Astound Broadband Powered By Wave Review 2025
We spent a week reviewing Astound Broadband powered by Wave to find the provider’s best plans.
Price: $20.00–$164.32/mo.
Channels: 40–220+
Data cap: 400 GB–Unlimited
Contract: N/A
| Plan | Price | Download speeds | Channel count | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 300 Mbps Internet | $20.00/mo. | 300 Mbps | N/A | |
| 600 Mbps Internet + Basic TV | $63.70/mo. | 600 Mbps | 40+ |
Is Astound Broadband powered by Wave good?
Although Astound’s internet plans won’t knock your socks off, the internet service provider (ISP) offers fine download speeds, no-contract service, and reasonable first-year prices. But Astound’s TV plans are expensive, and we’d recommend them only if you’re looking for channels that aren’t on a streaming bundle.
Astound Broadband powered by Wave pros and cons
- Good first-year internet pricing
- Unlimited data on Gig and 1,500 Mbps Internet plans
- Expensive TV plans that require an internet plan
- Slow upload speeds on Gig Internet
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Astound Broadband powered by Wave deals
Astound’s deals include free installation and discounted equipment rental fees for your first year of service. Visit Astound to learn more about deals in your area.
Astound Broadband powered by Wave internet plans and prices
| Plan | Price* | Max download speed | Max upload speed | Data cap | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 300 Mbps Internet | $20.00/mo. | 300 Mbps | 5 Mbps | 400 GB | |
| 600 Mbps Internet | $35.00/mo. | 600 Mbps | 600 Mbps | Unlimited | |
| 1,000 Mbps Internet | $45.00/mo. | 1,000 Mbps | 1,000 Mbps | Unlimited | |
| 1,500 Mbps Internet | $55.00/mo. | 1,500 Mbps | 1,500 Mbps | Unlimited |
*Internet speeds may vary & are not guaranteed No contract required. Subject to availability. Offer valid only for new residential Astound customers or previous customers with an account in good standing who have not had Astound service within the last 60 days. Limited time offer, subject to change without notice. Advertised promotional pricing valid for 24 months from service start date, subject to change thereafter. Unless otherwise specified in the offer details, price does not include Internet Infrastructure Fee of up to $16.93/mo, subject to change.
Data effective as of publish date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
Astound keeps its internet options simple with four no-contract plans that have sensible download speeds and pricing. We’ll give Astound props for making its 300 Mbps plan affordable for the first year—many ISPs have starting internet plans that cost more than $30 monthly, which hardly make them budget-friendly. Astound’s Gig Internet promo pricing is similarly impressive, as we rarely see ISPs with gigabit plans that cost less than $50 per month.
We could do without the 300 Mbps plan’s 400 GB data cap—it’s decently sized, but most providers have adopted unlimited data or 1 TB data caps. On Astound’s 300 Mbps plan, you can double your data cap for $10 monthly or upgrade to unlimited data for $20 per month. If your household is full of heavy internet users, you could also upgrade to 600 Mbps Internet for an additional $15 per month.
Pro tip: Like many cable ISPs, Astound offers promotional pricing on its internet plans before raising its prices after an allotted number of months. We do appreciate that Astound’s bumped its first-year price hike to a second-year one, though, giving you guaranteed pricing for 24 months rather than just 12.
Astound’s standard rates align with competitors like Xfinity and Spectrum, but that doesn’t mean you have to like them. Check out our bill negotiation guide for tips to lower your monthly costs.
Astound’s upload speeds have improved, thankfully. Previously, its 600 Mbps and 1,000 Mbps plans were saddled with tiny 10 Mbps upload speeds. Now, Astound has matched its download and upload speeds for their 600 Mbps plans and above, which makes a huge difference.
Astound Broadband powered by Wave vs. competition
| Plan | Internet prices | TV prices | Data caps | Internet types | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Astound Broadband powered by Wave | $19.95–$80.00/mo.*† | $31.95–$79.75/mo.* | 400 GB–Unlimited | Cable | |
| Xfinity | $19.99–$85.00/mo. | $20.00–$80.00/mo. | 1.2 TB | Cable |
Read Xfinity review |
| Spectrum | $50.00–$70.00/mo.* | $40.00–$105.00/mo. | Unlimited | Cable |
View Spectrum Plans Read Spectrum review |
| CenturyLink | $50.00/mo.–$65.00/mo. | n/a | Unlimited | DSL/Fiber |
View CenturyLink Plans Read CenturyLink review |
| AT&T | $55.00–$245.00/mo. | n/a | 1 TB–Unlimited | Fiber |
Read AT&T review |
†24 month Internet Pricing. Equipment priced separately. Experienced speeds may vary.
Data effective as of publish date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
When it comes to pricing, Astound falls in line with other internet service providers that have West Coast coverage. Although AT&T and Xfinity have higher internet prices on paper, these rates cover each ISP’s premium gigabit plans that offer speeds up to 5 Gbps.
When you compare apples to apples, Astound’s first-year pricing for its 1 Gbps plan ($45.00/mo.) is less than Xfinity ($75.00/mo.) and Spectrum ($70.00/mo.), although this difference evens out after Astound’s price hike. For instance, Astound’s post-price hike prices range from $69.95 per month to $99.95 per month, while Xfinity’s prices on its comparable plans fall between $70.00 per month and $100.00 per month.
By comparison, CenturyLink and AT&T moved to flat-rate pricing, so you won’t have to worry about your bill doubling after your first year.
Astound Broadband powered by Wave features
Astound also offers TV and phone service alongside its internet plans. Here’s what you need to know about Astound’s TV plans and fine print.
Astound Broadband powered by Wave TV bundles
| Plan | Price | Channel count | Phone service | Notable channels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 300 Mbps Internet + Basic TV | $48.70/mo. | 40+ | Add for $10.00/mo.* | NBC, ABC, FOX |
| 600 Mbps Internet + Basic TV + Preferred | $144.32/mo. | 220+ | Add for $10.00/mo.* | Disney Channel, Lifetime, TBS |
| 1500 Mbps Internet + Basic TV + Preferred | $164.32/mo. | 220+ | Add for $10.00/mo.* | Cooking Channel, Disney XD, BBC America |
Data effective as of publish date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
Astound’s TV plans look fine on paper, but they’re not worth it, thanks to a headache-inducing number of fees and add-on charges. For starters, you can’t get standalone TV service through Astound, as you have to bundle an internet plan with one of Astound’s two base TV plans.
Basic TV ($40.90/mo.) is Astound’s local network-only plan, while Basic TV + Preferred TV ($134.04/mo.) is a starter basic cable plan with channels like Disney Channel and TBS.
On top of that, you’ll have to add separate packs if you want more channels. For basic cable networks, you’ll choose between the following packs:
- Digital Sports ($12.00/mo., ESPNU, NFL Network, and more)
- Digital Variety ($8.25/mo., Cooking Channel, Magnolia, and more)
- Digital Favorites ($13.00/mo., Disney XD, BBC America, and more)
- Digital Cable Pack ($32.75/mo., bundles all three packs together)
Thanks to all these charges, you’ll be paying far more for TV service on Wave compared to the competition. For example, Xfinity’s 600 Mbps and 125+ basic cable channel bundle costs $80.00 per month for your first two years. With Wave, you’ll be paying $144.32 per month for a comparable plan. (And this doesn’t even include the $80 third-year price hike you’ll see after Astound’s promo prices end.)
Astound Broadband powered by Wave fees
During the checkout process, Astound has no shortage of optional add-ons. Astound offers modem and router rentals for between $6.00 and $10.00 per month, but we’d recommend purchasing your own equipment to save on fees. You can also upgrade your data cap or upload speeds for between $5.00 and $20.00 per month.
For TV service, Astound offers a TiVo Stream 4K that’s free for your first year and only $1.49 per month afterward. You can add premium cable offerings like Max (formerly HBO Max) and CINEMAX® to your cable plan for an additional fee.
Pro tip: Buying your own modem and router are great ways to save on internet equipment fees. Check out our Best Gigabit Modems and Best Wi-Fi Router guides for our hardware picks.
Is Astound Broadband worth it?
From internet plans to TV bundles, Astound Broadband doesn’t separate itself from the competition. The ISP’s great 2-year internet prices are offset by standard third-year pricing, expensive TV plans, and average upload speeds.
Still, Astound could be a decent fit if you’re simply looking for internet service and your neighborhood isn’t covered by a major provider. Astound’s internet plans won’t impress—and don’t about that third-year price hike—but they’ll be fine if you want set-it-and-forget-it internet service.
Astound Broadband powered by Wave FAQ
Who is Astound Broadband powered by Wave owned by?
Wave is owned by Astound Broadband. Astound Broadband is the parent company for ISPs including Wave and RCN.
Is Astound Broadband by Wave cable or DSL?
Astound is a cable internet provider, and it does not offer DSL service.
Does Astound Broadband by Wave have unlimited data?
Astound includes unlimited data on its Gig Internet and 2,000 Mbps plans. If you want unlimited data on Astound’s other internet plans, you’ll have to pay an additional $20 per month.
Did Astound buy Wave Broadband?
Astound did not technically buy Wave Broadband, but basically reacquired the company after a series of ownership changes over the past decade.
What is Astound Broadband?
Astound Broadband is an internet services company that runs multiple internet networks throughout the US that were formerly known as RCN and Wave.
Why you should trust us
To figure out how Astound Broadband powered by Wave stacked up to the competition, we spent a week analyzing all five Astound plans and researching their pricing, availability, and download speeds. We also compared Astound to competing ISPs to see which one offers the best deal for customers.
For more information on our methodology, check out our How We Rank page.
