Both Optimum and Google Fiber offer fast speeds and unlimited data.
Optimum Internet vs. Google Fiber
More affordable
Overall Quality ⁃ 2.5/5
3.0/5 - Speed and reliability
3.0/5 - Dollar value
1.5/5 - Customer experience
Most reliable
Overall Quality ⁃ 4.8/5
5.0/5 - Speed and reliability
4.8/5 - Dollar value
4.5/5 - Customer experience 
8 min readOptimum Internet customers have access to great download speeds with no data cap, but they’re also subject to surprise fees. Google Fiber’s prices can be more expensive than the competition, but it offers more than enough bandwidth to stream 4K video or power smart devices throughout your home.
With prices starting at $40 per month, Optimum is a budget-friendly cable or fiber option with no long-term contracts required. However, customers have reported mixed reviews with Optimum’s performance.
Google Fiber, on the other hand, consistently delivers strong speeds and satisfies customers—in addition to being one of the few internet providers that can deliver speeds comparable to, if not better than, Optimum’s fiber internet.
“With Google (Fiber), we got more than enough bandwidth to do anything we needed online,” - Google Fiber customer R.J. Bass
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Want to know if Optimum Internet or Google Fiber are available where you live? Run a search with your zip code below to find out.
Optimum Internet and Google Fiber: Plans, pricing, and speed
| Provider | | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per month | $40-$280* | $70-$150† |
| Download speeds | 300-8000 Mbps | 1000-8000 Mbps |
| Upload speeds | 20-8000 Mbps | 1000-8000 Mbps |
| Details | View Plans | View Plans |
Data as of 04/05/2023. Offers and availability vary by location and are subject to change.
*
Prices w/Auto Pay & Paperless Bill. Terms apply. Not available in all areas.
†
Plus taxes and fees. Upload/download speed and device streaming claims are based on maximum wired speeds. Actual Internet speeds are not guaranteed and may vary based on factors such as hardware and software limitations, latency, packet loss, etc.
Optimum Internet’s speed depends on the type of connection you purchase. The vast majority of Optimum customers—around 92%, according to a 2024 shareholder report—have cable connections, meaning most have internet speeds ranging from 300Mbps to 1,000Mbps. With fiber, speeds range from 300Mbps to 8,000Mbps. The latter plan costs you a hefty $280 per month, plus Optimum frequently tacks on fees for things like professional installation, in-person service calls, and network enhancements, to name a few.
Google Fiber’s speeds can also reach up to a whopping 8,000Mbps—and for a much lower price than Optimum, as that plan costs $150 per month. Google Fiber plans start at $70 per month for its 1,000Mbps plan. While Google Fiber typically doesn’t offer promotional pricing or specials, its pricing is straightforward and doesn’t feature surprise fees or force you to pay for rental equipment.
“I’ve never had a problem with it. In fact, it’s the first internet provider I haven’t had an issue with.” —Google Fiber customer Chance Carter
Optimum Internet vs. Google Fiber: Fees for modem and installation
What makes this review legit?
Our fact-based research process centers around data analysis, keen-eyed provider comparisons, and interviews with internet customers from across the country. We research and write about internet service every day, with the aim to understand how internet services hold up against diverse needs and challenges.
To put together this review, we looked at results from our speed test, pulled data from customer satisfaction surveys, and pored over the fine print to compare prices and speeds between the two providers. To flesh out our analysis, we also interviewed eleven Spectrum and Google Fiber customers to get their first-hand insights. We let their experiences guide our research and shape our conclusions. We also spoke with a Spectrum spokesperson and experts on internet technology to get answers about Spectrum’s so-called “hybrid fiber coaxial” network and Google’s multi-gigabit capabilities.
The matchup: How we rate Optimum Internet vs. Google Fiber
For all our internet reviews, we give a rating based on three main criteria—speed and reliability, dollar value, and customer experience—which we then average to make an overall score.
Here, we compare those ratings face to face. We then offer some analysis and context for important factors to keep in mind.
Want to know more? Read our full-length Optimum Internet and Google Fiber reviews.
Speed and reliability
Optimum Internet: 3.0/5.0 | Google Fiber: 5.0/5.0
Optimum Internet’s advertised speeds are astounding—reaching up to 8,000Mbps and landing it in Review.org’s top five Fastest Internet Providers. Fiber internet is the most reliable type of connection on the market, but the vast majority of Optimum’s customers have a cable connection, which has a ceiling of 1,000Mbps.
On the other hand, Google Fiber’s floor is 1,000Mbps, and speeds can reach up to eight times that, depending on your plan. Google Fiber offers a stable, reliable connection that can power an entire home and allow you to stream 4K video, livestream, or power your smart home devices.
The clear winner here is Google Fiber. While Optimum Internet’s fiber service boasts speeds that are just as fast as Google Fiber, the vast majority of Optimum customers have cable, meaning their download speeds likely can’t even reach the 1,000Mbps speeds included in Google Fiber’s most basic plan. Combine that speed with the reliability that comes with a fiber connection, it makes Google Fiber hard to beat compared to just about any internet service provider.
Dollar value
Optimum Internet: 3.0/5.0 | Google Fiber: 4.8/5.0
Optimum Internet has plans starting as low as $40 per month, making it appealing for many customers. However, Optimum’s prices typically increase after 12 months, and monthly prices can jump up by $10 to $30, depending on your plan. You can also combine your internet connection with Optimum’s cell phone provider for reduced rates.
Google Fiber’s base level plan is $70 per month. That price point might scare some away, but when you take into account Google Fiber’s straightforward pricing, lack of fees, and the quality of its download speeds, that price point may seem more appealing. Google Fiber’s highest-end plan of 8,000Mbps costs $150 per month—which is a large amount of money every month, but it’s also more speed and bandwidth than most people would know what to do with.
Again, Google Fiber is the winner here. Though its $70 entrance point may be steep to some, it’s hard to beat Google Fiber in terms of the speed and reliability you get at that price. While Optimum Internet offers cheaper options, that deal could be bogged down with surprise fees and price increases after the first 12 months of service.
Customer experience
Optimum Internet: 1.5/5.0 | Google Fiber: 4.5/5.0
Optimum Internet has consistently low ratings and reviews from its customers. HighSpeedInternet.com’s 2023 customer satisfaction survey found Optimum near the bottom of the list among national internet providers. In a 2023 survey from the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), Optimum came in last place among non-fiber internet service providers.
On the other hand, customers give Google Fiber rave reviews. In the same ACSI study, Google Fiber ranked among the top internet providers in the country. HighSpeedInternet.com’s customer survey put Google Fiber at the top of the list in terms of customer service and satisfaction.
In terms of customer satisfaction, Google Fiber is again the winner. Given its strong track record with customer satisfaction compared to Optimum’s poor ratings among its customers in surveys, Google Fiber is clearly the better pick in terms of customer experience.
Overall quality: Which internet provider should you pick?
If you’ve read everything above, it shouldn’t surprise you that we think Google Fiber is the best option here. Again, its entry price of $70 a month may be a bit high, but Google Fiber’s download speeds, reliability and overall customer satisfaction justify the expenses—not to mention the consistent pricing and a lack of surprise fees.
Optimum Internet is a solid budget option, with monthly prices starting at $40 for download speeds that can comfortably power your home.
But you really have to take into account a few things, like a handful of fees for professional installation and technical support. Optimum could also raise its rates after your first 12 months, which would bring a customer on the lowest plan closer to the rate you’d be paying anyway with Google Fiber.
Optimum Internet vs. Google Fiber: What deals and promotions can you get?
If you sign up for Optimum Internet online, you receive free professional installation, which you’d normally have to pay $100 to get. You can also get a $60 bill credit if you sign up for a plan of 500Mbps or higher. Optimum Internet users will typically be given an introductory discount for the first 12 months. Its entry level package starts at $40 a month, but that can jump to $70 per month after the first year.
Google Fiber rarely, if ever, offers promotions and deals for people to switch to its impressive fiber services. Instead, it typically focuses on the value of its pricing and the reliability of its fiber services.
Get a prepaid Mastercard when you sign up for Optimum Internet
You can get a $50–$200 prepaid card when you sign up for a 500Mbps or higher internet plan.
Sign up for Google Fiber’s superfast internet
Google Fiber offers 1,000Mbps internet speeds starting at $70 per month.
Optimum Internet add-ons and perks
Sign up online for an internet plan of 500Mbps or higher
Sign up online for an internet plan of 500Mbps or higher
Sign up for 1,000Mbps internet plan
Optimum Internet vs. Google Fiber: What do customers think?
Optimum customers give mixed reviews
If you ask Optimum Internet customers what they think, you’ll probably see varying opinions. Geoffrey Turbeville, an Optimum cable customer in Brooklyn, New York, tells Reviews.org—in an interview conducted for our full review of the provider—that Optimum was the only high-speed provider available near him. He’s had issues with Optimum in the past, including slow or inconsistent speeds when he’s streaming Yankees games.
“We need to unplug the router and plug it back in fairly regularly, but it does solve the problem,” Turbeville tells Reviews.org.
Courtney Joan in Beacon, New York, said in another interview that she’s getting a good deal on her Optimum Internet 1,000Mbps package, but says the connection can disconnect at random. “It’s a good value, but you get what you pay for,” Joan tells us, as we write in the review. “There are certain times Wi-Fi just drops out.”
Customers like Brooklyn, New York, resident Josh Michael have been able to negotiate lower prices for the Optimum Internet service. Since Verizon Fios internet moved into his neighborhood over three years ago, he’s been able to convince Optimum customer reps to keep charging him the promotional price that’s typically for new customers. “Now I’m getting a good deal. Before I thought it was expensive,” he says.
“It’s a good value, but you get what you pay for.” — Optimum Internet customer Courtney Joan
Customers hail Google Fiber for gigabit speeds and incredible value
Google Fiber customers who spoke with Reviews.org for our ISP review consistently praised the service’s speed and reliability. R.J. Bass, a Google Fiber user and IT specialist in the Kansas City area, says his previous internet provider wasn’t cutting it, and now, having fiber internet is a requirement for anywhere he and his family live.
“I used to be a semi-popular Twitch streamer, and the upload speeds I got from Time Warner were not good enough for me to stream to Twitch while my sons were hosting game servers,” Bass told us in the recent interview. “With Google, we got more than enough bandwidth to do anything we needed online.”
Chance Carter, a Google Fiber customer in Provo, Utah, says the fiber internet service was about the same price as his last provider when he switched. “I’ve never had a problem with it,” Carter says. “In fact, it’s the first internet provider I haven’t had an issue with.”
Andy Phillips, a network architect in Austin, Texas, uses Google Fiber’s insanely powerful 8,000Mbps plan to power a home router, a constant VPN connection to his parents’ home for any tech support they’d need, and more. He also stores movies and music on an online server, so friends and family can access it day or night.
“Not many can take advantage of speeds over 1Gbps,” Phillips told Reviews.org. “But if you have the hardware, Google is not going to hold you back.”
“With Google, we got more than enough bandwidth to do anything we needed online.” —Google Fiber customer R.J. Bass
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