Spectrum vs. Frontier

Compare Spectrum and Frontier head to head

Spectrum provides cable internet, and Frontier primarily offers DSL internet. Of the two, Spectrum’s cable is your faster, more reliable connection, but it’s less available in rural areas than DSL.

Frontier’s fiber is faster than both, with symmetrical speeds of up to 5,000 Mbps. It’s cheaper than Spectrum’s cable internet too, even more so after 12 months, but its availability is limited. Frontier’s fiber is the clear winner in this battle for your bucks if you can get it.

Jump to: Plans and pricing | Extra fees | Customer ratings | Bundles | Internet connection types | Data caps | Contracts | Installation | Availability

Jump to:

• Plans and pricing
• Extra fees
• Customer ratings
• Bundles
• Internet connection types
• Data caps
• Contracts
• Installation
• Availability

Plans and pricing: Spectrum vs. Frontier

Spectrum plans and pricing

When we compare Spectrum’s base cable internet plan with Frontier’s DSL, Spectrum gives you more speed at the same price. But here’s the catch: you can get Frontier’s DSL service in areas where Spectrum’s cable internet doesn’t reach. In some areas, Frontier may be your only option of the two.

Meanwhile, Spectrum’s Ultra and Gig plans compete with Frontier’s Fiber 500 and Fiber 1 Gig plans. Frontier’s fiber internet is still relatively scarce, so Spectrum may be your only high-speed option until Frontier brings fiber internet to your area.

Of the two, Spectrum is the more expensive provider for the long term. Frontier doesn’t have discounted pricing, so the 500 Mbps plan costs $49.99 per month for at least three years. Spectrum’s 500 Mbps plan increases to $94.99 after 12 months, making Frontier’s fiber internet a better bargain.

Frontier plans and pricing

Frontier has more DSL than fiber. In rural areas, it may be your only landline option if Spectrum’s cable internet doesn’t reach you.

For now, Frontier’s fiber is limited in availability, but you can find it in metropolitan areas like Tampa and Dallas. The Fiber 1 Gig plan matches Spectrum’s Internet Gig service in download speed, but it’s $20 cheaper during Spectrum’s promotional period and $40 cheaper after a year. Even Frontier’s Fiber 500 plan is faster and more affordable than Spectrum’s Ultra plan.

Of the two providers, Frontier has the fastest plan with its Fiber 5 Gig service, giving you speeds of up to 5,000 Mbps both ways. Spectrum’s maximum download speed is 1,000 Mbps and up to 500 Mbps in upload speed in some areas.

Extra fees: Spectrum vs. Frontier

Other than the WiFi charge, Spectrum doesn’t tack on a lot of extra fees. Even if you cancel your service before the 12-month promotional pricing period ends, Spectrum won’t penalize you with an early termination fee.

Frontier charges $85 to activate DSL service and $50 for fiber plans. There’s no equipment fee—Frontier raised the prices to cover the cost. Frontier added a paper bill fee in April 2022 to encourage customers to go paperless.

Customer ratings: Spectrum vs. Frontier

Spectrum takes the third spot for overall satisfaction out of 13 national internet providers in our latest customer satisfaction survey. Spectrum ranks second in speed satisfaction, with a score above the national average when it comes to meeting the advertised speeds. Its weakest link is price satisfaction, which is understandable given prices go up around $25 after a year. Still, Spectrum has some of the cheapest post-promo prices you’ll find for cable internet service.

Frontier returns to our survey after missing out last year. It ranks in the bottom half across the board, with its strongest point being price satisfaction. What’s startling here is that Spectrum increases its prices after 12 months whereas Frontier does not, yet Frontier has a slightly lower pricing score than Spectrum. Frontier’s ratings combine both fiber and DSL customers. When compared separately, Frontier’s fiber customer’s were much more satisfied with their service, giving an overall satisfaction score of 3.8, while DSL customers rated their overall service 3.3.

Best TV and internet bundles

Frontier partnered with YouTube TV to provide TV bundles. Customers get a $10 monthly discount for an entire year when they sign up for a qualifying internet plan.

Spectrum doesn’t have discounted bundles. Instead, you can pair its TV Select service with one of its three cable internet plans. Both services have a discount for the first 12 months, but all premium channels are extra. You’ll also see a broadcasting surcharge of up to $20 per month.

Internet types: Spectrum vs. Frontier

Spectrum’s network is a hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) system, which means it’s mostly fiber until the “last mile,” where Spectrum uses existing coaxial cables to deliver residential internet. The fastest cable internet speed you can get today is 1,200 Mbps, but Spectrum’s download speeds are currently capped at 1,000 Mbps.

Frontier’s primary service is digital subscriber line (DSL) internet. It uses telephone wires that are usually installed in homes and apartments. It’s generally your only landline option in rural areas and doesn’t go beyond 140 Mbps in speed.

Frontier’s ace up the sleeve is its fiber internet service. While limited in availability, fiber has equal upload and download speeds. In contrast, cable internet has fast download speeds but extremely slow uploads. If you often transfer large files to the cloud, Frontier’s Fiber 500 and Fiber 1 Gig plans would be ideal.

Data caps: Spectrum vs. Frontier

With Spectrum and Frontier, you won’t see data caps like other internet providers. You get unlimited data, which translates to no monthly overage fees and no monthly charges for unrestricted access. They also don’t intentionally throttle your connection, no matter how much you download—the data spigot remains wide open every month.

Contracts: Spectrum vs. Frontier

Spectrum doesn’t enforce a contract. Instead, it offers a discount for the first 12 months. But even though prices go up after that, customers can cancel internet service after one month without penalty.

Frontier also doesn’t enforce contracts. However, you must sign a one-year agreement if you accept the Visa Reward Card offered with a new Fiber 500 or Fiber 1 Gig plan. A two-year contract only comes into play when you get satellite TV.

Installation: Spectrum vs. Frontier

Spectrum charges $24.99 to self-install but doesn’t charge a monthly fee for the modem or gateway. Frontier doesn’t have a self-install option, nor does it have a monthly equipment rental fee. You can even get a free pro install with Frontier if you order service online.

For now, Spectrum encourages new customers to use the self-install kit if they’re already wired for cable TV. The pro install option is still available for new installations, rewiring, moving the router, and similar scenarios.

Availability: Spectrum vs. Frontier

Most of Spectrum’s market resides in North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky, Ohio, New York, and Maine. There are scattered chunks of coverage in California, Texas, Florida, and several other states. Overall, Spectrum commands a decent market in the eastern and central time zones.

Frontier’s primary target is in rural areas. Its DSL service is available in 25 states, mainly in the Northeast, Southeast, and Southwest. Its Frontier Fiber Internet is limited to portions of California, Florida, Indiana, and Texas. Frontier expects to expand its fiber-to-the-premises service in California by 350,000 locations over the next six years.²

Final call: Spectrum vs. Frontier

Spectrum provides cable internet, and Frontier supplies mostly DSL internet. If you have access to both, choose Spectrum for its faster speeds and better reliability.

Frontier also provides fiber internet, but its availability is limited. Go with Frontier’s fiber if you can get it, as it reaches speeds up to 5,000 Mbps both ways, is more reliable than cable, and is cheaper than Spectrum in the long term.

View Spectrum Plans

View Frontier Plans

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.

Additional resources

• AT&T vs. Spectrum
• DSL vs. Fiber Internet: Which One Is Right for You?
• DSL vs. Cable: Which Is Right for You?
• Xfinity vs. Spectrum
• Xfinity vs. Frontier

Disclaimer

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