internet just flat out stops working.
I
Ivyfrom Astor, FL
CenturyLink Customer for 1+ years
Reviewed on: 4-2-2023
We never have reliable service. Customer support chat is a joke. Takes weeks to get a tech out
C
Crystalfrom Bushnell , FL
CenturyLink Customer for 8+ years
Reviewed on: 4-2-2023
Centurylink is dependable… that's about the only thing that I can say I'm really happy with. Everything else is just so so
T
Thomas from Mesa, AZ
CenturyLink Customer for 8+ years
Reviewed on: 3-31-2023
CenturyLink has a good speed. They are generally reliable. The price is reasonable. I'm pretty happy
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Endnotes and sources
1. "Broadband Insights Report (OVBI)," OpenVault. Accessed August 17, 2022.2. "Internet Service Providers," ACSI. Accessed Dec. 10, 2022.