staff review

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Reviewed by

Bri FieldAssigning Editor

Updated 2/7/23

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Fast speeds and reasonable pricing

If you can get fiber internet from Optimum , you'll get great all-around service with fast speeds and reasonable pricing. If you can get only cable internet, you'll get slower max speeds and may see different pricing. Both options are decent, but watch out for third-year price hikes and potential customer service hassles.

What we like

Affordable prices
No data caps or contracts
Both cable and fiber offerings

What we dislike

Very limited availability
Average customer service
No true budget plan

Before digging too deep...

Make sure Optimum is available in your area.

Savings tip: Optimum often has sign-up promotions for first-time customers. Call 1-844-719-8066 to ask a rep about current deals and discounts.

Check deals

Our expert assessment

Value

4.0

A lot of internet for a little money

Optimum offers a lot for the money. Both fiber and cable internet plans start at 300–500 Mbps, with a very competitive price that beats the entry-level plan for competitor Spectrum and is way less than national benchmarks (1). That's plenty fast for most online gaming and work from home needs, but you can pay for even higher speeds if you have a big household.

Compared to the competition, the two lower-tier plans almost always offer more speed for the money. And while you can technically find cheaper gig plans, Optimum still tends to be the most affordable in its markets.

If you qualify only for cable internet with Optimum, your speeds will be slower but you'll pay about the same every month. Prices are higher than other cable internet providers at these speeds, but you may not have a choice. Most areas that don't have fiber internet won't have multiple cable internet options.

We love the low starting prices, 2-year price lock, and 60-day money back guarantee, but you can expect prices to jump $35–$85 in your third year of service.

Pricing details vary by location. Visit

Optimum's website

or call 1-844-719-8066 to speak with a rep.

See pricing

Performance

5.0

Optimum internet is both fast and reliable—what’s not to love?

Optimum performance is solid. With speeds up to 2 Gbps (12000 Mbps) in some states, there’s enough bandwidth available for even the heaviest of streaming households. Even the lowest-tier plans offer plenty of speed for most use cases. The cable service is generally very reliable, as well, and usually even faster than advertised, with better latency than any cable competitor. (2)

Additionally, Optimum offers fiber internet service in some of its coverage areas, which offers extra reliability and symmetrical speeds. That’s an excellent feature for content creators and anyone who shares a lot of large media files. Recently, it started offering home internet plans up to 5 Gbps, a speed that’s nearly impossible to beat.

Available speeds vary by location. Call 1-844-719-8066 to speak with a Optimum rep or

go to its website.

Equipment and installation

4.5

Free pro and self-installs, or you can pay for extra device setup

Optimum offers a fairly standard wireless gateway with both its fiber and cable plans. The combined modem and router are usually free, but may cost you $10 per month on top of your bill in some areas. You can also add Wi-Fi extenders for $3 each per month, which is handy for larger homes and offices (and not a bad price, either).

If you want to use your own equipment instead of Optimum's free gear, you may run into difficulties. Optimum doesn't list compatible equipment and requires at least some third-party modems to be purchased from its stores.

With Optimum installation, you can do it yourself or have a pro help, and either way is free. If you order online, you can opt for a free standard professional installation or pay $59 for a premium installation, where the tech will configure Wi-Fi on up to six devices for you. While other providers may offer to set up your main device during installation, we haven’t seen such an extensive guarantee elsewhere. This could be a selling point for less tech-savvy customers.

Equipment and installation options can vary widely depending on

Optimum plans

available in your area.

View plans

Customer experience

3.0

Great internet brought down by customer service complaints

Optimum provides a good customer experience overall. Both types—cable and fiber—are fast and stable, and we haven’t seen any major complaints about reliability. We think the day-to-day experience with Optimum is fine.

However, the company’s customer service is less than stellar, with one of the lowest ratings of all providers, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) (3). Most of the complaints we’ve seen involve a poor experience dealing with customer service reps. Optimum does offer solid online support options, so you may be able to get around these issues. And, of course, not everyone has a poor experience.

Visit Optimum's website

or call 1-844-719-8066 for more information on contracts and money-back guarantees.

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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.

Optimum customer ratings overview

Optimum

3.8

(70)

5 Star

26%

4 Star

46%

3 Star

16%

2 Star

1 Star

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 Optimum customers

Stevefrom Paterson , NJ

Optimum Customer for 8+ years

Reviewed on: 5-7-2023

Optimum has very good customer service reliable internet no payments very fast internet speed

Aeronfrom Newark, NJ

Optimum Customer for 1+ years

Reviewed on: 5-4-2023

Optimum has been very good for us.

Charlenefrom Hamilton, NJ

Optimum Customer for 8+ years

Reviewed on: 5-2-2023

Basically, Optimum has been pretty good. They provide my cable, internet and TV, so I'm pretty well stuck with them because there is apparently no other service provider in my neighborhood. I think they're fairly expensive, but as I said, I don't have a choice. However, they've been pretty reliable and the speed is adequate.

Sarahfrom Brooklyn, NY

Optimum Customer for 8+ years

Reviewed on: 5-1-2023

I'm not sure it's my plan or something different, but I have had great service from Optimum but I know people who complain a lot about it. My price is good. Connection is great. No outages.

Cyndifrom Kaufman, TX

Optimum Customer for Less than a year

Reviewed on: 4-27-2023

I can honestly say that I have had very few issues with Optimum. They are relatively fast compared with when had before.

Carlfrom Payson, AZ

Optimum Customer for 4+ years

Reviewed on: 4-26-2023

Optimum has many outages, they are overpriced, and I have had several horrible experiences with customer service.

Tameekafrom Brooklyn, NY

Optimum Customer for Less than a year

Reviewed on: 4-24-2023

Optimum does good I have never had any issues with there service

Philip from Brooklyn, NY

Optimum Customer for 8+ years

Reviewed on: 4-23-2023

It's worth it but it should not cost any more than it does now. I will be frustrated if the price goes up.

Anahyfrom Brooklyn, NY

Optimum Customer for Less than a year

Reviewed on: 4-22-2023

Overall, Optimum is good. It works, and we rarely have issues with our internet. The only issue I would say is the extra charge for services. We have lots of surprise charges on our bill

Damifrom West Haverstraw, NY

Optimum Customer for 1+ years

Reviewed on: 4-20-2023

Friendly Customer service but the internet can be slow at times

Juliafrom Heampstead, NY

Optimum Customer for 1+ years

Reviewed on: 4-17-2023

Optimum is the best internet we've had. Our old provider was not good at all and we haven't had problems with Optimum

Cherylfrom Howell, NJ

Optimum Customer for 8+ years

Reviewed on: 4-17-2023

Optimum is reliable, but every year the cost increases. If you call and act like you are going to cancel they will lower it, its a game for them

Johnfrom Brooklyn, NY

Optimum Customer for 8+ years

Reviewed on: 4-17-2023

I have had Optimum service for a long time and had no major issues.

Pedro from Passaic, NJ

Optimum Customer for 8+ years

Reviewed on: 4-16-2023

They answer quickly to any issue I had in past. For that, I think Optimum is good. That's the thing I care about the most since the service itself is pretty similar for everyone

Amberfrom Lubbock , TX

Optimum Customer for 8+ years

Reviewed on: 4-12-2023

I think Optimum's speed is excellent buuuuuut the prices are too high and keep going up

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Endnotes and sources

1. “2022 Urban Rate Survey – Fixed Broadband Service,” FCC. Accessed 20 October 2022.2. "Measuring Broadband America," FCC. Retreieved Dec. 10, 2022.3. “Internet Service Providers,” American Customer Satisfaction Index. Accessed 15 June 2022.