The Cheapest EarthLink Internet Plans: Save Money on Wi-Fi

We researched the most affordable internet plans from Frontier to help you save money.

EarthLink Internet at a glance
Earthlink
Overall Quality ⁃ 3.2/5
bullet Prices starting at: $39.95/mo.
bullet Speeds starting at: 25Mbps
man popping out of a laptop with a speech bubbles with Wi-Fi, thumbs up, piggy bank
Kelly Huh
Oct 02, 2024
Icon Time To Read7 min read

EarthLink’s cheapest internet plan is the 100GB Essentials Internet plan, which gets you a 5G fixed wireless connection for only $39.95 per month.

Under the surface, EarthLink rents its infrastructure from a slew of other providers, so the network you’re on is owned by another provider like AT&T, T-Mobile, or Centurylink. Because of EarthLink’s patchwork-esque business model, there is a vast range of plans supported by mainly fiber and fixed wireless connections.

If you’re tired of interacting with big-brand internet providers, EarthLink could be a good option for you. Keep reading to learn about EarthLink’s plans and pricing and whether it’s worth your precious pennies.

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EarthLink’s cheapest internet plan: 100 GB Essentials

Plan
Price
Speed
Data cap
Details
100 GB Essentials$39.95/mo.**25Mbps–100Mbps100GB
* with a 12 month contract.

EarthLink’s cheapest plan is the $39.95 per month 100 GB Essentials plan which uses a 5G or 4G LTE fixed wireless connection, depending on your area. Take note, EarthLink’s fixed wireless plans are tiered by data cap, not speed, so all fixed wireless plans (apart from the unlimited plan) advertise download speeds between 25Mbps and 100Mbps, but the actual speed you experience varies depending on the quality of your connection. It’s not a lot, but it may be enough speed for you if you’re not a heavy gamer or content creator. For this plan, you get 100GB of data to start, and then you pay extra for any additional data usage. Your internet usage needs most likely surpass this data cap, as households consume an average of 586GB of data per month, according to Open Vault’s 2024 Q2 report. However, if you only watch an hour-long episode of a Netflix show every night, you might get by without paying $5.95 per 5GB data top-up. But two episodes? There’s no chance.

The 100GB Essentials plan is $40 cheaper than EarthLink’s fixed wireless plan with unlimited data and $10 cheaper than EarthLink’s 300Mbps fiber plan. For fixed wireless plans, all you need to do is plug in the provided modem at your home, so you don’t pay for a technician to come to your house and carry out a long installation process. However, convenience doesn’t come cheap. There’s a one-time activation fee of $79.95 and a monthly equipment rental fee of $14.95.

Thankfully, EarthLink indicates on its website that it doesn’t increase your monthly bill after your first year.

Do EarthLink’s internet prices go up after the first 12 months?

No, EarthLink’s internet prices don’t go up in price after the first 12 months. That’s the biggest bonus with EarthLink, which does away with the price hikes you see with most other internet service providers. The caveat is that you sign up for a 12-month contract, so if you decide to cancel before your first year is up, you’ve got a hefty $200 fee to pay.

Does EarthLink have no-contract internet?

Most of the time, EarthLink requires a 12-month contract. However, you can call EarthLink’s customer service line to see if a no-contract plan is available in your area. You also need to call to check the price difference between a month-to-month plan and a 12-month contract, as no-contract prices aren’t available online. 

EarthLink’s best internet deals

EarthLink offers a $200 Mastercard gift card when you sign up for its 300Mbps, 500Mbps, or 1Gbps fiber plans, but there aren’t any gift cards for fixed wireless or other connection types.

All customers can add EarthLink security features to their plan. These plans can include a variety of helpful services. If you get a Protect or Protect + plan, you get tiered levels of parental monitoring, VPN access, password management, identity theft protection, remote technical support, stolen funds reimbursement, credit monitoring, and online file backup.

You can also get single services such as online file backup or unlimited technical support. These aren’t necessary by any means, but it never hurts to be cautious. You can even try out these services for free for 30 days before you start paying a monthly fee.

deals badge
Get up to $200 in Mastercards when you enroll in EarthLink Fiber (only available for the 300Mbps, 500Mbps, or 1 Gig plans)

EarthLink add-ons and perks


Add-on

How to get it


EarthLink Protect (Norton 360 or Norton 360 Basic Plus security package)

Call EarthLink to add this service for $7.95–$8.95/mo.


EarthLink Protect+ (Norton 360 security package with LifeLock Essential, LifeLock Premium, or LifeLock Premium Plus)

Call EarthLink to add this service for $9.95–$24.95/mo.


EarthLink Online Backup

Call EarthLink to add this service for $5.95/mo.


EarthLink EasyTech (Remote IT Support)

Call EarthLink to add this service for $9.95/mo.


How does EarthLink’s cheapest internet plan compare to other affordable internet plans?

EarthLink’s cheapest fixed wireless plan is technically cheaper than other comparable internet plans, but the downsides are that you have a data cap and slower speeds. Rather than the quality of the service, one of the biggest selling points for EarthLink is that it doesn’t run credit checks. Phew! If you happen to have a few snags in your credit history, EarthLink doesn’t judge you for it.

EarthLink’s 100 GB Essentials plan is cheaper than T-Mobile and Verizon’s 5G fixed wireless plans, which sell for $50 to $80 per month, unless you bundle your internet with a mobile line. But there’s more to this than meets the eye—EarthLink has a much lower speed cap than T-Mobile, only offering up to 100Mbps where T-Mobile can offer up to 245Mbps and Verizon can offer up to 300Mbps 5G Home Plus plan. Both of the 5G behemoths also provide free equipment rental and free installation, so you’re not paying arbitrary fees for just getting started.  

EarthLink also offers a cheap fiber plan for only $49.95 per month for 300Mbps. This is about $5 cheaper than AT&T’s 300Mbps fiber plan, but AT&T has no cancellation fees, installation fees, or equipment rental fees. EarthLink, on the other hand, makes you pay for all of these additional fees, so it’s not cheaper if you total it up.

Overall, EarthLink’s fixed wireless service isn’t the better choice even if its monthly price is slightly cheaper. However, if you’re tossing up between an EarthLink fiber plan and a cable plan from Xfinity or Spectrum, Earthlink’s fiber is the clear winner. Fiber is more reliable, gets symmetrical speeds, and is less susceptible to slowdowns.

To make the best comparison, type in your zip code in our availability checker below.

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EarthLink vs. competitors: Compare prices and plans

Plan
Price
Speed
Data cap
Details
T-Mobile 5G Home Internet Unlimited$50/mo.72Mbps–245MbpsUnlimited
Verizon 5G Home internet$60/mo. w/ Auto PayUp to 300 MbpsUnlimited
AT&T Fiber Internet 300$55/mo.^Up to 300 MbpsUnlimited
Xfinity Internet Connect$19.99–$30.00/mo. °Up to 150 Mbps1.2TB
Spectrum 400Mbps$39.99/mo. for 12 mo.**400MbpsUnlimited
w/ Auto Pay. Regulatory fees included in monthly price for qualified accounts. See full terms.
w/ Auto Pay. Consumer data usage is subject to the usage restrictions set forth in Verizon's terms of service; visit: https://www.verizon.com/support/customer-agreement/ for more information about 5G Home and LTE Home Internet or https://www.verizon.com/about/terms-conditions/verizon-customer-agreement for Fios internet.
^ Above pricing is after $10/mo Autopay & Paperless bill discount with a debit card or bank account; if using a credit card, then price is $5/mo more.
° For 12 months with 1-year term contract. Taxes and equipment not included. Includes $10/mo automatic payments and paperless billing discount. Prices may vary by location.
** For 12 months when bundled. Limited time offer; subject to change; valid to qualified residential customers who have not subscribed to any services within the previous 30 days and who have no outstanding obligation to Charter. Taxes, fees and surcharges extra and subject to change during and after the promotional period; installation/network activation, equipment and additional services are extra.

Other ways to save money with EarthLink internet

EarthLink isn’t the cheapest provider on the market, but there are several tips and tricks you can use to cut down your internet bill.

  • Check the competition: Don’t put your eggs in one basket. Instead, use our zip code checker to see the average prices for internet in your area. While this doesn’t reduce your EarthLink bill, being well-informed gives you an edge for negotiating or switching plans.
  • Ask for a discount: Get your stone-cold negotiating voice ready and call up EarthLink. Some helpful tactics include asking for a price match to another provider or asking for special deals and discounts off an equipment rental or additional fee.
  • Register for Lifeline Support: Internet is a necessity in this day and age. The government helps low-income households who qualify with a $9.25 discount on their monthly bill through the Lifeline Support program. If you live on Tribal lands, you get $34.25 off per month.
  • Ditch EarthLink: If the above tips don’t work, it might be time to switch providers. Strong contenders against EarthLink’s fixed wireless plans are the T-Mobile or Verizon 5G Home internet plans, which are affordable and easy to set up.

All of EarthLink’s internet plans: Prices and speeds

EarthLink offers a large range of fixed wireless and fiber plans but to get the most accurate idea of what’s available for your address, you can call EarthLink’s customer service line.

EarthLink fixed wireless plans and pricing

EarthLink offers fixed wireless plans starting from $39.95 with 100GB of data up to 300GB of data, all at the same download speed range of 25Mbps to 100Mbps. These plans are either on a 5G or 4G LTE network, but are priced at the same rate. EarthLink does offer a unique 300GB Unlimited plan specifically for working from home, which gets you up to 25Mbps download speed for your first 300GB of data used, and then a reduced speed afterwards.

Plan
Price
Speed
Data cap
Details
100 GB$39.95/mo.*25Mbps–100Mbps100GB
150 GB$84.95/mo.*25Mbps–100Mbps150GB
200 GB $109.95/mo.*25Mbps–100Mbps200GB
300 GB $159.95/mo.*25Mbps–100Mbps300GB
300 GB Unlimited (work from home)$79.95/mo.*Up to 25Mbps for your first 300GB, then reduced speedUnlimited
* with a 12 month contract.

EarthLink fiber plans and pricing

EarthLink offers fiber plans with 100Mbps and 5Gbps symmetrical speeds for between $49.95 to $189.95 per month. Weirdly enough, the 100Mbps plan is $10 more expensive than the 300Mbps plan, even though it's a lower speed. All fiber plans come with unlimited data, though you do need to pay for equipment rental and installation fees. As these are fiber plans, you get equal download and upload speeds, making it easy to stream, take conference calls, play multiplayer games, upload YouTube videos, or live stream to your heart’s content.

EarthLink fiber plans

Plan
Price
Speed
Data cap
Details
Fiber 100$59.95/mo.*Up to 100 MbpsUnlimited
Fiber 300$49.95/mo.*Up to 300 MbpsUnlimited
Fiber 500$64.95/mo.*Up to 500 MbpsUnlimited
Fiber 1 Gig$74.95/mo.*Up to 1000 MbpsUnlimited
Fiber 2 Gig$119.95/mo.*Up to 2000 MbpsUnlimited
Fiber 5 Gig$189.95/mo.*Up to 5000 MbpsUnlimited
* with a 12 month contract.

How to pick the right EarthLink internet plan for you

It can be tricky to know exactly which plan to pick, especially if you’re not quite sure what all the technical internet terms mean and how they affect your day-to-day usage. To get a better idea of what’s the right plan for you, follow these tips below.

  1. Check your budget

It’s easy to make the mistake of seeing the sticker price for your internet plan and thinking that’s all there is to it. Make sure when you’re planning your monthly budget for internet that you also consider the full cost of your plan. Earthlink has activation fees, taxes, equipment rental, and even a cancellation fee.

  1. Find out how much speed you need

You might be surprised how lower-tiered plans might provide enough speed for you and your family. Whether you’re taking Zoom calls all day for meetings or playing games online with friends, you can check how much speed you’re likely going to use. Depending on your household’s usual internet activities, you can estimate what plan speed is right for you.

  1. Look out for discounts and deals

At times, Earthlink offers lower prices on specific plans, so you can check the Earthlink website to see if any decent discounts catch your attention. Make sure to bookmark our monthly list of the Best Internet Deals too, so you don’t miss out on any limited deals.

  1. Keep tabs on other providers’ prices

You never know if you’re overpaying or getting a steal of a deal if you don’t check what other providers cost. Type in your zip code in our availability tool below and see how much other providers charge for similar plans.

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Kelly Huh
Written by
Kelly Huh is a journalist who covers internet service providers for Reviews.org. Originally from New Zealand, Kelly bought a one-way ticket to America to study at Brigham Young University, where she graduated with a BA in Communications. Since college, Kelly has gone on to write and edit featured content for technology companies in the Economist, Forbes, Vox, Bloomberg Green, and industry trade publications.

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