Verizon vs. Astound Broadband: Which Internet Provider Is Best for You?

Verizon is faster, but Astound is a good alternative if you can’t get Verizon’s fiber.

Best for speed

In Your Area: Top 5 Best Internet Providers
3.8/5
  • Customer rating: 3.8
  • Price: $39.99–$89.99/mo.*†‡
  • Speed: 200–up to 940 Mbps
  • Internet type: Fiber, DSL
  • Data cap: No cap
  • Annual contract: No contract

Best for affordability

Verizon vs. Astound Broadband: Which Internet Provider Is Best for You?
  • Customer rating: 3.7
  • Price: $14.99–$49.99/mo.§||#**††‡‡§§||||##***
  • Speed: 50–940 Mbps
  • Internet type: Cable, fiber
  • Data cap: 300–1,000 GB in WA, OR, and CA only
  • Annual contract: No contract
In Your Area: Top 5 Best Internet Providers

 Pros:

  • No data caps
  • No annual contracts
  • Fast fiber speeds up to 940 Mbps

 Cons:

  • Limited fiber availability
  • No DSL service for new customers
Verizon vs. Astound Broadband: Which Internet Provider Is Best for You?

 Pros:

  • Affordable promo prices
  • Optional gaming router
  • No annual contracts

 Cons:

  • Data caps in the West Coast region
  • Limited fiber availability

Plans and pricing: Verizon vs. Astound Broadband

Generally, Verizon’s fiber internet competes against Astound’s cable internet in the Northeast. However, both providers offer fiber in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, with speeds up to 940 Mbps. If you can’t get fiber from either one, Astound’s cable internet is your next best alternative.

 

Verizon plans and pricing

PackagePriceSpeedTypeDetails
Internet 200/200$39.99/mo.*200 MbpsFiber
Internet 300/300**$39.99/mo.*300 MbpsFiber
Internet 400/400$64.99/mo.*400 MbpsFiber
Internet 500/500**$64.99/mo.*500 MbpsFiber
Fios Gigabit Connection$89.99/mo.Up to 940 MbpsFiber
 

Verizon and Astound Broadband offer fiber internet in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. Of the two, pricing appears to be cheaper with Astound—even after the promotional period ends. Otherwise, Verizon’s fiber generally competes with Astound Broadband’s cable internet in the Northeast.

But Verizon trumps Astound Broadband in terms of selection. Verizon has five plans with a variety of speeds at set prices across the region. Astound has a long list of internet plans—10 in New York City alone—at varying prices across the Northeast. Plus, Astound’s prices increase dramatically after the first 12 or 24 months, making Verizon the cheaper option for the long term in most areas where they overlap.

Astound Broadband plans and pricing

PackagePriceSpeedTypeDetails
50–110 Mbps Internet$19.95–$19.99/mo.* †‡Up to 50–110 Mbps (speeds vary by region)CableView Plan
250–300 Mbps Internet$14.99–$29.99/mo.* ‡§||#**Up to 250–300 Mbps (speeds vary by region)CableView Plan
400–500 Mbps Internet$34.99–$39.95/mo.* §#††Up to 400–500 Mbps (speeds vary by region)CableView Plan
600–800 Mbps Internet$24.99–$44.99/mo.* ‡||#**Up to 600–800 Mbps (speeds vary by region)Cable, FiberView Plan
940 Mbps Internet$34.99–$49.99/mo.* ‡ ||#**‡‡§§Up to 940 MbpsCable, FiberView Plan
 

Astound Broadband has four distinct service regions: the West Coast, Midwest, Texas, and the Northeast. Plan availability and pricing vary across these locations, but they all mainly offer cable internet. Astound also offers a few fiber internet plans in California, Oregon, Texas, and Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.

That said, if you want cheap fiber internet after promotional pricing, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, is the place to be. Astound’s 940 Mbps fiber internet plan costs $56.99 per month after 12 months versus Verizon’s similar plan at $89.99 per month after 12 months. But once you leave Luzerne County, Astound’s cable internet prices increase dramatically after 12 months: $159.99 for up to 940 Mbps in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania. Ouch!

Deals and promotions: Verizon vs. Astound Broadband

In Your Area: Top 5 Best Internet Providers

Qualifying Verizon Fios plans offer customers a SimpliSafe bundle (a four- or eight-piece system depending on the plan), a discount on the Stream TV Soundbar, and a Verizon Gift Card worth $50 or $100. Gigabit plans also come with a Disney+ trial.

Verizon vs. Astound Broadband: Which Internet Provider Is Best for You?

Get a month of internet service at no cost and a credit on your bill totaling up to $50 when you refer a friend to Astound Broadband.

Extra fees: Verizon vs. Astound Broadband

 Equipment feeInstallation feeOther fees
Verizon
  • $15.00/mo. router charge (waived with Fios Gigabit Connection)
  • $99.00 (waived if you order online)
  • $7.00 phone payment processing fee
  • $9.00 late payment fee
Astound Broadband
  • Up to $18.00/mo. modem rental fee
  • Up to $14.00/mo. router fee
  • $10.95/mo. enhanced whole-home WiFi fee (optional)
  • $5.00/mo. for each added beacon (optional)
  • $12.95/mo. pro-gaming router fee (optional)
  • $20.00/mo. gateway fee (optional)
  • $79.95 pro install fee (waived with coupon code)
  • $15.00 self-install fee
  • $14.95 home networking install fee (optional)
  • $9.99 service activation fee
  • $40.00 non-pay restoral fee
  • Up to $30.00 returned check fee
  • $4.50 payment convenience fee (automated)
  • $6.95 payment convenience (rep)
  • $1.00 payment convenience fee (web)
  • Up to $10.00 late fee
  • Up to $25.00 AutoPay denial fee
  • $6.97/mo. network access and maintenance fee

Don’t let Astound’s long equipment list scare you: most of it is optional. The modem and router fees vary between the four networks and locations, so there’s no one specific price. Plus, you can choose to get a gateway if you want just one device or a mesh network system instead of Astound’s standalone router.

But Astound’s list of other fees is extensive, showing that you can end up in a world of financial hurt if you don’t have funds ready for AutoPay. Convenience fees? Network access and maintenance fees? Yep, Astound has those too.

Customer ratings: Verizon vs. Astound Broadband

 Overall RatingReliability RatingCustomer Service RatingSpeed RatingPrice Rating
Verizon3.83.83.83.93.5
Astound Broadband3.73.73.83.83.3

Verizon ranks third in overall customer satisfaction in our annual customer satisfaction survey. It also ranks second in speed, price, and reliability, falling just behind EarthLink in most cases. Astound Broadband’s scores are based on RCN, which stays in the top half of our list of 12 providers in each category. RCN ranks sixth in overall customer satisfaction.

Best TV and internet bundles

 Internet speedTV channelsPriceDetails
Verizon 400 Mbps Internet + Your Fios TVUp to 400 Mbps125+$109.99/mo.*
Verizon Fios Gigabit Connection + More Fios TVUp to 940 Mbps300+$179.99/mo.
Astound Broadband 300 Mbps Internet + Signature TVUp to 300 Mbps288–296+$62.60–$120.06/mo.‡§View Plans
Astound Broadband 940 Mbps Internet + Signature TVUp to 940 Mbps288–305+$82.60–$140.06/mo.‡§||#View Plans

Astound Broadband has a long list of TV and internet bundles spread out across its four locations, so prices and availability vary. Any additional channels you want to add and the broadcast TV service charge (up to $26.95 per month) are extra.

Verizon keeps your choices simple, with the cheapest Mix & Match option starting at $89.99 per month. You can pick five of your favorite channels with Verizon’s Your Fios TV service. The More Fios TV service includes Verizon’s most popular channels plus regional sports.

 

Internet types: Verizon vs. Astound Broadband

 Internet typeDetails
VerizonDSL, fiber
Astound BroadbandCable, fiberView Plans

Verizon is a large DSL internet provider with a growing fiber network. DSL is slower than fiber, topping out around 140 Mbps, but new customers can’t get it. Verizon’s fiber-to-the-home service reaches download speeds up to 940 Mbps and upload speeds up to 880 Mbps.

Most of Astound Broadband’s network uses traditional cable TV lines. Depending on the plan, download speeds go up to 50–940 Mbps. Cable speeds aren’t symmetrical like fiber, however, so Astound’s upload speeds on most plans are much slower at 10–50 Mbps.

Data caps: Verizon vs. Astound Broadband

 Data CapDetails
Verizon
  • No cap
Astound Broadband
  • 300–1,000 GB in WA, OR, and CA
  • No cap everywhere else
View Plans

Astound Broadband enforces data caps on the West Coast. The data caps start at 300 GB and go up to 1 TB depending on the plan, and the 940 Mbps Internet plan includes the Unlimited Data Plan at no extra charge. Customers can opt for unlimited data on all other plans for $20 per month—but speeds may slow after 2 TB of usage. Astound also offers a cheaper Double Data Plan option for $10 per month, which doubles your data cap.

Astound does not enforce data caps in its other regions—just the West Coast.

Contracts: Verizon vs. Astound Broadband

 Contract lengthDetails
VerizonNo contract
Astound BroadbandNo contractView Plans

Verizon and Astound Broadband do not have annual contracts. Astound, however, has discounted pricing for the first 12 or 24 months, depending on where you live. After that, pricing increases to the standard rates. There are no hidden penalties for canceling your subscription.

Installation: Verizon vs. Astound Broadband

 Installation optionsDetails
Verizon
  • $99.00 (waived if you order online)
Astound Broadband
  • $79.95 pro install fee (waived with coupon code)
  • $15.00 self-install fee
  • $14.95 home networking install fee (optional)
View Plans

You can’t self-install a fiber-to-the-home connection, so a pro install is your only option from Verizon. Astound Broadband is different, as cable TV lines are probably already present in your neighborhood, so self-install should be available. But according to Astound’s documentation, you can only self-install cable services in California, Oregon, and Washington (the Wave Broadband area).

Astound’s home networking install is an optional service that can have the technician connect your second, third, and fourth computer (Windows or Mac) or computing device.

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.

More about Verizon and Astound Broadband