Plans starting at: $25
Popular Package: Futuristic 2 Gigs
Download speeds up to: 2 Gbps
Connection Types: Fiber
Plans starting at: $49.95
Popular Package: EarthLink Fiber 5Gx5G
Download speeds up to: 5 Gbps
Connection Types: Fiber
Fidium Fiber Staff rating
New kid on the block: Fidium Fiber offers good pricing, fast fiber
Fidium Fiber is a new fiber internet service provider that launched in late 2021. Fidium Fiber is currently available in 8 states: California, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Vermont [1]. Prices are good for all Fidium Fiber plans, with their lowest-priced plan starting at 100 Mbps. Maximum gigabit speeds go up to 2000 Mbps at monthly prices that are very competitive for that level of speed. A Wi-Fi 6 gateway rental is included with the monthly fee, and Fidium Fiber requires no contracts or data caps.ÂPROS
Cons
Top cities with Fidium Fiber availability
EarthLink Staff rating
Earthlink is known for great customer service but higher initial prices
Earthlink’s chief difference from most other national ISPs is that Earthlink is a third-party seller. In other words, Earthlink is partnering with other major internet companies who actually provide the technology for your internet service. Your service through Earthlink might come from AT&T, CenturyLink, Frontier, Verizon, or Viasat. That means your type of connection through Earthlink can vary from super-fast fiber internet all the way to slower satellite internet. You will know which type of internet connection you are purchasing when you sign up for service. Just as with any other provider, you will have an idea of your approximate speed and performance when you buy. The catch is, you will pay more because Earthlink doesn’t own the networks it uses. Why would you choose a service that costs more? Well, Earthlink is known for very solid customer service in an industry that has historically struggled in that area [1]. And Earthlink offers service in less-populated areas without many other providers. That means there may be some places where Earthlink is one of your top options for internet speed or reliability.PROS
Cons
Top cities with EarthLink availability
Fidium Fiber Pricing
Fidium Fiber’s pricing is simple, transparent, and matches other best deals
Fidium Fiber offers prices that are good across the board, with no hidden fees. The entry-level plan currently starting at $25/month offers 100 Mbps download and upload speeds. For families on tight budgets, this is one of the most affordable first-tier plan prices you’ll find in the industry. With those symmetrical speeds, you will get very good internet performance for activities such as videoconferencing. Fidium Fiber’s faster speed plans are also good deals. At $70/month for 2000 Mbps, these are fiber prices that can compete with any other fiber pricing nationwide. Best of all, you will get transparent, simple pricing from Fidium Fiber that is much easier to understand than the complex pricing of many other ISPs. Fidium Fiber requires no contracts, no bundling, and no data caps. That means you won’t face bills with unexpected overage charges or early termination fees. You also won’t have the usual $100 installation cost for new internet, as Fidium Fiber offers free professional installation. Fidium Fiber will include the use of a modem/router with your monthly plan price.EarthLink Pricing
Earthlink will charge you more initially, but prices even out by the second or third year
Many internet service providers will offer you a great promotional price for a year or two, but then raise prices much higher. Earthlink will not offer you initial promotional prices, so their plans may initially give you sticker shock. For initial prices, Earthlink will charge you more for every type of internet service: fiber, fixed wireless, or satellite. But in some cases, over the course of a few years, you may even end up saving a little money with Earthlink. Only a head-to-head comparison of specific providers in your area will tell you, so check out our price plan comparisons using your zip code.Pricing will also vary significantly based on your internet connection type
The biggest difference between Earthlink plans is whether your chosen plan has a data cap. Earthlink Fiber internet won’t have data caps. Earthlink satellite internet and fixed wireless (4G LTE or 5G) will have data caps. If you have a plan with data caps, you may end up having to buy extra data at the end of the month. Because of these unpredictable charges, satellite pricing and fixed wireless pricing for Earthlink are less stable than for their other plans. But here’s an unusual benefit of Earthlink Wireless Home Internet. Most Earthlink plans require a one-year contract, but Earthlink’s Wireless Home Internet plans do not require a contract [2].Fidium Fiber Reliability and Performance
Fidium Fiber brings fiber’s speed and reliability to new service areas
Fidium Fiber offers to bring you symmetrical speeds between 100 Mbps and 2000 Mbps depending on your plan. That’s great news if you live in a town that hasn’t had fiber internet before. For example, fiber internet is often not available in rural states such as Maine and Vermont. But Fidium Fiber continues to build fiber infrastructure in those states to add more towns to its coverage area [2]. Some Fidium Fiber customers have said that they are not getting their promised speeds, but others report being very satisfied [3]. If you have any doubts, you can test your actual speed here to see what kind of performance your current internet connection is giving you.EarthLink Reliability and Performance
Earthlink’s performance depends completely on the networks of major partners
One of Earthlink’s claims to fame is having “the largest network,” because Earthlink serves 90% of the United States [1]. The reality is that Earthlink does have a very large coverage area, but Earthlink does not own the networks in those areas. Differences between Earthlink’s partner networks will mean that your internet speed and performance will vary if you sign up with Earthlink. Just like Earthlink’s pricing, the quality of the service they can deliver depends on other providers. Most of the time, this works out fine because Earthlink partners with reputable ISPs. But Earthlink does not have control over your service, and that can be a disadvantage if something goes wrong. If you get Earthlink Fiber, you are probably going to be happy with your speed and reliability. Fiber is known for these advantages. Earthlink satellite or fixed wireless will often be too slow for real-timeactivities such as real-time gaming or videoconferencing. Reliability issues are going to be more likely with Earthlink’s satellite internet or Wireless Home Internet. Both satellite and wireless internet can be affected by weather. Fixed wireless can also slow down at peak times when thenetwork is congested with more traffic. Satellite internet tends to have high latency, which means a slight lag in the transmission of a signal. Latency is not noticeable for many internet activities but may affect real-time data transfer for gaming and videoconferencing.Fidium Fiber Equipment, Installation and Bonus Features
Free installation, free equipment loan with Fidium Fiber internet plans
Several fiber ISPs will offer you good promotional prices and no contracts. They may even offer no data caps, as Fidium Fiber does. But very few ISPs also offer free installation for all their plans. The free installation for Fidium Fiber is a nice touch that means you don’t have to invest up front to get Fidium Fiber. Fidium Fiber will give you free use of a Wi-Fi 6 Gateway and a whole-home Attune Wi-Fi app that will allow you to control all your devices. If you have smart home devices, the app will be especially useful. But it’s also nice to have a network management app when you want to adjust your settings without logging in to your router.EarthLink Equipment, Installation and Bonus Features
Earthlink’s installation fees and equipment fees vary
We can't give a score for any kind of consistent pricing or equipment fees because of Earthlink's 3rd party seller business model. Earthlink’s lower rating from us in this category results from the lack of simple, freely available information on pricing and fees on their website, as well as their higher prices for equipment and installation. This lack of transparency is one of the weaknesses of the telecom industry. We recommend that Earthlink, along with other internet providers, begin to be much more straightforward about which services are available across the United States and how much they cost in each area. Satellite equipment will cost you considerably more if you buy it upfront, which is typical of satellite. Earthlink will offer you the option to rent the equipment if that is more feasible. Satellite equipment will come from Viasat, Earthlink’s satellite internet partner. Because Viasat’s equipment fees are $12.99/month or $299.99 prepaid, consumers should estimate that Earthlink’s fees for Viasat equipment will be similar or slightly higher [3]. Earthlink’s bonus services include Easy Tech for unlimited tech support at $9.95 a month. Earthlink Guardian provides parental monitoring, Earthlink Protect gives security protection, and Earthlink Online Backup will protect you from data loss.Fidium Fiber Experience & Support
Reviews are mixed for Fidium Fiber’s customer service and operations
Fidium Fiber doesn’t yet have a large enough customer base to qualify for one of the major national customer satisfaction reviews such as the J.D. Power Survey. Fidium Fiber does have over 1 million fiber passings (or potential connections for customers) thanks to its buildout. But Fidium Fiber is still a relatively small provider, reporting approximately 123,000 fiber broadband customers at the end of 2022 [4]. Even though Fidium Fiber doesn’t yet show up in major national surveys, you can still find a number of user reviews online in various forums. A casual scan shows the usual bumps in the road for a new provider without a long history of successful operations. Some customers say they do not get their service installed quickly and don’t get satisfactory responses from the company. Others say they don’t get promised speeds. But an equal number seem to feel that they are getting a better deal for their money and better performance than with their previous providers [5]. Overall, it seems likely that Fidium Fiber is providing good service to many customers, but still ironing out kinks in its operations, staffing, and support.EarthLink Experience & Support
Earthlink is known above all for superior customer service
When you research Earthlink online, you will see that Earthlink survives on its customer service. The company gets good, solid ratings for customer service, where many ISPs fall far short. That means that if you call Earthlink, odds are that you will be satisfied with what they do for you. There are just a couple of caveats to that recommendation. First, some customers report that their customer service has been routed to Earthlink’s partner providers, which removes the whole point of having Earthlink service if you’re seeking their brand of better customer service. Second, Earthlink acknowledged beginning to “reshore” its service in September 2021, which implicitly reveals that the company had offshored its customer service [4]. Offshoring customer service to foreign countries is not only potentially frustrating for the customer, but worse for U.S. workers. Many internet providers now base their customer service in the United States, and we hope Earthlink will be sure to provide its own customer support from within the country.Fidium Fiber FAQ's
EarthLink FAQ's
Fidium Fiber Sources
[1] FidiumFiber.com. "Fiber Locations."
[2] FidiumFiber.com. "Fidium Fiber Internet Coming to Nine Towns in Maine and Vermont."
[3] Facebook.com. "Fidium Fiber Reviews."
[4] LightReading.com. "Consolidated Slows Buildout As It Bets Its Future on Fiber."
EarthLink Sources
[1] Earthlink.net. "Internet Near Me."
[2] Earthlink.net. "Wireless Home Internet."
[3] Viasat.com. "Disclaimers."
[4]PR Newswire.com. "Earthlink Expands Customer Service Division."
Fidium Fiber Accolades
Fidium Fiber Internet Plans
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Fidium Fiber Customers Review
EarthLink Customers Review