Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Cox Communications is a privately owned company with more than six million customers and 20,000 employees. Spectrum is a Connecticut-based, publicly traded corporation with an impressive stock price and nearly 100,000 people under its wing. If you live in a location that offers internet service through both, you may be wondering if bigger is better or if you will get better service from the little guy. Keep reading for insight on which cable provider might be right for you.
Best Pricing, Contracts and Bundles: Cox (For most available speeds)
Fastest Internet Speeds & Reliability: Tie (Both can easily cover all internet needs)
Local Availability & Coverage: Spectrum (More than twice the availability)
Bonus Features & Add-Ons: Tie
|
|
Spectrum vs COX: Pricing, Contracts and Bundles
Right off the bat, Cox comes in with a solid start with no less than five internet plans to choose from, ranging from 25 Mbps up to a mind-blowing 940 Mbps. With prices starting at about $30 per month on a one-year contract (plus the possibility of bundling cable and internet for an even better price), Cox’s offerings make a good first impression. For those seeking simplicity, Spectrum’s three internet speeds won’t disappoint. Spectrum jumps in with a minimum of 200 Mbps, which is plenty enough for average users.
Spectrum vs COX: Internet Speed & Reliability
Spectrum, which is owned by parent company Charter, might have the edge here. According to the FCC, Charter’s speeds are typically faster than advertised. While Cox certainly doesn’t slack, its boasted 150 Mbps download speed averages closer to 148 Mbps. Would you notice the difference? Probably not. However, when you are paying for something fast, faster than expected is never a bad thing. As for reliability, both companies have a massive fleet of technicians and the financial backbone to keep their systems in top shape. In areas where competition is present, you can almost bet that each provider will be rapidly responsive to outages.
We want to be clear that Spectrum’s internet isn’t slow or unreliable at all. In fact, in your area it may be identical to Comcast’s network or possibly faster. But overall Xfinity has those higher speed plans on cable that Spectrum isn’t offering unless you get fiber with them.
Spectrum vs COX: Local Availability
Spectrum takes the lead here as well, with fast internet available throughout much of the US – 41 states, to be exact. That’s to be expected with a company so large. Cox still holds strong with an impressive 607 service areas in the US spread across 19 states.
If you’re unsure what services each company offers, you can use their respective lookup tools to confirm pricing and availability.
Spectrum vs COX: Unlimited Data & Other Features
Let’s cut to the chase. Bigger might be better in this case because Spectrum’s data caps are nonexistent, while Cox holds tight to 1.25 TBs. Is this really that bad? Actually, not really. As Cox explains, you could literally watch 400 hours of HD movies and listen to a quarter-million songs before you’d make a dent in your data. So, really, there’s not a winner here unless your family streams HD or 4K TV all day and all night.
Beyond data, each provider offers a suite of features that allows you to get the most out of your internet service. Cox, for example, pledges that dead zones will be a thing of the past with available Wi-Fi pods (signal extenders). The company also allows you to create unlimited email addresses and includes McAfee security with most plans. Spectrum gives you up to seven email addresses and includes a security suite for all internet customers. You’ll also enjoy access to its dedicated Wi-Fi hotspot network for up to 15 devices per account.
Spectrum vs COX: Which is Better Overall?
To be honest, if you’re just grabbing an internet plan from Xfinity or Spectrum, you probably wouldn’t notice a difference in speeds if the cable running into your house changed hands. That being said, if you’re moving and wondering what the differences will be, expect a bit higher prices with spectrum but also unlimited internet. You should also expect similar reliability and speeds unless you go for the BIG DOGE 2000mps Xfinity plan.
|
|