Spectrum vs. WOW Internet Providers Compared

Spectrum offers gigabit speeds and great bundle deals

Spectrum is one of the two largest internet service providers in the country. Like its rival Xfinity, Spectrum is a cable internet company that uses hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) technology. HFC brings you much faster speeds than old-fashioned coaxial cable internet. In select areas, Spectrum offers gigabit speeds up to 1000 Mbps. Spectrum’s promotional prices for new customers are very good, and still remain reasonable when your 12-month promotion ends. The company also offers outstanding bundling deals, with cell phone lines currently only about $30/month with your internet plan. Spectrum has two big advantages over Xfinity. Spectrum’s pricing is much simpler, and Spectrum has no data caps. That’s why we give Spectrum the edge after comparing the two biggest cable internet providers head-to-head.

Spectrum offers great initial deals, but bundling may be the best deal ever

Spectrum is a major player in internet service, with 30 million broadband subscribers [1]. Spectrum offers attractive promotional pricing, especially their first-tier internet plan at $50/month for up to 500 Mbps.

Spectrum offers unlimited data without caps

Spectrum offers a big price advantage because it has no hard data caps, unlike many other cable and DSL providers. If you’re a heavy-data-usage household (including remote workers, real-time gamers and streaming binge-watchers), having no data caps may be crucial for your budget. If you’re living by yourself and you watch a movie once a week, the absence of data caps won’t matter as much. But for a larger household, having no data caps will offer you peace of mind and a more predictable bill without overage charges.

Spectrum One, the bundle deal of the year?

In late 2022, Spectrum introduced a new bundle deal called Spectrum One that may just change your mind about your preferred internet service provider [2]. If you are an existing Spectrum customer, Spectrum will bundle their Spectrum Mobile cell phone service with your internet and charge you only about $30/month for a line with unlimited data. You can add more mobile service at the same price. Here’s another little secret: Spectrum Mobile service is currently provided by Verizon networks. So, if you have two cell phones on your bundle, you will be getting major mobile power and coverage but saving over $80/month off the price of two typical cell phone plans. We’re betting that’s enough to send many of us to Spectrum.

WOW’s prices are so low they’ll WOW you

If there’s any way that WOW! can claim to have truly earned its name, it’s with low pricing. The first-tier plan will give you 300 Mbps download speed for only $30 a month. That's on the very low end of cable ISP pricing. A lightning-fast, multi-gigabit speed of 5000 Mbps from WOW! will run you $185. That’s considerably cheaper than several other major cable providers’ multi-gigabit speed plans. WOW!’s lower-speed plans do have a couple of drawbacks that may increase their otherwise excellent prices. Those drawbacks are data caps and a $14/month modem rental fee. Fortunately, the equipment rental fee is optional, meaning that you can skip it if you provide your own modem/router instead. And the data caps are fairly high for the lowest-tier plans (1.5 TB/month) and very high for the 500 Mbps (2.5 TB) and 1 Gig (3 TB) plans. The high caps for the faster plans make it very unlikely that you will exceed your data caps. So, just don’t go crazy and have 40 gamers play at your house for a month. The vast majority of households will not ever approach the limits of a 2.5 TB data cap.

Spectrum internet will rise to unprecedented speeds in next few years with up to 10/6 Gbps

In 2023, Spectrum was named by Speedtest® as the fastest internet provider in the United States for providing the highest average speed to customers [3]. Spectrum’s hybrid fiber-cable technology is already supplying 1000 Mbps speeds in some areas. Either way, HFC will give you faster, more reliable internet service than anything but fiber. Spectrum customers tend to report reliable, speedy performance. You don’t get glitching or freezing or network slowdowns in most cases. You’ll be well-equipped for gaming, videoconferencing, and HD streaming. On a personal note, I have been a Spectrum customer for three years, and my experience with their service has proven to be very smooth and reliable. But there’s even more innovation coming from Spectrum that will boost HFC performance to fiber-like speeds. If you sign up for Spectrum now, you’re going to get a major bandwidth boost in the next couple of years. Here’s the technical explanation with the specs. Spectrum’s upgrade to the DOCSIS 4.0 standard over the next three years will deliver a maximum 10 Gbps download/ 6 Gbps upload, which can rival any current fiber speeds. By 2025, 85% of Spectrum’s service footprint will have speeds of 5 Gbps download/1 Gbps upload [4]. Fiber has received some great press in the last few years. But hybrid fiber/cable networks like Spectrum’s may be about to have their day in the sun too.

WOW! cable is a fast, strong choice with gigabit download speeds but slower upload speeds

Internet performance from WOW! matches the stats of the largest cable providers in the nation such as Spectrum and Infinity. You will get fast speeds from WOW!’s high-end plans that will support streaming and gaming with multiple devices. The chief disadvantage of cable internet is that upload speeds are so slow compared to the symmetrical speeds of fiber internet. If you want to do large uploads or real-time gaming on 10 devices at once in your home, there’s no question that you’ll be better off with fiber’s lightning-fast uploads. But for most households with average internet usage, a fast cable plan like WOW! internet will be good enough.

Advanced WiFi and low equipment fees increase appeal for Spectrum

Spectrum will provide you with a free modem and either a Wave 2 router or an advanced, WiFi 6 compatible router [5]. The Charter Red-Dot Design award-winning router can support up to 200 devices simultaneously. User controls allow you to manage which devices are connected and when, and Security Shield automatically blocks online threats. You can even manage your router and your home wireless devices from the Spectrum app on your phone, with no complicated log-in. The router will automatically switch channels to optimize your internet performance.

Spectrum offers low equipment fees

Spectrum equipment fees are standardized, very low, and easy to understand. Spectrum modems come free with your service, and Spectrum routers rent for $5/month. Simple, straightforward pricing, unlike the complicated equipment fee charts you have to read for other providers.

Spectrum installation fees

Spectrum’s installation fees are middle-of-the-road for the industry. Professional installation by a technician will cost you $59.99. You can self-install Spectrum too, with a $19.99 activation fee.

Equipment rental fees are optional, self-installation is free for WOW!

All WOW! plans come with a free self-installation kit. If for any reason you’re not comfortable with self-installation, you can get pro installation for $50. Though most plans will allow you to rent a modem/router from WOW! for about $14/month, you also have the option to supply your own equipment. This choice may be better for your budget if you plan to have service for more than a year. Just make sure you check with WOW! to be sure your router has compatible specs.

Spectrum Customer Service available 24/7

Spectrum provides customer service by phone or online chat 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Spectrum also provides an extensive online troubleshooting guide and how-to resource library. If you prefer in-person assistance, Spectrum supports brick-and-mortar stores across its coverage area. These physical locations can also be very handy when you want to exchange equipment. Your Spectrum plan will give you access to a helpful and comprehensive mobile app. The app allows you to check for outages, manage your account, and do almost anything you would do online or by phone. You can even manage your WiFi settings through the app.

WOW! outperforms larger ISPs for customer satisfaction

WOW! offers the same customer support amenities as the largest national ISPs [4]. You will get an online portal to allow you to manage your account. Telephone help is available 24/7. Online chat is available every day between 7:00 AM and 11:45 PM EST. In the J.D. Power 2023 U.S. Residential Internet Service Provider Satisfaction Study, WOW! outperformed much larger ISPs such as Cox [5]. That strong performance indicates WOW! customers are pretty happy with their service.