Best Internet Providers in Minneapolis

Xfinity - Best overall internet provider in Minneapolis

• Prices from $20 - $300 per month
• Speeds from 75 - 6,000Mbps
• Data caps on some plans

Check with Xfinity Internet

Or call to order: (855) 442-2870

CenturyLink/Quantum Fiber - Best fiber internet provider in Minneapolis

• Prices from $30 - $70 per month
• Speeds from 200 - 940Mbps
• Unlimited data

Check with CenturyLink

Or call to order: (855) 414-8635

USI - Best internet provider in Minneapolis (if it's available to you)

• Prices from $60 - $299 per month
• Speeds from 500 - 10,000Mbps
• Unlimited data

Check with USI Internet

Or call to order: (844) 266-6654

NEW! CNET Shopping Extension

Get the lowest price on everything

Add CNET Shopping

The weather is not the only chilly thing in Minneapolis. While residents of Mill City embrace its cold winters, with temperatures occasionally dipping into the negatives, they'd likely give the cold shoulder to the city placing 90th on Ookla's ranking for internet speeds among the 100 most populated cities in the US. That isn't to say that Minneapolis doesn't have choices for high-speed internet -- the options are just limited, mostly to Comcast's Xfinity and CenturyLink (aka Quantum Fiber).

Along with Xfinity and CenturyLink, many Minneapolis residents can access T-Mobile's 5G offering and satellite internet providers Viasat and HughesNet. A smaller portion of people in the city has access to Mediacom's internet offering, along with USI, the latter of which is beloved by its customers and is ranked by Ookla as the fastest provider in the area with median download speeds of just over 230Mbps.

Best internet providers in the City of Lakes

Your choice of internet provider will mainly come down to where you live, but it's important to consider the options, if you have any. So let's compare the internet service providers available to Minneapolis residents regarding pricing, speeds, connection types and service terms.

Xfinity

Best overall internet provider in Minneapolis

Check availability

Or call to order: (855) 442-2870

Product details

Price range $20 - $300 per month Speed range 75 - 6,000Mbps Connection Cable Highlights Data caps on some plans, lots of plan options, solid customer satisfaction numbers

Available in almost the entire city, Xfinity's cable internet offers the most diverse array of options in terms of speed and cost. Prices start at $25 per month for the 200Mbps Connect More plan and go up to $70 per month for the fastest speed of 1,200Mbps (those prices exclude taxes and fees and are priced for the first 24 months). A $20 monthly 75Mbps plan is also available to those who sign a one-year contract. 

Xfinity's more affordable plans, at $20, $25 or $40 a month -- the latter two include Wi-Fi equipment -- are capped at 1.2TB of data per month. The pricier options allow for unlimited data as well. Xfinity may not provide the best value in Minneapolis, as USI's $70 1-gig plan is the one to beat, but it's the most prevalent service in the city with the most plan choices.

Read our Xfinity home internet review.

Check Xfinity Internet availability

Or call to order: (855) 442-2870

CenturyLink/Quantum Fiber

Best fiber internet provider in Minneapolis

Check availability

Or call to order: (855) 414-8635

Product details

Price range $30 - $70 per month Speed range 200 - 940Mbps Connection Fiber Highlights Unlimited data, no contracts, equipment included with gigabit tier

Minneapolis residents are among the fifth of CenturyLink's customer base to have access to its fiber internet. It's a good option if it's available to you -- there's no explicit coverage area map for Minneapolis, but about 87% of city addresses can access the service. CenturyLink (known as Quantum Fiber in some locations) offers two options: 200Mbps for $30 a month with a monthly $15 modem lease (or bring your own) and 940Mbps for $70 a month with a free modem (tax and fees not included). Both plans offer unlimited data. 

Where CenturyLink beats out Xfinity is on price. Comcast may raise your rates after 24 months, but with CenturyLink, you'll likely still pay the same monthly rate over time. (One more thing to note: The company was found charging more to those in redlined areas of Minneapolis, as reported by The Markup.)

Read our CenturyLink home internet review.

Check CenturyLink availability

Or call to order: (855) 414-8635

USI

Best internet provider in Minneapolis (if it's available to you)

Check availability

Or call to order: (844) 266-6654

Product details

Price range $60 - $299 per month Speed range 500 - 10,000Mbps Connection Fiber Highlights Unlimited data, no contracts, no set-up fees

USI, a regional fiber internet provider in Minneapolis, is beloved by those in its coverage map (mostly those who live around Bde Maka Ska and Lake Harriet and the areas east and northeast of the lakes to the Mississippi River). As one Redditor said, "USI is still the best option by a mile. If it's available in your area, snap it up." 

USI plans do not require contracts or fees, and all plans feature unlimited data. It has three tiers: 500Mbps for $60 a month, 1 gig for $70 and a rocket-fueled 10 gigs for $299. USI recommends customers use their own routers but also allows you to lease one for an additional $10 monthly.

Check USI Internet availability

Or call to order: (844) 266-6654

All available Minneapolis residential internet providers

Although Minneapolis residents ostensibly have a handful of options for internet providers, the choice will mostly come down to Xfinity or CenturyLink. Along with these options are regional favorite USI and satellite internet providers HughesNet and Viasat.

• HughesNet: This satellite internet service is only available at speeds of 25Mbps, and it's fairly pricey, with the cheapest option available for $65 with a two-year contract and equipment fees.
  
• Mediacom: The cable company's Xtream internet offering is only available to a fifth of Minneapolis residents. Prices start at $30 and go up to $90, with speeds ranging from 100Mbps to 1Gbps.
  
• T-Mobile Home Internet: Some Minneapolis residents may have access to T-Mobile's home broadband option. It's available for $50 (with autopay) and offers speeds up to 182Mbps.
  
• Viasat: The satellite internet company's monthly prices start at $70 and go up to $300, with speeds ranging from 25 to 100Mbps based on the plan.
  

Minneapolis internet details at a glance

Minneapolis doesn't have many options when it comes to internet providers, with only two major players, Xfinity and CenturyLink, available to most people. Some City of Lakes residents have access to smaller ISPs and satellite internet providers.

Pricing details on Minneapolis home internet service

Minneapolis residents should expect to pay $47 on average for baseline internet service, although cheaper options are available through CenturyLink, Comcast and Mediacom. 

Cheap internet options in the Minneapolis metro area

If you're looking for the cheapest internet service in Minneapolis, look no further than Xfinity's $20 Connect (75Mbps) plan. Note, however, that this cheaper plan requires a one-year contract. For just $5 more (for the first two years), Xfinity offers a 200Mbps plan without a contract. CenturyLink also offers a $30 plan for the same speed but charges $15 a month to lease Wi-Fi equipment (unless you bring your own).

Here are the internet speeds you can find in Minneapolis

Apologies to Prince, but perhaps the slower median internet speeds in his home city are why doves cry. Ookla estimates Minneapolis' median download speed to be approximately 157Mbps, with median upload speeds of just over 35Mbps. That's slightly behind Fort Wayne, Indiana's median download speed of about 159Mbps and ahead of Boise, Idaho's 156Mbps. Minneapolis' Twin City, Saint Paul, ranked only slightly behind the former at 92nd on the Ookla list, with median download speeds of 156Mbps but with uploads trailing behind at about 18Mbps. 

With that said, speeds approaching 1Gbps are available for those willing to pay more per month, and those willing to shell out hundreds have access to an almost-unimaginable high-speed plan from USI.

Fastest internet providers in the City of Lakes

If you're looking for blazingly fast internet in Minneapolis, USI offers a 10-gig plan for $299 that it describes as "so insanely fast we don't even know how to explain it." (You'll have to be in USI's coverage area to access this service.) For most City of Lakes residents looking for speed, CenturyLink and Xfinity offer plans that top out at 940Mbps and 1,200Mbps, respectively.

What's the final word on internet providers in Minneapolis?

Minneapolis doesn't rank high in terms of the median internet speeds on Ookla's most populous cities list, but options exist based on where you live in the City of Lakes. If you live within USI's coverage area, it comes highly recommended by its customers. For everyone else, it'll mostly boil down to a choice between Xfinity and CenturyLink.