Frontier Review: Plans, Prices And Speed 2024

Our Verdict

Frontier Internet is one of the nation’s largest internet providers , especially after taking over territories from Verizon in 2016. It offers DSL internet in 25 states as well as fiber optic internet in select cities throughout its territory. With relatively low-priced plans and no contractual obligations in some cases, certain homeowners might find Frontier Internet to be the right service for their needs. This Frontier review, however, will explain it all—pros, cons and more.

Pros

• Low-cost plans available
• High-speed fiber networks in certain cities
• No data caps
• No contracts in some cases

Cons

• Renowned poor customer service
• Slow DSL speeds

Learn More

On Frontier's Website

3.6

Our star ratings are based on a range of criteria and are determined solely by our editorial team.

Lowest Price Plan Available

$19.99

Customer Rating

Okay

States Available

25

Frontier Internet at a Glance

Like most internet service providers, there are a lot of good and bad aspects of Frontier. However, as one of the nation’s largest ISPs, Frontier provides service to customers in over 25 states. It offers digital subscription line (DSL) service as well as fiber optic-based internet, and the DSL service is far more widespread. Both service types include unlimited data—the value of which some potential customers shouldn’t dismiss.

Frontier offers several plans, but they are dependent on the home’s location, and that information isn’t always readily available. However, the plans include:

• Basic Internet: $34.99 per month, DSL, unlimited data (unspecified speed)
• Preferred Internet: $37.99 per month, DSL, unlimited data (unspecified speed)
• FiberOptic 50 Mbps: $49.00 per month, fiber, unlimited data
• Premium Internet: $44.99 per month, DSL, unlimited data (unspecified speed)
• FiberOptic 500 Mbps: $59.99 per month, fiber, unlimited data
• FiberOptic 1Gig: $79.99 per month, fiber, unlimited data
• FiberOptic 2Gig: $150.00 per month, fiber, unlimited

All of the plans are free from data caps or extra fees. For a while, Frontier used to build a $10 charge into the monthly fee to cover router rentals, even if the customer had their own router. That fee is no longer active, though. 

Contracts are a give-and-take scenario with Frontier. The DSL plans do not carry contracts, so customers may cancel them anytime. However, Frontier’s fiber services often come with gifts or bonuses such as gift cards or Apple TVs. For this reason, they do often require 12- or 24-month contracts. Folks who would rather not be locked down may be able to forego the bonuses, but that can affect the promotional rates.

Frontier State Availability

While Frontier is one of the largest internet service providers in the country, its footprint does not touch all 50 states. In fact, Frontier provides at least DSL service in the following 25 states:

• Alabama
• Arizona
• California
• Connecticut
• Florida
• Georgia
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Massachusetts
• Minnesota
• Mississippi
• Nebraska
• Nevada
• New Mexico
• New York
• North Carolina
• Ohio
• Pennsylvania
• South Carolina
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Utah
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin

Frontier provides fiber optic internet in 15 cities within those 25 states. Which 15 cities, we aren’t sure. Frontier requires users to put in their address to see what services are available in their area. However, if concentration of service is any indication, Connecticut, Virginia and Illinois are the states where Frontier is most popular and possibly where fiber is most available.

Other Benefits

Frontier’s DSL service is slow, but its fiber service is on the opposite end of the spectrum. The slowest fiber optic offering is 50 Mbps, which isn’t lightning fast, but the stability and reliability of fiber optic do make it a better choice than DSL of the same speed. But, the 500 Mbps is very fast, allowing a typical family all the streaming needs they could have without noticing a drop in quality. The one-gig plan is obviously faster, and it’s suitable for those working or learning from home, as well as video game streaming and high-definition movie streaming. 

Also, consider that rural areas can experience limited options when it comes to internet service, and Frontier often reaches those areas. Even with low DSL speed, it’s faster than satellite internet and users don’t have to worry about usage caps. 

It’s possible to save a little money off the monthly subscription fee. If customers opt for autopay and paperless billing, Frontier will often knock a bit off the price each month. And, since the company often throws a modem in for free, there are savings to be had.

Fine Print

Frontier’s DSL speeds are generally around 25 Mbps, which may be why the company doesn’t proudly advertise them on its website. By today’s standards, 25 Mbps is slow, and some customers (particularly those in rural areas) may not even receive that much speed. Some of Frontier’s services can be as low as nine Mbps, and the further the customer is from the distribution hub, the lower the DSL speed.

It’s also worth noting that Frontier Internet’s customer service is known to have rather low quality. Since the company took over Texas, Florida and California territories from Verizon in 2016, many customers have experienced service disruptions and poor customer service interactions. The BBB rates Frontier with 1.05 out of 5 stars, with over 5,000 complaints in the last three years.

Many internet service providers just aren’t likely to rank high in customer satisfaction by nature. But Frontier’s reputation in this area can be enough of a reason to send potential customers running.

Finally, there are no price guarantees. When a customer signs a contract with Frontier, they’re often getting a promotional rate for 12 to 36 months. After that window expires, the rate may change. 

How Frontier Stacks Up

Company	companylogo	Lowest Price Available	Customer Rating	Number of States Serviced	Learn More CTA text	Learn more CTA below text	Learn More
Frontier Internet		$19.99	Okay	25	Learn More	On Frontier's Website
CenturyLink		$35	Great	21	Learn More	On Century Link's Website
T-Mobile Home Internet		$50	Great	49	Learn More	On T-Mobile's Website

Is Frontier Internet Right for You?

Here’s the thing: Some aspects of Frontier are absolutely worth recommending. The fiber optic service is very fast, and the different plans allow customers to choose how much speed their budget can afford. This is great for anyone who lives in the 15 cities with fiber optic internet, so it’s probably worth jumping on right away. Gamers, streamers, work-from-homers and anyone else who relies heavily on the internet will love the balanced download and upload speeds, as well as the reliability of fiber optic internet.

However, Frontier’s DSL service is, well, lacking. In the modern age of high-speed internet, Frontier’s infrastructure and speed are holding it back. Shoppers should probably look elsewhere, as they can pay near the same rate for almost twice the speed. For those reasons, it doesn’t even rank in the top 10 of our list of the best internet service providers. However, for folks in rural areas without many options, Frontier may be the only choice.

Methodology

To determine the best internet provider ranking, the Forbes Home Improvement editorial team analyzed third-party data on almost 20 major companies, with each company’s star rating determined by evaluating a variety of metrics, including: 

• Customer reviews (20%) 
• Customer support options (20%) 
• Number of states covered (15%) 
• Other services (10%) 
• Lowest price plan available (10%) 
• Highest price plan available (10%) 
• Pro installation? (5%) 
• Unlimited data plans available? (5%) 
• Bundle plans available? (5%)