Cox Internet Review
Cox provides average value but excels in customer service and satisfaction.
Cox Communications
◊ Provider star ratings are based on user reviews and our independent customer satisfaction survey.
Our Cox internet review
Cox is a great internet service provider (ISP) choice if you can’t get a fiber internet plan. Cable internet providers like Cox offer some of the fastest and most reliable internet services available, but fiber internet is even better.
For those who value a good customer experience, you can’t do much better than Cox. In our annual customer satisfaction survey, Cox scored higher than any other cable internet provider in overall satisfaction, speed, and customer service. This shows us that people really enjoy being Cox customers.
The biggest drawback with this internet provider is its plans’ lower value compared to its competitors and other cable internet providers.
Pros
- Excellent customer ratings
- Fast and reliable internet service
- No-contract plan options
Cons
- Average value for mid and low-tier plans
- Expensive installation
- Price hikes after promo period
Compare Cox internet plans and pricing
| Package | Price | Speed | View on Cox site |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cox Internet Essential 100 * | $349.99 | 100 Mbps | Shop Cox Plans |
| Cox Internet Preferred 250 * | $59.99 | 250 Mbps | Shop Cox Plans |
| Cox Internet Ultimate 500* | $79.99 | 500 Mbps | Shop Cox Plans |
| Cox Gigablast * | $99.99 | Up to 1000 Mbps | Shop Cox Plans |
* for 12 months with 1-yr. term agreement
Cox’s speeds: What’s best for you?
The Internet Preferred 250 plan is the sweet spot in Cox’s repertoire. It gives the best balance of speed and price that fits your average household’s internet needs and budget.
You can get double the speed (500 Mbps) with the Cox Internet Ultimate 500, but at $79.99 per month, we recommend this plan only if you really think you need more than 250 Mbps. Having more internet speed than you need provides very little, if any, benefit to your online experience.
Be sure to use our How Much Speed Do I Need? tool before investing in a plan that may be too little or too much for your needs.
The slower Cox Internet Essential 100 plans are good for those with smaller bandwidth needs, but they aren’t fast enough to accommodate larger households with average internet usage. Pick a faster plan if there are more than one or two people in your house.
Cox’s Gigablast plan is its fastest with an impressive 1,000 Mbps. Only those with the most extreme bandwidth demands need that much speed. Households with six or more members or those who regularly download huge files may see some benefit from Cox’s Gigablast plan, but most don’t need it.
Cox data caps
Cox internet plans have a 1.25 TB data cap, which is plenty of data for most customers. For those who do need more data, Cox charges $29.99 per month for an additional 500 GB and $49.99 for unlimited data—so it’s definitely pricey but less so than racking up overage fees.
If you go over your data cap, Cox charges $10 for every 50 GB of data over your limit up to a maximum of $100 in overage fees—that’s standard for a cable ISP with data caps.
Our favorite plan: The Cox Internet Preferred 250 plan is the best all-around deal for most customers. Cox recently increased the plan’s speed to 250 Mbps but kept the price at $59.99 per month. With that speed, four people can simultaneously stream 4K video with tons of bandwidth left over for additional tasks.
Cox’s ongoing deals and promotions + bundles
Get free installation with one of Cox’s several TV and internet bundling options.
Cox internet fees
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Cox internet installation, equipment, and contracts
Cox offers professional installation for $100, or you can self-install for free. Most plans come with 12-month contracts, but you have the option of going month-to-month for an extra fee.
Cox installation and equipment
For $100, you can schedule to have a professional technician connect your residence to the Cox network and set up your equipment.
Self-install is free, and it’s a good option if you want to avoid the $100 fee. The process is pretty straightforward with cable ISPs like Cox as long as you have an active coaxial internet line in your home. Just plug in the equipment and connect the coaxial cable to the back of your modem or gateway. The Cox app walks you through the process.
Cox customers who choose to rent their equipment can get Cox’s Panoramic Wi-Fi Gateway. It’s a modern internet gateway (modem/router combo) that features automatic Wi-Fi channel selection and uses DOCSIS 3.1, both of which provide a smooth online experience.
Cox also sells its own Wi-Fi extenders for true wall-to-wall coverage throughout your home, but at the crazy-high price of $129.99 each, you’re better off just purchasing your own mesh router system.
Cox internet contracts
Most Cox internet plans have 12-month contracts. If you want to cancel your Cox internet before the end of your contract, you’ll have to pay $10 in early termination fees for each month remaining in your contract.
For an extra $10 per month, you can change any plan to month-to-month and avoid the ETFs.
Cox price hikes
Most Cox internet plans start with promotional pricing and then get more expensive after the first 12 months. After the promotional period, Cox raises prices $21 per month, on average.
Cox internet customer ratings
| Overall Rating | Reliability Rating | Customer Service Rating | Speed Rating | Price Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cox customer satisfaction rating | 3.8/5 | 3.3/5 | 3.7/5 | 3.8/5 | 3.7/5 |
| Average rating* | 3.8/5 | 3.3/5 | 3.7/5 | 3.7/5 | 3.5/5 |
*Based on our annual customer satisfaction survey.
Cox performed very well in our annual customer satisfaction survey. In fact, Cox scored better than any other cable ISP in the categories of speed, price, reliability, and overall satisfaction. This is particularly impressive because Cox’s plans generally offer less speed when compared to similarly priced plans from other cable ISPs.
We think Cox’s ratings are due to its outstanding customer service. It’s clear that Cox customers are satisfied with their service, even though they pay a little more.
Cox vs. the competition
| Speed | Price | Customer rating* | Order online | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 100–1,000 Mbps | $49.99–$99.99/mo. | 3.7/5* | View Plans |
 | 75–5,000 Mbps | $35.00–$180.00/mo. | 3.8/5* | |
 | 100–1,000 Mbps | $50.00–$65.00/mo. | 3.5/5* | View Plans |
 | 200–940 Mbps | $39.99–$89.99 | 3.8/5* |
*Based on our annual customer satisfaction survey.
Cox’s main competitors are AT&T, CenturyLink, and Verizon: all fiber and DSL providers. If you can get a fiber plan through any of these competitors, we recommend going with it over Cox’s internet plans. Fiber is faster and more reliable than cable internet. To further sweeten the deal, AT&T, CenturyLink, and Verizon don’t have data caps or annual contracts. You can get a month-to-month plan with unlimited data with Cox, but it adds an additional $60 per month onto Cox’s already pricey rates.
We don’t recommend choosing any DSL plan over Cox’s cable internet. DSL isn’t capable of very fast speeds, and the service tends not to be as consistent and reliable as Cox.
Cox beats all these competitors when it comes to customer service. Cox customers gave outstanding ratings for Cox’s customer service in our annual customer satisfaction survey. It’s hard to put a price on a great customer experience.
Read our full reviews of Cox vs its main internet competitors
Is Cox internet right for you?
Cox is a solid choice if you don’t have access to fiber internet. It offers plans with enough speed to satisfy even the most demanding web users but also has some good options for the average household.
Every Cox plan also comes with its terrific customer service, which can spare you future headaches and frustration if something goes wrong or you need to make a change to your plan.
Choosing to go with a cable ISP like Cox means having fast and reliable internet access that you can count on.
FAQ about Cox
Cox has coverage areas extending all over the US. Enter your zip code below to see if Cox internet is available in your area.
Yes. Cox offers plans up to 1,000 Mbps, but you probably don’t need that much. Try our quick How Much Internet Speed Do I need? test to estimate the perfect plan speed for you.
The Cox Internet Preferred 250 plan is a good choice for the average household. It provides 250 Mbps of download speed for $49.99 per month.
Cox’s professional install fee is $100. You can try a self-install for free, but it requires you already have a Cox internet connection at your residence.
Methodology
Our HighSpeedteck.com editorial team bases our analyses on customer input from our annual customer satisfaction survey, results from our speed test tool, and proprietary internet provider data on speeds and pricing. To strengthen our research, we look closely at provider contracts to get hard-to-find information on price hikes, data caps, and extra fees, and we keep tabs on the latest news reports and online reviews. When applicable, we also rely on our personal experiences testing these services.