MetroNet Internet Review 2020

If you call the Midwestern US home, chances are you’ve seen signs or vehicles for MetroNet popping up. This fully fiber internet, TV, and phone service provider started in 2005, but its slow expansion means you may not have seen it around town until now.

But is MetroNet worth all the hype?

Well, if you’re after punchy internet speeds, unlimited data, and no contracts, we say yes. But MetroNet’s prices might look too good to be true: That’s one of the lowest gig internet prices we’ve seen, but how long does it last?

So, do the pros outweigh the cons, like flakey customer service? Let’s dig in and find out.

MetroNet internet deals

Looking to save a few bucks on your MetroNet internet? Here are the deals you’re looking for:

^{*Offers available to new residential customers only and may not be combined with other offers. MetroNet reserves the right to revoke or modify offers at any time. Video Content Pricing: Cost increases for Fiber TV services will be passed on to you in the month they are incurred without mark-up. Video content rates, including those quoted, may change on a frequent basis. $25 surcharge applies for video only customers. WholeHome Wifi: WholeHome WiFi rate includes one WholeHome WiFi device. Extra devices will incur additional charges. Limit of three devices per household.
**MetroNet contract buyout promotion is available to new or returning MetroNet residential customers. The total buyout credit will be determined by the early termination fee on the final bill from the previous provider, not to exceed $150.}

MetroNet internet prices and plans

MetroNet prices start out great, but once that promotional period is up, they grow fast.

MetroNet’s prices look like a dream come true. We rarely see gig speeds priced this low, and even the prices for the 100, 200, and 500 Mbps plans are decent.

Plus, those low prices come with a few perks:

• MetroNet internet is fully fiber all the way to your house, meaning your download speeds should be more reliable. (And your upload speeds too.)
• You get unlimited data, so no more data overage charges or warnings.

We also like that MetroNet gives you a choice between an excellent range of download speeds. That means it’s more likely you’ll find a MetroNet plan that fits your needs and less likely that you’ll overpay for extra speed.

But if you start reading the fine print, you’ll see that MetroNet plays the promotional price game with every plan except the 100 Mbps plan. Almost every other internet service provider (ISP) starts you with a promotional price, so this isn’t too unusual.

Your low promotional price lasts for 24 months with the 200 and 500 Mbps plans. After that you’ll pay $10 more per month. But the gig plan lets you pay a promotional price for only six months.

Six months. And on top of that, your next promotional rate of $69.95 lasts for 12 more months, then you get hit with the full-blown, non-promotional monthly rate of $89.95 when month 18 rolls around.

Confused? So are we. Hopefully this table helps clear things up a bit.

Looking at the non-promotional price for the 1 Gigabit plan, we think you can find a better deal for 1,000 Mbps speeds. But even though MetroNet’s full-blown gig price isn’t quite a bargain, it’s better than the price some ISPs charge for the same speeds. (Ahem, Spectrum.)

Is MetroNet internet cheap?

MetroNet internet prices fall right in line with many of the other internet providers you’ll find in the Midwest.

That includes Xfinity and Spectrum internet. (Except for Spectrum’s gig-speed plan.)

MetroNet internet speed

It’s a safe bet that MetroNet has fast internet speeds, plus its unlimited data is like throwing down a royal flush.

We mentioned before that MetroNet offers a pretty wide range of download speeds that start at 100 Mbps and top off at 1,000 Mbps.

That should cover most modern-day families and households that enjoy streaming and gaming, while MetroNet’s faster internet plans are a match made in heaven for larger families and those who work from home.

But if your internet activity is limited to mostly emails and Facebook, MetroNet might leave you out to dry. It’s likely you wouldn’t need speeds as fast as 100 Mbps to email Grandma Midge back or check out the chubby cheeks on your nephew’s newest baby.

If that sounds more like what you do online, internet providers like Cox and Xfinity will cost you less per month.

And, if you’re still undecided about how many Mbps you need, no worries. Our guide on internet speed can help.

Is MetroNet internet fast?

MetroNet is a smaller ISP, so it can be hard to analyze how it measures up in terms of speed.

Luckily, the latest Netflix ISP Speed Index from February 2020 can shed some light. When you include smaller ISPs in the view, MetroNet ranked 11th out of 69 total providers with a speed of 4.6 (the highest speed was GVTC Fiber with 5.12).¹

That’s pretty outstanding.

Data caps

MetroNet steps up to the winners podium with its unlimited data.

Here’s what one Reddit user, mswizzle83, had to say about MetroNet’s unlimited data policy:

“I have a family of four. All with multiple devices. Streaming videos, lots of YouTube, 4K Netflix, Disney+, iTunes movies, working from home (Zoom, MS Teams), eLearning from home (Google Classroom/Meet). Streaming music all day. Plus, I’m an IT guy and am constantly remoting in to people’s machines and servers. I don’t know specific numbers, but I’m sure we are on the high end of their customers. Never been a problem.”²

We’re all about no hassles and no extra charges when it comes to internet, and unlimited data means you get to surf the web without a care in the world.

MetroNet internet contracts, equipment, and fees

MetroNet comes with no contracts, and its oddball technology service fee may not be so bad after all.

There’s no mention of agreements or contracts in MetroNet’s fine print, so breathe easy.

No contracts makes MetroNet internet a good choice for anyone who isn’t sure they’ll be in one place for a long time. Think college students who may swap roommates at the end of the semester or renters who might have to move suddenly.

Whatever the case, MetroNet’s contract-free internet plans are a plus for anyone.

Equipment

MetroNet seems to be pretty tight-lipped about which particular routers come with its internet service. From what we can tell, you’ll get either a Linksys or Zyxel router.

The good news is, that mysterious $9.95 “technology service fee” you see on your bill covers the rental cost of your router. (Plus it covers a bit more, which we’ll go over in just a second.) So that’s kind of like having no equipment rental fees. Kind of.

You can also upgrade to an Eero mesh Wi-Fi system that MetroNet calls its Whole Home Wi-Fi service. This costs an extra $9.95 a month on top of your monthly bill and that technology service fee. But a mesh Wi-Fi system is definitely worth it if you have a large house or if your router’s stuck in a far corner of your home.

• MetroNet Whole Home Wi-Fi: $9.95/mo.

If you prefer to use your own router with your MetroNet internet, just be sure it supports the download speeds you selected. If you pay for the 1,000 Mbps MetroNet plan but your router only supports speeds up to 300 Mbps, you’ll end up with speeds closer to 300 Mbps.

We’re fans of the NETGEAR Nighthawk series of routers, like this NETGEAR Nighthawk R7000* that comes with four gigabit-speed Ethernet ports and covers 1,800 square feet.

Service fees

So what about this $9.95 monthly technology service fee we keep hearing about, MetroNet? We figured the ISP would be pretty shy about sharing the details, but ended up pleasantly surprised when we found an answer on MetroNet’s site.

MetroNet says its technology service fee covers you in case you need a technician to visit or if your MetroNet equipment breaks.

“If it’s our equipment or our wiring—inside or outside your home—we’ll fix it or replace it at no cost to you.”³

This fee reminds us of Viasat’s EasyCare program, which costs a similar $8.99 a month. But while the Viasat EasyCare program is optional, the MetroNet technology service fee is unavoidable.

But, from what we understand, the technology service fee also covers the rental of your ONT, which is the fiber internet equivalent of a modem. All in all, the fee is kind of an odd approach, but since it also covers any technical or equipment issues that may crop up, it’s not the worst or most expensive fee to find on your bill.

• Installation fee: Up to $75, with potential discounts for credit check and autopay
• Technology service fee: $9.95/month
• Early termination fee: None

MetroNet internet customer service

MetroNet’s customer service is a mixed bag . . . of worms. We recommend emailing for the best possible experience.

Pretty much no internet provider is known for stellar customer service. And, after sifting through dozens of Reddit threads and reviews on sites like the Better Business Bureau, it looks like MetroNet falls into the same “crummy customer service” category.

MetroNet wasn’t individually rated by the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). Instead it was lumped into the “All Others” group that scored a 64 out of 100—that’s lower than the average customer service score for all ISPs in the US (65 out of 100).⁴ That’s like getting your final paper back and seeing a huge “D” scrawled in red on the top. We expect better.

We’re actually kind of bummed to see MetroNet’s recent response to numerous reports of slow internet speeds in multiple areas of the Midwest.⁵ Actually, we take that back. Looking at MetroNet’s Twitter and Facebook feeds, there’s no acknowledgement of the issue or any response at all.

Still, you may happen upon a customer service representative that goes out of their way to help you, like reviewer Tofig did. Here’s part of their post from July 24, 2019 on Consumer Affairs:

“. . . After contacting customer support via email, MetroNet people responded very promptly and politely. After a few emails back and forth, we’ve scheduled a tech to come out to see why we are not getting what we pay for.

. . . The tech was knowledgeable and of good manners, a pleasure to work with. He suggested we drop our speed to 500 Mbps service and use the savings to install their mesh system . . . Boy, I am so pleased with how it’s all working around our house now. We went further and actually dropped to 200 Mbps service, since this is really plenty of speed as long as it’s consistent. And we do get speeds very close to 200 Mbps almost everywhere in our house [with Wi-Fi].”⁶

Our picks: The best MetroNet internet plans

Best for smaller families and budgeters: 100/100 Mbps

Who it’s best for: If it’s just you and one or two others in your home, you likely don’t need download speeds faster than 100 Mbps.

Why we picked it: The 100/100 Mbps plan is MetroNet’s cheapest, and that price doesn’t jump up after so many months. Plus, it comes with unlimited data and pretty fast fiber internet speeds.

You’ll still be able to game and stream Netflix to the wee hours of the morning with 100 Mbps download speeds. The only time we’d recommend upgrading is if you’ve got more than three people in your home or if you’re using your internet for work.

^{Data effective 9/18/2020. Offers and availability vary by location and are subject to change.
*Offers available to new residential customers only and may not be combined with other offers. MetroNet reserves the right to revoke or modify offers at any time.}

Best for large families and remote workers: 500/500 Mbps

Who it’s best for: Have a house full of kiddos who stream Disney+ every hour of every day? Or maybe yours is home to a handful of online students and a parent who’s taking Zoom work calls in the living room?

Why we picked it: If the scenarios above describe you, then you’ll want faster download speeds to handle it all. MetroNet’s 500/500 Mbps plan still comes in at a price similar to what you’ll find with other ISPs, but its unlimited data and symmetrical fiber speeds tip the scale in its favor.

Unlimited data lets everyone in your home game and stream while you don’t have to worry about paying an overage fee. And the symmetrical fiber speeds (where your download speed matches your upload speed) are perfect for taking crystal clear Zoom calls or uploading your video to YouTube.

^{Data effective 9/18/2020. Offers and availability vary by location and are subject to change.
*Offers available to new residential customers only and may not be combined with other offers. MetroNet reserves the right to revoke or modify offers at any time.}

Best MetroNet internet + TV bundle

MetroNet also offers fiber TV service (and phone, if that’s your thing). We think its Standard TV package pairs well with any of its internet plans, though we chose to pair it with the 200 Mbps internet plan for a well rounded set of channels and download speeds.

The Standard TV package is the cheapest one that still comes with a good assortment of sports and entertainment channels, along with the usual local channels. Here’s a quick look at what comes with the Standard TV package:

• Big Ten Network
• ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPNews
• MLB Network
• NFL Network
• Fox Sports 1
• USA Network
• Hallmark Channel
• A&E

Unfortunately, MetroNet doesn’t offer any automatic discounts for bundling. So it’s probably worth keeping an eye on its limited-time offers if you’re searching for a TV and internet combo.

^{Data effective 9/18/2020. Offers and availability vary by location and are subject to change.
*Offers available to new residential customers only and may not be combined with other offers. Bundled price is based on TV and discounted Internet.Regular internet rate of $59.95 will apply after 24 months. Offers do not include taxes and fees. Additional installation fees may also apply. Regular rates apply upon service suspension, cancellation, or downgrades.}

Recap: Is MetroNet internet good?

MetroNet’s fiber connection, unlimited data, and lack of contracts are worth checking out.

That said, those promotional prices won’t last forever. And you’ll likely get a headache dealing with MetroNet’s customer service (just like any other ISP).

• Prices and plans: MetroNet prices start out great. But after those promotional prices expire, they start to look pretty average. Even so, you get unlimited data and no contracts, so those prices come with lots of value.
• Speed: Take your pick of download speeds from 100 to 1,000 Mbps. But the real kicker here is that MetroNet is fiber internet, so your upload speeds are as fast as your download speeds. MetroNet also scored well in Netflix’s latest speed index.
• Contracts, equipment, and fees: You won’t need to sign a contract with MetroNet, but you will pay a mysterious technology service fee. (But really, that fee covers your equipment rental and any service calls or broken parts.)
• Customer service: The day an internet provider earns high marks for customer service will be the day pigs fly. But seriously, MetroNet is just like any other ISP: its customer service is hit or miss.

MetroNet internet plans recap

• 100/100 Mbps: $49.95/mo.,* 100 Mbps download speeds, and unlimited data
• 200/200 Mbps: $49.95/mo.,** 200 Mbps download speeds, and unlimited data
• 500/500 Mbps: $59.95/mo.,† 500 Mbps download speeds, and unlimited data
• 1 Gigabit: $59.95/mo.,†† 1,000 Mbps download speeds, and unlimited data

^{Data effective 9/18/2020. Offers and availability vary by location and are subject to change.
*Plus taxes and fees. Offers available to new residential customers only and may not be combined with other offers. MetroNet reserves the right to revoke or modify offers at any time.
**Offers available to new residential customers only and may not be combined with other offers.The $49.95 offer is based on discounted 200Mb/200Mb Internet. Regular internet rate of $59.95 will apply after 24 months. Offers do not include taxes and fees. Additional installation fees may also apply. Regular rates apply upon service suspension, cancellation, or downgrades.
†Offers available to new residential customers only and may not be combined with other offers. The $59.95 offer is based on discounted 500/500Mbps Internet. Regular Internet rate of $69.95 will apply after 24 months. Offers do not include taxes and fees. Additional installation fees may also apply. Regular rates apply upon service suspension, cancellation, or downgrades.
††For 6 months. Offers available to new residential customers only and may not be combined with other offers. The $59.95 offer is based on discounted Gigabit/Gigabit Internet. After 6 months, rate will increase to $69.95 for 12 months. After the 18th month, regular rate of $89.95 will apply. Offers do not include taxes and fees. Additional installation fees may also apply. Regular rates apply upon service suspension, cancellation, or downgrades.}

Sources

1. Netflix, “ISP Leaderboard—February 2020,” February 2020. Accessed September 21, 2020.
2. Mswizzle83, Reddit, “Max Bandwidth Usage Without Problems from MetroNet,” September 2020. Accessed September 21, 2020.
3. MetroNet, “What Is the Technology Service Fee?,” 2020. Accessed September 21, 2020.
4. American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), “ACSI Telecommunications Report 2019–2020,” June 2020. Accessed September 21, 2020.
5. Purplepeople321, Reddit, “Terrible Speeds Every Night Between 7–11:30 p.m.,” September 2020. Accessed September 21, 2020.
6. Tofig, Consumer Affairs, “MetroNet,” July 2019. Accessed September 21, 2020.

^{*Reviews.org uses Amazon affiliate links.}