Switchful Logo

Spectrum internet reviews

Charter Spectrum brand logo
Staff rating
3.5
Customer rating
4.0
(490)
Price: $19.99 - $169.97/moSpeed: 30 Mbps - 1 GbpsChannels: 140+
STAFF REVIEW
We're committed to rigorous research, first-hand experience, and transparency in our rating methodology. We don't accept sponsored placements or allow partner compensation to impact our ratings. Learn more about how we rate providers.

Rebecca Palmer smiles for the camera
Headshot of Dave Schafer
Researched by
Headshot of Bri Field
Reviewed by
Bri FieldAssigning Editor
Updated 2/7/23

We’re committed to transparency. We may earn money when you follow our recommendations, but compensation doesn’t affect our ratings. Learn more.

Fast internet at reasonable prices

Spectrum offers speedy, reasonably priced cable internet service, and a strong budget plan. We wish there were fewer fees attached, though.


What we like

  • Simple plan selection
  • No contracts
  • No data cap
What we dislike

  • Pricey gig plan
  • Lots of small fees
  • Price increase after 12 months

Our expert assessment

Value
3.0
Straightforward internet plans with budget-friendly pricing

Spectrum service offers a solid value—particularly at the lowest tier. There are only three plans to choose from, which could either be a plus or minus depending on your perspective. In this case, we feel it’s a good thing: the plans are straightforward and easy to understand.

The lowest-tier plan offers speeds up to 300 Mbps (wireless speeds may vary) at a decent price, according to government benchmarks (1). That's just $0.17 per megabit per second, with speeds that blow any DSL plan out of the water. The other two internet plans are less exciting, but still reasonably priced for the first year. After 12 months, your price could be up by $20 or more.

Performance
4.5
Reliable internet with speeds up to 1 Gbps

Spectrum offers speedy performance overall, with packages up to 1,000 Mbps available (wireless speeds may vary). The lower tiers are more exciting—almost every provider has a gig plan these days, but Spectrum’s lowest plan has speeds up to 300 Mbps, which is still excellent for all but the heaviest users. Additionally, there are no data caps on any of the plans, so you can use as much bandwidth as you like.

Speed is only half the equation, though—even the fastest connection is useless if it doesn’t work when you need it. Luckily, Spectrum is on par with its closest cable competitors here. It offers faster-than-advertised speeds most of the time, according to the US Federal Communications Commission (2), and earned the top spot for median speeds from Speedtest.net (3). Spectrum’s latency scores were a little higher than competitors Xfinity and Cox, but at just 25 ms, you’re still within the playability range for most online games.

Equipment and Installation
4.0
You can rent a router or use your own, and there’s a fee for self-installation

Spectrum’s equipment setup is a bit different than most—at least when it comes to fees. There is no charge for the modem, but there is a $5 monthly fee for the wireless router (waived on the gig plan). What this means is that Spectrum gives you a separate modem and router, instead of a combined gateway. It also means you can opt to bring your own wireless router if you prefer. Customers can also add Wi-Fi extenders, called Pods, for $3 each per month. If you use the Spectrum router, you can use the company's highly-rated smartphone app to manage settings and parental controls.

Installation is straightforward and affordable. If you need a pro to come out, you can opt for a professional installation for $59.99. If you can handle the installation yourself, the self-install kit is about $25. We’d prefer free self-installation, but it isn’t the highest self-install fee we’ve seen, so we’ll take what we can get.

Customer Experience
2.5
Watch out for hefty fees and price hikes down the road

We’ll just come right out and say it: Spectrum has a lot of fees. While you may never see most of them, it’s worth noting that they’re there. Here’s a sample:

  • $5 to pay over the phone(?!)
  • $5 reconnection fee
  • $19.99 to upgrade equipment when switching to the Internet Gig plan

These aren’t going to be on every bill, and you may never see most of them. However, when you do, it makes for a poor experience.

When you add second-year price hikes in the range of $20+, things aren't looking good for Spectrum customers. However, Spectrum customers seem to be about as satisfied with customer service as customers with competitors Cox and CenturyLink, and it's only slightly worse than average. (4)

If Spectrum is the only cable provider in your area and your home isn't wired for fiber internet, we recommend the service. Just set a calendar reminder to contact customer service in a year and see if you can negotiate the price down!

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.

Spectrum customer ratings overview

Spectrum
4.0
(490)
5 Star
34%
4 Star
43%
3 Star
17%
2 Star
5%
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 Spectrum customers

J
Jodifrom Central Square, NY
Spectrum Customer for 1+ years
Reviewed on: 2022-12-06
My over experience with Spectrum is good quality internet service and reliable connection. Spectrum could improve by helping consumers that can only pay part of their bill and not disconnect services if unable to do so. Overall the customer service is quick to reply and correct issues.
G
Gayfrom Kansas City, MO
Spectrum Customer for 8+ years
Reviewed on: 2022-12-05
Spectrum has been a good internet company for me. They provide great quality for accessing the internet and are pretty dependable. Their customer service is usually very easy to deal with and prompt to resolve issues.
C
Carolefrom Warrenton, OR
Spectrum Customer for 4+ years
Reviewed on: 2022-12-04
Spectrum has been very reliable and the speeds are generally good. The only time things slow down is during high usage hours. I really don't know how they could improve things as I am quite satisfied with them right now.
K
Kayfrom Bremen, OH
Spectrum Customer for 8+ years
Reviewed on: 2022-12-04
The spectrum experience is very glitchy and I don't feel that it' worth the price increases we keep seeing.
C
Camronfrom Port Richey, FL
Spectrum Customer for 4+ years
Reviewed on: 2022-12-03
We have not had any major or even hardly even a minor problem with our service over the years. I can honestly say we are very pleased with our service, we routinely have at least one device per person going in our house of 4 plus constantly streaming media, and it's always super fast, no stutters or hiccups even. Whatever you are doing Spectrum...please keep it up!
D
Daniellefrom Mesquite, TX
Spectrum Customer for 4+ years
Reviewed on: 2022-12-02
I would recommend spectrum o anyone. It is reliable and I have no issues with them. My internet is high speed.
T
Tiffanyfrom Henderson , NC
Spectrum Customer for 8+ years
Reviewed on: 2022-12-01
It has high speed internet, it is very cost friendly, and a great customer service personal.
M
Marcus from Myrtle Point , OR
Spectrum Customer for 1+ years
Reviewed on: 2022-11-30
It's great if you're gonna be everything I need in the Internet fast and everything else and I like it when everybody else does
I
Isabella from Erie, PA
Spectrum Customer for 8+ years
Reviewed on: 2022-11-27
I'm pleased with what I'm getting. No challenges
K
Kavarie from Greenwood , SC
Spectrum Customer for 1+ years
Reviewed on: 2022-11-27
They are reliable with good service
S
Sharmanieka from Bakersfield, CA
Spectrum Customer for Less than a year
Reviewed on: 2022-11-27
I love spectrum because of their new security features while browsing. I don't have to worry about searching the internet
C
Charlenefrom Albany, NY
Spectrum Customer for 8+ years
Reviewed on: 2022-11-26
Spectrum is easy to do business with, they are reliable-always answer questions right away. They have great customer service, the internet is fast, never have issues. I do not knoiw what they can do beter-maybe nothing.
T
Tracyfrom Akron, OH
Spectrum Customer for 1+ years
Reviewed on: 2022-11-26
SPectrum has great internet speed but they are too high priced
J
Jill from Princeton , NC
Spectrum Customer for 1+ years
Reviewed on: 2022-11-25
In the beginning, we had a really bad time with Spectrum going out at least 2 to 3 times a week for up to 30 minutes at times, but they have really come a long way and there services are now awesome! We have had no issues at all with Spectrum lately!!! The only thing that it could improve on is their customer service! It' not that bad, it' just that I believe they are still learning as a new business!!!
T
Teresafrom Indianapolis , IN
Spectrum Customer for 1+ years
Reviewed on: 2022-11-25
Poor overall customer service.
Is this provider in your area? Find out!
Endnotes and sources
  1. 2022 Urban Rate Survey – Fixed Broadband Service,” FCC. Accessed 17 June 2022.
  2. "Measuring Broadband America," FCC. Retreieved Dec. 7, 2022.
  3. "Fastests ISPs of 2022," Speetest.net. Retrieved Dec. 7, 2022.
  4. "Satisfaction Benchmarks by Company, Internet Service Providers," ACSI. Retrieved Dec. 7, 2022.