AT&T’s powerful fiber service is among the best in the nation, while Optimum struggles to keep up in most areas.
AT&T vs. Optimum: Which One Is Worth Your Money?
Speed and reliability
4.0 / 5
Dollar value
3.8 / 5
Customer experience
4.0 / 5
Speed and reliability
3.0 / 5
Dollar value
3.0 / 5
Customer experience
1.5 / 5
8 min readWe’re not going to sugarcoat it: AT&T offers faster speeds, lower prices, and better customer service than Optimum. There’s a reason that we rank AT&T as one of the best internet providers: If you’re looking for fast and reliable service, AT&T is the clear winner between these two.
“My advertised speeds are 300Mbps download and upload speed, but they’re very often faster than that.” — Lauren Hannula, AT&T Fiber customer in San Diego
There may be certain areas where AT&T offers only AT&T Internet Air, the brand’s version of 5G home internet service, which is slower and not as reliable as fiber internet. In those areas, Optimum’s cable internet plans might be a superior option. Optimum does a decent job of enticing new customers with low introductory prices on high speeds. But watch out for price hikes, frequent outages, and below-average customer service.
Read on for everything you need to know about both AT&T and Optimum internet service, including prices, speeds, and feedback from real customers.
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Honest reviews written by real people
Why trust Reviews.org? Because we are real people writing these reviews, and we interview customers and experts to do our research. Learn more about Reviews.org and our process on our How We Test Internet page.
Want to know if AT&T or Optimum are available where you live? Run a search with your zip code below to find out.
AT&T vs. Optimum: Plans, pricing, and speed
| Provider |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Price per month | $55.00–$235.00/mo.* | $40.00–$280.00† |
| Download speeds | 100-5000 Mbps | 300-8000 Mbps |
| Upload speeds | 100-5000 Mbps | 20-8000 Mbps |
| Details | View Plans | View Plans |
Offers and availability vary by location and are subject to change. Data verified as of the article's publication date.
*
Price after $5/mo Autopay & Paperless bill discount (w/in 2 bills). Plus taxes $ fees. Limited availability. May not be available in your area.
†
Prices w/Auto Pay & Paperless Bill. Terms apply. Not available in all areas.
AT&T’s wired internet plans are run through a completely fiber network. That means it offers the highest quality internet service with superfast download speeds, incredible reliability, and symmetrical upload speeds. The company has five fiber plans to choose from: 300Mbps, 500Mbps, 1Gig, 2Gig, and 5Gig. However, most households don’t need anything faster than the 500Mbps plan.
In certain areas where AT&T Fiber isn’t yet available, the company offers AT&T Air. This is a 5G home internet service, which means it's totally wireless. You just need a receiver in your home, and you can get a fast in-home Wi-Fi network. But the speeds can’t match those of fiber (or even of cable internet).
Meanwhile, Optimum’s internet is mostly powered by cable infrastructure. That means it can give you superfast download speeds—all the way up to 8,000Mbps!—but not the same reliability or upload speeds as you get with fiber.
While Optimum does have fiber internet plans in some areas, its network is not nearly as big as AT&T’s.
“I don’t like the speed and the irregularity of it. There are certain times Wi-Fi just drops out.” —Courtney Joan, an Optimum cable internet customer in Beacon, New York.
AT&T vs. Optimum: Fees for modem and installation
What makes this review legit?
Our fact-based research process centers on interviews with internet customers across the country, helping us 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 AT&T and Optimum customers to get their firsthand insights. We let their experiences guide our research and shape our conclusions. We also speak with ISP spokespeople and industry experts to get insights into connection types, speed capabilities, and other technical issues related to internet service.
The matchup: How we rate AT&T vs. Optimum
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 AT&T Internet review and Optimum Internet Review.
Speed and reliability
AT&T: 4.0/5.0 | Optimum: 3.0/5.0
When it comes to speed and reliability, AT&T gets near top marks. In fact, it tops our list of the best fiber internet providers. You can get symmetrical download and upload speeds that range from 300–5,000Mbps with very few reports of slowdowns or service interruptions.
Our own data from a thousand speed tests AT&T users conducted in 2023 shows an average download speed of 106Mbps and average upload speed of 118Mbps. That’s pretty impressive when you consider the fact that all kinds of plans—including 5G home internet plans—are included in that average.
Lauren Hannula is an editor in San Diego who uses AT&T Fiber. She says, “I like how fast and reliable it is. I’ve only had one outage in the 5-plus years I’ve had AT&T, and it was resolved within a couple of hours.”
Optimum’s speeds are also respectable. While most of its plans are cable, rather than fiber, the company does offer download speeds up to 8,000Mbps, making it one of the fastest internet providers.
However, you do have to be vigilant to make sure you actually get the speed you pay for with Optimum. In interviews for our standalone Optimum review, two separate customers have talked about getting slower speeds than they should.
Geoffrey Turbeville explains that he paid for a 500Mbps cable plan but usually saw speeds closer to just 80Mbps. “I don’t actually ever need any more out of it,” he says, but others might not have such a generous outlook.
Dollar value
AT&T: 3.8/5.0 | Optimum: 3.0/5.0
At first glance, Optimum’s prices might seem better than AT&T’s. But we actually think AT&T offers more bang for your buck in the long run.
The main reason we prefer AT&T is its fixed prices. There are no built-in price hikes after the first year or two. When we talked to longtime customer Jane Collins for our standalone AT&T internet review, she told us, “I don’t think they’ve raised my rate—like at all.” So, while $55 a month might sound like a lot for 300Mbps, it’s a price you can count on.
Optimum, on the other hand, is notorious for raising prices after the first 12 months. For example, the company’s cheapest plan—$40 a month for 300 Mbps—goes up by a whopping $30 a month after the first year!
One customer, Josh Michael, tries to negotiate his Optimum pricing back down to the promotional price every year. “I had to talk to a few people along the way and spent a little time waiting,” he says. “But once I got to somebody in the right role, they were perfectly happy to honor the promotional price.”
It’s nice to hear that Michael gets his price reduced, but with AT&T you don’t have to worry about price hikes in the first place.
Customer experience
AT&T: 4.0/5.0 | Optimum: 1.5/5.0
There’s no contest when it comes to this category: AT&T customers are much happier with their service than Optimum customers.
AT&T ranks as the top fiber provider on the American Customer Satisfaction Survey and comes in second place in HighSpeedInternet.com’s rankings. The company’s strong customer service is also reflected in customer reviews.
AT&T customer service was described as “fantastic!” by Danny Flanagan of Eastlake, Ohio. Customer Mike Hayden of Oak Park, Illinois, says us that, while it was sometimes hard to get through the automated phone service, once he got someone on the phone “They do seem to fix issues quickly, though, so the automated phone system hell is a minor hurdle overall.”
Optimum customers have much less flattering things to say about their internet service provider.
“I don’t have any bargaining power,” laments Geoffrey Turbeville, a Brooklyn based Optimum customer. This is a common complaint from customers we interviewed, who feel like Optimum doesn't respond to their needs because there are few alternative providers in their area.
Optimum’s lackluster customer service also shows up in HighSpeedInternet.com customer satisfaction ranking and in the American Customer Satisfaction Index, where it comes in last place among non-fiber providers.
Overall quality: Which internet provider should you pick?
AT&T: 3.9/5.0 | Optimum: 2.5/5.0
AT&T is obviously the right service provider for most families. Its fiber internet plans are fast, reliable, and affordable. Plus, AT&T customers are—spoiler alert—actually happy with their service. That says a lot.
Optimum’s cable internet plans offer less bang for your buck, especially when you calculate the price hikes that kick in after the first year. There may be some areas where Optimum’s speeds are faster than AT&T’s 5G home internet service, but even then, Optimum customers’ complaints about slower-than-paid-for speeds makes it hard to give the company our full endorsement.
AT&T vs. Optimum: What deals and promotions can you get?
Both AT&T and Optimum have some deals to sweeten the pot for new customers.
AT&T customers can get prepaid gift cards, money to cover cancellation fees from their old provider, and discounts on wireless phone service.
Optimum lures new customers with prepaid cards, free installation, and deals on Optimum Mobile service.
AT&T Internet add-ons and perks
Sign up on the AT&T website.
Add ActiveArmor to your monthly AT&T Fiber bill.
Optimum Internet add-ons and perks
Sign up for 1Gig internet plan.
Sign up for 300Mbps plan and mobile bundle.
Sign up for a 500Mbps or faster plan and mobile plan.
Transfer up to 4 numbers on any Unlimited line and earn up to $100 per line via an Optimum Prepaid Mastercard®.
AT&T vs. Optimum: What do customers think?
AT&T customers are (almost) all smiles
As we mentioned above, AT&T customers tend to be very pleased with the quality and consistency of their internet service.
For example, Danny Flanagan, a customer from Ohio, says that AT&T internet is a “fantastic service and experience.” He even said that he’s “looking forward to moving over to the mobile side in the next few months.”
Lauren Hannula works as an editor in San Diego and uses AT&T fiber. Hannula tells us,
“I have no complaints at all (so far) about AT&T’s internet service. I’ll remain loyal to AT&T internet as long as I’m able.”
The other two customers that we interviewed for our AT&T internet review also have positive things to say, though one of them did complain about the high prices.
“AT&T’s fiber network is fast and reliable.” —Lauren Hannula
Optimum customers wish they had other options
When we interviewed customers for our Optimum Internet review, many of them suggested that Optimum didn’t really care about their needs, especially when there was a lack of competition from other ISPs.
Luther Shoultz is a business executive in Freehold, New Jersey, who uses Optimum Internet. He says, “If there were multiple providers available, companies could really start on really making sure customers are happy instead of making promises they can’t keep.”
One Optimum customer, Josh Michael, explained how his Optimum service only improved “once Verizon Fios came to my street.” He told us that “Now I’m getting a good deal.”
But it wasn’t just a lack of competition that caused Optimum customers to complain. Geoffrey Turbeville, who lives in Brooklyn and has been with Optimum internet for six years, told us about frequent outages and billing problems.
“It almost shouldn’t be possible,” Turbeville said, while explaining how he got charged for his upstairs neighbor’s internet bill. Ultimately, he had to resolve the billing issue by going in person to an Optimum store. Even then, it took 45 minutes for him to get a refund. “It was bizarre,” he said.
“The TV service is spotty, especially now that it's over the internet.” —Optimum customer Courtney Joan
Want AT&T or Optimum? Find it in your area
We can safely say that AT&T’s fiber internet service is the best option for most households. The company has good prices, fast speeds, and happy customers.
While Optimum does offer high-speed cable internet plans, they are less reliable than AT&T’s plans and come with pesky price hikes. Plus, if your internet goes out, you might have a hard time getting it turned back on with Optimum’s poor customer service.
Check out all of the internet plans that AT&T, Optimum, and other providers offer in your area by typing your zip code here!
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