After 12 months Cox upload speeds Plan fees Low-income pricing Cheapest Cox plans
Cox has 4 internet-only plans on the market in 2024. Base pricing starts at $49.99 per month, while the fastest plan starts at $99.99 and goes all the way up to $119.99 after the first year.
As is common with cable internet, the advertised price is the download rate. The upload rates are much lower, about 35 Mbps on the fastest “gigabit” plan and as low as 1–3 Mbps on the lower-tier plans. We recommend the middle-tier plans for most families, since the 10 Mbps upload rate is less prone to issues supporting video chat.
Cox cable pricing after 12 months
Aside from their prepaid-style StraightUp Internet plan, all Cox Communications internet-only plans have intro rates in place. As a customer, this means you receive a reduced price for the first year, and the price increases after 12 months to the actual cost. This price may change over time, as Cox adjusts their pricing tiers.
In most cases, receiving the intro-rate requires a 1-year contract. When the contract expires, some customers have success calling in and requesting extensions for the new customer discount.
Cox Communications Internet-Only Plan Uploads
Cox doesn’t advertise their upload rates when you sign up, which can be a surprise for customers (especially if they pay up for the highest-priced “gigabit” plan, which is only gigabit on the download side).
The peak upload speed of Cox Communications internet is 35 Mbps, which is sufficient to support 2–3 SD or even HD video chats at once. However, the low-mid-tier Cox plans like Cox Internet Starter 10 and StraightUp Internet have lower upload speeds in the 1–3 Mbps range. These can support one video chat in a pinch, but will struggle if you have multiple users or a work-from-home situation.
Plan Name | Download | Upload | Promo Price | Final Price |
---|---|---|---|---|
Gigablast | 1000 Mbps | 35 Mbps | $99.99/mo | $119.99 |
Cox Internet Ultimate 500 | 500 Mbps | 10 Mbps | $79.99/mo | $99.99 |
Cox Internet Preferred 250 | 250 Mbps | 10 Mbps | $59.99/mo | $83.99 |
Cox Internet Essential 100 | 100 Mbps | 5 Mbps | $49.99/mo | $49.99 |
Cox Internet Plan Fees and Fine Print
Cox has three main fees that new customers should be aware of:
- WiFi fees: Cox charges a standard $10.99 monthly fee for your WiFi gateway. This adds up to $131.88 over a year of service. However, the fee can be removed if you purchase your own modem and router outright.
- Data overage fees: Cox charges fees for customers who use more than 1.25 TB of data in a given month. They charge around $30 for unlimited monthly data, or $10 overage fees which add incriments of 10GB to your plan.
- Contracts: Cox requires 1-year contracts for the best pricing, even on internet-only plans. They have some plans exempt from this (namely the StraightUp plan), but the fastest plans all require contracts for the lowest monthly price. If you cancel before the contract is up, you can pay an early termination fee up to $120, or $10 for every month remaining in your contract.
Cox Plans for Low-Income Households
Low-income households may be eligible for reduced-cost access from Cox Cable. Cox's low-income plans provide (very) basic internet speeds for $9.95 monthly price, with no WiFi router fees.
Plan Name | Speed Down/Up | Monthly Price | WiFi Fee |
---|---|---|---|
Cox Connect2Compete | 25/1 Mbps | $9.95/mo | $0/mo |