Best Internet Providers in Rochester, Minnesota

What is the best internet provider in Rochester, Minnesota?

For most households in Rochester, Metro network is the best internet provider. The fiber provider offers fast, symmetrical upload and download speeds at reasonable prices — at least for the first year. After that, prices increase significantly for three to four years in a row. Metronet also has hidden costs that you don’t normally see with internet providers.

Spectrum has the broadest coverage in Rochester. The cable internet plans are available to 92% of Rochester households and are generally a pretty good deal. Spectrum recently increased the speeds on its plans, so you can get 500 Mbps or 1,000 Mbps for a reasonable $50 or $70 per month, respectively. Prices do increase significantly over time at Spectrum, but that doesn’t take effect until the third year on most plans.

If you don’t want to deal with price increases, wireless internet is a good alternative, especially for smaller households that don’t need a lot of bandwidth. T-Mobile Home Internet is our favorite option in the area. It has just one plan for $60 a month, but you can pay as little as $40 if you bundle it with a mobile plan.

Best internet in Rochester, Minnesota

Source: CNET analysis of carrier data.

Source: CNET analysis of carrier data.

How to Find Online Deals and Promotions in Rochester

The best internet deals and top promotions in Rochester depend on what discounts are available at any given time. Most deals are short-lived, but we regularly check for the latest offers.

Rochester internet providers like Metronet, T-Mobile Home Internet, and Verizon 5G Home Internet may offer lower introductory prices or streaming add-ons for a limited time. However, others, including Spectrum, maintain the same standard pricing year-round.

For a more comprehensive overview of all promotions, check out our guide to the best online deals.

Source: CNET analysis of carrier data.

What is a good internet speed?

Most internet plans now can handle basic productivity and communication tasks. If you’re looking for an internet plan that’s suitable for video conferencing, streaming video, or gaming, you’ll have a better experience with a more robust connection. Here’s a look at the recommended minimum download speeds for different applications, according to the Federal Communications CommissionPlease note that these are guidelines only and that Internet speed, service, and performance vary by connection type, provider, and address.

For more information, check out our guide to how much internet speed you really need.

• With 0 to 5 Mbps you can perform basic tasks: surfing the web, sending and receiving email, and streaming low-quality videos.
• 5 to 40 Mbps gives you higher quality video streaming and video conferencing.
• 40 to 100 Mbps should provide enough bandwidth for a single user to meet the demands of modern teleworking, video streaming, and online gaming.
• With 100 to 500 Mbps, one or two users can simultaneously participate in high-bandwidth activities such as video conferencing, streaming, and online gaming.
• With 500 to 1,000 Mbps, three or more users can participate in high-bandwidth activities simultaneously.

How CNET Picked the Best Internet Providers in Rochester

Internet service providers are numerous and regional. Unlike the latest smartphone, laptop, router, or kitchen utensil, it’s impractical to personally test every ISP in a given city. So how do we approach this? We start by examining price, availability, and speed information, drawing on our own historical ISP data, the providers’ websites, and map information from FCC.gov.

But it doesn’t stop there. We use the FCC website to review our data and make sure we account for every ISP that offers service in an area. We also enter local addresses into provider websites to find specific options for residents. We look at sources including the American Customer Satisfaction Index and JD Power to evaluate how satisfied customers are with an ISP’s service. ISP plans and pricing are subject to frequent change; all information provided is accurate at the time of publication.

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

1. Does the provider offer access to reasonably fast internet speeds?
2. Do customers get value for their money?
3. Are customers satisfied with their service?

While the answers to these questions are often layered and complex, the providers that come closest to “yes” to all three questions are the ones we recommend. When selecting the cheapest internet service, we look for the plans with the lowest monthly fees, though we also consider things like price increases, equipment costs, 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 like Ookla And FCC Reports.

If you would like to take a more detailed look at our process, please visit our How We Test ISPs page.

Frequently Asked Questions About Internet Providers in Rochester