Cox Internet Review: Plans, Prices, and Availability

Cox Communications provides fast cable internet in a variety of plans for customers in 19 states. Cox internet has plans that offer services for basic and power users alike, offering speeds ranging from 100 Mbps to 1 Gbps. Cox internet plan prices generally fall within the $50 – $120/mo. price range. All plans have a monthly data cap of 1.25 TB. 

Cox internet plans and prices

Your address will determine services available in your area, but here’s a breakdown of your internet plan options with Cox:

Cox also typically offers deals and promotions to new customers, such as free installation, Visa reward cards, discounts on TV, or free streaming services. These are usually with select plans, so be on the lookout for any deals and promos they’re running on an internet plan you like. 

Cox price increases

Except for the Internet Essential 100 plan, your price will go up after a year with Cox. Here’s how it breaks down for each plan:

Speed

Cox offers a wide array of speeds with its internet plans, but how much does it actually deliver on them? It turns out, pretty much exactly as it promises.

According to the FCC’s most recent report, Cox is one of the most reliable internet providers in the country, with more than 90% of its customers experiencing median speeds of at least 95% what’s advertised. In fact, Cox customers actually got more than they were paying for on average. That didn’t go down at all during peak hours, either.

Ookla’s speed test data tells a similar story. Cox ranks third behind only Spectrum and Xfinity for median download speed, consistency, and video performance.

Other Cox features

In addition to packages with varying speeds and a no-contract option, Cox internet plans include a variety of other notable features:

• Get free internet on the go with one of the 650,000+ Cox hotspot locations around the country.
• Cox offers Panoramic Wi-Fi, which offers wide-ranging internet coverage and fast speeds. It also gives you 24/7 support and other tools, like an app, to manage your home network. You’ll have to rent the Panoramic Wi-Fi modem for $10.99/mo.
• Receive the Cox Security Suite from McAfee for peace of mind while surfing online. It’s free protection from threats for all of your devices with your internet plan.

Customer satisfaction

When comparing Cox to other ISPs on the American Consumer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), the company ranks in the middle. Cox got a score of 61 on the 2022 ACSI, falling behind two percentage points from the previous year, but still outperforming competitors like Frontier and Mediacom. Yet, Cox lags almost 10 percentage points behind other providers, like Verizon Fios and AT&T. Cox also ranked in the middle of the pack in J.D. Power’s evaluation.

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) gives Cox an A+ rating, based on the company’s interaction with customers on that platform. However, customers themselves don’t rate Cox quite so high, giving the ISP a one out of five stars for its customer service (based on about 633 ratings). Some customer complaints cite poor service and numerous billing mistakes resulting in inflated bills and extra fees that customers find hard to get erased.

How does Cox compare?

Cox is slightly more expensive than other internet providers, but you can count on getting the speed you pay for. It also includes data caps and price increases, which most other providers do not.

Our take

Cox is a middle of the pack internet provider in most ways. Its speeds won’t blow away the competition, and its prices start out average and end up getting more expensive after a year. But Cox does deliver the speeds you’re paying for, and it’s a much better option than DSL or satellite providers.