Plan choice
Choose an EarthLink Fiber speed: 100 Mbps, 300 Mbps, 1 Gig or 5 Gigs
EarthLink sizes its fiber speeds by how many devices you own. A better guide is how many are busy at once, and whether anything in your home can use 5 Gigs.
By Pablo Mendoza, Guide author · Reviewed by George Olfson
Published · Updated · Facts checked
How we check availability · Editorial standards
Advertising disclosure: some links on this page lead to shopping pages, including pages on related sites such as Konecteaze, and we may earn a commission if you order. That never changes the facts or sources here. How we earn money
Which EarthLink plan should you choose?
EarthLink Fiber lists four speeds, 100 Mbps, 300 Mbps, 1 Gig and 5 Gigs, each with equal upload and download and unlimited data (EarthLink, checked Sep 24, 2026). EarthLink pairs them with up to 5, 12 and 15 devices, and “unlimited devices” for 5 Gigs.
Use that as a starting point, then size for how many devices are busy at the same time. 5 Gigs only pays off with a router that has a port faster than 1 Gbps, and one wired device only sees more than a gigabit if it has a faster port too.
Match an EarthLink Fiber speed to your home
A home with 14 gadgets may only have three or four doing anything heavy at 8 p.m., and those are the ones to size for.
| Your home | Speed to check | Why | Check before paying |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 or 2 people, streaming and calls | 100 Mbps | EarthLink rates it for up to 5 devices | Your busiest hour, measured on a wired device |
| A family with several streams at once | 300 Mbps | EarthLink rates it for up to 12 devices | How many devices are busy together, not connected |
| Large uploads or downloads most days | 1 Gig | Symmetrical, so uploads speed up too | That the main computer is wired to a gigabit port |
| Internet transfers that regularly fill a gigabit line | 5 Gigs | More capacity for large cloud transfers or several busy users | A faster-than-gigabit path to the internet, and a remote service that keeps up |
| The address returns EarthLink wireless | A different product | One Unlimited plan, no speed tiers | Measure busy-hour download, upload and latency; check signal, equipment cost, address restrictions and data terms |
EarthLink's FAQ also mentions 25+ and 500+ Mbps plans that have no card of their own. If your address returns one of those, it slots between its neighbors in this table: a 500 Mbps plan sits between the 300 Mbps and 1 Gig rows.
EarthLink also lists what slows a fiber line: distance, line quality, your phone service provider and the number of devices in use at once. Only the last one is about the speed you pick.
The fiber rows apply only once the address returns fiber. Where EarthLink Fiber is offered explains why that is selective, and EarthLink's three products and 48 states covers the wireless and satellite results.
One 12 GB upload at each speed
Upload speed climbs with every EarthLink tier, so one upload shows what each step buys.
The step from 100 Mbps to 300 Mbps saves the most waiting, about 11 minutes. The step from 1 Gig to 5 Gigs only shows up on hardware built for it.
Compare two sellers over the same months
If two sellers offer fiber at your address, compare the same speed over the same months. Include upload, equipment, installation, support and cancellation, not only the opening price.
Our Sep 21, 2026 internet bill cost study recorded a two-month introductory period on the sampled EarthLink headline offer, with no later amount stated and a warning that modem-service charges may apply. That is a historical observation, not a current quote. Request both amounts for your own order.
Use the internet cost calculator to compare written quotes over 12 and 24 months.
Which speed a retired couple, a family of five, a video editor and two remote workers need
A retired couple
Two tablets, a TV and a video call with the grandchildren on Sundays. 100 Mbps fits: they sit inside EarthLink's 5-device guide, and nothing they do moves large files.
A family of five with 14 connected devices
Phones, laptops, a console, two TVs and a few smart-home gadgets. Only three or four are busy at once, most evenings. 300 Mbps fits, even though EarthLink's device count points higher, because the busy count is what fills the line.
A video editor sending large files to the cloud
Start with 1 Gig and time the daily cloud upload over Ethernet. Consider 5 Gigs if internet transfers regularly fill that line, the receiving service accepts more than 1 Gbps, and the workstation, any switch and the router support the faster speed along that path. Copying footage between the workstation and a local network drive uses the home network, not the ISP line; a faster subscription does not speed up that local copy.
Two people working from home with nightly cloud backups
Both work on laptops all day, and a backup of the day's files goes to the cloud each night. Because EarthLink Fiber uploads as fast as it downloads, a 12 GB backup is about a five-minute job at 300 Mbps. That is enough unless the backups grow large or run while both are still on calls.
To count your own busy devices, use the household internet needs tool. If the address returns EarthLink's wireless or satellite service instead, weigh it against other networks in how to choose an internet connection.
What 5 Gigs needs inside your home
A 5 Gigs line reaches the gateway. From there, every link has to keep up. A 1 Gbps port anywhere between the gateway and a device caps that device at 1 Gbps, and a router whose internet port is gigabit caps the whole house at 1 Gbps.
- The gateway or router needs a port faster than 1 Gbps: 2.5, 5 or 10 Gbps.
- Any switch in between needs multi-gig ports too.
- For a wired connection, the device needs a multi-gig port or adapter.
EarthLink's unlimited-devices line for 5 Gigs is about sharing the connection, not about the speed any one device gets.
For the hardware, see routers with multi-gig ports and, for coverage across the house, mesh Wi-Fi systems. For whether a home needs 5 Gigs at all, read when gigabit or multi-gig is worth it.
Questions for EarthLink before you order
- Which speeds does the address check actually return? The plan cards and the FAQ list different ranges.
- Is the result EarthLink Fiber or EarthLink Wireless 5G Home Internet?
- Who installs it, and can an adult be home for a few hours? EarthLink uses outside contractors and requires someone 18 or older.
- Could distance, line quality or my phone service provider affect the speed? EarthLink lists all three as factors.
- If I pick 5 Gigs, does my router have a multi-gig port?
- What is the full monthly price after any introductory period? Get the amount in writing.
- Is there a modem-service charge, and when does it start?
- Who confirms or reschedules installation, and who handles support afterward?
- What are the cancellation terms and equipment-return rules?
Because EarthLink's plan cards and FAQ don't agree on the speed range, save the Broadband Facts label for the speed you order: the one FCC rules require EarthLink to show at the point of sale.
For install day, see the fiber installation checklist. On AT&T Fiber the same choice is between Internet 500 and Internet 1000; see AT&T Fiber 500 or 1 Gig.
Common questions
What speeds does EarthLink Fiber offer?
EarthLink's fiber page shows plan cards for 100 Mbps, 300 Mbps, 1 Gig and 5 Gigs (checked Sep 24, 2026). Its FAQ describes a range from 25 Mbps to 5 Gigs, so rely on the speeds your address check returns. Every EarthLink Fiber speed has equal upload and download and unlimited data.
How many devices can each EarthLink Fiber speed handle?
EarthLink's guide says up to 5 devices on 100 Mbps, 12 on 300 Mbps, 15 on 1 Gig and unlimited devices on 5 Gigs (checked Sep 24, 2026). What matters more is how many of them are busy at the same moment, such as two video calls running while a console downloads a game.
Is EarthLink Fiber upload the same as download?
Yes. EarthLink lists its fiber speeds as symmetrical, so each EarthLink Fiber tier uploads as fast as it downloads: 100 Mbps, 300 Mbps, 1 Gig or 5 Gigs each way (checked Sep 24, 2026). EarthLink says the fiber runs all the way to your door, with no coaxial handoff.
What can slow down an EarthLink Fiber connection?
EarthLink names four things that can slow an EarthLink Fiber connection: distance, line quality, your phone service provider and the number of devices in use at once (checked Sep 24, 2026). On the 5 Gigs tier, a router or device port that tops out at 1 Gbps also caps what one device can see.
Should I choose EarthLink wireless if fiber isn't offered?
Treat EarthLink Wireless 5G Home Internet as a different product from EarthLink Fiber. It has one Unlimited plan on 5G and 4G LTE towers, with no speed tiers, so the four fiber speeds don't apply (checked Sep 24, 2026). Compare measured busy-hour download, upload and latency, signal, equipment costs, service-address restrictions and data terms. Wireless speeds are not guaranteed.
Is EarthLink 5 Gigs worth it?
EarthLink's 5 Gigs tier pays off only if your home can use more than 1 Gbps at once. A 1 Gbps port on the router or computer caps that device at 1 Gbps, even on 5 Gigs. EarthLink pairs 5 Gigs with unlimited devices (checked Sep 24, 2026), but busy devices, not connected ones, set the need.
Sources and scope
- EarthLink — EarthLink Fiber Internet Checked · Supports: the four plan cards, device guidance, the FAQ speed range, symmetrical speeds, data terms, installation and speed factors
- EarthLink — EarthLink Wireless 5G Home Internet Checked · Supports: the Unlimited plan, 5G/4G LTE, no guaranteed speed, possible congestion slowdown, router lease and service-address restriction
- Federal Communications Commission — Broadband Consumer Labels Checked · Supports: a label for every plan at the point of sale since April 10, 2024
- InternetService.ai — Internet bill cost study: public price-term audit Checked · Supports: Historical Sep 21, 2026 sample: Spectrum rate period and optional equipment; EarthLink introductory period, unstated later price and possible modem-service charge