STAFF REVIEW

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Researched by

Kathryn CasnaSenior Staff Writer

Reviewed by

Bri FieldAssigning Editor

Updated 2/7/23

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Low starting prices and reliable internet speeds

Cox provides a great customer experience and reliable speeds, but you’ll spend more for higher-speed plans, extra data, and add-ons.

What we like

Plan variety and options
Great customer experience
Generous, unthrottled data cap

What we dislike

Expensive plans
Steep data overages
So-so availability

Our expert assessment

Value

3.0

Good budget plans, but you’ll pay high prices for top speeds

Cox plans range from around $0.60/Mbps for low-speed plans to around $0.10/Mbps for the fastest plan, which is more expensive than other cable internet providers. The good news? Cox has more lower-speed plan options, so if your internet budget tops out at $50 a month, Cox might be your new best friend. At speeds of 200 Mbps and above, however, Cox loses the price war.

What you get for the money is pretty good. All plans have a 1.25 TB data cap (unless you pay an extra $50 per month for unlimited), but that’s more than most people need. And unlike providers where unlimited comes standard, Cox won’t throttle your speed if you get a little data-hungry. Just beware of overage charges (which can really add up) if you go over the limit.

Performance

4.0

Speeds are very reliable, but expect minor slowdowns at peak times

Generally, Cox delivers the speeds it says it does, sometimes even a bit higher—though the speed you experience also depends on lots of factors, such as the equipment you’re using and your distance from the router.

Cox specializes in cable internet, which is faster than DSL and satellite, but slower and less reliable than fiber. It’s also typically cheaper and more reliable than wireless internet. The US Federal Communication Commission, in fact, says actual speeds from Cox are faster than advertised and nearly identical to competitor Optimum. Those speeds are stable, too. The report found slowdowns less than 5% of the time. (1) However, cable internet is known to be slower during peak usage times because you and your neighbors are all using the same street lines.

Equipment and installation

3.0

Rent a Gateway or bring your own networking equipment

Cox’s Panoramic Wi-Fi Gateway ($13/month to rent) is a modem and router in one, and you can purchase (but not rent) additional Wi-Fi pods ($129.99 each) that plug into a regular power outlet to reduce dead spots in your home. Because these pods can be used only with Cox, they're only an ideal solution if you plan to be with Cox for several years. The good news is Cox is also compatible with tons of other modems and routers, so you could save a few bucks while using your own gear.

With Cox, a self-installation kit is free. But if getting set up on your own makes you sweat, a Cox professional can install it for $100... but that installation cost goes up if your home isn’t already wired up and ready to go. They’ll ensure cabling makes it from the street into your home, but you might need to hire a contractor or handyman to run wires to a specific room.

Customer experience

3.5

Decent customer service, and you can pay for extra tech help

Reviews for internet service providers are notoriously low in general, but Cox does pretty well according to our real customer reviews. The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ASCI) ranks Cox ninth in customer satisfaction among internet service providers—the same as Frontier. (2) That's lower than average, but not by much.

We think Cox’s 30-day, no hassle money-back guarantee is solid. And we like its service. If you opt for self-installation, you can still get plenty of help online or by phone if needed. But if you use your own gear or technology isn’t your thing, $10/month will get you extra help, day or night, for things like malware removal, software installation and reconfiguration, and general troubleshooting.

We stand by the validity of our reviews and are committed to transparency: Our team uses consumer sentiment software to source customer reviews, which are entirely unique to this website. Reviewers attest to being current customers of the providers they review and are not incentivized to speak positively or negatively about their experience. We do not alter the reviews in any way. Learn more about how we source reviews.

Cox Communications customer ratings overview

Cox Communications

4.1

(121)

5 Star

42%

4 Star

35%

3 Star

20%

2 Star

1 Star

Our reviews come from real customers who weren't incentivized to leave a review. The rating distribution typically shows a range of experiences and opinions that helps you get a sense for the average customer experience, not just extremes.

Top reviews from Cox Communications customers

Catherinefrom Phx, AZ

Cox Communications Customer for 8+ years

Reviewed on: 2022-12-05

Better customer service

Keith from Las Vegas , NV

Cox Communications Customer for 1+ years

Reviewed on: 2022-12-02

Speed could be better. Sometimes it's really slow

Alisha from Phoenix , AZ

Cox Communications Customer for 1+ years

Reviewed on: 2022-11-28

Customer service

Amandafrom Sapulpa, OK

Cox Communications Customer for 1+ years

Reviewed on: 2022-11-28

They have great service for the most part, but I do experience a lot of interruptions of the service going out.

Peterfrom Crestview, FL

Cox Communications Customer for 4+ years

Reviewed on: 2022-11-22

It's a good reliable network and service

Kerrifrom Litchfield Park, AZ

Cox Communications Customer for 8+ years

Reviewed on: 2022-11-21

For the most part, cox is fine. The service works the majority of the time. They charge way too much and most of the reps have no clue what is going on.

Victoria Qualantone from Holbrook, AZ

Cox Communications Customer for 1+ years

Reviewed on: 2022-11-15

They are very reliable. They have fast inter net service. The service is overall very good. They could improve the amount of content you can get

Williamfrom San Diego, CA

Cox Communications Customer for 8+ years

Reviewed on: 2022-11-13

much too expensive. bad telephone customer service. they do verry little well.

Karenfrom San Diego, CA

Cox Communications Customer for 1+ years

Reviewed on: 2022-11-09

The content on Cox is good. As for the internet, sometimes it doesn't work as much as I want it to. However, it is decent.

Heatherfrom Cheshire, CT

Cox Communications Customer for 4+ years

Reviewed on: 2022-11-06

They have been reliable. I have had almost no outages. They gave me a great price when my contract was up.

Cindyfrom Chander, AZ

Cox Communications Customer for 8+ years

Reviewed on: 2022-11-04

Speed, reliable is good, prices increase randomly

Deefrom New Orleans, LA

Cox Communications Customer for 8+ years

Reviewed on: 2022-11-03

I get reliable service and my speed is good but it is not the speed I am supposed to get. I think Co could improve service by getting rid of data caps.

Camillefrom Garden City, KS

Cox Communications Customer for 1+ years

Reviewed on: 2022-11-02

They do well the speed of my internet, and keeping me up to date with the latest trends and software's. They could improve on the outages of my internet, and the cost.

Teannafrom Las Vegas, NV

Cox Communications Customer for 4+ years

Reviewed on: 2022-10-29

I feel that there should be more speeding options. I think that they can use more resources that are available as much as possible. You can find better options and resources that are available.

Rukfrom San Diego , CA

Cox Communications Customer for 1+ years

Reviewed on: 2022-10-27

I really like how Cox operates.Thier Wi-Fi works very well.And I pay a good price.

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Endnotes and sources

"Measuring Fixed Broadband - Tenth Report," FCC. Accessed 5 August 2022.
“Internet Service Providers,” ASCI. Accessed 7 December 2022.