Staff rating

3.7

Customer rating

4.2

(5)

Plans starting at $59.95

Download speeds up to 100 Mbps

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Staff rating

3.3

Customer rating

3.3

(18)

Plans starting at $24.99

Download speeds up to 1000 Mbps

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Staff rating

4.2

Customer rating

3.0

(2)

Plans starting at $20.00

Download speeds up to 5 Gb

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Staff rating

3.7

Pay more for a better customer experience with EarthLink

EarthLink is an interesting provider. Instead of serving internet through its own infrastructure, it partners with other internet providers to repackage their service, acting as a go-between. This means higher prices, but a reputation for great customer service might make EarthLink worth it.

What we like

Wide availability
Strong customer service
No price hikes

What we dislike

High prices
Widely differing plans based on area

See full review

Savings tip: EarthLink often has sign-up promotions for first-time customers. Call to ask a rep about current deals and discounts.

Check deals

Staff rating

3.3

Reliable, fast internet, but watch for fees

Mediacom offers a decent overall experience, with fast speeds and modern Wi-Fi gear. However, big rate hikes, a hefty installation cost, and lots of small fees bring the rating down.

What we like

Nice selection of plans
Very low initial prices
Solid availability

What we dislike

Contract required
Regular price increases
No unlimited data option

See full review

Savings tip: Mediacom often has sign-up promotions for first-time customers. Call to ask a rep about current deals and discounts.

Check deals

Staff rating

4.2

Fast, reliable fiber for larger households and power users

Ziply offers great pricing for medium-to-large households and absurdly fast internet for power users. This provider has a few quirks, like hidden contracts and no self-setup, but if those don’t bother you, Ziply is a solid internet service provider in the Northwestern US.

What we like

Low prices
Fast internet

What we dislike

Hidden contracts with promotional pricing
No self-setup

See full review

Savings tip: Ziply Fiber often has sign-up promotions for first-time customers. Call to ask a rep about current deals and discounts.

Check deals

Value

4.0

Above-average prices, but they’re more constant than other providers

There’s no getting around it: EarthLink prices are almost always higher than the competition. Depending on the area, the difference can be as little as a few dollars per month, but it’s still there. That said, there are actually legitimate reasons for this.

First, EarthLink doesn’t actually have its own internet infrastructure. Instead, it partners with other local DSL and fiber internet providers, like AT&T and Frontier, and uses their infrastructure. This costs EarthLink money, and some of this naturally gets passed down to customers. In return, you’re promised a better customer experience.

The other reason is that EarthLink skips the usual promotional pricing most ISPs advertise. For example, when AT&T or Spectrum quote you a price, it’s often for an introductory period of 12 or 24 months, after which that price may increase (sometimes dramatically). EarthLink doesn’t do this, which is a plus in our book. This also means EarthLink may end up slightly less expensive if you intend to keep it for a couple of years.

Pricing details vary by location. Visit

EarthLink's website

or call 1-833-804-4930 to speak with a rep.

See pricing

Value

4.0

Excellent initial value, but heavy price hikes hurt the rating

Rating Mediacom’s value requires a long-term mindset. When you first sign up, the prices are extremely low—possibly the best on the market. Some come in at just 20% of the national benchmark, if you opt for paperless billing and autopay (1). However, each year, your cost gradually increases until it reaches a “standard value” (usually after three years). These prices are less exciting: you’ll end up paying roughly double what you initially signed up for. Depending on the length of your contract term, you may be able to jump ship before the price gets too high, but this might be too much effort for some.

Now, to be fair, many internet service providers (ISPs) do this (with a few notable exceptions, like CenturyLink). Mediacom is also pretty transparent about these price hikes and when you can expect them. However, the low starting prices here make the increases feel worse than they are, and that’s not great.

Pricing details vary by location. Visit

Mediacom's website

or call 1-844-716-2788 to speak with a rep.

See pricing

Value

5.0

Low-cost internet plans—unless you want the fastest speeds possible

Overall, Ziply offers fast fiber internet at great prices. Its slowest plans (50 Mbps and 200 Mbps) are the best value, priced at 25% and 33% of the national benchmark, respectively. (1) Its 1 gig plan is relatively more expensive, but it still comes in under 45% of the national benchmark for similar plans. After introductory pricing ends, your monthly bill will increase by about $20 per month, but you’ll still pay less than average. Plus, you’ll get unlimited data.

If you want the absolute fastest internet possible, Ziply also offers 2- and 5-gig plans, but these come with much higher price tags. A 2-gig plan is nearly double the cost of a 1-gig plan (no bulk discount here), and a 5-gig plan is nearly 4 times the cost! (2) And there’s no introductory pricing for these blazing-fast plans. You’ll also need to spring for your own router (the Ziply one doesn’t support these speeds). 1 gig should be more than enough speed to cover the vast majority of households, so we don’t recommend springing for these plans unless you’re sure you need them.

Pricing details vary by location. Visit

Ziply Fiber's website

or call 1-833-970-0803 to speak with a rep.

See pricing

Performance

4.0

Generally solid performance and fast speeds, but wide variation from place to place

EarthLink's performance is tough to rate. Because it is essentially reselling other providers’ services, the speed and reliability are highly dependent on which partners it uses in a given area.

That said, performance is generally good, and there are a wide range of high-speed internet plans available in most areas, so you can get exactly how much you need—up to 5 gigs in some places. Much of the service is fiber, which means performance is reliably consistent. Best of all, every plan has unlimited data, so whatever speed you opt for, you can use it without worry.

Available speeds vary by location. Call 1-833-804-4930 to speak with a EarthLink rep or

go to its website.

Performance

4.0

Solid performance, but no unlimited data is a bummer

We have no major complaints about Mediacom’s performance. There’s a range of plans available (up to 1 Gbps), so you can find something to suit whatever your needs are. We do have a couple of small gripes, though.

First, there are data caps on all internet plans, with no unlimited data option. The lowest-tier package has a cap of just 350 GB, which is pretty harsh, given the average person uses 536 GB per month (2). The middle-tier internet plans have 1.5 and 3 TB limits, and that's better—this should be plenty for most users and is in line with most other providers that have data caps.

The 1 Gbps plan bumps data caps up to 6 TB, which is effectively unlimited for most use cases, although a household streaming in 4K could theoretically max this one out, too. Going over the cap costs $10 per 50 GB, which, again, is in line with other providers charging overage fees.

Available speeds vary by location. Call 1-844-716-2788 to speak with a Mediacom rep or

go to its website.

Performance

5.0

Fast, reliable fiber in most areas

Ziply has a fiber optic network, which is the most reliable kind of infrastructure out there. Fiber also allows for faster speeds than any other kind of internet, including upload speeds that are just as fast as download speeds (AKA symmetrical speed). Unfortunately, Ziply’s 1-gig plan isn’t symmetrical, serving up only 35 Mbps for upload, and that’s a shame. Still, most families will find a symmetrical 200 Mbps connection plenty fast, while high-powered users can opt for a 2- or 5-gig symmetrical plan (though it’ll cost you big).

Other than that, Ziply performs pretty well. It typically uses only 40% of its infrastructure capacity (3), which means you’re less likely to see slowdowns during peak hours. However, Ziply has legacy DSL infrastructure in some rural areas and tends to perform slower than other DSL providers.

Available speeds vary by location. Call 1-833-970-0803 to speak with a Ziply Fiber rep or

go to its website.

Equipment and Installation

2.5

Reasonable prices, but wide variation from place to place (again)

This is another category that’s tough to rate. Since EarthLink partners with other internet service providers (ISPs) to provide service, it doesn’t actually issue its own equipment. Instead, you’ll get equipment from whichever partner EarthLink uses in your area. The good news is that EarthLink does set the fees, and they’re reasonable: $9.95 per month.

It’s a similar story for installation—your service will be installed and set up by a rep from the partner company, not EarthLink itself. The installation fee is $79.95, which isn’t the highest we’ve seen. That said, we’d rather see installation included in the price, particularly since EarthLink’s overall prices tend to be on the high side. Self-install is available only in some service areas.

Equipment and installation options can vary widely depending on

EarthLink plans

available in your area.

View plans

Equipment and installation

3.0

Equipment is excellent, but the installation fee is steep

Mediacom offers a home networking combo called Xtream WiFi360pro. It uses a cable modem and eero Pro 6 mesh routers to ensure coverage over your whole house. The cost is $10 per month for a pair of routers, and you can add additional units for $6 each if needed.

Installation is less exciting. A professional installation and an activation fee will cost you around $120 total, and there’s no option to do it yourself. The fees can sometimes be waived with certain promotions—we recommend shopping around for one or asking a sales rep because these are steep.

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Equipment and installation options can vary widely depending on

Mediacom plans

available in your area.

View plans

Equipment and installation

4.0

Equipment and installation costs mostly balance each other out

Ziply’s equipment costs can add up. Its router/modem combo is a reasonable $10 per month, but its Whole Home Wi-Fi costs $20 per month. Sometimes, Ziply runs promotions that include Wi-Fi, so keep an eye out for those. Ziply’s Wi-Fi is Wi-Fi 6 technology, which is the best technology available. You can stream up to 12 devices at once (Wi-Fi 5 allows only up to 5). However, Ziply’s router isn’t compatible with its 2- and 5- gig plans. If you want one of these plans, you must BYO router, and not all routers are compatible, so be careful here.

Professional installation is free, which is great because Ziply doesn’t have a self-install option. Technicians will run cables from the street to your home, wire up your house, and set up your Whole Home Wi-Fi. The downside is technicians likely won’t get all this done in a single visit, so it might take a few weeks to get you up and running.

Equipment and installation options can vary widely depending on

Ziply Fiber plans

available in your area.

View plans

Customer Experience

4.5

EarthLink provides a surprisingly great experience from an ISP.

Customer service is where EarthLink really shines. The company claims to prioritize customer service and experience, and users seem to agree. The company actually ranks first in some user-driven surveys of internet satisfaction, beating out providers like AT&T and Verizon despite the higher prices.

From a practical standpoint, it seems that EarthLink representatives are friendlier, more helpful, and more knowledgeable than those we’ve dealt with at other companies. However, we've seen reports that some customers don't get the Earthlink customer experience. In some places, customer service is handled by the end provider instead.

Visit EarthLink's website

or call 1-833-804-4930 for more information on contracts and money-back guarantees.

Go to provider

Customer experience

2.5

Lots of fees add up to a so-so experience

The Mediacom customer experience is decent overall. The provider scores a bit below average on customer satisfaction surveys like the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) (3), but overall, the service itself is fine. Speeds are solid and reliable, the Wi-Fi equipment is good, and the prices are competitive (at least initially).

Our biggest knock against Mediacom is the tremendous amount of small fees the company hits you with. In addition to the equipment and installation fees already mentioned, the company charges one-time fees for activation, early termination of your contract, and “Wi-Fi certification” (whatever that means). There’s a fee every time you have a technician come out for service. All these fees add up and can really sour the experience over time.

Visit Mediacom's website

or call 1-844-716-2788 for more information on contracts and money-back guarantees.

Go to provider

Customer experience

3.0

Could be more customer-friendly with more self-help options and better transparency

We love that Ziply provides professional installation for free, but we’re bummed that it doesn’t even offer a self-setup option. Ziply has some great self-help content on its website for troubleshooting or changing out your router later—you just can’t use it to get started. Forcing you to use professional installation also means it takes longer to get started, and that’s tough if you’ve just moved to the area. If you’re not moving, it still means you’ll have to juggle your old service with Ziply installation times to avoid a gap in internet service.

We’re also not a fan of Ziply’s hidden contracts. It advertises no-contract plans, but if you read the fine print, you’ll pay early termination charges if you try to leave before your promotional plan ends. All that said, Ziply’s customer service is decent, and most negative reviews call out the same kinds of issues other providers get: billing disputes. (4)

Visit Ziply Fiber's website

or call 1-833-970-0803 for more information on contracts and money-back guarantees.

Go to provider

Made up your mind?

Find out what providers are available near you.

EarthLink

4.2

(5)

5 Star

40%

4 Star

40%

3 Star

20%

2 Star

1 Star

Marstonfrom Brooklyn , NY

EarthLink Customer for 4+ years

Reviewed on: 4-4-2023

Earthlink is good internet, but not better than anyone else. I haven't had problems, but I don't expect to have problems.

Jerryfrom Elkin, NC

EarthLink Customer for 8+ years

Reviewed on: 3-14-2023

Earthlink has been pretty good for what I use it for. It's a little expensive but not bad

J.J.from Dominguez, CA

EarthLink Customer for 1+ years

Reviewed on: 8-29-2022

been an ok provider so far. nothing outstanding, nothing to complain about.

Veronica from Macon, GA

EarthLink Customer for Less than a year

Reviewed on: 8-29-2022

Fast internet service, cloud storage

Mediacom

3.2

(18)

5 Star

4 Star

50%

3 Star

22%

2 Star

11%

1 Star

11%

Meganfrom Bay Minette , Al

Mediacom Customer for 1+ years

Reviewed on: 6-22-2022

Better options in the area. My area cannot withstand some of the top options that I would happily pay for if it were available in my area.

Anjifrom Havana, FL

Mediacom Customer for 1+ years

Reviewed on: 6-22-2022

They charge alot for service not to work all the time. Customer service is awful and no help at all.

Veronicafrom Leesburg, GA

Mediacom Customer for 1+ years

Reviewed on: 6-17-2022

Lower their price. They are the nay provider

Richardfrom Poplar Grove, IL

Mediacom Customer for Less than a year

Reviewed on: 6-17-2022

It's too early to tell. We had issues at the beginning, but they seem to be getting better

Ziply Fiber

3.0

(2)

5 Star

4 Star

3 Star

100%

2 Star

1 Star

Rowdyfrom Coos Bay , OR

Ziply Fiber Customer for Less than a year

Reviewed on: 11-21-2022

I love the service. The biggest problem is I signed up with the acp plan and every month they keep sending me a bill. The service is only 20 bucks a month and acp covers up to 30 dollars.

Michaelfrom Hillsboro, OR

Ziply Fiber Customer for 1+ years

Reviewed on: 6-17-2022

Price was fine, but they are adding charges all the time. They need to make sure the customer feels taken care of. The last time we were on the phone, they made it seem like it was our fault when their lines were faulty. And they didn't offer a break or a credit for the downtime.

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Endnotes and sources

1. “2022 Urban Rate Survey – Fixed Broadband Service,” FCC. Accessed 15 December 2022.2. "Broadband Insights Report (OVBI)," OpenVault. Accessed 15 December 2022.3. “Internet Service Providers,” American Customer Satisfaction Index. Accessed 15 December 2022.

Endnotes and sources

1. “2022 Urban Rate Survey – Fixed Broadband Service,” FCC. Accessed 12 December 2022.2. "Satisfy Your Need for Speed," Ziply Fiber. Accessed 12 December 2022.3. "Why Choose Fiber?," Ziply Fiber. Accessed 12 December 2022.4. "Ziply Fiber Customer Reviews," Better Busines Bureau. Accessed 12 December 2022.