Optimum gives residents of the Northeast great internet speeds, while EarthLink’s service can be found across the country.
Optimum vs. EarthLink Internet: Compare Plans And Prices
Faster speeds
Overall Quality ⁃ 2.5/5
3.0/5 - Speed and reliability
3.0/5 - Dollar value
1.5/5 - Customer experience
More availability
Overall Quality ⁃ 3.2/5
3.0/5 - Speed and reliability
3.5/5 - Dollar value
3.0/5 - Customer experience 
7 min readWith its wide availability and wide range in speeds, EarthLink is the better pick here—though it’s closer than you think.
EarthLink leases bandwidth and piggybacks off other providers, meaning the internet provider can be found in most states across the country. However, those lease costs get passed down to customers, and EarthLink’s monthly prices are typically higher than other providers offering similar download speeds. Most customers approve of EarthLink, though the experience widely varies depending on who you ask.
Optimum gives customers unlimited data and fast download speeds. Predominantly found in the Northeast, Optimum offers both cable and fiber options that offer exceptional speeds. However, the vast majority of its customers have only cable available, so its fastest speeds are available to only a handful of people. Its spotty customer service and tack-on fees are also something customers should keep in mind.
“The seamless experience and dependability outweigh the potential benefits of switching.” — Kasandra Grant, EarthLink customer
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Want to know if Optimum or EarthLink are available where you live? Run a search with your zip code below to find out.
Optimum vs. EarthLink: Plans, pricing, and speed
| Provider | | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per month |
$40-$280
|
$49.95-$189.95
|
| Download speeds | 300-8000 Mbps | 3-5000 Mbps |
| Upload speeds | 20-8000 Mbps | 1-5000 Mbps |
| Details | View Plans | View Plans |
Data as of 04/05/2023. Offers and availability vary by location and are subject to change.
At $40 a month, Optimum’s entry package starts at 300Mbps, which is enough power to fuel numerous devices in your home. It has both cable and fiber options—though the vast majority of Optimum users have cable. Optimum normally gives you a new customer price before increasing your monthly bill after the first year. Look out for fees on things like service visits and professional installation.
EarthLink provides DSL and fiber options starting at $59.95 for speeds starting at 3Mbps and 100Mbps, respectively. With a 12-month contract, EarthLink customers typically pay more for what they get, considering EarthLink’s system of piggybacking off other networks. You can also expect a few extra fees along the way, like fees for equipment rental and a cancellation fee of up to $200.
“I've used EarthLink for one service or another for most of the last couple decades, and it has always served me well.” — Dan Fugardi, EarthLink customer
Optimum vs. EarthLink: 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 Optimum and EarthLink 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 Optimum vs. EarthLink
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 Optimum review and EarthLink review.
Speed and reliability
Optimum: 3.0/5.0 | EarthLink: 3.0/5.0
Judging speed and reliability between Optimum and EarthLink, it’s a wash. Both offer different types of connections, and your experience largely depends on what kind of connection you get.
Optimum’s fiber options are among the fastest available on the market, but only a fraction of its customers have that option available. Instead, most customers have a cable connection, which still allows for solid speeds between 300Mbps and 1,000Mbps. Despite its advertised speeds, customers tell Reviews.org they’ve often had issues with lagging speeds and occasional outages.
EarthLink offers a variety of options when it comes to connection, ranging from DSL to fiber. DSL is enough bandwidth to check your email and slowly download a video— that’s about it. The fiber speeds range from 100Mbps to 5,000Mbps, which is great. But considering the variety of connections EarthLink offers, it's hard to judge definitely how reliable it is overall. Fiber connections are typically very reliable, whereas DSL connections can be spotty.
Dollar value
Optimum: 3.0/5.0 | EarthLink: 3.5/5.0
Though it’s a bit pricier than we like, we’re giving the edge to EarthLink here.
Optimum offers new customer pricing that gives you good deals initially, like $40 per month for a 300Mbps plan for cable or fiber internet. The next step up for fiber is also fairly priced for what you get—500Mbps for $60 per month. However, once you’ve been a customer for a year, Optimum increases your prices upwards of $30 a month, which can put a serious dent in your budget.
On the other hand, EarthLink doesn’t raise your prices after you sign up. But that does come at a price—literally—because it can charge you up to $200 if you cancel your contract early. Its prices are slightly higher than other connections because it uses existing networks and providers for its connection. Even so, EarthLink’s consistent prices and unlimited data make it the winner here, though its prices are still a little higher than we’d like, given what EarthLink brings to the table.
Customer experience
Optimum: 1.5/5.0 | EarthLink: 3.0/5.0
The winner here again is EarthLink, but again, they could be better.
Optimum comes in last place among non-fiber customers in the most recent survey from the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). Not to mention it also performed poorly in HighSpeedInternet.com’s most recent customer satisfaction survey. Customers also told Reviews.org about mixed experiences with Optimum. It also doesn’t help that a visit from a technician is $80 each time.
EarthLink’s customer service is also spotty. In that same survey from HighSpeedInternet.com, EarthLink actually tied with Optimum for the lowest-rated customer service score. Patrons told Reviews.org they’ve had positive interactions with EarthLink’s customer service, though it could be more responsive.
Overall quality: Which internet provider should you pick?
Optimum: 2.5/5.0 | EarthLink: 3.2/5.0
It’s close between these two, but given EarthLink’s availability in more states, its consistent pricing and multitude of options, we’re giving it to EarthLink.
If you have fiber internet from either EarthLink or Optimum available in your area, opt for that type of service. But between these two, keep in mind that EarthLink may cost more upfront, but the price will stay the same. For Optimum, your prices will jump after a year.
Optimum vs. EarthLink: What deals and promotions can you get?
New Optimum customers can get free professional installation if they sign up for a plan of 500Mbps or higher. With that same plan, new customers can also get a free Mastercard of up to $200. EarthLink customers can get a handful of different perks when you sign up, including its parental monitoring service, identity theft protection, and remote technical support. However, you have to call EarthLink to get prices on their latest perks.
Optimum add-ons and perks
Sign up for an internet plan of 500Mbps or higher
Sign up for an internet plan of 500Mbps or higher
Sign up for a 1,000Mbps plan or higher
EarthLink add-ons and perks
Call EarthLink for details
Call EarthLink for details
Call EarthLink for details
Call EarthLink for details
Google Fiber vs. Spectrum: What do customers say?
Optimum customers think its service is good but say outages can be frustrating
Optimum customers tell Reviews.org that its service can give you a good deal, but oftentimes you have to work for it. Josh Michael, an Optimum customer of eight years in Brooklyn, says he was able to talk his way out of price hikes after Verizon Fios fiber internet became available in his area. “Now I’m getting a good deal. Before I thought it was expensive,” Michael says.
Other Optimum customers, like Brooklyn resident Geoffrey Turbeville, say they have no other options. Turbeville explains Optimum is the only option for high-speed internet, and he’s had the provider for over six years. “I don’t have any bargaining power,” Turbeville says. “We really only have one option.”
Turbeville also says he and his family frequently experience inconsistent internet speeds at home. He mostly notices the issue while watching New York Yankees games. “We need to unplug the router and plug it back in fairly regularly, but it does solve the problem,” he says.
Courtney Joan, a Beacon, New York, resident, says her Optimum internet isn’t always reliable, but she likes her monthly price and believes she’s getting a good deal. “It’s a good value, but you get what you pay for,” Joan says.
“Now I’m getting a good deal. Before I thought it was expensive.” —Josh Michael, Optimum customer
EarthLink customers are either hot or cold when sharing their thoughts on the internet provider.
Getting a sense of what customers think of EarthLink can be difficult, and it really depends on who you ask. For folks like Dan Fugardi, a resident of Marina del Rey, California, EarthLink has been nothing but positive. He’s been a loyal customer for years, and he tells Reviews.org he likes the service it provides. “It has always served me well,” Fugardi said. “I can't say I've ever had one of the nightmare stories that I've heard or experienced with bigger service providers.”
But not all EarthLink customers share that opinion. Leslie Aromy, a resident of Waveland, Mississippi, says she ran into a series of issues, and couldn’t consistently get in contact with EarthLink for help.
Aromy said she qualified for a federal subsidy that would help pay for her internet bills, but EarthLink charged her the wrong amount on her very first bill. She tried calling EarthLink for help, but she says, “I couldn’t get in touch with a person who could actually help me.” After disputing charges and trying to cancel her service, she went to her bank and put an automatic stop on her account in the hopes of blocking EarthLink from making additional charges.
“The first time [EarthLink] charged my bank, they didn’t charge me the right amount.” —Leslie Aromy, former EarthLink customer
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