Staff rating

3.5

Customer rating

4.0

(513)

Plans starting at $29.99

Download speeds up to 1 Gbps

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Staff rating

4.0

Customer rating

3.9

(12)

Plans starting at $9.99

Download speeds up to 1200 Mbps

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Staff rating

4.2

Customer rating

4.1

(479)

Plans starting at $19.99

Download speeds up to 6000 Mbps

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Check availability

See what providers service your area.

Staff rating

3.5

Fast internet at reasonable prices

Spectrum offers speedy, reasonably priced cable internet service, and a strong budget plan. We wish there were fewer fees attached, though.

What we like

Simple plan selection
No contracts
No data cap

What we dislike

Pricey gig plan
Lots of small fees
Price increase after 12 months

See full review

Savings tip: Spectrum often has sign-up promotions for first-time customers. Call to ask a rep about current deals and discounts.

Check deals

Staff rating

4.0

Wow! Internet earns its name with incredible value

Wow! Internet is known for reliability, fantastic customer service, and no- contract options. Wow! Internet offers inexpensive internet with great equipment and DIY and professional installation options. Plus, a Wi-Fi modem is included with every plan. Wow! Internet boasts 99.9% network reliability, and it's a solid choice for most households. In fact, Wow! Internet was named "Best Internet Service Provider" by US News and World Report in 2024. Wow! Internet offers both cable and fiber internet networks, depending on your location.

What we like

Affordable
Optional contracts
Award-winning customer service

What we dislike

Limited upload speed
Only available in 6 states

See full review

Savings tip: WOW! often has sign-up promotions for first-time customers. Call to ask a rep about current deals and discounts.

Check deals

Staff rating

4.2

Lightning-fast, reliable internet at an excellent price

Xfinity is a fantastic provider overall. It offers fast speeds, reliable service, and reasonable prices. Some plans still require contracts, and others still have data limits. Watch out for Xfinity’s hidden fees and spotty customer service record, but it may not be as bad as it once was.

What we like

Consistently fast speeds
Wide availability
Excellent pricing

What we dislike

Data caps on some plans
Some billing complaints

See full review

Savings tip: Xfinity often has sign-up promotions for first-time customers. Call to ask a rep about current deals and discounts.

Check deals

Value

3.0

Straightforward internet plans with budget-friendly pricing

Spectrum service offers a solid value—particularly at the lowest tier. There are only three plans to choose from, which could either be a plus or minus depending on your perspective. In this case, we feel it’s a good thing: the plans are straightforward and easy to understand.

The lowest-tier plan offers speeds up to 300 Mbps (wireless speeds may vary) at a decent price, according to government benchmarks (1). That's just $0.17 per megabit per second, with speeds that blow any DSL plan out of the water. The other two internet plans are less exciting, but still reasonably priced for the first year. After 12 months, your price could be up by $20 or more.

Pricing details vary by location. Visit

Spectrum's website

or call 1-866-460-1117 to speak with a rep.

See pricing

Value

4.0

Great value, whether you sign a contract or not

WOW! offers 100 Mbps to 5 Gbps plans at a great price, whether or not you sign up for an optional contract. If you don’t mind signing a contract, WOW!’s plans will cost you about 25% less than the national benchmark for a similar plan (1). After the contract period, prices transition to month-to-month rates, which are $10 to $15 higher but still a really great deal.

To get WOW!’s lowest advertised prices, you need to sign up for both autopay and paperless billing (a $5 monthly savings) and commit to a two-year contract. If you’re not sure whether you want WOW! Internet for that long, you can sign up for month-to-month. If you terminate your contract early, you’ll pay $15 for each month left on your contract—which isn’t much more than you’d pay if you skip the contract from the start. (2)

There are data caps of either 1.5 TB or 3 TB, depending on your plan. These are pretty high, but if you’re a a really heavy downloader or uploader, you could be charged up to $50 extra every month and have your speed throttled.

Pricing details vary by location. Visit

WOW!'s website

or call 1-844-898-8626 to speak with a rep.

See pricing

Value

4.0

Fast internet speeds at a great price

Xfinity is generally a very good value, especially at the middle and lower tiers. In fact, it offers some of the best budget plans of any of the major internet service providers. Eligible households may qualify for high-speed internet as low as $9.95 a month with unlimited data and equipment.

Depending on your area, you can get a 50 Mbps Internet Essentials plan for less than $20 per month and a 400 Mbps plan for $50 per month. Those plans have a data cap of 1.2 terabytes which is a high data cap. Data caps are common among cable internet service providers (ISPs). Removing it costs an extra $30. But overall, this pricing is an excellent deal for the speeds you're getting.

The 400 Mbps plan, which is about right for an average family that's online a lot, is also a great price. It rings in at about 36% of the national benchmark in its range. (1) That means you're paying just $0.18 per megabit, with plenty of megabits to go around.

Faster internet plans are available from Xfinity. Some areas can get speeds up to 2 Gbps, and others can get plans as fast as 6 Gbps. For reference, 6 Mbps is ridiculously fast, and it also comes at a higher price. Most households don’t need 6 Gbps internet speeds unless they’re streaming a ton of 4K content or have several people gaming online at the same time. These fast internet plans do come with unlimited data, though, so it might still be worth it for some households.

Pricing details vary by location. Visit

Xfinity's website

or call 1-844-443-5171 to speak with a rep.

See pricing

Performance

4.0

Reliable internet with speeds up to 1 Gbps

Spectrum offers speedy performance overall, with packages up to 1,000 Mbps available (wireless speeds may vary). The lower tiers are more exciting—almost every provider has a gig plan these days, but Spectrum’s lowest plan has speeds up to 300 Mbps, which is still excellent for all but the heaviest users. Additionally, there are no data caps on any of the plans, so you can use as much bandwidth as you like.

Speed is only half the equation, though—even the fastest connection is useless if it doesn’t work when you need it. Luckily, Spectrum is on par with its closest cable competitors here. It offers faster-than-advertised speeds most of the time, according to the US Federal Communications Commission (2), and earned the top spot for median speeds from Speedtest.net (3). Spectrum’s latency scores were a little higher than competitors Xfinity and Cox, but at just 25 ms, you’re still within the playability range for most online games.

Available speeds vary by location. Call 1-866-460-1117 to speak with a Spectrum rep or

go to its website.

Performance

4.0

Fast, reliable cable and fiber internet

The majority of WOW!’s network is cable and fiber, but some customers in Alabama still have legacy DSL service. WOW!'s speeds top out at 5 gigs, but for most households, that's way more than needed. We generally don't recommend more than 1 gigs for most households.

WOW's cable plans have upload speeds that cap out at 50 Mbps, but its fiber plans are symmetrical. That means you can upload as fast as you can download. Most people will be fine with 50 Mbps upload speeds, but if you upload a lot of photos or videos, WOW! fiber could save you some headaches.

Available speeds vary by location. Call 1-844-898-8626 to speak with a WOW! rep or

go to its website.

Performance

5.0

Some of the best internet reliability

Xfinity internet performance is excellent. Its speeds are fast and reliable. In fact, in many markets, it has one of the fastest internet speeds around. Xfinity's internet service is reliable and consistent. If outages occur, Xfinity is responsive and generally restores service within hours. Xfinity internet is also highly rated for speed (2), and research from the US Federal Communication Commission (FCC) scored it among the top for reliability (3).

Available speeds vary by location. Call 1-844-443-5171 to speak with a Xfinity rep or

go to its website.

Equipment and Installation

4.5

You can rent a router or use your own, and there’s a fee for self-installation

Spectrum’s equipment setup is a bit different than most—at least when it comes to fees. There is no charge for the modem, but there is a $5 monthly fee for the wireless router (waived on the gig plan). What this means is that Spectrum gives you a separate modem and router, instead of a combined gateway. It also means you can opt to bring your own wireless router if you prefer. Customers can also add Wi-Fi extenders, called Pods, for $3 each per month. If you use the Spectrum router, you can use the company's highly rated smartphone app to manage settings and parental controls.

Installation is straightforward and affordable. If you need a pro to come out, you can opt for a professional installation for $59.99. If you can handle the installation yourself, the self-install kit is about $25. We’d prefer free self-installation, but it isn’t the highest self-install fee we’ve seen, so we’ll take what we can get.

Equipment and installation options can vary widely depending on

Spectrum plans

available in your area.

View plans

Equipment and installation

3.5

Competitive Wi-Fi gear and installation

WOW! includes a free modem for your first year ($14/month after that), and fiber plans come with a free Wi-Fi router too. If you have cable service, you can rent a Whole Home Wi-Fi system, which includes a coveted eero base and one extender for $9.99. Additional extenders are $5.99 each, but most households won’t need more than one because eero’s that good. eero comes with an app you can use to manage your network, and you can add security services for an additional cost (under $10/month) if you want ad-blocking, malware protection, or parental controls.

A free self-startup kit is available to most new customers, but if you prefer professional installation, it's $75. The good news is that with professional installation, WOW! waives its $10 activation fee, so it’s really just $65 more to have a technician’s help.

As an Amazon Associate, Switchful.com may earn commissions from qualifying purchases.

Equipment and installation options can vary widely depending on

WOW! plans

available in your area.

View plans

Equipment and installation

4.0

DIY or professional install and Wi-Fi equipment

Xfinity internet offers the choice of professional and self-installation. The professional option is often more affordable than competitors, at $100. It's required if you haven't had Xfinity service at the address for more than 12 months. The self-install kit is free, but you may pay for shipping and handling. If you have trouble installing yourself, you can contact customer service for help, but beware that you may face long hold times.

As for equipment, the Xfinity xFi gateway is fairly typical (and costs a fairly typical $14 per month). You can add a Wi-Fi extender (and unlimited data) if you bump up to xFi Complete for about $15 per month for the first two years (and $25 per month starting in year 3). This is a bit steep for just the extender—you can grab an excellent Wi-Fi extender for right around $50. However, using Xfinity's equipment gives you unlimited data, and you qualify for a free upgrade after three years.

Read more about how internet bills work.

If you use your own equipment, unlimited data costs an extra $30 per month for lower tier plans, but is included for plans of at least 1 Gbps.

Equipment and installation options can vary widely depending on

Xfinity plans

available in your area.

View plans

Customer Experience

2.5

Watch out for hefty fees and price hikes down the road

We’ll just come right out and say it: Spectrum has a lot of fees. While you may never see most of them, it’s worth noting that they’re there. Here’s a sample:

$5 to pay over the phone(?!)
$5 reconnection fee
$19.99 to upgrade equipment when switching to the Internet Gig plan

These aren’t going to be on every bill, and you may never see most of them. However, when you do, it makes for a poor experience.

When you add second-year price hikes in the range of $20+, things aren't looking good for Spectrum customers. However, Spectrum customers seem to be about as satisfied with customer service as customers with competitors Cox and CenturyLink, and it's only slightly worse than average. (4)

If Spectrum is the only cable provider in your area and your home isn't wired for fiber internet, we recommend the service. Just set a calendar reminder to contact customer service in a year and see if you can negotiate the price down!

Visit Spectrum's website

or call 1-866-460-1117 for more information on contracts and money-back guarantees.

Go to provider

Customer experience

4.5

Award-winning customer service

WOW! provides an award-winning customer experience, ranking fourth-highest in J.D. Power’s ISP Satisfaction list in the North Central US region in 2022. (3)

We should note that in 2021 WOW! sold a couple regions of its business (Evansville, IN and Chicago) to Astound broadband, so customers may see some changes in their service. That said, Astound ranks fifth on P.C. Mag's Readers' Choice awards, so you're probably in good hands. (4)

The main downside is that Wow! Internet is only available in six states in the US. The company is currently expanding, though, so check to see if service is available in your area.

Visit WOW!'s website

or call 1-844-898-8626 for more information on contracts and money-back guarantees.

Go to provider

Customer experience

4.0

Rapidly improving customer service scores

The Xfinity internet customer experience is a mixed bag. On the one hand, you have reliable service, with the option for unlimited data if you want it. This makes for a great day-to-day experience with Xfinity.

On the other hand, Xfinity internet has a spotty customer service track record. It ranks above average on customer surveys (4). While customer service seems to be above average, not everyone has a great experience, and we've seen some complaints about billing issues and miscommunication between the company and their technicians.

If you need to connect with the company, we recommend using its customer service portal and downloading the Xfinity app first before trying to reach reps by phone.

Visit Xfinity's website

or call 1-844-443-5171 for more information on contracts and money-back guarantees.

Go to provider

Made up your mind?

Find out what providers are available near you.

Spectrum

4.0

(513)

5 Star

34%

4 Star

41%

3 Star

20%

2 Star

1 Star

Andrewfrom Newark, NY

Spectrum Customer for 1+ years

Reviewed on: 6-17-2022

My internet goes out all the time whenever I first go to use it when returning home from anywhere.

Theresafrom Merriam, KS

Spectrum Customer for Less than a year

Reviewed on: 6-17-2022

My choice was limited due to my location. Not very pleased that I got my first bill less than a week after activation. And due in less than three after activation.

Nathaliafrom Sherman Oaks, CA

Spectrum Customer for 1+ years

Reviewed on: 6-17-2022

The connection is good and fast overall. It disconnects sometimes out of nowhere, so I wish it was more stable.

Jpfrom Evansville, IN

Spectrum Customer for 8+ years

Reviewed on: 6-17-2022

Thank you all right we have a limited opportunities in this

WOW!

3.9

(12)

5 Star

33%

4 Star

33%

3 Star

25%

2 Star

1 Star

Annfrom Sterling Heights , MI

WOW! Customer for 4+ years

Reviewed on: 6-22-2022

Nothing is good. The internet is too slow. It sucks.

Rickfrom Canton, MI

WOW! Customer for 8+ years

Reviewed on: 6-22-2022

WOW started off fine for years. In recent years there service has gone down hill. There are more interuptions and slower speeds.

Mercedesfrom Knoxville, TN

WOW! Customer for 4+ years

Reviewed on: 6-22-2022

I think that wow is a great internet service company, they get the job done and are always there when you need them. I think that they could improve by offering more services to the public

Angelfrom Leslie, MI

WOW! Customer for 4+ years

Reviewed on: 6-17-2022

I THINK IT IS TOO EXPENSIVE FOR BASIC PHONE AND INTERNET

Xfinity

4.1

(479)

5 Star

41%

4 Star

41%

3 Star

14%

2 Star

1 Star

Ronfrom Red Bank, NJ

Xfinity Customer for 8+ years

Reviewed on: 6-17-2022

The service offered and the connection and the costs all meet my desires

Rebeccafrom Olathe, KS

Xfinity Customer for 4+ years

Reviewed on: 6-17-2022

Xfinity has been a great service provider. Fast speeds and good customer service. I like the flexibility of different programs available. I also like the cost. It is pretty compareable and a manageable month payment.

Davidfrom Aurora, CO

Xfinity Customer for 8+ years

Reviewed on: 6-17-2022

I think I pay too much, especially when I hear the offers to potential new customers. No attention is given to reducing the cost for us loyal customers. Phoning Customer Service is a nightmare I will avoid sat all costs. Reliability is good, speeds questionable at times, Flex is a great product.

Darrylfrom Monroe, GA

Xfinity Customer for 8+ years

Reviewed on: 6-17-2022

It is very fast and reliable. It always has a good signal. They do not need to improve.

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Endnotes and sources

“2022 Urban Rate Survey – Fixed Broadband Service,” FCC. Accessed 17 June 2022.
"Measuring Broadband America," FCC. Retreieved Dec. 7, 2022.
"Fastests ISPs of 2022," Speetest.net. Retrieved Dec. 7, 2022.
"Satisfaction Benchmarks by Company, Internet Service Providers," ACSI. Retrieved Dec. 7, 2022.

Endnotes and sources

1. “2022 Urban Rate Survey – Fixed Broadband Service,” FCC. Accessed 21 June 2022.2. "WOW! Internet - Terms of Service," Wide Open West. Accessed 12 October 20223. "Price of Residential Internet Drives Customer Choice, J.D. Power Finds," J. D. Power. Accessed 7 December 2022.4. “Readers’ Choice 2022: Your Favorite ISPs for Any Type of Broadband,” PCMag. Accessed 7 December 2022.

Endnotes and sources

As an Amazon Associate, Switchful.com may earn commissions from qualifying purchases.
1. "2022 Urban Rate Survey," FCC. Retrieved Dec. 7, 2022.2. "Speed Test Global Index," SpeedTest.net. Accessed 19 October, 2022.3. "Measuring Broadband America," Federal Communications Commission. Accessed 19 October 2022 4. "Internet Service Providers," American Customer Satisfaction Index. Accessed 19 October 2022.