CenturyLink Internet vs. Mediacom Internet

Angelo Ilumba Senior Writer

Updated 19 December 2023

In this Guide

Internet Speeds
Cost, Data and Value for Money
Availability
Customer Reviews
Bundle Packages
Winner: CenturyLink vs Mediacom

Article Summary

CenturyLink is a big internet provider available in 36 states throughout the country. Primarily serving up DSL connections, the company also offers fiber internet in select areas.

Mediacom is a cable internet provider with a heavy presence in the Midwestern states. They too offer fiber internet in select areas.

We compare both CenturyLink and Mediacom in categories like internet speeds, cost, coverage, and reviews to help you find the right internet for your household.

CenturyLink vs Mediacom

Provider	Speed	Cost	Coverage	Reviews	Bundles
CenturyLink	4	3	4	4	2.5	Go
Mediacom	4	3	3	3.5	3.5	Go

CenturyLink vs Mediacom: Internet Speeds

Winner: Mediacom

CenturyLink and Mediacom both offer fiber connections that can potentially get you internet speeds of up to 1,000Mbps (1Gbps). Fiber, however, isn't available everywhere.

To judge these internet service providers in this category we looked at each company's next best speed offerings. Mediacom's cable internet connections can reach up to 500Mbps while CenturyLink's DSL tops out at 100Mbps. With these speeds factored in, it is clear to see that Mediacom wins in the internet-speed game.

Cost, Data, and Value for Money

Winner: CenturyLink

Locked in Pricing

CenturyLink's big advantage over Mediacom is that they offer lifetime pricing. This means that the monthly rate you pay at the start of service will remain the same for as long as you are with CenturyLink.

Mediacom does not offer lifetime pricing. Instead, they have a 12-month introductory rate for new subscribers. While this introductory rate is lower than CenturyLink's lifetime rate, once the 12 months is over, the rate skyrockets well above CenturyLink's lifetime rate for similar products.

Installation and Other Fees

Both CenturyLink and Mediacom charge an installation fee as well as monthly rental fees for using their equipment if you don't already have compatible modems and/or routers.

Neither company stands out as superior when it comes to installation and other fees. Both charge just about the same for these.

Data Allowance

CenturyLink and Mediacom internet plans come with data caps.

With Mediacom, the cheaper the plan, the smaller the data cap. Customers who buy less expensive options might find themselves with pretty restrictive data caps. This might be perfectly fine for people who aren't heavy internet users.

CenturyLink has the same data cap for all of their internet plans. This cap is very high and CenturyLink is confident that it is more than enough for the average internet user.

Availability: CenturyLink vs Mediacom

Winner: CenturyLink

CenturyLink's DSL internet is very widely available throughout the country. It is one of the bigger internet providers and takes this category against a ton of other competitors.

Image Source: Cabletv.com

However, Mediacom isn't a slouch when it comes to availability. While they are as widespread as CenturyLink, they are in several states and have an especially strong presence in the Midwest.

Image Source: Cabletv.com

Customer Reviews: CenturyLink vs Mediacom

Winner: Mediacom

CenturyLink suffers from a very hefty amount of pretty awful reviews. When you look at the whole internet service provider and telecom industry as a whole, this is pretty much par for the course. You can reach out to CenturyLink's customer service via phone, email, chat, and their mobile app.

Mediacom on the other hand – especially when compared to other internet providers – has a fair share of pretty positive customer reviews. Customers seem to be generally happy with Mediacom's services including their very responsive customer service.

Bundle Packages: CenturyLink vs Mediacom

Winner: CenturyLink

This one is very close, but the slightly better pricing for their bundle packages gives CenturyLink the edge in this category.

Fact of the matter is that if you need other services with your internet (phone, TV), your best best is to bundle as almost all providers will offer better rates (as opposed to buying each service separately).

Winner: CenturyLink vs Mediacom

Mediacom

While CenturyLink has earned wins in some key areas (pricing and coverage), we can't overlook the big win Mediacom gets in customer satisfaction. Customers seem to be generally happy with Mediacom and we just can't argue with that.

Buying into an internet plan is a personal decision and you should make sure that you get the internet that is right for your needs. Check out plans from both Mediacom and CenturyLink to see which one is right for you.

CenturyLink Internet Plans

#1	CenturyLink	CenturyLink Simply Unlimited 140 Mbps VDSL 140/20 Mbps Unlimited Data $55/mo Available in select locations. Paperless billing required. Available in select locations. Paperless billing required. View Plan	$55/mo Available in select locations. Paperless billing required. Available in select locations. Paperless billing required.	View Plan
#2	CenturyLink	CenturyLink Simply Unlimited 100 Mbps VDSL 100/10 Mbps Unlimited Data $55/mo Available in select locations. Paperless billing required. Available in select locations. Paperless billing required. View Plan	$55/mo Available in select locations. Paperless billing required. Available in select locations. Paperless billing required.	View Plan
#3	CenturyLink	CenturyLink Simply Unlimited 80 Mbps VDSL 80/10 Mbps Unlimited Data $55/mo Available in select locations. Paperless billing required. + $149 Upfront Available in select locations. Paperless billing required. View Plan	$55/mo Available in select locations. Paperless billing required. + $149 Upfront Available in select locations. Paperless billing required.	View Plan
#4	CenturyLink	CenturyLink Simply Unlimited 60 Mbps VDSL 60/5 Mbps Unlimited Data $55/mo Available in select locations. Paperless billing required. + $149 Upfront Available in select locations. Paperless billing required. View Plan	$55/mo Available in select locations. Paperless billing required. + $149 Upfront Available in select locations. Paperless billing required.	View Plan
#5	CenturyLink	CenturyLink Simply Unlimited 40 Mbps VDSL 40/3 Mbps Unlimited Data $55/mo Available in select locations. Paperless billing required. + $25 Upfront Available in select locations. Paperless billing required. View Plan	$55/mo Available in select locations. Paperless billing required. + $25 Upfront Available in select locations. Paperless billing required.	View Plan

Mediacom Internet Plans

#1	Mediacom	Mediacom Internet 300 Cable 300/20 Mbps Unlimited Data $45/mo ($30 plan + $15 modem) for 2 years. Available in select locations. + $25 Upfront for 2 years. Available in select locations. View Plan	$45/mo ($30 plan + $15 modem) for 2 years. Available in select locations. + $25 Upfront for 2 years. Available in select locations.	View Plan
#2	Mediacom	Mediacom Internet 1 Gig Cable 1000/50 Mbps Unlimited Data $50/mo for 3 years. Available in select locations. + $25 Upfront for 3 years. Available in select locations. View Plan	$50/mo for 3 years. Available in select locations. + $25 Upfront for 3 years. Available in select locations.	View Plan

Angelo Ilumba

Senior Writer

Angelo is a highly experienced writer for WhistleOut, specializing in unraveling the complexities of the mobile and tech world so that readers can easily understand what is relevant to them. Angelo has been featured on several publications such as MoneyTalksNews, Yahoo Finance, NPR and more.

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