Best ISPs in Missoula, Montana

What is the best ISP in Missoula?

Spectrum is CNET’s top pick for the best ISP in Missoulaoffering a good balance of speed and coverage at reasonable entry prices – though watch out for significant price spikes after the first year. The good news is that there are no contracts, so you can switch providers if better options come along.

Blackfoot Communications offers the fastest internet plans in Missoula — its fiber plans reach up to 1000Mbps download speed and 500Mbps upload speed — but coverage is limited. T-Mobile Home Internet serves as a solid alternative where available, and while its speeds don’t match the Spectrum or Blackfoot, it offers a fixed price and reliable service that makes it a decent choice.

The best internet in Missoula, Montana

Source: CNET analysis of vendor data.

Source: CNET analysis of vendor data.

How to Find Internet Deals and Promotions in Missoula

The best internet deals and top promotions in Missoula depend on what discounts are available at that time. Most deals are short-lived, but we’re often on the lookout for the latest deals.

Missoula ISPs like Spectrum may offer lower introductory rates or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Many of them, including T-Mobile Home Internet and Blackfoot Communications, maintain the same standard rates throughout the year.

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

Source: CNET analysis of vendor 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 include video conferencing, streaming video, or gaming, you’ll have a better experience with a more stable connection. Here’s an overview of recommended minimum download speeds for different apps, according to the Federal Communications Commission. Note that these are guidelines only and that internet speed, service and performance will vary by connection type, provider and address.

For more information, see our guide to how much internet speed do you really need?.

• 0 to 5 Mbps lets you handle the basics: surfing the web, sending and receiving email, and streaming low-quality video.
• 5 to 40 Mbps gives you higher quality video streaming and video conferencing.
• 40 to 100 Mbps should provide a single person with enough bandwidth to meet the demands of modern telecommuting, video streaming and online gaming.
• 100 to 500 Mbps allows one or two people to simultaneously engage in high-bandwidth activities such as video conferencing, streaming, and online gaming.
• 500 to 1000 Mbps allows three or more people to engage in high-bandwidth activities at the same time.

How CNET chose the best ISPs in Missoula

Internet service providers are numerous and regional. Unlike the latest ones smartphone, laptop, router or kitchen toolit is not practical to personally test every ISP in a given city. What is our approach? We start by researching pricing, availability, and speed information, drawing on our own historical data from ISPs, provider sites, and mapping information from the Federal Communications Commission on FCC.gov.

It doesn’t stop there: We go to the FCC website to check our data and make sure we account for every ISP that provides service in an area. We also enter 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 gauge how satisfied customers are with an ISP’s service. ISP plans and prices are subject to frequent change; all information provided is accurate at the time of publication.

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

1. Does the provider offer access to relatively fast internet speeds?
2. Are customers getting decent value for what they pay?
3. Are customers satisfied with their service?

While the answer to these questions is often layered and complex, the vendors that come closest to saying yes to all three are the ones we recommend. When it comes to choosing the cheapest internet service, we look for the plans with the lowest monthly fee, although we also take into account things like price increases, equipment fees and contracts. Choosing the fastest internet service is relatively easy. We look at advertised upload and download speeds and also consider real-world speed data from sources like Ookla and FCC reports. (Disclosure: Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.)

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

ISPs in Missoula Frequently Asked Questions