Google Fiber vs Spectrum

Google Fiber gives you the speed and reliability that you can get only with fiber-to-the-home service. Spectrum has much wider availability, offers decent speeds, and has cheaper options. But if you opt for a gigabit connection, Google Fiber is actually the more affordable option.

Pros and cons: Google Fiber vs. Spectrum

Compare Google Fiber and Spectrum head to head

Jump to: Plans and pricing | Extra fees | Customer ratings | Bundles | Internet connection types | Data caps | Contracts | Installation | Availability

Jump to:

• Plans and pricing
• Extra fees
• Customer ratings
• Bundles
• Internet connection types
• Data caps
• Contracts
• Installation
• Availability

Plans and pricing: Google Fiber vs. Spectrum

Google Fiber plans and pricing

Google Fiber gives an amazing value to customers that need a fast connection. It’s one of the smaller nationwide internet service providers (ISPs), but it has had a huge impact in popularizing fiber home internet.¹ Its plans start at a higher price point than most ISPs, but these plans are still cheaper than many offering the same speeds.

Spectrum plans and pricing

Spectrum’s plans start at 300 Mbps (wireless speeds may vary) which, while considerably slower than a gigabit connection, is more than enough to do most online activities, including bandwidth-intensive ones like streaming video. In homes with just a handful of connected devices, this basic plan can meet your needs while saving you money on your monthly bill.

Are you paying for the right amount of internet speed?

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If, on the other hand, your home network often has multiple computers, tablets, or smart TVs that all use the internet at once, you might need a faster connection.

Spectrum has plans all the way up to 1,000 Mbps (1 Gbps) (wireless speeds may vary), but this plan is more expensive than Google Fiber’s equivalent and also doesn’t come with the other benefits of fiber connections.

It’s also important to note that Spectrum’s prices increase after the first year—up to $25 per month—so the difference in price only gets worse as time goes on.

Extra fees: Google Fiber vs. Spectrum

Data as of 11/21/22.

Google Fiber has simple, straightforward pricing with no hidden fees. Installation is free, as is the equipment. Spectrum has an installation fee, but it also has a cheaper option for self-installation, which can keep your initial costs pretty low.

While your Spectrum modem is rent-free, it does charge a $5 fee if you want to use its router or its gateway’s WiFi. Spectrum’s gigabit Internet plan throws in WiFi at no extra charge. But for the slower plans, an extra $5 per month eats away at the monthly savings you get from opting for a cheaper plan in the first place.

Customer ratings: Google Fiber vs. Spectrum

Google Fiber ranked well above the big nationwide providers in our annual customer satisfaction survey. Google Fiber ranked especially high in speed and reliability.

Although Spectrum’s customer ratings are quite a bit lower than the astronomical numbers of Google Fiber, Spectrum did well against other nationwide providers in our survey this year, finishing in the middle of the pack for most categories.

Best TV and internet bundles

Google Fiber doesn’t offer bundles with TV, but its high download speeds make it a good choice for those who use streaming services like Netflix or Hulu.

Spectrum doesn’t offer the traditional TV and internet bundle with 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 are an added cost. Plus, you’ll see a broadcast surcharge of up to $21 per month that’s not part of the discounted pricing.

Internet types: Google Fiber vs. Spectrum

Google Fiber offers fiber-to-the-home internet. This means the connection to your home is built from the same technology as the backbone of the entire internet. Fiber has low latency, which is good for video chat and online games, and high upload speeds, which is good for streamers and other content creators.

Spectrum provides cable internet, which is one of the faster and more reliable types of connection but not as fast or reliable as fiber. Cable has slow upload speeds, however, which can cause issues for people who work or go to school from home.

Find out more about the differences between cable and fiber.

Data caps: Google Fiber vs. Spectrum

Neither Google Fiber nor Spectrum have data caps, which is a big perk. This is especially important on fast plans where you can download massive amounts of data in seconds. With either ISP, you can download to your heart’s content with no fear of having your connection throttled.

Contracts: Google Fiber vs. Spectrum

Neither Google Fiber nor Spectrum make you sign a contract when you sign up for an Internet plan. You pay month to month and are free to switch providers at any time.

Installation: Google Fiber vs. Spectrum

Google Fiber gives new customers free professional installation. This is especially nice considering fiber connections are generally quite a bit more complicated than other technologies, so self-installation usually isn’t an option

Spectrum encourages new customers to opt for the self-install kit over a pro installation due to COVID-19. But you can get a pro to come out if you need a completely new installation, to relocate the modem, rewire existing cabling, and so on.

Availability: Google Fiber vs. Spectrum

Google Fiber’s biggest hurdle is its very limited availability. Even with new Google Fiber cities getting connected over the last few years, it still covers less than 1% of the US population.²

On the opposite end of the spectrum (so to speak), Spectrum’s cable network reaches over a third of all US households, though it’s primarily found on the East Coast and large urban areas.²

Final call: Google Fiber vs. Spectrum

Google Fiber offers fast, reliable connections that are a great value. If speed is a major factor in your decision or you have a very connected household, go with Google Fiber if it’s available. If you don’t need as much speed, or if you’re interested in bundling services, Spectrum might be worth considering.

You can save a bit on your monthly bill with some Spectrum plans, but upfront costs and price hikes down the road mean you might not save much compared to Google Fiber’s more straightforward 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.

More about Google Fiber and Spectrum

• Your Guide to Spectrum Internet Installation
• Best Cable Modems for Xfinity, Spectrum, Cox, and More
• Cable vs. Fiber: Which Internet Type Is Right for You?
• What You Need to Install Fiber-Optic Internet
• How Fast Is Fiber?

Sources

1. Blair Levin and Larry Downes, Harvard Business Review, “Why Google Fiber Is High-Speed Internet’s Most Successful Failure,” September 7, 2018. Accessed June 7, 2021.
2. Federal Communications Commission, “Fixed Broadband Deployment,” Accessed June 7, 2021.

Disclaimer

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