Sparklight (formerly Cable One) is a cable and fiber internet provider with service in parts of 21 US states. With no-contract plans starting at $30/month, it offers several speed options and service bundles for its customers. While Sparklight’s top plans are on the expensive side, it is a solid choice for those who need a smaller internet plan without a data cap.
What are the best features of Sparklight home internet? We analyzed its plans, features, coverage, and how it compared with other providers to find out.
Is Sparklight Home Internet right for you?
Sparklight internet offers both cable and fiber connections, so it’s fast and stable. However, some of its plans are pricey or come with a data cap that will be too low for many customers.
What we like
- Cable and fiber coverage
- No data caps
What could be improved
- Expensive plans
- Speeds up to 600Mbps
70/100
Sparklight Home Internet Plans
Sparklight’s home internet plans start at $30/month with its Lift Internet. That includes a maximum download speed of 200Mbps and an upload speed of 20Mbps. There's no data cap so customers that use a lot of data will never run out. If your family uses streaming services, plays video games, or even downloads a lot of music, it's important that you look for a plan without a data cap.
Sparklight charges hefty activation fees, so add an extra $30 for your first month of service.
The FlexConnect 600—the fastest Sparklight offers—includes a 600Mbps download speed and also comes with unlimited high-speed data. Although this plan is pricey coming in at $75/month.
Many of Sparklight’s internet plans can also be bundled with their phone and cable TV services. If you need home phone service or a television package, bundling might be a good opportunity to save some money overall.
Are Sparklight and Cable One the same?
Yes, Sparklight and Cable One are the same internet provider. Cable One changed its name to Sparklight in 2019.
What we like: Reliable cable coverage
Sparklight offers cable, meaning your internet is incredibly reliable and provides fast speeds. Cable internet is the most widely available nationwide.
What we like: Speeds up to 600Mbps
With download speeds up to 600Mbps on its fastest plan, Sparklight can almost match the top speeds of many of its competitors like Optimum and Spectrum. Given its pricepoint, that's enough speed for an average family.
What could be improved: Expensive plans
Sparklight is not the cheapest internet provider, and many of its plans are more expensive than its competitors due to pricey activation and installation fees. For example, Sparklight’s Lift Internet plan costs $29.95/month but requires a $90 installation fee, as well as $30 activation fee.
For comparison, Optimum’s 500 plan offers download speeds up to 500Mbps and unlimited data for $30/month. That’s a faster internet speed and unlimited data, all for a lower price.
Sparklight Home Internet Coverage
Sparklight offers coverage in 21 states across the country. They are mostly concentrated in the center of the nation and the Pacific Northwest. They offer no coverage on the East Coast. Here’s where Sparklight offers coverage:
- Alabama
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Louisiana
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- New Mexico
- North Dakota
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Washington
Sparklight home internet speeds
Sparklight home internet offers speeds up to 600Mbps on its cable network. That’s fast and will allow you to do almost any internet task almost instantly.
However, it’s important to note those speeds come with high price tags with Sparklight, and not everyone will need internet that fast. A light internet user will probably be able to get away with a 200Mbps or 300Mbps plan from Sparklight.
Check how fast your current speed is with our internet speed test below. If your current service feels too slow, look for a Sparklight plan with a faster speed.
Sparklight Home Internet vs. Competitors
Now that we’ve looked at some of Sparklight’s plan offerings, let’s compare it to similar internet service providers. Note that not all of these companies share the exact same coverage footprint, so you may be limited in selecting a provider other than Sparklight.
Sparklight Home Internet vs. Competitors
| Sparklight | Xfinity | Optimum | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connection type | Cable |
Cable Fiber |
Cable Fiber |
| Max download speeds | 600Mbps |
1.2Gbps (1,200Mbps) |
1Gbps (1,000Mbps) |
| Starting price | $29.95/month | $40/month | $40/month |
Sparklight vs. Xfinity
Sparklight and Xfinity are both providers with large footprints. Xfinity offers both cable and fiber connection types, while Sparklight only has cable plans. However, Xfinity offers more plan options with both faster and slower data speeds than Sparklight can offer.
Xfinity’s plans start at just $40/month for a 300Mbps download speed and top out at $115/month for a 1.2Gbps speed. Sparklight’s plans start at 200Mbps at $29.95/month and go as high as 600Mbps for $75/month.
- 200Mbps download speed
- No data cap
- Cable connection
- $29.95/month
- 300Mbps download speed
- Cable connection
- $40/month
Two comparable plans from these providers are the Sparklight Lift Internet plan and the Xfinity 300Mbps. The Sparklight plan comes with a 200Mbps download speed and no monthly data cap. It’s a no-contract plan that costs $29.95/month.
The Xfinity 300Mbps comes with a 300Mbps download speed. It is much faster than the Sparklight plan. It is also initially more expensive coming in at $40/month. However, after Sparklight’s introductory pricing period ends, it costs more per month than Xfinity. That means the Xfinity plan is probably the better option overall.
Sparklight vs. Optimum
Sparklight and Optimum both offer internet service to the central United States. These two providers are fairly similar in what they offer in terms of top speeds and connection types, but that’s where the similarities end. Like Sparklight, Optimum has no data caps, but its plans' pricing is much lower.
- 200Mbps download speed
- No data cap
- Cable connection
- $29.95/month
- 300Mbps download speed
- Unlimited data
- Cable connection
- $40/month
The two starting plans for these providers are the Sparklight Lift Internet plan and the FlexConnect 300. The Sparklight plan includes a 200Mbps download speed and unlimited data. It costs $29.95/month.
The Optimum 300 plan includes a 300Mbps download speed and unlimited data. It also costs just $40/month. Unlike Sparklight, this is not an introductory price. That means the monthly cost for Optimum’s plan is cheaper than the lowest price of Sparklight’sLify Internet plan, plus you’re getting a faster speed and unlimited data.
Sparklight Home Internet Modems and Hardware
Sparklight allows you to use your own modem for free if you already have one you like. If you don’t already have one, you can rent a Sparklight modem for $14.99/month.
Modems and routers are pieces of internet equipment that most people forget about. However, having good hardware can mean a stronger Wi-Fi signal and better wireless connections for your devices. Check out our list of the best cable modems to see what options are available.
Recap: Is Sparklight Home Internet Right for You?
Sparklight home internet includes cable connectivity. It has a wide footprint covering rural and urban areas of 21 states. While the company offers fast speeds, its higher prices and unlimited make it a good choice for heavy internet users. Customers with plenty of options might want to look elsewhere.
Methodology
When analyzing Sparklight home internet, we compared it to other internet providers with similar offerings. We looked at plan options and prices to determine which providers offer the most value. We also dove into the features included with each plan, including coverage, data caps, and speeds. We will update our findings as necessary.
Max McCaskill
Sr. Staff Writer
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