Google Fiber Internet Review

Google Fiber has two types of plans: Fiber and Webpass. Fiber operates like most other internet service providers (ISPs): It hooks up individual residences to the internet.

And recently, Google Fiber introduced more fiber internet plans with speeds up to 8,000 Mbps. Both its 1 Gig and 2 Gig plans are priced reasonably compared to the competition and come with unlimited data. And both plans offer enough speed for a large family, home full of roommates, or even a small business. Even Google's 5000 Mbps and 8000 Mbps plans aren't that expensive for the massive amount of speed you get.

Webpass is unique because it's available only in certain apartment and office buildings located in Austin, Chicago, Denver, Miami, Nashville, Oakland, San Diego, San Francisco, and Seattle.

But the Webpass service is pretty straightforward, even though your price and download speeds depend on where you live.

For example, some Webpass cities offer a discounted price if you pay for a year in advance—in one case we found that equaled out to a $700 payment up-front. But if you don't have that much cash on hand, you can still opt for the up to $70.00 month-to-month payment plan.

We even found an apartment building in San Francisco where Google Fiber Webpass was included as an amenity, meaning you'd pay nothing for gigabit speeds if you lived there. (Though you'd still pay those sky-high San Francisco real estate prices.)

Webpass speeds also depend on your building's infrastructure. So you may get speeds slower than 1,000 Mbps—but Google plays fair by discounting your monthly cost if your building can't support gig speeds.

We saw this fair play at work at another apartment building in San Francisco where the fastest speed was 500 Mbps. Because that's slower than the max Google Fiber Webpass speed of 1,000 Mbps, the monthly cost was discounted to $60.00 a month.

You'll need to check your specific address to find out which payment plans and speeds are available to you.

To learn more about the differences between regular fiber and Webpass, check out Google Fiber vs. Webpass.

If you know you don't need gigabit speeds, you may want to check out other ISPs with slower and cheaper internet plans, like Spectrum, Xfinity, or CenturyLink.

But we should mention that Google’s Fiber 1000 plan is one of the cheaper gigabit-speed plan available in the United States, putting it alongside big names such as Verizon Fios Home Internet and AT&T Fiber.

Google Fiber earned the title of the fastest internet provider and our Editor's Choice pick for speed.

Some have suggested that Google developed Fiber just to spur competition in the ISP market, raising speeds for all internet users. Higher user speeds means more revenue for Google (which owns Youtube and many other online services).

Well, if that was Google’s goal, then it worked. Ever since Google’s announcement in 2009, there’s been a sort of race to the top among ISPs to develop gigabit speed internet networks. No one wants to lag behind in an industry that’s based on speed.

But the question is, now that other companies have started catching up, how does Google Fiber compare?

Just by looking at the numbers, it’s clear that Google Fiber offers fast internet. But speed isn’t just about the numbers. If your ISP is unreliable or has a data cap, you could miss the new The Mandalorian episode no matter how many Mbps you’ve paid for.

Fortunately for Fiber customers, Google’s service runs on a brand-spankin’-new fiber-optic network that provides reliably fast upload/download speeds and no data caps. Fiber-optic networks will almost always beat out older cable networks, no matter what the advertised speeds are.

Contracts. Companies love ‘em, people hate ‘em.

Luckily, Google promises no contracts for both its Fiber and Webpass internet services. Now that's what we love to hear.

Google Fiber claims to have no hidden fees—and, in fact, that seems to be the case. It even offers this nifty list of possible fees to help you avoid that rollercoaster ride of a surprise.

• Service deposit: $10.00, but credited toward any other fees charged to your account.
• Construction fee: $300.00, but not everyone pays this. The construction fee is waived if you purchase at least one year of service, and you can also opt to pay it in $25.00 increments.
• Early termination fees: None. For real.

Google's got a long list of equipment you can rent or replace, including fiber jacks and mesh Wi-Fi extenders. And we’re going to award a few bonus points here for offering free fiber jacks (though you have to pay if you want more than one).

Here's a quick look at how much some of the Google equipment costs if you need a replacement.

• Fiber jack: $100 replacement fee
• Network box: $200–$300 replacement fee
• Mini Network box: $50
• Storage box: $300
• Phone box: $50
• Google Fiber Wi-Fi 6 Router: $90
• Nest Wifi Pro: $120
• Google WiFi: $100–$110replacement fee
• Google Fiber Multi-Gig Router + Optical Connector: $280 replacement fee
• Google Fiber mesh extender: $85

You can also get online with Webpass without renting any extra equipment. However, if you want Wi-Fi with Webpass, you’ll have to provide your own router. (We recommend this NETGEAR Nighthawk AC1900 router from Amazon.)

Google Fiber installations include an exterior and interior installation. Both installations are done by professionals, so you won’t have to worry about any DIYing.

In the exterior installation, Google installers will set up your outside equipment. You don’t have to be home for this part, so you can be at work, out shopping, or watching a movie with your phone off.

The interior installation will happen a few days later, and you do need to be home when this occurs. That might mean working from home or changing your plans for the day. You’ll get a phone call before the installer arrives, so you’ll have a little time to get ready (or race home if you’re out).

Google Fiber has helped revolutionize the home-internet industry. However, it’s still a telecommunications company, and that means customer service complaints.

You can find plenty of horror stories online—mostly about installation and billing issues—from people who signed up for Google Fiber. But I challenge you to find a company that doesn’t have similar online complaints.

While Google Fiber certainly has its issues, a Consumer Reports survey suggests that customers are happier with Google than with pretty much any other ISP.³

You can also contact Google Fiber online here:

• Online chat
• Social media

Who it’s best for: Gamers, home-businesses, large families

Why we picked it: If you want a fast internet plan, Fiber 1,000 brings the speed without asking for your firstborn child in return. Yup, the Fiber 1,000 plan could go toe-to-toe with any of the top gaming ISPs and probably win.

Google Fiber is a simple, reliable, and truly fast internet service. But even with blazing fast internet speeds and low-priced, zippy internet plans, Google Fiber still doesn't serve most of the United States. Until the company can get better coverage in suburban and rural areas, it will sadly never be a real leader in the ISP world.

But if you do live in the company’s service area and you want gigabit internet speeds, then Google’s affordable fiber internet is nearly unbeatable.

Reviewing internet services, such as those provided by Google Fiber, go above and beyond simple metrics.

We do place a heavy emphasis on the technical details such as overall download speeds, upload speed, and any included data caps. However, we also consider overall availability, affordability, and contracts involved.

Here are the factors we considered when reviewing Google Fiber Internet:

• Overall download/upload speeds
• Price of each Google Fiber plan
• Whether contracts are required
• Geographic service availability
• Included equipment and fees

​If you'd like to see how Google Fiber comes out in our comparisons to other services, you can read our pieces about Fiber vs. Optimum, Fiber vs. T-Mobile 5G, or Fiber vs. Verizon 5G.