Spectrum vs. Frontier: Which Internet Provider Is Best for You?

Compare Spectrum and Frontier head to head

You can get faster internet with better reliability and lower latency with Frontier Fiber internet, but Spectrum’s cable internet has a better reputation for customer service. Both companies pull hijinks with promotional rates that go up after a year, but Frontier offers Wi-Fi equipment that’s truly free while Spectrum charges $10 per month for what it calls “Wi-Fi service” (with its Advantage plan.)

We recommend Frontier’s Fiber 200 or Fiber 500 plans for most households because fiber internet is much better than cable internet, but go with Spectrum’s Internet Premier plans if you can’t get Frontier Fiber (or if you happen to live in one of the few areas where Spectrum offers a fiber-to-the-home connection).

Spectrum primarily provides cable internet, with a tiny footprint of fiber internet. Frontier offers fiber internet in about two-thirds of its footprint and DSL internet in the other third. If you have a choice between Spectrum and Frontier DSL, we always recommend Spectrum.

Plans and pricing: Spectrum vs. Frontier

Spectrum plans and pricing

Spectrum offers affordable plans to new subscribers and provides home internet service on an extensive fiber network. However, the final connection to your home will probably be via coaxial cable, and that means slower download speeds, a higher potential for lag, and much slower uploads. These factors matter most for things like video conferencing and VR gaming, but won’t impact streaming and browsing for most households.

Speeds aside, Spectrum pricing is some of the lowest we’ve seen. Prices go up after a year, though, and you may get charged that pesky $10 fee if you don’t have your own router. Spectrum customer service experience isn’t exceptional, but real customers we surveyed rated it more highly than they rated customer care from Frontier.

Frontier plans and pricing

Shop with Frontier for Frontier

Frontier is growing its fiber footprint rapidly, but still offers only DSL internet to about a third of its customers. In rural areas, Frontier DSL may be your only landline option.

You can find fiber internet from Frontier in several states, including California, Texas, Illinois, and West Virginia.

Of the two providers, Frontier has the fastest plan with its Fiber 7 Gig service, giving you speeds of up to 7,000Mbps for both downloads and uploads. The fiber is inherently more reliable than cable internet, and has much better latency.

Spectrum’s maximum speed is 2,000Mbps both ways if you have access to its fiber internet, but most customers don’t. Cable internet offers download speeds of more than a gig, but upload speeds max out at 35Mbps.

Deals and promotions: Spectrum vs. Frontier

Extra fees: Spectrum vs. Frontier

Your Spectrum modem is included at no extra cost, but there may be a $10 monthly WiFi fee if you use the company’s internet gateway (router). It’s weird, but not egregious. Other than that, Spectrum charges a fee of either $30 for a self-installation or a $65 installation fee if you need a pro to come in and do the work.

Lucky for you, though, there are no early termination fees with Spectrum. Even if you cancel your service before the 12- or 24-month promotional pricing period ends, Spectrum lets you off the hook.

Frontier charges even fewer fees, but watch out for hijinks. If you agree to free installation, free service, or a rewards credit card, you may be locked into a one-year contract. That means an early termination fee of up to $100, pro-rated based on the length of time remaining in your contract.

Customer ratings: Spectrum vs. Frontier

Spectrum takes the seventh spot for overall satisfaction out of 15 internet providers in our latest customer satisfaction survey. Its best ranking is in speed satisfaction, with a score slightly above the national average (3.8) when it comes to meeting the advertised speeds. Its weakest link is price satisfaction, which is understandable given prices go up dramatically after promo periods expire. Still, Spectrum has some of the cheapest post-promo prices you’ll find for cable (and fiber) internet service.

Frontier ranks in the bottom half in four out of five categories. Its best ranking is in price satisfaction, placing it seventh out of 15 and just above Spectrum. It makes sense, because Frontier prices are some of the lowest you’ll find anywhere. Complaints also make sense, though, considering that many of Frontier’s customers still have to deal with DSL service.

Regardless, Verizon is planning to purchase Frontier’s entire network and rebrand the offerings top to bottom. If that happens, our surveys show Frontier customers will probably be happier with Verizon’s service than they had been with Frontier’s.

Best TV and internet bundles

Frontier doesn’t offer its own TV service, but it partners with YouTube TV to provide TV bundles. Customers get a $10 monthly discount for an entire year when they sign up for a qualifying internet plan. That’s not a great deal, to be honest, but you might appreciate that you have to pay only one bill for both services.

Spectrum allows you to pair its TV services with any of its internet plans. Both services have a discount for the first 12 months, but all premium channels cost extra. Disney + basic with ads, Hulu, Peacock Premium and more are some of the services included at no extra cost. Other included channels vary with plan choice.

Internet types: Spectrum vs. Frontier

Both Spectrum and Frontier use a mix of technologies to deliver high-speed internet to homes. Most of Spectrum’s network is a hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) system, which means it’s mostly fiber until the “last mile,” where Spectrum uses existing coaxial cables to deliver residential internet. Spectrum also has fiber-to-the-home internet, but it’s not as widely available as its cable internet.

Frontier’s primary service is fiber internet, which means you get fiber-optic cable all the way to your front door. Frontier also offers digital subscriber line (DSL) internet lines that deliver the internet over a network of copper telephone wires. It may be your only landline option in rural areas.

Data caps: Spectrum vs. Frontier

With Spectrum and Frontier, you won’t see data caps like other internet providers. You get unlimited data, which translates to no monthly overage fees and no monthly charges for unrestricted access. They also don’t intentionally throttle your connection, no matter how much you download—the data spigot remains wide open every month.

Contracts: Spectrum vs. Frontier

Spectrum doesn’t enforce a contract. Instead, it offers a discount for the first 12 months. But even though prices go up after that, customers can cancel internet service after one month without penalty.

Frontier goes back and forth with contracts. Sometimes, it advertises no-contract plans. However, you must sign a one-year agreement if you accept certain reward cards or agree to free installation. This info doesn’t show up in the broadband nutrition labels, though, so read all your disclaimers and fine print carefully.

Installation: Spectrum vs. Frontier

Spectrum charges $30 to self-install but doesn’t charge a monthly fee for the modem. Frontier also doesn’t have a monthly equipment rental fee and offers self-install for some fiber plans.

For now, Spectrum encourages new customers to use the self-install kit if they’re already wired for cable TV or internet. The pro install option is still available for new installations, rewiring, moving the router, and similar scenarios.

Verizon set to finalize Frontier purchase in 2026

Verizon and Frontier shareholders agreed in 2024 that Verizon would take over Frontier and all its assets for a price tag of $20 billion, but the deal is waiting on final details and regulatory approval. It is expected to close some time in 2026.

Learn what customers can expect if the Frontier sale goes through.

Availability: Spectrum vs. Frontier

Most of Spectrum’s footprint is in North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky, Ohio, New York, and Maine. There are scattered chunks of coverage in California, Texas, Florida, and several other states. Overall, Spectrum commands a decent market in the Eastern and Central time zones.

Frontier’s primary target is in rural areas. Its DSL service is available in 25 states, mainly in the Northeast, Southeast, and Southwest. Its Frontier Fiber Internet is big in portions of California, Florida, Indiana, and Texas. 

Final call: Spectrum vs. Frontier

We recommend fiber if you can get it from either provider, but you’re more likely to get it with Frontier. You may not love the company’s customer care, though, so go with Spectrum if you have a choice of either service and customer care is a priority.

View Spectrum Plans

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Methodology

Our HighSpeedInternet.com editorial team bases our analyses on customer input from our annual customer satisfaction survey, results from our speed test tool, and proprietary internet provider data on speeds and pricing. To strengthen our research, we look closely at provider contracts to get hard-to-find information on price hikes, data caps, and extra fees, and we keep tabs on the latest news reports and online reviews. When applicable, we also rely on our personal experiences testing these services.

Additional resources

• AT&T vs. Spectrum
• DSL vs. Fiber Internet: Which One Is Right for You?
• DSL vs. Cable: Which Is Right for You?
• Xfinity vs. Spectrum
• Xfinity vs. Frontier

Disclaimers