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

Compare CenturyLink and Spectrum head to head

CenturyLink (or Lumen) and Spectrum generally don’t compete for your hard-earned dollars, but in the few cases they do, CenturyLink is your go-to fiber internet provider, while Spectrum serves up cable internet. Spectrum has some fiber, too, but you’re less likely to find it.

If you live in an area where CenturyLink and Spectrum overlap, go with Spectrum. It fared better than CenturyLink in nearly every category in our latest customer satisfaction survey. Pricing is Spectrum’s only real setback, as it increases your rate after 12 months.

Pros and cons: CenturyLink vs. Spectrum

Plans and pricing: CenturyLink vs. Spectrum

CenturyLink’s DSL internet is expensive when you compare it to Spectrum, but it may be your only option if you can’t get cable or fiber. CenturyLink’s fiber pricing is pretty reasonable, though, plus it doesn’t raise your rates after 12 months like Spectrum.

CenturyLink plans and pricing

CenturyLink’s fiber internet is a good deal when you compare it to Spectrum. With the 200Mbps plan, you get plenty of speed at a low cost indefinitely—plus the reliability and symmetrical speeds of fiber. And even if you do manage to find Spectrum’s fiber, its 300Mbps plan is $45 more per month than CenturyLink’s 200Mbps plan after a year. The same goes for Spectrum’s cable internet.

CenturyLink’s DSL doesn’t normally compete with Spectrum’s cable or fiber on a national level. You’ll find them clash in Florida and Wisconsin, but that’s mostly it. You pay more for less when you sign up for DSL internet, which is pretty standard across all internet providers still maintaining their aging DSL networks.

Spectrum plans and pricing

Spectrum doesn’t have DSL internet. Instead, it offers a few more cable and fiber internet choices than CenturyLink’s fiber. Its cable internet is far more widespread than CenturyLink’s fiber, but you will rarely find them both listed in the same area. Florida and Wisconsin appear to be where they compete the most—in small parts of Oregon, too.

But when we pull back and look at how the two price their internet, CenturyLink is the better deal. CenturyLink will always have the upper hand here until Spectrum drops its post-promotional price hikes. Until then, Spectrum will continue to have a low pricing satisfaction score in our annual survey.

Deals and promotions: CenturyLink vs. Spectrum

Extra fees: CenturyLink vs. Spectrum

As the table shows, CenturyLink has a higher pro install cost of the two, but it doesn’t charge you to self-install internet equipment. Keep in mind that, in both cases, you can’t self-install new internet—this must be done by a CenturyLink or Spectrum professional. Self-installs are for existing DSL, cable, and fiber connections coming into your home or office.

Spectrum’s WiFi charge applies to the gateways and standalone routers it distributes to customers. If you want to use a store-bought standalone router or mesh system and save $5 per month, call Spectrum to disable WiFi in the gateway or take the standalone router to a local Spectrum store.

Customer ratings: CenturyLink vs. Spectrum

Spectrum ranks higher than CenturyLink in overall satisfaction in our latest customer satisfaction survey, placing seventh out of 15 internet providers versus CenturyLink ranking eleventh. Spectrum ranks better in every category, actually, except in price, where CenturyLink places fifth, followed by Spectrum ranking eighth. Spectrum raises prices up to $25 per month after the first 12 months—CenturyLink doesn’t.

According to our survey, CenturyLink’s weakest link is in speed satisfaction, placing it at the bottom out of 15 internet providers. Spectrum did fairly well in that category, falling behind cable internet rivals Cox and Xfinity. All in all, Spectrum’s cable or fiber internet is your best bet if you can get it based on customer feedback alone.

Best TV and internet bundles

CenturyLink offers just one TV and internet bundle with its fiber internet service. All other bundles are based on its DSL internet, and the one listed above is the cheapest that you can get. All bundles rely on DIRECTV’s satellite TV service, but there’s no discounted pricing when you bundle.

Spectrum doesn’t offer the traditional TV and internet bundle at a discount. Instead, you can pair its TV Select service with any one of its three cable internet plans. Both services have discounted pricing for the first 12 months, but all premium channels like Max and SHOWTIME® are extra. Plus, you’ll see a broadcast TV service charge for up to $20 per month that’s not included in the discounted pricing.

Internet types: CenturyLink vs. Spectrum

CenturyLink and Spectrum offer fiber internet, although Spectrum’s fiber isn’t as widely known as CenturyLink’s. Both have gigabit-class plans with symmetrical speeds, while Spectrum has a few more slower speed options than CenyutyLink.

Spectrum’s cable internet is more widespread than CenturyLink’s fiber, but you’ll rarely see them overlap except in a few states. Cable internet doesn’t have symmetrical speeds like fiber—at least, for now—so you’ll always have slower uploads than downloads.

CenturyLink’s older DSL internet uses existing telephone lines and doesn’t go above 140Mbps in download speed.

Data caps: CenturyLink vs. Spectrum

While Spectrum does not have an internet data cap, its acceptable use policy prohibits “excessive use of bandwidth that in Charter’s sole opinion, places an unusually large burden on the network or goes above normal usage.”

CenturyLink used to have a 1TB data cap on most of its residential internet plans, but now neither its fiber plan nor its DSL plan have any caps.

Contracts: CenturyLink vs. Spectrum

Spectrum and CenturyLink both have no-contract policies for internet plans. That means you can switch plans or providers whenever you want (as long as there’s another internet company in your area). But if you bundle DIRECTV through CenturyLink, that does require a contract.

Installation: CenturyLink vs. Spectrum

Spectrum encourages new customers to opt for the self-install kit over a pro installation. However, Spectrum will send a technician out for completely new installs, or if you need a modem moved, rewiring, and so on. The WiFi Pod setup is a separate installation fee.

CenturyLink also has professional and self-installation options. If you go with self-installation, CenturyLink charges a $50 shipping and handling fee to send the kit, so going the DIY route doesn’t save you as much money as it does with Spectrum. But it’s still a good alternative to waiting around all day for the technician to show up—as long as you know what you’re doing.

Professional installation for CenturyLink internet costs up to $99, depending on the package and where you live. But some internet plans get free installation. The qualifications for free installation vary by plan and location, so ask your CenturyLink representative about it when you sign up.

Availability: CenturyLink vs. Spectrum

On a nationwide level, CenturyLink and Spectrum rarely overlap. CenturyLink’s fiber competes with Sepctrum’s cable and fiber internet, mostly in Florida, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. CenturyLink has a lot more DSL than fiber, starting in Wisconsin and going west—and in Florida.

The largest chunk of Spectrum’s network resides on the eastern side of the nation. It commands some areas in Texas and California, and in a few places here and there on the west coast. That said, you’ll be hard-pressed to find CenturyLink and Spectrum duke it out for your business.

Final call: CenturyLink vs. Spectrum

CenturyLink and Spectrum rarely overlap, so the comparison is a moot point unless you live in the few areas where they do compete. If both are available to you, CenturyLink is the better megabit-per-dollar value for the long term. That will always be the case until Spectrum stops inflating its prices after the first year.

On the flip side, customers rate Spectrum better than CenturyLink in terms of overall satisfaction, speed, reliability, and customer support. In that respect, you kinda get what you pay for: better service for a slightly higher price.

So, it all boils down to what’s best for you if both providers are in your area. But keep in mind Spectrum expects to deliver fiber-like speeds across its cable connections in the coming years, so the CenturyLink vs. Spectrum fight will be a whole different ballgame once that happens.

View Spectrum 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.

FAQ about CenturyLink vs. Spectrum