Sparklight Review: Plans, Pricing, and More

Casual internet users will find Sparklight's internet and TV plans acceptable—but Sparklight's data caps might turn off a lot of users.

Editorial rating (3.3/5)

Price: Starting at $30/mo.

Channel count: 20–124

Download speeds: 15–1,000 Mbps

View plans
Package Price Download speeds up to Channel count Phone plan
Best for casual users
Elite Package with Starter 100 Plus 		$105/mo.* 100 Mbps Up to 100 channels Unlimited local & long distance View plan
Best for average internet users
Streamers & Gamers 200 Plus 		$65/mo. 200 Mbps N/A N/A View plan
Best for high-speed internet
GigaOne Plus 		$125/mo. 1,000 Mbps N/A N/A View plan

Data as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.

By

If you’re a casual internet user—we mean occasionally checking email and social media kind of casual—and you aren’t fond of the other internet providers in your area, Sparklight, formerly called Cable ONE, is an acceptable option.

But if you use the internet for streaming shows, uploading photos to social media, or looking at a bunch of pictures, Sparklight’s data caps will be a huge problem. You could end up paying an extra $50 a month in overage fees or even getting moved up to a more expensive plan without your go-ahead.

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Sparklight Pros & Cons

Pros

  • No contracts
  • Download speeds up to 1,000 Mbps
  • 30-day money-back guarantee

Cons

  • A super short trial period for discounted pricing
  • Ridiculously tiny data caps
  • A policy to upgrade to a higher package after data cap overages

Sparklight deals

Sparklight isn’t offering any big deals or perks right now. We’ll update this section when that changes.

Best Sparklight packages

Package Price* Download speeds up to Channel count Phone plan Details
Best for casual users
Elite Package 		$105/mo. 100 Mbps Up to 100 channels Unlimited local & long distance View plan
Best for average internet users
Streamers & Gamers 200 Plus 		$65/mo. 200 Mbps N/A N/A View plan
Best for high-speed internet
GigaOne Plus 		$125/mo. 1,000 Mbps N/A N/A View plan

Data as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
* for the first 6 mos.

The Elite Package is a tidy little bundle option for internet and TV. You’ll get up to 100 channels, (including cable favorites like Disney Channel and ESPN), a modest internet plan, and home phone too. This plan is perfect for everyday TV watching and occasional internet usage.

But if you love using the internet, you should skip Sparklight’s lower-speed plans, which come with restrictive data caps. Go for GigaOne Plus—its 1,500 GB data allowance is closer to what you’ll see from most providers.

Sparklight internet

Sparklight internet packages

Package Price Download speeds up to Upload speeds up to Data cap
Lite 15 Plus $30/mo. 15 Mbps 1 Mbps 100 GB View plan
Starter 100 Plus $45/mo.† 100 Mbps 10 Mbps 350 GB View plan
Streamer & Gamer 200 Plus $65/mo. 200 Mbps 20 Mbps 700 GB View plan
Turbo 300 Plus $80/mo. 300 Mbps 30 Mbps 1,200 GB View plan
GigaOne Plus $125/mo. 1,000 Mbps 50 Mbps 1,500 GB View plan

Data as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
† for the first 6 mos. $55/mo. after trial offer.

Contract-free internet plans are awesome—you can leave your provider whenever you want without paying the dreaded early termination fee. Sure, sometimes you have to pay a bit more for the freedom, but it’s worth it.

Sparklight’s got that good no-contract energy on lockdown. But it’s poisoned by the terrible data caps it enforces. If you exceed the cap, Sparklight charges $10 a month for an extra 100 GB, up to 500 GB for $50 a month. Or you can add unlimited data for $40 a month and get up to 5TB monthly. If you exceed even that massive cap, Sparklight slows your connection to a crawl for the rest of the data cycle.

Since Sparklight internet plans are already fairly expensive, you might wanna shop around for a provider that has cheaper plans with higher caps.

But if Sparklight internet service is your only option, or you’re fed up with other providers in your area, Streamer & Gamer 200 Plus ($65 a month, 200 Mbps, 700GB data allowance) ought to accommodate lots of gaming and video streaming before you encounter overage fees and forced package upgrades.

To learn more about which Sparklight internet plan is best for you, head over to our Sparklight internet review. We’ll explain everything you need to know about data caps and the impact they’ll have on your fun internet times.

Sparklight TV

Sparklight TV packages

Package Price Channel count up to Details
Economy $42.00/mo. 20 View plan
Standard $94.50/mo. 100 View plan
Digital Value Pack add-on $16.00/mo. 24 View plan

Data as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.

After the fiasco that is Sparklight internet data caps, Sparklight TV packages are refreshingly straightforward, if overpriced.

Ignore the Economy package ($42.00 a month, up to 20 channels). It’s not worth paying monthly for all the same local channels (and their subchannels) that you can get with an over-the-air (OTA) antenna, which costs as little as $30.00 and is easy to install by yourself.

Standard Cable TV ($94.50 a month) has up to 100 channels—the basic channels you’d expect, minus Viacom channels like MTV and Nickelodeon. And it’s overall slimness doesn’t warrant the price tag, considering you can get 290+ channels (including Viacom channels) from DISH for just $0.49 more per month.

If you want more channels, Sparklight has the Digital Value Pack add-on ($16 a month), which has 24 more channels including NFL Network, Game Show Network, CBS Sports, Discovery Life, Science Channel, and Lifetime Movie Network.

Interestingly, like Verizon Fios and DIRECTV STREAM (formerly AT&T TV), Sparklight has also switched from delivering your channels via cable to a streaming TV setup. You’ll use an Amazon Fire TV Stick (first one’s free) instead of a cable box. The cloud DVR stores 200 HD hours and you’ll have unlimited simultaneous recordings.

For more help choosing the best Sparklight TV plan for you, head over to our Sparklight TV review. We’ve got some helpful tips on DVRs that you won’t want to miss.

Sparklight channel lineup

Package Included popular channels Missing popular channels Details
Economy ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, and Telemundo Disney Chanel, ESPN, HISTORY View plan
Standard ESPN, Disney Channel, HISTORY Pac-12 Networks, NFL Network, Nickelodeon, MTV View plan
Digital Value Pack add-on Disney XD, FYI, NFL Network, Lifetime Movie Network, Science Channel N/A View plan
See full Sparklight channel lineups

Sparklight bundles

Sparklight internet + TV + phone packages

Package Price for first 6 mos. Ongoing price Download speeds up to Channel count up to Phone plan Details
Preferred Package with Start 100 Plus $95.00/mo. $144.50/mo. 100 Mbps 100 N/A View plan
Elite Package with Starter 100 Plus $105.00/mo. $164.50/mo. 100 Mbps 100 Unlimited local & long distance View plan

Data as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.

Sparklight has a couple of bundles that can help you save on your first six months of service. But both get pretty expensive after the introductory deal expires. Above you’ll see the three-pack combos, but there are plenty of bundles for just two services too.

There are also some weird price problems you should watch out for with Sparklight’s bundles. Head on over to the our Sparklight bundle review for the full scoop.

Final take

We’re not about to propose marriage to Sparklight. Not that it even offers a contract—but you’ll pay a premium to avoid getting stuck in a two-year agreement. Also, Sparklight’s data caps aren’t fair for modern internet usage, and its channel count is low.

But if you live alone, or have a small family, the Sparklight plan for you is Streamer & Gamer 200 Plus ($65 a month, 200 Mbps, 700GB data allowance) would allow you to do a good amount of gaming and video streaming before getting hit with overage fees and forced package upgrades.

If you’re looking to bundle, Elite Package with Starter 100 Plus ($105 a month, up to 100 channels, 100 Mbps, 350 GB data cap, and unlimited calling) should still accommodate plenty of live TV streaming and online gaming—you’ll just have to watch your data cap.

Or, if Sparklight doesn’t sound like it’s for you, enter your zip code below to find other providers.

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Methodology

At CableTV.com, our TV writers research and test cable TV and internet providers like Sparklight, comparing plans, bundles, pricing, features, and functionality with other top providers of the same services. For more on how we do things, please see our How We Rank page.

Sparklight FAQ

Is Sparklight cable a streaming TV service?

As of Dec. 15, Sparklight started delivering its TV service via the internet. So Sparklight is now technically a live TV streaming service, but the company is calling it “streaming cable.” Sparklight TV packages and pricing won’t change, though. And neither will the channels in each Sparklight TV plan.

Is Sparklight internet good?

Sparklight (once known as Cable ONE) internet is just okay. All of its internet plans have individualized speeds and data caps, and, on the more affordable plans, they’re both a bit stingy compared to almost any other provider—so watch out for overage fees. But Sparklight doesn’t require contracts, so you can leave whenever you want. Just know that those no-contract plans cost more.

See below for Sparklight’s vital statistics. For a deeper look, read our Sparklight internet review.

Swipe Left to See All →
Sparklight
Connection typeCable
Pricing$30.00–$125.00/mo.
Download speeds100–1,000 Mbps
Upload speeds1–50 Mbps
Data caps100–1,500 GB
Overage fees$10.00 per 100 GB
Bundles withInternet, TV, phone
Contracts✗

Data as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.

 

Does Sparklight require a contract?

No, Sparklight plans are month-to-month, so you can duck out any time without having to worry about paying early termination fees.

What kind of internet is Sparklight?

Sparklight offers cable internet, which isn’t quite as advanced as fiber-to-home internet. But since Sparklight plans reach up to 1,000 Mbps in download speeds, it’s certainly not shabby.

Why is Cable ONE now Sparklight?

Sparklight has some fancy explanations for it, but in short—branding. Sparklight isn’t a new company or separate from Cable ONE at all; it just changed the big sign out front.

Does Sparklight have a data cap?

Each Sparklight plan comes with an individualized speed and data allowance—both of which are pretty ugly. We feel like Sparklight plans aren’t worth it until you get to Streamer & Gamer 200 Plus, which gives you 200 Mbps and a 700 GB cap for $65 a month.

If you want to bundle with a Sparklight TV package, Sparklight’s internet, TV, and phone Elite Package with Starter 100 Plus is $105 a month for up to 100 channels, 100 Mbps, a 350 GB cap, and unlimited calling. It’s not the greatest, but it’s okay if Sparklight’s your only option.

Is Sparklight better than Centurylink?

If you can get a Centurylink fiber-optic connection where you live, it’s better than Sparklight internet service. Centurylink’s fiber internet plan gets you up to 940 Mbps download and upload speeds with a 1 TB data cap for $65 a month. For the same price, Sparklight has only a cable internet connection with 200 Mbps download speeds, 20 Mbps upload speeds, and a 700 GB data cap.

 

Swipe Left to See All →
SparklightCenturylink
Connection typeCableDSL, Fiber
Pricing$30.00–$125.00/mo.$49.00–$65.00/mo.
Download speeds100–1,000 Mbps20–940 Mbps
Upload speeds1–50 Mbps1–940 Mbps
Data caps100–1,500 GB1,000 GB
Overage fees$10.00 per 100 GBN/A
Bundles withInternet, TV, phoneInternet and phone
Contracts✗✗

Data as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.

See also: Sparklight Internet | Sparklight TV | Sparklight Channel lineup | Sparklight Bundles | Sparklight Voice | Sparklight Customer service

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