How to Compare Internet Providers: The 12 Question Checklist

Comparing internet providers should be simple. It is a monthly service with a monthly price. Instead, every provider's page is a carnival: a huge number in bold, a tiny number in gray, three asterisks, and a gift card offer that expires on a date you cannot find.

This guide gives you one checklist of twelve questions to ask every provider, including us. Get the same twelve answers from each, put them side by side, and the right choice is usually obvious.

Before you compare: know what you need

Five minutes on this saves you from buying the wrong thing well.

• Where will you use it? One home for years, or several places: an RV, a cabin, job sites, the next apartment?
• How long will you be at this address? If the honest answer is "a year, maybe," weigh contracts and install fees heavily.
• Who and what will be online? How many people, working from home or not, streaming, gaming, cameras.
• What is actually available? Many addresses have fewer choices than the ads suggest.
• What would a bad experience cost you? For a business, downtime has a dollar figure. For a household, it is mostly mood.

The twelve questions

1. What is the price in month 13? And month 25?

This is the most important question on the list. Advertised prices are often promotional rates that expire. The real price is what you pay after that. If the answer is not one clear number, keep pushing. See what happens when your promo rate ends.

2. What will my total monthly bill be, with everything?

Ask for the plan price plus equipment rental, plus recurring fees and surcharges. The monthly price and the monthly bill are often different numbers. The hidden internet fees guide lists the lines to ask about.

3. Does the price depend on anything?

Autopay, paperless billing, bundling with TV or mobile service. Find out what the price becomes if you stop doing those things.

4. What do I pay up front?

Installation, activation, equipment purchase, deposits. Ask which are refundable and how.

5. Is there a contract or term commitment?

If so, how long, and what is the early termination fee? If not, confirm that in writing. "No contract" and "promotional rate" happily coexist. See no contract internet, explained.

6. Do you run a credit check?

Many providers do on new accounts. Ask whether it is a hard or soft inquiry and what happens if your score is low.

7. Is service tied to my address? What happens when I move?

Ask whether you can take the service with you, whether the new address has to requalify, and whether moving restarts any fees or terms.

8. How does it get set up, and how long until I am online?

Technician or self setup? First available appointment? Does anyone need to drill, and does your landlord need to approve it?

9. Is the data unlimited?

If there is a data cap, ask what it is and what happens when you pass it.

10. How do I cancel?

Online, or by phone during business hours? When does service end after you cancel? Is the last month prorated?

11. What equipment do I have to return, and what if I do not?

Ask about the return window, the method, who pays shipping, and the fee for unreturned or damaged equipment.

12. How do I reach a human when something breaks?

Phone tree, chatbot, or people? What hours?

Do the 24 month math

Once you have answers, calculate one number per provider.

1. Add up front costs that are not refundable.
2. Add the promotional monthly bill times the number of promo months.
3. Add the standard monthly bill times the remaining months, up to 24.
4. If you expect to move in that time, add what the move would cost: overlap, new install, fees.

Compare the totals. A plan that looks cheapest in month one is frequently not cheapest over two years. We will not quote other companies' prices here, because they vary by address and change often. The math works with whatever numbers they give you.

The comparison sheet

Copy this and fill in a column per provider.

Red flags while you shop

• The word "for" after a price.
• "Starting at" or "as low as."
• "Up to" anything.
• A rep who cannot tell you the month 13 price.
• Pressure to decide on the call.
• A gift card standing in for a fair price.
• Terms you can only see after entering payment details.

Beakom's answers to all twelve

It would be strange to publish this checklist and not fill it out.

1. Month 13 and month 25: $74.99 for Residential or $149.99 for Business. Same as month one. There is no promotional period.
2. Total monthly bill: the plan price. No equipment fee. The modem is free to use while you subscribe.
3. Conditions: none. No bundle, no autopay discount games.
4. Up front: the first month and a $100 refundable modem deposit. No activation fee, no install fee, free shipping. The deposit comes back within 10 business days of the modem arriving home after you cancel. See the modem deposit, explained.
5. Contract: none. Month to month. No early termination fee.
6. Credit check: none. Ever. See the No Credit Checks page.
7. Tied to address: no. There is no address eligibility check, and the modem goes where you go. See internet with no address check.
8. Setup: the modem ships with the SIM already inside. Turn it on near a window. No technician, no appointment, no drilling.
9. Unlimited: yes, on both plans.
10. Cancelling: from the Customer Center, any day, no call. Service runs through the end of the paid month. Monthly fees are not prorated or refunded.
11. Equipment return: the modem and charger, within 30 days of cancelling, with a prepaid label. If it is not returned or comes back damaged, $150 is billed to the card on file. Cosmetic wear is fine. We disclose this before purchase, at checkout, and on every receipt.
12. Support: actual humans through the Support page. No phone tree, no chatbot loop. Business plan customers get priority.

The part of our answer sheet that is not perfect

A fair comparison includes our weak spot. Beakom runs over a cellular network, so it needs usable signal where you put the modem, and placement matters in a way it does not for a wire in the wall. Service works wherever there is signal and is not guaranteed at any specific location.

You can check before you buy with a phone, and the refundable deposit keeps the real test cheap. See how to check coverage before you buy. If you have good fiber at the curb, a fair permanent price, and no plans to move, that is a strong option and we will say so. We compare the two approaches honestly in portable internet vs home internet.

Which questions matter most for you

• Renters and frequent movers: questions 5, 7, 8, and 11. See internet for renters.
• Anyone rebuilding credit: question 6.
• Rural households: question 8, plus what is truly available at your address. See rural internet options compared.
• RVers, truckers, and travelers: question 7 is the whole ballgame.
• Small businesses: questions 8 and 12, and what downtime costs you. See backup internet for small business.
• Budget focused households: questions 1, 2, and the 24 month total.

After you choose

Get the new service running before you cancel the old one. The order of operations is in how to switch internet providers with zero downtime.

Frequently asked questions

What is the single most important question?
What is the price in month 13.

Should I trust the advertised price?
Trust it as the promotional price. Then ask for the standard rate and the full bill.

Are no contract plans always better?
Usually, but not automatically. A no contract plan with a promo cliff and an equipment fee can cost more than it looks. Do the 24 month math.

How many providers should I compare?
Every one that is actually available to you, which is often only two or three. Include options that do not depend on your address.

Is cheapest always best?
No. Weigh the exit terms, the credit check, and what happens when you move. Those are where the real costs hide.

The bottom line

Ask every provider the same twelve questions, do the 24 month math, and compare real totals instead of headline prices. Any company that makes those answers hard to get has answered a thirteenth question for you.

Ours are all above, and they are the same on the FAQs and How it Works pages.