Google Fiber and Spectrum are well-known for their affordability and top performance. However, while Google Fiber is a 100% fiber-optic internet provider, Spectrum offers up to gigabit download speeds through its hybrid fiber-coaxial cable network.
Although the coverage of Google Fiber is not even one-tenth of Spectrum’s yet, Google Fiber gives tough competition to Spectrum in overlapping states due to its superfast symmetrical speeds, lower monthly fees, and higher customer satisfaction.
We have prepared this thorough comparison blog between Spectrum and Google Fiber to assist you in making the best choice for your home internet according to your needs.
- Google Fiber
- Spectrum
- Internet Service Comparison – Google Fiber vs Spectrum
- Plans & Pricing Details – Google Fiber vs Spectrum Internet
- Additional Costs – Google Fiber vs Spectrum Internet
- Installation Options – Spectrum vs Google Fiber Internet
- Perks – Spectrum vs Google Fiber Internet
- TV & Internet Bundles – Spectrum vs Google Fiber
- Better Option for Gaming – Google Fiber or Spectrum?
- Wider Coverage Area – Google Fiber or Spectrum?
- Better Customer Service – Google Fiber or Spectrum?
- Google Fiber vs Spectrum Internet – Winner: Google Fiber?
Google Fiber
Alphabet operates Google Fiber Inc. Google Fiber is a fiber broadband Internet service provider that serves an increasing number of homes in cities across 19 states in the US.
Google Fiber is a fully fiber internet. Their plans start at $70/ month with maximum speeds up to 8,000 Mbps. Google Fiber has limited speed options. 1,000 Mbps is the lowest speed they offer, which is more than enough for households with few members.
The good thing about Google Fiber is there are no added costs attached to their plans. Equipment, installation, and router, everything comes with the plan.
Pros:
- 100% fiber internet
- Speeds up to 8 Gbps
- No data caps or contracts
- No additional costs
Cons:
- Limited coverage
- There is no option for low-speed
Spectrum
Charter Communication launched “Spectrum” as its telecommunication brand in 2014. Since then, Spectrum has been offering internet, phone, and TV services in 41 states with 32 million subscribers all over the USA.
Spectrum Internet is one of the most affordable internet service providers in the market. Its plans start at $49.99/month (for 300 Mbps speed), and the maximum speed is 1,000 Mbps.
Spectrum delivers internet through a hybrid fiber-cable (HFC) network, which means it is not a 100% fiber internet like Google Fiber. Spectrum also charges additional costs with its plans.
Pros:
- No data caps and contracts
- Wider availability
- Affordable prices
- Download speed up to 1,000 Mbps
Cons:
- Price increases after 12 or 24 months
- Asymmetrical speeds
Internet Service Comparison – Google Fiber vs Spectrum
| Features | Google Fiber | Spectrum |
|---|---|---|
| Type of Internet | Fiber-optic | Hybrid fiber-cable |
| Price Range | $70.00 to $150.00/mo. | $49.99 – $79.99/mo. |
| Speed Range | 1,000 to 8,000 Mbps | 300 – 1,000 Mbps |
| Availability | 19 states | 41 states |
| Contracts | ✘ | ✘ |
| Data Caps | ✘ | ✘ |
| Installation Fee | FREE | $65.00 (one-time) |
| Equipment Fee | Included | $7.00/mo. (for whole-home WiFi service) |
| Bundles | Available | Available |
| Perks | Free mesh extenders | 30-day money-back guarantee |
| Customer Satisfaction(ACSI) | 76/100 | 68/100 |
Plans & Pricing Details – Google Fiber vs Spectrum Internet
Spectrum and Google Fiber offer affordable internet options to their subscribers. Google Fiber provides gigabit and multigigabit fiber internet connections at a fair price. In addition to gigabit speeds, Spectrum provides slower, more cost-effective plans through cable connections.
Spectrum plans cater to the internet needs of every household, starting from 300 Mbps to 1,000 Mbps. Google Fiber starts its plans with 1,000 Mbps of speed, which is useless for a single student or family with fewer members. Selecting Spectrum will save you money if your home can function with a 300 Mbps connection.
Google Fiber Internet Plans
| Plans | Starting Price | Max Speed | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Gig | $70.00/mo. | 1,000 Mbps | Fiber |
| 2 Gig | $100.00/mo. | 2,000 Mbps | Fiber |
| 5 Gig | $125.00/mo.* | 5,000 Mbps | Fiber |
| 8 Gig | $150.00/mo.* | 8,000 Mbps | Fiber |
Spectrum Internet Plans
| Plans | Starting Price | Max Speed | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spectrum Internet | $49.99/mo.* | Up to 300 Mbps | Hybrid fiber-cable |
| Spectrum Internet Ultra | $69.99/mo.** | Up to 500 Mbps | Hybrid fiber-cable |
| Spectrum Internet Gig | $79.99/mo.** | Up to 1,000 Mbps | Hybrid fiber-cable |
*Prices are with Auto Pay & paperless billing & valid for the first 24 months
Additional Costs – Google Fiber vs Spectrum Internet
| Additional Cost | Google Fiber | Spectrum |
|---|---|---|
| Installation Fee | FREE | $65.00 |
| Equipment Fee | $0.00/mo.* | $7.00/mo. (price for whole-home WiFi equipment) |
| Early Termination Fee | N/A | N/A |
| Late Payment Fee | N/A** | $8.95/mo. |
*Google Fiber does not charge a late payment fee for making payments after the due date. However, your service will be suspended after 40 days of non-payment.
Data Caps & Overage Fees – Google Fiber vs Spectrum
Data is a need for every internet activity, including downloading music and reading emails. The maximum quantity of data usage that an internet provider permits during each billing cycle is known as a data cap.
The good news is that Google Fiber and Spectrum do not apply data caps on their plans. If you are to acquire Spectrum or Google Fiber, you can rest easy with the internet bill. You can stream unlimited 4K videos, play online games, or scroll through social media and emails without worrying about exceeding your data limits. Therefore, no data overage fee is applicable.
Installation Options – Spectrum vs Google Fiber Internet
Installation cost is an additional expense added to your plan when you purchase internet service. Some providers offer free professional or self-installation with their packages, whereas, others apply those charges to your plans.
If we look at the installation charges of Google Fiber or Spectrum, Google Fiber offers free professional installation with performance verification.
In contrast, Spectrum charges $65.00 for sending a qualified technician to set up and activate your internet connection. However, you can waive this fee by ordering a self-installation kit, which is free of cost but requires you to pay for service activation ($30 one-time).
Perks – Spectrum vs Google Fiber Internet
When comparing the number of perks that come with Google Fiber and Spectrum plans, Spectrum comes out on top.
Along with a 30-day money-back guarantee, Spectrum provides free antivirus software and a modem with every internet package.
Spectrum offers an out-of-home hotspot network, which enables you to access free and secure internet when on the road, which is another benefit of choosing them as your internet service provider.
In comparison, Google Fiber offers value-added internet packages with captivating perks like free Wi-Fi 6E routers and mesh extenders for whole-home wireless connectivity.
TV & Internet Bundles – Spectrum vs Google Fiber
With Spectrum bundles, you get a two-in-one service. You can combine your Spectrum Internet plan with a chosen cable TV or streaming TV package to get up to 1,000 Mbps of download speeds and over 170 TV channels for as low as $74.98 per month.
On the contrary, if we look for Google Fiber Bundles, we will not find any bundle options on their website. However, Google Fiber has collaborated with leading streaming services, such as YouTube TV, FuboTV, DIRECTV STREAM, and Sling TV, to offer combined services. The cheapest TV service starts at $40, offering 50+ channels.
Better Option for Gaming – Google Fiber or Spectrum?
Both Spectrum and Google Fiber are viable choices for gaming. Latency and jitter are the key components of seamless gameplay. The lower these metrics are, the better the gaming experience will be.
For efficient video gaming, the recommended jitter should be below 30 ms, and the recommended latency rate is 40-60 ms. The internet connection for both Google Fiber and Spectrum falls under the recommended rate of latency and jitter. However, Google’s 100% fiber connection guarantees minimal signal interference, leading to supreme online gaming.
Here is a comprehensive comparison between both service providers.
| Internet Provider | Average Latency | Average Jitter |
|---|---|---|
| Google Fiber | 13 ms | 20.84 ms |
| Spectrum | 29.13 ms | 29.66 ms |
Wider Coverage Area – Google Fiber or Spectrum?
The largest challenge that Google Fiber faces is its extremely restricted coverage. Google Fiber’s availability is limited to only 24 cities across 19 states. Google Fiber has listed the cities on its website that are expected to receive fiber service soon.
Conversely, Spectrum is the second largest internet provider in the US. Spectrum’s availability is widespread, covering 41 states with a network of 875,000 miles of cable and serving over 32 million people.
The services of two providers, Google Fiber and Spectrum, overlap in the following states.
| Overlapping States for Spectrum and Google Fiber Coverages | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Georgia | Nebraska | |||
| Arizona | Illinois | Nevada | |||
| California | Idaho | North Carolina | |||
| Colorado | Kansas | South Carolina | |||
| Florida | Missouri | Tennessee | |||
| Texas | Washington | ||||
Better Customer Service – Google Fiber or Spectrum?
In terms of the customer services of Google Fiber and Spectrum, Spectrum has a relatively lower ranking than Google Fiber.
In the J.D. Power customer satisfaction survey, both providers were analyzed in the South.
Although a small internet service provider with limited availability, Google Fiber has topped the list, leaving behind giants like AT&T. Spectrum, on the other hand, offers below-the-region-average customer service.
The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) survey has ranked both providers in separate categories. Google Fiber comes under the fiber category, while Spectrum is ranked under non-fiber.
The industry average of customer satisfaction by ACSI is 71/100. Based on this, Google Fiber has performed better than the average performance rate of the industry. Whereas Spectrum again falls below the average industry performance.
| Google Fiber | Spectrum |
|---|---|
| ACSI | |
| 76/100 | 68/100 |
| J.D. Power (South Region) | |
| 839/1,000 | 728/1,000 |
Google Fiber vs Spectrum Internet – Winner: Google Fiber?
Google Fiber is fiercely competing with Spectrum despite not being a well-known player in the market. When comparing the plans offered by Google Fiber and Spectrum, Google Fiber offers faster speeds, while Spectrum offers more affordable promo rates.
Google Fiber does not impose any extra charges or hidden fees. Whereas there are some extra charges attached to Spectrum’s plan. Spectrum also has lower customer satisfaction as compared to Google Fiber.
Nevertheless, Spectrum remains superior to Google Fiber due to its 41-state-wide accessibility and benefits. Where Spectrum meets all of the demands of every level of the household, Google Fiber is not suited for households that need internet with speeds lower than 1 Gig.
If you live in a state where Spectrum and Google Fiber are available, it is best to opt for Google Fiber because of its 100% fiber connection, symmetrical speeds, affordable prices, and top-notch customer satisfaction.
