Best Internet Providers in Minneapolis, Minnesota for 2026
Compare the Best Internet Service Providers in Minneapolis, MN
Not all plans are available in all areas. Provider plan, availability, and speed tier data provided by BroadbandNow.com. Speedtest real-world data is only present where sample size has reached significance within a region. Additionally, averages may include aggregated tests across multiple Internet Types (Fiber, DSL, Cable, etc.).
Minneapolis is a full-on ecosystem. You’ll find artists painting murals in Northeast, tech workers hammering through code in Uptown, students streaming lectures from Dinkytown apartments, and families tackling remote school and remote work all under one roof. It’s vibrant, fast-moving, smart, and plugged in. And when winter hits and everyone collectively avoids leaving the house? Reliable internet becomes the unofficial lifeline of the Twin Cities.
In a place where creativity and productivity collide daily, internet service has to be strong enough to keep up. Thankfully, Minneapolis has one of the most competitive broadband markets in the Midwest, with a mix of fiber, cable, and wireless home internet options available across most neighborhoods. The key isn’t whether you can get fast internet—it’s choosing the one that won’t glitch in the middle of a deadline or die during your latest binge-watch.
How much speed do you really need? If you’re living by yourself in a North Loop loft, binging shows, scrolling social media, and maybe streaming a little music, 25 Mbps download and 10 Mbps upload will technically work. But you have to keep in mind that those numbers are more of the bare minimum when it comes to how much bandwidth the typical household needs.
A “basic” internet package might not cut it if you’ve got smart home devices, gamers, people working from home, or hosting webinars. That’s a 200–300 Mbps home at minimum.
If you upload content, run a home business, livestream, or manage big creative files, you’ll feel the difference with fiber at 1 Gbps or higher. Upload speed matters a lot more in Minneapolis, especially with so many tech professionals, musicians, creators, and remote workers in town.
And latency—the thing that keeps your video calls from turning into glitchy freeze frames—should ideally sit under 20 ms for smooth gaming or clear meetings.
So yes, the right plan depends on how “online” you are…which for Minneapolis, is usually very.
What’s Coming Down the Pipeline?
Minneapolis continues to push for broad, equitable, high-speed internet access. Between city initiatives and statewide programs, the digital future is looking bright:
- Midco Fiber Expansion (West Metro Minneapolis): In May 2025, Midco announced a major fiber network expansion into West Metro communities including Long Lake, Maple Plain, Medina, Mound, Orono, and Shorewood, with construction resuming in Independence and Minnetrista.
- Minnesota BEAD Program—$652M for Broadband Expansion: Minnesota’s BEAD allocation targets 88,700 unserved locations, with Minneapolis included in mapping and planning phases.
- HF 2279—Office of Broadband Development and Digital Equity: A 2025 bill renaming and expanding the Office of Broadband Development to include digital equity, with new duties like coordinating multifamily dwelling broadband grants, supporting public-private partnerships, and prioritizing urban affordability and adoption.
These efforts reinforce why Minneapolis remains one of the best-connected metros in the Midwest—and why more residents than ever are ditching old plans for faster, more modern options.
How to Choose the Right Internet Plan in Minneapolis
Your best plan in Minneapolis depends completely on how you live online. Before signing anything, always check for:
- Promo pricing that spikes after 12 months
- Equipment rental fees
- Data caps
- Installation charges
Because Minneapolis coverage varies from one block to the next, always check your exact address on each provider’s website. Two blocks can make a huge difference here.

How Much Speed Do I Need?
Download speeds of at least 100 Mbps and upload speeds of at least 10 Mbps are widely considered fast enough to handle nearly any online activity. A quick guide to what speeds you need for different online activities is below, and you can read our full guide to internet speeds and performance for more information. Keep in mind that the numbers below are the bare minimum for one device at a time. If you’re trying to use multiple devices on a network at the same time, you’ll want higher speeds.
0–5 Mbps (Slow)
- Stream SD video
- Connect on Slack
- Use Microsoft Teams
- Write and read email
- Scroll social media
- General web browsing
5–20 Mbps (Better)
- Stream HD video at 1080p
20–40 Mbps (Solid)
- Stream 4K video
- Play games online
40–100 Mbps (Good)
- Stream HD games
100+ Mbps (Fast)
- Engage in multi-player gaming
- Download huge files
1+ Gbps (Very fast)
- Do anything you want on multiple devices
ISP Speeds in Minneapolis, MN
Minneapolis has one of the best broadband landscapes in the region. According to Speedtest Intelligence®, as of January 2026, the city shows median fixed broadband downloads of 231.50 Mbps, uploads around 65.34 Mbps, and latency near 10 ms.
Based on Speedtest data collected in the second half of 2025, here’s how the major providers compare:
- USI Fiber (US Internet): A beloved local favorite known for exceptional performance. USI delivers median download speeds of 300.57 Mbps, upload speeds of 253.33 Mbps, and a latency of just 6 ms—the lowest in the city. For people who want pure speed and local customer support, this is a powerhouse. The only downside is that coverage is limited to about 9% of Minneapolis. If you’re fortunate enough to be in one of their coverage zones, USI covers all bases. Plans range from $65–$195/month.
- Xfinity: The most widely available provider, covering roughly 99% of homes. Expect median downloads of 266.69 Mbps, uploads of 41.85 Mbps, and 27 ms latency. Solid for everyday users, streamers, and gamers, with uploads that handle most household needs. Plans range from $40–$70/month.
- CenturyLink Fiber: A top performer in the city with 44% coverage, delivering median downloads of 251.08 Mbps, uploads of 205.37 Mbps, and latency of just 10 ms. Symmetrical speeds make it perfect for work-from-home, file sharing, and real-time collaboration. Plans range from $50–$75/month.
- Quantum Fiber: A fiber provider with 44% geographic reach, offering plans from $50–$165/month. Real-world Speedtest data is not yet available for this provider.
- Spectrum: A cable and fiber provider with 7% coverage and plans from $30–$90/month. Real-world Speedtest data is not yet available.
- Metronet: A fiber provider with 2% coverage and plans from $29.95–$129.95/month. Real-world Speedtest data is not yet available.
Fiber availability in Minneapolis is expanding fast, especially in areas like Uptown, Northeast, Powderhorn, and around the University of Minnesota. If your street is fiber-ready, it’s almost always worth choosing over cable.
Minneapolis Fixed Speeds
Download Mbps
Median download speed
Upload Mbps
Median upload speed
Latency ms
Median latency
To be added to this list for mobile or fixed broadband, 75% of a city's monthly unique user totals over a 13-month period must have a minimum of 200 monthly unique user results. To be updated for mobile or fixed broadband, 75% of a city's monthly unique user totals over a 13-month period must have a minimum of 100 monthly unique user results.
An operator or ISP must account for 3% or more of total test samples in the market to be on this list. We display data if at least two operators or ISPs meet this threshold in a designated region or city.
Internet Providers in Nearby Cities
Minnesota
Home Internet in Minneapolis
Between tech jobs, remote work, digital creatives, musicians uploading mixes, and families managing a dozen connected devices, home internet is basically infrastructure in Minneapolis. And given the number of cold months where everyone hibernates indoors, it needs to be reliable.
Xfinity’s cable service is widespread and dependable for day-to-day needs, like streaming, video calls, gaming, schoolwork, and more. The speeds are solid, and the coverage reaches nearly every neighborhood. Uploads are more modest than fiber but handle most typical household activities well.
Fiber, on the other hand, shines here. In neighborhoods where CenturyLink Fiber or USI Fiber is available, residents get low latency, fast downloads, and those crucial symmetrical uploads. That’s huge for remote work, creative professionals, gamers, small business owners, and anyone who hates buffering.
So, what could that look like in real life? A household in Northeast where one person’s editing a high-res video, a roommate’s livestreaming, another’s working through spreadsheets in the cloud, and there’s at least one gaming console running. On cable, the upload strain gets real. On fiber, everyone coexists in peace.
At the time of this writing, entry-level plans across Minneapolis start around $30–$40/month for basic cable, while gigabit fiber typically runs $50–$195/month depending on the provider. Expect promo prices to bump up after a year, and plan for an extra $10–$15/month if you’re renting equipment.
What About Wireless and Satellite Options?
If you want to skip installation appointments altogether, 5G home internet covers much of the city. T-Mobile 5G Home Internet covers 57% of Minneapolis with plans around $50–$70/month, while Verizon 5G Home Internet covers 26% at $35–$75/month. AT&T Internet Air also covers 37% of the city, starting from $65/month. Speeds typically land between 200–400 Mbps downloads, with simple setup and no contracts. Perfect for apartment renters or people who move every year (hello, students). Real-world Speedtest data isn’t available for these wireless providers yet.
Satellite isn’t typically needed within Minneapolis proper, but it’s available. Based on Speedtest data, Starlink delivers median downloads of 144.99 Mbps, uploads of 22.81 Mbps, and latency around 35 ms—solid performance for satellite technology. Viasat and HughesNet also offer 100% coverage, with plans ranging from $39.99–$119.99/month, though real-world Speedtest data isn’t available for these providers. Satellite is mainly useful for those living on the very outskirts of the metro or in rural areas surrounding the city.
For budget-conscious residents, PCs for People offers fixed wireless service covering 3% of the city with plans starting from just $15/month—a great option for qualifying households.
How we test the speed of ISPs
Speedtest is the definitive way to test the performance and quality of an internet connection. Millions of users like you use Speedtest.net and our Android and iOS apps every day to test internet performance (including bandwidth, latency, coverage, video metrics, and more) in real world situations. We then use rigorous scientific approaches to aggregate and anonymize those results to empower people like you with content like this so you can understand and optimize your internet experience.

The data found within has not been subjected to the rigorous Speedtest marketing claims and data methodology, and therefore cannot be used in commercial applications. Additionally, promised speeds and plans offered are always subject to change.
How to test your internet speed
Speedtest can help you test the speed and overall performance of your internet for free from any device. Click here to open a new page and take a Speedtest. You can then compare your results with what you’ve learned about internet performance near you. If you aren’t getting the results you expect, you can either use this guide to use your Speedtest results to talk to your internet provider or you can shop for a new provider.













