WOW Internet Plans: Pricing, Speed and Availability Compared (2024)

WOW Internet Plans: Pricing, Speed and Availability Compared (1)

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Pros

  • Some of the most competitive pricing for a cable ISP
  • No contracts
  • 30-day money-back guarantee
  • Unlimited data on all plans

Cons

  • Limited availability, just six states
  • Service interruptions can be a bit too frequent, depending on location

See more pros and cons

Best WOW internet plans and pricing

PlanMax speedsMonthly cost (promo rate)Monthly cost (after first year)Monthly equipment feesMonthly data cap
Internet 300 300Mbps download, 20Mbps upload $30$40NoneNone
Internet 600 600Mbps download, 50 Mbps upload$45$55NoneNone
Internet 1 Gig 1,000Mbps download, 50 Mbps upload$60$70NoneNone
Internet 1.2 Gigs 1,200Mbps download, 50 Mbps upload$95$105NoneNone

Source: CNET analysis of provider data

WOW offers asymmetrical hybrid fiber-coaxial cable internet plans. The reliance on coaxial cable infrastructure means that your download speeds will be much higher than the upload speeds.

WOW Internet sits in a sweet spot, with a good variety of plans, but not so many that things get confusing. Even more importantly, the pricing of those plans -- especially the regular rates that kick in after the promotional offer -- is highly competitive. WOW's plans are more affordable than comparable plans from larger cable providers like Xfinity, Spectrum and Cox. They're a better value than what you'll get from , Verizon and Frontier, too.

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Another strong point for WOW: Those prices aren't designed to push you into a more expensive speed tier once the promo period ends. Your bill will increase after the introductory rate, but it won't shoot up by $25 or more like other competitors. Additionally, the increase won't necessarily force you to upgrade to a faster plan's promo rate to get a better value, which is a common trick you'll see from many other providers.

WOW internet review

No, my caps lock didn't get stuck. WideOpenWest, which prefers to go by WOW, is an internet service provider that operates in 16 markets in the Midwest and Southeast US. According to the company's first quarter 2024 report, service is available to nearly 2 million homes. Coverage extends across Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, South Carolina and Tennessee.

Locating local internet providers

WOW Internet Plans: Pricing, Speed and Availability Compared (2)

WOW offers customers a hybrid coaxial cable/fiber-optic internet connection with download speeds ranging from 100 megabits per second to 1.2 gigabit (1,200Mbps). Last year, WOW began expanding its coverage area by constructing an all-fiber network, including in areas of South Carolina.

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If you're living in one of the six states where service is available, WOW may be the best option at your address. First and foremost, the price is right: WOW is one of the more affordable cable providers in the US, with relatively well-priced plans that easily exceed broadband speeds. On top of that, WOW won't lock you into a long-term service contract, and your connection comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. If a fiber connection is available at your address, that's still the way to go, but otherwise, there's a lot to like about WOW's home internet service. Let's explore a bit more.

Here's where WOW offers internet service

WOW Internet Plans: Pricing, Speed and Availability Compared (3)

You can currently find WOW home internet service in 16 markets among six states across the US.

Major cities in that coverage map include:

  • Huntsville, Alabama
  • Augusta, Georgia
  • Columbus, Georgia
  • Detroit, Michigan
  • Charleston, South Carolina
  • Knoxville, Tennessee

You can also find WOW’s internet service across cities like Auburn, Alabama; Dothan, Alabama; Panama City, Florida; Pinellas, Florida; Fort Gordon, Georgia; and Mid-Michigan, Michigan

Let's talk about speed

As we mentioned above, you'll find asymmetrical download and upload speeds with WOW internet plans. In practical terms, your connection won't be as robust as a complete fiber-to-the-home connection for tasks that involve uploading lots of data to the web. That includes many common tasks important for the work-from-home or remote-schooling life -- such as uploading large files, hopping on Zoom calls or FaceTiming with study buddies.

That said, WOW Internet features higher upload speeds than most cable internet providers. For example, its Internet 600 plan features upload speeds up to 50Mbps. Xfinity and Spectrum's 500Mbps plans max out their speeds at 10 and 20Mbps, respectively.

Uploads aside, the additional good news is that the least expensive plan WOW offers comes with download speeds of up to 300Mbps, which is much faster than the introductory plan of most ISPs and well above the Federal Communication Commission's broadband definition of 100Mbps download and 20Mbps upload.

Also, it's worth noting that for only an additional $15 a month, customers can double their speed with the Internet 600 plan.

WOW Internet Plans: Pricing, Speed and Availability Compared (4)

Other things to consider

No contracts, great pricing and the 30-day money-back guarantee all probably leap off the page when you first look at WOW's internet offers. There's more to think about, though, so let's look at some of the details.

Additional monthly fees

WOW Internet charges a $14-a-month fee for a modem rental in most cities, but this will vary by location. Like many other ISPs, you can avoid this recurring fee by using your own compatible device, though WOW "strongly recommends"that you lease it from WOW.

There's also a charge of $10 a month if you want to add "Whole-Home Wi-Fi" to your plan via mesh router rental. Specifically, this includes two of Amazon's Eero mesh devices. Any additional Eero devices will add another $6 a month per device to your bill. That's only so-so as far as value is concerned -- a two-piece Eero system costs $140, so you'd be better off just buying the router for yourself if you plan on keeping your connection longer than a year and a half. What's more, there are other mesh routers we like better.

30-day money-back guarantee

This is a customer-friendly option that WOW provides, especially when you consider that the company doesn't hold you to a contract and the ominous threat of heavy cancellation fees that comes with it.

This guarantee has a few small-print details, as you might imagine. It does not extend to taxes, fees paid or any equipment charges you incur. Also, to claim the money-back guarantee, you cannot reestablish service with WOW Internet within 180 days.

Perks and promos for new customers

WOW offers a free self-install kit to all new customers. You can also get a Visa Prepaid Reward Card. Customers who sign up for the 1.2 and 1-gigabit speed tiers are eligible for the reward card. The amount of the reward varies by service. Customers can also bundle their plans with YouTube TV and save $10 a month for one year. Finally, for the top-end 1.2 gigabit plan, customers can receive a $300 Visa gift card when bundled with YouTube TV. All these offers are valid for a limited time, and customers must have the service for a minimum of 90 days to qualify for the gift card.

Unlimited data on all plans

At present, WOW offers unlimited data on all its plans which means that customers don't have to worry about paying data-overage fees.

Back in 2021, the company introduced usage-based billing, cough -- data cap? The data cap ranged from 1.5 terabytes to 3TB and unlimited data for the 1.2 gig plan. WOW CEO Teresa Elder was asked why WOW was introducing data caps. "We've launched usage-based billing, which doesn't really create data caps," said Elder. "It creates different tiers of pricing."

That seems like more than just semantics to me. Thankfully, that issue seems to be moot as WOW has gone back to unlimited data with its plans.

WOW Internet Plans: Pricing, Speed and Availability Compared (5)

WOW vs. competitors: WOW wins decent customer satisfaction ratings, with some caveats

The 2023 American Customer Satisfaction Index for ISPs does not single out WOW for an individual score. Our ACSI contact confirmed its inclusion in the total numbers but said there's "too little market share to be measured by name." Overall, as an industry, we know that ISPs tend to be among the lowest-ranked in the ASCI ratings, so overall scores being in line with previous years doesn't tell us much.

Over in the 2023 J.D. Power US Residential Internet Service Provider Satisfaction Study, WOW Internet had a very decent showing in the North Central region. It captured a 694 score on a 1,000-point scale and landed fifth place. While this might seem promising, WOW landed below the region's average of 701 and came in short in comparison to its score last year, at 712. Still, it finished ahead of Spectrum, Cox, Frontier and Mediacom in that same geographical area.

Here's the bottom line

WOW offers some of the most affordable broadband plans you can find from a cable internet provider in the US. It also features some admirable customer-first features, including no data caps, no contracts, and money-back guarantees. But its reach isn't far and wide. That makes it a smaller player in the world of cable internet, but WOW still merits strong consideration for the attractive prices and terms if it's available at your address.

WOW Internet FAQs

Where does WOW get its name?

WOW is short for WideOpenWest. It's headquartered in Englewood, Colorado, and provides internet, TV and phone services to customers in the Midwest and Southeast.

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How can I contact WOW customer service?

There are several ways to reach out to WOW customer service. You can find most of what you need by visiting its Contact page. Several phone numbers are listed, all dependent on your address and whether you're an existing or potential customer inquiring about service.

Additionally, you can use the WOW Twitter contact page which is agreat way of tracking where any outages may be occurring.

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Is WOW participating in the FCC's Affordable Connectivity Program?

Yes. WOW supports the FCC's Affordable Connectivity Program, an initiative to help keep low-income households connected to vital internet services during this time of remote learning, work and health care information. WOW also offers its own low-cost plan at $10 a month, called Internet for Education, which provides affordable broadband access for qualifying households of K-12 students.

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WOW Internet Plans: Pricing, Speed and Availability Compared (2024)

FAQs

What is a good internet speed for WOW? ›

You need at least 25 Mbps download speeds and 3 Mbps upload speeds to effectively stream, game, download, and Zoom online with minimal slowdowns and buffering.

What is the cheapest wow internet plan? ›

Internet 300 – Most budget-friendly plan

The cheapest WOW! internet plan is Internet 300 for $30/mo. Not only is it the cheapest WOW!

Does WOW have high speed internet? ›

Coverage extends across Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, South Carolina and Tennessee. WOW offers customers a hybrid coaxial cable/fiber-optic internet connection with download speeds ranging from 100 megabits per second to 1.2 gigabit (1,200Mbps).

What speed is WoW Internet 300? ›

300 Mbps

What is the most ideal internet speed? ›

A good download speed is at least 100Mbps, and a good upload speed is at least 10 Mbps. With 100Mbps, you can stream movies, attend Zoom meetings, and play games online all on several devices at the same time.

Will 500 Mbps be enough? ›

In simple terms, 500Mbps (megabits per second) means that you can download 62.5MB (megabytes) of data every second. To put this into perspective, downloading a standard HD movie (around 5GB) would take a minute and 20 seconds. In short, this speed is more than adequate for most households and even small businesses.

How reliable is WOW internet? ›

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.

How much does WOW cost per month? ›

How much does a WoW Game Subscription Cost? One month of World of Warcraft game time costs $14.99/12.99 EUR. This automatically renews and can be cancelled at any time.

What is the monthly limit for WOW internet? ›

Data Allowances

There is a data cap on all four WOW! internet service plans that ranges from 1.5TB to 3TB per month. You will be charged an additional $10 for every 50GB of additional data, however, overage charges are capped at $50 per month.

Why is my WOW internet so slow at night? ›

Your ISP may be to blame if your upload speed is significantly slower than your subscribed plan. They might be controlling the bandwidth during peak usage hours (in most cases at night) to manage their resources.

Does WOW offer 5G internet? ›

Say hello to WOW!

Get the coverage you expect, delivered on the nation's largest and fastest 5G network.

Does WOW use a lot of internet? ›

Because a single World of Warcraft server might host thousands of players, you can end up using a lot of internet data during gameplay. If you play World of Warcraft on an installed 4G LTE internet connection, you may have to monitor how much internet data you use each month.

Does WOW use fiber optic cable? ›

WOW! utilizes hybrid fiber-coaxial cable to deliver its internet services, using the fiber portion for most of the network and then switching to coaxial cable in residential areas.

Is 300 Mbps fast enough for my home? ›

Bottomline: Is 300 Mbps good enough? Generally, 300 Mbps is a fast connection. It provides enough bandwidth to support a few users engaging in activities such as HD or 4K streaming, online gaming and video conferencing simultaneously.

Is 100 Mbps fast enough for online gaming? ›

100 Mbps is fast enough for nearly all internet activities, including browsing, downloading, streaming and gaming. 100 Mbps should be enough for households of three to five users and devices. Although 100 Mbps is often more than enough, you may need a larger plan if multiple people download and stream simultaneously.

Is 20 Mbps fast enough for online gaming? ›

The recommended internet connection speed for gaming: Download speed – 15-25 Mbps. Upload speed – 5 Mbps. Ping rate – Less than 50 ms.

Is 50 Mbps fast internet for gaming? ›

For the majority of streamers and gamers, a 50 Mbps plan should be plenty for a seamless experience. This speed supports the demands of these high-bandwidth activities while offering the reliability of direct-to-home fiber optic connection.

What is an OK internet speed for gaming? ›

When considering what internet speed you need for smooth online gaming, faster broadband speeds are better. For most gaming devices and multiplayer games, a fast internet speed for gaming of at least 25 Mbps is recommended. This provides lag-free play without disruption across multiple connected devices.

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