Our Rise Broadband internet review
Rise Broadband brings affordable broadband internet to many underserved areas in the US. Although not as well-known as other nationwide providers, Rise Broadband has a large coverage area that serves many rural and less populated areas.
Pros
- Unlimited data options
- Low-cost options
- No long-term contracts
Cons
- Low max speeds
- Hidden fees
- Line-of-sight signal requirement
Compare Rise Broadband internet plans and pricing
Package | Price* | Speed | Data Cap | View on Rise Broadband’s site |
---|---|---|---|---|
Internet 25 Mbps | $35.00/mo. | 25 Mbps | 250 GB | |
Internet 50 Mbps | $39.95/mo. | 50 Mbps | 250 GB | |
Internet 25 Mbps Unlimited | $55.00/mo. | 25 Mbps | Unlimited | |
Internet 50 Mbps Unlimited | $65.00/mo. | 50 Mbps | Unlimited |
Data effective 9/14/2022. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
*With successful activation. Offer available to new customers only. Limited-time offer. May not be combined with other offers. All prices are with Auto-payment enabled and are $5/month more without Auto-payment. Additional fees will apply. Service not available in all areas. Call for details and availability. Restrictions apply.
Rise Broadband’s speeds: What’s best for you?
Rise Broadband has 25 Mbps and 50 Mbps options, both of which are fast enough for most common online tasks, even streaming video. Of course, if there are multiple people in your household using the internet at the same time, there’s not a lot of wiggle room for splitting up the bandwidth. Larger households generally need a lot more speed, even if each person sticks to basic online activities.
Rise Broadband’s data caps
Rise Broadband offers plans with both data caps and unlimited data. The 250 GB limit is definitely more data than you can get with a satellite plan, but it can still go by faster than you might think. If you stream video using services like Netflix, use video chat apps, or have to transfer large files due to work or school, the extra cost for unlimited data is probably worth it.
Our favorite plan: Although the Internet 50 Mbps Unlimited plan is a considerable jump in price from the data-limited plans, Rise Broadband is one of the few fixed wireless internet providers that offers unlimited data options. This gives rural customers the ability to take advantage of online entertainment without paying for additional data every month.
Rise Broadband provides internet coverage to a huge area of the rural United States. Although wired internet like cable, fiber, and DSL is usually a better option where available, wireless providers like Rise Broadband can be a welcome alternative to satellite in areas without digital infrastructure.
While some satellite plans can achieve higher speeds than those offered by Rise Broadband, they also have the drawbacks of higher costs and latency—along with lower data caps. Satellite plans with similar speeds can cost around twice as much and have only a fraction of the monthly data. All satellite plans also have higher latency than terrestrial wireless networks, which makes them poorly suited for online games, video chat, and other real-time applications. Rise Broadband is a better option than satellite in almost every situation.
Rise Broadband ongoing deals and promotions + bundles
Get free installation and unlimited data on all internet plans. No contracts required.
Rise Broadband internet fees
Cost | |
---|---|
Equipment Fee | $11.99/mo. |
Installation Fee | $150.00 |
Carrier Recovery Fee | $6.99/mo. |
Data overage charge | $7.50 per 10GB |
Late payment fee | Up to $20.00 per month delinquent |
Unreturned equipment fee |
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Since Rise Broadband requires installing an antenna on your house, it does have a higher installation cost than many other types of internet—more similar to satellite fees than cable or DSL. Its monthly equipment costs are pretty reasonable, but it does charge a sneaky “carrier recovery fee” that bumps up your monthly cost. Also, make sure to return everything if you decide to cancel to avoid some hefty fees.
Rise Broadband internet installation, equipment, and contracts
Rise Broadband has relatively high upfront costs and requires professional installation to install your antenna. Fortunately, once you get past the initial setup, it’s smooth sailing. With its low equipment fees and no long-term contracts, Rise Broadband comes out ahead of satellite providers yet again.
Rise Broadband internet contracts
Rise Broadband no longer requires long-term contracts, and we think that’s great.
How Rise Broadband compares to the competition
Provider | Plan price range | Speeds (range) | User rating* | Order online |
---|---|---|---|---|
Rise Broadband | $25.00–$65.00/mo.† | 25–50Mbps | 3.6/5 | |
Viasat | $99.99–$119.99/mo.*‡ | 50–150Mbps | 3.1/5 | |
Hughesnet | $49.99–$79.99/mo.§ | 50-100Mbps | 3.1/5 |
Data effective 2/29/2024. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
*Based on our annual Customer Satisfaction Survey
† With successful activation. Offer available to new customers only. Limited-time offer. May not be combined with other offers. All prices are with Auto-payment enabled and are $5/month more without Auto-payment. Additional fees will apply. Service not available in all areas. Call for details and availability. Restrictions apply.
‡ Prices and availability vary by location. Installation fees, monthly equipment lease fees, and taxes may apply. After 100 GB of High-Speed Data usage, you still have unlimited access to Standard Data, which may result in slower speed.
§ Offer for 12 months. Service plans require a 24-month commitment. Equipment Lease or Purchase fees extra. Service plans require a 24-month commitment. Equipment Lease or Purchase fees extra.
Compared to satellite providers, Rise Broadband is generally cheaper, has higher data caps, offers better unlimited data options, has lower latency, and doesn’t require long-term contracts. Some providers like Viasat and Starlink offer plans with higher speeds, but at a much higher monthly cost. Unless you think slightly higher speeds are worth the extra cost and all the other disadvantages of satellite, Rise Broadband is a much better option.
Is Rise Broadband internet right for you?
Rise Broadband is an excellent choice for people in rural areas where satellite internet is the only other option. It might even be a viable alternative to some DSL plans, but generally can’t compete with wired connections, especially when compared to cable or fiber.
Methodology
Our HighSpeedInternet.com editorial team bases our analyses on customer input from our annual customer satisfaction survey, results from our speed test tool, and proprietary internet provider data on speeds and pricing. To strengthen our research, we look closely at provider contracts to get hard-to-find information on price hikes, data caps, and extra fees, and we keep tabs on the latest news reports and online reviews. When applicable, we also rely on our personal experiences testing these services.