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

Pros and cons: Verizon vs. Astound Broadband

Jump to: Plans and pricing | Extra fees | Customer ratings | Bundles | Internet connection types | Data caps | Contracts | Installation | Availability

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• Plans and pricing
• Extra fees
• Customer ratings
• Bundles
• Internet connection types
• Data caps
• Contracts
• Installation
• Availability

Plans and pricing: Verizon vs. Astound Broadband

Verizon plans and pricing

Verizon dominates the Northeast, so the only places you’ll see it overlap Astound Broadband is in Washington DC, Philadelphia, New York City, and Boston. Astound is mostly a cable internet provider anyway, as its fiber internet is hard to find even in these large metropolitan areas. We’ll always tell you to go with Verizon’s fiber even if you do come across any Astound connection, as it doesn’t inflate your cost after one or two years as Astound does.

Both have speeds ranging from 300Mbps to 2,000Mbps, but Verizon goes a little higher at 2,300Mbps. Of the two, Verizon has the best customer satisfaction based on our recent survey, outranking Astound in every category. In fact, it’s the most reliable internet service based on customer feedback. You simply can’t go wrong with Verizon’s fiber internet or its fixed wireless service.

Astound Broadband plans and pricing

Technically, Astound Broadband runs four networks across the nation, but in this instance, its RCN network directly competes with Verizon in the Northeast, so we can weed out the other three that are irrelevant to the comparison. That means ignoring the data caps plaguing Astound’s Wave network on the West Coast.

That said, you’ll see a variety of Astound’s cable and fiber internet plans from Washington DC to Boston, with speeds currently topping out at 2,000Mbps based on what Astound reports in its local rate cards. Pricing is mostly the same across all six markets, although Lehigh Valley has the highest prices of them all. Your rates skyrocket after 12 or 24 months—Verizon doesn’t increase your rates.

Extra fees: Verizon vs. Astound Broadband

Don’t let Astound’s long equipment list scare you: most of it is optional. The modem and router fees vary, so there’s no one specific price we can pin down. Plus, you can choose to get a mesh network system instead or the NETGEAR Nighthawk XR1000 router if you’re a gamer.

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

Verizon ranks second for overall satisfaction among the 15 national internet providers in our latest customer satisfaction survey. Its highest ratings are in reliability and speed satisfaction, which isn’t surprising given fiber is much more reliable and faster than cable and DSL. It also ranks within the top three across the remaining categories, making Verizon one of the best fiber internet providers you can get if it’s available where you live.

Astound Broadband doesn’t share the same high scores, as it ranks in the bottom half across every category. Its best scores are in speed, reliability, and customer service satisfaction, where it ranks eighth out of 15 internet providers. Its lowest ranking is in price satisfaction, which isn’t surprising given the steep price hikes customers experience when the introductory pricing ends. In contrast, Verizon doesn’t increase your monthly rate after 12 months.

Best TV and internet bundles

Astound Broadband offers eight different bundles in each market except for Luzerne County, where it doesn’t bundle TV or internet at all (based on what Astound tells us). New York’s pricing includes SHOWTIME, whereas all other markets do not. The promo pricing is awesome, but keep in mind the steep price hikes after 12 or 24 months, depending on the internet plan.

Verizon keeps your choices simple, with the cheapest Mix & Match option starting at $124.99 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

Verizon’s DSL internet is slower than fiber, topping out around 140Mbps, but new customers can’t get it. Verizon’s fiber-to-the-home service is significantly faster, reaching speeds up to 2,300Mbps both ways.

Astound Broadband is mainly a cable internet provider. Download speeds range from 100Mbps to 2,000Mbps, depending on the internet type, but some speed tiers may not be available where you live. Cable speeds aren’t symmetrical like fiber either, so Astound’s upload speeds in the Northeast don’t go above 20Mbps, even on its 1,500Mbps plan.

Data caps: Verizon vs. Astound Broadband

Technically, Astound has data caps, but they only apply to its Wave network on the West Coast. In the Northeast, it doesn’t enforce data caps on its RCN network, so there’s no worrying about monthly limits and extra fees. Verizon doesn’t have data caps, either.

Contracts: Verizon vs. Astound Broadband

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

Generally, you can’t self-install fiber internet unless the necessary fiber line and hardware are already present. The same goes with cable internet: You need a pro install if your house isn’t connected to the provider’s equipment out by the road or you need the connection relocated.

According to Astound’s documentation, you can’t self-install internet in the Northeast, so we didn’t include the fee on our list. Astound’s Home Networking is an optional service that includes all the hardware and cables you need for a wired network with up to four additional computing devices.

Availability: Verizon vs. Astound Broadband

Verizon provides internet in the Northeast, from Virginia to New York. It mostly encapsulates the major metropolitan areas and extends into places like Virginia Beach, Buffalo, Albany, and Plattsburg. Verizon has a larger DSL internet footprint, but its fiber network keeps growing.

Astound Broadband has a far smaller footprint in the same region. It doesn’t have the same reach as Verzion either, so it’ll be a harder service to locate. It’s the only one of the two with the largest presence in the Allentown area.

Final call: Verizon vs. Astound Broadband

Verizon and Astound Broadband’s RCN network compete in the Northeast, but Verizon commands so much of the area that you’ll rarely come across an Astound cable or fiber connection. And even if you do, we say go with Verizon if it’s available to you.

Astound has cheap promotional prices—we get it. But your rates skyrocket after 12 or 24 months, depending on the plan, so we can’t suggest Astound unless it’s your only cable or fiber option. Astound also has equipment fees, compounding your long-term cost. Verizon is simply the best you can get, but don’t take our word for it—customers say so in our latest satisfaction survey.

Methodology

Our HighSpeedInternet.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.

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