WOW vs. Frontier Internet Providers Compared

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.

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.

Frontier will give you a good deal on fiber, but DSL varies widely

Frontier is the 8th-largest internet service provider in the United States, with 2.8 million broadband subscribers [1]. The company has a total of 9.9 million copper passings and 6.8 million fiber passings. At the end of 2023, over 70% of their customers were fiber internet customers [2]. Frontier’s main distinction among fiber internet providers is that you will get faster speeds compared to the competition. For example, Frontier’s first-tier fiber plan costs about $39.99 per month at present, like many of its rivals. But that Frontier plan will give you 100 Mbps download and upload speeds, where many other fiber providers tend to start at 200 Mbps and 300 Mbps. With modem-router rental included and no data caps, Frontier Fiber offers the kind of simple, clear pricing that earns high ratings from us. The only drawback is that Frontier Internet (the name for their DSL plans) does not provide the same kind of bargain. Frontier pricing is just average for DSL in the industry. Plus, the DSL speed you will be able to get at your address will vary depending on infrastructure. (DSL usually ranges from 3-50 Mbps download and 1-3 Mbps upload.) Average DSL pricing in the industry is not a great deal for customers compared to cable and fiber pricing. That’s why Frontier and many other providers are moving away from copper-based service in favor of fiber.

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.

Frontier Fiber offers speed and reliability, but their DSL lags behind

Just like pricing, performance for Frontier plans is heavily split depending on whether you get fiber or DSL. With Frontier Fiber, you can get multi-gigabit speeds up to 7000 Mbps. That’s right up there with the top few providers in the fiber internet business. And pricing for the 2 Gig and 5 Gig plans is cheaper than comparable offerings from other ISPs. These multi-gigabit speeds will be more than sufficient for very large households with many devices all streaming or gaming simultaneously. Even 500 Mbps is still a lot of speed and will be more than capable of supporting a five- or six-person home and all the devices in it. DSL performance will be unpredictable, but the only constant is that it will not deliver fiber-like performance. If you’re lucky, you’ll get a speed above 25 Mbps download. With that speed, you’ll be able to do most standard internet activities such as streaming and browsing, though you’ll have to watch how many devices are online at once. But if you get a speed that’s 10 Mbps or lower, you may find your service glitching or freezing during heavy-data tasks.

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.

Installation fees waived with one year of service

Frontier provides your basic modem/router at no charge when you get fiber internet or DSL. For both technology types, standard installation fee is $100, but the fee is waived as long as you keep your service for at least 12 months. So, you basically get free installation unless you cancel before the year is over, in which case you'll pay a pro-rated fee.

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.

Frontier Fiber shows strong performance in customer satisfaction

Frontier's reviews have improved greatly with increased fiber service, as is reflected in higher rankings in the J.D. Power Residential Internet Service Provider Satisfaction study [3]. Frontier's sharp rise in the rankings is a promising sign that if you get Frontier Fiber, you will be happy with your choice. In addition, Frontier outranks even strong fiber competitors in the well-regarded national survey known as Net Promoter Score [4].