NetZero/Juno Dial-up

If you use the Internet only occasionally, you can get up to 10 hours of free dial-up Internet access per month from NetZero or Juno, which are owned by the same parent company, United Online. You get multiple email accounts with mobile and web access (webmail). Exceed the 10 hours and you'll be charged $10 per month, the same as what you'd pay for unlimited access from these dial-up ISPs. Dial-up service from any ISP is extremely slow compared to high-speed connections, but

Bottom Line

If your budget is tight and you only need the Internet to occasionally check your email or do a little web surfing, both NetZero and Juno, which are owned by the same parent company United Online, offer a free dial-up Internet connection 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 more than 10 hours, $10 or $11 per month will get you unlimited Internet access.

Plans and Speed

10 hours free. Both NetZero and Juno offer 10 hours of free dial-up access a month, to a maximum of 200 MB of data downloads. If you use more than your 10 hours, the unlimited access plan kicks in at $10 per month for NetZero and $11 per month for Juno. NetZero's Platinum plan (*Est. $50 per month) comes with 4 GB of storage space; Juno has an accelerated dial-up plan (*Est. $40 per month) that's up to five times faster than its basic service. The dial-up speed is 56 Kbps for both downloading and uploading data.

a speed test by PCMag.com says NetZero isn't bad. One negative with the free service is that you're stuck with advertising on your screen as you browse. If you need dial-up access with an accelerator feature for faster-loading web pages, reviews favor EarthLink (*Est. $22 per month).

Features

Plenty of access numbers and unlimited email. NetZero and Juno have thousands of access numbers nationwide that are centered around cities, so you may be able to call a local number for Internet access. Both come with unlimited free email addresses, and you can use video mail and video chat. Even the basic plans include virus protection. However, this free service comes at the price of advertisements appearing on your screen when you browse the Internet.

Both companies have free 24/7 online customer and technical support. If you purchase a package, you'll receive a free live technical support call to help you set everything up. After that, live telephone tech support costs $1.95 per minute.

Customer Satisfaction

No feedback available. We found no credible reviews for NetZero or Juno with regard to customer satisfaction. Surveys in general have largely stopped reporting on dial-up ISPs, and there are no recent subscriber posts at BroadbandReports.com.