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The table below lists providers with monthly costs of standard or accelerated service below $10.00 per month. There may be better ISP's out there for more money, but you should be able to find an ISP with the features, services and terms that are more than just acceptable for you.
OK, let's be honest. Shopping for a new ISP is no fun. There are just too many restrictions, limitations and hidden fees that you should know before committing to an ISP. The table below is large and ugly and may be confusing at first. But it is the only comparison table on the Internet that I am aware of that allows you to compare all of the important details like service features, monthly hour limits, session limits and Terms of Service details before you buy. Find and look at the columns that detail the features that you are most interested in.
Because of the problems I have experienced with the sale of my former ISP Phreego to CISP, I am not recommending any long term pre-payment plans. Find a good ISP and stick with a month to month plan.
If you are confused about the what accelerated dial-up is all about and the pluses and minuses of accelerated dial-up service, please read the What Is Accelerated Dial-Up Service? Is It For You? page.
If you find a good ISP but they don't have USENET access, I recommend Teranews. There is a one-time setup fee of $3.95 and you are limited to 50 MB per day but usage after the initial setup fee is free. I didn't use the service for more than six months and was pleasantly surprised to find my account still active. There is a reasonable article retention time and the article completion rate is excellent.
Please note that the cell colors are based on my requirements. You will have a chance to generate a new table based on your own personal requirements on the You Can Rate It! page.
| ISP | Cost Regular/ Accelerated |
Guarantee | Promotions | Setup Fee | Email Accounts Regular/ Accelerated |
Tech Support Regular/ Accelerated |
News Server | Web Page | Access Numbers | Idle Time-Out | Session Time-Out | Monthly Limit | TOS & Privacy Pages | TOS Word Count | Restrictions and Limitations | Notes/Options | Restrictions, Limitations, Hidden Fees Rated (1-10 10 being best) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Requirements | $9.99/$9.99 | 30 day refundable | No prepaid discounts | Any - support not needed | 1/ 1 MB Web+POP No deletion of mailbox contents | Free email | Yes | None | Tucson and Major U.S. Cities | 15 mins | None | 250+ | Less is more | Simple contract, Idle time-out 60 mins or more. 8 hr or more session time-out. No limitation of usage. | Monthly billing only. | 9-10 | |
| GDN Networks | $8.95/ month | None | None | Free | 1/ Web+POP |
Yes | 10 MB | U.S + Canada | 350 | GDN User Agreement | 1,503 | Service can be canceled at any time for any reason with a possible prorated refund. | Cancellation requires 2 wk notification. Idle and Session time-out unspecified but can be set by GDN. | 8 | |||
| Thrift Internet Service | $9.95/ | None | None | Free | 3/ 5 MB/ Web+POP |
Toll Free 8 AM to 8 PM Pacific 866 725-8899 |
Server address page lists no news server info.
Newsgroup questions shown in support page, but links don't work. |
No | Nearly 3,000 access numbers | 4 hrs | 200 | Customer Use Agreement | 2,197 | Auto-redial prohibited. | 'Non-aggressive' email Spam blocking. Aggressive email anti-virus filtering. | 6 | |
| 550 Access | $5.50/$8.95 | None | None | $7.00 nonrefundable. | 1/2 5/10 MB Web/Web+POP Email left on server for 30+ days subject to deletion. FAQ's say NO email accounts. |
None/No toll free Number 832-476-0532 9:30 AM-6:30 PM CST sales only Proactive Support FAQ's say NO phone support at all. |
No | No | Every area code in U.S. | 150/300 | TOS and Acceptable Use Policy
Privacy Policy and Acceptable Use Policy Two versions of Acceptable Use Policy one in each document above. |
8,748 | Two versions of FAQ's on Website - faq.asp. faq.html. Contradictory information on Website for setup fee, email accounts and phone support - verify which information is accurate. Signup page says you can contact 550access for additional hrs beyond 300 for the High Speed plan. 'Unlimited Access' defined as the number of times you can connect. 'Excessive usage', # of reconnects and inactivity disconnects are automatically tracked and may lead to account deactivation. 'High volume' and commercial use prohibited. Software may not be bypassed or disabled. Blocking of cookies is prohibited. Inactivity while connected is prohibited - user may be disconnected after timeout period. There is a $.50 charge for refunds credited to a credit card. No refunds for cancellations. | Pop-up blocker. Email anti-virus protection. 550 Access free browser. | 5 | ||
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Free!
Get Free NetZero Internet Access for 10 hours per month
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$9.95/$14.95 | 30 day refundable. Includes activation charges if any. |
1/1 1/2 GB Web+POP Multiple accounts allowed only with additional account. |
First month free phone support. $1.95 per minute for phone support ($2.95/min CDN in Canada) thereafter 877 912-5866 NetZero 866-491-5866 Juno |
MySite personal Website | More than 8,000 cities | TOS | 12,358 | Required to complete surveys and questionnaires. Information, advertisements and solicitations are sent electronically and cannot be opted out. Cookies may not be blocked. Required to use 'ZeroPort' and accept updates/downloads. NetZero may include a text/hyperlink in the footer of emails and cannot be deleted. NetZero Voice is provided as a courtesy and may be discontinued at any time. Extended connection and inactive connection prohibited. Idle time-out referenced but time-out period not specified. You will be asked for demographic information. This information is used to provide you with more relevant services, online shopping, third party offers, surveys and demographic targeted advertising. Pixel tags and cookies are used in emails you agree to receive from NetZero and its third party affiliates. Early termination fee applies and remaining balance of contract is owed. Early termination fee may apply but is not specified. Early termination fee does not apply during the 30 day guarantee period. A handling fee may be charged for enforcement of violation of Acceptable Use Guidelines. | Spam and email virus protection.
NetZero HiSpeed 3G offers no pop-ups and free Norton anti-virus. Free NetZero Voice. No new subscriptions currently. NetZero / Juno TrueSwitch helps forward Outlook Express mail from old ISP. NetZero / Juno Premium Email Services. 2GB $9.95, 5GB $24.95 per year. NetZero / Juno Norton Internet Security Online $4.95/$1.95. NetZero / Juno Norton Anti-Virus Online $2.95/Free.
NetZero / Juno Family Pack $4.95. NetZero Games - $5.95/mo Juno Turbo offers Pop-up blocker and Norton AntiVirus online. Juno Toll-Free access available for $19.99/mo. All add-on services are first month free. |
5 | ||||||
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Juno Turbo - Get high-speed surfing for only $14.95 per month! |
TOS | 11,203 | Required to accept advertising information, solicitations and software downloads. Excessive commercial use prohibited. Commercial use of email prohibited. Juno may limit email storage and use and service usage. Email account can not be used as a 'dropbox or repository' for responses to unsolicited advertisements or newsgroup Spamming occurs, users can be charged $200 for each day of violation . Idle and session time-outs may be enforced but not specified. Continuous connection prohibited. Auto-redial prohibited. Juno toolbar use is required to receive downloads/advertisements/solicitations. | 4 | |||||||||||||
| Lanset.net | $13.95/$17.95 month $39.00/$51.00 Quarter $120.00/$168.00 year |
Refunds may be granted if asked for in writing within 7 days of signup. 30 day guarantee on Accelerator | Promotion - $4.00 savings per month + free Speed Maximizer. | Free | Unlimited/Unlimited 200 MB Web+POP |
Toll Free 877 652-6738 |
No | 60 MB | 12,000+ | Acceptable Usage Policy | 1,102 | Idle time-out not specified but may be enforced. Periodic, active use of service only. Unspecified fines may be assessed for same or similar unsolicited message to 50 or more recipients or 15 or more newsgroups in a single day. AUP changes become effective 30 days after posting to Website. This is a good policy and unusual for the ISP industry. | 'Aggressive' email Spam blocking. | 4 | |||
| World Verge | $9.95/$12.90 | Refundable only until account is used for any amount of time | None | Free | 5/5 5 MB Web+POP Request can be made to increase to 10 MB |
Toll Free 24/7 866 339-2109 |
No | 5 MB Webspace | More than 10,000 access numbers | 10 mins | 4 hrs | TOS Part of sign-up process |
5,582 | Although the Website claims no contracts, you are required to agree to a TOS.You may redial after one minute. No email anti-virus. $100.00 charge for each Spam incident. $200.00 charge for each violation of 'messaging' clause of TOS. No commercial use. 'Excessive bandwidth' usage of personal Web space may require Webspace to be transferred or removed within 5 days. Advertising is displayed. Information used and passed to third party advertisers for targeted Web browsing advertisement, but you may opt out. | Email Spam blocker. Pop-up blocker with accelerator plan. $12.90 'Family Filtered Account' available. | 2 | |
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$9.95/$12.95 | TOS TOS refers to a 7 day guarantee. | None | 10/10 Web+POP Emails subject to deletion - Inbox 60 days, Sent 30 days, Trash 7 days. FAQ says 5 email accounts and $1/ea additional. |
Toll Free 24/7 866 700-3245 Ask the Expert live chat support is free. |
Yes | Yes MyISP.com |
3,400 U.S.+ CA | 15 mins | 5 hrs | 450 | TOS | 3,967 | Auto-redial prohibited. Personal use only - no items/services may be sold. Disputing billing through a bank and not ISP.com's billing department will result in immediate account termination - $25 reconnect charge for 'accidental disputes'. Disputing a valid credit card charge will result in immediate account termination and $40 charge. You can be fined for Spamming, $100 1st offense, $500 2nd offense and termination & $500 3rd offense. You may be charged for cleaning up bulk email Spamming or newsgroup violations at $100/hr with a $100 minimum plus $1 for each bulk email or newsgroup posting plus $1 for each complaint received. You are not permitted to sell or advertise goods or services. | Free HOTSPOTZZ Wi-Fi access. FTP & Home Page. Email Spam & virus protection. | 1 |
NetZero and Juno are owned by United Online Inc. and have similar plans/services.
Vista is not supported on most ISP accelerator software. Here is some Freeware that claims to speed up your connections, though I can make no claims as to the performance, security, privacy of the software or advertising in the program.
| Cell Color | Definition |
|---|---|
| All service plans are acceptable and below $10.00 | |
| One or more service plan(s) for more than $10.00 are or may be acceptable | |
| No service plans are acceptable | |
| Information not available |
Note: All dollar amounts are per month unless otherwise specified. The cell color is based on my requirements as listed in the Requirements row of the table. You may want to print the table and modify it based on your requirements. Italicized text denotes contradictory information on Website. Values to the left of the forward slash are regular dial-up and to the right of the slash are accelerated dial-up if available. I have attempted to provide accurate information in this table. It is your responsibility to verify the accuracy of this information before signing up with any ISP. If you have questions about any features, restrictions or limitations, contact the ISP for clarification.
Some information provided in this table is summarized interpretations of legal documents and may or may not be accurate. Please carefully review all Terms of Service, Acceptable Use Agreements, Privacy Policies or other documents you must agree to before using the service
| Cell Color | Rating | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| 1-4 | Any ISP with a charge in the TOS is rated no higher than 4 |
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| 5-7 | Any ISP with monthly limits 200 hours or less is ranked no higher than 7. Any ISP collecting any personally identifiable information is rated no higher than 7 |
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| 8-10 | No charges and no hourly usage listed in TOS. Simple agreement/contract and no abuse of personal or Internet usage information |
The Restrictions, Limitations and Hidden Fees column rating is a rating for any issues you might have for additional service constraints. If you see a yellow or red color in this column, it should be a red flag that you should read extra carefully all agreements before signing up with the service. You may or may not have any issues with fines for improper or fraudulent usage, additional fees for Spamming, limitation of hourly usage or other terms in these contracts.
The Restrictions, Limitations and Hidden Fees column rating is not an overall rating. Don't confuse it with other Websites that rate ISP's. I have gone out of my way to not rate or rank these ISPs. Only you can ultimately rank these ISPs based upon your wants and needs. You will have a chance to do just that on the You Can Rate It! page.
NetZero offers one of the few free internet service plans still available.
Get Free NetZero Internet Access for 10 hours per month
It is only 10 hours per month but that will allow you to try out the service and see if you like it. For Road Warriors, a 10 hour service that offers wide availbility is enough to check your email and do some Web browsing while you are on the road. Be sure you understand what happens when you reach the ten hour limit.
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