Optimum vs. Verizon: Which Internet Provider Is Best for You?

Compare Optimum and Verizon head to head

Optimum and Verizon each offer two different types of internet: Optimum supplies mostly cable and some fiber, while Verizon provides mainly fiber and some 5G home internet. If you have access to both fiber networks, Verizon’s will be more expensive but may still be the better choice because it treats its customers better. If you can’t get fiber, go with Verizon’s 5G home internet or Optimum’s cable internet.

Pros and cons: Optimum vs. Verizon

Plans and pricing: Optimum vs. Verizon

Optimum plans and pricing

Optimum offers both cable and fiber internet, but what you can get depends on your exact address. Parent company Altice USA rebranded its other Suddenlink network as Optimum, so the brand now covers most of the U.S. Suddenlink was best known for cable internet in rural areas, while Optimum focused on cable and fiber in the New York tri-state area.

With both networks combined. Altice USA condensed its cable and fiber plan lineup. The starting prices are lower than Verizon’s, and if you act fast, you can get a five-year price lock. If you miss the window, though, Optimum increases prices by $15 per month, once a year, for the first few years. Verizon’s prices don’t change on a predetermined schedule.

Verizon plans and pricing

Verizon offers both 5G home internet and fiber internet, and reaches many more customers than Optimum. The 5G home internet is available throughout the U.S., but only in areas with excess cell phone capacity. The fiber network is available throughout the Northeast, with a major presence in New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.

Deals and promotions: Optimum vs. Verizon

Extra fees: Optimum vs. Verizon

Neither provider charges a lot of fees to internet customers in good standing, and that’s a refreshing change. TV customers will have to pay broadcast fees, though. Read your broadband nutritional label during checkout so you’re not surprised by your bill.

Customer ratings: Optimum vs Verizon

Verizon has the second-highest rating for overall customer satisfaction among 15 national internet providers in our latest customer satisfaction survey. In fact, it ranks within the top three across the board, with reliability and speed satisfaction as its strongest points. You simply can’t go wrong with Verizon’s fiber internet.

We can’t paint the same pretty picture with Optimum. It has rock-bottom scores in customer satisfaction and price—understable, given its history of steep price hikes after low introductory pricing. Optimum ranks slightly better in reliability, speed, and overall satisfaction, but not by much. Verizon’s fiber is the better pick if you can get it, hands down.

Best TV and internet combos

Optimum’s TV and internet bundles are based on its Core TV service with 125+ channels, and its Premier TV service with 250+ channels, and its Entertainment TV service with 80+ channels. You can pair them with any internet package.

Optimum provides six additional bundles if you need phone service, too, starting at $45 per month.

Verizon doesn’t offer a traditional discount when pairing services. Instead, you can add TV, streaming services, and other perks to your internet service at any time. Verizon’s MyPlan perks include the following:

• Disney Bundle
• Netflix & Max Bundle
• Apple One
• Apple Music Family
• YouTube Premium
• +play Monthly Credit

Internet types: Optimum vs. Verizon

5G home internet uses cell towers to deliver internet service, but home internet traffic can be deprioritized relative to mobile traffic.

Optimum uses copper coaxial cable lines to deliver internet over unused TV channels. Cable provides more bandwidth than telephone lines, supporting up to 10,000Mbps download speeds thanks to the DOCSIS 3.1 and 4 standards.

Fiber internet uses LED and laser pulses to deliver data across glass filaments at speeds up to 10,000Mbps. It’s the most reliable of the three types and supports symmetrical speeds—unlike cable and DSL—making it your go-to choice if it’s available in your area.

Data caps: Optimum vs. Verizon

There’s nothing to report here. Verizon and Optimum don’t enforce data caps, so there are no overage fees or a hidden “unlimited data” charge on your monthly bill. 

That being said, Optimum does have an excessive use policy. If a subscriber’s data consumption is “wholly uncharacteristic of a typical user,” such as excessive peer-to-peer application use or large FTP uploads and downloads, Optimum will throttle the bandwidth.

For you, that means Optimum won’t punish all customers with data caps. But if you become an excessive data hog, expect your connection to slow substantially.

Contracts: Optimum vs. Verizon

Neither Verizon nor Optimum enforce annual contracts or early termination fees. However, Optimum’s monthly prices may increase $15 per year for the first two years.

Installation: Optimum vs. Verizon

Installation is free and easy with both Verizon and Optimum these days, as long as you order online. If not and you’re getting wired service (cable or fiber), you could be charged $99.

If you go with Verizon 5G, however, self-installs are the only option. Its easy with the mobile app, though. Don’t stress it.

Availability: Optimum vs. Verizon

Optimum’s network covers 21 states, from California to Texas to North Carolina to New York. Most of what it offers is cable internet, with some fiber in the New York tri-state area and in small spots across the nation.

Verizon’s residential fiber service is available in key metro areas in Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Maryland, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, and Washington, DC.

Households in New York and New Jersey are most likely to have a choice between Optimum and Verizon.

Final call: Optimum vs. Verizon

Verizon is our pick for fiber internet service for its superior customer service and unmatched speed and reliability, but you may have to pay around $25 extra per month. If you’re on a budget, consider Optimum’s plans but make sure you sign up for a price lock. 

If you can’t get cable or fiber from either provider, Verizon’s 5G home internet is a solid pick. You can get low prices if you bundle with mobile phone service, and improvements in network management and 5G tech make it faster and more reliable than ever.

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.

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Disclaimers