AT&T Fiber – Best overall internet provider in Missouri
Prices from $55 – $180 per month
Speeds from 300 – 5,000Mbps
Unlimited data
Spectrum – Best cable internet provider in Missouri
Prices from $50 – $90 per month
Speeds from 300 – 940Mbps
Unlimited data
Kinetic by Windstream – Best wired rural internet provider in Missouri
Prices from $40 – $70 per month
Speeds from 100 – 1,000Mbps
Unlimited data
T-Mobile Home Internet – Best 5G home internet coverage in Missouri
Prices from $50 per month
Speeds from 72 – 245Mbps
Unlimited data
HughesNet – Best for satellite internet in Missouri
Prices from $50 – $150 per month
Speeds from 25Mbps
Nationwide availability
I don’t live in Missouri, but if I did, I’d eat barbecue all the time, make room for the Cards in my MLB fandom, and sign up for AT&T Fiber if it’s available. AT&T Fiber, our pick for the best internet service provider in Missouri, has stable, competitive pricing on the best selection of high-speed plans of any major ISP in Missouri.
If you’re looking for internet specifically in St. Louis, check out our list of the best internet providers in St. Louis. Otherwise, consider this page your guide to Missouri’s top internet providers and what makes them stand out.
Best internet providers in Missouri
The internet providers featured below were chosen for their availability across Missouri as well as their competitive pricing, speeds and other attributes. Here’s a look at our picks for the best internet providers in Missouri.
AT&T Fiber
Best overall internet provider in Missouri
Product details
Price range $55 – $180 per month Speed range 300 – 5,000Mbps Connection Fiber Highlights Unlimited data, no contracts, equipment included
A fiber internet connection will be preferable to any other internet connection type almost every time. The speed potential — both upload and download — plus the reliability and overall value are unmatched. If you’re looking for fiber internet in Missouri, AT&T will be your best option.
Availability: AT&T Fiber is available throughout much of Missouri’s three largest metro areas: Kansas City, St. Louis and Springfield. Those in Jefferson City and Farmington may be serviceable as well.
Plans and pricing: AT&T Fiber offers three standard plan selections: 300, 500 and 1,000Mbps (actual max advertised speeds are 940Mbps), starting at $55, $65 and $80 per month, respectively. Select areas may also have access to the provider’s two multigigabit plans of 2,000Mbps ($110 per month) and 5,000Mbps, starting at $180.
As with most fiber services, customers can expect symmetrical or close upload and download speeds with each AT&T Fiber plan.
Fees and service details: AT&T Fiber includes your equipment at no additional cost. There are no data caps or contracts required.
Price range $50 – $90 per month Speed range 300 – 940Mbps Connection Cable Highlights Unlimited data, simple pricing, no contracts, modem included, free access to nationwide Wi-Fi hotspots
Cable internet is a close second to fiber in terms of speed and value. It also has the advantage of being available to many more households. In Missouri, for example, cable internet is available to over 70% of households, whereas only around 38% are serviceable for fiber. Spectrum is the largest cable internet provider in Missouri.
Availability: Kansas City and St. Louis have the greatest Spectrum availability, but you’ll also find service in Columbia, Perryville, around the Lake of the Ozarks and in communities along the Mississippi River in the southeast part of the state.
Plans and pricing: Spectrum keeps it fairly simple with three plan options in most areas: 300Mbps starting at $50 per month, 500Mbps for $70, and 940Mbps for $90. Depending on the local competition, select locations may only have the option of 500Mbps for $50 per month and 940Mbps for $70 per month.
Spectrum’s pricing is on par with other top providers, at least for the first 12 months. After that, pricing on all Spectrum plans spikes by $30. That’s not uncommon for cable internet service, but it is something to be aware of.
Fees and service details: Like AT&T Fiber, Spectrum Internet service has no contracts or data caps. Your modem is included at no extra cost, but a $5 equipment fee will apply if you want to rent a router for Wi-Fi service.
Price range $40 – $70 per month Speed range 100 – 1,000Mbps Connection Fiber Highlights Unlimited data, no contracts
Wireless home internet services, specifically those using 5G technology, bring promising broadband improvements to rural areas. Still, I’d recommend a traditional wired connection when available, like the one you get with Kinetic by Windstream.
Availability: In many states, Missouri included, Kinetic sticks to the suburbs and small towns. As such, you’ll find Kinetic in random pockets throughout the state, including west of Springfield, northwest of St. Louis and to the south in Donophan, Piedmont and surrounding communities. DSL or copper-based connections are the most common, but Kinetic also offers fiber service in select areas.
Plans and pricing: Kinetic pricing varies from market to market, but expect DSL service to range from $30 to $60 per month for speeds up to 50Mbps. Faster speeds may be available at your address but will likely come with a higher price tag.
If you’re fortunate enough to be eligible for Kinetic fiber, service starts at $40 per month for speeds up to 200, 400 or 500Mbps, depending on your location. Like with the DSL service, customers may have the option to upgrade to faster speeds for an added monthly fee.
Fees and service details: Kinetic Internet also has unlimited data and no contract requirements. A $10 equipment fee will add to your monthly bill should you choose to rent, though customers can use their own equipment and skip the fee.
Price range $50 per month ($30 for eligible T-Mobile Magenta Max customers) Speed range 72 – 245Mbps Connection Fixed wireless Highlights Unlimited data, equipment included, no contracts, no additional fees
If you can’t get a wired connection from Kinetic or another provider, 5G home internet from T-Mobile may be the next best option. It may even be a better choice for rural internet than Kinetic, depending on what kind of speeds and reliability you can get at your address.
Availability: T-Mobile Home Internet is available to around 70% of Missouri households, according to the FCC. Availability varies from county to county, but those in Reynolds County, particularly around Centerville and West Fork, are least likely to be eligible for service.
Plans and pricing: T-Mobile recently increased its 5G Home Internet plan speeds from 33 to 182Mbps up to 72 to 245Mbps. Upload speeds now range from 15 to 31Mbps. Pricing is the same at $50 per month or $30 per month for qualifying T-Mobile cellular customers.
Fees and service details: There are no equipment fees, data caps or contracts with T-Mobile Home Internet.
Price range $50 – $150 per month Speed range 25Mbps Connection Satellite Highlights Nationwide availability, no hard data cap
Kinetic and T-Mobile are Missouri’s top rural internet options, but they’re not available everywhere. Look to satellite internet, like that from HughesNet, to fill those broadband gaps. HughesNet isn’t your only satellite internet option, but it will likely be the cheapest.
Availability: HughesNet is available wherever you are in Missouri, provided your property has a clear view of the southern sky.
Plans and pricing: All HughesNet plans offer max speeds of 25Mbps down and 3Mbps up, but the amount of data you get varies with each plan. 30GB of data starts at $50 per month, while the most you can get, 100GB, starts at $125 per month. Regardless of your plan, anticipate a price increase of $25 to $50 after six months.
Fees and service details: Equipment is not included with HughesNet, so you’ll need to rent it for an additional $15 per month or purchase it upfront for $450. Service also comes with a two-year contract.
HughesNet has no hard data caps, meaning there is no fee for going over your limit. However, HughesNet may slow your download speeds to 3Mbps or lower once you’ve reached your data cap.
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.
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.
Every household in Missouri has access to broadband speeds — that’s 25Mbps down and 3Mbps up — according to the FCC. However, when you consider wired connections (read: not satellite or cellular service), only around 82% of Missouri households are serviceable for broadband speeds or higher.
Broadband availability
N/Apeople have access to broadband internet of any type
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, though only about half can get broadband speeds or higher.
As for fiber internet, around 38% of Missouri households are wired for service, though the high availability in densely populated areas such as Kansas City, St. Louis and Springfield may skew the statewide average.
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 300Mbps from Optimum, AT&T Fiber, Spectrum or 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.
Internet plans for low-income households in Missouri
The Affordable Connectivity Program is available to all qualifying Missouri households and grants up to $30 per month to apply towards home internet service. Those on tribal lands can receive up to $75 per month. Here’s how to apply.
Along with the ACP credit, select internet providers in Missouri offer discounted internet plans specifically for low-income households. When applied with the ACP credit, such plans may be available for zero net cost. Additionally, these plans often come with free equipment and no contract requirements.
Internet plans for low-income households in Missouri
Missouri internet speed details
Recent Ookla speed test data places Missouri 34th among US states, with a median download speed of around 169Mbps. 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 internet in Missouri is slow. In fact, 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.
Download speeds
Jefferson City – 106 Mbps
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 (or are moving to) 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.
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