In the aftermath of the Dot Com crash, most national free Internet access providers went bust. However, there are still many free local ISPs around in the U.S. and Canada. This site offers a searchable database of free ISPs, complete with reviews and ratings. Besides free services, the site also takes a look at discount ISPs.
Are you looking for a free (or a low-cost) Internet service provider? A useful resource, Freedomlist reviews nearly 700 free and low-cost ISPs from 50 countries. Each listing includes a description of the service, as well as users' comments. The site also includes a forum about various ISP issues.
Here, you can sign up for free unlimited dial-up Internet access service. No credit card or personal information is required. Service is available for Windows and Mac computers. (U.S. only).
This directory is a good place to go if you're looking for a free or inexpensive Internet access provider. The site offers a searchable database of almost 400 ISPs from 50 countries.
This site offers free, ad-supported 56K dial-up Internet access service for Windows users. (Canada only).
This service offers anonymous, speedy and reliable free dial-up Internet access for U.K. residents. It's suitable for people who surf the Web occasionally (or who travel frequently on business). You simply connect to the Internet from any U.K. landline via an 0845 number.(U.K. only).
This service offers free unlimited Internet access for people in Britain. Free-Dial features non-contended dial-up service and supports both Windows and Mac operating systems. (U.K. only).
Here's a free ISP for our British visitors. Aardvaak offers speedy 0845 (local rate) dial-up Internet access, with free POP3 E-mail and 25 megs of Web space. The service supports 56K and 64/128K ISDN. What's more, Aardvaak doesn't pester you with banners or popup ads. (U.K. only). Works with both Windows and Macs.
This site offers free dial-up 56K Internet access service for people in western Washington state, as well as parts of New England.
NetZero offers you up to 10 hours per month of free Net access in exchange for displaying ad space in your browser. They support 56K FLEX and V90 modem standards. They provide local access numbers to most major and many medium-sized cities in the U.S. Note: to sign up for service here, scroll down the page and look for the "Free Internet Access" link. U.S. only. (For Windows).
- Our visitors report a number of problems these days with NetZero, including difficulties in connecting; frequent sudden disconnects; lots of E-mail advertisements; and annoying pop-up ads.
One of the two major players still offering free Net access in the U.S. (along with NetZero), Juno offers service at connection speeds up to 56K. The service is advertisement-supported.
- We've had a few complaints from our visitors about Juno's difficult-to-close, obtrusive ad windows.
- In recent months, it's become increasingly difficult to connect to Juno's free service during normal business hours. If you need a steady day-time Net connection, you'll have to look elsewhere for a free ISP.
This handy directory serves up an up-to-date roundup of WiFi hotspot locations that offer free wireless Internet access. Most of the listings here are in the U.S., but there are also listings for locations in Canada, Europe, Asia and elsewhere.
Classic games never die, they just migrate to this fun site, which rates and reviews various blasts from the past. DosGames.com features excellent, well-researched reviews for games in many categories. Although some of the games here are shareware, many are either freeware or public domain titles.
This site offers an addictive, free 3D version of Mahjong solitaire, a popular game of tactics and strategy. Here, you can choose from six tile sets and a variety of different layouts. The site also offers other mahjong resources, including a rules e-book.
Looking for free games? At this site, you'll find a roundup of freeware and public domain games. Each listing features screenshots and reviews and game categories include action, adventure, arcade, puzzles, RPG, sports, strategy, and more.
The classic strategy game, Railroad Tycoon, is now available as a free download. This download includes DOSBox (a DOS emulator that lets this 1990 game run on modern computers). Note: to access the game, click on the "Download" section and look for the "Railroad Tycoon" link. (For Windows).
Here's a good freeware games directory that lists and rates games in a variety of categories, including action, adventure, role playing, simulation, sports and strategy.
Here is a fun virtual pet game, in which you maintain, feed, and take care of your pet. CyPet features two games that you can play with your pet, as well as support for multiple types of pets. (For Windows).
Scroll down the page to access "Free Solitaire," a free collection of 10 solitaire games that features large, realistic card graphics. If you're tired of squinting at the tiny cards in other solitaire games, then this game is for you. You can even use any image you'd like as a card back. Games included are Forty Thieves, Free Cell, Indian Patience, Double Klondike, Montana, Pyramid, Sea Towers, Spider, and more. (For Windows).
This easy-to-navigate site offers a treasure trove of freeware games. It includes reviews, descriptions and screen shots of each game. Categories include action, adventure, card games, kids' games, puzzles, sports, strategy and word games.
The original version of this classic "urban crime game" is now available as a free download from its developer, Rockstar Games. This version of the game has been optimized "for play on the latest and greatest computers." (For Windows).
Here's a nifty freeware version of the classic Tetris game that features the sounds and sights of winter. If you like the lovely background winter scenes, be sure to also grab the related Animated Winter Scene free screen saver here. (For Windows).
At this site, you'll find a fun collection of free games that you can play in your browser. Game categories here include action, adventure, arcade, puzzles, sports, multiplayer, and more.
This site offers a good roundup of free educational games and software for toddlers and small children. The site features both online and downloadable games.
This site offers a nice collection of fun freebies for kids. Here, you'll find free online games for children, as well as a selection of classic children's stories in MP3 format that you can either download or listen to online.
Complete the form to join PlayStation Underground, (a resource for video game players) and you may then request free offers, such as playable demos and other gaming goodies. (U.S. only).
Scroll down the page to the "Roxie's ABC Fish" link to access a copy of this fun 3D animated game, which teaches children letters and numbers. This game was formerly a commercial product; the full version is now available for free. (For Windows).
At this site, you'll find a fun collection of free games that you can play in your browser. Game categories here include action, adventure, arcade, puzzles, sports, multiplayer, and more.
This site offers a good roundup of free educational games and software for toddlers and small children. The site features both online and downloadable games.
This site offers a nice collection of fun freebies for kids. Here, you'll find free online games for children, as well as a selection of classic children's stories in MP3 format that you can either download or listen to online.
Complete the form to join PlayStation Underground, (a resource for video game players) and you may then request free offers, such as playable demos and other gaming goodies. (U.S. only).
Scroll down the page to the "Roxie's ABC Fish" link to access a copy of this fun 3D animated game, which teaches children letters and numbers. This game was formerly a commercial product; the full version is now available for free. (For Windows).
How'd you like a really cool custom logo? That's what this innovative free service offers. Designs here include animated flames, Alien Glow, beveled pattern, chalk, chrome, comic, metal, drop shadow, frosty, glowing, neon, particle trace and many more. You may select from their pre-made images or generate your own custom logo. (FlamingText.com is MSN TV/WebTV-friendly).
Claire Schaeffer's site is a well-organized, searchable database of free graphics links. Graphics include buttons, bullets, control panels, bars, sets, backgrounds, animations, and more. All sites are rated and reviewed.
This is a free, versatile online graphics editing program that lets you enhance your images and photos with many types of professional-looking effects. Photo effects here include cartoonization, dithering, drawing, geometric, mosaic, pastel, pencil, and more. Many nifty-looking text effects are also available.
This site offers loads of free, original background images and desktop wallpaper. Images here are suitable for backgrounds for Web pages, MSN and blogs. You can also output them on your printer for scrapbooking and personal projects.
This free service lets you easily create eye-catching custom animated images, including banners and icons. These graphics are compatible with Web sites, blogs and social networking sites. Styles include graffiti, bling, punk, celebrities, friendship, and more.
This site offers a nice selection of free desktop wallpaper images that you can download in a variety of resolutions. Categories here include 3D images, abstract images, actors, actresses, cartoons, cinema, fantasy, holidays, nature, supermodels, and more.
Are you looking for free high-quality desktop wallpapers? This site offers a good selection of wallpapers in many categories. Topics include 3D and abstract images, animals, cartoons, fantasy, holidays, movies, nature, sci-fi, sports, vehicles, and more.
This free service lets you create a customized signature image that you can use in online posts, E-mails, blogs, and other digital content. The service is easy to use; just follow the simple instructions.
A free online image manipulation service that lets you add your own text message to any image. It's handy if you'd like to personalize your images--and can also discourage people from stealing your graphics.
This site offers an eye-catching collection of free images, suitable for use as Windows desktop wallpaper. The original art on this site was created by digital artist Ed Zenisek. Each image here is available in three different resolutions.
A nice resource for free Web clipart, this site offers thousands of graphics, including backgrounds, bar lines, bullets, buttons, page dividers, and more.
This site offers hundreds of free 3D animated clipart images. Categories include body parts, books, cartoons, E-mail signs, food, holidays, music, smiley faces, sports and more.
Here's a directory of sites that offer free graphics, including animations, templates and clipart, as well as Webmaster resources.
This site offers a fun collection of free animated GIF images, suitable for use on Web sites and chat forums. Here, you'll also find MAME ROMS and videos.
This major free graphics resource site serves up over 3,000 images, including a nice assortment of icons. A local search engine makes it easier to find what you need. Graphics are also offered in ZIP format, for faster downloads. There's also a section on "How to Download" for newbies.
This site offers a nice selection of colorful free images from Europe, suitable for use as desktop wallpaper. Here, you'll find images of animals, architecture, nature, and more. The images are available in a variety of resolutions and vertical displays are supported, as well.
This well-organized site offers a large collection of free Windows desktop wallpaper. Unlike most sites of this kind, WittsWallpapers.com doesn't pester you with banner ads or popup windows. Besides wallpapers, you'll find Windows startup and shutdown screens, themes, cursors, icons and more.
The top resource of its kind, Free-Backgrounds.com offers loads of free, original background images for your Web site. No matter what type of look you're trying to achieve with your page, you'll find just the background you need at this new site. Backgrounds here are available in all colors and in hundreds of designs, suitable for both personal and business sites.
Interested in getting a custom logo? While the logos at this site aren't free, this is one of the few services of its kind that offers free, no-obligation logo design mockups. Just fill out the contract form here and you will receive three to five concepts for a logo.
Do you use 3ds max (the popular graphics/animation program)? This site offers a nice selection of free goodies for 3ds max users, including tutorials that teach you how to model hundreds of different objects. You'll also find free textures, plugins, animations, models, meshes, and more.
Here's a free online service that lets you easily create cool, custom graphics. Just type in the text you want and specify the options, (which range from font texture to depth of text) and within minutes, you'll be able to view your graphic. A new feature here offers an online image editor, which allows you to crop and resize your graphics, as well as add special effects.
Here's a nifty archive of free animations for your Web site. Graphics here are helpfully categorized. Topics include aliens, animals, books, flags, hearts, money, numbers, signs, sports, zodiacs and more.
Here's a graphics site with a twist: it features ASCII art only. Now, I hear you saying, "But ASCII art is boring!" Well, obviously you haven't viewed the masterpieces that Joan Stark has turned out. There's some pretty amazing stuff here, available for personal use. Categories include: cartoon characters, animals, seasonal items, animations (!) and more.
An impressive resource, this site serves up hundreds of free desktop themes. Categories here include anime, art, fantasy, games, horror & occult, holidays, movies and music. New themes are added each day.
This well-designed site ranks the Web's top free graphics resources by the number of votes they've received from their visitors. Each site is reviewed and the index is updated throughout the day.
This fun-to-browse site is one of the Web's leading resources for freeware desktop skins (which allow you to customize the look and feel of many popular software programs). Here, you'll find hundreds of custom skins for ICQ, MSN Messenger, Winamp and many other programs. New skins are added here daily.
Here's an index of Webmaster-related sites, ranked by the number of votes they're received from visitors. Site categories here include graphics, JavaScript, CGI, CCS and HTML.
(Note: this site is temporarily unavailable). This is a good place to go if you're looking for free wallpaper images. Here, you'll find over 13,000 high-resolution images, suitable for use as desktop wallpaper. There are over 300 categories, including animals, celebrities, digital art, fantasy, movies, supermodels, and more. You can also upload your own images here.
(Note: this site is temporarily unavailable). Are you a graphics designer or 3D artist? This site offers hundreds of free, high-resolution textures. The site has a handy search engine and is regularly updated with new content.
Here, you'll find an eye-catching collection of free background images, suitable for MySpace, blogs, and Web sites. Background categories include animated images, floral, holidays, nature, patterns, textures, and more.
