Cost decision tool
Compare what two internet options could cost over 12 and 24 months
To compare two internet offers, enter each one’s introductory rate and months, the later rate, monthly extras, one-time fees and credits, then read the 12- and 24-month totals. In our Sep 21, 2026 check, headline rates ran for 2, 12 or 60 months. Leave unknown charges blank; the tool marks the total incomplete.
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Interactive worksheet
Compare two real-world scenarios
Enter verified prices and fees from each offer. A blank field stays unknown. This worksheet never turns an unknown post-promotion price or fee into $0, and it will not declare a cheaper plan until both totals are complete.
Modeled costs
12-month view
Current plan
Complete total unavailable
Needed: post-promotion or regular monthly price, additional monthly charges and taxes, one-time fees, one-time credits.
Alternative
Complete total unavailable
Needed: post-promotion or regular monthly price, additional monthly charges and taxes, one-time fees, one-time credits.
No winner shown until both modeled totals are complete.
24-month view
Current plan
Complete total unavailable
Needed: post-promotion or regular monthly price, additional monthly charges and taxes, one-time fees, one-time credits.
Alternative
Complete total unavailable
Needed: post-promotion or regular monthly price, additional monthly charges and taxes, one-time fees, one-time credits.
No winner shown until both modeled totals are complete.
When does Option B catch up?
A 24-month break-even estimate needs complete costs for both options, including any later regular price.
Totals are your inputs × months, plus entered one-time charges, minus confirmed credits. Taxes can depend on address; plan prices, eligibility and the final bill must be confirmed with the provider. No information entered here is sent to a provider.
Order nowHow the calculation works
For each period, the worksheet multiplies the introductory rate by its months and the regular rate by the months left, adds monthly extras and one-time fees, then subtracts confirmed credits. It compares options only when both totals for a period are complete.
Check the terms before switching
Start from the provider’s broadband label, which the FCC requires to show prices, speeds, fees, data allowances, and bundle, discount and introductory-rate details (FCC label release, checked Sep 24, 2026). Then confirm the post-promotion price, any AutoPay or bundle condition, and equipment, installation and cancellation terms.
Price clocks and fee ranges in real offers
Our Sep 21, 2026 audit of seven public offer pages found these clocks. Enter each as its own line.
| Offer sampled | Headline rate ran for | What came after |
|---|---|---|
| EarthLink Fiber headline offer | 2 months | A full-price plan, with no amount given |
| Spectrum Internet 500 | 12 months | No month-13 rate named |
| Optimum Fiber 500 | 60 months of base service | Yearly increases up to a stated cap |
| Optimum gateway | 12 months at no charge | Yearly increases up to a stated cap |
Update, : Fetched Oct 28, 2026, EarthLink's fiber page did not show the 24 dollars and 95 cents two-month headline recorded on Sep 21. The page lists 100 Mbps, 300 Mbps, 1 Gig and 5 Gig plans and says rates stay consistent for 12 months, without a dollar amount for that rate in the text we received. A plain download of the same URL still returns HTTP 403, which is why the Sep 21 row was captured in a browser. That row stays the audit record.
Update, : Optimum has changed this offer again since the Oct 6 note. Fetched Oct 28, 2026, its fiber page shows a promotional 500 Mbps service rate of 25 dollars a month plus taxes and fees for 12 months, then an increase of no more than 15 dollars a month per year until standard rates. It calls that a 1-year price lock. Gateway terms on the same page are not a single figure: one block charges nothing for 12 months, and another charges 5 dollars a month for 12 months, after which either can rise by up to 5 dollars a month per year until standard rates. The Sep 21 row, 40 dollars for 60 months, stays the audit record. The Oct 6 description of a price lock of up to 3 years that required SecureWifi+ is no longer what the page states.
The FCC adopted label changes on July 22, 2026 (FCC 26-48) that would let providers show variable passthrough fees as one “up to” amount; that change is delayed with no start date set. Where an offer shows a fee range, enter its top figure as a monthly extra.
The price index for internet services rose 1.5% from August 2025 to August 2026, against 3.4% for all items (BLS, not seasonally adjusted). It is quality-adjusted, not an average bill, so check a far larger jump against your own clocks. Our internet bill cost study covers four more offers.
How to use the result
- If the totals are close, compare introductory and regular pricing for the services you are weighing.
- If a bill just rose, an internet price increase guide helps you find the clock that ended.
- For a short stay, work out the cost per usable day with internet for short stays.
- If both totals are too high, compare lower-cost internet options and prepaid internet.
- Before cancelling, plan the overlap with switching without downtime, then check plans at your address.