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Spectrum home internet rating

How we calculated our rating

Speed

7/10

Value

7.5/10

Customer Care

7/10

Pros

• Straightforward pricing
• No data caps on any plans
• No contracts required for internet service
• Free access to Spectrum’s nationwide Wi-Fi hotspots

Cons

• Competitive rates for cable, but pricier than many fiber providers
• Internet service is slightly below the industry average for customer satisfaction

See more pros and cons

Spectrum Internet review

Just this month, Charter Communications announced it will merge with Cox Communications. What this future merger means is not yet fully clear, but we do know that once combined, it will be the largest cable provider in the US, surpassing Comcast’s Xfinity. As it stands right now, Charter’s Spectrum Internet is the second-largest cable provider in the country and a leader in availability, simple service terms and solid speeds.

Spectrum Internet service has no contracts, termination fees, equipment fees or data caps. Plus, there’s also a 30-day money-back guarantee if customers aren’t happy with the service. Such a straightforward approach is appealing, especially when many internet providers make those crucial details so confusing.

Spectrum Internet serves almost 57 million homes across 41 states, so there’s a good chance it’s available in your area. If so, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better cable internet provider, especially since Spectrum doesn’t enforce a data cap like some other cable providers. One thing that might give you pause: a recent CNET survey found that 63% of US adults said their broadband bill increased last year. It’s worth considering that Spectrum guarantees its prices for only one year, so you could end up with a steeper monthly internet bill after 12 months.

Lastly, if you can get a 100% fiber connection at your address, you should strongly consider going with that instead of Spectrum for faster upload speeds and a more reliable connection overall.

Spectrum Internet plans and pricing

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Spectrum offers three plans: 100 megabits per second for $30 monthly, 500Mbps for $50 a month and 1 gig (or 1,000Mbps) for $70. There are no data caps or required contracts for any plans, but after one year, your monthly bill will increase by $20 to $30.

Spectrum’s price increases may be one reason approximately 110,000 home internet customers ditched the service in the third quarter of 2024, according to an earnings report. So, the recent speed and pricing changes could be in response to that. Nonetheless, each of Spectrum’s internet plans offers a high-quality cable experience with reliable download speeds, making it a solid option for many households.

Is cable internet good?

While fiber internet is the superior option among internet connection types, cable internet is the next best. Spectrum internet relies mainly on hybrid fiber-coaxial cable connections to provide service to subscribers’ homes. As you can tell by the two fast tiers offered by Charter, a cable connection is a trusty method that provides download speeds much faster than those you’ll get with DSL, fixed wireless and satellite.

According to a June 2024 report from the Federal Communications Commission, Spectrum’s cable internet service is available to almost 30% of the country, but fewer than 1% of Spectrum’s potential customer base is eligible for fiber. According to our source, that’s not true. Charter doesn’t release its fiber/HFC percentage publicly, but the spokesperson said the FCC’s info is outdated: “A sizable percentage of our network is fiber, from our facilities down to the neighborhood, and virtually all of the 53 million homes our network passes can access gigabit speeds.” 

Yet the issue isn’t about gigabit speeds. After all, other cable internet competitors, like Cox and Xfinity, can boast of their gig plans. It’s all about the symmetrical speeds and better performance of a 100% fiber network; Spectrum doesn’t have that. If you’re not sure about whether fiber or cable is more suitable for your home, read our cable versus fiber overview.

Where can you get Spectrum Internet?

Spectrum Internet serves 41 states across the country, so it’s easier to list the states where Charter Communications doesn’t operate: Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Iowa, Oklahoma, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota and Utah (as well as Washington, DC). If you live anywhere other than that, there’s an above-average chance you’re within Spectrum’s coverage map or close to it.

Most cable internet providers struggle to offer service to rural areas with low population density, and Spectrum is no exception. If that’s your situation, check out our rundown of the best rural internet providers.

Straightforward terms for Spectrum Internet 

Charter tends to keep its Spectrum offerings fairly uncomplicated, but let’s burrow down to see what else you can expect with your service.

Additional monthly fees

Spectrum prides itself on a no-data-caps-or-extra-fees approach, which is mostly accurate. On top of the lack of contracts or data limits, each Spectrum plan comes with a free modem. If you opt for the 500Mbps plan, you’ll need to pay an additional $10 monthly for a router. Spectrum includes the router for customers of the gig plan. Fortunately, like many other ISPs, Spectrum allows customers of the 500Mbps plan to skip that extra fee by using your own, Spectrum-compatible equipment, with the caveat that you won’t be eligible for Spectrum technical support. 

One-time installation fees

Spectrum temporarily ditched all its in-home professional installations during the pandemic, but this is once again an option. The standard in-home installation fee is $65. Most installations of Spectrum Internet can be done on a self-install basis. In those cases, you’ll need to use a self-installation kit, which is $30 and can be shipped to your address or sent to a Spectrum store for pickup. 

You’ll also still need to pay a one-time charge of $30 for service activation and an additional $10 charge for the Wi-Fi activation fee.

No data caps

In contrast to some ISP rivals (we’re looking at you, Cox and Xfinity), Spectrum does not impose data caps on any of its customers. That means you won’t have to track your data usage for fear of throttling issues once you hit some arbitrary threshold. 

Free access to Wi-Fi hotspots nationwide

In addition to connecting at home, Spectrum Out-of-Home WiFi is available to customers for free whenever they’re out and about. The company features approximately 530,000 hotspots across its entire coverage map. To connect when you’re in range of a network, sign in with your account username and password for unlimited access. Customers can also use the My Spectrum app for quick access.

Spectrum Internet vs. competitors: Customer satisfaction scores could be better 

The good news is that Charter’s Spectrum service is doing better now with customers than it has since Charter acquired Time Warner Cable in mid-2016, but there’s still work to do. 

For example, Spectrum was consistently below US regional averages when you look at the J.D. Power US Residential Internet Service Provider Satisfaction Study for 2024. Spectrum earned its highest score in the South region, capturing 561 on a 1,000-point scale, but that still placed it behind Cox, Google Fiber, AT&T, Frontier and Xfinity in that same area. 

Over at the American Customer Satisfaction Index, Spectrum jumped 4% in 2025 to score 71 points. That puts it right above the average for non-fiber ISPs, which might initially seem like no big deal. However, it’s the third year in a row that Spectrum has increased its score. That consistent growth is a positive step and a sign that it’s continuing to do better in the eyes of its customers.

Is Spectrum Internet worth your dime?

There’s a lot to like about Spectrum. It leads in availability and offers high-speed tiers with unlimited data and no contracts. Customers are also spared some extra fees you might find with other ISPs. There’s no additional monthly fee for the modem, for example.

However, watch out for those price increases. One thing Spectrum has in common with most providers is it does bump up your monthly price after your initial promo period, so be aware of that pending change. Spectrum can also provide fast download speeds as a cable provider, but the technology doesn’t offer symmetrical upload speeds, which may negatively impact those working remotely from home.

Spectrum Internet FAQs