EarthLink

Founded in 1994, EarthLink is a top US internet service provider that offers fast, secure internet to about 4 million homes across 48 states. EarthLink is one of the largest rural internet providers in the US and offers all types of internet connections, including satellite, cable, DSL, fixed wireless, and fiber. What type of service you can get depends on your address. EarthLink also offers fiber business internet.

EarthLink internet plans require a 12-month contract with auto-pay. Early termination fees can cost up to $200, depending on the plan. There are also additional fees for equipment, handling and shipping, and a one-time installation fee. EarthLink requires a specific modem that they lease for $6.95/month. Earthlink doesn’t run credit checks on residential customers. Internet plans start at a base price of $54.95/mo.

Mobile phone plans don’t require a contract. Options include 4G LTE/5G plans with 2GB, 4GB or 10 GB of data included; unlimited talk and text, and calls to 30 countries. Contact Earthlink directly for pricing.

EarthLink's satellite internet service runs between $49.95 and $189.95 per month depending on data and speed. The satellite plans and service are a good option for locations that don’t have cable or fiber internet. Satellite service from Earthlink is considered good but this type of signal has higher latency, slower speeds, and data restrictions not present in cable or fiber plans. Still, if this is your option, it’s a very decent one. EarthLink satellite plans don't have hard data caps but service will slow down after exceeding the plan's data allotment. EarthLink offers satellite internet through Viasat.

EarthLink's cable connection offers speeds of up to 75Mbps, while its satellite connection offers speeds of up to 25Mbps. EarthLink primarily uses fiber and DSL connections owned and operated by other internet providers.

EarthLink typically uses fiber-optic or copper-based DSL networks to deliver internet service. The type of EarthLink internet available at your address will depend on the networks and providers in your area. The company typically will use the established copper and fiber networks of other providers such as AT&T, CenturyLInk, Frontier and Verizon.

EarthLink internet is a good choice for online gaming if you can get cable or fiber optic service. Earthlink’s fiber internet plans are branded under HyperLink and allow you to choose among multi-gigabit plans with speeds up to 5000 Mbps through. This type of connection gives you more bandwidth and you won't have to share that bandwidth with your neighborhood like other wired internet options.

EarthLink offers plans with enough data, download speeds, and upload speeds for gaming. Most video game console manufacturers recommend at least 3 Mbps of download speed and 0.5 Mbps to 1 Mbps of upload speed to get started but if you compete at an advanced level, you’ll want the fastest connection you can possibly get. A good rule of thumb is to have at least a 25 Mbps connection for online gaming. To maximize your gaming experience, look for speeds of 100 Mbps and higher, which allow for significantly faster uploads and downloads.

There are significant differences among the various internet connection types offered by Earthlink. For example, DSL uses standard phone lines that are wired into your home. Cable lines have more bandwidth than DSL so it's usually faster. Cable internet is not as fast or reliable as fiber internet (nothing is) cable is widely available and offers great performance for most users. However, cable internet's bandwidth can slow down during high internet traffic times.

Fixed wireless uses radio waves transmitted by a cell tower that has to be on a sign line from your home. While it doesn't require a phone line or in-ground wiring, the fact that signals are transmitted over the air means it can be impacted by weather and sightlines. Still, fixed wireless speeds are attractive and offer a great solution if the terrain near your home permits this type of signal.

Fiber internet is considered highly reliable and it’s the fastest internet connection type going. Fiber internet also supports symmetrical speeds, meaning that your download and upload speeds are equal. This is great for live-streamers who broadcast gameplay to Twitch and Facebook Gaming and for others who routinely upload large files to a server or the cloud.

EarthLink's internet-only plans cost between $14.99 and $99.99 per month, not including equipment or additional fees. The equipment rental fee is $8.95 and includes a router for the fiber Wi-Fi signal. You will be required to use Earthlink equipment for fiber optic.

Let’s start with fiber plans. Your location will determine if fiber is available to you.

2 Mbps: Starting at $49.95/mo., unlimited data, 12 month contract
100 Mbps: Starting at $59.95/mo.
1 Gig: Starting at $89.95/mo.
5 Gig: $189.95/mo.
Fiber 3000: $69.95/mo.
Fiber 500: $79.95/mo.

Earthlink’s cable internet plans range from base prices of $64.95 to $149.95 per month. The router fee is $14.95 per month and the installation fee is $79.95.

You can get 5G in areas where it's available, 4G LTE where it's not. Plans include EarthLink's own router to guarantee fast speeds. EarthLink has a customizable suite of security features, good customer service, and no credit checks.