skip to main content

Suddenlink Internet Review

Suddenlink is a good go-to cable internet provider.

Optimum

Price: $29.99–$79.99/mo.

Speeds: 50–940 Mbps

Data cap: Up to 350 GB in some areas

Compare all plans

Provider star ratings are based on user reviews and our independent customer satisfaction survey.

Our Suddenlink internet review

Suddenlink is generally a good go-to cable internet provider if you can’t get fiber in your area and want a faster connection than DSL. The maximum available speeds depend on where you live, so DSL may be a faster or cheaper option in some areas. Unfortunately, Suddenlink just began building its fiber-to-the-home service, so those plans are restricted toTexas for now.

 Pros

  • No contracts
  • Wide availability

 Cons

  • Limited fiber availability
  • Data caps in some areas

Are you a current Suddenlink customer wanting to leave a review?

Write a Review

Compare Suddenlink internet plans and pricing

Package(s)PriceSpeedTypeView on Suddenlink
Internet 50–150$29.99–$49.99/mo.*Up to 50–150 MbpsCableShop Plans
Internet 200–300$39.99–$59.99/mo.*Up to 200–300 MbpsCableShop Plans
Internet 400–500$59.99–$79.99/mo.*Up to 400–500 MbpsCableShop Plans
Internet 1 Gig$79.99/mo.*Up to 940 MbpsCableShop Plans
Fiber Internet 100–300$29.99–$39.99/mo.*Up to 100–300 MbpsFiberShop Plans
Fiber Internet 500$59.99/mo.*Up to 500 MbpsFiberShop Plans
Fiber Internet 1 Gig$79.99/mo.*Up to 940 MbpsFiberShop Plans

Suddenlink’s speeds: What’s best for you?

The average household can probably get away with a 200–500 Mbps plan. Anything less works for a couple or customers who do very little online, like check emails and post to social media. Gigabit speeds are generally overkill for most homes unless you run an in-home business or need lots of bandwidth to accommodate the local data hogs munching up all your bandwidth.

How fast are your Suddenlink speeds?

Click below for a quick speed test and find out.

Download speed
000 Mbps

Upload speed
000 Mbps

Latency (ping)
00 ms

Jitter
00 ms

Suddenlink’s data caps

Suddenlink has data caps in areas where its fastest internet connection is 50 Mbps. Connections with a 15 Mbps max speed have a 250 GB data cap; 30 Mbps connections have a 350 GB data cap. In both cases, it costs $15 for each 50 GB block you go over the monthly cap, or you can pay $10 extra each month for unlimited data.

Is Suddenlink internet available where you live?

Enter your zip code below to see a listing of the top internet providers available in your area.

Our favorite plan: The Fiber Internet 500 plan is our pick. There’s more than enough speed for a growing family—until the kids grow into teens and download everything in sight. The Internet 500 plan is a good alternative if fiber isn’t available.

The biggest difference between Suddenlink’s cable and fiber plans is that fiber has equal upload and download speeds, whereas cable does not. Suddenlink’s fiber is currently limited to Texas, but the company expects to branch out into eight additional states, including Arizona and North Carolina, over the next several years.2

Fiber aside, not all the cable internet plans are available where you live. Suddenlink has four distinct markets that are limited in speed, so you may not see plans above 50 Mbps in one area or plans above 400 Mbps in another area.

Suddenlink enforces data caps in areas where speeds top out at 50 Mbps. So you may be better off with a DSL alternative if fiber isn’t in your area.

HSI badge deals

Suddenlink ongoing deals and promotions + bundles

Depending on the plan, you can get a Wi-Fi 6 gateway and a Wi-Fi extender rent-free. The promotion also includes up to one year of HBO Max™, and a Visa® Prepaid Card with up to $200 until July 31, 2022.

Get the Deal

Suddenlink internet fees

Cost
Equipment Fee
  • $10.00/mo. for cable modem or wireless gateway
  • Free Smart Router
  • $3.00/mo. per added Xtend unit
Installation Fee
  • $99.00 for standard install
  • $149.99 for premium install
  • $40.00 for Wi-Fi install
Other Fees
  • $15.00 per 50 GB added data*
  • $10.00/mo. unlimited internet allowance*
  • $3.50/mo. network enhancement fee
  • $40.00 activation fee
  • $40.00 reconnect service fee
  • $20.00 collection fee
  • $20.00 field collection fee
  • $10.00 payment processing fee
  • $10.00 late payment fee
  • $30.00 returned payment fee
  • $1.00 paper statement fee
  • $10.00 restore product fee (1–2 products)
  • $15.00 restore product fee (3 products)

Suddenlink typically charges a set fee for standard or premium install, but you can get free installation if you order service online before August 1, 2022. As for the network enhancement fee, Altice USA’s other internet service, Optimum, discontinued this fee in early 2022 (but still lists it), so we assume the same applies to Suddenlink.

Suddenlink internet installation, equipment, and contracts

Suddenlink provides two installation options only, whether you have cable or fiber: standard and premium. Suddenlink also has a Wi-Fi-only install.

Suddenlink installation and equipment

The standard install includes:

  • 1 new or existing outlet
  • Setting up the modem
  • Setting up one wireless device
  • Installing up to 2 set-top boxes

The premium install adds the following:

  • Setting up another wired device (computer, game console, Smart TV)
  • Setting up 3 or more set-top boxes
  • Setting up all wireless devices

The curious Wi-Fi install fee appears if the technician only installs a router.

Suddenlink internet contracts

Suddenlink does not enforce contracts but instead offers discounted pricing for 12 months. Standard rates apply after a year.

Suddenlink internet customer ratings

Overall RatingReliability RatingCustomer Service RatingSpeed RatingPrice Rating
Suddenlink customer satisfaction rating3.83.43.63.63.6
Average rating*3.8/53.3/53.7/53.7/53.7

Suddenlink ranks fourth out of 12 for customer satisfaction in price, which is interesting given that its sister cable operator Optimum offers the same plans at the same prices but ranks far lower (eighth). Around 58% percent of Suddenlink’s customers said they experienced price hikes and hidden fees.

Suddenlink’s reliability ranks lower than competitors AT&T and Astound Broadband, with 56% of Suddenlink respondents reported experiencing outages sometimes or way too often. Moreover, 26% of the respondents said they experienced slowdowns way too often.

See what other Suddenlink customers are saying

We value your feedback, as it helps us shape reviews and provide valuable information to potential customers shopping for a new plan. Be sure to check out our Customer Review form to let us know about your experience with Suddenlink and read what others say.

Read Reviews

Suddenlink vs. the competition

SpeedPriceTypeCustomer rating*Order online
Optimum 50–940 Mbps$29.99–$79.99/mo.Cable, Fiber3.6View Plans
Spectrum 200–1,000 Mbps (wireless speeds may vary)$49.99–$89.99/mo. for 12 mos.Cable3.6View Plans
Frontier 115–2,000 Mbps$49.99–$149.99/mo.DSL, FiberN/AView Plans
75–5,000 Mbps$55.00–$180.00/mo.DSL, Fiber3.8

Suddenlink’s biggest competitors are AT&T, Frontier, and Spectrum. The former two offer fiber and DSL internet, while Spectrum is a direct cable internet competitor. You generally see Suddenlink compete with just one of these providers in any given area, along with DSL options from providers like CenturyLink and EarthLink.

Like most internet providers, Suddenlink’s standard rates increase dramatically after the first 12 months. The gigabit plan skyrockets to $139.99 per month, while Spectrum’s gigabit plan increases to $114.99 per month by the third year. Frontier’s gigabit plan increases to $84.99 per month by the fourth year (what a steal), and AT&T’s rate doesn’t increase at all, making it the best long-term deal of the four.

We need to note that while AT&T offers faster plans than 1,000 Mbps, we couldn’t find availability for those plans in the various towns we checked across the US where AT&T and Suddenlink overlap. But Frontier offers a 2,000 Mbps fiber plan—Charleston, WV and San Angelo, TX are two examples—so we suggest going with that (or AT&T’s fiber) if it’s available in your area.

Read our full reviews of Suddenlink vs. its main internet competitors

Is Suddenlink internet right for you?

Suddenlink is an ideal cable internet provider if fiber isn’t in your area. Suddenlink has fiber, too, but it’s currently available in Texas only. Parent company Altice USA expects to reach more states by 2025.

If you’re in an area where Suddenlink’s cable internet coexists with Spectrum or Astound Broadband’s cable internet, we recommend going with Spectrum, as Suddenlink’s prices increase dramatically after 12 months, and Astound Broadband enforces data caps on the west coast where it competes with Suddenlink.

Overall, go with Suddenlink’s fiber over cable if you can, but if AT&T or Frontier are in your area, they’re cheaper options for the long term.

Shop Suddenlink Internet

FAQ about Suddenlink

Where can I get Suddenlink cable internet?

Suddenlink has a wider audience than Altice USA’s other fiber and cable networks in the New York tri-state area (and western North Carolina), Optimum. You can find Suddenlink in 17 states across the US, from California to North Carolina.1 In fact, North Carolina is the only state where both Optimum and Suddenlink operate.

Where can I get Suddenlink fiber internet?

Currently, you can get Suddenlink’s fiber internet in Texas. Altice USA plans to expand its fiber network in areas in Arizona, California, Louisiana, and five other states to reach 2.5 million fiber connections by 2025.2

Why is Suddenlink changing its name to Optimum?

When Altice USA acquired Cablevision in 2015, it also gained the Optimum brand. Altice USA began building its 10 Gbps Optimum Fiber network in the New York tri-state area in 2018. In 2021, the company rebranded Altice Mobile as Optimum Mobile while also rebranding newly-acquired cable internet provider Morris Broadband as Optimum.

Suddenlink Communications, which Altice acquired in 2015, is the next to receive the new name, according to a letter sent to customers in 2022. The bottom line is that Altice USA is following Charter’s lead by moving all services under one familiar brand.

What are the best routers for Suddenlink internet?

You don’t need a specific router for Suddenlink’s cable or fiber internet, but we suggest shopping for a Wi-Fi 6 model. Suddenlink’s fastest plan doesn’t exceed 1,000 Mbps, so you don’t need a router that supports multigig internet. However, it doesn’t hurt to be future-proof in case Suddenlink introduces faster fiber plans within the next few years. Here are a few suggestions to get you started:

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.