WOW Internet Definitive Buyers Guide

4.0
Rosslyn Elliott

Written by Rosslyn Elliott - Pub. Jul. 27, 2023 / Updated Oct. 9, 2024

4.0

WOW Staff Review

4.0

$30
Lowest price

5000 Mbps
Highest Speed

Internet 1 Gig
Popular Package

4.25
Customer Rating

4
Staff Rating

WOW! delivers fast, reliable internet with attractive pricing

WOW! (WideOpenWest) serves customers in 6 states and is the smallest cable internet provider on our list [1]. WOW! serves over 538,000 subscribers, which is a small base compared to industry cable internet giants like Xfinity and Spectrum [2]. But WOW! provides a model of good internet performance, operational success, and general customer satisfaction. WOW! uses a hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) network, like the biggest national cable providers. That technology allows WOW! to provide up to 5000 Mbps download speed and 50 Mbps upload speed. WOW! also features very low introductory plan prices, far lower than most cable internet providers. Though prices will rise after the first year, you’ll still pay about $20 less for most WOW! plan speeds than you would with Spectrum or Xfinity.  And WOW! scores above average for customer satisfaction too. WOW is also building out some all-fiber service, but that is still only available to a small percentage of their total customer base.

Pros

Best prices for cable service Good customer satisfaction Gigabit download speeds

Cons

Limited area of coverage Data caps Slower upload speeds

Call today & find the best WOW internet deals

1-833-440-3174
WOW Review Video - Compareinternet.com

Pricing

4.0

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.
PlanService TypeDownload SpeedMonthly Price
Visa $300 Gift Card Promo.
Fiber 5 GigFiber InternetUp to 5,000 Mbps Only $185
*Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
Visa $300 Gift Card Promo.
Fiber 3 GigFiber InternetUp to 3,000 Mbps Only $100
*Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
Visa $150 Gift Card Promo.
Internet 1 GigCable InternetUp to 1,000 Mbps Only $60
*Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
Internet 600Cable InternetUp to 600 Mbps Only $45
*Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
Internet 300Cable InternetUp to 300 Mbps Only $30
*Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.

Reliability and Performance

4.0

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.

Call today & find the best WOW internet deals

1-833-440-3174

Equipment, Installation and Bonus Features

4.0

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.

Call today & find the best WOW internet deals

1-833-440-3174

Customer Experience & Support

4.0

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.

FAQ's

WOW! does not provide a static IP address for your home internet account. But WOW! does offer home business accounts that can provide you with a static IP address.
WOW! offers security on a network level, which means you don’t have to manage it yourself. Network Security helps guard your internet connection against phishing, viruses and malware.
WOW! Internet and WOW! Whole-Home Wi-Fi can be self-installed.
Yes, you can. As long as a technician has completed the outside installation or there is an existing WOW! connection, you will be able to install and activate service using your own modem.
Take our internet speed test to find your actual upload and download speed.
The eero devices that support your Whole-Home Wi-Fi provide up to 1500 square feet of coverage per device.

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