Frontier Fiber Internet Review: I Compare Plans, Pricing, Speed and Availability

Frontier Fiber internet review

Frontier Fiber, also known as Frontier Communications, is easily one of the top candidates among internet service providers that offer high-speed internet nationwide. With an impressive slew of multigig speeds, up to 7,000 megabits per second, Frontier has no shortage of fast internet options. Plus, its symmetrical 500Mbps plan is our pick for one of the best internet deals available right now, with a $30 monthly plan.

That said, Frontier’s stellar fiber internet service isn’t available everywhere and signing up for Frontier may mean dealing with its much slower and inconsistent DSL service, which doesn’t offer the kind of value that you can get from its fiber plans.

Plus, Verizon announced in September 2024 that it plans to acquire Frontier in a $20 billion deal. The deal still has some regulatory hurdles to overcome and is expected to close in early 2026, but it’s unclear how this will impact service or pricing.

If you’re a current or prospective Frontier customer, it’s too early to say exactly how the acquisition will unfold. But we expect Frontier Fiber’s current offerings to disappear once the deal is finalized, as Verizon has stated its intent for an “immediate integration post-close with Verizon’s best-in-class offerings.”

If this is indeed the case, signing up for Frontier Fiber now with the hopes you can keep your price and plan once Verizon takes over is a solid move. Both fiber providers go above and beyond in terms of speeds, pricing and overall value, but Frontier Fiber currently offers more speed options and lower pricing compared to Verizon Fios. If I had my choice of the two, I’d go with Frontier, even if it means passing up Verizon’s tempting promotions.

Frontier Fiber internet plans and pricing

The Fiber 500 plan, currently offered at $30 per month, is CNET’s pick for one of the best internet deals available. It’s hard to come by an internet plan that cheap for such fast speeds: It comes down to a very reasonable cost per Mbps of 6 cents. The plan has a lower starting price than many fiber ISPs — AT&T and Verizon included — while still delivering plenty of speed.

Frontier Fiber offers six plans overall with speeds ranging from 200 megabits per second to 7,000Mbps, or 7 gigabits per second. Many markets only have access to the 5Gbps speed tier as the top-end plan. You’ll notice a significant speed jump from one Fiber plan to the next, making it easier to find the right plan for your needs.

In most markets, pricing on all Frontier Fiber plans is month to month, so there are no set price increases. Some areas, such as Charleston, South Carolina, West Virginia and Tampa, Florida, may have lower introductory pricing on select plans good for 12 months, after which the price increases to the standard (but still comparatively low) price.

What is the best Frontier Fiber plan for your home?

• Fiber 200: Best for one to three users, up to 10 devices. Good for apartments and smaller households with a limited number of devices used for streaming or working from home.
• Fiber 500Mbps: Best for three to five users, up to 20 devices. Good for moderate use, such as streaming on multiple TVs at once, working from home and connecting smart speakers and security cameras.
• Fiber 1 Gig: Best for five to six users, 20 to 30 devices. Good for heavier use, including streaming in 4K, serious online gaming and connecting multiple devices per room. I have 1 gigabit internet (not from Frontier) and it exceeds my daily needs.
• Fiber 2 Gig: Best for six to 10 users, 30 or more devices. Good for larger households with multiple users working or learning from home and streaming on separate devices. Ideal for an arsenal of smart home devices, from gaming consoles and TVs to speakers and cameras.
• Fiber 5 Gig: Best for a virtually unlimited number of devices and uses. An uncompromisingly fast connection to satisfy any home.
• Fiber 7 Gig: Best for larger homes and a virtually unlimited number of devices and uses. These speeds optimize your experience for 4K streaming and online gaming.

While the idea of high-speed internet is generally popular among home internet users, the average US household may not even need that much speed. According to the latest OpenVault report, the average household only uses around 569Mbps in download speed. In other words, you may not even need to sign up for a gigabit or multi-gigabit service. Read our comprehensive guide and check how much speed your household needs.

Where can you get Frontier Fiber internet?

Frontier Communications is one of the nation’s largest internet providers, serving 25 states from Connecticut to California, with a strong presence in the Midwest and Northeast.

Fiber coverage on the rise

Until recently, Frontier Fiber was reserved for parts of California, Florida, Indiana and Texas. Thanks to recent fiber-optic expansions, the service is now available in 17 states and growing. Last year, the company received over $23 million in Federal Funding grants, expanding its fiber service to underserved communities in San Bernadino and Riverside counties in California.

Although availability is still somewhat limited, Frontier has acknowledged the need for more significant fiber expansion and plans to extend service to more areas in the near future. “Frontier is targeting substantial fiber upgrades over the next several years to locations in and near Frontier’s footprint,” a spokesperson said.

But we’ll have to wait to see what Verizon’s acquisition of Frontier Fiber means for those fiber expansion plans.

Frontier Fiber fees, data caps and contracts

Regardless of the Frontier Fiber plan you choose, service comes with free equipment rental and unlimited data at no extra cost.

Frontier offers an Amazon Eero Pro 7, a Wi-Fi 7 router, for the 500Mbps and 1- and 2-gig plans. That’s a pretty good deal considering the Eero Pro 7 sells for $300 and boasts impressive performance. Just note that to take advantage of the router’s Wi-Fi 7 capability, you’ll need a Wi-Fi 7-compatible device. If you upgrade to the 5- or 7-gig plans, you’ll get an Eero Max 7, one of the fastest routers we’ve tested, which retails at nearly $600.

If you’re opting for the 200Mbps plan, you’ll get an Eero Pro 6e router; all DSL plans come with an Eero 6 router.

Frontier also offers an upgrade to whole-home Wi-Fi, a package that includes two mesh Wi-Fi devices for an additional $10 or $30 a month if you opt for the Whole Home Wi-Fi Plus option.

I’d recommend starting with the free rental, then upgrading to whole-home Wi-Fi if you notice any areas with a slow or spotty connection. Upgrading to mesh Wi-Fi is an option if you want it later, and the $10 monthly fee is lower than many providers charge for simply renting a router.

There is typically no contract, although Frontier internet is not totally contract-free. Accepting a signup bonus, like a free gift card, will come with a term agreement. If you don’t want that, simply decline any special offers when you sign up.

Is Frontier’s DSL service worth it?

If your address is only serviceable for DSL, you may want to also explore other rural internet alternatives such as Starlink or 5G home internet. I’m not saying Frontier’s DSL service is bad, but I wouldn’t recommend DSL internet from any provider, and Frontier’s DSL service has some of the lowest customer satisfaction ratings in the business (more on that later).

With Frontier Internet — that’s the DSL service — customers have just one plan option, starting at $65 monthly for the fastest speeds available to your address. 

That’s typical for a DSL provider, but Frontier doesn’t advertise speeds for its DSL service at all, so there’s no telling what speeds you’ll get until you sign up. I can temper your expectations a bit. Recent Federal Communications Commission data shows that a little over 4% of the country is eligible for DSL broadband speeds of 100Mbps down and 20Mbps up.

How does Frontier internet compare?

As a DSL provider, Frontier may be a viable home internet option in rural areas, depending on the speeds you can get. As a fiber internet provider, Frontier’s pricing and service terms are as good as any and better than most.

In all likelihood, you won’t have the option of other DSL or fiber providers in Frontier service areas. Competing internet providers of the same technology typically avoid offering internet to the same address. You will find cable internet providers such as Spectrum or Xfinity available in many of the same areas as Frontier.

Cable beats DSL, fiber beats cable

Cable internet providers in Frontier service areas include Mediacom, Optimum, Spectrum and Xfinity. Compared with cable internet, Frontier Internet (DSL) is slower and more expensive, especially considering the cost per Mbps.

Most cable internet providers offer gigabit download speeds whereas Frontier Internet will come nowhere close to that. Cable internet plans can reach $100 a month or higher, and the speeds you get for the price are likely to be a much better value.

However, if you’re comparing cable internet with Frontier’s fiber offerings, fiber is a much more cost-efficient option. For example, Frontier Fiber has pricing similar to Xfinity’s cable internet plans on comparable speed tiers — both providers offer gigabit service starting at or around $70 per month, for instance — but you’ll get faster upload speeds and unlimited data with Frontier Fiber.

Ultimately, if Frontier Fiber is available in your area, I’d recommend it over cable internet service, especially if you’re considering the higher 500Mbps or gigabit speed tiers. The pricing is likely to be on par with or lower than similar tiers from a cable provider, and the straightforward pricing and unlimited data give Frontier Fiber an advantage over most providers in general. If you want to learn more, read our review on cable vs. fiber.

Frontier Fiber customer satisfaction takes a hit

Customer satisfaction scores are never pretty for internet providers, but Frontier has seen steady improvement over the years as its fiber internet service improves. That changed slightly in the most recent American Customer Satisfaction Index, where Frontier Fiber earned a 71 out of 100 — dropping five points since last year and sitting below the industry average of 76.

Some possible reasons for that downtrend could be that fiber internet providers as a whole performed less favorably than 5G internet providers, as 5G technology has improved in recent years and remains more widely available than fiber.

According to the latest survey data from J.D. Power’s 2024, Frontier nabbed a score of 481 in the East — putting it behind cable internet providers Spectrum and Xfinity. In the West and South, however, Frontier fared much better, scoring above the industry averages and staying in second place overall. Still, it’s important to note that J.D. Power separates ISPs based on wireless or wired services — Frontier’s DSL services likely contributed to its low scores.

Frontier’s DSL customer satisfaction is dismal

Since ACSI started weighing fiber internet satisfaction separately from DSL or cable service, we’ve noted overall improvement in Frontier Fiber customer satisfaction scores despite the five point drop this year.

Frontier’s DSL service tells a difference story: Customer satisfaction levels fell from 59 in 2024 to 58 in 2024. Only Brightspeed had a lower score (53), marking the second year in a row that Frontier’s DSL scored second-to-last.

Given the technology type, the low score is understandable. Again, I wouldn’t typically recommend DSL internet from any provider due to the slow, spotty speeds.

What’s the final verdict on Frontier Fiber?

Frontier is worth considering if you can overlook the low customer satisfaction record and slow DSL speeds, especially if fiber service is available. Frontier Fiber internet offers speeds and pricing comparable to or lower than many other top providers, and the fast upload speeds and reliability of fiber internet give it an edge over cable internet service.

Depending on the available speeds, Frontier’s DSL-based service could be the best internet option in rural areas where satellite is the only other way to connect. Reports of slow service may make you want to give satellite internet another look. 

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