To decide which the best ISP is for you, you need to match the ISP and their package to your particular needs.

Knowing what it is you want is the safest way to make sure you end up with an ISP that does everything you need it to at the best possible price.

For example, you wouldn't want to get a pay-as-you-go package if you are on the net all day!

What do you need?

Think about what you want to use the internet for. Do you spend a lot of time online, or just a little? At what times of the day do you access the internet?

What sort of things do you do online - do you only check your e-mail, play online games, or what?

Also, think about your own skills level with the internet and computers - will you need technical support if something goes wrong, or could you fix it yourself?

Everyone's needs are different, so everyone's 'best ISP package' will be different.

However, here's some advice for a few common groups of users.

New users

If you have only just started using the internet, then you'll probably want lots of technical support. Make sure your ISP offers you phone support as well as support online.

It's also a good idea to find out how much that support costs. This can vary from costing nothing to costing up to a pound a minute!

You'll probably want to consider a pay-as-you-go package first. With these, there's no fixed monthly cost - you just pay the cost of the call minute-by-minute.

Beware, these are often marketed as 'free' ISPs. Remember you'll still be paying the cost of the call.

It's important to find out how much this is and whether it changes at different times of the day. Most pay-as-you-go packages will normally be 0845 numbers and charge the cost of a local call.