ISP Review: EarthLink Unlimited Dialup

EarthLink offers good ol' dialup, too -- it's where the ISP got its start. For that reason, it's a sound and very popular offering, with millions of people using EarthLink for their dialup Internet access.

EarthLink's dialup Internet access service, which it calls EarthLink Unlimited, offers tons of nationwide access numbers, and promises to deliver a more consistent experience than its rivals (which translates to fewer busy signals and drop-offs.)

It also offers advanced spam-blocking technology as well as a pop-up blocker to defeat those pop-up ads.

EarthLink also offers 10 megs of Web space for each email address (it gives you seven free email addresses, for eight in all) and Trellix Site Builder, which lets you build a home page or Web site without knowing programming (a plus if you're not really a tech-head.)

If you use Sprint for your local phone service, you can also sign up for a deal if you pick EarthLink to be your Internet Service Provider.

EarthLink is a major Internet Service Provider and offers a TON of ways to connect to the Internet, including advanced high speed broadband access. But its dialup offering is no slouch, either, and it delivers decent value and quality.

Still, compared to what you get with some of the other Internet service providers in terms of free content or add-ons, it might not be that great of a deal. If you look at it in comparison to the cheap ISPs with pricing near $10 a month, then EarthLink is looking even less like a good deal.

One good thing in its favor is that EarthLink currently lets you pay half-price for 6 months. But once those six months are up, you'll be stuck to paying almost twice what most of the cheap ISP service providers are offering.

Considering the price, it might just be a good idea to either switch to a cheap ISP (see our other reviews) or to trade up to EarthLink's DSL ISP, cable broadband or satellite service. They are a bit more but could be worth it.

Great-ISP-Deals.com gives EarthLink Unlimited... two stars! A "getting cooler" value.

• $21.95 per month (half-price for six months)
  
• Or $239.40 up front (about $19.99 a month)