Starting at
$49.99/mo.
for 12 mos.*
Call to Order
(877) 654-4997
Starting at
$39.99/mo.
for 12 mos.*
Call to Order
(877) 783-2597After years of bad experiences and rips-offs, internet shoppers like us have learned to take everything with a grain of salt. Instead of believing in the star-studded advertisements and hearsay, we prefer to do our homework before recommending an internet service provider to our readers. In today’s comparison blog, we will discuss Metronet vs. Spectrum Internet plans, pricing, and perks to help you decide on the best internet carrier for your home and business.
Metronet is a regional fiber internet service provider that serves over 5.1 million customers in the Midwest and North Central regions. Based in Evansville, Indiana, the company was founded by a father-son duo in 2005. Today, Metronet is offering high-speed fiber internet in over 250 communities across its 16-state footprint.
Metronet internet delivers up to 2,000 Mbps (2 Gbps) symmetrical internet speeds over its 100 percent fiber-rich network. Along, with ultrafast broadband service, Metronet also offers fiber phone lines and TV streaming services to its customers. Metronet’s residential internet plans start at 100 Mbps for $39.95 per month. Metronet customers can benefit from its limited-time offer of free internet installation and save $25 upon subscription.
Spectrum is the nation’s fifth-best internet service provider and the second-best cable internet provider after Comcast. It delivers 99.9 percent reliable broadband with up to 1,000 Mbps of download speeds (wireless speeds may vary) over its extensive fiber-coaxial cable network.
Spectrum Internet service is available in 41 states and around 32 million residential and business customers are subscribed to its superfast internet plans. Customers of Spectrum Internet can bundle their broadband plan with home phone, mobile phone, and cable TV plans to get full-house connectivity for as low as $143.97 per month. Spectrum’s entry-level plan with download speeds up to 300 Mbps costs $49.99 per month (for 12 months). First-time customers of Spectrum Internet can sign up for the ‘One bundle deal’ and get one Unlimited Spectrum Mobile™ line and an advanced home WiFi router, absolutely free.
Metronet and Spectrum Internet’s coverage overlaps in 15 states of the USA. If you happen to live within these states, chances are that you will have both, Metronet internet and Spectrum Internet services available at your zip code. So, how will you determine which of the two is the best broadband carrier for your home or office?
You can refer to the side-by-side comparison table below. We have compared Metronet vs. Spectrum Internet based on their price, speeds, and perks.
Spectrum vs Metronet
| Features | Spectrum Internet | Metronet Internet |
|---|---|---|
| Type of Internet | Hybrid fiber-coaxial cable | Fiber-optic |
| Speed Range | 300 Mbps to 1000 Mbps | 100 Mbps to 2000 Mbps |
| Price Range | $49.99 to $89.99 per month | $39.95 to $109.95 per month |
| No. of Plans | 3 | 4 |
| Coverage Area | 41 states of the USA | 16 states of the USA |
| Promo Pricing | Available | Available |
| Bundle Deals | Available | Available |
| Customer Service | 4.0 out of 5 stars | 4.2 out of 5 stars |
All the Spectrum residential and business internet plans come with unlimited data and a contract-free service. Spectrum can deliver gigabit download speed on its residential and business internet plans for a starting price of $89.99 per month.
Being a cable internet provider, Spectrum can offer broadband speeds at least 10 times faster than DSL internet. Its countrywide network is made up of 30 percent fiber-optic cables and 70 percent coaxial cables, allowing it to deliver consistently fast internet speeds over long distances. This is because fiber-optic cables are famous for lightning-fast transmission of data signals and coaxial cables are popular for minimal data loss. The result is that users get at least 940 Mbps of download speed on their Spectrum Internet® Gig plan.
Spectrum has three superfast monthly plans for its residential internet customers. Spectrum Internet service starts at $49.99 per month and includes a free modem, antivirus software, one Unlimited Spectrum Mobile™ line, and a cutting-edge WiFi router for the first 12 months. It means that in the first year of service, you can save at least $420 on your Spectrum Internet bills.
Spectrum Residential Internet Plans
| Plans | Price | Upload Speed | Download Speed |
| Internet | $49.99/mo. | 10 Mbps | 300 Mbps |
| Internet Ultra | $69.99/mo. | 20 Mbps | 500 Mbps |
| Internet Gig | $89.99/mo. | 35 Mbps | 1000 Mbps |
You can also enroll in the Spectrum One bundle deal and save $35 per month for a year! Buying a Spectrum Mobile™ Unlimited plan ($29.99 per month) and a Spectrum-compatible WiFi extender ($5.00 per month) will cost you an additional $35 every month, but with the Spectrum One bundle deal, you get it for free.
Spectrum One Bundle Deals
| Price | Internet | Mobile | WiFi Router |
| $49.99/mo. | 300 Mbps | Unlimited call, text & data | Advanced WiFi |
| $69.99/mo. | 500 Mbps | Unlimited call, text & data | Advanced WiFi |
| $89.99/mo. | 1000 Mbps | Unlimited call, text & data | Advanced WiFi |
Spectrum Business Internet plans are slightly more expensive than its residential internet plans but offer more bang for your buck. All three Spectrum Business Internet plans come with unlimited data, a free internet modem, separate WiFi for customers, and custom email addresses and domain names. That’s nearly $100 per month on the house.
Spectrum Business Internet customers also get free desktop security for 25 office computers to ensure that your small and medium-sized businesses get real-time protection against cyber attacks.
Spectrum Business Internet Plans
| Plans | Price | Upload Speed | Download Speed |
| Internet | $64.99/mo. | 20 Mbps | 300 Mbps |
| Internet Ultra | $114.99/mo. | 25 Mbps | 600 Mbps |
| Internet Gig | $164.99/mo. | 35 Mbps | 1000 Mbps |
Metronet’s fully fiber-optic internet service starts at $39.95 per month. Metronet customers enjoy unlimited data and contract-free service on all residential and business internet plans. The monthly price of Metronet’s fiber internet service increases in two tiers. The first price hike is after 6 months, in which the rates are increased by $10.00 per month. The second price hike is after 12 months (in the 18th month of service), in which the rates are further increased by $10.00 per month. So, the regular price of Metronet Internet plans is $20.00 more than the promo rates.
Metronet’s residential customers can get up to 2 Gbps of symmetrical upload and download speeds for a starting price of just $39.95 per month. The cost of an advanced modem-router gateway (Eero Wireless) is included in the advertised price. Metronet is offering free installation until February 28th to its first-time customers.
Metronet Residential Internet Plans
| Plans | Price | Upload Speed | Download Speed |
| Fiber 100 | $39.95/mo. | 100 Mbps | 100 Mbps |
| Fiber 500 | $49.95/mo. | 500 Mbps | 500 Mbps |
| Fiber 1 Gig | $59.95/mo. | 1000 Mbps | 1,000 Mbps |
| Fiber 2 Gig | $109.95/mo. | 2000 Mbps | 2,000 Mbps |
Metronet delivers exclusive service to small and medium enterprises within its coverage area. Its business internet plans promise up to 10 Gbps of symmetrical speeds, 99.99 percent uptime, speedy/ same-day installation, and free Wi-Fi coverage for the entire workspace.
All three Metronet Business Internet plans offer prioritized bandwidths to ensure that your business continues to run at optimal speeds even during peak hours.
Metronet Business Internet Plans
| Plans | Upload Speed | Download Speed |
| Fiber Standard | 5000 Mbps | 5,000 Mbps |
| Fiber Premium | 5000 Mbps | 5,000 Mbps |
| Fiber Elite | 10,000 Mbps | 10,000 Mbps |
Spectrum and Metronet give unlimited data on all their residential and business internet plans. Having unlimited data means that you can download thousands of heavy audio/ video files (like movies and songs), and enjoy non-stop streaming online gaming, and browsing without hitting a data cap. Since Metronet and Spectrum do not have hard or soft data caps, you can rest assured that neither will you be asked to pay data overage charges at the end of each month nor will your service be temporarily halted once you exceed the data limit.
Spectrum and Metronet are contract-free internet service providers. This is quite strange because many internet service providers that offer discounts in the first 6 or 12 months of service make it compulsory for their customers to sign an annual commitment. Fortunately, this is not the case with Spectrum and Metronet Internet. Subscribers enjoy all the perks that come with the service and can cancel their subscriptions any time they like. It also saves customers from paying hefty early termination fees that can be as high as $400 for some providers.
When we analyzed the coverage area of Metronet vs Spectrum Internet, we found that Spectrum’s gigabit speeds are more widely available as compared to Metronet’s gigabit and multigigabit speeds. This is because Spectrum is a predominantly cable internet service provider whereas, Metronet is an exclusive fiber-optic internet carrier. The penetration of cable internet within the country stands at over 90 percent. In contrast, fiber-optic internet is only available in 43 percent of the country. So, it makes sense for Spectrum to have extensive coverage throughout the country while Metronet’s reach is slowly expanding within its limited footprint.
Spectrum has the second-largest cable network in the USA. Its high-speed internet services are available in more than 1 million customer locations within its 41-state coverage area.
Below, we have listed all the states where Spectrum Internet is accessible.
| Spectrum Internet Coverage by States | ||||
| Alabama | Idaho | Massachusetts | New Hampshire | Pennsylvania |
| Arizona | Illinois | Michigan | New Jersey | South Carolina |
| California | Indiana | Minnesota | New Mexico | Tennessee |
| Colorado | Kansas | Mississippi | New York | Texas |
| Connecticut | Kentucky | Missouri | North Carolina | Vermont |
| Florida | Louisiana | Montana | Ohio | Virginia |
| Georgia | Maine | Nebraska | Oklahoma | West Virginia |
| Hawaii | Maryland | Nevada | Oregon | Wisconsin |
| Wyoming | ||||
Metronet is a mid-sized fiber internet service provider that is slowly expanding to more markets around the country. Currently, Metronet’s multigigabit** speeds are available in 250 communities within its 16-state coverage area.
These are the following 16 states where Metronet Internet is accessible:
| Metronet Internet Coverage By States | |||
| Colorado | Iowa | Michigan | Ohio |
| Florida | Kentucky | Minnesota | Texas |
| Illinois | Louisiana | Missouri | Virginia |
| Indiana | North Carolina | New Mexico | Wisconsin |
It can be a bummer when you realize that this whole time, your internet service provider was lying to you. Internet service providers often make their plans more attractive by being ambiguous about speeds and pricing. The advertised monthly rates seldom mention hidden costs such as installation and equipment fees. Thankfully, this is not the case with Metronet and Spectrum Internet. They are transparent with their prices and extra charges. Spectrum fares a little better when it comes to disclosing additional costs by dedicating a webpage to explaining its billing criteria. It gives you all the information about additional charges on top of your internet fee.
In the table below, we have listed all the additional costs associated with your Spectrum Internet.
| Additional Service | Spectrum |
| Installation Fee | $24.99 to $59.99 (one-time) |
| Equipment Fee | $5.00/mo. for WiFi extenders |
| Service Activation | $9.99 (one-time) |
| Reconnection Fee | $4.99 (one-time) |
| Late Payment Fee | $8.95/mo. |
| Taxes & Surcharges | Up to $8.00/mo. |
In the table below, we have quoted all the additional costs associated with your Metronet Internet.
| Additional Service | Spectrum |
| Installation Fee | Free or $25.00 (one-time) |
| Equipment Fee | $10.00/mo. for WiFi extenders |
| Technology Service Fee (Tech Assure) | $12.00/mo. |
| Late Payment Fee | $25.00/mo. |
| Taxes & Surcharges | Up to $12.00/mo. |
We compared the customer service of Metronet vs Spectrum Internet to find out which service provider will be more responsive in times of technical glitches, internet outages, and account mismanagement. According to the Forbes Home magazine reviews, Spectrum Internet has a customer satisfaction rating of 4.0 stars out of 5. In contrast, Metronet had a lightly better rating of 4.2 stars. Now, there are two reasons for it. Firstly, Spectrum’s coverage area is almost 3 times bigger than that of Metronet. Therefore, Spectrum customer representatives deal with thrice the call volume and walk-in traffic as compared to Metronet. So, in that regard, Spectrum customer care centers are doing a tremendous job.
Secondly, Spectrum By Charter Communications is a publicly listed telecommunications company, whereas Metronet is a family-run business. So, the way the two companies operate is remarkably different. While Spectrum prides itself on its increasing share prices, Metronet focuses on creating value through customer relations.
Fiber-optic internet is the only type of internet that can deliver the same upload and download speeds. The average latency of fiber internet is 5 milliseconds for 0.6 miles of distance traveled. Therefore, it takes 2.5 milliseconds for the data to be sent from the servers to your device and another 2.5 milliseconds for the data to leave your device and reach the servers of the provider. A low latency amplifies gameplay. It allows graphics to load a lot faster and the action-reaction time increases. Together, the low latency and ultrafast, symmetrical speeds of fiber internet result in a lag-free gaming experience for professional and frequent gamers.
In contrast, cable internet has superfast download speeds, but the upload speeds max out at 35 Mbps. The average latency for cable internet is between 14 and 40 ms. Most online games need a latency rate of 50 ms or less and the internet speeds should be 100 Mbps or higher. So, although Metronet and Spectrum have low latencies and faster internet speeds, Metronet’s fiber-exclusive plans will be a better option for top performance during competitive and multiplayer gaming. But since fiber internet is limited to metro areas, Spectrum’s cable internet service will come in handy in the uptowns.
Spectrum and Metronet are popular internet service providers in the USA. Spectrum’s hybrid fiber-coaxial internet connections are available in 41 states, delivering up to 1000 Mbps of download speed (wireless speeds may vary) for just $49.99 per month (for 12 months). Metronet is a regional fiber-optic internet service provider with accessibility in 16 states. It can deliver up to 2000 Mbps of internet at a starting price of $39.95 per month. The results of our Metronet vs Spectrum Internet comparison reveal that Metronet is best for professional gaming, dedicated customer service, and fiber-rich plans.
However, if you are looking for network reliability in the suburbs, out-of-home free WiFi access throughout the country, and a plentitude of cost-saving bundle deals, then you should make Spectrum Internet your trusted residential and business broadband carrier.
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