Best ISPs | Top Picks and Reviews at ConsumerSearch

Best ISP

*Est. $50 per month Learn More

Although it's not available in all areas, Verizon's FiOS fiber-optic network gets the highest scores for customer satisfaction, reliability and speed in major surveys. For $50 per month, you get downstream speeds rated at… expandup to 15 Mbps -- compared to typical DSL speeds of 3 Mbps to 7 Mbps. Even faster downstream speeds of up to 150 Mbps (*Est. $200 per month) are available. Nine email accounts, Wi-Fi access, 10 MB of web hosting and 24/7 customer support are included. If FiOS is available in your area, it's easily the best ISP. Prices are less if bundled with FiOS phone and TV service. collapse

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Expert & User Review Sources:

J.D. Power & Associates: Ratings are based on a customer satisfaction study done in 2010.

ConsumerReports.org: ConsumerReports.org surveys more than 70,000 subscribers in 2010 and uses the results to rate ISPs on value, reliability, connection speed and customer support.

PCMag.com: PCMag.com surveys its readers on their satisfaction with their ISP providers.

BroadbandReports.com: Contributors here rate ISPs using six criteria, including connection reliability, technical support and value.

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Best cable broadband ISP

Cox Cable

*Est. $35 per month Learn More

Cox Cable is available in many parts of the U.S., mainly in the Midwest and portions of the east and west coasts. The basic plan costs $35 a month and includes 3 Mbps download speeds with 10 email accounts and security… expandsoftware. Customers speak highly of Cox's services, although they don't particularly like its technical support. Packages go up to 22 Mbps (*Est. $65 per month) and some plans have reduced introductory rates. collapse

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Expert & User Review Sources:

ConsumerReports.org: The rankings here are based on responses to ConsumerReports.org's annual telecom survey.

J.D. Power & Associates: In J.D. Power's 2010 customer satisfaction survey, ISPs are rated on overall satisfaction, performance and reliability, cost of service, customer service, billing, and offerings and promotions.

BroadbandReports.com: Cox's average score from customers over the past six months is 74 percent, which wins it a Silver Star award.

PCMag.com: PCMag.com measures speed results for providers nationwide using readers' tests, and Cox comes out on top.

Best regional cable broadband ISP

Wow! Cable

*Est. $40 per month Learn More

If you live in the Midwest, you may be in a Wow! Cable Internet service area. For $40 per month, you get a downstream speed of 2 Mbps; other plans are available with up to 15 Mbps. Users get 10 MB of web space and five… expandemail accounts. Wow! is notable for its high customer satisfaction ratings in surveys, especially in terms of reliability, customer service and technical support. collapse

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Expert & User Review Sources:

ConsumerReports.org: ConsumerReports.org ranks high-speed ISPs based on responses to its annual telecom survey conducted in 2010.

J.D. Power & Associates: In J.D. Power's 2010 customer satisfaction survey, ISPs are rated on overall satisfaction, performance and reliability, cost of service, customer service, billing, and offerings and promotions.

BroadbandReports.com: Customers give Wow! an average rating of 82 percent over the past six months, with connection reliability and value receiving the highest marks.

Best DSL ISP

EarthLink DSL

Starting at *Est. $30 per month Learn More

If Cox Cable or Wow! aren't available in your area and you don't need the fastest possible speeds, EarthLink's DSL service provides good value and gets decent reviews compared to other DSL providers. The company's least… expandexpensive DSL plan has a maximum download speed of just 768 Kbps, but that's still 15 times faster than a dial-up connection. Included with the plan are eight email accounts and 10 MB of web hosting, free dial-up access when you're not at home, plus a modem and security software. Most plans include an introductory rate at a significant discount. Speeds up to 8 Mbps are available in some areas. collapse

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Expert & User Review Sources:

ConsumerReports.org: ConsumerReports.org ranks high-speed ISPs based on responses to its annual telecom survey conducted in 2010.

J.D. Power & Associates: In J.D. Power's 2010 customer satisfaction survey, ISPs are rated on overall satisfaction, performance and reliability, cost of service, customer service, billing, and offerings and promotions.

BroadbandReports.com: Customers give EarthLink DSL a rating of 64 percent over the past six months.

PCMag.com: This article reports the results of PCMag.com's 2011 survey of ISP customers.

Best dial-up ISP

EarthLink Dial-up

*Est. $15 per month Learn More

For those without access to broadband service and who use the Internet only on occasion, dial-up access remains a reasonable choice. EarthLink's cheapest plans cost only $15 per month (with a one-year commitment), or… expand$12.50 per month if you can pay for the full year in advance. For that you get spam filtering and antivirus features, eight email accounts and 24/7 customer service. An accelerator feature loads some text and graphics on web pages faster. Since dial-up requires only phone service, it's almost universally available. collapse

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Expert & User Review Sources:

J.D. Power & Associates: This press release includes details on the results of J.D. Power's 2008 customer satisfaction survey, to which close to 19,000 people responded.

J.D. Power & Associates: J.D. Power and Associates polls 16,000 people to rate customer satisfaction of dial-up Internet providers.

TopTenReviews.com: This comparative review of ISPs rates companies, not specific Internet services.

Cheap-ISP-Reviews.com: This review compares ISPs based on superficial factors, including cost alone.

Free dial-up

NetZero/Juno Dial-up

Free Learn More

If your needs amount to occasionally checking your email or a little web surfing and your budget is tight, both NetZero and Juno (which are owned by the same parent company, United Online) offer a free dial-up Internet… expandconnection for up to 10 hours each month. In exchange for a free ISP, you have to contend with advertising on your computer screen while browsing. If you need a little more than 10 hours, about $10 per month will get you unlimited Internet access, spam and email virus protection, a personal website and 24/7 phone support -- but no accelerator feature. NetZero and Juno both score well in customer satisfaction surveys, but those that include dial-up providers are several years old. collapse

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Expert & User Review Sources:

J.D. Power & Associates: This article summarizes the findings of a J.D. Power's 2008 customer satisfaction survey to which almost 19,000 people responded.

J.D. Power & Associates: J.D. Power and Associates polls 16,000 people to rate customer satisfaction of dial-up Internet providers in this now-dated study.

PCMag.com: More than 40,000 people agreed to let PCMag.com measure their connection speeds.

ConsumerReports.org: Editors offer good general advice on the free page of this report, but ratings are available only to subscribers.

Epinions.com: There are more than 600 user reviews accumulated over the years here, the most recent of which is from 2008.

Cheap-ISP-Reviews.com: The comparative ratings here are based on superficial factors, including price; a chart shows features included in each plan, both dial-up and high-speed.

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ISPs: Reviews

Best ISP

Best cable broadband ISP

Best regional cable broadband ISP

Best DSL ISP

Best dial-up ISP

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