Jump to: The Verdict | Availability | Installation & Setup | Speed | Reliability | Bill | Customer Service | Bundles | Equipment
Side-by-Side Comparison
Type of Service
Cable
Download Speeds
50–150 Mbps
Price
$44.99–$99.99 per month
Equipment Fees
$10.00 per month
Installation Fee
None
Data Caps
250 GB or none*
Customer Satisfaction
3.66/5
Type of Service
DSL, Fiber
Download Speeds
1–24 Mbps (DSL), 50–150 Mbps (Fiber)
Price
$19.99–$39.99 per month (DSL), $30–$60 per month (Fiber)
Equipment Fees
Varies
Installation Fee
Varies
Data Caps
None
Customer Satisfaction
3.28/5 (DSL), 5/5 (Fiber)
Pricing and speeds are current as of 9/1/17. Pricing and speeds are subject to change. Not all offers are available in all areas.
*Suddenlink’s Internet 50 has a data cap of 250 GB. Its other plans—Internet 200, Internet 400, and Internet 1 GB—come with unlimited data.
Should I Choose Suddenlink or Frontier as my High-Speed Internet Provider?
The Verdict
Choose Suddenlink for high-speed internet in rural areas. Suddenlink offers coverage in many areas, but those who live in rural areas should especially take note of this Internet Service Provider (ISP). Suddenlink continues to expand its cable internet service in rural locations, giving rural consumers more internet providers to choose from.
Choose FiOS® from Frontier for fast, reliable speeds. If you want the fastest internet available, a fiber connection is the only way to go. FiOS from Frontier gives you fiber speeds along with reliable connectivity. However, it’s not available everywhere. Use our Zip Finder below to see if this stellar service is available in your area before you get your hopes up.
Choose Frontier DSL for affordable internet. If you need solid but not “blazingly fast” speed, consider Frontier DSL. Frontier scores well for its billing practices, and while DSL might stagger beneath heavier loads, it will give you a reliable connection to the basics of the internet
Find and compare Suddenlink and Frontier plans and pricing in your area:
Coverage Area
Frontier’s and Suddenlink’s coverage areas sometimes overlap, but the two ISPs are generally found in different areas of the United States. This shouldn’t come as a surprise given that the two ISPs focus on different markets. Frontier tends to be more widely available for urban markets while Suddenlink emphasizes the rural consumer—at least for now.
Suddenlink High-Speed Internet
Suddenlink can be found in numerous states ranging from West Virginia to Ohio and from Arizona to Missouri, along with a small presence on the West Coast. To find out if Suddenlink is available in your vicinity, check the map below.
FiOS from Frontier
Because FiOS from Frontier is a fairly new service, its coverage area is more limited than its DSL counterpart. Even so, you might be surprised by where it’s available. View the map to see if FiOS from Frontier has arrived in your vicinity.
Frontier DSL
Frontier provides DSL service and installation in several states across the country. However, the ISP sees higher coverage in certain states. You can check the drop-down availability menu from Frontier to check availability or you can use the map below to find out if Frontier DSL is available in your area.
Customer Satisfaction Ratings
The following ratings come from HighSpeedInternet.com’s national survey of high-speed internet customers. Customers answer questions about reliability, customer service, and other items to help consumers like you make a purchasing decision about your next ISP. The ratings use a scale of one to five, with one being the worst and five being the best.
(3.7 / 5)
(5 / 5)
(3.3 / 5)Installation & Setup
Suddenlink
(3.8 / 5)
Suddenlink continues to improve its installation and setup score. The positive results may have to do with a growing user base; it’s been making strong strides in delivering cable internet to rural communities.
FiOS from Frontier
(4.3 / 5)
FiOS from Frontier takes first place in the installation and setup category, a characteristic common to almost all fiber-internet providers. The exact reason for the positive score remains unclear, but a possible cause could be that most fiber internet requires professional installation services, which are likely to go more smoothly than an attempt at self-installation.
Frontier DSL
(3.6 / 5)
Frontier DSL stays competitive when it comes to installation and setup. Its score puts it in league with Comcast, and CenturyLink.
Internet Speed
Suddenlink
(3.8 / 5)
While Suddenlink’s cable internet might never overthrow the speed of fiber internet, it certainly comes close, ranking sixth for speed.
FiOS from Frontier
(4.3 / 5)
It’s no surprise that FiOS from Frontier takes a top spot in the speed category. Fiber is the fastest type of internet on the market today, so the high score is practically a given.
Frontier DSL
(3.2 / 5)
Frontier High-Speed internet sinks to the low end of the spectrum for speed. But this score is anticipated since Frontier employs DSL, one of the slower types of internet connections out there, to deliver internet service to customers.
Reliability
Suddenlink
(3.8 / 5)
Suddenlink scores well in this category, perhaps owing to introducing cable internet to rural markets previously reliant on DSL and satellite.
FiOS from Frontier
(4.2 / 5)
Again, FiOS from Frontier yields to no one in the reliability category. It comes in first with CenturyLink nipping at its heels.
Frontier DSL
(3.1 / 5)
Frontier unfortunately lands at the bottom of the pack for reliability with its DSL service. Now with the recent merger and increased availability and FiOS offering, the company is likely to make improvements soon.
Monthly Bill
Suddenlink
(3.3 / 5)
Suddenlink also brings in a positive score for monthly billing, falling in rank only to FiOS from Frontier, RCN, and CenturyLink Fiber.
FiOS from Frontier
(5 / 5)
FiOS from Frontier claims solid transparency of billing processes with customers, explaining the provider’s top marks in this category.
Frontier DSL
(3.2 / 5)
Frontier DSL scores well in the pricing category, resting a little above the middle of the pack. You can expect fair prices and reliable billing practices with Frontier DSL.
Technical Support & Customer Service
Suddenlink
(3.6 / 5)
Suddenlink delivers a solid customer service score, ranking above Frontier DSL but below FiOS from Frontier.
FiOS from Frontier
(3.9 / 5)
FiOS from Frontier vies with Optimum, a cable internet provider, for first place in the customer service category.
Frontier DSL
(3.4 / 5)
Considering all ISPs fall somewhere mid-range in the customer service category, Frontier DSL brings in an average score that’s not stellar but is good enough to get the job done.
Advantages & Disadvantages
Advantages
- Money-Back Guarantee: Suddenlink offers a thirty-day money-back guarantee.
- Contracts: Suddenlink never requires customers to sign a long-term contract.
Disadvantages
- Bundles: Consumers have to go through the actual Storefront to see bundles available in their area.
- Coverage: Suddenlink, despite its growing coverage area, provides cable internet in only sixteen states.
Advantages
- Speed: If speed is your greatest desire, choose FiOS from Frontier. Frontier DSL and Suddenlink can’t compete with it.
- Billing: FiOS from Frontier gets a top rating for its transparent billing structures.
Disadvantages
- Availability: A newer service, FiOS from Frontier is available in only a few areas of the United States.
- Compatibility: Fiber internet requires more robust routers and networking equipment to work well, which could require extra—and perhaps unexpected—expenditures.
Advantages
- Affordable: Frontier DSL starts at $19.99 per month.
- Technical Support: Frontier offers free 24/7 support services.
Disadvantages
- Speed: Frontier DSL won’t ever match the speeds of cable or fiber.
- Reliability: Frontier DSL may not be the best choice if running bandwidth-intensive programs, such as a gaming system or Skype call.
Bundling Options
Bundling television, telephone, internet, home automation, and other services offers at least two advantages: First, it simplifies managing your monthly expenses. You log into one site and pay one bill instead of logging into multiple sites and submitting payments for multiple bills. Second, bundling can save you money. Most ISPs offer price breaks and other perks for bundling services.
Equipment
Suddenlink
Suddenlink provides customers with a DOCSIS 3.0 modem through a lease. The actual modem delivered to your home varies by plan; consumers purchasing a high-speed internet connection, for example, require a different modem than a consumer with a lower-speed plan. Suddenlink kindly offers a list of compatible modems and routers to consumers wishing to avoid leasing fees.
To self-install your Suddenlink modem or router, follow this self-installation guide.
Our Recommendation:
Frontier
Frontier uses a variety of modems to deliver DSL internet. FiOS from Frontier varies altogether from the DSL offering; Frontier requires customers to use the FiOS-compatible router provided by the ISP. According to Frontier’s Terms and Conditions, a rental fee eventually applies to the FiOS from Frontier router.
To self-install your Frontier-provided equipment, follow this self-installation guide.
Our Recommendation:
What You Should Consider When Choosing an Internet Provider
Types of Connections
Suddenlink and Frontier deliver internet in different ways. Suddenlink uses cable lines while Frontier employs two types of internet: DSL and fiber. DSL runs over telephone lines, and fiber relies on fiber-optic networks.
Consumers typically experience variance between the three types of internet in terms of speed and reliability. If HighSpeedInternet.com were to host a fastest-of-them-all contest, fiber would win hands down. As a newer service, it sees top-level speeds and isn’t plagued by interference issues and traffic congestion. Cable would come in second, even with the peak traffic times it typically experiences, and DSL would place third. DSL phone lines simply can’t sustain the same speeds and connectivity that fiber and cable can.
About the Providers
Suddenlink Communications delivers cable television, telephone, high-speed internet, and home automation services to consumers and businesses around the nation. Lately, the ISP has devoted much of its energy to enlarging its rural user base, giving consumers more purchasing options when it comes to their communications and entertainment needs.
Frontier Communications serves many states, bringing DSL high-speed internet, television, and telephone to numerous consumers. Frontier also offers fiber-based internet—FiOS from Frontier—but the service is available in very select markets. Like Suddenlink, Frontier provides services to both consumers and businesses.
With the information shared here, you should be able to decide whether Suddenlink or Frontier is “the fastest of them all.” And if show-stopping speed isn’t a priority for you, peruse other package options. Find the best option available in your area by using our comparison tool found below.
*Pricing and speeds are current as of writing. Pricing and speeds are subject to change. Not all offers available in all areas.
