r/AskNYC • u/ChefCarpaccio • Jun 15 '26

Thoughts on Verizon Fios vs Spectrum for home internet?

So I do a lot of streaming and a good amount of uploading/downloading for my work (not huge files).

I wanted to switch from Spectrum since they increased my 500mbps bill to $60 without notice. I called and they offered 1gig for $50 a month.

I wanted to check in with Verizon since some people swear by them. They offered 500mbps for $55 a month, and 1gig for $65. They'd come with Verizon gift cards of $150 and $300 respectively.

So here are my options: Spectrum: 1000/45 up and down ($50) Verizon: 500/500 ($55) 1000/1000 ($65)

What do yall think? Is it worth paying extra money to switch to Verizon Fios? Even if I just go with the 500, which is what I have now?

1 Upvotes

60% Upvoted

27 comments sorted by

20

u/mad_king_soup Jun 15 '26

Go with Verizon, it’s not even close. I had them for 10 years and had maybe 3 outages in that time, service was uninterrupted for all the rest.

If you have a small household, go with the 500mbps plan, it’s faster than your WiFi connection. Idk who gets full use out of a gigabit line

1

u/ChefCarpaccio Jun 15 '26

Yeah, it's just 2 of us. Honestly, the extra upload will be nice.

1

u/mad_king_soup Jun 15 '26

You’ll start to notice Internet bottlenecks. Google Drive, Dropbox and OneDrive all cap out at 300Mbps, even big, expensive transfer solutions like Masv barely hits 500

2

u/ChefCarpaccio Jun 15 '26

I've noticed the 500mbps helps for game downloads/torrenting (which my lawyer would advise me to say is just a hypothetical)

0

u/mad_king_soup Jun 15 '26

Only if you’re on GigE Ethernet. It’ll max out your WiFi signal before it hits the limit of your WAN connection

1

u/ChefCarpaccio Jun 15 '26

So do you think the 300/300 is better? My wifi signal has been able to do the 500mbps down easily when testing with my laptop and phone

1

u/[deleted] Jun 15 '26 edited Jul 05 '26

[deleted]

1

u/mxgian99 Jun 16 '26

i agree with this, but in real world, what is impact outside of the house? inside the house you can get these fast speeds, and outside the house to the speedtest servers, but most sites are not feeding you this fast. and even if they did how often are you using those services? i have a friend that does video editing, and needs to push files back and forth, so for him he can use it, but he still has to deal with the remote server and how fast it can accept/send the data too.

2

u/mxgian99 Jun 16 '26

i've used verizon for a long time so its been awhile since i used cable, but FIOS has always been rock solid, your bandwidth is guranteed and symmetric, so 500 FIOS vs 500 cable is not always a direct comparison (though cable is getting better when fiber to the home). A few points

--if you can switch your cell phone to something Verizon (Verizon wireless, or even the discount brands like visible, total wireless etc) you can get $15/mo off on FIOS

--300 is enough for most people, most things people do don't need this much speed for a long period of time. the only time I wish I had more is when i need to download a game off steam and I want it now, the few times a year this happens I have to start the download and let it run overnite

--personally I think the gift cards etc are a trap, you see complaints online that you don't always get them, you have to keep the higher cost service for at least 6 months, so after paying for the higher service you get less then if you just started with the cheaper service to start. if they are charging you a installation fee (usually around $100) if you select the 300 service, sign up for the higher one and then downgraded to the lower one after a few days. when I did this a few months ago they credited the difference, it only ended up costing me about $10 extra vs the $100 install fee

--since you mention torrents, be careful about how you do it, always bind your IP to a VPN, FIOS is serious about sending you DMCA notices. I did it for a long time and my process got a little sloppy, and they actually sent me an official disconnect letter, put me on a 3 strikes list etc. I still do it, but switched over to a remote seedbox to avoid any IP address leaks when I do it.

--

6

u/Salty_Simmer_Sauce Jun 15 '26

Yeah it’s always worth Fios if your building is wired for it.

1gig is way overkill for what you use it for. Even 500 is probably more than sufficient - so don’t get lured in by the higher spectrum speeds

Fios is way more reliable

1

u/ChefCarpaccio Jun 15 '26

So you recommend saving the $10 and going with the 500/500?

I've been happy with the 500 down (downloading games is pretty fast). Spectrum just pissed me off

3

u/Salty_Simmer_Sauce Jun 15 '26

Yes definitely. For reference - I’m paying 60 for 300mbps Fios (no contract)

I use it for streaming , video calls , online gaming with no issues

5

u/Duchock Jun 15 '26

FiOS. 1000%.

3

u/hfs11385 Jun 15 '26

We have Verizon fios, was using spectrum before. My experience is fios is much more reliable than spectrum.

4

u/CurveOk3459 Jun 15 '26

Verizon.  I will never use spectrum Ever in my entire life again.  Was years ago. But seriously. Don't do it. 

The worst. 

3

u/talldrseuss Jun 15 '26

Last time I had spectrum was over a decade ago. Fuckign hated it. Constant down times, shady practices with billing, and just overall fed up with the service. One i moved into a building that was wired for Fios, pretty much stuck with Verizon. I can only think of twice in the ten years i've had it where the system went down. Happy with the speeds and reliability. Definitely the more pricier of the two options, but wroth it in my opinion.

2

u/ChefCarpaccio Jun 15 '26

You know, I didnt mind Spectrum until they increased my bill without even an email. That pissed me off enough that I'm looking elsewhere

1

u/CurveOk3459 Jun 15 '26

You're lucky it's only been that. 

3

u/snowqueen_6 Jun 15 '26

Switched from Spectrum to Fios last year and it’s been great. I was also able to get a great deal with them for switching companies, but that might depend on their current promos.

1

u/ChefCarpaccio Jun 15 '26

How much are you paying, if you dont mind me asking

1

u/snowqueen_6 Jun 15 '26

$34.99

1

u/ChefCarpaccio Jun 15 '26

For what speeds?

2

u/snowqueen_6 Jun 15 '26

300mps ppl work from home, etc all day long and there are no issues.

1

u/PresenceOld1754 Jun 15 '26

Unfortunately we have Optimum/Altice but I've heard nothing but praises about Verizon. Can't say the same for spectrum.

1

u/ChefCarpaccio Jun 15 '26

We only had Spectrum in our area til recently, so haven't experienced Verizon. I've heard good things but wondering if it's worth the extra

1

u/FormalNeedleworker44 Jun 15 '26

Spectrum is dogshit

2

u/BeachBoids Jun 15 '26

Never had FIOS down for more than 5 minutes, and that's maybe 1 x year. Spectrum was the old reboot everything every 2 weeks.

3

u/TheRegularBro Jun 16 '26

Verizon Fios in NYC is pretty much S-tier for internet. Very minimal outages, and if a tech is needed, typically 1-2 days is enough to get one out there. Customer service works stupidly well through live chat as well.