Buckeye has managed to compete with larger providers by offering affordable promotional prices and budget plans for those who don’t need ultra-fast speeds. But Buckeye isn’t perfect. With large price increases after promotional periods and slower speeds overall, it won’t necessarily be the ideal service for everyone. Read on to see more details about Buckeye, and find out if it’s the right option for you. If you need faster speeds and the ability to power more devices, the Essential and Ultimate Plans offer speeds of 100 Mbps and 200 Mbps, respectively. With both plans, the upload speeds are 5 Mbps, but you do get free unlimited data for the first six months. The Essential plan is better for a small household that doesn’t rely heavily on the internet for work or heavy streaming. The Ultimate plan will have enough power for streaming on several devices, for gaming, and for handling the device load of a large family. If you work from home, you’ll probably want to go with the Supreme plan. The 400 Mbps speeds are ample for work, streaming, and PC gaming. The lowest tier plan, the Starter Internet Plan, costs $19.99 per month during the promotional period. You can even use your own modem (or rent one from Buckeye for $10 per month). Sounds like a great deal right? Well, it would be, except for the fact that the price goes up to $39.99 after that 6-month promo period. Plus, to get unlimited data, you incur an add-on cost of $30 per month for this plan. While the Starter Internet Plan sounds like an ideal budget plan, if you need additional services, like modem rental and unlimited data, your monthly base costs can eventually reach as high as $79.99 (ouch!) Let’s say you go with the Ultimate Internet Plan, which has an introductory price of $59.99. You can still use your own equipment and you even get unlimited data during the promo period with this plan, so there’s no tacked on fee there. However, after six months, your monthly base cost goes up to $79.99, and you have to pay for half of the cost of unlimited data. But that’s only for months seven through twelve. After a year, you pay for the full cost of the plan, which is a whopping $119.99. The Essential plan has a similar structure: a 6-month promotional cost, followed by a higher cost for months seven through twelve, and then the full rates after a year. Each plan has its own caveats. But the most straightforward of the plans is the Internet Supreme plan, which starts at $99.99 and goes up to $119.99 after three months. After the promo period, the regular price for this plan is $139.99. You can use your own equipment just like you can with the other plans. Buckeye’s Starter plan has a promo price of $19.99, which is quite affordable compared to Xfinity’s Performance Starter Plus plan price of $29.99. However, Xfinity also offers 50 Mbps speeds for that low-level plan, compared to only 25 Mbps for Buckeye’s lowest level plan. But how do Buckeye’s other plans compare? One of its most popular plans, its Essential Internet Plan, is quite reasonable when you look at its promotional pricing alongside competing providers.

Compared to Xfinity: Buckeye has a cheaper starter plan option than Xfinity during the promotional period, but Xfinity is more affordable than Buckeye for higher-speed plans. Compared to CenturyLink: CenturyLink offers unlimited data and no annual contracts, making it a more affordable option than Buckeye in the long run in most cases. However, you’ll want to check out available speeds for CenturyLink’s Simply Unlimited Internet plan in your area, as they can vary. Compared to Spectrum: Spectrum’s Internet Ultra plan is a more affordable option than Buckeye’s higher level plans. Buckeye does offer lower-cost starter plans than Spectrum though.

On the bright side, Buckeye does offer internet packages for a variety of different needs, with a Starter Plan that’s ideal for a single person or couple who doesn’t spend much time at home, all the way up to a Supreme or Gig Plan or that will serve well for home office workers.

Buckeye Broadband data cap: 250 GB for Starter plan, and you have the option to add on unlimited data for $30 per month. Unlimited data is automatically factored into the monthly costs for the other plans. Overage fee: If a customer goes over their data plan, they’re charged a flat fee of $10 per 50 GB of additional data.

It’s best to ask the representative for details regarding the length of your contract to make sure you don’t incur a fee for cancelling. If you are subject to a cancellation fee, the company’s residential service agreement quotes the fee as $25 times the number of months remaining in your agreement or 75% of the amount you would pay for service through the end of the contract term (whichever is less).

Contract cancelation fee: $25 times the number of months remaining in your agreement Late fee: $19 for late payments Data overage fee: $10 per 50 GB of additional data

Buckeye Broadband modem rental fee: $10 per month, but you can use your own equipment and avoid this fee

If you want suggestions on the best routers, check out our guide to the best routers for streaming.

Installation fees: There are no installation fees for new customers with most plans, but this could change based on your location and the current promotions available. The fee is $10 if it’s not waived.

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Prices and plans: Buckeye Broadband’s Starter Plan is one of the lowest-cost plans available (in terms of promotional pricing). However, once you get up into the higher-tier plans, other companies like Xfinity and Spectrum offer better deals. Speed: Buckeye Broadband won’t necessarily be the fastest option, but it will serve your needs. Its higher level plans can even provide enough juice for gaming and work-from-home, but relative to competing providers, you’ll likely receive lower speeds at a higher cost (especially once promotions end). Data caps: Buckeye Broadband includes a 250GB data cap on its lowest-level Starter Plan, and the cost for unlimited data is $30. For the mid-level plans, this cost is waived for the first six months, you pay one-half of the cost for months seven through twelve, and then you incur the full cost of the plan and unlimited data. For the Supreme Plan, the unlimited data cost is factored into the price. Contracts, equipment, and fees: Buckeye Broadband has few (if any) sign-up fees as of 6/15/21, but this depends on the current promotions available. You can bring your own equipment to avoid a modem rental fee of $10. Customer service: Buckeye scores low on the Better Business Bureau and other sites for its customer service. However, many internet service providers receive low scores on customer service. Buckeye Broadband is not included in the ACSI report, as it’s a small company that only serves two states (Ohio and Michigan).

Arris CM820AHitron CGNMArris DG860A

For a more comprehensive list, check out Buckeye’s approved modem checker to see if the model you are considering is compatible.