ISPs Reviews

The reviews below are assigned ratings by ConsumerSearch. These ratings are based on credibility in testing, evaluating and identifying the best ISPs. See our ratings criteria

For recommendations of best ISPs, see our Fast Answers page, which summarizes what these reviews say. A longer summary and analysis appears in our Full Story report for ISPs. Our Where to Buy page contains information on retailers and ISPs prices.

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ISPs Reviews Reviewed
Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	ISPs Ratings Comments on Reviews
1. J.D. Power & Associates	Dial Up Internet Service Provider Ratings Editors of J.D. Power and Associates Sept. 2007		J.D. Power is best known for its car satisfaction ratings, but for ten years, the company has polled consumers about their satisfaction with their Internet service provider. The survey polled over 16,000 Internet-service subscribers. Scores are provided for overall satisfaction, performance and reliability, cost, and image, which is how customers rate their provider on such things as reputation, honesty and willingness to stand behind the service they sell. EarthLink takes top honors by scoring "among the best" in every category except cost. Satisfaction is very low for users of AT&T Yahoo! dial-up services.
2. J.D. Power & Associates	High Speed Internet Service Provider Ratings Editors of J.D. Power and Associates Sept. 2007		J.D. Power also rates broadband Internet providers, categorizing results by regions of the country. EarthLink scores highest among broadband services in the East and South, though Verizon just trails in the East region. Verizon got the best scores in the North Central region and Qwest in the West. Among dial-up providers, survey respondents rate EarthLink best overall. Low ratings go to broadband providers Charter, Mediacom, Comcast and Time Warner Road Runner.
3. PC World >> Details/Subscribe	The Best and Worst ISPs Jeff Bertolucci June 20, 2007		PC World also conducts a reader survey to gauge overall customer satisfaction with Internet service providers. For this article, 6,463 readers participated. Interestingly, results aren’t that different than those in other surveys. Cablevision, Cox and EarthLink cable, which get above average scores elsewhere, also do well here. Verizon's FiOS is highly rated, and EarthLink is the best dial-up service. Other dial-up services rate poorly. AOL and Charter cable are the worst-rated providers.

ISPs Reviews above this line are significantly better than reviews below.

Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	ISPs Ratings Comments on Reviews

4. PC Magazine >> Details/Subscribe	Real World Testing: The Best ISPs in America Jeremy Kaplan May 30, 2007		PC Magazine created an applet that tests ISP speeds. Over 40,000 site visitors from 162 countries downloaded the test, contributing to the results. This article is based solely on measured speed, and does not take customer service into consideration. Verizon's FiOS network is easily the fastest. Editors say that if it's an option in your area, it is clearly the best choice. Cable is generally faster than DSL, with Optimum Online the fastest overall. Seattle-based Speakeasy is the fastest DSL service.
5. Consumer Reports >> Details/Subscribe	Internet Service: Cable vs. DSL vs. dial-up Editors of Consumer Reports Feb. 2007		This article discusses the results of a survey of more than 34,000 Consumer Reports subscribers that asks about their Internet access. Respondents rate their ISP on speed, reliability and technical support. Included in the ratings chart are the results for 29 of the most popular cable, DSL, dial-up and satellite providers. This is the first Consumer Reports ISP survey to include fiber-optic broadband. There is also a section on how to choose the right type of ISP.
6. Computerworld.com	What’s the Best Broadband ISP? Preston Gralia July 24, 2007		In a survey of 1,163 respondents, Computerworld creates a snapshot of the best ISPs. Verizon FiOS wins by a wide margin. Customers like its reliability, speed and value. Cox and Time Warner land the second and third spots, and they get nearly equal scores. Cox especially excels in the speed category.
7. PC Magazine >> Details/Subscribe	Reader Satisfaction Survey – ISPs Editors of PC Magazine Oct. 31, 2007		PC Magazine annually conducts this reader-satisfaction survey, which covers a wide range of hardware, software and services, including Internet service. Readers prefer cable for its speed, reliability and pricing, but DSL has far fewer repair issues. ISPs are rated in several areas including fees, speed, reliability and customer service. If it is available, broadband fiber -- particularly Verizon FiOS -- is "simply the best way to connect." Among cable providers, EarthLink has taken a tumble leaving Optimum Online, WOW! and Cox as the best options. BellSouth -- soon to be known as AT&T South is the best choice among DSL providers. EarthLink does retain an edge as the best dial-up ISP, but as PC Magazine notes "that's like being someone's favorite black-and-white TV." As for satellite ISPs, PC magazine says "the less said about that, the better."

ISPs Reviews above this line are significantly better than reviews below.

Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	ISPs Ratings Comments on Reviews

8. BroadbandReports.com	ISP Reviews Contributors to BroadbandReports.com As of Nov. 2007		Contributors here rate their ISPs according to six criteria, including reliability, tech support and value for your money. Reviews are then sorted into three groups: smooth ride, mixed and unhappy campers. Reviews are current, detailed and they’re also easily sorted by state, unlike most reviews. A chart called The Good, The Bad and The Ugly makes it clear which ISP providers are liked -- and which are not -- based on the reviews submitted. This is an especially helpful site for consumers who want detailed information on their local ISP.

ISPs Reviews above this line are significantly better than reviews below.

Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	ISPs Ratings Comments on Reviews

9. Epinions	ISPs Contributors to Epinions As of Nov. 2007		There are a lot of owner-written ratings at Epinions, and some of the larger services have hundreds of reviews. All reviews are averaged to produce an overall rating for the service. The problem here is that some of the individual reviews date from five and six years ago, so more recent ratings aren't given more weight. That means that improvements or declines in customer service and reliability aren't factored into the total score. Because of this inconsistency, we rate this review lower than others in our chart. Tellingly, dial-up services got the most reviews by far; cable was the least reviewed.
10. ISP Planet	Top 21 U.S. ISPs by Subscriber: Q2 2007 Alex Goldman Sept. 13, 2007		ISP Planet provides research on market share held by 21 ISPs. Both dial-up and broadband providers are included. SBC, formerly AT&T, nabbed the top market share with 17.5% and 17.3 million subscribers. Comcast was second with a 12.6% share of the market. America Online (AOL), once first, dropped to third place with 11.1% of the market compared to almost 20% last year. There are no ratings here, but it's interesting to see the shifting market-share statistics as cable broadband takes the top slots.