The best ISPs in Missouri

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

All ISPs for Missouri residents

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

Missouri ISP Honorable Mentions

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

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 factor in cable connections (ie, not satellite or cellular services), only about 82% of Missouri households are eligible for broadband speeds or higher.

Cable Internet — from providers like Mediacom, Sparklight, Spectrum, Xfinity and others — makes up the majority of cable 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.

When it comes to fiber internet, about 38% of Missouri households are wired for service, although high availability in densely populated areas like Kansas City, St. Louis and Springfield can skew the state average.

Internet breakdown by city in Missouri

It’s difficult to cover the broadband capabilities of an entire state and give individual areas the attention they deserve. That’s why we also compile lists of the best ISPs in US cities, including those in Missouri. We deal with details like 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 are working to add more locations every week.

Missouri internet pricing details

Several ISPs in Missouri — such as Kinetic, Mediacom, Optimum and Xfinity — offer plans with introductory prices under $50. Verizon 5G Home and T-Mobile Home Internet can also be had for under $50 if you qualify for the discount.

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

How fast is broadband in Missouri?

Recent data from Ookla’s speed test puts Missouri in 34th place among US states with an average download speed of about 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 unfortunately the provider is only available in Kansas City.

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

How CNET chose the best ISPs in Missouri

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? 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 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:

• Does the provider offer relatively fast internet access?
• Are customers getting decent value for what they pay?
• 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 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 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.

Summary of ISPs in Missouri

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

When it comes to rural Missouri, Kinetic and T-Mobile Home Internet are top options for broadband speeds and unlimited data. If these providers aren’t available, look to Hughesnet for internet in the absence of a cable or 5G connection.

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

Missouri Internet FAQ