AT&T vs. Optimum | Internet Provider Comparison 2024

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AT&T vs. Optimum

By Joe Supan Last updated: August 15, 2024

AT&T and Optimum both offer fiber internet plans from 300 Mbps up to 5,000 Mbps.

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Is AT&T or Optimum better?

The choice between AT&T and Optimum is a fairly easy one if you’re choosing between AT&T fiber and Optimum cable. However, choosing between both fiber services may be more complicated.

Allconnect Rating

4.43 / 5

AT&T
Number of plans: 6

Lowest starting price: $55/mo.

Fastest available speed: 4,700 Mbps

ACSI customer satisfaction rating: 80/100
Allconnect Rating

4.17 / 5

Optimum
Number of plans: 8

Lowest starting price: $40/mo.

Fastest available speed: 5,000 Mbps

ACSI customer satisfaction rating: 66/100

Here’s how the two providers compare in every key category:

Availability: AT&T internet and Optimum internet are both available in 21 states.
Price: Because Optimum increases rates by $25/mo. in year two, AT&T is significantly cheaper in the long run, regardless of whether you get its DSL or fiber optic service.
Speeds: AT&T Fiber has the edge against Optimum cable, but falls even with Optimum’s fiber plans which also reach 5,000 Mbps.
Customer satisfaction: AT&T receives some of the highest customer satisfaction scores in the industry, while Optimum typically gets some of the lowest.

AT&T vs. Optimum ratings

To compare internet providers, we rated each of them on four categories: affordability, performance, value and customer satisfaction.

AT&T Fiber scores way ahead of Optimum in every metric, while it’s more of a toss-up between AT&T Internet and Optimum. AT&T Internet is significantly more affordable, but you won’t get nearly as fast speeds. Overall, customers report fewer complaints with AT&T’s service than Optimum.

Category	AT&T Fiber	AT&T Internet (DSL)	Optimum
Affordability	4.21/5	3.64/5	3.94/5
Performance	4.53/5	2.30/5	4.47/5
Value	4.80/5	1.45/5	4.67/5
Customer satisfaction	4.65/5	4.10/5	3.35/5
Overall score	4.48/5	2.80/5	4.16/5

How we score internet providers

We evaluate broadband providers in four categories: affordability, performance, value and customer satisfaction. Each category contains multiple sub-factors, all of which are weighted differently to impact the provider’s overall score.

For each sub-factor, we score all providers on a continuous scale of one to five, relative to the industry as a whole. Because the average download speed in America is currently 180 Mbps, for example, we assigned all plans with download speeds between 100 and 299 Mbps a score between three and four. Xfinity’s 200 Mbps plan received a 3.50 score for download speed, while Spectrum’s 400 Mbps plan got a 4.16.

We only considered standardized data points in our scoring system. More abstract data like consistency of service and brand reputation is still part of our analysis, but we opted to let our writers address them in the context of each review.

Learn more about our methodology

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AT&T vs. Optimum internet

AT&T and Optimum internet plans have speeds and prices in every range available. The tables below show what you can get from each provider.

AT&T fiber and DSL plans

AT&T plan	Allconnect score	Starting price*	Download speed†	Upload speed
Fiber 300	4.45 / 5	$55.00/mo.	300 Mbps	300 Mbps
Fiber 500	4.48 / 5	$65.00/mo.	500 Mbps	500 Mbps
Fiber 1000	4.52 / 5	$80.00/mo.	1,000 Mbps	940 Mbps
2 GIG	4.12 / 5	$145.00/mo.	2,000 Mbps	2,000 Mbps
5 GIG	4.17 / 5	$245.00/mo.	4,700 Mbps	4,700 Mbps
AT&T Internet	2.76 / 5	$60.00/mo.	10 – 100 Mbps	1 – 20 Mbps

*PABP & Paperless billing + taxes. Price includes $5/mo. AutoPay & Paperless billing discount (within 2 bills). Prices updated 8/15/24.
**ABP & Paperless billing + taxes after $5/mo. AutoPay & Paperless billing discount (within 2 bills). Incl. 1TB data/mo.; overage chrgs apply. Prices updated 8/15/24.

AT&T’s DSL plans cost a flat rate regardless of what speed you get. AT&T will simply provide the fastest plan available at your address.

AT&T’s fiber plans are some of the best fiber plans around. The Fiber 1000 plan, in particular, has the highest Allconnect score due to its value for price and speed.

Optimum internet plans

Optimum plan	Allconnect score	Download speed	Upload speed	Starting price*	Connection type
Optimum 300	4.32 / 5	300 Mbps	20 Mbps	$40.00/mo.	Cable
Optimum 500	4.07 / 5	500 Mbps	20 Mbps	$60.00/mo.	Cable
Optimum 1 Gig	4.07 / 5	940 Mbps	35 Mbps	$80.00/mo.	Cable
Optimum Fiber 300	4.31 / 5	300 Mbps	300 Mbps	$40.00/mo.	Fiber
Optimum Fiber 500	4.28 / 5	500 Mbps	500 Mbps	$60.00/mo.	Fiber
Optimum Fiber 1 Gig	4.26 / 5	940 Mbps	940 Mbps	$80.00/mo.	Fiber
Optimum Fiber 2 Gig	4.06 / 5	2,000 Mbps	2,000 Mbps	$100.00/mo.	Fiber
Optimum Fiber 5 Gig	3.94 / 5	5,000 Mbps	5,000 Mbps	$180.00/mo.	Fiber

*Pricing per month plus taxes for length of contract. Additional fees and terms may apply. Pricing varies by location and availability. All prices subject to change at any time. May or may not be available based on service address. Last updated 8/15/24.

Optimum offers both cable and fiber internet plans, and for the same price. Optimum’s 300 Mbps cable plan has the highest Allconnect score, although its fiber plans offer great value for their prices.

AT&T’s Best Overall Internet Plan: Fiber 1,000

If you do a lot of gaming, streaming 4K content or just have several people using your connection at once, AT&T’s Fiber 1,000 will keep you connected.

Optimum’s Best Overall Internet Plan: 940 Mbps

For houses with a lot of connected devices and heavy data usage, Optimum’s Fiber Internet 1 Gig plan is a heavy-duty plan to handle it all.

AT&T vs. Optimum contracts, installation, data caps and equipment

Pricing is never simple when it comes to internet service. No matter which provider you choose, you’ll have to factor in a number of extra fees to calculate the final price you’ll see on your monthly bill. Here’s how AT&T and Optimum compare when it comes to added costs:

Contracts: Neither AT&T or Optimum require contracts for internet service.
Installation: AT&T and Optimum professional installation are $100, or you can use free self-installation.
Data caps: AT&T has no data caps on its fiber optic plans and 1GB caps on its DSL plans. Optimum has unlimited data on all plans.
Equipment fees: Equipment is included with AT&T and Optimum internet plans. Optimum’s internet prices will also increase at the end of year one.

Best overall for contracts, installation, data caps and equipment: AT&T

Both Optimum and AT&T are pretty even when it comes to these factors, but Optimum’s year two price increases makes AT&T cheaper in the long run.

AT&T vs. Optimum bundles

AT&T and Optimum offer internet and TV bundles, making shopping for home services convenient and could save you money. Bundling internet and TV can also get you service or equipment upgrades, like free premium channels or speed upgrades. While AT&T doesn’t have its own internet service, you can bundle your AT&T internet with a DIRECTV plan.

AT&T

AT&T doesn’t have its own TV service, but you can bundle your 300 Mbps internet plan with DIRECTV Entertainment or Choice.

Optimum

Optimum’s TV packages can be paired with any of its internet plans. You can also save when you bundle with Optimum mobile.

Best overall for bundles: AT&T

While AT&T doesn’t actually provide any savings when you bundle internet and TV service, we still think it’s a better option for most people. You’ll have more flexibility in your channel lineups when choosing DIRECTV STREAM or DIRECTV, and even though its bundles aren’t discounted, you’ll still end up paying less in the long run than you would with Optimum.

AT&T vs. Optimum customer satisfaction

With help from about 250,000 real consumers, the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) gives internet providers an annual score based on evaluations of quality and experience.

Provider	2024 ASCI score
AT&T Fiber	80/100
Optimum Fiber	66/100
Optimum cable	63/100

Source: ACSI, Consumer Reports

Customers are clearly a lot happier with AT&T. It has the highest score of any fiber provider with ASCI, while Optimum has the lowest.

The bottom line

AT&T Fiber is a great choice if it’s available near you. It’s faster than Optimum cable, and although it has the same speed tiers as Optimum Fiber, AT&T could be cheaper in the long term. AT&T Fiber also has far better customer satisfaction scores than Optimum Fiber, which has the lowest.

If you’re choosing between Optimum cable and AT&T DSL, then we recommend Optimum. AT&T’s DSL plans are usually significantly slower. They range anywhere from 10 to 100 Mbps download speed, and you’ll automatically get the fastest plan available. If the speeds available are on the higher end of that range, you can probably get by just fine. But you’ll struggle to do things like stream video and work from home on just 10 Mbps.

AT&T vs. Optimum FAQs

Is Optimum cheaper than AT&T?

Optimum has lower prices than AT&T, but Optimum’s prices increases in year two could make AT&T cheaper in the long run.

Can I switch from AT&T to Optimum?

If Optimum is available at your address, then yes, you can switch from AT&T to Optimum.

Is Optimum more available than AT&T?

AT&T and Optimum are both available across 21 states.

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Written by:

Camryn Smith

Camryn Smith started writing for Allconnect in July 2022 and has developed broadband expertise across the landscape, including home internet providers, plans, pricing and equipment, as well as internet technolog… Read more

Edited by:

Robin Layton

Editor, Broadband Content

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