Ziply Fiber Review: Plans, Pricing, and Availability Compared

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Ziply Fiber Home Internet Review

Advantages

• Clear, competitive prices
• No data limits, contracts or credit checks
• Commitment to fiber expansion, including in rural areas

Cons

• Plenty of room for growth in fiber optic service

If you’re considering Ziply Fiber for your home internet, one thing you’ll probably notice is the impressive selection of plans. Between the $20 per month, 100 megabits per second plan and the ridiculously fast 50,000Mbps speed tier, Ziply Fiber is one of the cheapest and fastest internet providers I’ve come across.

The variety of plans alone makes Ziply Fiber worth checking out. There are six different speed tiers to choose from, each offering symmetrical download and upload speeds, a key benefit of fiber optic internet service compared to others internet typingas cable.

Ziply Internet, a DSL-based service, is also worth considering in rural areas where cable or fiber connections aren’t available. There’s only one plan — $75 per month for the fastest speeds available, up to 115Mbps — so the overall value of Ziply Internet will depend largely on the speeds available at your address.

Which Ziply Fiber plan is best?

Ziply Fiber’s cheapest plan advertises maximum speeds of 100 Mbps over a fiber connection. That’s enough for light streaming and browsing on two, maybe three devices, but I wouldn’t rely on it for much more than that. For context, the FCC defines broadband as a connection that delivers at least 100 Mbps down and 20 Mbps up.

The upgrade to 300Mbps offers better support for HD streaming, online gaming, and working from home on multiple devices at once. But to get the most for your money, I recommend skipping the first two plans and going straight for the fun.

At $60 per month, Ziply Fiber’s gigabit plan is cheaper than most fiber or cable providers and offers significantly more bang for your buck than the 100/100 and 300/300 plans.

The same goes for the 2-gig speed tier. Even after the standard monthly price kicks in (from $70 to $90 after 12 months), the plan is still cheaper than what I’m currently paying for a single gig with my ISP. If I lived in a Ziply Fiber market, this is the plan I’d get.

The higher speeds of 5, 10 and 50 Gbps are available if you want them, but they are much faster than what the average household needs.

Ziply Fiber Wi-Fi, Cost and Terms of Service

Ziply Fiber’s cost and terms of service are largely in the customer’s favor. Wi-Fi equipment costs are lower than most providers and come with whole-home connectivity, while unlimited data and no contract requirements eliminate the risk of surprise hidden fees.

The equipment lease includes Wi-Fi throughout the house

At $12 per month, Ziply’s equipment lease costs are already on par or lower than most other providers. However, few providers include whole-home Wi-Fi in the equipment cost.

Ziply Fiber’s equipment rental currently includes a free upgrade to whole-home Wi-Fi at no additional cost. In addition to the router, Ziply Fiber Whole Home Wi-Fi service comes with custom Wi-Fi installation and configuration, and up to three Wi-Fi extenders.

Ziply Fiber’s terms of service and fees will not be added to your bill

Most DSL and fiber internet providers have no data caps or contracts, and Ziply Fiber is no exception. Customers can easily predict their initial costs and monthly pricing with no data caps, contracts, or credit checks. Installation is also included at no extra charge for new customers, as is the first month of service.

That said, most providers offer unlimited data, contract-free service, free installation, and some promotional offers like gift cards or streaming services. Still, there’s a lot to like about an ISP that offers relatively straightforward pricing without arbitrary contracts or data caps — Ziply Fiber delivers.

Availability of Ziply Fiber

Approximately 30% of the networks Ziply Fiber acquired from Frontier Communications were fiber optic lines. Since then, Ziply Fiber has aggressively expanded its fiber footprint to over 50% of its coverage areas.

A Ziply Fiber spokesperson told CNET that the company plans to reach 80% fiber coverage in the coming years. If and when the company reaches 80% fiber coverage, it will have brought fiber connectivity to more than 1.5 million residents in the Northwest who otherwise wouldn’t have had fiber connectivity under Frontier, including many residents in rural areas.

So far, Ziply Fiber is expanding to small towns like Tekoa, Washington, and Troy, Montana, both with populations of less than 1,000, as well as larger cities in the Northwest.

Fiber expansion eases the burden on DSL networks

The advent of fiber is good news for those who can get it, but it could also be a boon for Ziply Internet (DSL) customers who can’t get it.

A Ziply Fiber spokesperson tells CNET that “every customer who moves off copper improves capacity, reliability, and demonstrated speeds for those who remain. Our goal is to get as many people on board as quickly as possible to improve service for everyone.”

In other words, expanding fiber is a win-win for Ziply customers, although some may be more so than others. Either way, Ziply Fiber seems genuinely invested in improving service for everyone in its service area, and I like that.

Ziply Fiber vs. cable internet competitors

I have compared Ziply Fiber to other DSL and fiber providers so far, but it is unlikely that you will find those providers in the same service areas as Ziply Fiber. What is more likely is that you will have the option of Ziply Fiber and cable internet from Spectrum, Xfinity or others.

A good rule of thumb is that cable is better than DSL and fiber is better than cable. So if Ziply Fiber service is available in your area, I would consider it over cable. But if Ziply Internet (DSL) is my only option, I would probably look at cable first, depending on what DSL speeds are available.

Ziply Fiber can deliver gigabyte download speeds, like most major cable internet providers, but the fiber connection has the advantage of symmetrical upload and download speeds. As a result, you get a better connection for working and learning from home with Ziply Fiber compared to a cable connection. Fiber service also has better reliability and connection quality than cable.

As for pricing, Ziply Fiber plans are priced lower than most cable providers. Xfinity does offer a 150Mbps plan for around $20 per month, but the equipment costs are higher than Ziply Fiber and customers may have to sign a year-long contract to get the lowest price. Spectrum, on the other hand, has a lower equipment cost than Ziply Fiber, along with unlimited data and contract-free service, but the starting prices are much higher at $40 to $50 per month.

In short, Ziply Fiber will likely offer cheaper plans, faster upload speeds, and better reliability than cable internet.

To sum it all up

Ziply Fiber has low prices but lower fiber speeds unless you opt for gig service. If 100 or 300 Mbps is enough for your home, I would take advantage of those low prices, but gig service is the best option for everyone.

As for Ziply Internet, the DSL service, the value of your plan depends on the actual speeds available at your location. Your DSL service may improve as Ziply’s fiber footprint expands, but the best outcome would be fiber making its way to your address and eliminating the need for DSL altogether.

Customer Satisfaction Ziply Fiber

Ziply Fiber is not listed separately in customer satisfaction reports from the ACSI or JD Power, so I had to Better Business Bureau to gain insight into what actual customers think of the service so far.

With over 1,300 customer reviews, Ziply Fiber currently has a review score of 4.27 out of 5. In an industry where customer satisfaction is notoriously low, Ziply Fiber’s BBB customer review score is exceptionally high.

Frequently Asked Questions About Ziply Fiber