Plans starting at: $60
Popular Package: 2 Gig
Download speeds up to: 2 Gbps
Connection Types: Fiber
Plans starting at: $25
Popular Package: Fiber 5 Gig
Download speeds up to: 5 Gbps
Connection Types: Fiber & Cable
MetroNet Staff rating
All Metronet connections utilize 100% fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) technology, delivering symmetrical upload and download speeds that cable and DSL providers cannot match. Metronet strategically builds in areas that lack another fiber provider, bringing high-speed options to communities previously limited to slower connection types.
States with Metronet service: Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin. Major cities include Colorado Springs, Des Moines, Indianapolis, Lexington, Norfolk, Tallahassee, Dayton, Aurora (IL), Lansing, and Rochester (MN), with over 300 total communities served. In 2025 alone, Metronet announced fiber expansion plans in 32 new cities. Following the T-Mobile/KKR joint venture completed in July 2025, Metronet residential customers transitioned to T-Mobile Fiber branding for retail services, while Metronet focuses on network engineering, design, deployment, and installation [5]. The company maintains its commercial services business independently.PROS
Cons
Cities with Metronet availability
WOW Staff rating
WOW! delivers fast, reliable internet with attractive pricing
WOW! (WideOpenWest) serves customers in 6 states—Michigan, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida [1]—and is the smallest cable internet provider on our list [2]. WOW! serves over 2 million residential, business, and wholesale consumer subscribers, which is still a smaller base compared to industry cable internet giants like Xfinity and Spectrum [3]. Notably, it serves 470,400 high-speed data subscribers as of December 31, 2024 (down from 490,100 in 2023). But WOW! provides a model of good internet performance, operational success, and general customer satisfaction. In August 2025, WOW! (WideOpenWest) agreed to be acquired by DigitalBridge Group and Crestview Partners in a $1.5 billion transaction valued at $5.20 per share [4]. WOW! uses a hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) network, like the biggest national cable providers. WOW! also features very low introductory plan prices, far lower than most cable internet providers. Though prices will rise after the first year, you’ll still pay about $20 less for most WOW! plan speeds than you would with Spectrum or Xfinity.  And WOW! scores above average for customer satisfaction, too.PROS
Cons
Cities with WOW availability
Metronet Pricing
- 500 Mbps: $44.95/mo for 12 months without price lock, or $60/mo with 24-month price lock
- 1 Gig: $49.95/mo for 12 months, $59.95/mo (month 13), $69.95/mo (month 25), then $89.95/mo regular rate; or $70/mo with 24-month price lock
- 2 Gig: $69.95/mo for 12 months, increasing to $119.95/mo regular rate; or $80/mo with price lock
WOW Pricing
WOW’s prices are so low they’ll WOW you
If there’s any way that WOW! can claim to have truly earned its name, it’s with low pricing. The first-tier plan will give you 300 Mbps download speed for only $25 a month. That's on the very low end of cable ISP pricing. A lightning-fast, 5000 Mbps speed from WOW! will run you $185. This plan comes from their fiber internet offerings. WOW! has no data caps, contracts, or hidden fees. Additionally, they offer a price lock, so your monthly rate won't go up as long as you stay with the same speed plan.Metronet Reliability and Performance
WOW Reliability and Performance
WOW! cable delivers gigabit downloads but asymmetrical upload speeds; fiber offers symmetrical multi-gigabit service
WOW's hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) cable network delivers download speeds comparable to those of national cable providers such as Spectrum and Xfinity. Upload speeds on cable plans are capped at 50 Mbps regardless of download tier. This asymmetrical speed structure is standard for cable internet technology and sufficient for typical household activities, including streaming multiple 4K devices and online gaming.
WOW's cable plans provide adequate performance for households with average internet usage patterns. The highest tier plan offers top speeds on cable, supporting simultaneous streaming, video conferencing, and gaming across multiple devices. However, the 50 Mbps upload limitation presents constraints for specific use cases. Users who regularly upload large files (such as video content creators), operate cloud-based backup systems, or require symmetrical bandwidth for enterprise-grade applications will experience performance bottlenecks with cable service.
In select Greenfield expansion markets, WOW offers all-fiber service with symmetrical speeds up to 5,000 Mbps for both downloads and uploads. Fiber service is currently available within 5.7% of WOW's total coverage footprint [8], concentrated in newer markets including Central Florida, Hernando County (Florida), Greenville County (South Carolina), and select areas in Michigan and Alabama [9]. The symmetrical nature of fiber service eliminates the upload speed constraints present in cable plans, making fiber suitable for bandwidth-intensive applications, heavy content creation, and households with 10+ simultaneous high-bandwidth users.
Metronet Equipment, Installation and Bonus Features
WOW Equipment, Installation and Bonus Features
Equipment rental fees are optional, self-installation is free for WOW!
All WOW! plans come with a free self-installation kit. If, for any reason, you’re not comfortable with self-installation, you can get pro installation for $50. WOW! now offers a free WiFi modem with your plan. You also have the option to supply your own equipment--just make sure you check with WOW! to be sure your router has compatible specs.Metronet Experience & Support
WOW Experience & Support
WOW! maintains above-average customer satisfaction despite declining subscriber base
WOW scored 733 out of 1,000 in J.D. Power's North Central region study [10] and outperformed larger ISPs including Cox in the 2023 U.S. Residential Internet Service Provider Satisfaction Study [11]. This positions WOW above the cable industry average of 68 out of 100 on the ACSI scale [12], though below top fiber providers like AT&T Fiber (80) and Verizon Fios (77) [13].
Despite these satisfaction ratings, WOW's subscriber base declined 5% year-over-year from 490,100 to 470,400 as of December 2024, with revenue decreasing 8.1% to $630.9 million. These declines reflect competitive pressure from expanding fiber networks and 5G wireless alternatives rather than service quality issues.
WOW provides 24/7 telephone support and online chat daily from 7:00 AM to 11:45 PM EST [14], plus an online account management portal, and has been named a "Best & Brightest Company to Work For in the Nation" 12 times, including 8 consecutive years as of 2025.
Ultimately, WOW's regional focus enables more personalized service than national cable giants.
Metronet FAQ's
WOW FAQ's
Metronet Sources
[14] PCMag.com. "Looking for ISP Satisfaction? Life is Finer With Fiber."
WOW Sources
[2] Dgtlinfra.com. "Top 125 Internet Providers in the U.S."
[3] Wikipedia.org. "Wide Open West."
[4] PRNewswire.com "WideOpenWest (WOW!), Inc. to be Taken Private by DigitalBridge Group, Inc. and Crestview Partners in $1.5 Billion Transaction."[5] WOW!. "Equipment Rental Fees."
[6] Wow! "What are monthly data usage plans?" [7] SEC. "WideOpenWest 10-K Filing, December 31, 2024." [8] BestNeighborhood.org. "WOW coverage maps." [9] PRNewswire.com. "WOW! Reaches 100,000 Homes Passed Market Expansion Milestone; On Track to Reaching Goal of Adding 400,000 Additional Homes to its Footprint."[10] JDPower.com. "2023 U.S. Residential Internet Service Provider Satisfaction Study."
[11] JDPower.com. "Can You Reach Me Now? Wireless Internet Providers Certainly Can and with High Levels of Satisfaction, J.D. Power Finds." [12] ACSI. "Press Release Telecommunications Study 2024, June 4, 2024." [13] Telecompetitor. "Customer Satisfaction Index: AT&T Repeats as Top Fiber Broadband Provider." [14] WowWay.com. "Contact Us." [15] Wowway.com. "Internet"Metronet Accolades
WOW Accolades
Metronet Internet Plans
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WOW Internet Plans
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Metronet Customers Review
WOW Customers Review
