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We compared prices and speeds, checked out customer service reviews, and got the latest info from Buckeye to find how its broadband internet service compares to other providers.
Buckeye Broadband
3.5
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Little to no up-front costs
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You can use your own equipment
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Price increase after promotional period
View Plans
Compare to Competition
By Catherine McNally
Nov 13, 2023
7 min read
If you live in Toledo, Ohio, or in a surrounding area like southern Michigan, you’ve more than likely heard of a local internet company called Buckeye Broadband.
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.
Guide to our Buckeye Broadband review:
- Prices and plans
- Speed and data
- Contracts, equipment, and fees
- Customer service
- Recap
- FAQ
Find out if Buckeye is available in your area.
Buckeye internet plans and prices
Plan | Price | Download speed | Type | Details |
Essential Internet | $39.99/mo.* | 200 Mbps | Cable | View Plan |
---|---|---|---|---|
Ultimate Internet | $89.99/mo.* | 400 Mbps | Cable | View Plan |
Supreme Internet | $59.99/mo.* | 600 Mbps | Cable | View Plan |
Fiber 200 | $39.99/mo.† | 200 Mbps | Fiber | View Plans |
Fiber 600 | $59.99/mo.† | 600 Mbps | Fiber | View Plans |
Fiber 1000 | $79.99/mo.† | 1000 Mbps | Fiber | View Plans |
* Internet offer available to new customers that have not had Internet within the last 60 days. Taxes; charges for additional services or equipment; other fees; and any applicable data overage charges are applicable.
† Pricing for 12 months. Regular rates apply after the promotional period expires. Internet offer available to new customers that have not had Internet within the last 60 days. Taxes; charges for additional services or equipment; other fees; and any applicable data overage charges are applicable.
Buckeye Broadband prices and plans
Buckeye provides affordable prices for its lower-tier plans, but prices dramatically increase after the promotional period
Buckeye offers a range of internet packages for different budgets and needs. The Toledo, Ohio–based company offers quite a few internet-only plans, ranging from a Starter plan to a Supreme plan. There’s even a Gig plan available in some areas.
Which Buckeye plan is best for you?
It depends on how many Mbps you need. Buckeye’s plans start at the Essential Internet plan at 200 Mbps for $39.99. It should get you fast speeds for up to six devices, which may be good for a single person or a low-tech couple. It’s not so good for a family or a small household that’s really, really into smart homes.
If you need faster speeds and the ability to power more devices, the Essential and Ultimate Plans offer speeds of 400 Mbps and 600 Mbps, respectively. With both plans, the upload speeds are just 5 Mbps, but you do get free unlimited data for the first six months.
The Ultimate plan has 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 600 Mbps speeds are ample for work, streaming, and PC gaming.
You can also go for one of Buckeye’s surprisingly affordable (at first) fiber plans. These packages include unlimited data and symmetrical speeds—that is, your upload speed will be as fast as your download speed. Very few people need super-fast upload speeds, but if you’re one of them, you should be over the moon.
Buckeye internet plans and prices
Plan | Price | Download speed | Type | Details |
Essential Internet | $39.99/mo.* | 200 Mbps | Cable | View Plan |
---|---|---|---|---|
Ultimate Internet | $89.99/mo.* | 400 Mbps | Cable | View Plan |
Supreme Internet | $59.99/mo.* | 600 Mbps | Cable | View Plan |
Fiber 200 | $39.99/mo.† | 200 Mbps | Fiber | View Plans |
Fiber 600 | $59.99/mo.† | 600 Mbps | Fiber | View Plans |
Fiber 1000 | $79.99/mo.† | 1000 Mbps | Fiber | View Plans |
* Internet offer available to new customers that have not had Internet within the last 60 days. Taxes; charges for additional services or equipment; other fees; and any applicable data overage charges are applicable.
† Pricing for 12 months. Regular rates apply after the promotional period expires. Internet offer available to new customers that have not had Internet within the last 60 days. Taxes; charges for additional services or equipment; other fees; and any applicable data overage charges are applicable.
Buckeye Broadband internet prices after 12 months
Buckeye’s prices start out low on most plans, but prices go up exponentially after all of the promotions expire.
Buckeye isn’t terribly forthright on its website about cable plan increases, but it does share how much you’ll be paying for fiber after your deals end.
Oh, and you might be paying even more money if you choose an unlimited data upgrade with the Essential Internet plan or are renting a Buckeye modem.
Buckeye Broadband internet promotional vs. standard pricing
Plan | Promotional price | Price after 12 months | Download speed | Details |
Essential Internet | $39.99/mo. | Receive quote† | 100 Mbps | View Plan |
---|---|---|---|---|
Ultimate Internet | $89.99/mo.* | Receive quote† | 200 Mbps | View Plan |
Supreme | $59.99/mo.* | Receive quote† | 400 Mbps | View Plan |
Fiber 200 | $39.99/mo.† | $99.99/mo. | 200 Mbps | View Plan |
Fiber 600 | $59.99/mo.† | $144.99/mo. | 600 Mbps | View Plan |
Fiber 1000 | $79.99/mo.† | $159.99/mo. | 1000 Mbps | View Plan |
† Pricing for 12 months. Regular rates apply after the promotional period expires. Internet offer available to new customers that have not had Internet within the last 60 days. Taxes; charges for additional services or equipment; other fees; and any applicable data overage charges are applicable.
PSA: Bundling your Buckeye TV and internet service might save you a bit of money. Plans typically start at around $50 per month for both services. However, it’s essential that you read the fine print to learn all of the details regarding promotional pricing and what you’ll be paying once all of the promotions expire.
How does Buckeye Broadband compare to Spectrum, CenturyLink, and others?
One of Buckeye Broadband’s pitfalls is its limited availability. Buckeye does not have a large service area, as it only provides service in two states: Ohio and Michigan. The company offers service in Toledo, Forestbrook, Piedmont, Parkville, Oil City, as well as various other large and small cities throughout Ohio and southern Michigan.
Find out if Buckeye is available in your area.
If you don’t live in those areas, Buckeye isn’t available to you. And even if you do live around there, you may have access to other providers with better deals for your needs.
For its lower-tier plans, Buckeye’s promotional pricing is comparable to competitors like Xfinity and CenturyLink, and in some cases, you can even find better promotional pricing with Buckeye.
How do Buckeye’s plans compare to other providers? For the most part, other providers offer faster speeds at a lower price.
Plan | Price | Download speed | Details |
Buckeye Internet | $39.99-$89.99‡ | 200-1000 Mbps | View Plans |
---|---|---|---|
Xfinity Internet | $25-$80^ | 200-1200 Mbps | View Plans |
CenturyLink Internet | $50-$75° | 100-940 Mbps | View Plans |
Data as of 04/05/2023. Offers and availability vary by location and are subject to change.
‡ Offer available to new customers that have not had Video and Internet with Buckeye Broadband within the last 60 days.
^ Pricing for some packages are for the first 12 months. Some packages require a 1- or 2-year contract.
° Speed may not be available in your area. Paperless billing or prepay required. Additional taxes, fees, and surcharges apply.
If you’re looking for the best speeds available at the lowest prices, CenturyLink’s Fiber Gigabit is probably your best bet (provided it’s available where you live). Xfinity also provides a Fiber plan in some areas, but if you’re only looking at cable internet options, Xfinity’s Extreme Pro Plus cable plan is faster and significantly more affordable than Buckeye’s Supreme plan.
Is Buckeye Broadband cheap?
To summarize, Buckeye isn’t the most affordable option, especially if you want a plan that can support your MarioKart addiction, streaming YouTube TV shorts on multiple devices, or working as an assistant to the regional manager from home.
- Compared to Xfinity: Xfinity has a cheaper starter plan and 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.
View Buckeye Broadband Plans | Read Buckeye Broadband TV Review
Buckeye Broadband internet speed and data
How fast is Buckeye Broadband’s speed compared to other providers?
Buckeye’s speeds range from 200 Mbps to 10 GB. In the past, Buckeye hasn’t made our list of the fastest internet providers, but that may change in the future with these fiber internet speeds.
Buckeye Broadband download speeds and upload speeds
Plan | Download speeds | Upload speeds | Data cap | Details |
Essential Internet | 200 Mbps | 5 Mbps | Unlimited** | View Plan |
---|---|---|---|---|
Ultimate Internet | 400 Mbps | 5 Mbps | Unlimited** | View Plan |
Supreme Internet | 600 Mbps | 10 Mbps | Unlimited† | View Plan |
Fiber 200 | 200 Mbps | 200 Mbps | Unlimited† | View Plan |
Fiber 600 | 600 Mbps | 600 Mbps | Unlimited† | View Plan |
Fiber 1000 | 1000 Mbps | 1000 Mbps | Unlimited† | View Plan |
Pricing as of 8/24/23. Offers and availability vary by location and are subject to change.
Promotional rates typically last for 6 months, but this varies by plan. Full rates typically apply after 12 months.
*$30 additional charge for unlimited
**Unlimited free for month 1-6, $15 for months 7–12, and full price after one year
†Unlimited data cost is incorporated in plan pricing, but price rises by $20 after 3 months and by another $20 after 6 months
Buckeye’s cable upload speeds are relatively mediocre, and you may find competing providers offer faster upload speeds (ranging from 3 to 30 Mbps depending on the plan and provider). Upload speeds are important for gaming, content creation, and for those who are having meetings or presentations at home. If you want to upload large files, send a lot of emails, or if you’re a gamer, you’ll want to consider upload speeds before deciding on a plan.
Data caps
Most of Buckeye’s plans include unlimited data for the first six months. For the mid-level plans (Essential and Ultimate), you pay half of the price for unlimited data for months seven through twelve, and then you pay the full price of the plan after the 12-month period ends.
- Buckeye Broadband data cap: 250 GB after promo ends for Essential and Ultimate plans. 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 $15 per 50 GB of additional data.
Buckeye Broadband contracts, equipment, and fees
How much does Buckeye Broadband cost? For how long? And what do you get? Let’s take a look.
Contracts
Buckeye Broadband used to offer a pay-as-you-go internet service called Nymble, but it no longer offers this option. Still, Buckeye internet contracts often end up on a month-to-month basis, but your specific contract length will depend on the plan and available promotions.
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 canceling. 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: $16 for late payments
- Data overage fee: $15 per 50 GB of additional data
Equipment
You can bring your own modem if it’s on the approved list of modems supported by the provider. You can also pay $13.99 per month to rent a modem from Buckeye.
- Buckeye Broadband modem rental fee: $199 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.
Service fees
As of June 5, 2021, Buckeye doesn’t charge activation fees to new customers. Regardless of whether you bring your own modem or rent a modem from the provider, you can get your internet installed with minimal (or no) fees.
- 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.
Buckeye Broadband customer service
Buckeye may be small, but some customers say it lacks that friendly, small business vibe
Looking at the user reviews on Yelp and the Better Business Bureau,it seems like Buckeye’s customer service has some real room for improvement. Many online complaints reference service outages, price-gouging, and difficulty getting a customer service agent on the line. You can contact Buckeye through its Toledo and Erie offices, through Twitter, or via Facebook.
Toledo Office: +1-419-725-9000
2700 Oregon Rd
Northwood, OH 43619
Erie Office: +1-419-502-4444
774 Crossings Rd
Sandusky, OH 44870
Recap: Is Buckeye Broadband good?
Buckeye Broadband is better for individuals or couples looking for a low-cost plan for basic web-searching, emailing, and social networking. For high-speed plans, you’ll likely be better off with a different provider.
- 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 $13.99.
- 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).
Buckeye Broadbandinternet plans recap
- Essential: $39.99 promotional price, 100 Mbps (download) 5 Mbps (Upload)
- Ultimate: $89.99 promotional price, 200 Mbps (download) 5 Mbps (Upload)
- Supreme: $59.99 promotional price, 400 Mbps (download) 10 Mbps (Upload)
- Gig: $79.99 promotional price, 1,000 Mbps (download)
Pricing as of 6/15/21. Offers and availability vary by location and are subject to change. Promotional rates typically last for 6 months, but this varies by plan. Full rates typically apply after 12 months.
Compare the internet options near you.
Methodology
When we choose internet providers, we compare several different service aspects, such as:
- Price
- Contracts
- Equipment
- Customer service
- Availability
When we crunch the numbers, Buckeye Broadband’s prices and speeds are comparable to its competitors. The service falls behind a little in the customer service department and a lot in the availability department: Buckeye is mainly available to Buckeyes and their neighbors.
FAQ
If you still have questions about Buckeye Broadband as an internet provider, check out some of the FAQs below.
Typically, you’ll want a download speed of at least 25 Mbps to be able to perform basic tasks like watching YouTube videos, watching Netflix, emailing, and social networking. However, if you have a lot of devices you want to run simultaneously, you work at home, or you’re a gamer, you’ll want much higher speeds.
The following modems work with Buckeye, and are typically available for sale online or at retail stores:
For a more comprehensive list, check out Buckeye’s approved modem checker to see if the model you are considering is compatible.
Buckeye charges $30 per month for unlimited data, but you can get discounts on this price during promotional periods with most plans. In some cases, this cost is factored into your monthly plan cost.
Freenet is an internet service that’s supported by internet-based ads. Available to anyone in the Buckeye service area, It gives access to speeds of 2 Mpbs (download) and 1 Mbps (upload). Users need to sign into Freenet every 30 days to remain active. It’s basically a free internet that’s paid for by ads. It doesn’t automatically include Wi-Fi, but you can purchase your own router and pay a $19.95 activation fee to have Wi-Fi.
Written by
Catherine McNally
Catherine has a degree in journalism and an MBA, and has spent the last 10+ years writing everything from Okinawa travel guides to stories on Medium. She’s been online since AOL CDs were a thing and is an unapologetic PC gamer. She believes the internet is a necessity, not a luxury, and writes reviews and guides to help everyone stay connected. You can also find her on Twitter: @CMReviewsIt.
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