Last year I posted about cutting internet costs, a lot of you had questions, so I did more research. Here’s what I found to be possible.

Hey everyone. Last year I posted about suddenly having to seriously cut back on expenses. For a while, I had to use the internet at my local library to get by and ended up finding the realm of what is called "affordable internet" plans.

After my post, a lot of you reached out with questions about low-cost internet options and honestly I didn't have great answers at the time and that stuck with me. So over the past months I have been nerding out on this. A couple of volunteer librarians (serious shout out to these rockstars) helped me dig in, and together we found the NDIA (National Digital Inclusion Alliance) Digital Equity Report Honor Roll (https://www.digitalinclusion.org/honor-roll-of-low-cost-plans/). The NDIA compiled a list of low-cost internet plans that doesn't get nearly enough attention. I want to share this as a resource to anyone who needs a better overview of what may be available to your specific circumstance/geography.

Quick breakdown of how NDIA ranks these plans:

They sort plans into three tiers: Best (1st tier), Better (2nd tier), Good (3rd tier).

Rankings are based on 5 criteria: download/upload speed, technology type, additional taxes and fees, service area, and eligibility requirements. Within each tier, plans are just listed alphabetically, so we went a step further and started ranking plans within their own categories based on what we could dig up.

A few things worth noting upfront:

• We're just regular people doing this in our free time. We're sharing this to raise awareness.
• We're human and could have made mistakes. If you spot an error or (!!!) have personal experience (!!!)  with any of these plans, please share it 

BEST TIER — Our Rankings

These are our ranks within the NDIA's Best category. I will add more tiers as we progress with our research.

#1 — Shield Internet by Computers 4 People | $14.89/mo 5G speeds (50 to 300+ Mbps typical). Nationwide on T-Mobile's network. No documentation, no income verification, no credit check, no SSN. 2-minute online signup. No contract, no data caps, no annual recertification. Hotspot router (optional) shipped after signup. Run by a nonprofit that also provides refurbished devices and digital literacy support. 

#2 — Internet Essentials / Internet Essentials Plus by Comcast/Xfinity | $14.95/mo or $29.95/mo Internet Essentials: 75/10 Mbps | Internet Essentials Plus: 100/20 Mbps. Available in 39 states + DC, roughly 40 million homes. No credit check, no SSN, no deposit. Comcast auto-checks SNAP/Medicaid databases so many people never have to upload anything. If that fails, one document is enough. As of November 2025, you can also qualify based on income alone (at or below 200% of the federal poverty level, no program enrollment needed). No contract, no data caps. The Plus tier makes sense if you have a bigger household with more devices running at once. Main catch: 90-day blackout if you had Xfinity service in the last 90 days. 

#3 — Canopy by DigitalC | $18/mo (FREE for Cleveland school district students) 100/100 Mbps symmetric. Cleveland, OH only. Zero eligibility requirements, zero documentation, zero credit check. Price locked for 5 years. Free installation. Community-owned fixed wireless network. If you are in Cleveland, this might honestly be the best option for you. 

#4 — Internet 300 by WOW! | $30/mo 300/20 Mbps. Available in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Requires eligibility through a government program (SNAP, Medicaid, SSI, etc.) or income at or below roughly 135 to 200% of the federal poverty level. Documentation may be required. SSN typically required for identity verification. Lifeline discount (~$9.25/mo) can bring the cost down. No contract, no data caps. More barriers than the plans above, and more limited in coverage. Still a solid option if you are in a WOW! service area and qualify.

#5 — Budget WiFi 5G by Computer Reach | $14.50/mo 280/80 Mbps. Pittsburgh, PA and surrounding area through partner networks. No credit check, no strict SSN requirement. Requires eligibility (government program or income at or below ~200% FPL) and documentation. Not a direct ISP, relies on partner infrastructure, so coverage and reliability can vary. High accessibility but less consistency than the plans above.

We are also building an open-to-the-public spreadsheet. I don't want to break any rules, but can share if it's cool/there is interest. Hope this helps someone the way I wish it had helped me.