Best Internet Providers in Mankato, Minnesota

What’s the best internet provider in Mankato?

Mankato is known for its myriad trails, waterfalls and parks, but not necessarily for its internet. Residents may be surprised to find that this midwestern city has a slew of internet providers offering multi-gig speeds, cheap starting rates and reliable connections. 

The best internet service provider in Mankato is Spectrum Internet, though Fidium Fiber comes in at a close second. Spectrum covers a greater percentage of the city, up to 90%, according to the Federal Communications Commission. As a cable provider, Spectrum won’t offer the same upload speeds as its competitor, Fidium Fiber, but you can get up to 1Gbps from Spectrum and a competitive starting price of $50 for 500Mbps. 

The fastest internet provider in Mankato is Fidium Fiber, with speeds topping out at 2,000Mbps symmetrical download and upload speeds.There’s a lot to like about Fidium Fiber, specifically its affordable prices (its top tier starts at $85 a month for an average of four cents per Mbps) for quick fiber internet. Fidium Fiber extends through 82% of the city, according to the FCC, so there’s a slight chance you won’t be eligible for its fiber optic plans. If your address is serviceable, we can’t recommend a faster internet connection. 

If you’re looking for a cheap internet option for your household, most internet providers in the city start at around $45-$50 a month for plans with at least 100Mbps down. Fidium Fiber offers the lowest starting rate at $45 monthly for 300Mbps but that price jumps up to $65 monthly after one year of service. Similarly, Spectrum offers $50 for 500Mbps in the first year, but that price increases by $30 after one year. You can get cheap fixed wireless internet from local provider Midco, starting at just $30, but those speeds won’t exceed 25Mbps, which technically isn’t a broadband connection.

You may be able to lower your monthly price by participating in programs offered by internet providers, like Spectrum’s Internet Assist which costs $25 monthly for 50Mbps or Verizon Forward which offers up to $20 off for home internet customers. PCs for People, another local fixed wireless provider, offers an internet connection for just $15 a month for an internet connection between 12 and 40Mbps for qualifying households. If all else fails, you may still be able to negotiate for a lower monthly price or bundle your internet with an eligible phone plan, as is the case for customers of T-Mobile Home Internet and Verizon 5G Home Internet.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

How to find internet deals and promotions in Mankato

The best internet deals and top promotions in Mankato depend on what discounts are available during a given time. Most deals are short-lived, but we look frequently for the latest offers. 

Superior internet providers, like Spectrum and Fidium Fiber, may offer lower introductory pricing. Others, however, including T-Mobile and Verizon Home Internet, run the same standard pricing year-round. Verizon recently rolled out a new slew of streaming add-ons and bundles for just $10 extra monthly, which may sweeten the deal for potential 5G internet customers.

For a more extensive list of promos, check out our guide to the best internet deals.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

What’s a good internet speed?

Most internet connection plans can now handle basic productivity and communication tasks. If you’re looking for an internet plan that can accommodate videoconferencing, streaming video or gaming, you’ll have a better experience with a quick connection with dependable download and upload speeds. Here’s an overview of the recommended minimum download speeds for various applications, according to the FCC. Note that these are only guidelines: internet speed, service and performance vary by connection type, provider and address.

For more information, refer to our guide on how much internet speed you really need.

• 0 to 5Mbps allows you to tackle the basics — browsing the internet, sending and receiving email, streaming low-quality video.
• 5 to 40Mbps gives you higher-quality video streaming and videoconferencing.
• 40 to 100Mbps should give one person sufficient bandwidth to satisfy the demands of modern telecommuting, video streaming and online gaming. 
• 100 to 500Mbps allows one to two people to simultaneously engage in high-bandwidth activities like videoconferencing, streaming and online gaming. 
• 500 to 1,000Mbps allows three or more people to engage in high-bandwidth activities at the same time.

How CNET chose the best internet providers in Mankato

Internet service providers are numerous and regional. Unlike the latest smartphone, laptop, router or kitchen tool, it’s impractical to personally test every ISP in a given city. So what’s our approach? For starters, we tap into a proprietary pricing, availability and speed database that draws from our own historical ISP data, partner data and mapping information from the Federal Communications Commission at FCC.gov. 

But it doesn’t end there. We go to the FCC’s website to check our data and ensure we consider every ISP that provides service in an area. We also input local addresses on provider websites to find specific options for residents. We look at sources, including the American Customer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Power, to evaluate how happy customers are with an ISP’s service. ISP plans and prices are subject to frequent changes; all information provided is accurate as of publication.

Once we have this localized information, we ask three main questions:

1. Does the provider offer access to reasonably fast internet speeds?
2. Do customers get decent value for what they’re paying?
3. Are customers happy with their service?

While the answer to those questions is often layered and complex, the providers who come closest to “yes” on all three are the ones we recommend. When selecting the cheapest internet service, we look for the plans with the lowest monthly fee, though we also factor in things like price increases, equipment fees and contracts. Choosing the fastest internet service is relatively straightforward. We look at advertised upload and download speeds and consider real-world speed data from sources like Ookla and FCC reports.

To explore our process in more depth, visit our how we test ISPs page.

Internet providers in Mankato FAQs

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