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Astound Broadband vs. Frontier Communications vs. Google Fiber Internet plan comparison


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Researched by
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Reviewed by
Bri FieldAssigning Editor
Updated 6/24/24

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Astound Broadband
Staff rating
4.2
Customer rating
4.0
(13)

  • Plans starting at $19.99
  • Download speeds up to 1200 Mbps
Frontier Communications brand
Staff rating
4.2
Customer rating
3.9
(50)

  • Plans starting at $49.99
  • Download speeds up to 5000 Mbps
Google Fiber brand
Staff rating
4.3
Customer rating
4.6
(18)

  • Plans starting at $70.00
  • Download speeds up to 2000 Mbps
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Astound Broadband
Staff rating
4.2

Astound Broadband offers very inexpensive internet at fast speeds

Top-notch customer service and shockingly low intro pricing make switching to one of Astound’s brands (Wave, RCN, Grande, or enTouch) an easy choice. Astound Broadband offers internet speeds varying from 300 Mbps to 1,500 Mbps. You can lock in a very low introductory rate for one to three years, starting at around $20 a month! Astound Broadband often offers extra perks when you sign up, like an Amazon gift card, a month of free service, and 50% off installation.

What we like

  • Award-winning service and speed
  • Low introductory prices
  • No contract required
What we dislike

  • Price increase after intro period
Savings tip: Astound Broadband often has sign-up promotions for first-time customers. Call to ask a rep about current deals and discounts.
Check deals
Frontier Communications brand
Staff rating
4.2

Excellent fast fiber internet service at low prices

If you can get fiber internet from Frontier, it's fast, affordable and reliable. If you only have DSL from Frontier available in your area, the internet will be slower and more expensive for what you get. The good news is that Frontier is constantly expanding its 100% fiber network across the United States.

What we like

  • Well-priced fiber plans
  • Fast speeds
  • No data caps
What we dislike

  • Limited fiber availability
  • Some customer complaints
Savings tip: Frontier often has sign-up promotions for first-time customers. Call to ask a rep about current deals and discounts.
Check deals
Google Fiber brand
Staff rating
4.3

Fast and reliable fiber connection in limited locations

Google Fiber offers affordable gig speeds with no contracts, data caps, fees, or fuss. Unfortunately, it’s still hamstrung by extremely limited availability.

What we like

  • Fast, reliable speeds
  • Affordably priced
  • Super-simple plan selection
What we don't like

  • Limited availability
  • No budget plans
Savings tip: Google Fiber often has sign-up promotions for first-time customers. Call to ask a rep about current deals and discounts.
Check deals
Astound Broadband
Value
4.5
Lock-in a low price for 1–3 years

Astound Broadband offers very inexpensive DSL, cable, and fiber internet plans with at least three plan options and no data caps in most areas. Nearly all plans are priced under $50 for the first year.

For many Astound Broadband internet plans, you can get speeds up to 300 Mbps for as low as $20 a month with a three-year price lock. For speeds up to 1,000 Mbps, you may be eligible to get a deal for $20 a month for six months, and then $55 a month with a three-year price lock. Even after price increases, that's a deal. National benchmarks for similar plans are in the $130 range, so you’ll be getting a great deal. (1)

You can make the most of Astound Broadband's internet offers in a few ways. One, sign up for Astound internet online. Astound Broadband offers some deals exclusively online. Two, sign up for autopay and e-billing with Astound. When you use an automatic bank account, you'll save the most. You'll save a little less when you use an automated credit or debit card. Three, look at current deals Astound is offering. You can often find offers that include an Amazon gift card, one month of free internet, or 50% off installation, depending on your eligibility.

Pricing details vary by location. Visit
Astound Broadband's website
or call 1-844-443-5172 to speak with a rep.
See pricing
Frontier Communications brand
Value
4.0
Frontier offers excellent value on its fiber plans

Frontier offers exceptional fiber internet at a low price. Prices vary depending on your service area and eligibility, and starting prices are an amazing deal. Here are Frontier's current Fiber offerings, which includes a discounted price for 12 months when you sign up for autopay:

  • Fiber 200: 200 Mbps for $29.99/mo
  • Fiber 500: 500 Mbps for $44.99/mo
  • Fiber 1 Gig: 1,000 Mbps for $64.99/mo
  • Fiber 2 Gig: 2,000 Mbps for $99.99/mo
  • Fiber 5 Gig: 5,000 Mbps for $129.99/mo

Frontier fiber service is generally an excellent value. You can get 500 Mbps for around $45 per month or 1 gig for around $65, both of which are excellent prices well below the national benchmark for similar plans. (1) If you get 2 gigs for around $100 a month or 5 gigs at about $130, you'll enjoy excellent reliability and super fast speeds.

Some Frontier internet plans come with extras for free, depending on eligibility. If you sign up for the 5 gigs, free tech support is included. These are all great prices for the value you're getting. Some Frontier plans may come with expert installation or a Wi-Fi router included at no charge.

If you sign up for Frontier's DSL plan, it's quite a bit slower than fiber internet, but it's a great choice if you're in a rural area. Frontier's DSL plan is around $50 per month for up to 115 Mbps, but the actual speed varies heavily with the specific area you’re in. The good is that Frontier guarantees its DSL pricing for two years and doesn't require you to sign a contract. That's definitely a rare perk in the internet world!

Frontier offers fiber in a good portion of its coverage area, but if you're off the beaten path, DSL is a great solution and Frontier offers fast DSL speeds, depending on where you live. (4)

Pricing details vary by location. Visit
Frontier's website
or call 1-833-970-0804 to speak with a rep.
See pricing
Google Fiber brand
Value
4.0
Some of the best value in the internet business

Google Fiber internet is an excellent value for the money. There are only two plans: 1,000 Mbps (1 gig) for $70 per month and 2,000 Mbps (2 gigs) for $100 per month. The 1 gig plan is among the most affordable we’ve seen at that speed, costing a little more than half the national benchmark fro similar plans (1). The 2 gig option is also drastically cheaper than many other providers’ similar offerings (if they even have a 2 gig plan). There’s no budget option for those who don’t need speeds this fast, but for what Google does offer, the value is hard to beat.

Pricing details vary by location. Visit
Google Fiber's website
or call to speak with a rep.
See pricing
Astound Broadband
Performance
4.5
Award-winning speed

Astound Broadband is very fast. That said, as with most ISPs, you may not experience the speeds advertised for your plan because speeds fluctuate based on numerous conditions.

With Astound, the speed on your plan is the “average” that customers see, so your speeds will vary depending on the gear you’re using, time of day, how many devices are using your Wi-Fi, and more. If you see persistent speed issues, Astound encourages you to call customer service to get help figuring out the issue.

Available speeds vary by location. Call 1-844-443-5172 to speak with a Astound Broadband rep or
go to its website.
Frontier Communications brand
Performance
5.0
Outstanding fiber performance and standard DSL service

Frontier's fiber internet performance is excellent, with speeds up to 5,000 Mbps and no data caps to limit you. In fact, Frontier's fiber plans are some of the fastest (2). Frontier's fiber internet has the fastest ping of any provider, according and a study by the FCC (3), and it's neck and neck with the competition in terms of speed and reliability. These fiber plans also offer symmetrical speeds, which means the upload speed is equal to the download speed. This is crucial if you upload or share a lot of large files, do video calls, or play games online in real-time.

Where fiber isn't available, Frontier offers pretty fast DSL internet. Frontier offers upload speeds up to 115 Mbps, but the speed you get relies heavily on where you live. For many households, 115 Mbps is plenty, especially if you don't stream HD video or have multiple people online at the same time trying to do video calls or gaming online.

Available speeds vary by location. Call 1-833-970-0804 to speak with a Frontier rep or
go to its website.
Google Fiber brand
Performance
5.0
Consistently fast performance and rock-solid reliability

Google Fiber is one of the fastest internet providers and offers excellent performance. The speeds are more than enough for even the heaviest users, and there’s enough bandwidth to power a whole household of HD streams. Since this is fiber, upload speeds are also excellent—1,000 Mbps on both plans. Unlimited data is the cherry on top of this delicious internet sundae. Our only knock is that some providers have started offering even faster speeds (though the majority of households won’t need more than what Google offers).

Available speeds vary by location. Call to speak with a Google Fiber rep or
go to its website.
Astound Broadband
Equipment and installation
3.5
DIY or professional installation

You can rent a modem and one of two Wi-Fi routers from Astound, bringing your total monthly equipment costs between $17 and $27. For most people, the Whole Home Wi-Fi router option will be the right choice. It includes an eero mesh router and an extender, and you can add more extenders to ensure coverage throughout your entire home. This is a reliable Wi-Fi router that supports fast internet speeds, up to 1,500 Mbps!

You can get fancier equipment yourself, if you are a power internet user. Gamers and other heavy streamers can consider the Nighthawk Pro gaming router to reduce lag spikes and achieve more consistent speeds. This router can support speeds up to 5,400 Mbps! That's way more than what the typical household needs, but it's an option for tech heads and gamers.

To save money on equipment fees, you can use own gear or use Astound’s free self-setup option, which is available in most areas. Using DIY install, you'll pay just $10 to activate your service. Astound Broadband even offers detailed online instructions and videos to make it easy to DIY install. If you do want professional help or your home isn’t already properly wired, professional installation starts around $80, which is about average.

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Equipment and installation options can vary widely depending on
Astound Broadband plans
available in your area.
View plans
Frontier Communications brand
Equipment and installation
5.0
No charges for equipment—seriously

Frontier offers fantastic value when it comes to equipment and installation. If you have Frontier's DSL internet, the equipment itself is fairly standard. It's free, which is nice, but you might still want to use your own gear if you need more control over which devices on your network get bandwidth priority. DSL installation typically costs $85, and there's no self-install option. Depending on your plan and service area, you may qualify for free installation.

If you have fiber internet from Frontier, you're in luck! You get free rental of an eero 6 on the Fiber 1 Gig plan or an eero6E mesh Wi-Fi system, on the Fiber 2 Gig plan. If you have the 5 Gig plan, you'll get the TP-Link AXE300 6E with an optional TP-Link RE815XE Wi-Fi extender for an extra $10 per month. You could still technically use your own gear, but it's hard to do any better than the latest and greatest from eero and TP-Link.

If you're eligible, you may be able to get a Frontier self-install kit—otherwise, a professional will come to your house to install the internet for you. If you need a pro to come out, you may be charged $50 on your first bill. In some areas, professional installation is included free, if you're eligible.

Frontier makes cancellations easy. Cancellation is also free, but some customers are charged a $20 restocking fee for rented fiber gear and a $50 restocking fee on DSL gear.

Equipment and installation options can vary widely depending on
Frontier plans
available in your area.
View plans
Google Fiber brand
Equipment and installation
4.0
Free installation, free equipment, and no sneaky fees

Equipment is another area where Google Fiber really shines. Installation of the fiber jack is free, and there are no monthly fees for the network box, which functions as both a modem and router. This means that, outside of any state-imposed access fees, the advertised prices are what you’ll actually pay for broadband internet service. Many other providers end up costing $10–$15 more per month due to equipment rental fees, so this is a refreshing change of pace.

Additionally, Google doesn’t charge any sort of activation fee. This is another area where other internet providers sometimes get you—they advertise free installation, but charge a significant “activation fee” that negates the deal.

On paper, Google Fiber and its equipment are fantastic. We had to bump this score down, however, because of the slow pace of installation. Some customers complain of having to wait for months or even years to have fiber installed at their homes, even after the fiber-optic cables have been laid in their neighborhoods.

Equipment and installation options can vary widely depending on
Google Fiber plans
available in your area.
View plans
Astound Broadband
Customer experience
4.5
Award-winning customer service

Astound has (sorry in advance) astounding customer service. This company won fifth place in PCMag's Reader's Choice award in 2022 (2), and before it consolidated them under the Astound brand, Grande, Wave, RCN, and WOW! were all recognized in 2021 (3) and we can see why Astound is a fan favorite. You don't have to sign a contract if you don't want to, your plan comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee, and if your technician is late for your appointment, Astound will pay you $20 for the inconvenience. Put it all together, and you get a top-notch customer experience.

Visit Astound Broadband's website
or call 1-844-443-5172 for more information on contracts and money-back guarantees.
Go to provider
Frontier Communications brand
Customer experience
3.0
Can't sign up for service online

The Frontier customer experience is a mixed bag. The service itself is fairly reliable—especially the fiber. The DSL service is relatively stable, but more prone to slowdowns during heavy traffic times (which is typical with all DSL internet).

Frontier has received low scores in customer satisfaction from organizations like the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). (3) The provider ranked second-worst in overall satisfaction in the most recent surveys, falling below average. The complaints we’ve seen point generally to a broad pattern of poor customer service, so if that’s a key factor in your choice of provider, you might want to steer clear until Frontier can sort out its issues.

If you order Frontier internet, the only way to order internet service is to call in. It works okay for most people, but some folks love the convenience of handling everything without having to deal with phone trees, wait on hold, or talk to a live human. At least the hold music is nice, though, and you can enter info via text message!

Visit Frontier's website
or call 1-833-970-0804 for more information on contracts and money-back guarantees.
Go to provider
Google Fiber brand
Customer experience
4.5
Straightforward pricing, clear bills, and consistent speeds

Given the excellent speeds, (relatively) affordable pricing, and lack of fees, it’s safe to say that living with Google Fiber makes for a fantastic experience. For the most part, you can just do what you need to do online and forget that you even have an internet service provider, which is great. When Google anticipates a change to your account or service, it generally lets you know well in advance.

If you do end up needing support, you’re dealing with Google. In general, this means really good online help and so-so phone support. That said, we’ve seen comparatively few customer service complaints about Google Fiber, and our own experience with Google Fiber has been that we rarely need customer support anyway. The company claims (2) it topped results in over 20 categories in an American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) survey, but the actual results of that survey don’t appear to be public, so all we have are anecdotes.

Something else that we love about Google Fiber is how straightforward the billing is. The monthly statements are very clear about how much you owe and when you’ll be charged compared to the sometimes confusing internet bills from other providers, so there’s no ambiguity about charges. You can also access your account and billing info using your Gmail login, so you don’t have to worry about yet another username and password.

Visit Google Fiber's website
or call for more information on contracts and money-back guarantees.
Go to provider
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Astound Broadband
4.0
(13)
5 Star
23%
4 Star
54%
3 Star
23%
2 Star
0%
1 Star
0%
P
Paulfrom Catasauqua, PA
Astound Broadband Customer for 4+ years
Reviewed on: 6-24-2022
I think they charge much too much for their dservice. Lower prices
J
Juliefrom Passaic, NJ
Astound Broadband Customer for 8+ years
Reviewed on: 6-24-2022
I hope the Internet speed is faster and the price is lower
M
Margaretfrom New York, NY
Astound Broadband Customer for 1+ years
Reviewed on: 6-17-2022
Astound 5G wifi have increased the speed from my previous internet. I was very happy with the promotion price at $39.99 but when my contract expired my payments doubled. With the spottiness and occasional dropped connections each month, I don't see the value I am paying for.
L
Lynfrom Somerville, MA
Astound Broadband Customer for 1+ years
Reviewed on: 6-17-2022
I am satisfied with my Astound (formally RCN) service. The signal is consistent. I have no suggestions for improvement.
Frontier Communications
3.9
(50)
5 Star
26%
4 Star
46%
3 Star
22%
2 Star
6%
1 Star
0%
L
Lucyfrom Englewood, FL
Frontier Communications Customer for 8+ years
Reviewed on: 6-17-2022
there are to many breaks in service, but they do repair very quickly they should be able to stop the breaks better than do now
D
Douglasfrom Murphy, NC
Frontier Communications Customer for 4+ years
Reviewed on: 6-17-2022
Good speed and network reliabilty. Customer service is very good and solve problems. The cost is a little high; sometimes worth it.
C
Cayleefrom Murphy, NC
Frontier Communications Customer for 4+ years
Reviewed on: 6-17-2022
Frontier has been a great company for internet. I like how high speed it is and how great the customer service is. It never fails to impress me. I think that they are great on every aspect.
R
Robertfrom Middletown, NY
Frontier Communications Customer for 8+ years
Reviewed on: 6-17-2022
It seems Frontier gives us very slow internet service.
Google Fiber
4.6
(18)
5 Star
67%
4 Star
28%
3 Star
5%
2 Star
0%
1 Star
0%
Z
Zacharias from Kansas City, MO
Google Fiber Customer for 4+ years
Reviewed on: 6-22-2022
The signal consistently fluctuates with service. It runs well just improving on its reception efforts. Maybe have better discounts for long-standing customers. Try to reward your customers that been with you the longest.
D
Danielfrom San Antonio, TX
Google Fiber Customer for 1+ years
Reviewed on: 6-22-2022
Prices is amazing for the speed. Rarely have any issues with srevices. Can hold up to all the devices on at the same time with no lag.
C
Carriefrom Atlanta, GA
Google Fiber Customer for 1+ years
Reviewed on: 6-17-2022
Google Fi is a huge improvement over our precious service. We rarely have interruptions to service and if we do it's remedied quickly. They also do a good job communicating with customers about changes.
C
Craigfrom Shawnee, KS
Google Fiber Customer for 4+ years
Reviewed on: 6-17-2022
Google Fiber is fast and reliable. I consistently get 1 Gbps up and down. But what I really like is that I don't have to use their router/box. I currently use my Orbi with their service and have disconnected their box.
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Endnotes and sources
  1. 2022 Urban Rate Survey – Fixed Broadband Service,” FCC. Accessed 9 December 2022.
  2. Readers’ Choice 2022: Your Favorite ISPs for Any Type of Broadband,” PCMag. Accessed 9 December 2022.
  3. Readers’ Choice 2021: Internet Service Providers,” PCMag. Accessed 9 December 2022.
Endnotes and sources
1. “2022 Urban Rate Survey – Fixed Broadband Service,” FCC. Accessed 19 October 2022.2. "The Fastest ISPs of 2022," PC Mag. Accessed 19 October 2022.Internet Service Providers,” American Customer Satisfaction Index. Accessed 14 June 2022.3. "Measuring Broadband America," FCC. Accessed Dec. 9, 2022.4. "FCC National Broadband Map," FCC. Accessed Dec. 9. 2022. As an Amazon Associate, Switchful.com may earn commissions from qualifying purchases.
Endnotes and sources
1. “2022 Urban Rate Survey – Fixed Broadband Service,” FCC. Accessed 8 December 2022.2. “Google Fiber,” Google. Accessed 8 December 2022.