Grande Internet Review 2021
Grande internet offers low promotional prices for fast download speeds with no contract required. It also comes with unlimited data, and all this good news may leave you wondering, “What’s the catch?”
Well, if you’re not a resident of Texas, you won’t see Grande internet in your area. And those low prices don’t last forever.
But if you call the great state of Texas home, let’s dig into the details and find out if Grande internet service is right for you.
Pros
- No contracts
- High speeds for less
- No data caps
Cons
- Only available in Texas
Grande internet prices and plans
Grande ain’t greedy, you’ll get a lot of speed for comparatively little cash.
If you’re daydreaming about a faster internet connection, Grande has you covered with its cable internet plans. Even the basic plan, Power 300, gives you more than enough speed to stream in 4K, escort the payload in Overwatch, or binge-watch the latest season of The Expanse.
Usually we recommend fiber internet over cable or DSL because fiber speeds tend to be more reliable. But with 300, 600, or even 1,000 Mbps, we think Grande’s cable plans should do the trick for most anyone.
Plan | Price | Download speed | Data cap | Details |
Power 300 | $35.99* | 300 Mbps | Unlimited | View Plan |
Power 600 | $49.99* | 600 Mbps | Unlimited | View Plan |
Power 1000 | $69.99* | 940 Mbps | Unlimited | View Plan |
Not everybody needs 1 gig (1,000 Mbps) speeds, so if you can save some cash by grabbing the Power 300 or Power 600 plan, go for it. But that’s not to say Grande’s Power 1000 plan isn’t well-priced. It’s one of—if not the—lowest-price gig plan out there right now.
The Power 1000 plan also comes with the fastest upload speeds. That’s perfect if you upload lots of photos or plan on starting a career as a famous YouTuber in the new decade.
Here’s how Grande internet prices compare to Spectrum and AT&T Fiber, two other ISPs that serve the great state of Texas.
Provider | Monthly price | Download speeds | Data cap | Learn more |
Grande Cable Internet | $29.99–$69.99* | 50–940 Mbps | View Plans | |
AT&T Fiber | $35–$60† | 100–940 Mbps | Unlimited | View Plans |
Spectrum Internet | $49.99–$109.99* | 100–940 Mbps | Unlimited | View Plans |
Grande internet speed
Unlimited data and fast speeds for gamers and streamers.
Though you don’t get a ton of download speed choices, Grande’s three plans are all affordable enough for casual users. The best part is, those plans are also fast enough for power-users like gamers, HD and 4K streamers, and livestreamers.
Grande’s internet download speeds are comparable to big names like Verizon Fios, Xfinity, and Frontier. That’s good news because if you go with Grande, you may pay less for higher speeds.
Provider | Download speeds | Upload speeds |
Grande Cable Internet | 50–940 Mbps | 20–50 Mbps |
When it comes to delivering the download speeds it promises, Grande does well. It ranked eighth overall and fifth in terms of large ISPs in our latest report of the fastest internet providers.
Provider | Reviews.org weighted score | Overall rank |
Grande Communications | 42.9 out of 100 | 8th out of 38 ISPs |
While Grande’s score of 42.9 out of 100 may seem mediocre, it’s actually quite good. The fastest ISP scored 75.6 out of 100, and Grande’s score still puts it at eighth out of the 38 total internet providers we analyzed.
We should also note that the Reviews.org weighted speed score isn’t a representation of Grande’s actual download speeds. Instead, it’s a combination of the average download speeds, upload speeds, and latency that Grande internet users saw in more than 1 million speed tests taken in 2019.
Data caps
Great news: Grande internet doesn’t have a data cap.
A lot of ISPs cap off your data around 1 terabyte (TB), which is plenty for most users. However, if you’re constantly streaming or downloading online games, you might hit that 1 TB cap before the month is up.
But with Grande’s unlimited data, your speeds won’t be throttled and you won’t get a passive aggressive email at 2 a.m. on the 28th of the month that warns that you’ve almost hit your data cap.
Contracts, equipment, and fees
No contracts means you can break free from Grande internet without getting charged.
We appreciate that Grande internet doesn’t make you sign a long-term contract. Some ISPs go as long as 2- or 3-year agreements. And if you leave those contracts, you usually end up paying early termination fees, sometimes up to $240 or more. No thanks.
If you’re unsatisfied with Grande, you can tell them goodnight and go home without facing any early termination fees or other messy breakup problems. No muss, no fuss.
Grande internet equipment
You can rent a modem or Wi-Fi mesh system from Grande—or you can bring your own equipment.
- Whole-home Wi-Fi equipment: $9.95/mo. for one eero base and one beacon. Additional beacons are $5.00/mo.
- Wi-Fi modem/router combo: $13.99/mo.
- 1 gig Wi-Fi modem/router combo: $5.99/mo.
The monthly fee for Grande’s equipment isn’t bad. We’ve seen these fees as high as $20 per month elsewhere.
But you’ll likely save money if you purchase your own modem and router combo.
Here’s a quick look at the yearly rental cost of your Grande internet equipment compared to the cost of a Grande-compatible modem and the Amazon eero mesh Wi-Fi system.
Equipment | Monthly rental cost | Total cost |
Grande Standard Wi-Fi & Modem | $13.99/mo. | $167.88/yr. |
Grande Standard Wi-Fi & Gig Modem | $5.99/mo. | $71.88/yr. |
Grande Whole-Home Wi-Fi | $9.95/mo. | $119.40/yr. |
NETGEAR Cable Modem CM1000 | N/A | $169.99* one-time cost |
Amazon eero router + 2 beacons | N/A | $249.00* one-time cost |
*Amazon.com List prices of $169.99 and $249.00 (as of 12/29/2020 at 10:28 AM MST). Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product. Reviews.org utilizes paid Amazon links.
Service fees
We’re always on the lookout for fees that companies don’t include in an advertised monthly price. Fortunately, we didn’t see anything out of the ordinary with Grande. You’re always subject to taxes and other weird little fees, but we wouldn’t expect these to dramatically change your price.
- Installation fees: All of the offers we came across had free installation with a coupon code. If you don’t see an option for free installation, call up Grande and ask.
- Activation fee: $9.99
- Early termination fee: None, Grande doesn’t require contracts.
Customer service
Don’t expect spectacular customer service from Grande. Or from any ISP, for that matter.
The world of internet service isn’t great when it comes to customer service and we don’t see anything standout from Grande in that department.
It’s hard to pinpoint just how bad or good Grande is when it comes to customer service since the latest American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) report doesn’t rate Grande individually. Instead, it’s lumped in with a bunch of other ISPs in the “All Others” category.2
Rating | Grande internet score |
ACSI 2019–2020 | 64 out of 100 ("All Others") |
But there are some good points. The company has chat (our preferred way of handling tedious internet problems) and some basic user guides and FAQs that might get you through some tough spots.
You still have the option to call an agent, and it shouldn’t take you more than seven rings to get your problems solved. Grande has 24/7 support, which is more than you can expect from other companies.
Here’s how to get a hold of Grande in case you need to get them on the horn:
- Online chat
- Phone number: (866) 2GRANDE (1-866-247-2633)
- Twitter: @grandecom
- Facebook: @GrandeCommunications
Our picks: The best Grande internet plans
Best for smaller families of streamers: Power 300
Who it’s best for: If you want to stream stream movies and music and scroll through Twitter, you shouldn’t have any problems. But if you have a larger household with a ton of devices, you should look into the 600 Mbps or 1,000 Mbps plans instead.
Why we picked it: It’s one of the lowest plan prices out there—and it comes with some of the fastest speeds we’ve seen at this price point. You should be able to stream movies and TV just fine, even if you’re also on your phone browsing Instagram while working on a laptop.
Best for hardcore gamers and streamers: Power 1,000
Who it’s best for: If you’re in a larger household with people who stream movies and music, play video games, and work on their devices, then you’ll want as much speed as you can get. Plus, for 1,000 Mbps, it’s not a bad price at all.
Why we picked it: It’s one of the better priced gig-speed plans we’ve come across, especially considering that you won’t have to sign a contract and it comes with unlimited data. *fist pump*
Recap: Is Grande internet good?
Yup, Grande gets an A+ in our book, we think it’s one of the better ISPs out there.
Grande’s great speeds at decent prices—and without data caps or contracts, even, are what makes it such a big deal. We’re just ugly crying in our corner over here because it’s available only in Texas.
- Prices and plans: Grande has some of—if not the—cheapest prices for the download speeds it gives you. That’s what we call a high-value internet plan.
- Speed: Grande earned a spot in the top five for the fastest large internet providers in the US. And even when you count smaller providers, it’s still speedy enough to earn eighth place.
- Contracts, equipment, and fees: “No contracts” is what we like to hear. And we also love that Grande offers free installation and lets you bring your own equipment if you want to.
- Customer service: Listen, with few exceptions, internet customer service is just a mediocre experience at best. We doubt Grande is much different, though the ISP does offer online chat assistance, which we highly recommend using.
Recap: Grande internet promotional prices
- Power 300: $35.99/mo.,* 300 Mbps download speeds, unlimited data
- Power 600: $49.99/mo.,* 600 Mbps download speeds, unlimited data
- Power 1,000: $69.99/mo.,* 940 Mbps download speeds, unlimited data
Data effective 12/29/2020. Offers and availability vary by location and are subject to change.
* For the first 12 months.
Sources
1. Catherine McNally, Reviews.org, “The Fastest Internet Providers 2020,” August 2020. Accessed August 12, 2020.
2. American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), “ACSI Telecommunications Report 2019-2020,” June 2020. Accessed December 29, 2020.