WOW Internet Review: Plans, Pricing, Speed and Availability

WOW internet review

No, my caps lock didn't get stuck. WideOpenWest, which prefers to go by WOW, is a cable and fiber internet service provider that operates in 19 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 six states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, South Carolina and Tennessee.

WOW offers customers a hybrid coaxial cable/fiber-optic internet connection with download speeds ranging from 300 megabits per second to 1.2 gigabits (1,200Mbps), with plans to continue expanding its fiber network. In June 2024, WOW announced that an all-fiber connection is now available in five new cities in Central Florida. Longwood, Sanlando Springs, Lake Mary, Winter Springs and Sanford residents can now access blazing symmetrical download and upload speeds.

If you live 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 internet 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 longterm service contract, and your connection comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. If a fiber internet 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.

Note that all prices discussed in the chart include the $10 autopay discount included in WOW's plan; if you choose to opt out of WOW's autopay pricing, your monthly cost will be higher.

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 around 10Mbps.

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 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.

Our top plan pick is WOW's gigabit plan because it offers the best value. The gigabit plan features a cost per Mbps of 5 cents, which is the cheapest in comparison to the other speed tiers. Whichever plan you choose, you can expect straightforward service terms: no data caps, equipment fees or contracts.

WOW doesn't currently offer introductory pricing on its plans at the moment, just a $10 discount for autopay enrollment. However, WOW reserves the right to change prices at its own discretion, so if you'd like to avoid that, WOW also offers a "price lock" for $10 extra a month, to ensure you pay the same price as long as you're enrolled.

Where can you get WOW Internet?

You can currently find WOW home internet service in 19 different markets among six states across the US: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, South Carolina and Tennessee.

Major cities in that coverage map include: 

• Dothan, Alabama
• Huntsville, Alabama
• Montgomery, Alabama
• Augusta, Georgia
• Columbus, Georgia
• Detroit, Michigan
• Charleston, South Carolina
• Greenville, South Carolina
• Knoxville, Tennessee

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. For context, Spectrum's 500Mbps plans max out its upload speeds at 20Mbps.

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 includes the rental cost of a modem in your monthly fee in most cities, but you can still buy your own compatible device, though WOW recommends a DOCSIS 3.0 or 3.1 modem.

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 $300 Visa Prepaid Reward Card if you sign up for the 1.2 gigabit tier. WOW also offers a bundle with YouTube TV for customers of any speed tier. For 12 months, you can get $10 off the regular monthly fee for YouTube TV and receive a $300 Visa gift card.

New customers can participate in WOW's refer-a-friend program and receive a $100 Visa Reward Card. You can refer up to five times a year, potentially earning a value of $500.

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 Internet 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. 

Reddit discussions online indicate mixed reviews for WOW's home internet service. Most users point to issues with WOW's modem and router equipment and dealing with outages, whereas others express that service is pretty standard and reliable.

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 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.

WOW Internet FAQs