Frontier vs CenturyLink Internet: Which Is Better?
Two former copper telephone giants. One rebuilt itself into a fast-growing fiber network. The other is still selling DSL to most of its footprint. Six rounds. Real numbers. One honest scorecard.
The verdict
Frontier takes it, 5–1 on rounds.
These two share copper-company roots but not much else today — Frontier rebuilt itself as a fiber network while most of CenturyLink's footprint is still riding decades-old DSL, and that gap should drive the decision more than price.
Choose Frontier if…
- • Frontier Fiber has reached your address and you want symmetrical speed with predictable pricing
- • You need reliable upload for remote work or video calls
Choose CenturyLink if…
- • CenturyLink is genuinely your only wired option in a rural area
- • You want the cheapest possible no-contract line and can live with DSL-era speeds
Round by round
- Round 1Price — First Year vs Real CostFrontier winsFrontier9/10
$69.99-$74.99/mo
1 Gig fiber tier, price-lockable 5 years
- 5-year price-for-life guarantee on fiber
- No annual contract
- DSL tier lacks the same price guarantee
Source: Frontier pricing data
CenturyLink4/10"Price for Life" under DOJ scrutiny
- Cheapest entry DSL rate among major ISPs
- No annual contract, no early termination fee
- Oregon DOJ investigated broken 'Price for Life' promises
- DSL is the reality for most CenturyLink customers
Frontier's price-for-life actually holds; CenturyLink's has a documented history of not holding.
- Round 2Speed & TechnologyFrontier winsFrontier9/10
Up to 7,000 Mbps
Fiber-first buildout, symmetrical at every tier
- Fiber is the primary, growing product
- Symmetrical speed at every fiber tier
Source: Frontier plan tiers
CenturyLink3/1094% DSL-only
Real-world DSL speeds often 5-25 Mbps
- Fiber tiers, where lit, are fully symmetrical
- 94% of addresses stuck on DSL-era speeds
- Upload on DSL often under 20 Mbps
Source: CenturyLink availability data
Frontier sells fiber as the default; CenturyLink still sells DSL to nearly everyone.
- Round 3Availability & FootprintCenturyLink winsFrontier5/10
~7.5-10M locations
Fiber passings across 25 states
- Fast-growing fiber footprint
- Far smaller total footprint than CenturyLink's copper network
Source: Frontier availability data
CenturyLink7/1037 states
Broad copper reach, but only ~19% of it is fiber-lit
- Broadest wired footprint of the two, especially in rural areas
- Often the only wired option in some markets
- The vast majority of that footprint is DSL, not fiber
Source: CenturyLink availability data
CenturyLink's copper reaches farther; Frontier's fiber delivers more once it does.
- Round 4Contract & FeesFrontier winsFrontier9/10
$0 router rental
Free eero Pro 7 on fiber; no data cap on either product
- No annual contract
- No router rental fee, no data cap
Source: Frontier equipment/fee data
CenturyLink4/10$15/mo DSL modem rental, disputed return fees
- No annual contract, no early termination fee
- Fiber tier gateway included at no charge
- $15/mo modem rental on DSL
- Disputed equipment-return fees reported over $150
Both skip the contract; only Frontier skips the modem rental too.
- Round 5Reliability & Real-World SpeedFrontier winsFrontier8/10
"Rock solid" — speeds match advertised
- Fiber speeds consistently match advertised numbers
- Customers describe reliability as strong
- Trails ACSI leaders like Cox
CenturyLink2/101.1/5 Trustpilot, multi-week outages reported
- Fiber-tier reviews describe fast, reliable service
- 1.1/5 Trustpilot average across ~1,975 reviews
- Reports of multi-week outages with missed repair appointments
Frontier's fiber network performs close to spec; CenturyLink's DSL and support both fall short of it.
- Round 6Customer Service & TrustFrontier winsFrontier6/10
Billing complaints, but not the industry floor
- Fiber customers report smoother support experiences
- Disputed equipment-return fees up to $500
- Past-due flags reported within 24 hours of signup
CenturyLink1/101.1/5 Trustpilot, weeks-long outage reports
- No-contract structure means no early termination penalty
- 1.1/5 Trustpilot average, among the worst in the industry
- BBB complaints cite 2-3 week cancellation delays
Frontier's support is flawed; CenturyLink's is a documented industry low.
Which one is for you?
Household where Frontier Fiber has actually reached the street
→ Frontier · Symmetrical fiber up to 7 Gbps with a price-for-life guarantee
Rural household with almost no other wired option
→ CenturyLink · CenturyLink's copper network reaches more addresses, even as DSL
Anyone who wants the cheapest possible no-contract line
→ CenturyLink · CenturyLink DSL undercuts Frontier on entry price, if speed isn't the priority
Remote worker who needs dependable upload speed
→ Frontier · Frontier's fiber-first buildout delivers symmetrical speed as the default
Side by side
- Genuine multi-year price-for-life guarantee
- No annual contract required
- Fully symmetrical upload/download at every tier
- Tiers scale up to 7 Gbps
- No promotional cliff on the DSL tier — flat rate from day one
- Small fiber tiers (500-940 Mbps symmetrical) exist where lit
- No data cap on any current plan
- Genuinely month-to-month with no early termination fee
- DSL customers don't get the same price-lock protection
- Fiber footprint far smaller than Xfinity's cable footprint
- Many legacy customers still stuck on slow DSL
- Billing/cancellation disputes reported, including $500 equipment charges
- 'Price for Life' guarantee has a documented history of not holding on other tiers
- 94% of footprint is DSL-only, advertised up to 140 Mbps but often 5-25 Mbps real-world
- Reviewers report phantom late fees and disputed equipment-return charges up to $150+
- 94% of that footprint delivers DSL speeds only, not fiber