EarthLink Internet Review: Plans, Pricing and Availability Compared

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EarthLink rating

How we calculated our rating

6.3/10

CNET Score

We score internet providers for speed, value and customer care. Our data sources include the FCC, J.D. Power, The American Customer Satisfaction Index and extensive in-house research.

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6.3

/ 10

SCORE

Speed

6/10

Value

5.5/10

Customer Care

7/10

Pros

• No extreme rate hikes after 12 months
• Unlimited data, no speed throttling ever
• Fiber connection where available

Cons

• No introductory rates
• 12-month contract
• Speeds and network quality vary widely by location

See more pros and cons

EarthLink internet review

What makes EarthLink so great? Among the many internet service providers in the country, I consider EarthLink a rare gem. For starters, it's one of very few internet service providers that offers extensive coverage across the country using a variety of connection types. However, we only recommend going with EarthLink if you can get its fiber internet service. With EarthLink Fiber, you have access to unlimited data. While EarthLink does have steeper prices than other ISPs you won't have to worry about breaking the bank from price increases down the line.

What is EarthLink?

EarthLink is one of the OG internet providers. Once a leading dial-up internet provider, EarthLink now offers fiber, fixed wireless, DSL and satellite connections in select areas, as well as the broadest availability of any internet service provider. How does it offer so many unique internet options? EarthLink rents the established wired and wireless networks from other providers: AT&T, CenturyLink, Frontier, T-Mobile and Viasat; and networks from small internet businesses. 

Piggybacking on other providers allows EarthLink to reach many people and offer a variety of speeds but that approach also leads to higher pricing. Shop around and you'll find that EarthLink's internet costs are higher than most ISPs but give the company credit for customer-friendly service terms, such as unlimited data.

Still, EarthLink has some work to do on being transparent with their customers on pricing. EarthLink is one of the few ISPs yet to advertise its plan pricing details and service terms through the Federal Communications Commission-mandated broadband nutritional labels. These broadband laebls are designed to show customers the expected fees and service terms for their internet plans. It's difficult to sift through EarthLink's offers without making a call to customer service. If you have the option of internet from AT&T or Verizon 5G at your address, you should just go with that instead.

Let's take a closer look at the service details.

EarthLink internet plans and pricing

Because EarthLink uses networks from different internet providers to offer home internet service, available plans, pricing and speeds vary widely by address. There are four internet options with EarthLink: DSL, fiber, fixed wireless internet with a mixture of 4G LTE/5G frequencies or satellite internet. I've listed an example of fiber-optic EarthLink plans below for the Alabama market but remember that actual pricing and speeds will vary by location and internet connection type. 

EarthLink fiber internet plans (Alabama market)

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

EarthLink recently slashed the prices on all of its plans by up to $20 so we appreciate the competitive cost per Mbps on par with many ISPs offering the same services. Additionally, EarthLink offers solid perks such as 3 months free of SiriusXM, 30 days free of Hulu and a slew of discounts from a variety of services. Still, there are a few caveats with EarthLink plans you should know.

EarthLink's wireless internet plans can vary not by speed but by the amount of data included each month. Service starts at $50 per month in most locations for speeds up to 25 megabits per second. Compared to the fiber tiers, you'll find faster speeds, but it requires standard professional in-home installation. On the other hand, the wireless internet plans offer easy self-installation, which is a plus!

EarthLink's satellite internet may offer a bit more speed than wireless, up to 100Mbps, but there's still a data limit along with a higher price tag. Although EarthLink does not explicitly list the fees for satellite internet, you have the option of renting your equipment instead of buying everything up front. Note that overall fees run higher with satellite internet compared with other connection types offered by EarthLink.

EarthLink's broad availability

According to the company website, EarthLink boasts availability in 48 states, with a 96% nationwide coverage. That's the most coverage out of any ISP in the country, followed by T-Mobile Home Internet and AT&T. You can use EarthLink's internet coverage map to determine if your address is eligible for service but the chances of that are pretty high -- it just may not be the fastest service available at your address.

The only states not eligible for EarthLink services are Hawaii and Alaska -- for now.

Prices start high but don't increase

With EarthLink, customers pay the standard rate right from the get-go. That means you won't be able to take advantage of any cheap introductory rates as you would with other providers. For instance, cable providers such as Astound and Xfinity offer internet starting at $20 to $30 a month but EarthLink customers won't have to worry about any looming price increase waiting for them after a year or two of service.

In some cases, EarthLink may be more expensive than competing internet providers but turn out to be the better deal in the long run without the price increases. Take a close look at the introductory and standard pricing of other providers to determine if it's worth paying EarthLink's standard rate from Day One. 

EarthLink's fees, contracts and data caps

EarthLink service requires an equipment rental of $15 per month for its fiber internet and DSL plans, although that fee may change for its satellite or fixed wireless options. However, certain addresses in some markets may include the equipment at no extra cost. Otherwise, that equipment fee is unavoidable -- even if you would rather use your own equipment -- so factor in the additional $15 fee to the monthly price when comparing EarthLink plans.

EarthLink installation fees

For select addresses in Alabama, EarthLink currently has a limited-time offer discount for the installation of fiber internet. Certain households may pay only $20 for installation, which is a decent deal considering installation fees typically add from $40 to $200 to your initial costs. More important, because EarthLink uses equipment from different internet providers, your fees will vary by location and the connection type at your address. In some cases, EarthLink's fee may be lower than the cost of professional installation charged by the provider that owns the network. EarthLink's terms of service say that final charges for "Processing, Handling and Installation Fees" can add up to $400 but there's a good chance those fees will be waived.

Contracts are required

Unfortunately, EarthLink does impose one-year contracts on most of its plans. In fact, you can expect all fiber plans to come with a one-year contract. However, you have the option of a pre-paid month-to-month plan if you'd like to opt out of a contract (which we recommend). The pre-paid plan may be convenient for rural customers or customers constantly on the go. The early termination fee for EarthLink's contract can rake up to $200 and if you forget to mail in your equipment, you could face fees up to $400.

Also note that, like most providers, EarthLink requires you to call to cancel. There's no way around that so if you're trying to get out of your contract or service plan, make sure you prepare for that cancellation call in advance.

No data caps, no speed throttling with fiber service

One definite perk of EarthLink's fiber internet is unlimited data. You won't have to worry about a data cap or excessive fees for going over with any EarthLink plan, even if the partner provider enforces them. Additionally, if you're worried about your ISP throttling your speeds, EarthLink pledges never to reduce your speeds for fiber internet.

Unfortunately, the unlimited data and no throttling stop there, as wireless internet does indeed come with a data cap and slowed speeds once you've exceeded your priority data. The best way to avoid the cap is to choose EarthLink's unlimited plan or a wireless ISP without any data caps in the first place, such as T-Mobile Home Internet or Verizon 5G Home Internet. To avoid paying for more or switching providers, you can also try to manage your monthly data usage.

How does EarthLink compare?

Through its partnerships with fiber-optic, DSL, wireless and satellite providers across the US, EarthLink is one of the largest ISPs in the country and thus is available in many markets where other providers also offer service.

EarthLink fiber vs. the competition

EarthLink fiber is, again, comparatively expensive once you factor in the mandatory $15 monthly equipment rental. For example, the cost per Mbps of the lowest speed tiers from AT&T Fiber, Frontier and Verizon Fios is 17 cents per megabit across all plans. The cost per Mbps of EarthLink's lowest fiber speed tier (100Mbps) is 69 cents. That cost includes the additional $15 equipment charge, as AT&T, Frontier and Verizon waive equipment fees for their fiber internet plans.

EarthLink's gigabit service is priced higher than AT&T and Frontier's gigabit tier, but that price is slightly cheaper than Verizon Fios' gigabit offering and may be cheaper in the long run compared to cable providers. For example, gigabit service from Cox comes at a cheaper price than EarthLink but it will increase by $30 to $40 after 12 months, while EarthLink pricing is more stable. Additionally, you're going to get much faster upload speeds with EarthLink fiber than you would with cable. 

EarthLink vs. its provider partners

In most EarthLink service areas, you'll also have the option of the fiber-optic provider EarthLink partners with for service. When comparing EarthLink with the primary provider, it's often more cost-effective to go with the latter but there may be some instances where EarthLink is the more desirable service. 

EarthLink customer satisfaction and contact info

Customer satisfaction outlets such as the American Customer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Power omit EarthLink from their reports, so it's difficult to determine broadly how customers feel about their service. There are a few outlets to turn to for a decent view of EarthLink customer satisfaction.

The Better Business Bureau gives EarthLink an "A-plus" rating despite a meager customer review score. At 1.08 out of 5, EarthLink's BBB customer review score is actually on par with most major ISPs. Google Fiber, for example, has an average rating of 1.16, while AT&T maintains a rating of 1.10. Many of EarthLink's reviews on BBB (more than 300 as of this writing) and filed complaints reference inconsistent speeds and confusion over the data cap that comes with wireless service. Although, things might be looking up, seeing that more than 200 complaints have been resolved in the past year.  

It comes as little surprise that customers have an issue with speed consistency and reliability. With a variety of other provider networks supplying EarthLink's service, the connection quality may vary from address to address. EarthLink's outage history on Downdetector.com isn't great, often drawing hundreds of complaints. (Downdetector is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.)

EarthLink customer and technical support

Should customers have a problem with their service or issues with their bill, EarthLink makes it easier than most to get in touch with customer service and technical support. EarthLink customer support can be found online at support.earthlink.net, where customers can either browse popular topics or chat with a live representative. 

EarthLink is also one of, if not the only, ISP that gives customers the option to text customer support in addition to calling. Customers can call EarthLink's customer service number at 888-327-8454 or text 888-441-9144.

What's the final verdict on EarthLink internet?

EarthLink is somewhat different in that the ISP does not technically provide internet service but instead sells service plans using the fiber-optic, wireless or satellite networks of other providers. As a result, EarthLink plans are generally higher priced than many other providers, but there are some advantages, such as stable pricing and unlimited data, that could make the cost of service worthwhile. But if you can get service from AT&T Fiber directly at your address, you should just go with that instead.

EarthLink internet FAQs