Best Internet Providers in Helena, Montana [CNET]

Montana might not be the go-to immediate thought when considering internet connection options, but its capital city might surprise you. While you are enjoying the wide-open spaces, big-sky country and Wild-West mentality of the beautiful state, you might wonder how you can connect to help you with that great American novel. You might have to wait a bit if you’re looking for fast internet. It could be a good thing that so many of Montana’s amenities are found outdoors because it’s harder to stay inside and stream entertainment here than in most places. 

Despite Montana’s speed challenges, its capital city, Helena, gives you some internet options with a little pep. You can choose between satellite, 5G, cable and fiber internet. Recently, telecommunications company TDS announced that it’s expanding its fiber coverage to Helena, projected to cover about 27,000 customers. 

Shopping for the right internet in Helena should focus on how to get the speed you need since Ookla data reveals that Montana ranks in 49th place in internet speed across all US states and Washington, D.C. (with only Wyoming and Alaska trailing). Price and coverage are also important factors. Some internet service providers in Helena cover 60% or more of the area. Your choices include Spectrum, T-Mobile and Viasat. 

Best internet providers in the Queen City of the Rockies

We’ve compared speed, availability and other important factors to identify some of Helena’s best internet service providers. 

Note: The prices, speeds and features detailed in the article text may differ from those listed in the product detail cards, which represent providers’ national offerings. Your particular internet service options — including prices and speeds — depend on your address and may differ from those detailed here.

Internet providers in Helena overview

Provider	Internet technology	Monthly price range	Speed range	Monthly equipment costs	Data cap	Contract	CNET review score
CenturyLink Read full review	DSL/fiber	$50-$65	60-940Mbps	$15; Included in 1GB plan	None	None	6.7
HughesNet Read full review	Satellite	$50-$100	25Mbps	$15	50-200GB	24 months	5.7
Montana Internet	Fiber/fixed Wireless	$65-$89	8-25Mbps	$8 router	None	None	N/A
Spectrum Read full review	Cable	$25-$80	50Mbps-1Gbps	Free modem; $7 router	None	None	7.2
Starlink Read full review	Satellite	$120	20-100Mbps	One-time payment of $599	None	None	N/A
T-Mobile Home Internet Read full review	Fixed wireless	$50	72-245Mbps	None	None	None	7.4
Viasat Read full review	Satellite	$100	50Mbps	$15	850GB	24 months	6.1

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All available Helena residential internet providers

Helena offers other ISPs besides our top picks. If you’re looking to compare and contrast even more options, you may want to consider some of the following alternatives in Helena. 

• CenturyLink: This company offers DSL/fiber connections across 67% of Helena. Monthly plans start at $50, and you can get pretty fast speeds by Helena standards; at least 100Mbps in most locations and up to 940Mbps in areas with fiber service. 
• HughesNet: HughesNet is a satellite provider that might be a good option for people in rural areas who can’t get fiber or cable. The company has plans starting at $50 per month. It does charge an equipment fee of $15 per month and requires a two-year contract. 
• Montana Internet: You can find fixed and fiber internet from Montana Internet, which specifically caters to rural customers who want Wi-Fi. Plans begin at $65 per month, and the monthly router fee is just $8.
• Starlink: Starlink is SpaceX’s satellite internet offering. It promises high-speed broadband, but you must pay a hefty one-time equipment fee to access coverage. Download speeds are up to 100Mbps. Although you get unlimited data, Starlink says it prioritizes business and mobile customer data over residential plans, so you may not get maximum speeds with standard residential service.  

Pricing info on Helena home internet service

Most internet plans in Helena start at $25-$50 per month. You may need to pay close to $100 monthly if you require fast download speeds.

Cheap internet options in the general Helena area

To get the most value, it’s worth checking out fiber coverage at your address. If it isn’t available now, the TDS expansion may soon bring fiber to your neighborhood in Helena.

What’s the cheapest internet plan in Helena?

Provider	Starting price	Max download speed	Monthly equipment fee	Contract
Spectrum Internet Read full review	$25	50Mbps	Free modem; $7 router	None
T-Mobile Home Internet Read full review	$50	245Mbps	None	None
CenturyLink Read full review	$50	100Mbps	None	None
HughesNet Read full review	$50	25Mbps	$15	2 years
Montana Internet	$65	8Mbps	None	None

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Fastest internet providers in Helena

Montana doesn’t have particularly fast broadband as a whole, but there are still internet speeds in Helena that make it possible to browse and work at home. Even a few internet service providers in Helena reach gig speeds. 

Spectrum offers an Internet Gig plan with up to 940Mbps, while other providers in the area top off at much slower speeds. Still, you can find enough speed in Helena to complete most online tasks. Spectrum’s top plan — and CenturyLink’s fastest fiber option — may be the only ones that work for you if you’re a gamer. 

What are the fastest internet plans in Helena?

Provider	Max download speed	Max upload speed	Starting price	Data cap	Contract
CenturyLink Fiber Internet Read full review	940Mbps	880Mbps	$65	None	None
Spectrum Internet Gig Read full review	940Mbps	35Mbps	$80	None	None

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What’s the final word on internet providers in Helena?

The best internet providers in Helena when it comes to speed are Spectrum and CenturyLink, while the satellite providers may offer more consistent coverage for rural customers. Keep your eye on the fiber expansion coming to Helena, as this will surely provide residents with speedier downloads than most current plans offer. 

How CNET chose the best internet providers in Helena

Internet service providers are numerous and regional. Unlike the latest smartphone, laptop, router or kitchen tool, it’s impractical to personally test every ISP in a given city. What’s our approach? We start by researching the pricing, availability and speed information drawing on our own historical ISP data, the provider sites 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’re considering every ISP that provides service in an area. We also input local addresses on provider websites to find specific options for residents. To evaluate how happy customers are with an ISP’s service, we look at sources including the American Customer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Power. ISP plans and prices are subject to frequent changes; all information provided is accurate as of the time 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. 

To explore our process in more depth, visit our How We Test ISPs page.

Internet providers in Helena FAQs