10 Best Internet Providers in Albert Lea, MN

Compare Providers Ranked by Coverage, Speed, and Customer Ratings

Above are the top 4 providers in Albert Lea, MN for most people based on high speed internet coverage, speeds, and customer reviews. Click below to see all providers in your city.

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Speed and technology may vary by address for all providers. Please note we may have a financial relationship with some of the providers above, which does not impact the customer ratings displayed. Customer ratings listed above are national ratings, local Albert Lea ratings may vary and are shown below.

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Who is the Best Internet Provider in Albert Lea, MN?

The chart and table below show average customer ratings from customers in Albert Lea, Minnesota, and customers throughout the country.

Top Rated Internet Providers in Albert Lea

Local, State, and National Ratings for all Albert Lea Internet Providers

Based on 39 reviews from Minnesota internet customers, Spectrum is the best internet service provider for Albert Lea residents. Spectrum was rated at an average of 4.00 out of 5 in our report for overall customer satisfaction. T-Mobile Home Internet wins for second-place in Minnesota, with 4.50 out of 5 stars and 52.0% coverage in Albert Lea.

At a national level, based on 3969 national reviews for any of the providers listed above, T-Mobile Home Internet is rated higher than any other provider, with a rating of 4.02 out of 5.

Who is the Fastest Internet Provider in Albert Lea?

Data Reported to FCC by ISPs: Average Maximum Available in Albert Lea

	ISP / Tech Type	Max Advertised Speed
	MetroNet	5,120 Mbps
	WCTA Broadband	1,000 Mbps
	GigFire	1,000 Mbps
	Spectrum	1,000 Mbps
	Verizon	300 Mbps
	T-Mobile Home Internet	100 Mbps
	EarthLink	100 Mbps
	AT&T	100 Mbps
	Midco	100 Mbps
	Viasat	100 Mbps
	Centurylink	60 Mbps
	HughesNet	25 Mbps

Customer Ratings for Internet Provider Speeds in Albert Lea

Based on data reported by Albert Lea ISPs to the FCC, the fastest speeds in the city are available through MetroNet. The company offers speeds up to 5,120 Mbps in Albert Lea. Therefore, the average customer can get up to 5,120 Mbps if they're willing to purchase the fastest subscription tier available at their homes.

Additionally, actual customers in the city rated their satisfaction with internet speed highest with T-Mobile Home Internet. This indicates T-Mobile Home Internet reliably delivers speeds expected by the customer based on the plan they are paying for.

Who is the Cheapest Internet Provider in Albert Lea?

Minnesota customers rate T-Mobile Home Internet as the cheapest internet service provider in state. Data comes from customers in the state rating their satisfaction with pricing. This feedback is valuable because it considers price changes and whether the speeds paid for are worth it.

T-Mobile Home Internet received a local rating of 4.75 out of 5, which is higher than the average across all internet providers in the country. Spectrum is rated in second place for affordability by the company’s Albert Lea customers with an average price rating of 3.88 out of 5.

The chart and graph below show how customers in Albert Lea, Minnesota, and the United States rated the affordability of their internet service.

Rated Affordability in Albert Lea

Albert Lea Internet Health Assessment

ISP Reports evaluates the technological infrastructure across the United States. This includes assessing a grade for ISP providers and infrastructure in the city and setting an index number for the digital connectivity of its residents. You can view the ISP Report Card and the Digital Connectivity Index for Albert Lea below, including the metrics used and how Albert Lea compares to the rest of Minnesota and nation.

Albert Lea ISP Report Card: A

	Metric (hover for details)	Albert Lea	Minnesota	USA
	Fiber Availability Percent The percentage of households in Albert Lea that have a Fiber internet connection available to their home.	99.53%	62.00%	67.25%
	Average Download SpeedThe maximum download speed most households can get on average. This is measured by availability in a block group and weighted by the population in that area.	3,853 Mbps	3,031 Mbps	3,293 Mbps
	Provider CountThe number of providers available for most people. This is a weighted average by block rather than a total for Albert Lea.	8.1	6.3	6.8

 

Albert Lea Digital Connectivity Index: 41 / 100

	Metric (hover for details)	Albert Lea	Minnesota	USA
	Average Household SizeA larger household size in a city indicates that there will be a greater need for bandwidth due to simultaneous usage, multiple devices, and network congestion.	2.3	2.5	2.7
	Work From Home PercentA higher percent of the population working from home indicates bandwidth requirements being more widely needed rather than consolidated to commercial portions of the city.	8%	16%	14%
	Households with DevicesA higher percentage of households with computing devices in the home indicates a higher level of infrastructure needed to support those households.	90%	96%	95%
	Households with InternetA higher percentage of households with internet indicates a higher need for usage and connectivity in people’s daily lives.	84%	91%	90%
	Households with BroadbandA higher percentage of households with a broadband connection (defined as speeds above 25 Mbps) indicates heavier usage needs within these households.	66%	77%	75%
	Broadband Usage vs. AvailabilityThis measures what percentage of households who have a broadband connection to their home actually have an active subscription to that service.	66%	77%	76%

Albert Lea ISP Report Card & Digital Connectivity Index

The ISP Report Card in Albert Lea is A, which is comparable to other cities. The local demand for broadband internet connectivity in Albert Lea is high with a score of 41 / 100 in our Digital Connectivity Index. This means that internet service providers operating in Albert Lea have done a average job meeting the needs of its residents.

The Albert Lea ISP Report Card evaluates the city on availability and speed metrics compared to other cities in the United States. ISP Infrastructure can vary greatly and on its own isn’t a perfect measure of what a city needs. Please see our ISP Report Card along with the Digital Connectivity Index above to evaluate how well the connectivity demand is met by the existing infrastructure.

84% of Albert Lea households have an internet connection despite having 99.86% availability. 66% of households have fiber, cable, or DSL, 5% have satellite, 0% are still on dial-up, and 3% of households have internet but don’t pay for a subscription because it’s subsidized by the Affordable Connectivity Program.

As you can see in the table above, while 66% of households have a broadband connection such as fiber, cable or DSL available to their home, 66% subscribe to it. A moderate amount of Albert Lea residents are taking advantage of the available internet infrastructure.

For more details, please visit our ISP Report Card and Digital Connectivity Index pages.

How do Neighboring Cities Compare to Albert Lea?

How Much Speed does a Albert Lea Household Need?

Higher speed is typically preferred, but that comes at a higher price. The average size of a household in Albert Lea is 2.3, which is smaller than the Minnesota average of 2.5 and smaller than the national average of 2.7. Albert Lea's average household income is $66,726 which is lower than the Minnesota average of $97,862 and about average for the national average of $90,606. Homes with fewer people living in them and with lower incomes tend to indicate fewer devices being used less often.

Albert Lea also has 14% of its population enrolled in school between the 6th grade and college level, this is lower than the Minnesota average of 16%. Additionally, 8% of residents work from home, which is lower than the 16% of residents in Minnesota who work from home. This and other factors you can see above show us that the community of Albert Lea has a low need for internet connectivity and speeds.

Compared to the rest of the country, Albert Lea households are more technology-disengaged. 90% of households have some sort of computing device, 77% have desktops or laptops in the home, and 86% have smartphones. To see what speeds you are currently getting, please visit our internet speed test tool.

Which Fiber Internet Providers are Available in Albert Lea?

Which Cable Internet Providers are Available in Albert Lea?

Which DSL Internet Providers are Available in Albert Lea?

Which Fixed Wireless and LTE Internet Providers are Available in Albert Lea?

Which ISP Should You Choose in Albert Lea?

The right ISP for you depends upon your needs, but in general we can make the following suggestions:

• The best all-around internet service provider in Albert Lea is Spectrum.
• The fastest internet provider should be MetroNet. Considering speed for the money and reliability in speeds, T-Mobile Home Internet may be a better choice based on real-world local customer feedback.
• The most affordable internet provider in Albert Lea is T-Mobile Home Internet.
• HughesNet, Viasat, and Midco has the broadest coverage in Albert Lea, and is most likely to cover your home. To find out exactly what's available at your home, please use our address search tool.

How does Albert Lea compare to other cities with a similar population?

To see how Albert Lea stacks up on the national level, it's useful to look at some other cities with similarly sized populations. Below you can see a list of these cities and how they compare to Albert Lea's A ISP Report Card and 41 / 100 Digital Connectivity Index.

Customer Reviews

Customer Reviews for Internet Service Providers in Minnesota