CenturyLink Internet Plans: Pricing, Speed and Availability Compared

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CenturyLink home internet rating

How we calculated our rating

6.7/10

CNET Score

We score internet providers for speed, value and customer care. Our data sources include the FCC, J.D. Power, The American Customer Satisfaction Index and extensive in-house research.

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6.7

/ 10

SCORE

Speed

6/10

Value

7/10

Customer Care

7/10

Pros

• Some of the most affordable DSL plans you can find
• Unlimited data
• No contracts

Cons

• DSL speeds can vary wildly based on address and sometimes fall below FCC's broadband levels
• Service interruptions can be a bit too frequent, depending on location

See more pros and cons

Best CenturyLink home internet plans and pricing

Source: CNET analysis of provider data

CenturyLink keeps its Simply Unlimited internet plans (DSL internet, or "digital subscriber line") fairly simple: You pay $55 monthly for whatever speeds you can get at your location. All plans include unlimited data and there's no term commitment.

DSL is an internet connection type that runs on copper phone lines. It provides a faster connection the closer you are to a hub. That's why some customers might get maximum downloads of 30 megabits per second, while others might experience a comparatively speedy 140Mbps. It all depends on your location.

DSL is usually most appropriate for rural communities (areas that might not have cable or fiber internet options available), where pricey satellite internet is the main competition. So, any Simply Unlimited plan that gets you 100-140Mbps at your address is decent. That's 39 to 55 cents per Mbps, a solid value for a DSL connection.

CenturyLink internet review

The history of CenturyLink's internet service can be hard to follow. In late 2020, Lumen (CenturyLink's parent company) split its internet service into two brands: CenturyLink and Quantum Fiber. CenturyLink is now home to Lumen's DSL internet, which transmits data through copper phone lines and is considered one of the slower connection types available. However, DSL's value is it reaches many places that fiber has yet to reach. If you want to be connected online, DSL can provide a valuable lifeline.

Your CenturyLink speeds will vary significantly depending on your address. Of the 16 states it services, CenturyLink is available at 17.8 million homes, but only about a fifth of those will have access to Quantum Fiber. If you're one of those lucky few, don't hesitate to dive in -- it's one of the most affordable fiber plans you can find across the country. We'll be reviewing that service separately in the near future. But for now, let's focus on CenturyLink's DSL internet service. 

CenturyLink home internet: Where can you get it?

You can find CenturyLink home internet service in 16 states across the US. Check out the list below:

CenturyLink offers you the best speed available at your address. That's unusual among ISPs, who offer three to five plans at most addresses, but not uncommon for DSL service.

As to the value of the plans offered by CenturyLink, the average cost per Mbps for the DSL plans is $1, which is a highly competitive rate for that particular connection type. By comparison, the average price per Mbps of the DSL plans offered by AT&T, Frontier and Verizon is $2.44. I should note that I'm comparing the regular rates, not promo costs, because CenturyLink doesn't do promo pricing. The price you get at the start is the price you'll have after your first year. 

CenturyLink home internet: DSL won't win any speed awards

It's not breaking news to say that DSL lags well behind fiber and cable for speeds and performance.

For example, over at the speed-testing website Ookla, a Speedtest Intelligence metric tracks the fastest ISPs based on median download speeds. The last time it included CenturyLink in its rankings, it came in seventh place behind Spectrum, Cox, Xfinity, Verizon, Optimum and AT&T Internet. That might not seem bad, but the six providers above it averaged approximately 170Mbps. CenturyLink rang in with a paltry 41Mbps, in comparison.

The gap wasn't quite so vast regarding Ookla's Consistency Score, which looks at how often a provider delivers broadband speeds to its customers. While CenturyLink again came in seventh place, it notched a 58% score to the other six's average of 86%. Not stellar, but not as stark a difference as the previous comparison.

CenturyLink home internet: Other aspects to know

CenturyLink requires monthly prepayment to offer you its competitive prices and no-term agreements. But this also means no credit checks. Here are a few more details to consider when evaluating CenturyLink's internet service.

Additional monthly fees

Like many other ISPs -- including Spectrum, Verizon and Xfinity -- CenturyLink allows you to avoid a modem or router rental by using your own device. You can check the list of CenturyLink-compatible devices, but if you decide to go with your own gear, you won't be eligible for CenturyLink's free 24/7 tech support.

Going with CenturyLink's equipment will add $15 a month to your bill, but you can also purchase the equipment for $200. That may seem like a daunting upfront cost, but if you foresee having the service for more than a year, you'll save money in the long run.

One-time fees

While there's no charge for self-installation, not all addresses are eligible for that option. CenturyLink may charge $99 for professional installation if that's the case at your place. In some instances, that fee may go up to $149. Additionally, you can expect a one-time broadband activation fee of $20 when you begin service. 

If you wanted to avoid paying the additional monthly equipment fee, you could buy the CenturyLink modem for a one-time fee of up to $200. 

No data caps on any plans

To its credit, CenturyLink has provided unlimited data for its DSL plans for quite some time. While that should be the norm, it's not. So, it's worth calling out that you won't need to monitor your data usage or worry about gobbling up too many gigabytes before your billing cycle ends.

CenturyLink vs. home internet competitors: Mixed customer satisfaction numbers 

CenturyLink saw a mix of good and bad with the 2023 American Customer Satisfaction Index survey. It did quite well on the fiber side, notching a score of 78 out of 100 points, which was good for second place. On the other hand, CenturyLink's DSL didn't impress consumers much. It landed third from the bottom, with 62 points, which was only better than Frontier and Optimum.

For the 2022 J.D. Power US Residential Internet Service Provider Satisfaction Study, CenturyLink scored 709 on a 1,000-point scale in the North Central region and 687 in the West. Those scores were below the industry average for the West region, but above the North Central region's mark. On the plus side, J.D. Power positioned CenturyLink above WOW, Xfinity, Spectrum, Mediacom, Cox and Frontier in the North Central region. Like the ACSI data, it suggests that CenturyLink is a solid but unspectacular, middle-of-the-pack performer regarding customer satisfaction.

The bottom line on CenturyLink home internet

CenturyLink scores top points for its affordable, high-speed Quantum Fiber product. But some of that enthusiasm is dulled when you focus solely on the DSL plans. If your address can get downloads between 100-140Mbps, it's a good deal. However, in many locations, those speeds don't even reach the broadband minimum of 100Mbps download. As you'll often hear from us, the true worth of a service will depend significantly on your address and which provider plans are available in your area, and CenturyLink is no exception.

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