Staff rating

4.3

Customer rating

4.6

(18)

Plans starting at $70.00

Download speeds up to 2000 Mbps

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Staff rating

3.8

Plans starting at $29.05

Download speeds up to 1 Gbps

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Staff rating

4.0

Customer rating

3.9

(12)

Plans starting at $9.99

Download speeds up to 1200 Mbps

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Staff rating

4.3

Fast and reliable fiber connection in limited locations

Google Fiber offers affordable gig speeds with no contracts, data caps, fees, or fuss. Unfortunately, it’s still hamstrung by extremely limited availability.

What we like

Fast, reliable speeds
Affordably priced
Super-simple plan selection

What we don't like

Limited availability
No budget plans

See full review

Savings tip: Google Fiber often has sign-up promotions for first-time customers. Call to ask a rep about current deals and discounts.

Check deals

Staff rating

3.8

Fast, inexpensive internet for rural Hoosiers

Rural south and central Indianans can get this company’s affordable, high-speed, reliable fiber internet with no contract and no data cap. And if you don’t have access to Smithville yet, you might soon. It’s expanding fast!

What we like

High-speed, reliable rural internet
Low cost
No contract

What we dislike

No self-setup option
Costly customer support
Possible legacy DSL speeds

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Savings tip: Smithville often has sign-up promotions for first-time customers. Call to ask a rep about current deals and discounts.

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Staff rating

4.0

Wow! Internet earns its name with incredible value

Wow! Internet is known for reliability, fantastic customer service, and no- contract options. Wow! 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. In fact, Wow! Internet was named "Best Internet Service Provider" by US News and World Report in 2024. Wow! Internet offers both cable and fiber internet networks, depending on your location.

What we like

Affordable
Optional contracts
Award-winning customer service

What we dislike

Limited upload speed
Only available in 6 states

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Savings tip: WOW! often has sign-up promotions for first-time customers. Call to ask a rep about current deals and discounts.

Check deals

Value

4.0

Some of the best value in the internet business

Google Fiber internet is an excellent value for the money. There are only two plans: 1,000 Mbps (1 gig) for $70 per month and 2,000 Mbps (2 gigs) for $100 per month. The 1 gig plan is among the most affordable we’ve seen at that speed, costing a little more than half the national benchmark fro similar plans (1). The 2 gig option is also drastically cheaper than many other providers’ similar offerings (if they even have a 2 gig plan). There’s no budget option for those who don’t need speeds this fast, but for what Google does offer, the value is hard to beat.

Pricing details vary by location. Visit

Google Fiber's website

or call to speak with a rep.

See pricing

Value

4.0

Uncommonly high speeds and low costs for rural internet

Smithville Communications offers just one fiber internet plan, serving up 1 Gbps and unlimited data for less than about $0.70 per Mbps. Compared to the US benchmark plan for similar service ($134.62) (1), Smithville is a pretty sweet deal. And you won’t have to sign a contract to get it.

This low price is particularly impressive for fiber in rural areas since building infrastructure outside of urban centers can be incredibly costly. Smithville could easily charge higher rates for bringing fiber to rural Indiana, but it doesn’t. And we applaud that.

Pricing details vary by location. Visit

Smithville's website

or call 1-844-719-8071 to speak with a rep.

See pricing

Value

4.0

Great value, whether you sign a contract or not

WOW! offers 100 Mbps to 5 Gbps plans at a great price, whether or not you sign up for an optional contract. If you don’t mind signing a contract, WOW!’s plans will cost you about 25% less than the national benchmark for a similar plan (1). After the contract period, prices transition to month-to-month rates, which are $10 to $15 higher but still a really great deal.

To get WOW!’s lowest advertised prices, you need to sign up for both autopay and paperless billing (a $5 monthly savings) and commit to a two-year contract. If you’re not sure whether you want WOW! Internet for that long, you can sign up for month-to-month. If you terminate your contract early, you’ll pay $15 for each month left on your contract—which isn’t much more than you’d pay if you skip the contract from the start. (2)

There are data caps of either 1.5 TB or 3 TB, depending on your plan. These are pretty high, but if you’re a a really heavy downloader or uploader, you could be charged up to $50 extra every month and have your speed throttled.

Pricing details vary by location. Visit

WOW!'s website

or call 1-844-898-8626 to speak with a rep.

See pricing

Performance

5.0

Consistently fast performance and rock-solid reliability

Google Fiber is one of the fastest internet providers and offers excellent performance. The speeds are more than enough for even the heaviest users, and there’s enough bandwidth to power a whole household of HD streams. Since this is fiber, upload speeds are also excellent—1,000 Mbps on both plans. Unlimited data is the cherry on top of this delicious internet sundae. Our only knock is that some providers have started offering even faster speeds (though the majority of households won’t need more than what Google offers).

Available speeds vary by location. Call to speak with a Google Fiber rep or

go to its website.

Performance

5.0

Get 1 Gbps speeds and unlimited data—unless you’re in a legacy DSL area

Fiber is the fastest and most reliable type of internet available, and download speeds max out around 5 Gbps. Smithville fiber reaches only 1 Gbps, but for most people frustrated by slow or unreliable rural internet, it’ll feel like your browser just got a turbo boost. You’ll also see 1 Gbps upload speeds, which is less common among non-fiber internet types like DSL and cable. Everyone—from heavy streamers and online gamers to remote workers and avid YouTube creators—will have plenty of juice (and unlimited data) when they need it.

Unfortunately, there’s one caveat: In some areas, Smithville is still using legacy DSL infrastructure, so you might not be able to sign up for fiber just yet. Smithville is phasing out this infrastructure as it lays more fiber lines, and it was named one of the Top 100 Fiber-to-the-Home organizations by Broadband Communities magazine for its efforts in helping bring fiber internet to rural communities (2). Luckily, Smithville won’t lock you into a contract, so if you’re not happy with your DSL, you can cancel any time and come back later when you have access to fiber.

Available speeds vary by location. Call 1-844-719-8071 to speak with a Smithville rep or

go to its website.

Performance

4.0

Fast, reliable cable and fiber internet

The majority of WOW!’s network is cable and fiber, but some customers in Alabama still have legacy DSL service. WOW!'s speeds top out at 5 gigs, but for most households, that's way more than needed. We generally don't recommend more than 1 gigs for most households.

WOW's cable plans have upload speeds that cap out at 50 Mbps, but its fiber plans are symmetrical. That means you can upload as fast as you can download. Most people will be fine with 50 Mbps upload speeds, but if you upload a lot of photos or videos, WOW! fiber could save you some headaches.

Available speeds vary by location. Call 1-844-898-8626 to speak with a WOW! rep or

go to its website.

Equipment and installation

4.0

Free installation, free equipment, and no sneaky fees

Equipment is another area where Google Fiber really shines. Installation of the fiber jack is free, and there are no monthly fees for the network box, which functions as both a modem and router. This means that, outside of any state-imposed access fees, the advertised prices are what you’ll actually pay for broadband internet service. Many other providers end up costing $10–$15 more per month due to equipment rental fees, so this is a refreshing change of pace.

Additionally, Google doesn’t charge any sort of activation fee. This is another area where other internet providers sometimes get you—they advertise free installation, but charge a significant “activation fee” that negates the deal.

On paper, Google Fiber and its equipment are fantastic. We had to bump this score down, however, because of the slow pace of installation. Some customers complain of having to wait for months or even years to have fiber installed at their homes, even after the fiber-optic cables have been laid in their neighborhoods.

Equipment and installation options can vary widely depending on

Google Fiber plans

available in your area.

View plans

Equipment and installation

3.5

Free equipment, but you’ll have to pay for activation and possibly installation

Smithville provides a wireless router to all customers with no additional rental fees, which is a good deal. You will pay an activation fee of $25, and if you need any lines run or jacks installed, you’ll pay for those too.

You do have the option of using your own equipment, but you’ll have to contact customer service to find out if your gear is compatible because this info isn’t available on the Smithville website. And if you need help troubleshooting your equipment, you’re on your own.

Equipment and installation options can vary widely depending on

Smithville plans

available in your area.

View plans

Equipment and installation

3.5

Competitive Wi-Fi gear and installation

WOW! includes a free modem for your first year ($14/month after that), and fiber plans come with a free Wi-Fi router too. If you have cable service, you can rent a Whole Home Wi-Fi system, which includes a coveted eero base and one extender for $9.99. Additional extenders are $5.99 each, but most households won’t need more than one because eero’s that good. eero comes with an app you can use to manage your network, and you can add security services for an additional cost (under $10/month) if you want ad-blocking, malware protection, or parental controls.

A free self-startup kit is available to most new customers, but if you prefer professional installation, it's $75. The good news is that with professional installation, WOW! waives its $10 activation fee, so it’s really just $65 more to have a technician’s help.

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Equipment and installation options can vary widely depending on

WOW! plans

available in your area.

View plans

Customer experience

4.5

Straightforward pricing, clear bills, and consistent speeds

Given the excellent speeds, (relatively) affordable pricing, and lack of fees, it’s safe to say that living with Google Fiber makes for a fantastic experience. For the most part, you can just do what you need to do online and forget that you even have an internet service provider, which is great. When Google anticipates a change to your account or service, it generally lets you know well in advance.

If you do end up needing support, you’re dealing with Google. In general, this means really good online help and so-so phone support. That said, we’ve seen comparatively few customer service complaints about Google Fiber, and our own experience with Google Fiber has been that we rarely need customer support anyway. The company claims (2) it topped results in over 20 categories in an American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) survey, but the actual results of that survey don’t appear to be public, so all we have are anecdotes.

Something else that we love about Google Fiber is how straightforward the billing is. The monthly statements are very clear about how much you owe and when you’ll be charged compared to the sometimes confusing internet bills from other providers, so there’s no ambiguity about charges. You can also access your account and billing info using your Gmail login, so you don’t have to worry about yet another username and password.

Visit Google Fiber's website

or call for more information on contracts and money-back guarantees.

Go to provider

Customer experience

3.0

Around-the-clock tech support—at a cost

Smithville offers 24/7 tech support to all customers, which is helpful if you have trouble with its router, need wiring repairs or a jack replacement, or your service is otherwise interrupted and it’s the company's fault.

If a visiting technician discovers the problem was out of Smithville’s control, you’ll have to pay a $35 service fee and $90 technician fee for help. Most companies charge you only one of these fees. Smithville will waive these charges if you buy its Connection Protection plan for at least one year, at a cost of $3.95 per month. But technicians still won’t help you with your own equipment.

Visit Smithville's website

or call 1-844-719-8071 for more information on contracts and money-back guarantees.

Go to provider

Customer experience

4.5

Award-winning customer service

WOW! provides an award-winning customer experience, ranking fourth-highest in J.D. Power’s ISP Satisfaction list in the North Central US region in 2022. (3)

We should note that in 2021 WOW! sold a couple regions of its business (Evansville, IN and Chicago) to Astound broadband, so customers may see some changes in their service. That said, Astound ranks fifth on P.C. Mag's Readers' Choice awards, so you're probably in good hands. (4)

The main downside is that Wow! Internet is only available in six states in the US. The company is currently expanding, though, so check to see if service is available in your area.

Visit WOW!'s website

or call 1-844-898-8626 for more information on contracts and money-back guarantees.

Go to provider

Made up your mind?

Find out what providers are available near you.

Google Fiber

4.6

(18)

5 Star

67%

4 Star

28%

3 Star

2 Star

1 Star

Zacharias from Kansas City, MO

Google Fiber Customer for 4+ years

Reviewed on: 6-22-2022

The signal consistently fluctuates with service. It runs well just improving on its reception efforts. Maybe have better discounts for long-standing customers. Try to reward your customers that been with you the longest.

Danielfrom San Antonio, TX

Google Fiber Customer for 1+ years

Reviewed on: 6-22-2022

Prices is amazing for the speed. Rarely have any issues with srevices. Can hold up to all the devices on at the same time with no lag.

Carriefrom Atlanta, GA

Google Fiber Customer for 1+ years

Reviewed on: 6-17-2022

Google Fi is a huge improvement over our precious service. We rarely have interruptions to service and if we do it's remedied quickly. They also do a good job communicating with customers about changes.

Craigfrom Shawnee, KS

Google Fiber Customer for 4+ years

Reviewed on: 6-17-2022

Google Fiber is fast and reliable. I consistently get 1 Gbps up and down. But what I really like is that I don't have to use their router/box. I currently use my Orbi with their service and have disconnected their box.

Smithville

0.0

(0)

5 Star

4 Star

3 Star

2 Star

1 Star

WOW!

3.9

(12)

5 Star

33%

4 Star

33%

3 Star

25%

2 Star

1 Star

Annfrom Sterling Heights , MI

WOW! Customer for 4+ years

Reviewed on: 6-22-2022

Nothing is good. The internet is too slow. It sucks.

Rickfrom Canton, MI

WOW! Customer for 8+ years

Reviewed on: 6-22-2022

WOW started off fine for years. In recent years there service has gone down hill. There are more interuptions and slower speeds.

Mercedesfrom Knoxville, TN

WOW! Customer for 4+ years

Reviewed on: 6-22-2022

I think that wow is a great internet service company, they get the job done and are always there when you need them. I think that they could improve by offering more services to the public

Angelfrom Leslie, MI

WOW! Customer for 4+ years

Reviewed on: 6-17-2022

I THINK IT IS TOO EXPENSIVE FOR BASIC PHONE AND INTERNET

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Endnotes and sources

1. “2022 Urban Rate Survey – Fixed Broadband Service,” FCC. Accessed 8 December 2022.2. “Google Fiber,” Google. Accessed 8 December 2022.

Endnotes and sources

1. “2022 Urban Rate Survey – Fixed Broadband Service,” FCC. Accessed 9 December 2022.2. “2022 Fiber-To-The-Home Top 100.” Broadband Communities Magazine. Accessed 9 December 2022.

Endnotes and sources

1. “2022 Urban Rate Survey – Fixed Broadband Service,” FCC. Accessed 21 June 2022.2. "WOW! Internet - Terms of Service," Wide Open West. Accessed 12 October 20223. "Price of Residential Internet Drives Customer Choice, J.D. Power Finds," J. D. Power. Accessed 7 December 2022.4. “Readers’ Choice 2022: Your Favorite ISPs for Any Type of Broadband,” PCMag. Accessed 7 December 2022.