Verizon vs. Spectrum: Which Internet Provider Is Best for You?

Choosing between Verizon and Spectrum comes down to where you live. Verizon’s home fiber internet mostly resides in the Northeast, whereas its 5G home internet is available wherever Verizon has cellular service.

Spectrum provides hybrid fiber-coax internet in over 40 states, so chances are high that it’s available where you live. Spectrum offers some home fiber internet, too, but it’s more scarce than its coax internet offering.

Overall, go with Verizon’s fiber if you can get it. Verizon ranks better with subscribers in our latest customer satisfaction survey, plus it’s cheaper and, in some cases, faster than Spectrum.

Plans and pricing: Verizon vs. Spectrum

Verizon plans and pricing

Verizon has a few more wired internet options than Spectrum, plus Fios fiber internet in certain areas. Verizon’s fastest plan caps at 5Gbps, but Spectrum offers speeds up to 7,000Mbps in select areas. You can get a bundle discount when you combine internet with Verizon wireless, but Spectrum includes one line of Spectrum Mobile at no extra cost for an entire year. 

Verizon also offers fixed wireless plans with download speeds up to 1,000Mbps. Spectrum does not offer a 5G fixed wireless service.

While Verizon mainly resides in the Northeast, Spectrum is a nationwide internet provider. It’s mostly known for hybrid fiber-coax internet, but it also installs fiber-to-the-home service in “green” areas, like in new neighborhoods. Even if you subscribe to coax internet, the traditional cable TV lines are only used for the “last mile”—Spectrum’s core network is all fiber.

Spectrum’s price hikes are its biggest drawbacks. You get cheap promotional pricing for up to 36 months, depending on what you bundle with internet, but your cost increases by up to $25 per month on internet alone after that. Verizon doesn’t have discounted pricing for the first year—its prices are highly affordable from the start.

Deals and promotions: Verizon vs. Spectrum

Spectrum doesn’t charge a modem or gateway rental fee each month. However, it does charge a fee to use its router or the Wi-Fi in its gateway.

Advanced WiFi costs $10 per month for customers on the Advantage and Premier plans—it’s included with Gig, 2 Gig, and 7 Gig. Invincible WiFi costs another $20 per month for Advantage, Premier, and Gig customers (it’s included with 2 and 7 Gig), adding 5G backup connectivity and a backup battery. Customers who don’t have Advanced WiFi can get Invincible WiFi for $30 (Internet 100,  Internet 500) or $20 (1 Gig) per month—it’s included with 2 and 7 Gig. Read our comparison to see which Wi-Fi service is best for you.

Of the two, Verizon is still the cheaper, faster, and more reliable option if you can get it.

Customer ratings: Verizon vs. Spectrum

Verizon ranks second out of 15 internet providers for overall satisfaction in our latest customer satisfaction survey. Its highest rating is in reliability satisfaction, and that’s not unexpected since fiber is more reliable than cable and DSL. Its lowest rating is in speed and price satisfaction—but that’s not saying much, as Verizon ranks within the top three spots in every category in our survey. The customers have spoken, and you simply can’t go wrong with Verizon’s fiber internet.

Spectrum doesn’t rate quite so well in our latest annual survey, falling a few notches to seventh out of 15 for overall satisfaction. In fact, it ranks seventh across the board except in speed satisfaction, where it ranks a slightly higher sixth. Still, pricing will always be an issue with Spectrum when it’s compared to AT&T, Verizon, and even Frontier, who don’t raise prices after 12 months. You’ll see a price increase of around $25 after 12 months with Spectrum.

Best TV and internet combos

Verizon doesn’t offer a traditional discount when pairing services. Instead, you can add TV, streaming services, and other perks to your internet service at any time. Verizon’s list of perks includes a Walmart+ membership (with Paramount+), Unlimited Cloud Storage, and more.

Spectrum offers a discount on internet when you pair it with another service, like Spectrum TV^® and Spectrum Mobile^®. The promotional pricing period depends on the number of services you combine: from 12 months (internet only) to 36 months (internet, TV, and mobile).

Internet types: Verizon vs. Spectrum

Verizon is currently swapping out its copper lines with fiber, so while it technically still does have some DSL internet, it’s not offered to new customers. Home fiber internet is where Verizon shines, packing multi-gig speeds backed by low latency and high reliability. Verizon also offers 5G home internet wherever it offers cellular service.

Spectrum’s hybrid fiber-coax internet is a good alternative to Verizon’s fiber. 

Data caps: Verizon vs. Spectrum

Verizon and Spectrum do not enforce data caps, so don’t worry about overage fees.

Contracts: Verizon vs. Spectrum

Verizon and Spectrum do not have annual contracts or early termination fees. Spectrum, however, offers discounted pricing on internet for 12 months. There’s no catch either—you can cancel the discounted service at any time after the first month without any hidden penalties.

Installation: Verizon vs. Spectrum

Verizon doesn’t offer a self-install kit, but you can save money by ordering Verizon’s service online—Verizon will waive the pro install fee. Spectrum doesn’t offer a similar discount with its pro install service.

In fact, Spectrum encourages new customers to opt for its Express Connect kit over a pro install. Spectrum sends a technician out to customers for completely new installs, relocating the modem, rewiring, and so on.

Availability: Verizon vs. Spectrum

Verizon’s fiber internet is available in key metro areas within Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Maryland, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, and Washington, DC. Its 5G home internet is available wherever Verizon offers cellular service.

Spectrum has a broader footprint across North America. It provides cable and fiber internet in California, Florida, Kentucky, Maine, New York, North and South Carolina, Ohio, Texas, and several other states. According to a representative, Spectrum provides 80% coax and 20% fiber in its service areas.

Final call: Verizon vs. Spectrum

Just in pricing alone, Verizon’s fiber internet is a steal. You’re not lured in with low prices only to be punched in the wallet with a price hike—you know what you’re getting into on day one. And with no data caps, no contracts, and no equipment fees, you can’t go wrong with Verizon.

But there’s a catch. Verizon’s fiber internet is limited to the Northeast. This is where Spectrum has the upper hand, as you can get its coax internet (and some fiber) in over 40 states. You’ll rarely see these two providers overlap anyway, as Verizon’s fiber generally competes with Xfinity, Optimum, and Astound.

Verizon’s 5G home internet is another story, however. It’s available wherever Verizon provides cellular service. The top speed is a gigabit, but whether you’ll see that speed depends on where you live.

Overall, Verizon is the better deal since it’s cheaper than Spectrum—even after 12 months.

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.

More about Verizon and Spectrum

• AT&T vs. Spectrum
• Xfinity vs. Spectrum
• Google Fiber vs. Spectrum
• Spectrum vs. Frontier
• Verizon vs. Optimum
• Verizon vs. Xfinity
• Verizon vs. RCN