EarthLink Internet Review: Plans, Pricing and Availability Compared

EarthLink internet review

EarthLink could be a solid option if you can access its fiber network. Unlimited data is available, and while EarthLink does feature steeper prices in comparison to other internet providers, you don’t need to worry about a hike in prices down the line.

What is EarthLink?

EarthLink is perhaps one of the most puzzling internet providers yet. Once a leading dial-up internet provider, EarthLink now offers fiber, fixed wireless, DSL and satellite connections in select areas and boasts the broadest availability of any internet service provider. How does EarthLink offer so many unique internet options? EarthLink rents the established wired and wireless networks from other providers like AT&T, CenturyLink, Frontier, T-Mobile and Viasat. 

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, like unlimited data and no speed throttling with fiber internet. Still, EarthLink has some work to do with transparent pricing and is one of few ISPs still opting out of the Federal Communications Commission-mandated broadband nutritional labels which are designed to show customers all of the expected fees and service terms for their internet plans. 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

Since 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 internet, 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 a lot of ISPs offering the same services. Additionally, as a perk to new customers, EarthLink is offering pre-paid Mastercard gift cards up to $200 depending on which speed tier you sign up for. There are a few caveats with EarthLink plans you should be aware of.

EarthLink’s wireless internet plans vary not by speed but by the amount of data included each month. Service starts at $65 per month in most locations for speeds up to 100 megabits per second and just 100GB of data. Higher data allowances, up to unlimited, are available for an additional cost.

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 upfront. Note that overall fees run higher with satellite internet compared with other connection types offered by EarthLink.

EarthLink availability

EarthLink boasts availability in 48 states, with a 75% 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.

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

Prices start high, but don’t jump higher

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 like you’d get with other providers. For instance, cable providers like Astound and Xfinity offer internet starting at $20 to $30 a month, but on the bright side, 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. 

What to know about EarthLink’s fees, contracts and data caps

EarthLink 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. The equipment fee is unavoidable, unfortunately, even if you would rather use your own equipment, so go ahead and factor in the additional $15 fee to the monthly price when comparing EarthLink plans.

EarthLink installation fees

EarthLink is currently waiving installation fees for fiber internet, but installation fees will typically add between $40 and $100 to your initial costs. Since EarthLink is using 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.

Contracts are required

Unfortunately, EarthLink does impose one-year contracts on most of its plans. 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.

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

Comparing EarthLink to other providers

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 high priced, 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 is 22 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, Frontier and Quantum Fiber’s gigabit tier, but that price is on par with Verizon Fios’ gigabit offering and when compared to prices from cable providers, may be cheaper in the long run. 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. the providers it partners with

In most EarthLink service areas, you’ll also have the option of the fiber-optic provider EarthLink partners with for service. When comparing EarthLink versus 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 like 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 of1.10. Many of EarthLink’s reviews on BBB (over 300 as of this writing) and filed complaints reference inconsistent speeds and confusion over the data cap that comes with wireless service.