Ziply Fiber Internet Review — Rising Star in the Northwest

It’s estimated that up to 42 million Americans — mostly those who live in rural parts of the country — still lack access to high-speed internet connections. One internet service provider (ISP) that’s trying to change the unfortunate statistic is Ziply.
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The young ISP launched only in 2020 after it purchased the West and Northwest regions from Frontier Communications. Since then, it has invested a lot of money to expand its infrastructure and bring fiber internet to more customers.

But have its investments paid off? Is Ziply Fiber internet better than what other internet providers in the West and Northwest regions usually offer? Read on to find out the answer!

Ziply Fiber Internet Plans and Pricing

The table below lists all Ziply Fiber internet plans that are available at the time of writing this review:

Plan Fiber 50/50
Download/upload speed 50 Mbps download, 50 Mbps upload
Ziply Fiber promo rates $20 per month
Ziply Fiber standard rates $40 per month
Contact None
Data cap None
Plan Ziply Internet (DSL)
Download/upload speed 115 Mbps download, 7 Mbps upload
Ziply Fiber promo rates $50 per month
Ziply Fiber standard rates $60 per month
Contact None
Data cap None
Plan Fiber 200/200
Download/upload speed 200 Mbps download, 200 Mbps upload
Ziply Fiber promo rates $40 per month
Ziply Fiber standard rates $60 per month
Contact None
Data cap None
Plan Fiber Gig
Download/upload speed 1,000 Mbps download, 1,000 Mbps upload
Ziply Fiber promo rates $60 per month
Ziply Fiber standard rates $80 per month
Contact None
Data cap None
Plan Fiber 2 Gig
Download/upload speed 2,000 Mbps download, 2,000 Mbps upload
Ziply Fiber promo rates $120 per month
Ziply Fiber standard rates $120 per month
Contact None
Data cap None
Plan Fiber 5 Gig
Download/upload speed 5,000 Mbps download, 5,000 Mbps upload
Ziply Fiber promo rates $300 per month
Ziply Fiber standard rates $300 per month
Contact None
Data cap None

Ziply Fiber plans start at just $20 per month, and they go up all the way to $300 per month. Unfortunately for those who want the fastest internet connection money can buy, the most expensive plans are not available in all locations.

But even if you live somewhere where the Fiber 5 Gig, Fiber 2 Gig, or even Fiber Gig plan isn’t available, you should still be able to get the Fiber 200/200 plan for just $40 per month during the promotional period.

As its name suggests, the Fiber 200/200 offers 200 Mbps download and 200 Mbps upload speed, and that’s plenty even for competitive online gaming, high-definition streaming, video conferencing, and other bandwidth-demanding use cases. To unlock even faster Ziply Fiber speeds, you can always upgrade to the Fiber Gig plan for just $20 more per month.

None of the available Ziply Fiber internet plans is limited in terms of how much data you can download, and you also don’t have to sign a contract. Just know that the prices of all plans except for the Fiber 2 Gig and Fiber 5 Gig plan increase after 12 months of service.

Ziply also offers a single DSL plan, called simply Ziply Internet, in areas outside of the Ziply Fiber coverage map. Just like most DSL plans from other ISPs, the plan is asymmetrical, which means the upload speed is lower than the download speed (115 Mbps download, 7 Mbps upload). If possible, we recommend you avoid this plan because it doesn’t deliver a great value even when compared with other DSL plans — let alone fiber plans.

Businesses that would like to save money while enjoying reliable, fast fiber internet should take a look at the Ziply Fiber business product page and check their address for fiber internet availability.

Ziply Fiber Internet Coverage

Ziply Fiber internet services are available in the following locations:

Available in:
Idaho Montana Oregon Washington

At the time of writing this review, Ziply Fiber is available only in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. You can see all current and future Ziply Fiber locations on the official fiber construction map.

Ziply Fiber Internet Coverage

The good news is that Ziply is spending a lot of money to bring its fiber internet to more people. For example, the ISP announced 17 new multi-gig fiber upgrade projects in Washington and Oregon in April 2022 alone.

“For many people in these communities, high-quality, reliable, fast internet has been something their friends or family who live in other areas might talk about, but had been out of reach until now,” said Harold Zeitz, CEO of Ziply Fiber. “We’re going to show them the transformative impact fiber can bring to a community, both to its businesses and its residents, and we’re excited to get started.”

Ziply Fiber Internet Fees & Bonuses

Ziply doesn’t burden its customers with a long list of fees. Here are the only two fees you really need to know about:

  • Equipment lease fee: Regardless of if you choose one of the Ziply Fiber plans or the single Ziply DNS plan, you always have to pay $10 a month for a Ziply Fiber router. Optionally, you can choose to pay $20 a month for Ziply Fiber Whole Home WiFi service, which includes up to three Ziply Fiber WiFi extenders.
  • Late payment fee: If you miss a payment, you will be charged a fee of $9. Should you miss more than one payment, you can expect to be charged the same $9 but for each missed payment.

As far as installation and early termination fees go, there are none! You can even try the service for up to 30 days and request a full refund if you end up not liking it for any reason whatsoever.

It’s technically possible to skip the equipment lease fee by bringing your own router, but only some routers are supported for obvious technical reasons. If you do want to bring your own router, then we recommend you contact Ziply Filer tech support first to verify its compatibility with the Ziply Fiber modem (Optical Network Terminal, to be more precise).

Since the placement and configuration of your Ziply router can have a dramatic impact on your internet speeds and coverage, you should always use a wireless network analyzer like NetSpot when setting up your own router.

NetSpot

NetSpot can create a wireless signal heat map to highlight all areas of signal weakness, and it can also analyze nearby wireless networks and reveal their configuration. When you’re done, do a quick Ziply Fiber speed test to see if you’re getting the advertised speeds.

It’s also worth noting that Ziply participates in multiple discounted internet programs, including the Affordable Connectivity Program, the K-12 Internet Access Program, and the Service Provider Information Number (SPIN) program, just to give some examples.

Ziply Fiber Internet Customer Service & Satisfaction

You can get in touch with Ziply’s customer support by:

Because the ISP is such a newcomer, Ziply Fiber customer service isn’t included in popular customer satisfaction reports. Fortunately, Ziply does have a business profile on Better Business Bureau, and it contains a lot of information we can study to learn more about Ziply Fiber support.

In the two years since the launch of Ziply Fiber internet, the ISP has received nearly 300 reviews on BBB, with an average rating of just 1.15 out of 5.

Here’s what some recent Ziply Fiber internet reviews say:


Tried Ziply on a free 30 trial. Cancelled it after 5 days and sent there equipment back. There phone staff played the disorganized game and couldnt find where and when I was hooked up.




So far internet service provided to me is very good but their billing system have bunch of issues. When I signed up for Ziply fiber , they promised me 2 months free internet service with free installation. Due to this great deal , I signed up but I got billed for first month which was supposed to be waived.

Ziply's customer service is terrible. Two different customer service agents promised me promotional pricing that would be in effect for a year, and two months later, started billing me at a higher price.




As you can see, Ziply Fiber internet reviews are rather critical of the customer service provided by the ISP. We suspect that the short amount of time during which Ziply has been in business plus its rapid expansion have a lot to do with it. Hopefully, Ziply will overcome its growing pains and address the critical feedback it has received from its existing and former customers.

Summary

Ziply Fiber internet is an attractive and affordable fiber optic internet service that’s available to people living in the West and Northwest regions of the country. With Ziply Fiber prices starting at just $20 a month and all plans including a 30-day money-back guarantee, there are not many reasons not to give the service a try, with Ziply Fiber internet reviews complaining about low-quality customer service being the most prominent exception.

FAQ

Is Ziply Fiber actually fiber optic?

Yes, Ziply Fiber internet plans rely on fiber optic cables, which is why they offer speeds of up to 5,000 Mbps download and 5,000 Mbps upload.

How do I contact Ziply?

You can call the Ziply Fiber phone number (1-866-699-4759), send the internet service provider an email, or get in touch with a Ziply representative on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook.

How fast is Ziply Fiber?

Ziply Fiber internet plans can reach speeds of up to 5,000 Mbps download and 5,000 Mbps upload. Unfortunately, the fastest Ziply Fiber plans are not available in all locations.

Is Frontier and Ziply the same?

Not really. Ziply is a subsidiary of WaveDivision Capital, and it purchased parts of Frontier Communications’s network in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington in 2020.

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