Is Sparklight Internet Good - Is It Worth It?

Whether you’ve heard about Sparklight internet or not yet, we thought it would be a good idea to give you some background information about it before we get into the specifics. So, to start things off, Sparklight is an internet service provider. You actually may have heard about it in the past, as it was previously known as Cable One. Sparklight offers broadband services to 24 states across America and has more than 1 million customers (who are both residential and business customers) using its services. 

With that information, you should now have an okay understanding of the brand we’re talking about, so let’s start looking at the specifics of Sparklight internet.

What is Sparklight?

As we mentioned before, Sparklight offers its services to 24 states in the U.S. It is focused on providing broadband services that range in price, speed, and data caps, as well as has some additional options that can be added to the packages if you’d like. The four packages that Sparklight offers are called Internet 200, Internet 300, Internet 500, and Internet Gig, which Sparklight also refers to as Best Value, Super Speed, Gamer Speed, and Extreme Speed, respectively. 

Sparklight Internet Plans

The great thing about the different Sparklight internet plans is that they’re all pretty fast, and most people would be able to get by quite easily with just the Internet 200 plan. All plans can also be upgraded to the unlimited data option (which has no data cap) for an additional $30 per month, so keep that in mind when reading the info below: 

Internet 200 (Best Value)

• Who’s it for? - This plan is for people who want to enjoy reliable internet for various purposes, from online shopping to gaming. It can take up to 10 different devices at one time and still provide you with a smooth experience.
• What does it cost? - As Sparklight’s “Best Value” plan, it will cost you $50 per month. 
• How fast is it? - All of these plans are conveniently named according to their download speeds. So, being the Internet 200 plan, the download speed is 200 Mbps. As for the upload speed, it’s 20 Mbps. 
• What’s the data cap? - This plan gives you a 700 GB data cap.

Internet 300 (Super Speed)

• Who’s it for? - The Internet 300 plan is best for families that want a good experience while doing a variety of high-usage tasks at once, such as streaming in 4K, gaming, etc. It can take up to 30 devices at one time and will still provide a great online experience.
• What does it cost? - This option will cost you $80 per month.
• How fast is it? - As per the name, you’d get a 300 Mbps download speed. The upload speed would be 30 Mbps.
• What’s the data cap? - With the speed being higher and the expectation that those who will be using this plan would have higher usage, the cap is higher than the Internet 200 plan. It comes in at 1200 GB. You’ll see the cap trend getting higher with the following two plans.

Internet 500 (Gamer Speed)

• Who’s it for? - As we step up to faster speeds, the abilities of the plans are much higher. For this plan, you’d be able to run a smart home whilst gaming, streaming, and doing a variety of other high-usage tasks. It can handle 40 devices connected at once and still provide a smooth user experience. 
• What does it cost? - The Internet 500 plan costs $90 per month.
• How fast is it? - It gives you a download speed of 500 Mbps and an upload speed of 40 Mbps.
• What’s the data cap? - The data cap for this plan is 1500 GB.

Internet Gig (Extreme Speed)

• Who’s it for? - This plan is for those who want to run a smart home, have a big family (up to 9 people), and want to ensure that everyone is able to be connected and can do pretty much whatever they want when it comes to online activities. This includes multiple people gaming, streaming, and more. The plan can handle 50 connected household devices.
• What does it cost? - Being that you get speeds of almost double that of the previous option, the cost is actually really good in comparison - $110 per month.
• How fast is it? - Your download speed with this package would be 940 Mbps, and the upload speed would be 50 Mbps.
• What’s the data cap? - The great thing about this option is that it doesn’t have a data cap. The unlimited data plan is automatically included.

Locations Where You Can Get Sparklight Internet

A great thing about Sparklight is that it’s quite accessible, meaning it services a number of rural and suburban areas. This means that you may just be able to get your hands on one of its internet packages in your location. 

As we mentioned before, Sparklight services 24 states. Below you will see most of these states:

Source: Sparklight

Reasons We Like Sparklight Internet

There are a number of things to appreciate about Sparklight internet, here are some of our top picks:

No Contracts

One of the great things about Sparklight is that you don’t need to make long-term commitments like you may have to with many other internet service providers. There are no contracts involved, which makes it easier for you to get out of a deal if you want to, and that wouldn’t involve early termination costs, which you’d have to pay with many other ISPs.

Extremely Fast Download Speeds

We all want fast internet speeds - especially since the internet has become such an active part of our everyday lives and is required to run many electronic devices effectively. All of Sparklight’s plans are pretty great in terms of speed, and its fastest option (Internet Gig) is just incredible.

Competitive prices

While it isn’t unheard of to find internet plans that are more affordable than Sparklight’s plans, they still offer competitive pricing compared to many other ISPs.

Things To Watch Out For On Sparklight Internet

With many positives, there are also negatives. So, here are some things you may want to consider before choosing Sparklight internet for your home.

Data caps on most plans

The data caps on the various internet plans Sparklight offers are probably the biggest downside to the available options. If or when you run over these caps, you’ll incur an additional fee of $10 for every 100 MB that you go over each month, with a max of $40 per month. This would cost more than their unlimited plan, which can be added on.

The unlimited option costs $30 extra per month

As we briefly mentioned above, you can get unlimited data each month for an additional fee of $30 per month. This brings its slowest option up to $80 per month - only $30 behind the Internet Gig option - where the unlimited plan is included.

Conclusion - The Final Take

Overall, Sparklight might be your provider of choice if you want fast speeds and good internet plans to help you navigate your different internet-based tasks at home. While some of its costs (if you go over your data plan, for example) can be high, staying within your limits gives you somewhat competitive pricing. They’re accessible, reliable, and provide enough options to service a variety of needs (even if you live in a house with 9 gamers or people who constantly binge series on Netflix); that makes them a great option in our eyes.