CenturyLink vs. Spectrum Internet Providers Compared

CenturyLink’s DSL internet has wide coverage but slower speeds

CenturyLink is a DSL internet provider owned by a parent company known as Lumen Technologies. Lumen is the seventh-largest ISP in the U.S., based on its combined internet service in both DSL and fiber. Lumen serves a total of about 3 million customers [1]. CenturyLink is the DSL brand owned by Lumen. The fiber brand of Lumen is now known as Quantum Fiber. This review will focus on the CenturyLink DSL half of the Lumen brand. We will cover Quantum Fiber in a separate review, because the two brands provide very different technologies. If your only available internet is CenturyLink, your DSL connection is likely to be slower than if you have cable or fiber. DSL speed can vary widely depending on your neighborhood and even on the wiring in your home. But CenturyLink, like most DSL companies, will charge you the same price for a slow 10 Mbps download speed as for 100 Mbps download speed. It’s luck of the draw, with no price break for slower service. DSL customers just aren’t getting the same kind of value that fiber customers are getting. And that’s one probable reason that Lumen separated its two brands. Now, it should be easy to tell what you’re getting – mostly.  CenturyLink is DSL, and Quantum Fiber is all-fiber. On websites that still mix the two names, though, the speeds of each plan will often be a giveaway. CenturyLink sold half of its DSL network to Brightspeed in 2022. CenturyLink now has a very unusual coverage footprint: think of it as the Western half of the United States, minus California, plus Florida.

CenturyLink DSL charges high prices for widely varying speeds

DSL is not one of the faster internet technologies on the market. Usually, DSL customers sign up for their plans because there is no cable or fiber internet in their areas. And that can be a valid choice if DSL will give you better performance than satellite internet, though you have to evaluate that on a case-by-case basis. Many times, DSL plans are good options for customers in rural areas. CenturyLink plans are no exception to the general qualities of DSL. You will generally pay around $50 for your DSL package, whether you get 10 Mbps download speed or whether you are lucky enough to get 100 Mbps download speed (very unusual for DSL and true for only 28% of CenturyLink DSL customers) [2]. In better news, CenturyLink’s DSL plans are free of data caps. So, despite the fact that CenturyLink’s DSL prices are high for the speeds, at least you won’t have unexpected data overage charges.

Spectrum offers great initial deals, but bundling may be the best deal ever

Spectrum is a major player in internet service, with 30 million broadband subscribers [1]. Spectrum offers attractive promotional pricing, especially their first-tier internet plan at $50/month for up to 500 Mbps.

Spectrum offers unlimited data without caps

Spectrum offers a big price advantage because it has no hard data caps, unlike many other cable and DSL providers. If you’re a heavy-data-usage household (including remote workers, real-time gamers and streaming binge-watchers), having no data caps may be crucial for your budget. If you’re living by yourself and you watch a movie once a week, the absence of data caps won’t matter as much. But for a larger household, having no data caps will offer you peace of mind and a more predictable bill without overage charges.

Spectrum One, the bundle deal of the year?

In late 2022, Spectrum introduced a new bundle deal called Spectrum One that may just change your mind about your preferred internet service provider [2]. If you are an existing Spectrum customer, Spectrum will bundle their Spectrum Mobile cell phone service with your internet and charge you only about $30/month for a line with unlimited data. You can add more mobile service at the same price. Here’s another little secret: Spectrum Mobile service is currently provided by Verizon networks. So, if you have two cell phones on your bundle, you will be getting major mobile power and coverage but saving over $80/month off the price of two typical cell phone plans. We’re betting that’s enough to send many of us to Spectrum.

“But it was so fast in the ‘90s!” DSL shows its age in many locations

CenturyLink DSL uses one of the oldest internet technologies: copper cables originally designed as telephone wire. Only 65% of CenturyLink’s DSL achieves speeds over 25 Mbps, or what the FCC calls “high-speed” internet.  85% of the CenturyLink DSL network is above 10 Mbps. That means a good 15% of CenturyLink’s DSL customers have very slow connections below 10 Mbps [3]. If DSL gives you under 10 Mbps download speed and only 1 Mbps upload speed, you won’t be able to play real-time games online with any kind of reliability. You may also experience glitching if multiple people stream or videoconference at the same time. To be fair, some DSL connections will give you faster speeds. 28% of CenturyLink customers will get 100 Mbps download, and that speed will considerably improve your performance. But if you are considering ordering CenturyLink DSL, make sure you know what your other options are. You can test your actual speed here to see what kind of performance your current internet connection is giving you.

Spectrum internet will rise to unprecedented speeds in next few years with up to 10/6 Gbps

In 2023, Spectrum was named by Speedtest® as the fastest internet provider in the United States for providing the highest average speed to customers [3]. Spectrum’s hybrid fiber-cable technology is already supplying 1000 Mbps speeds in some areas. Either way, HFC will give you faster, more reliable internet service than anything but fiber. Spectrum customers tend to report reliable, speedy performance. You don’t get glitching or freezing or network slowdowns in most cases. You’ll be well-equipped for gaming, videoconferencing, and HD streaming. On a personal note, I have been a Spectrum customer for three years, and my experience with their service has proven to be very smooth and reliable. But there’s even more innovation coming from Spectrum that will boost HFC performance to fiber-like speeds. If you sign up for Spectrum now, you’re going to get a major bandwidth boost in the next couple of years. Here’s the technical explanation with the specs. Spectrum’s upgrade to the DOCSIS 4.0 standard over the next three years will deliver a maximum 10 Gbps download/ 6 Gbps upload, which can rival any current fiber speeds. By 2025, 85% of Spectrum’s service footprint will have speeds of 5 Gbps download/1 Gbps upload [4]. Fiber has received some great press in the last few years. But hybrid fiber/cable networks like Spectrum’s may be about to have their day in the sun too.

Option to use your own modem/router or self-install your connection

With the CenturyLink DSL plan, there’s a $15 a month modem/router rental fee, which is on the high end of equipment fees. You can avoid the modem/router fee by buying your own. And that might not be a bad plan, given that you will make up the price of a typical modem/router in a year or less. You may have to pay for a professional installation, which is usually a one-time fee of $99. Fortunately, in many places you may also have the option to self-install for $15. It depends whether there is still a working CenturyLink DSL connection in your home.

Advanced WiFi and low equipment fees increase appeal for Spectrum

Spectrum will provide you with a free modem and either a Wave 2 router or an advanced, WiFi 6 compatible router [5]. The Charter Red-Dot Design award-winning router can support up to 200 devices simultaneously. User controls allow you to manage which devices are connected and when, and Security Shield automatically blocks online threats. You can even manage your router and your home wireless devices from the Spectrum app on your phone, with no complicated log-in. The router will automatically switch channels to optimize your internet performance.

Spectrum offers low equipment fees

Spectrum equipment fees are standardized, very low, and easy to understand. Spectrum modems come free with your service, and Spectrum routers rent for $5/month. Simple, straightforward pricing, unlike the complicated equipment fee charts you have to read for other providers.

Spectrum installation fees

Spectrum’s installation fees are middle-of-the-road for the industry. Professional installation by a technician will cost you $59.99. You can self-install Spectrum too, with a $19.99 activation fee.

CenturyLink runs below average in some satisfaction rankings

CenturyLink’s customer satisfaction rankings vary widely by region on the J.D. Power survey [3]. In the North Central region, CenturyLink ranks above average. In the West, CenturyLink ranks slightly below average, and in the South, CenturyLink is second from last in customer satisfaction. The North Central and West regions where CenturyLink/Quantum Fiber rank higher are also the regions in which Quantum Fiber provides most of its fiber access. The South only includes one state with fiber internet coverage, which means most of that low customer satisfaction rating is based on CenturyLink’s DSL. The American Customer Satisfaction Index confirms that split in results by dividing “CenturyLink” specifically into fiber and DSL. Fiber ranks 16 points higher than the DSL service [4]. For CenturyLink and Quantum Fiber, these customer satisfaction rankings tell the story clearly. CenturyLink’s DSL service is not as likely to please you. However, be aware that there is a certain amount of online cross-marketing between the two companies. So, if CenturyLink says they are able to sell you “fiber” as they seem to imply on their homepage, all that means is that they’re going to send you to a Quantum Fiber plan if your address has fiber availability.

Spectrum Customer Service available 24/7

Spectrum provides customer service by phone or online chat 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Spectrum also provides an extensive online troubleshooting guide and how-to resource library. If you prefer in-person assistance, Spectrum supports brick-and-mortar stores across its coverage area. These physical locations can also be very handy when you want to exchange equipment. Your Spectrum plan will give you access to a helpful and comprehensive mobile app. The app allows you to check for outages, manage your account, and do almost anything you would do online or by phone. You can even manage your WiFi settings through the app.