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WOW! internet reviews

WOW! brand
Staff rating
4.0
Customer rating
4.0
(17)
Price: $9.99 - $199.98/moSpeed: 50 Mbps - 1200 MbpsDVR storage hours: 50+
staff review
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Researched by
Kathryn CasnaSenior Staff Writer
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Reviewed by
Updated 2/7/23

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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

Fast and inexpensive? Wow is right—WOW! internet review 2023 video thumbnail
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Fast and inexpensive? Wow is right—WOW! internet review 2023
Our expert review of WOW! internet
Source: Switchful YouTube

Our expert assessment

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.

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!

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.

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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)

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.

WOW! customer ratings overview

WOW!
4.0
(17)
5 Star
29%
4 Star
47%
3 Star
18%
2 Star
6%
1 Star
0%
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 WOW! customers

Z
Zinobiafrom Columbus, OH
WOW! Customer for 1+ years
Reviewed on: 2022-12-03
i feel wows service sucks.i barely get upload speed.
S
Susan Newsome from Grovetown, GA
WOW! Customer for 4+ years
Reviewed on: 2022-11-29
Value is good but price changes alot, pretty reliable but some down time or slow speed, if thay could improve that would be great
M
Mercedes from Knoxville, TN
WOW! Customer for 4+ years
Reviewed on: 2022-11-18
Not having too many dead spots in the house
B
Brianfrom Columbus , GA
WOW! Customer for 4+ years
Reviewed on: 2022-11-01
They have improved, I now have internet all the time with no freezing, the speed is good also. The really have improved
A
Andrefrom Columbus, GA
WOW! Customer for 4+ years
Reviewed on: 2022-10-05
The service is sometimes very slow. The service disconnects occasionally. Download speeds could be better.
J
Joycefrom Columbus, GA
WOW! Customer for 4+ years
Reviewed on: 2022-09-21
I think the value is compatible with other companies. The speed is good but they could improve on the reliability.
J
Jeffrey Wasilowski from Taos, NM
WOW! Customer for 1+ years
Reviewed on: 2022-09-19
Expensive and signal gets spotty on windy days like today.
M
Mikefrom Royal Oak, MI
WOW! Customer for 1+ years
Reviewed on: 2022-09-14
they have good services and good reliability
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.
W
Williams from Newark, NJ
WOW! Customer for 4+ years
Reviewed on: 2022-07-24
I think wow has a great reputation when it comes to speed and reliability
J
Jerome from Pasadena , MD
WOW! Customer for Less than a year
Reviewed on: 2022-07-09
Never had any problems with internet service like for be faster
L
Lorenzo from Columbus , GA
WOW! Customer for 1+ years
Reviewed on: 2022-06-30
WOW! has been so great
P
Pennyfrom Warren, MI
WOW! Customer for Less than a year
Reviewed on: 2022-06-28
I love it
Is this provider in your area? Find out!
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.