How Much Does Google Fiber Cost?

Almost 15 years after its initial launch, Google Fiber is still considered one of the best fiber-optic internet providers out there. Although it has continued to expand, it’s still available in only a handful of select cities. It certainly has the prestige of a luxury brand, but is Google Fiber an expensive investment for those on the bleeding edge of technology? Or is it a practical option for your average internet user?

The answer is both—depending on which plan you go for. Google Fiber can be a reasonably priced option for the average household, or you can pay a premium to get the fastest internet in the country. The real advantage of Google Fiber is its simple and transparent pricing. Let’s take a closer look.

How much is Google Fiber Monthly?

Google Fiber’s basic 1 Gig plan costs $70 per month, which is a pretty good price for gigabit internet. Notably, this is the same price it charged when it first launched. No price hikes for 15 years is a pretty good track record, so you can be fairly confident that your bill isn’t going to increase in the near future.

Google Fiber also offers multigigabit speeds, which it has been rolling out steadily across its network over the last few years. It now offers a variety of plans, currently going all the way up to its 8 Gig plan that costs $150 per month. This does more than double the cost, but you get eight times the speed. If you’re looking at the value you get in terms of speed versus cost, you can get more Mbps for your dollar from Google Fiber than you can from any other internet provider.

Google Fiber internet speeds and plans

The Google Fiber 8 Gig plan is currently the fastest fiber plan offered by any nationwide internet service provider (ISP), but Google Fiber isn’t resting on its laurels. It’s currently testing a ridiculously fast 20 Gig fiber plan, which it will begin to expand to the rest of its network in the coming months. This plan costs a hefty $250 per month. This is a lot more than most households want to be spending on their internet bill every month, but it’s still not the most expensive internet plan out there.

How much does it cost to install Google Fiber?

One of the biggest barriers to switching internet providers is the upfront cost. Comparing the cost of different internet providers, it’s easy to overlook one-time fees like installation, activation, and other expenses that hit you right away.

Fortunately, Google Fiber offers free professional installation, so there are no unexpected costs for switching. In our experience, we also found that Google Fiber’s installers did an amazing job, doing a much cleaner and more professional job than many other internet providers.

Free professional installation really makes the process of switching providers easy. You get fast, reliable internet and your first bill will be the exact same as the following bills with no additional fees to throw off your budget.

Is Google Fiber really unlimited?

All Google Fiber plans come with unlimited data. This is a pretty straightforward answer, but the term has become a bit of a buzzword that tends to get thrown around a lot in advertisements and marketing. Irritatingly, providers often use the term “unlimited data” to mean very different things. Data restrictions come in all shapes and sizes, and it’s all too common for providers to use manipulative language to obscure them.

Once again, we have to give Google Fiber a lot of credit for its transparency. There are no data caps or other restrictions on Google Fiber plans. Regardless of how much data you use in a month, Google Fiber won’t cut or throttle your connection. You won’t see extra fees based on your data usage, and there aren’t premium data schemes that prioritize one user’s data over another’s.

We strongly dislike data caps, so it’s great to see providers like Google Fiber eliminating them completely. We highly encourage internet users to look for plans without data caps when shopping for internet, and Google Fiber is an excellent example of what to look for.

Do I need a router for Google Fiber?

Google Fiber customers get a free wireless router included in their plan. In most cases, this device is a gateway that serves as both your optical network terminal (ONT) and your router, though you can also connect your own router to the gateway if you prefer.

As with installation, there is no upfront cost for Google Fiber equipment. There is also no additional monthly equipment fee, as is common when you use equipment provided by your ISP. Yet another point awarded to Google Fiber.

Are there hidden fees for Google Fiber?

Google Fiber has no hidden fees, and we think that’s great. Unexpected fees are often the hardest part about trying to budget around your internet bill. With some providers, fees can add up to even more than the monthly cost of your internet connection.

Some of the most unmanageable fees internet customers have to deal with are early termination fees. These occur when you cancel your internet service before completing the full term of the contract. This one fee can often cost customers hundreds of dollars, which is sure to wreck your budget for the month.

Google Fiber customers don’t have to worry about termination fees because Google Fiber doesn’t require a contract. We’re starting to see a trend of more providers moving away from long-term contracts, which is encouraging.

The bottom line: Google Fiber has the most straightforward pricing available

It’s hard to overstate how refreshing it is to sign up for a $70 internet plan and see just $70 on your bill every month. Internet providers are notorious for nickel-and-diming customers with hidden fees to the point where we kind of expect this behavior, so Google Fiber’s straightforward price is a breath of fresh air.

Google Fiber reminds us that inscrutable pricing structures don’t have to be part of having internet access. We don’t have to tolerate manipulative behavior or shady business practices from the internet companies we sign up with. Google Fiber makes it really easy for us to recommend its internet plans, and we hope other providers follow its lead in making customer experience more positive.