We’re committed to transparency. We may earn money when you follow our recommendations, but compensation doesn’t affect our ratings. Learn more.
Switchful Logo

Metronet vs. WOW! Internet plan comparison


Headshot of Dave Schafer
Headshot of Kathryn Casna
Researched by
Headshot of Bri Field
Headshot of Vilja Johnson
Reviewed by
Updated 2/7/23
Metronet brand
Staff rating
4.2
Customer rating
4.3
(3)

  • Plans starting at $20.00
  • Download speeds up to 1 Gbps
WOW! brand
Staff rating
3.5
Customer rating
4.0
(17)

  • Plans starting at $9.99
  • Download speeds up to 1200 Mbps
Metronet brand
Staff rating
4.2

Strong value from a local internet provider

Metronet is a growing regional provider that offers value-packed internet service to customers. Its all-fiber network is fast and reasonably priced. Overall, we think Metronet is a solid pick for your next internet provider—if you happen to live in one of its coverage areas.

What we like

  • Unlimited data
  • No contracts
  • 100% fiber service
What we dislike

  • Availability only in the Midwest
  • Limited plan selection
WOW! brand
Staff rating
3.5

Wow! Internet earns its name

Fast, inexpensive internet with great customer service, equipment, and installation? Wow is right. This internet company is a solid choice for most people. But if you’re a heavy streamer, its cable-fiber hybrid network might not be beefy enough.

What we like

  • Low costs
  • Optional contracts
  • Award-winning customer service
What we dislike

  • Limited upload speed
  • Not ideal for online gaming
  • Availability in only 9 states
Metronet brand
Value
4.0
Good value overall, especially on the 1 gig plan

Smaller, regional internet providers sometimes suffer a little in the value department. Either the pricing is good but the speeds offered aren’t up to snuff, or the speeds are fast but the price is outrageous. Metronet bucks this trend. In fact, the 1 gig plan actually starts out at a lower price than most competitors and less than half the national benchmark for similar plans (1).

You do have the standard rate hikes after the first 6-24 months, but the lack of equipment fees helps offset this. Competing internet providers sometimes offer small perks that make them more attractive, but Metronet definitely holds its own.

WOW! brand
Value
4.0
Great value, whether you sign a contract or not

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

To get WOW!’s 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 to be chained to WOW! for that long, don’t worry too much about it. If you duck out early, you’ll pay only $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 heavy user, you could be charged up to $50 extra every month and have your speed throttled.

Metronet brand
Performance
5.0
Excellent performance with no data caps

Performance with Metronet is great. There are plans ranging from 100 Mbps to 1 Gbps, all of which offer symmetrical upload speeds. This means upload speeds are equal to download speeds—excellent for content creators, streamers, online gamers, and anyone else who shares a lot of large files. Best of all, there are no data caps.

Although some fiber providers have started offering 2 gig and even 5 gig plans, we don't think anyone needs to pay for that much speed (and if you're one of the few who does, you probably already know who you are). Metronet’s 1 gig option will be plenty for most needs, but extremely heavy users who require faster speeds will have to look elsewhere. Find out how much internet speed you need.

WOW! brand
Performance
4.0
A cable-fiber hybrid network delivers fast, reliable download speeds

The majority of WOW!’s network is a hybrid of cable and fiber, though some customers in Alabama still have legacy DSL service. Although fiber technology can provide up to 10 Gbps and symmetrical upload and download speeds, a hybrid network can perform only as well as cable technology allows. WOW!'s speeds top out at 1.2 gigs, which is faster than most cable providers. Your max upload speed will be 50 Mbps, which is great for cable.

For most people, an asymmetrical 1.2 Gbps connection is plenty fast. But if you upload a lot of photos or videos, WOW! might not be powerful enough. You can also face throttling if you exceed your (admittedly generous) data caps. If that’s you, a fully fiber network, if available in your area, will be your best bet. You’ll probably also want to keep shopping if you can only get DSL with WOW!

Metronet brand
Equipment and installation
4.5
High-quality equipment and cheap installation

Metronet provides all the equipment you need to get started free of charge, including an eero wireless router so you can get online quickly. This is a nice change of pace in an industry that often charges $10–$15 per month for mediocre gear. You do have the option of adding a wireless extender for $10 per month (called WholeHome Wi-Fi), but it isn’t strictly necessary.

More good news concerning installation—while most providers charge between $50 and $100 (or more) for installation, Metronet will bill you only $25. That’s not bad at all. Of course, when installation is a mandatory part of the service, we’d prefer it to be free, but we’ll take what we can get. Plus, all you have to do to receive a $25 installation credit (effectively making it free) is to sign up for automatic billing.

Our only complaint is the lack of any type of self-installation option, so you'll have to set aside a good two to four hours for a technician to come to your house.

WOW! brand
Equipment and installation
3.5
Competitive Wi-Fi gear and installation

WOW! includes a free modem for your first year ($14/month after that). You can also 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’ll cost you $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.

As an Amazon Associate, Switchful.com may earn commissions from qualifying purchases.

Metronet brand
Customer experience
3.5
A good experience overall, but some strange fees

Decent value, fast performance, and reasonable equipment and installation costs make for a great experience overall. Metronet also claims to have 24-hour local support, and customers generally seem satisfied with their service.

There is one glaring issue, though: the provider charges a mandatory “technology service fee” of around $10 per month.

Metronet claims this is to cover the cost of service calls, tech visits, and equipment maintenance. However, we don’t see this type of charge from any other provider, and it effectively nullifies the free equipment, so we have mixed feelings.

We've also seen a few complaints from customers who feel like they were being charged more than advertised, but we thought that the price increases and fees were pretty fairly laid out on the website, so just make sure to read the fine print (2).


WOW! brand
Customer experience
4.5
Award-winning customer service, even in areas under new management

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)

Endnotes and sources
1. “2022 Urban Rate Survey – Fixed Broadband Service,” FCC. Accessed 18 October 2022.2. "Metronet Customer Reviews," BroadbandNow. 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.
Metronet
4.3
(3)
5 Star
33%
4 Star
67%
3 Star
0%
2 Star
0%
1 Star
0%
D
Dylan from Rock Island, IL
Metronet Customer for 1+ years
Reviewed on: 2022-09-07
They are great and I have had minimal issues with them. The few issues have been resolved fast
W
William from Tallahassee, FL
Metronet Customer for Less than a year
Reviewed on: 2022-07-28
Combined with more streaming for our television viewing, we have gained financially from switching. Service has been strong thus far. Greater speed is still a desire we have.
B
Brendafrom Tallahassee, FL
Metronet Customer for Less than a year
Reviewed on: 2022-07-25
Everything works just a well as other providers but costs less.
WOW!
4.0
(17)
5 Star
29%
4 Star
47%
3 Star
18%
2 Star
6%
1 Star
0%
M
Mercedesfrom Knoxville, TN
WOW! Customer for 4+ years
Reviewed on: 2022-08-11
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
R
Rickfrom Canton, MI
WOW! Customer for 8+ years
Reviewed on: 2022-08-08
WOW started off fine for years. In recent years there service has gone down hill. There are more interuptions and slower speeds.
A
Annfrom Sterling Heights , MI
WOW! Customer for 4+ years
Reviewed on: 2022-08-06
Nothing is good. The internet is too slow. It sucks.
A
Angelfrom Leslie, MI
WOW! Customer for 4+ years
Reviewed on: 2022-06-22
I THINK IT IS TOO EXPENSIVE FOR BASIC PHONE AND INTERNET
Popular Internet alternatives
Click on a provider to compare.
CenturyLink
Google Fiber
Sparklight
Cox Communications
Frontier Communications
Astound Broadband
Verizon Fios
TDS Telecom