WOW Internet Review: Plans, Pricing, Speed and Availability Compared

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WOW Home Internet rating

How we calculated our rating

7.2/10

CNET Score

We score internet providers for speed, value and customer care. Our data sources include the FCC, J.D. Power, The American Customer Satisfaction Index and extensive in-house research.

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7.2

/ 10

SCORE

Speed

7.5/10

Value

7/10

Customer Care

7.2/10

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

Source: CNET analysis of provider data

You can choose between four of WOW's main offerings, all of which feature an asymmetrical hybrid fiber-coaxial cable connection. The reliance on coaxial cable infrastructure means that your download speeds will be much higher than the upload speeds.

The starting plan features download speeds of 300 megabits per second and 20Mbps in upload. Cable giants like Spectrum and Xfinity offer similar plans but fall short on upload speeds, coming in at 10Mbps only. Whichever plan you choose, you can expect straightforward service terms: no data caps, equipment fees or contracts.

Our top pick is WOW's gigabit plan because it offers the best value. The gigabit plan features a cost per Mbps of 6 cents, which is the cheapest in comparison to the other speed tiers.

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 AT&T, Verizon and Frontier, too.

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 latest quarterly report, WOW's service is available to nearly 2 million homes. 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). Just recently, a spokesperson from WOW told CNET that an all-fiber connection is now available in five new cities in Central Florida. Residents of Longwood, Sanlando Springs, Lake Mary, Winter Springs and Sanford can now access blazing symmetrical download and upload speeds.

"We are well positioned for continued success, fueled by the momentum we achieved over the last year in expanding our network and demonstrating our value to new customers at a pace that gives us confidence in our ongoing broadband-first approach," WOW CEO, Teresa Elder writes in a company press release.

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.

Where can you get WOW Internet?

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.

WOW's internet 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.

Straightforward service terms for WOW Internet

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 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

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 vs. competitors: Decent customer satisfaction, with some caveats

The 2024 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.

What's the bottom line on WOW internet?

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.

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