STAFF REVIEW

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Researched by

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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

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 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.

Performance

5.0

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

Optimum performance is solid. With speeds up to 1 Gbps (1,000 Mbps), 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.

Equipment and installation

4.0

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.

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.

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

3.7

(58)

5 Star

26%

4 Star

46%

3 Star

14%

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

Anafrom Bronx, NY

Optimum Customer for 8+ years

Reviewed on: 2022-12-02

The value is proportionate with the quality of service. Our network drops a couple of times a day and I have to reconnect manually.

Susanfrom Washington, NC

Optimum Customer for 1+ years

Reviewed on: 2022-11-27

The customer service is good. The technician who installed my service was very cordial. I do not have many outages.

Justinfrom Davin, WV

Optimum Customer for 4+ years

Reviewed on: 2022-11-19

Up until the last year everything has been perfect. For the last year there has been a noise issue causing my service to go in and out and it has been very disruptive.

Tatianafrom Bronx, NY

Optimum Customer for 1+ years

Reviewed on: 2022-11-16

They are a good service just a bit pricey.

Cherylfrom Jeanerette, LA

Optimum Customer for Less than a year

Reviewed on: 2022-11-12

I have been with Suddenlink for a long time. It seems that it turned into Optimum one day.

Gail Riasfrom Greenwood, MS

Optimum Customer for 1+ years

Reviewed on: 2022-11-11

I have been pleased with the reliability and speed but they increased my fees by double without notifying me first. I consider that theft

Jenniferfrom Kingman, AZ

Optimum Customer for 4+ years

Reviewed on: 2022-11-10

Since I've had Suddenlink I've never had to call them for any issues. Speed is good and very rarely get frozen on websites.

Destiny from N Ew City , NY

Optimum Customer for 8+ years

Reviewed on: 2022-11-06

they are good. i'm not working on this one thing too. i'm not working today.

Amyfrom Rocky Point, NY

Optimum Customer for 8+ years

Reviewed on: 2022-11-06

Mostly reliable, very expensive. Their customer service needs an overhaul.

Dawnfrom Shallowater, TX

Optimum Customer for 1+ years

Reviewed on: 2022-11-03

Optimum has always been extremely reliable and fast. Anytime there is an issue it is resolved immediately.

Samuel from Haverstraw , NY

Optimum Customer for 4+ years

Reviewed on: 2022-10-24

As far as customer service, it's great ... repair and maintenance always are available but where I live the service is not the greatest especially with more than 10 people living in the house.

Amarifrom Brooklyn , NY

Optimum Customer for 4+ years

Reviewed on: 2022-10-22

They have internet that is fast

Jeffreyfrom Allentown, PA

Optimum Customer for 1+ years

Reviewed on: 2022-10-08

Offer high-speed (100mbps and above). They could stop forcing me to call them each year to rescind the meteoric price increase they want to pass along.

Edwardfrom Nanuet, NY

Optimum Customer for 1+ years

Reviewed on: 2022-09-30

I have had no problems with optimum. I feel they have excellent service.

Thomasfrom Baldwin , NY

Optimum Customer for 4+ years

Reviewed on: 2022-09-29

They have always been reliable and have had no interruptions in service and the speed has been good

Is this provider in your area? Find out!

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.