Plans starting at: $30
Popular Package: Cox Internet Gigablast
Download speeds up to: 1 Gbps
Connection Types: Cable
Plans starting at: $49.99
Popular Package: Fusion
Download speeds up to: 100 Mbps
Connection Types: Satellite
COX Staff rating
Cox offers gigabit download speeds, but at higher prices than competitors
Cox offers fast, reliable cable internet service and in a few select areas, all-fiber internet. But mostly, when you order Cox service, you’re going to get very fast cable internet up to about 1 Gig. In fact, 99% of Cox’s customer base gets gigabit download speeds [1]. The lowest-priced plan will remain constant in price after the promotional period and has no monthly contract. All other plans go up by steep price increases of $25-40 after the promotional rate ends. Overall, you are likely to pay more with Cox than with its cable or fiber competitors. But Cox may still be your best option if you happen to live in an area with no stronger fiber or cable internet providers who will give you more speed for your dollar.PROS
Cons
Top cities with Cox availability
HughesNet Staff rating
Hughesnet delivers solid satellite internet, but performance lags behind the competition
Hughesnet is the largest of three major satellite internet providers in the United States [1]. The other two are Viasat and Starlink. Satellite internet service is known for its coast-to-coast coverage and wide availability. For decades, people have relied on satellite internet as a necessity in rural areas without wired internet. You can get Hughesnet in most households in the United States and in many locations in South America. All you need to get coverage is an unobstructed view of the southern sky. Satellite internet does offer slower speeds than most other internet technologies. You’ll also have to deal with a monthly data allowance that may restrict how much HD streaming or large file transfer you can do. And satellite internet service is more expensive than cable or fiber internet. Hughesnet initially seems to offer lower prices than its main rival, Viasat. But a closer look reveals that Viasat prices are better, based on the performance you’re getting per dollar. Hughesnet speeds only go to 100 Mbps download, while Viasat’s speeds go up to 150 Mbps. In addition, Viasat offers unlimited high-speed data, while Hughesnet has soft data caps. Hughesnet has also had issues with low customer satisfaction ratings in national surveys, so overall, we recommend Viasat instead for satellite internet. But let’s break it down and see why.PROS
Cons
Top cities with HughesNet availability
Cox Pricing
Be aware of price hikes and data overage for heavy-streaming households
Cox offers a first-tier plan at $30/month for 100 Mbps download speed. That’s about the same as many other providers ask for their first-tier plans. The good news is that Cox's first-tier price is the standard price, so it won’t go up automatically after a promotional period. Unfortunately, the higher speed plans do have steep price hikes after the first year’s promotional rate. And when those price increases kick in, you’ll be paying more per month, on average, than you would for the same speeds through Xfinity or Spectrum. In addition, there’s a monthly rental fee for the Cox modem/router, though you are allowed to buy your own compatible router if you wish. Another big question about Cox pricing will be how much data you use. Cox does have a data cap. The cap is high at 1.2 TB, so many households will never exceed it. But 14% of American households do exceed 1 TB of data usage per month, according to the Benton Institute for Broadband and Society [2]. And if you do exceed your cap, you will face overage charges [3] In other words, if you are a heavy data user, you may end up with a higher monthly bill. So be aware of these data caps as a factor in your pricing if you live in a household with multiple people who stream 4K or play real-time games online every day. If your internet activities don’t include lots of HD streaming, gaming, or large file uploads, or you only have one or two household members, you are unlikely to exceed your monthly data cap.HughesNet Pricing
Hughesnet offers prices similar to Viasat, but often for slower speeds
Hughesnet offers its plans at rates that at first seem comparable to cable or fiber prices. The Hughesnet first-tier satellite internet plan starts at $49.99/month. But there are two catches. First, your initial rate is a promotional rate, and after the first six months, your prices will increase significantly for all plans. Second, you may only get an internet speed up to 50 Mbps download/5 Mbps upload, depending on your service area. This is not high-speed internet by the FCC’s definition [2]. And it is clearly not as fast as the 200-300 Mbps download speed you often get for $50-60/month from a cable or fiber internet plan.Hughesnet uses soft data caps that may affect your internet speed
A drawback to Hughesnet plans is the use of soft data caps. When you order Hughesnet service, you don’t choose a speed level as you do with other internet types. Instead, you choose your data limit for the month, ranging from 100 GB to 200 GB. If you only surf the internet lightly and use email, you can stay within a 100 GB data limit pretty easily. But if you plan large file uploads, video streaming, or online gaming, the data usage can add up fast. Hughesnet does offer some solutions to help you work with their soft data caps. Their data tokens allow you to purchase extra data at the end of each month if you need more. Nonetheless, having soft data caps will affect how you use the internet. If you consistently need more data tokens, those extra charges may affect your monthly budget. Consider carefully whether you are likely to need more or less data than Hughesnet will allow you under each of their plans. Finally, Hughesnet requires a two-year contract. If you cancel your subscription early, you will pay an early termination fee prorated by the time still left in your contract.Cox Reliability and Performance
Years of solid operations equip Cox with reliable infrastructure
As the fifth-largest ISP in the United States, Cox has a thirty-year record of delivering internet access to customers. This means that when you order internet service, it will work as it should the vast majority of the time. Cox home internet serves metro areas in 19 states [1]. Cox uses hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) technology, like its major competitors Xfinity and Spectrum. Ordinarily, your internet service will be carried by fiber-optic lines along the main arteries until it gets within about a mile of your house. Somewhere near that point, the network will switch to copper coaxial cable. This structure is called Fiber-to-the-Node (FTTN). It is faster than an all-copper network, but not as fast as all-fiber, which is also known as Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH). Cox does offer a small percentage of all-fiber connections and is building out more, but for the moment, you are most likely to get HFC, i.e., cable internet service [4]. Download speeds with Cox’s cable internet will go as high as 1000 Mbps in some areas, and upload speeds will top out around 100 Mbps. Though this upload speed is far below the symmetrical high speeds of an all-fiber connection, Cox cable internet still provides plenty of speed for most households. Cox uses data caps of 1.2 TB/month on its plans. This allowance will provide plenty of data for most households. But if you have a large household and you all do unusually heavy streaming or gaming to go over 1 TB, you may incur up to a maximum of $100 in overage charges [3]. You can get Cox plans with unlimited data, but only by paying more each month for an unlimited plan.HughesNet Reliability and Performance
A Hughesnet internet connection is slower than most other ISPs
The nature of satellite internet technology means that satellite internet has always been different from wired internet in three ways. 1) Slower speeds: Hughesnet’s maximum download speed right now (100 Mbps) is much slower than speeds for fiber and cable internet that can often reach Gigabit speeds (1000 Mbps and up). 2) Weather interference: Bad weather can sometimes cause temporary slowing or outage in a satellite signal. 3) Latency: The distance of a satellite from Earth causes latency, which is a slight delay in data transmission. Despite these drawbacks, satellite service can still give you a solid connection if you live in a rural or underserved area. In today’s digital world, high-speed internet may be your ticket to education, a job, and even medical care. Satellite internet can support high enough speeds to provide you with access to these opportunities. Hughesnet has attempted to address latency with their new Hughesnet Fusion plans, which launched in 2022. This hybrid technology uses a satellite connection but can also route signals through wireless towers when necessary. Hughesnet has not released data to prove lower latency yet. They claim that the latency is 100 ms on their FCC Broadband label. Customers online report higher latency for their Fusion service [3].Cox Equipment, Installation and Bonus Features
Cox offers optional self-installation, charges equipment rental fee
When you order Cox internet service, you will be able to select either professional installation or self-installation. Self-installation will save you about $100, as long as you’re willing to deal with instructions for connection and activation. If you want to use a Cox-supplied modem/router, you will get their Panoramic Wi-Fi gateway. Higher-tier plans will receive a Wi-Fi 6 gateway, while the lower tier of plans will have a more typical Wi-Fi 5 compatible device. All customers will pay a $13/month rental fee for the equipment in addition to their monthly plan fee. However, Cox will forego the fee if you use your own compatible modem/router, which may make it cheaper in the long run for you to buy one rather than renting.HughesNet Equipment, Installation and Bonus Features
Hughesnet equipment requires initial investment or monthly rental fee
Buying satellite equipment can be expensive. The dish and gateway for Hughesnet Gen 5 plans costs around $350, while Hughesnet Fusion equipment is $450. If you don’t want to invest and would rather try out service first, you can rent the equipment for $15-20 a month. Buying the equipment outright will save you money if you end up using your service for more than 2 years. Hughesnet’s installation is often free, depending on your plan and current promotions. This is a nice bonus and ensures that a technician can get the best angle for your satellite dish. The technician will connect two of your devices in addition to setting up the antenna and modem/router.Cox Experience & Support
Cox customer service ranks below average on national surveys
Cox gets a resounding “meh” for customer service on recognized national surveys of customer satisfaction such as the J.D. Power survey [5]. Cox ranks below average in each region where it provides service. In an industry not known for good customer service, it’s hard to split hairs about exactly what the rankings mean. Even some of the best ISPs occasionally get their share of negativity when you look up review compilation maps [6]. But because J.D. Power is widely regarded as one of the more objective rating systems, we’re going to give Cox 3 stars for customer service.HughesNet Experience & Support
Hughesnet customer satisfaction below average
Hughesnet has sometimes received low customer satisfaction ratings both in national surveys and in online reviews. It’s hard to know how much of that response is related to unrealistic customer expectations about satellite internet performance. Certainly, when Hughesnet gets online comments from unsatisfied customers, they tend to focus on internet performance. Meanwhile, remember that while satellite internet service has limitations, it can still provide high-speed internet access when your only alternative is slower DSL or no internet at all.Cox FAQ's
Cox Sources
[1] Cox.com. "Cox Begins to Offer 2 Gig Symmetrical Speeds."
[2] Benton Institute. "Broadband Usage Still Robust First Quarter 2022."
[3] Cox.com. "Learn About Cox Internet Data Usage."
[4] Cox.com. "Cox Begins to Offer 2 Gig Symmetrical Speeds."
[5] J.D. Power. "2023 U.S. Residential Internet Service Provider Satisfaction Study."
[6] Fairshake.com. "The Most Hated Internet Service Providers in Every U.S. State."
HughesNet Sources
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Cox Customers Review
HughesNet Customers Review