Dial-Up Internet Service

Dial-up service is slow but cheap

With companies like AT&T and Verizon rolling out lower-speed, affordable DSL to compete with dial-up, it's hard to recommend a slower dial-up plan except in cases where DSL is not available. If you just want to check e-mail occasionally, though, EarthLink dial-up service (*est. $15 with a one-year contract) gets the highest ratings among dial-up ISPs. If you don't want a contract, you can opt for a month-to-month plan (*est. $10 for three months; $22 thereafter).

Comparing customer satisfaction with five dial-up ISPs, the most recent J. D. Power survey gives EarthLink top ranking. PC World magazine gives EarthLink dial-up service average ratings for connection reliability, service and support. PC Magazine says that EarthLink is the best dial-up provider, but adds, "that's like being someone's favorite black-and-white TV." An accelerator feature helps some text and graphics load faster, but EarthLink dial-up is still basically only 56 Kbps at maximum.

The main drawback to EarthLink dial-up is that it costs about as much as AT&T basic DSL (*est. $20), yet is much slower. If you want an even cheaper alternative and use a PC (not a Mac), then PeoplePC is worth trying. Surveys say it provides good customer support, but one survey rates it below average for reliability. The dial-up service starts at about $5.50 a month for the first three months, when the price rises to about $11. You can also try it for free for 30 days.

Completely free dial-up Internet service comes with advertising, but can be a good option if you use the Internet only occasionally, or want a backup to use when your primary Internet connection is down. In the J.D. Power survey, United Online, the parent company of two free dial-up ISPs (Juno and NetZero) scores so close to EarthLink that the actual rating is the same -- "among the best." Both Juno and NetZero are free for up to 10 hours a month. If your usage exceeds 10 hours, you're charged $10 per month. The tradeoff is that you have to put up with quite obtrusive ads -- though one user reports getting rid of them by closing the browser and reopening it.

Even though both Juno and NetZero are owned by the same company, Juno gets better ratings for reliability -- even higher than EarthLink, in one survey. PC Magazine finds NetZero's speed fast for a dial-up ISP, but doesn't compare it with Juno. Both services offer an "accelerator" to speed downloads from the standard 56 Kbps to as fast as 280 Kbps. If a toll-free dial-up access number is available in your area, reviews say Juno is the better choice.

Be sure to check that the dial-in number really is toll-free, since otherwise the "free" dial-up service can result in high long-distance bills. We did find some complaints that Juno and NetZero can be hard to cancel, and phone support -- usually free for ISPs -- is billed at $1.95 per minute. Basic DSL is actually a much better deal unless you're sure you'll use fewer than 10 hours a month.