Low-Cost Internet & Laptops 2026: Nonprofits vs Lifeline

When the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) ended in 2024, the discount of up to $30 a month off home internet went with it. If you were one of them — or you never had home internet to begin with — you have probably heard two pieces of advice: “apply for Lifeline” and “look for a nonprofit.”

Both are real. But they are different doors, and the list of people each one lets in is not the same. A family on WIC can be turned away by one and welcomed by the other. A worker who brings pay stubs can be approved by one and asked for a tax return by the other.

This guide compares them side by side, using the federal Lifeline rules and the nonprofits’ own pages as they read on September 13, 2026.

What is a nonprofit program here, and what is government. EveryoneOn and Human-I-T are private 501(c)(3) nonprofits, not government programs. Lifeline is a federal program run by the FCC through the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC). The rules below apply nationwide; income figures are for the 48 contiguous states and D.C. unless we say otherwise.

Esta guía también está disponible en español.

The Comparison, in One Table

	Lifeline (federal)	Human-I-T (nonprofit)	EveryoneOn Offer Locator (nonprofit)
What it is	A discount on phone or internet service	Sells low-cost internet and refurbished computers	A search tool that lists other companies’ offers
Money off / price	Up to $9.25 a month off; up to $25 more on Tribal lands	5G internet $14.99 a month, plus a hotspot you buy or rent	Depends on the listing
Income line	135% of poverty	200% of poverty	Its filter says “household of four: at or below $49,000”
Programs that qualify you	Medicaid, SNAP, SSI, Federal Public Housing Assistance, Veterans and Survivors Pension	13 programs, including those plus WIC, school lunch, LIHEAP, Pell Grant, Head Start	Each listed offer sets its own rules
Pay stubs as proof?	Yes — three months in a row	No — “Pay stubs aren’t accepted”	Depends on the listing
Helps with a computer?	No	Yes — refurbished devices	Lists refurbished computers
Where to apply	lifelinesupport.org	human-i-t.org	everyoneon.org/find-offers

Sources: 47 CFR 54.403, 54.409 and 54.410; Human-I-T’s eligibility and internet pages; EveryoneOn’s locator page.

Three Income Lines for the Same Family

Here is what each line means for a household of four in 2026. The HHS poverty guideline for four people is $33,000.

Door	Income line for 4 people	Share of poverty
Lifeline	$44,550 a year	135%
EveryoneOn locator’s “Low-income” checkbox	$49,000 a year	about 148% (our math)
Human-I-T	$66,000 a year	200%

The Lifeline figure is from USAC’s own table; the Human-I-T figure is from Human-I-T’s table. For one person, the lines are $21,546 (Lifeline) and $31,920 (Human-I-T).

What that means for you: a family of four earning $50,000 is over the line for Lifeline, and would be left out if it only checked the locator’s “Low-income” box — but it is under Human-I-T’s line. If you have been told you earn too much for internet help, find out which line that answer came from.

Alaska and Hawaii are higher. USAC’s Lifeline line for one person is $26,933 in Alaska and $24,786 in Hawaii.

The Program List Is Where Families Get Turned Away

The federal Lifeline rule, 47 CFR 54.409, is short. You qualify by income (135%) or if you or someone in your household gets benefits from one of five programs: Medicaid, SNAP, SSI, Federal Public Housing Assistance, or the Veterans and Survivors Pension. On Tribal lands, a few Tribal programs are added.

That is the whole list. It does not include:

• WIC
• Free or reduced-price school lunch
• LIHEAP energy assistance
• TANF cash assistance
• A Pell Grant
• Head Start (outside Tribal lands)

(USAC’s page notes one exception: survivors of domestic violence or human trafficking can use WIC, school lunch, a Pell Grant, or income up to 200% under a separate emergency rule.)

Human-I-T’s list is longer. It names 13 programs, including every one of the programs Lifeline leaves out above, plus Social Security retirement, SSDI and VA benefits. You only need one.

So the order that makes sense is: if you are on Medicaid, SNAP, SSI, public housing or a VA pension, apply for Lifeline first — it is a federal discount built for exactly your situation. If your only benefit is WIC, school lunch, LIHEAP or a Pell Grant, Lifeline will not count it, so check the nonprofit route.

Bring the Right Paper — Pay Stubs Work for One and Not the Other

This is the detail almost nobody tells you, and it can cost you a trip.

Lifeline accepts pay stubs. 47 CFR 54.410 lists a “paycheck stub” as acceptable proof of income. The catch: if your document does not cover a full year, you must show “the same type of documentation covering three consecutive months within the previous twelve months.” One stub is not enough.

Human-I-T does not. Its eligibility page says, in so many words: “Pay stubs aren’t accepted.” To prove income, it asks for one of these: your most recent federal, state or Tribal tax return, a Social Security benefit statement, a VA benefit statement, or a retirement or pension statement. To prove a program, it wants a benefit letter dated within the last 6 months. For internet service, its internet page adds a valid photo ID.

Two more Human-I-T details worth knowing before you apply:

• Approval lasts 15 months. After that, you send one new document to keep buying devices or keep internet service.
• No credit check, and its internet page says there are “no long-term contracts, no hidden fees, and no cancellation fees.”

What It Actually Costs

Lifeline is a discount, not a plan. The rule sets federal support at $9.25 a month, with up to $25 a month more for eligible residents of Tribal lands (47 CFR 54.403). What you pay is the company’s plan price minus that discount. Our Lifeline guide covers the details.

Human-I-T sells its own internet service: unlimited 5G for $14.99 a month after you get a hotspot. You can buy one, or rent an older 4G hotspot for $10 a month. There is one thing to double-check, because Human-I-T’s own pages do not agree with each other:

• Its internet page says a 5G hotspot costs $87.98 — “the hotspot device ($72.99)” plus one month of service ($14.99).
• Its eligibility page says “a one-time hotspot purchase ($80.98).”

That is a $7 difference on the same item. Ask which price applies before you pay.

Computers. Human-I-T says “Most Human-I-T devices are low-cost rather than free.” When we searched the EveryoneOn locator on September 13, 2026, it listed refurbished desktops at $75 and $80 and laptops at $120, $135 and $150 from Human-I-T, PCs for People and Computers 2 Kids. Prices are set by the sellers and can change — confirm at checkout.

What We Found When We Tested the EveryoneOn Locator

EveryoneOn does not sell internet. Its Offer Locator lists plans from internet companies and computer refurbishers that, it says, “meet our minimum service, computer and price standards.” It is a good first search. It is also worth using with open eyes, so we ran it for six ZIP codes in six states on September 13, 2026:

ZIP code	Internet offers shown	Computer offers shown
10001 — New York, NY	2	5
60623 — Chicago, IL	4	5
77002 — Houston, TX	4	5
90011 — Los Angeles, CA	4	5
39201 — Jackson, MS	4	5
59801 — Missoula, MT	1	5

What that tells you:

• The computer list is national, not local. All six ZIP codes returned the same five computer listings at the same prices. That is fine — the sellers ship — but “offers in your area” does not mean a store near you.
• Internet choices vary a lot by address. Our Montana ZIP code got one internet offer. If yours gets few or none, that is a reason to check Lifeline companies and the nonprofit plans directly, not a sign you do not qualify.
• Check the price inside the listing, not just the headline. One internet company’s listing showed “$15/month” as its cost, while the fine print in the same listing said the plan “provides qualifying households with Internet service for $24.99 per month.” We are not naming a price for that plan because we could not open the company’s own page to settle it. Confirm the monthly price with the company before you sign up.
• Coverage labels can differ. The locator labeled Human-I-T’s internet plan “NJ, NY, MD, some CA” and showed it only for our New York and Los Angeles ZIP codes. Human-I-T’s own page describes service “across the United States.” Ask Human-I-T about your address.

How to Apply — In This Order

1. If you are on Medicaid, SNAP, SSI, federal public housing or a VA pension, apply for Lifeline. Apply online at lifelinesupport.org, through a participating phone or internet company, or by mail to Lifeline Support Center, PO Box 1000, Horseheads, NY 14845. In Oregon or Texas, apply through your state’s website instead. Help line: (800) 234-9473. Then pick a company that offers Lifeline.
2. Search the EveryoneOn Offer Locator at everyoneon.org/find-offers. Enter your ZIP code, check every box that applies, and read each listing’s fine print.
3. If Lifeline is not an option, or you also need a computer, check Human-I-T. Its eligibility page has a three-question checker, or call (888) 391-7249. Have one qualifying document ready — and remember, not a pay stub.
4. Before you cancel anything, ask how the new plan fits with the old one. Lifeline allows only one Lifeline service per household. If you already get the Lifeline discount on a phone, find out whether a new plan would affect it.

Apply only through the official sites and phone numbers above. This guide does not link to any service that charges a fee to “sign you up.”

If Internet Is Not the Only Bill

• Your benefits are the key. If you are not yet on SNAP, Medicaid or SSI, getting approved for one of them also opens the door to Lifeline.
• You are 60 or older. BenefitsCheckUp, a free screening tool from the nonprofit National Council on Aging, checks many programs at once.
• You need local help in person. A Community Action Agency can connect you with local programs for other bills, like energy and rent.
• You are not sure where to start. Dial 2-1-1. Our 211 guide explains what that call can and cannot do.

How We Checked This

What we opened and read ourselves, on September 13, 2026. For Lifeline, we read the federal rules themselves through the eCFR, current as of September 10, 2026: who qualifies (47 CFR 54.409), how much the discount is (54.403), and what documents count (54.410). We read USAC’s How to Qualify and How to Apply pages and its ACP page. For the nonprofits, we read Human-I-T’s eligibility and internet pages and EveryoneOn’s locator, low-cost offers and Spanish pages. We confirmed that both are 501(c)(3) nonprofits from the IRS Form 990 each one posts on its own website (EveryoneOn, Human-I-T). The poverty guideline came from the HHS notice in the Federal Register.

We tested the locator instead of describing it. We ran the EveryoneOn Offer Locator for six ZIP codes in six states and recorded every listing it returned. The counts, the identical computer list, and the $15-versus-$24.99 listing in this guide are what the tool itself showed that day. Anyone can repeat the search at the link above; results may change as EveryoneOn updates its listings.

Where the common belief and the rules do not match.

• “If you get any government benefit, you qualify for Lifeline.” No. The federal rule names five programs. WIC, school lunch, LIHEAP, TANF, a Pell Grant and Head Start (outside Tribal lands) are not among them, except under the separate rule for survivors.
• “Any proof of income works everywhere.” No. The Lifeline rule accepts pay stubs covering three consecutive months; Human-I-T’s page says “Pay stubs aren’t accepted.”
• “The ACP ended in June 2024, so you could sign up until then.” Only half right. USAC says the program ended on June 1, 2024, but EveryoneOn notes that enrollment “ceased on February 7, 2024.” Anyone who tried to join in the spring of 2024 was already too late.
• “A nonprofit’s price is the price.” Check it. Human-I-T’s own pages list the same 5G hotspot at $80.98 and at $87.98, and one locator listing shows two different monthly prices.

Something we noticed in the Spanish version. EveryoneOn’s Spanish page is out of date: it still says the group’s mission is to connect a million people “para el año 2020” and describes offers as usually $10–$20 a month. Its English pages are current. If you read Spanish, use the Offer Locator itself rather than that summary page.

What we could not check.

• PCs for People’s website blocked us. Every request to pcsforpeople.org returned an error (HTTP 403). We report only what the EveryoneOn locator listed for PCs for People and do not state its eligibility rules.
• We could not read the FCC’s own Lifeline and ACP pages (fcc.gov also returned HTTP 403). We used the federal regulations and USAC, the FCC’s program administrator, instead.
• We did not verify the internet companies’ plans. Their own pages either blocked us or did not show a price we could read, so we do not print prices for company plans. The one company listing we describe is quoted only to show why you should confirm the price.
• We did not buy a device or sign up for service. We cannot tell you speeds, wait times or delivery times.

Internet offers, prices and coverage change often, and the figures above are 2026 federal amounts and nonprofit prices as posted on September 13, 2026 — not a quote for your address. All sources were read on September 13, 2026.

Last updated: September 13, 2026

This is general information, not legal or financial advice.