Astound Broadband offers great internet for cheap, but prices jump quite a bit after the first year or two.
6 min readAstound Broadband is an internet service customers trust for dependability and low starting prices.
After initial promotional deals expire, Astound prices shoot up, which some customers aren't happy about. The service’s limited availability is also off-putting to habitual movers. I talked with several internet customers who are signed up with Astound Broadband and they seemed to offer mixed opinions.
“Astound Broadband came highly recommended for its reliability and speed," says Daniel Meursing, the CEO of a staffing agency in Los Angeles. After signing up, he says, “It's been a mixed bag... When we've reached them, they've been knowledgeable and helpful. However, getting through to the right person can sometimes take longer than we'd like.”
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See if you live in an Astound service locale.
Get to know Astound Broadband: Plans and pricing
Throw a dart at a map of the U.S., and if Astound is available there, chances are the prices in that area differ from other regions. And whether you get cable or fiber varies from location to location, too.
But there is a resemblance between plans. Most locations, whether cable or fiber, have speeds between 300 and 1,500Mbps and offer similar (though slightly different) prices for those speeds. For instance, in Boston, a 1,500Mbps plan costs $45; in Lehigh, Pennsylvania, it's $55; in Cali, it's $65.
Customers see a steep price increase after one to two years with Astound. The exact length of time varies: "It all depends on the promotion" which you sign up with, according to Astound agent Aliyah. Astound also doesn't share the precise price hike amounts, but customer feedback indicates it's more than just a few dollars a month.
While the plan speeds and prices might be comparable, the difference between fiber and cable can be night and day. Due to the power of fiber optics, fiber internet tends to be faster and more stable than cable service. When looking at Astound plans in your area, pay attention to which type of internet is available.
What’s in a name?
Astound Broadband service varies between regions. Your service may even have a different name depending on your area. For instance, if you're in Texas, you may have Astound powered by Grande, while in the Midwest or Northeast, it's called Astound powered by RCN.
"When a couple of different brands came together to form Astound Broadband—this was in 2022—and just to, like, emphasize the regional service focus, each entity retained, like, the sub-brand," says Elsa Morales from PR company Giant Noise, who works with Astound Broadband in the Texas area, in a phone interview.
Like most of its internet service provider brethren, Astound doesn't use contracts or cancellation fees. (As the Astound website puts it, "Customer shall have the right to terminate the Service without any financial penalty.”) However, other fees include installation, activation, and equipment rental. These may change based on region and equipment type.
Which Astound Broadband plan is right for you?
Astound Broadband internet packages start at 300Mbps, which is sufficient for most households. This speed comfortably supports three to five people, their devices, and a few smart home connections. For tech-heavy setups or advanced home security systems, 500Mbps should be ideal. If available, opt for a fiber connection, as it's typically more reliable and faster than cable.
Most people don’t need gigabit internet, but this internet speed guide can help you determine whether you need top-tier download speeds.
Astound fees for modem and installation
Installation fee
$79.95
Activation fee
$14.99
Equipment rental fee
$9.99–$40.00 (varies by region and equipment type)
Late fees
Up to $15
Data as of 07/17/2024.
What makes this review legit?
Our fact-based research process centers on interviews with internet customers across the country, helping us understand how internet services hold up against diverse needs and challenges.
To put together this review, we spoke with several Astound customers (including multiple on the Long Island City subreddit), contacted an Astound spokesperson, asked questions on the Astound chat service, reviewed our proprietary speed data, and dug into some industry surveys.
What to know about Astound Broadband
For all our internet reviews, we give a rating based on three main criteria—speed and reliability, dollar value, and customer experience—which we then average to make an overall score.
Want to know how Astound stacks up? See our full take below.
Overall score: 3.62/5
Speed and reliability
4.0/5.0
Unlike other internet providers, Astound has no persistent problems with speed or reliability. It actually does quite well for itself, especially for a smaller provider.
Our proprietary speed data shows Astound is surprisingly fast compared to other providers, with an average download speed of 155.61Mbps (not bad compared to the top average download speed, 219.29Mbps).
And customers have few complaints about reliability.
“The speed and reliability have been crucial for our operations,” says Astound customer and event staffing agency CEO Daniel Meursing in Los Angeles. “When you're coordinating events for clients like Bentley or YSL, every second counts.”
“Service was okay; would have some outages but pretty standard,” says former Astound customer and Reddit user Affectionate_Sky3671 from Long Island City, New York.
Dollar value
2.8/5.0
Astound prices start off amazing ($20 a month for 300Mbps? Sign me up!). But costs quickly increase, with a significant automatic price jump after one or two years of service.
“Service is fine. Their prices are ridiculous,” says Reddit user striedinger, a former Astound user in Long Island City. “They hook you claiming the price is like $35 but [have] so many fees, you eventually end up paying like $70. And then after the first year, they’ll just roll a dice, and that will be the new multiplier.”
“Servicewise they are fine, but they constantly raise prices without giving you notice,” confirms Reddit user achoe1015, also of Long Island City.
“I left them because they kept raising prices multiple times a year,” explains Affectionate_Sky3671.
Customer experience
4.1/5.0
Customers aren’t enthusiastic about Astound customer service, but the phone line and chat service were excellent when tested.
“It's been a mixed bag,” Meursing says of the customer service. “When we've reached them, they've been knowledgeable and helpful. However, getting through to the right person can sometimes take longer than we'd like.”
“I've had occasional issues with customer support responsiveness,” says Brad Jackson, CEO of Everyday Delta in Killeen, Texas. “For example, during a significant internet slowdown, it took three days for customer support to respond, which disrupted my business operations.”
There’s also a potential customer service issue built into Astound’s model—if you have to move to another state, odds are you can’t bring your Astound service to your new place. That may be off-putting if you’re looking for an ISP with which to build a long-term relationship.
Customer service surveys reflect these issues. The 2024 American Customer Satisfaction Index doesn’t cover Astound individually, but if we go by the “All Others” category, then Astound scored 65 for its non-fiber service (versus an average of 68) and 77 for its fiber (versus an average of 76).
Similarly, the HighSpeedInternet.com customer satisfaction survey puts Astound’s customer service rating at 3.6—right under the 3.7 average.
How long it took to get a real human on the phone: I reached a live person within just one minute, thanks to an actually helpful phone tree and zero wait time.
How the chat service is: Astound probably has the best chat service I’ve encountered. The chatbot quickly determined that it couldn’t answer my question and connected me with a live agent, Aliyah, who jumped in and responded without asking me to recount what I said before.
Overall quality
3.62/5.0
Astound Broadband offers excellent internet service in both the cable and fiber arenas. Still, you shouldn't stay with the company for more than a year due to its sizeable automatic price hikes and other substantial cost increases. You may also experience customer service issues while enrolled in Astound Broadband.
Astound Broadband: What deals and promotions can you get?
Astound runs deals from time to time. Signing up for one saves you money on your internet service!
Get a two-year price lock, a one-year free Astound Unlimited phone line, and a $100 Amazon gift card when you sign up for certain Astound Broadband plans. (The precise plans vary by region.)
Astound add-ons and perks
Autopay discount of $5 or $10
Sign up for autopay with a credit card payment (for $5 off) or automatic bank deduction (for $10 off).
Mobile service
Sign up for an Astound internet and mobile bundle.
TV service
Sign up for an Astound internet and TV bundle.
What do customers think of Astound Broadband?
Customers like Astound's service—most former customers even say they had no problems while using it. CEO of an event staffing company and Astound Broadband customer Daniel Meursing finds it very dependable for his business needs.
“In the event staffing industry, where split-second coordination can make or break an event, having a reliable internet connection is non-negotiable,” says Meursing. “While Astound Broadband isn't perfect, it has proven to be a valuable tool in our arsenal … whether we're staffing a birthday party for Norman Lear or a product launch for Nike.”
“I believe we're getting a good deal.” —Daniel Meursing
But, as mentioned earlier, the price increases cause huge dismay among customers.
“My bill went up like three to four times over a span of six months, and I didn’t realize because I was on autopay,” says Reddit user achoe1015, who previously used Astound in Long Island City. “You need to keep an eye on your bill once your first year of contract expires.”
“They also try to add fees for random things and nickel and dime you.” —achoe1015
Need to contact Astound Broadband customer service or tech support?
If you need to reach Astound customer service, try either of these methods:
- Call or text 1-800-427-8686
- Use the chat
Where is Astound Broadband available?
Astound Broadband offers patches of service on the West Coast, Northeast, and Midwest. It’s also present in Texas.
See if Astound Broadband is available for you.
Astound Broadband vs. the competition
Astound's promotional prices can't be beat, especially in areas where the ISP offers fiber.
But after Astound's promotional prices expire, the competition becomes much stiffer, especially since Astound is available in only a few states. In that case, it may be better to go with a service that's initially more expensive but more widespread, like AT&T or Spectrum.
Compare internet providers and prices
Offers and availability vary by location and are subject to change. Data verified as of the article's publication date.
*
Plus taxes and fees. Upload/download speed and device streaming claims are based on maximum wired speeds. Actual Internet speeds are not guaranteed and may vary based on factors such as hardware and software limitations, latency, packet loss, etc.
†
Price after $5/mo Autopay & Paperless bill discount (w/in 2 bills). Plus taxes $ fees. Limited availability. May not be available in your area.
‡
Limited time offer; subject to change; valid to qualified residential customers who have not subscribed to any services within the previous 30 days and who have no outstanding obligation to Charter.
^
w/ Auto Pay. Regulatory fees included in monthly price for qualified accounts. See full terms.
°
Plus hardware, shipping & handling fees, and tax. Fully refundable. Depending on location, some orders may take 6 months or more to fulfill.
Want Astound Broadband? Find it in your area.
Look for Astound Broadband near your residence.
See if your address is eligible for Astound Broadband service.
FAQs
Astound Broadband offers unlimited data on all its plans, but some have limits on high-speed data. With the 100Mbps plan, you get 400GB of fast data; the 500Mbps plan includes 1TB, while plans with 940Mbps and higher come with unlimited full-speed data.
No, Astound Broadband doesn't charge cancellation fees or even use contracts. Astound only charges fees for installation, equipment rental, and installation.
Spectrum and Astound Broadband are different providers. Both rank highly in Reviews.org's list of top cable internet providers, but Astound offers the advantage of fiber plans, while Spectrum is generally more affordable and widely available.
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