The best Internet providers in Mankato, Minnesota

According to CNET, Internet Spectrum ranks as the best general provider in Mankatowith coverage extending to about 90% of the city, according to the FCC. As a cable provider, Spectrum offers download speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second, with plans starting at $50 for 500 megabits per second. However, the upload speeds do not match those of fiber providers like Faithful fiberwhich takes first place for speed in the area.
Fidium Fiber offers the fastest speeds in Mankato, with symmetrical download and upload speeds of up to 2,000 Mbps. Their fiber plans are competitively priced, starting at $25 per month, translating to just four cents per Mbps. Cover around 82% of the cityFidium Fiber may not be available at every address, but provides an excellent option where it is available.

For budget-conscious residents, most providers in Mankato start around $45-$50 per month for at least 100 Mbps. Fidium Fiber’s entry plan is $25 per month for 100 Mbps, although the price increases to $70 after the first year. Spectrum offers a similar deal at $50 for 500 Mbps, which also increases after 12 months. Fixed wireless options, such as Midco, offer cheaper plans starting at $39, but the maximum speed is 100 Mbps.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

How to find Internet deals and promotions in Mankato

The best deals on the Internet and the best promotions in Mankato depend on what discounts are available at a certain time. Most deals are short-lived, but we often keep an eye on the latest deals.

Top internet providers, such as Spectrum and Fidium Fiber, may offer a lower introductory price. Others, however, including T-Mobile and Verizon Home Internet, run the same standard prices year-round. Verizon recently launched a new series of streaming add-ons and bundles for just $10 extra per month, which can sweeten the deal for potential 5G Internet customers.

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

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

What is 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 video conferencing, video streaming or gaming, you’ll have a better experience with a fast connection with reliable download and upload speeds. Here is an overview of the minimum recommended download speed for different applications, according to the FCC. Note that these are just 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 do you really need.

• From 0 to 5 Mbps lets you tackle the basics – surfing the Internet, sending and receiving email, streaming low-quality video.
• 5 to 40 Mbps gives you superior video streaming and video conferencing.
• From 40 to 100 Mbps should give a person enough bandwidth to satisfy the demands of modern telecommuting, video streaming and online gaming.
• 100 to 500 Mbps allows one to two people to simultaneously engage in high-bandwidth activities such as video conferencing, streaming and online gaming.
• 500 to 1,000 Mbps allows three or more people to engage in broadband activities at the same time.

How CNET chose the best Internet providers in Mankato

Internet service providers are numerous and regional. Unlike the latter smartphones, laptop, router o kitchen toolit is not practical to personally test every ISP in a given city. So what is our approach? For starters, we leverage a proprietary pricing, availability, and speed database that draws from our 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 website to check our data and make sure we consider every ISP that provides service in an area. We also gather local addresses on provider websites to find specific options for residents. We look at sources, including the American Customer Satisfaction Index and JD 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 information located, we ask three main questions:

1. Does the provider offer access to a reasonably fast internet speed?
2. Are customers getting decent value for what they are paying for?
3. Are customers happy with their service?

While the answer to these questions is often layered and complex, the providers who are 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, although we also factor in things like price increases, equipment fees and contracts. Choosing the fastest Internet service is relatively simple. We look at advertised upload and download speeds and consider real-world speed data from sources such as Ookla and FCC reports. (Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.)

To explore our process in more depth, visit our how we test the ISP page

Internet Providers in Mankato FAQs