Grande Internet Review 2020
Call Now | Plan | Price | Download speed | Data cap | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power 300 | $35.99 | 300 Mbps | Unlimited | View Plans |
| Power 600 | $49.99 | 600 Mbps | Unlimited | View Plans |
| Power 1000 | $69.99 | 940 Mbps | Unlimited | View Plans |
| Plan |
| Power 300 |
| Power 600 |
| Power 1000 |
| Price | Download speed | Data cap | Details |
| $35.99 | 300 Mbps | Unlimited | View Plans |
| $49.99 | 600 Mbps | Unlimited | View Plans |
| $69.99 | 940 Mbps | Unlimited | View Plans |
If you’re ready to say “thank u next” to internet providers that have taught you love, patience, and pain, then Grande internet might be a blessing.
You might have no tears left to cry after your last internet service breakup, but imagine an internet service provider (ISP) that doesn’t require contracts, doesn’t have any data caps, and doesn’t cost you your firstborn child. Owned by RCN, the Texas-based Grande internet won’t leave you lonely.
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 Plans |
| Power 600 | $49.99* | 600 Mbps | Unlimited | View Plans |
| Power 1000 | $69.99* | 940 Mbps | Unlimited | View Plans |
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.
| Provider | Monthly price | Download speeds | Upload speeds | Learn more |
| Grande Cable Internet | $35.99–$69.99* | 300–940 Mbps | 20–50 Mbps | View Plans |
| Xfinity Internet | $24.99–$299.95† | 15–2000 Mbps | 2–2000 Mbps | View Plans |
| AT&T Fiber | $49.99–$50‡ | 100–940 Mbps | 100–880 Mbps | View Plans |
| Spectrum Internet | $49.99–$109.99* | 100–940 Mbps | 10–35 Mbps | 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 | 300–940 Mbps | 20–50 Mbps |
Advertised speed is all well and good. But how does Grande stack up when it comes to delivering the download speeds it promises?
Quite well, actually. Grande ranked eighth overall and fifth in terms of large ISPs in our latest report of the fastest internet providers.
| Provider | Reviews.org weighted score |
| Grande Communications | 42.9 out of 100 |
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
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.
The good news is Grande doesn’t have a data cap. So 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. Winning!
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.
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.
Grande internet equipment and fees
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/mo.
- Wi-Fi modem/router combo: $13.49/mo.
- 1 gig Wi-Fi modem/router combo: $4.99/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, like this ARRIS SURFboard modem/router combo from Amazon.
| Renting | Buying |
| $59.88–$161.88/yr. | $120* |
Amazon cost effective 12/16/2019.
Customer service
Expect your average internet customer service experience.
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
| Grande ACSI 2018–2019 rating |
| 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.
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?
We’re pretty bummed Grande is only in Texas, it’s that 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: Though it’s not rated by the FCC, Grande showed up in fourth place in HighSpeedInternet.com’s fastest ISPs report. Hot diggity dog.
- 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.
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 2018–2019“
Additional contributors
Trevor Wheelwright