Best Internet Providers in Missouri

What is the best internet provider in Missouri?

Depending on your city, your internet options in Missouri might be limited. That said, most residents of the Show-Me State have access to affordable internet and pretty decent speeds. Broadband plans may vary from address to address, but CNET experts have reviewed popular providers to help you find the best plan for your needs. AT&T Fiber is CNET’s top pick for most households in Missouri. AT&T Fiberhas stable, competitive pricing on the best selection of high-speed plans of any major ISP in Missouri. 

But AT&T Fiber isn’t available everywhere. So, Spectrum, Google Fiber, T-Mobile, Kinetic or other ISPs may be your best option for internet in Missouri, depending on what’s available in your area. 

All Missouri residential internet providers

The providers featured above aren’t the only ISPs you may encounter in Missouri. Here’s a closer look at all major internet providers in Missouri and how they compare.

Missouri internet provider honorable mentions

These providers may be available in your area but lack the speed, competitive pricing or statewide availability to be included with the best ISPs in Missouri. Click any of the links below for more details about the provider.

• AT&T Internet
• EarthLink
• Google Fiber
• Mediacom
• Optimum 
• Sparklight 
• Starlink
• Verizon 5G Home Internet
• Viasat
• Xfinity

John Elk/Getty Images

Missouri broadband at a glance

Every household in Missouri has access to broadband speeds -- that’s 25Mbps down and 3Mbps up -- according to the FCC. When you consider wired connections (that is, not satellite or cellular service), only around 82% of Missouri households are serviceable for broadband speeds or higher.

Cable internet -- from providers such as Mediacom, Sparklight, Spectrum, Xfinity and others -- makes up the majority of wired broadband coverage in Missouri. Copper-based, or DSL internet, is available to roughly two-thirds of homes, although only about half can get broadband speeds or higher. 

As for fiber internet, around 38% of Missouri households are wired for service, although the high availability in densely populated areas such as Kansas City, St. Louis and Springfield may skew the statewide average.

Internet breakdown by city in Missouri

It’s hard to cover the broadband options of an entire state and give individual areas the attention they deserve. That’s why we also compile lists of the best internet providers in cities across the US, including those in Missouri. We tackle details such as internet connection types, maximum speeds, cheapest providers and more. Check back later if you don’t find the city you’re looking for below. We’re working to add more locations every week. 

• Best internet providers in Independence
• Best internet providers in Kansas City
• Best internet providers in Springfield
• Best internet providers in St. Louis

Missouri internet pricing details

A few internet providers in Missouri -- such as Kinetic, Mediacom, Optimum and Xfinity -- offer plans with introductory rates below $50. Verizon 5G Home and T-Mobile Home Internet may also be available for under $50 if you qualify for the discount.

Opting for the cheapest plan often means sacrificing speed, but not always. For $40 to $55 per month, you can get download speeds up to around 300Mbps from Optimum, AT&T Fiber and Spectrum, among others. Upgrading to the next speed tier will likely only add $20 or so to your monthly bill, and gig service is available for $67 to $90 depending on the available providers in your area. 

How fast is Missouri broadband?

Recent Ookla speed test data places Missouri 34th among US states, with a median download speed of around 169Mbps. (Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.) Google Fiber recorded the fastest average speeds in the state at around 272Mbps, but the provider is unfortunately only available in Kansas City. 

At 169Mbps, Missouri’s median download speeds fell below the national average of 203Mbps, but that doesn’t necessarily indicate that the internet in Missouri is slow. Spectrum, the leading cable internet provider in Missouri, had the fastest median download speeds of any major provider at 235Mbps. Download speeds of 250Mbps or higher are available to more than 83% of Missouri households, according to the FCC, so if you want faster-than-average speeds, chances are they are available from Spectrum or other high-speed providers in your area.

How CNET chose the best internet providers in Missouri

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

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: 

• Does the provider offer access to reasonably fast internet speeds? 
• Do customers get decent value for what they're paying? 
• 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, although 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.

Recap of Missouri internet providers

When shopping for internet in Missouri, particularly in Kansas City, St. Louis or Springfield, I’d start by checking to see if AT&T Fiber is available. If not, Spectrum -- the provider with the fastest median download speeds nationwide -- would definitely be my next choice. 

As for rural areas in Missouri, Kinetic and T-Mobile Home Internet are top options for broadband speeds and unlimited data. If those providers aren’t available, look to Hughesnet for internet in the absence of wired or 5G connections.

Other providers, including Google Fiber, Mediacom, Optimum, Sparklight and Xfinity, may be available depending on where you live in Missouri. These providers, and really any ISP that offers service at your address, are worth considering. It’s important to explore all of your available internet options when choosing the best ISP and plan for your home.

Internet in Missouri FAQs