Optimum internet plans and pricing

Best Optimum home internet plans

**Pricing per month for 12 mos. with auto pay, paperless billing and unlimited mobile plan. 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. As of 07/19/24.

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Optimum internet review

Optimum’s internet plans can be pricier than average after promotional periods end, but they’re a decent option for households that require a lot of bandwidth. Just be prepared for your bill to increase after 12 months. 

In our Optimum review, we graded Optimum internet on a scale of 1 to 5 across four major categories. To learn more, read about our review methodology.

Optimum internet plans start out at 300 Mbps, which is higher than most ISPs and can connect a larger home effectively. While Optimum’s rates are pretty affordable when you first sign up, they increase after 12 months.

Optimum has one of our highest scores of any provider for value, which measures how much speed you get for the price.

Compare Optimum internet plans, prices, speeds

We’ve listed some popular Optimum cable and fiber plans below. Not all plans are available in Optimum’s coverage area. For example, Optimum’s fiber network is expanding, so availability is limited. 

**Pricing per month for 12 mos. with auto pay, paperless billing and unlimited mobile plan. 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. As of 07/19/24.

Optimum fiber vs. Optimum cable internet

Optimum’s fiber plans are only available to around 1.3 million homes in the U.S. However, Altice, Optimum’s parent company, is steadily growing its fiber capability with service rollouts. Fiber over cable is generally a good idea, as it’s less prone to traffic congestion.

That said, Optimum’s 500 and 940 Mbps plans are well above what most households need — 500 Mbps would be enough to stream Netflix in 4K on 20 TVs at the same time. If you need to work from home or video conference, pay special attention to the slower upload speeds on the non-fiber plans since Optimum’s fiber plans have symmetrical download and upload speeds.

Optimum speed averages

In general, what you pay for is what you get with Optimum. According to the FCC’s most recent Fixed Broadband Report, Optimum customers, on average, received around 114% of the speeds that they advertised. In other words, Optimum actually over-delivers on speed. 

That doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed to get faster-than-advertised speeds all the time — things like router placement, time of day and the number of connected devices can all impact internet speed — but it’s still a mark in Optimum’s favor.

Discounted internet for low-income students, seniors and veterans

In addition to the plans listed above, a discounted option is Optimum Advantage Internet for select groups. This plan costs just $14.99/mo. and gets you up to 50 Mbps speeds, free installation, free equipment and no data caps or contracts. Here’s who qualifies for Optimum Advantage Internet:

• Households with students: Your household must qualify for or participate in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). Optimum Advantage Internet is also open to New York City residents attending a New York City public school.
• Seniors: You must be 65 years or older and eligible for Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
• Veterans: You must be a veteran and receive state or federal public assistance.
• Discounted laptop: In addition to the discounted internet, Optimum Advantage customers can also purchase a refurbished Chromebook laptop for just $149.

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Optimum internet availability & coverage

Optimum is available in 21 states, mainly in the Northeast. In the greater NYC area, you’ll find Optimum internet service in The Bronx, Brooklyn, Long Island, Poughkeepsie and Yonkers, among other NY cities.

Optimum is available to over 12 million people, with coverage also extending to western Connecticut, eastern New Jersey and parts of rural Pennsylvania and West Virginia, and states in the West, South and Midwest. 5% of the country has Optimum’s cable service and 1.5% has fiber availability. 

Optimum fiber availability

Optimum has both fiber and cable internet plans available, and it’s been rapidly building its fiber network in recent years to reach more homes.

Optimum provides its fiber internet service primarily in the New York tri-state area. There is also limited availability in Arizona, California, Louisiana, Missouri, North Carolina, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and West Virginia.

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Optimum equipment, installation, data caps and contracts

Like all internet providers, the price advertised to you is usually much lower than what you’ll pay each month. We combed through the fine print to find all the fees you can expect with your Optimum Wi-Fi plan. Optimum’s flexibility in equipment and no contract restrictions are the big perks of this ISP.

Optimum equipment 

Optimum charges $13.50/mo. for equipment: $10 for the modem/router and $3.50 for a “network maintenance fee.” This includes their Altice Gateway device, plus Optimum Wi-Fi service.

If you’d rather skip the monthly fee, consider buying a router and modem to get the most out of your Optimum plan. Investing in better equipment can drastically improve your speeds. 

Optimum is throwing in a free Wi-Fi extender with some plans in some areas. This device can be placed in another area of your home so that your Wi-Fi connection reaches every corner of the house. You’ll get one included for free, but you can also add extras for $3/mo. each for extra coverage.

Optimum offers a streaming device called Optimum Stream for $10/mo. It works like a Roku or Amazon Fire TV — just plug it into your TV and you’ll immediately have access to thousands of streaming apps like Netflix and HBO Max (although you’ll still have to subscribe to them separately). The remote is also built-in with Google Assistant, so you can use your voice to search for shows and movies.

Installation fee

Optimum charges a $59 one-time fee for standard installation on most plans, but it is increased to $99 on some internet and TV bundles. Self-installation is always free, though.

No data caps

There are no data caps on any Optimum internet plans, so you won’t have to worry about cutting back your streaming or gaming habits. 

Contracts

Optimum doesn’t require contracts on any of its plans. If you want to switch service or move, you can do it at any time without incurring any early termination fees.

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Optimum internet vs. top competitors

Optimum might not be the only internet option in your area. In the four states that Optimum has service — New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Connecticut — there are several other providers available. Here’s how it compares to some of its biggest competition:

*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. As of 07/19/24.

If you can get fiber optic service from Verizon Fios in your area, it’s a better service for most people. Verizon also has the highest customer satisfaction scores of any provider.

Optimum vs. Frontier is a toss-up: Optimum’s plans are more affordable, but Frontier has higher 2022 customer satisfaction ratings. Frontier’s customer service ratings have surpassed Optimum, at 61/100 to Optimum’s 59/100.

Speeds from all three providers max out at 940 Mbps, but you won’t have to deal with the same price hikes from Frontier and Verizon. Frontier only raises prices by $10/mo. in the second year, while Verizon’s price doesn’t increase at all.

Optimum is known for being slightly more reliable, especially when it comes to providing fast internet service. If you are a current Optimum customer, you can check your internet speeds through Allconnect to determine if you are getting the speeds you paid for. If you’re thinking about other internet options, check to see which ISPs are available at your address.

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Optimum internet bundles

Optimum internet and TV packages

There are four Optimum TV packages that you can add to your internet service, but you won’t save very much compared to purchasing a standalone TV service somewhere else. While these bundles are usually pretty affordable in the first year, you can expect to pay quite a bit more in year two, although it’s unclear exactly how much. Optimum says, “As of 13th mo. service will be billed at regular rate and is subject to change.”

Optimum also offers Optimum Complete, an internet package that combines your internet and mobile phone plans into one easy-to-handle monthly bill. It also comes with discounts for bundling both.

Optimum internet and mobile bundles

With the Optimum bundle, Internet + Mobile Savings, Optimum Mobile and Optimum Internet, customers can save $10 to $15/mo. on their internet bill, depending on which internet speed tier you pick. With the 100-300 Mbps plan, you can save $10/mo. For the other plans ranging from 500 Mbps to 5 Gig, you can save $15/mo.

Learn more about Optimum TV Learn more about Optimum’s bundles Learn more about Optimum Mobile plans

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Optimum customer reviews

The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) gave Optimum’s fiber service a 66/100, with 76 as the average score among the other provifers. Its non-fiber service received a 63/100, with an average score of 68 among other providers.

Consumer Reports readers also had a negative view of Optimum. It received just a 54/100 overall score, ahead of only Frontier and Suddenlink, which is run by the same parent company as Optimum, Altice. Complaints with the company generally center around missed appointments with technicians, unexpected charges and frustrating customer service experiences.  

Optimum has average customer satisfaction scores in the speed, reliability, price and customer service categories of our broadband customer satisfaction survey. Customers praised Optimum’s easy installation process and speeds. Read more about Optimum customer reviews below.

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Optimum internet FAQs

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