Spectrum Internet Review | 2021

Spectrum is the internet service arm of Charter Communications, one of the largest cable TV operators in the United States. Charter began offering internet plans at its inception in 1993, just a few years after the invention of the world wide web. It introduced Spectrum in 2014 and now offers cable and fiber internet options. But is it right for you?

We have researched and ranked the best internet service providers (ISPs) in the country and named Spectrum Internet the ‘Best for High Data Use.’ The company has no data caps, no extra fees for equipment and no contract requirements. Learn more about its products and services below.

Unlike many other ISPs, Spectrum provides comprehensive service plans in 41 states and to more than 27 million residential broadband subscribers, so it’s highly likely it’s available in your area. It’s not available in Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Iowa, Oklahoma, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota and Utah (as well as Washington, DC).

Keep in mind that availability and connection options change from ZIP code to ZIP code, so even if Spectrum is in your state, it may not be able to provide all of its services at your address.

Spectrum provides internet speeds of 200 Mbps or higher through cable and fiber-optic internet plans. The company offers two cable plans: Spectrum Internet and Internet Ultra. It also offers one fiber-optic plan called Internet Gig.

Here are Spectrum’s plans and their connection types:

• Spectrum Internet: Cable
• Internet Ultra: Cable
• Internet Gig: Fiber-optic

Like many ISPs, Spectrum offers special pricing for your first 12 months of service. Its starting costs range from $45 to $110, which is fair for these speeds. After 12 months, Spectrum will apply standard rates to its plans.

If you’re already locked into a contract with another company, Spectrum offers contract buyouts up to $500. Spectrum also provides its services on a month-to-month basis, so you don’t need to worry about any long-term contracts.

Other costs to be aware of with Spectrum include installation fees of $50 for professional installation or $10 for self-installation. Customers receive a free modem (cable), but Spectrum’s Wi-Fi router costs an extra $5 per month.

Read over Spectrum’s starting costs per month below:

• Spectrum Internet: $45
• Internet Ultra: $70
• Internet Gig: $110

Spectrum’s baseline cable plan, simply called Spectrum Internet, offers speeds of 200 Mbps. This is sufficient for smaller homes with users that browse social media and stream media. Its Internet Ultra plan provides higher speeds up to 400 Mbps. This allows you to stream HD video and play online games on multiple devices.

The company’s most powerful plan, Internet Gig, provides a fiber-optic connection for high speeds up to 1,000 Mbps. This plan can handle multiple devices streaming HD video content, gaming online, engaging in remote office work and browsing online at the same time. This plan is ideal for larger households or those who use the internet often.

Read over some more details about Spectrum’s connection types here:

Spectrum offers unlimited data with no caps, making it a good choice to bundle your internet plan with TV and home phone services. Customers are able to mix and match these three services. When you bundle Spectrum Internet with its TV service, Spectrum TV, you save an additional $5 on your monthly cost.

Spectrum TV provides 200+ channels, 60,000+ On-Demand titles and the ability to stream live TV on the go through the Spectrum TV app. Spectrum’s home phone service, Spectrum Voice, provides more than 28 home phone features without additional fees or taxes, including readable voicemail, instant tracing to 911, unlimited nationwide calling, and caller ID on Spectrum TV.

Learn about Spectrum’s package options below:

Spectrum provides a variety of customer service tools, such as an online customer portal, mobile app and online chat feature. You are also able to call customer service 24/7.

Though Charter Spectrum’s Better Business Bureau (BBB) profile* currently has a B+ rating, the company recently settled two lawsuits: one over allegedly defrauding New Yorkers over internet speeds and performance and the other for tricking customers into switching providers.

Spectrum also has mixed customer reviews across popular customer review sites like the BBB, Yelp and Trustpilot. See what Spectrum customers had to share about their experiences below:

When you discontinue the service, [Spectrum] will bill you for the entire month instead of your disconnect date. And they will not tell you this. They say it is on your statement, and that is enough notice that you need. However, if you have your funds taken out every month, there really isn’t a reason to look at your bill because it usually doesn’t change too much.… And it’s not like you can use the service should you move and disconnect it. If I had known this, I would have disconnected it two days prior and used my [hotspot]. But instead, I was charged $200 for a service that I could not use. — Tricia K. via BBB

The internet service we receive is excellent. We rarely even think about the great service we get because it’s always there, and [on] the rare occasions the service goes down, it is never for long and they will credit our account no problem at all. All we have to do is phone to report the down time. The staff in their shops and call centers are always so customer service-focused, it makes it easy to ask questions and know we are getting the right answers. — Neil B. via BBB

I can tell you that here the download speed is stable, but it’s time to let the service providers [know] that download is NOT the only service. For gamers, YouTubers and people that need to send or upload big files, we need more upload [speed]. You can ask them for 300 or more downloads, and you’ll NEVER get a decent upload speed. 5 megs of upload… Really? Last month, it took me three days to upload a long video to YouTube and I disconnected all other devices and used the ethernet cable. That’s a shame. — Jose Velazquez via Trustpilot

I had some issues with the setup but it seemed to be my house. A tech came out the next day and set it up for me and I haven’t had any issues since. I think once or twice there [have] been outages in my area but they are always out working on it pretty quickly. We do high-end gaming and haven’t had any problems.…I don’t ever contact them really. I just pay my bill on time and my service is good. Have been with them for 8 months. — Dre via Trustpilot

*BBB information accurate as of August 2021

Our Advisor team has created a detailed methodology that we use when we rank and research internet service providers. We have analyzed ISPs on their cost, speeds, connection types, additional perks, service availability and more.

Here’s a breakdown of the factors we consider when rating companies. Our top picks score well across all these factors.