Using EveryoneOn to find cheap internet and a low-cost computer
Affordable internet plans and low-cost computers exist all over the country. The hard part is figuring out which ones you can actually get at your address, because every company covers different areas and every program has its own rules. EveryoneOn is a nonprofit that works on exactly that problem.
Its main tool is a free search that takes your zip code and your situation and shows you the low-cost internet offers and cheap computer offers available where you live. The nonprofit (website: https://www.everyoneon.org/) does not charge for any of it, and it has matched millions of people with internet service over the years. This page explains how the search tool works, what kinds of offers show up in it, the free lessons EveryoneOn runs, and what to do if the tool comes back with nothing useful.
How the offer search works
Go to the Offer Locator on EveryoneOn's site, find offers section at https://www.everyoneon.org/find-offers and type in your zip code. Then check the boxes that describe your household — things like getting SNAP, Medicaid, SSI, WIC, LIHEAP, or TANF, living in public housing, having a K-12 or college student at home, having a child on free or reduced price school lunch, or simply having a lower income without being on any program. The tool uses those answers to show which offers you would qualify for.
The results are the low-cost plans from internet companies that serve your address, along with computer offers from refurbishers. You sign up for whatever you pick directly with that company or organization, and EveryoneOn's part is over. There is no account to create and no fee at any point, and EveryoneOn's site has a Spanish version.
One thing worth knowing: EveryoneOn checks the companies and offers before listing them, and only includes ones that meet its standards for price and service. That screening is the reason to start here instead of with a search engine, where the top results for cheap internet are often ads and sites that collect your information rather than the actual programs.
What shows up in the results
On the internet side, most of what appears are the discount plans the providers themselves run for lower-income customers, and in some places smaller local companies or community networks appear as well. What you see depends entirely on your zip code. A city address usually turns up several choices, and a rural one may turn up one or none, because the tool can only show companies that physically serve your area.
On the computer side, the offers come from nonprofit refurbishers that repair donated business computers and sell them for a small fraction of the new price, usually with a warranty. If nothing useful comes up, or you want more routes to a machine, the NHPB guide to free laptops and desktop computers covers the national refurbishers, charities, and other ways to get one.
The free lessons
EveryoneOn also runs a Digital Learning Center, which is a set of free online lessons for people who did not grow up using computers or who want to get better at specific things. The materials cover computer and internet basics, staying safe online, applying for jobs on the internet, handling money and banking online, and using the internet for school or health needs. In a few regions the nonprofit also runs in-person programs with local partners, and its site lists where those operate.
If the search does not solve it
The locator shows what exists at your address, and it cannot create coverage or lower a price that no company offers. If the results come up short, you still have other places to look. The guide to free internet access progams covers the federal Lifeline discount, the major providers' low-income plans, and free options such as borrowing a mobile hotspot from a public library. And if the internet is for a child's schooling, the free internet for students guide covers help that runs through schools and colleges.
EveryoneOn is an independent nonprofit, and the companies and offers in its search tool change as providers update their programs. Prices and eligibility rules belong to the individual companies, so confirm the details with the provider before you sign up.
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