Optimum Internet vs. Verizon 5G Home Internet

Optimum and Verizon offer high-speed internet plans ranging from 300Mbps to over 1Gigabit. But there are some key differences in prices and perks between the two. Let’s start by looking at Optimum’s offerings.

Optimum has many plans to choose from, ranging in price from $30 a month to a whopping $265 a month. None of the plans require a contract, and they all come with unlimited data, so you don’t have to worry about blowing it all streaming old episodes of Parks and Rec.

Optimum’s prices are about on par with other top ISPs, if not cheaper. Xfinity has a 400Mbps plan for $50 a month, and Spectrum has a 300–1,000Mbps plan for $49.99. That makes Optimum's 300Mbps plan for $35 (or even less when you add a mobile plan) a pretty good deal.

And this holiday season, Optimum is offering a two-year price lock when you bundle internet and mobile between December 4th and January 7th.* Optimum will also reward new customers with a prepaid Visa card (worth $50 to $200).

Those who qualify for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) should definitely consider Optimum. The ACP gives you $30 a month towards your internet bill, and Optimum will kick in the other $10, making the 300Mbps totally free. That’s right: free high-speed internet!

In our humble opinion, Optimum is the perfect provider for:

• Students, new families, and others who want to save money on their internet bill
• Low-income families, seniors, and others who qualify for ACP
• Medium- to large-sized families that are willing to pay extra for super-high-speed plans over 1,000Mbps

Verizon 5G Home Internet offers two internet speed tiers: up to 300Mbps and up to 1,000Mbps.

All of its plans are contract free, and there are no weird fees to worry about. And, as you can see in the chart below, existing Verizon Wireless customers will get an awesome discount on home internet.

With the discount for wireless customers, Verizon’s 5G Home Internet plans are some of the best deals on the market. $35 a month for 300 to 1,000 Mbps internet is unheard of. Even without the discount, the company's prices are very fair. And in some areas, you might even be able to test Verizon 5G Home Internet for free before deciding on a provider.

All of Verizon’s plans come with free equipment. Our staff writer, Tyler Abbott, used Verizon 5G Home Internet and said that “it was incredibly easy to set up. It was like magic. Just plugged it in, set up my login info, and there was internet all over my house.”

To summarize, we think that Verizon 5G Home Internet is a great choice for:

• Renters and new home buyers who want a flexible and affordable internet option
• Families that want to cut the cable cord and adopt new technology for streaming TV
• Existing Verizon Wireless customers who will get an unbeatable price

Comparing Verizon 5G and Optimum is about comparing two different internet technologies. Most of Optimum’s internet runs on a cable network, while Verizon’s uses—you guessed it!—5G.

Optimum’s cable infrastructure isn’t the most modern or efficient way to get internet, but it’s still decently fast. With cable networks, you can get reliable download speeds of 100–300Mbps, and even faster in some places.

Verizon’s 5G network is much newer and, in many places, faster than cable internet. Unlike T-Mobile’s 5G internet network, Verizon’s network uses “millimeter wave” or “wide-band” 5G, which can easily reach speeds of 300Mbps and up. These speeds are relatively reliable, though they may vary depending on how close you are to a network tower. This is why Verizon's 5G network is faster than T-Mobile's but is less available.

One advantage of 5G is that it offers relatively fast upload speeds. These upload speeds are important for activities like conference calls, online gaming, and transferring large files. Verizon 5G upload speeds range from 10–50Mbps, while Optimum’s cable internet plans get 6–23Mbps. The upload speeds are much higher on Optimum fiber plans.

Both Optimum and Verizon are fast internet providers. If you’re close to a Verizon 5G tower, it’ll probably perform better than Optimum. But if you live in a more suburban area or somewhere that Optimum offers fiber plans, then it’s the obvious pick for best performance.

Optimum and Verizon 5G overlap in availability, like in Pittsburg, Scranton, and New York City. But, in general, the two ISPs serve vastly different markets.

Optimum is almost exclusively available in a handful of Northeastern states. You won’t find Optimum service if you live in North Carolina, California, or even Massachusetts.

Meanwhile, Verizon 5G Home Internet is always expanding its reach and now offers service in over 900 cities. You can see an approximate map of Verizon’s 5G Home Internet availability here (the red dots are locations where the service is available).

The best way to find out exactly what internet plans are available in your location is to use our handy zip code tool. Check it out.

Hopefully, you’ll never have problems with your internet service. But, if you do, you want to be sure that’s a real, flesh-and-blood human to help walk you through it. So, which ISP is better at picking up the phone and offering a helping hand?

The data is clear in this regard: Verizon is the better company. While the American Customer Satisfaction Index doesn’t measure Verizon 5G Home Internet, it does have scores for both Verizon Wireless and Verizon Fios. In both cases, Verizon scores high. Optimum, on the other hand, struggles.

Optimum or Verizon? Which one will you choose? You can consult a Magic 8 Ball or see what your astrology chart says—or you can read this quick recap to help you decide.

• Plans and prices: Optimum has internet plans ranging from $30 to $280 a month. If you bundle with a mobile plan, you can get plans for cheaper. And if you qualify for ACP, it could even be free. Verizon’s plans range from $35–$70 a month, depending on what speed you want and if you’re an existing Verizon Wireless customer.
• Speeds: Verizon 5G has fast download speeds and decent upload speeds, especially if you’re in a metro area and close to the network towers. Optimum’s speeds are more reliable in different locations but may be slower overall.
• Availability: Verizon’s internet service is available nationwide, while Optimum only serves a few Northeastern states.
• Our takeaway: If you’re looking for a low-budget option, then Optimum has some of the best deals around, especially for ACP qualifiers. Verizon 5G is probably better for everyone else because it offers faster speeds at a better price point.

To write this Verizon 5G Home Internet vs. Optimum internet article, we began with exhaustive research. We looked at every plan that each company offers, read the customer reviews, consulted third-party data, and even asked around to people we knew who used the services.

With all of that data, we put the two providers side-by-side. We made our final recommendations based on criteria like speed, price, customer service, and availability.

Thank you for trusting us to help you pick the perfect internet plan. Please let us know if there are any ways we can improve!