Best Internet Providers in Brainerd, MN
All 10 providers, ranked by coverage, speed and customer ratings
Find internet availability by address in Brainerd, MN
Brainerd has 10 internet service providers, they are sorted by coverage, available speed, and customer rating from our unbiased internet provider report. Fiber, Cable, Fixed Wireless, and DSL internet are available in the city. Reviews are grouped by provider and the type of service they offer, covering all 4 available internet technologies in Brainerd.
Ranks compare Brainerd with the 3,338 US towns of 10,000 to 24,999 people, the tiers of our fastest-cities rankings.
The Best Internet in Brainerd, MN at a Glance
Brainerd Internet Providers, Ranked by Coverage, Speed and Customer Ratings
CenturyLink
Connection
Customer Rating
DSL
Spectrum
Connection
Customer Rating
Fiber
Cable
CTC
Connection
Customer Rating
Fiber
EarthLink
Connection
Customer Rating
Fixed Wireless
Providers with less than 1% coverage in this city are excluded from the list. To see if one of these providers is available at your home, please use the address search above.
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 Brainerd ratings may vary and are shown below.
Who is the Best Internet Provider in Brainerd, MN?
T-Mobile Home Internet is the best internet provider in Brainerd based on Minnesota customer satisfaction ratings and reviews. Based on our extensive and unbiased survey, T-Mobile Home Internet had the best reviews at the local, state, and national levels versus all available providers in Brainerd, making it a solid recommendation among providers with reviews. T-Mobile Home Internet is an option for 94.10% of the city.
Click here to get T-Mobile Home Internet
or call 1-833-601-2935
Which Providers are Available at my Home in Brainerd?
Coverage changes block by block. Pick a provider and a technology to see where its service reaches: the darker the area, the larger the share of homes it covers. For your exact address, use the address search above.
Coverage map for each provider in Brainerd
- Spectrum - cable coverage map
- CTC - fiber coverage map
- Verizon - fixed wireless coverage map
- AT&T - fixed wireless coverage map
- EarthLink - fixed wireless coverage map
- T-Mobile Home Internet - fixed wireless coverage map
- CenturyLink - dsl coverage map
- Spectrum - fiber coverage map
- Midco - cable coverage map
- Midco - fiber coverage map
- Fidium - dsl coverage map
- Frontier - dsl coverage map
How Brainerd Compares to Places Its Size
Brainerd's report card score is in the bottom 16% and its connectivity index is in the bottom 31%.
| Measure | Brainerd | Rank among US towns of 10,000 to 24,999 people | Crow Wing County | Minnesota | US | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ISP Report Card inputs: what providers offer here | ||||||
| Fiber availability | 65.7% | bottom 36% | 80.1% | 68.5% | 71.5% | 115 places at 100.0% |
| Average top speed | 985 Mbps | bottom 5% | 1,158 Mbps | 2,819 Mbps | 3,486 Mbps | Middle Valley, TN and Red Bank, TN and 1 more (25,000 Mbps) |
| Providers at a typical address | 5.9 | bottom 30% | 5.1 | 6.7 | 7.1 | Joshua, TX (13.3) |
| Connectivity index inputs: how much households need and use the internet | ||||||
| People per household | 2.3 | bottom 20% | 2.3 | 2.5 | 2.7 | North Bay Shore, NY (4.7) |
| Workers who work from home | 10% | bottom 39% | 13% | 18% | 15% | Brambleton, VA (51%) |
| Homes with a computer, tablet or phone | 96% | top 44% | 96% | 96% | 96% | 86 places at 100% |
| Homes with internet | 90% | bottom 37% | 91% | 92% | 91% | 11 places at 100% |
| Homes on fiber, cable or DSL | 73% | bottom 36% | 74% | 77% | 76% | Klahanie, WA and Short Hills, NJ and 1 more (96%) |
| More about the households here | ||||||
| Homes with a desktop or laptop | 79% | bottom 42% | 80% | 83% | 81% | Stone Ridge, VA and West University Place, TX and 1 more (100%) |
| Median household income | $77,508 | bottom 39% | $80,198 | $99,636 | $93,246 | West University Place, TX ($249,707) |
| Residents in school (6th grade to college) | 12% | bottom 25% | 11% | 16% | 16% | Stanford, CA (84%) |
Fiber reaches 65.7% of homes in Brainerd, against 80.1% across Crow Wing County and 68.5% across Minnesota. Households in Brainerd are smaller than the US average (2.3 people against 2.7); 10% of workers work from home (US 15%); and the median household income is $77,508 (US $93,246).
Our demographic data is sourced from the latest 5-year release of the American Community Survey by the US Census Bureau.
Fiber, 5G, Cable and DSL Internet in Brainerd
Which Fiber Internet Providers are Available in Brainerd?
CTC Fiber in Brainerd, MN
Availability:
65.6%
Customer Rating:
(1)
Avg. Download Speed
1,000 Mbps
CTC (Minnesota) offers Fiber service to 65.6% of Brainerd homes. Across the city, CTC Fiber is the only type of service available from the company, with speeds up to 1,000 Mbps
Midco Fiber in Brainerd, MN
Availability:
1.8%
Customer Rating:
(4)
Avg. Download Speed
716 Mbps
Midco offers Fiber service to 1.8% of Brainerd homes. Across the city, Midco Fiber has speeds up to 716 Mbps, with speeds from 250 Mpbs up to 1,000 Mbps depending on the address. Upload speeds differ from download speeds, and are as low 20 and as high as 1,000, with an average of 628 Mbps throughout the city. Midco Fiber is rated about the same as other types of internet service available in Brainerd from Midco in terms of customer satisfaction.
Spectrum Fiber in Brainerd, MN
Availability:
1.7%
Customer Rating:
(207)
Avg. Download Speed
1,000 Mbps
Spectrum offers Fiber service to 1.7% of Brainerd homes. Across the city, Spectrum Fiber has speeds up to 1,000 Mbps
Which Fixed Wireless and LTE Internet Providers are Available in Brainerd?
T-Mobile Home Internet Fixed Wireless in Brainerd, MN
Availability:
94.1%
Customer Rating:
(342)
Avg. Download Speed
50 Mbps
T-Mobile Home Internet offers Fixed Wireless service to 94.1% of Brainerd homes. Across the city, T-Mobile Home Internet Fixed Wireless is the only type of service available from the company, with speeds up to 50 Mbps, with speeds from 25 Mpbs up to 100 Mbps depending on the address. Upload speeds differ from download speeds, and are as low 3.0 and as high as 20, with an average of 8.7 Mbps throughout the city.
EarthLink Fixed Wireless in Brainerd, MN
Availability:
88.3%
Customer Rating:
(4)
Avg. Download Speed
56 Mbps
EarthLink offers Fixed Wireless service to 88.3% of Brainerd homes. Across the city, EarthLink Fixed Wireless is the only type of service available from the company, with speeds up to 56 Mbps, with speeds from 25 Mpbs up to 100 Mbps depending on the address. Upload speeds differ from download speeds, and are as low 3.0 and as high as 20, with an average of 10 Mbps throughout the city.
AT&T Fixed Wireless in Brainerd, MN
Availability:
88.3%
Customer Rating:
(205)
Avg. Download Speed
56 Mbps
AT&T offers Fixed Wireless service to 88.3% of Brainerd homes. Across the city, AT&T Fixed Wireless is the only type of service available from the company, with speeds up to 56 Mbps, with speeds from 25 Mpbs up to 100 Mbps depending on the address. Upload speeds differ from download speeds, and are as low 3.0 and as high as 20, with an average of 10 Mbps throughout the city.
Verizon Fixed Wireless in Brainerd, MN
Availability:
66.9%
Customer Rating:
(362)
Avg. Download Speed
249 Mbps
Verizon offers Fixed Wireless service to 66.9% of Brainerd homes. Across the city, Verizon Fixed Wireless is the only type of service available from the company, with speeds up to 249 Mbps, with speeds from 25 Mpbs up to 300 Mbps depending on the address. Upload speeds differ from download speeds, and are as low 6.0 and as high as 20, with an average of 17 Mbps throughout the city.
Which Cable Internet Providers are Available in Brainerd?
Spectrum Cable in Brainerd, MN
Availability:
81.5%
Customer Rating:
(1739)
Avg. Download Speed
1,000 Mbps
Spectrum offers Cable service to 81.5% of Brainerd homes. Across the city, Spectrum Cable has speeds up to 1,000 Mbps
Midco Cable in Brainerd, MN
Availability:
5.4%
Customer Rating:
(27)
Avg. Download Speed
250 Mbps
Midco offers Cable service to 5.4% of Brainerd homes. Across the city, Midco Cable has speeds up to 250 Mbps
Which DSL Internet Providers are Available in Brainerd?
CenturyLink DSL in Brainerd, MN
Availability:
93.2%
Customer Rating:
(120)
Avg. Download Speed
30 Mbps
CenturyLink offers DSL service to 93.2% of Brainerd homes. Across the city, CenturyLink DSL is the only type of service available from the company, with speeds up to 30 Mbps, with speeds from 10 Mpbs up to 100 Mbps depending on the address. Upload speeds differ from download speeds, and are as low 1.0 and as high as 50, with an average of 3.4 Mbps throughout the city.
Fidium DSL in Brainerd, MN
Availability:
1.8%
Customer Rating:
(18)
Avg. Download Speed
100 Mbps
Fidium Fiber offers DSL service to 1.8% of Brainerd homes. Across the city, Fidium DSL is the only type of service available from the company, with speeds up to 100 Mbps
Frontier DSL in Brainerd, MN
Availability:
1.4%
Customer Rating:
(58)
Avg. Download Speed
43 Mbps
Frontier Communications offers DSL service to 1.4% of Brainerd homes. Across the city, Frontier DSL is the only type of service available from the company, with speeds up to 43 Mbps, with speeds from 10 Mpbs up to 115 Mbps depending on the address. Upload speeds differ from download speeds, and are as low 1.0 and as high as 7.0, with an average of 2.7 Mbps throughout the city.
Internet in Brainerd by Neighborhood and ZIP Code
Brainerd has 1 ZIP code with its own page. Each row links to that place’s page.
Neighborhoods in Brainerd
| Neighborhood | People | Homes with fiber | Average top speed | Providers at a typical address | Report card | Connectivity |
|---|
ZIP codes in Brainerd
| ZIP code | People | Homes with fiber | Average top speed | Providers at a typical address | Report card | Connectivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 56401 | 30,902 | 69.8% | 960 Mbps | 5.8 | C | 57/100 |
How Brainerd Compares to Nearby Places
The 10 places nearest to Brainerd that have their own pages are all within 12 miles. Among them, Merrifield has the most homes with fiber (97.3%) and East Gull Lake the fewest (70.5%); Brainerd has 65.7%.
| Place | People | Homes with fiber | Average top speed | Providers at a typical address | Report card | Connectivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brainerd (this page) | 24,134 | 65.7% | 985 Mbps | 5.9 | C | 54/100 |
| Baxter | 10,489 | 92.6% | 992 Mbps | 6.5 | B- | 68/100 |
| Nisswa | 2,982 | 79.8% | 959 Mbps | 5.4 | C | 65/100 |
| Merrifield | 2,021 | 97.3% | 1,000 Mbps | 3.5 | C | 66/100 |
| East Gull Lake | 1,833 | 70.5% | 744 Mbps | 6 | C | 80/100 |
| Fort Ripley | 1,818 | 72.3% | 742 Mbps | 4.7 | C- | 43/100 |
| Lake Hubert | 1,318 | 94.1% | 988 Mbps | 6.1 | B- | 61/100 |
| Ironton | 1,317 | 72.8% | 1,000 Mbps | 3.9 | C- | 44/100 |
| Riverton | 1,166 | 86.5% | 978 Mbps | 4.9 | C | 58/100 |
| Sylvan | 557 | 100.0% | 1,000 Mbps | 5 | B- | 77/100 |
| Crow Wing | 476 | 100.0% | 1,000 Mbps | 4.7 | B- | 57/100 |
Who is the Fastest Internet Provider in Brainerd?
According to unbiased feedback from real internet customers, they reported being happiest with speeds provided by CenturyLink. On the other hand, based on data provided by the internet providers to the FCC, CTC (Minnesota) and Spectrum should have faster speeds at a local level. While we typically put more weight on real-world customer ratings, we display both satisfaction and technical maximum information for customers to decide for themselves.
Data Reported to FCC by ISPs: Average Maximum Available in Brainerd
| Spectrum | 1,000 |
|---|---|
| CTC (Minnesota) | 1,000 |
| Midco | 1,000 |
| Verizon | 300 |
| Frontier Communications | 115 |
| T-Mobile Home Internet | 100 |
| Viasat | 100 |
| CenturyLink | 100 |
| AT&T | 100 |
| EarthLink | 100 |
| Fidium Fiber | 100 |
| HughesNet | 25 |
How fast is your internet?
Test your connection here and see it next to the speeds providers advertise in Brainerd. It takes about 20 seconds and, on a fast line, can move a few hundred MB of data.
Customer Ratings for Brainerd Internet Providers
Based on 49 reviews from Minnesota internet customers, T-Mobile Home Internet is the best internet service provider for Brainerd residents. T-Mobile Home Internet was rated at an average of 4.50 out of 5 in our report for overall customer satisfaction. AT&T wins for second-place in Minnesota, with 5.00 out of 5 stars and 88.3% coverage in Brainerd.
At a national level, based on 4658 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.
Local, State, and National Ratings for all Brainerd Internet Providers
The table below shows average customer ratings from customers in Brainerd, Minnesota, and customers throughout the country.
| ISP / Tech Type | Brainerd Overall | Minnesota Overall | National Overall | For Service | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T-Mobile Home Internet |  (0) |  (4) | (342) | View Plans | ||
| Midco | (0) | (7) | (36) | View Plans | ||
| AT&T | (0) | (1) | (1051) | View Plans | ||
| CTC | (0) | (1) | (1) | View Plans | ||
| CenturyLink | (0) | (12) | (183) | View Plans | ||
| Frontier | (0) | (1) | (177) | View Plans | ||
| HughesNet | (0) | (1) | (25) | View Plans | ||
| Spectrum | (0) | (11) | (1949) | View Plans | ||
| Verizon | (0) | (7) | (816) | View Plans | ||
| Fidium | (0) |  (5) | (88) | View Plans | ||
| EarthLink | (0) | (0) | (15) | View Plans | ||
| Viasat | (0) | (0) |  (12) | View Plans |
Customer Ratings for Internet Provider Speeds in Brainerd
Based on data reported by Brainerd ISPs to the FCC, the fastest speeds in the city are available through CTC (Minnesota) and Spectrum. These internet providers offer speeds up to 1,000 Mbps in Brainerd. Therefore, the average customer can get up to 1,000 Mbps if they’re willing to purchase the fastest subscription tier available at their homes.
However, actual customers rated their satisfaction with internet speed highest with CenturyLink. This indicates CenturyLink reliably delivers speeds expected by the customer based on the plan they are paying for.
| ISP / Tech Type | Brainerd Speed | Minnesota Speed | National Speed | For Service | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Midco | (0) | (7) | (36) | View Plans | ||
| CenturyLink | (0) | (12) | (183) | View Plans | ||
| T-Mobile Home Internet | (0) | (4) | (342) | View Plans | ||
| Frontier | (0) | (1) | (177) | View Plans | ||
| HughesNet | (0) | (1) | (25) | View Plans | ||
| AT&T | (0) | (1) | (1051) | View Plans | ||
| CTC | (0) | (1) | (1) | View Plans | ||
| Spectrum | (0) | (11) | (1949) | View Plans | ||
| Verizon | (0) | (7) | (816) | View Plans | ||
| Fidium | (0) | (5) | (88) | View Plans | ||
| EarthLink | (0) | (0) | (15) | View Plans | ||
| Viasat | (0) | (0) | (12) | View Plans |
Who is the Cheapest Internet Provider in Brainerd?
Of the providers in Brainerd, customers rate T-Mobile Home Internet the best for price. Data comes from customers rating their satisfaction with pricing: in Brainerd where enough of them have reviewed a provider, otherwise across Minnesota or the country. This feedback is valuable because it considers price changes and whether the speeds paid for are worth it.
T-Mobile Home Internet is rated 4.75 out of 5 for price, which is higher than the average across all internet providers in the country. CTC (Minnesota) is rated second for affordability, with an average price rating of 5.00 out of 5.
The table below shows how customers in Brainerd, Minnesota, and the United States rated the affordability of their internet service.
Rated Affordability in Brainerd
| ISP / Tech Type | Brainerd Affordability | Minnesota Affordability | National Affordability | For Service | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T-Mobile Home Internet | (0) | (4) | (342) | View Plans | ||
| CTC | (0) | (1) | (1) | View Plans | ||
| AT&T | (0) | (1) | (1051) | View Plans | ||
| Frontier | (0) | (1) | (177) | View Plans | ||
| HughesNet | (0) | (1) | (25) | View Plans | ||
| Verizon | (0) | (7) | (816) | View Plans | ||
| CenturyLink | (0) | (12) | (183) | View Plans | ||
| Spectrum | (0) | (11) | (1949) | View Plans | ||
| Midco | (0) | (7) | (36) | View Plans | ||
| Fidium | (0) | (5) | (88) | View Plans | ||
| EarthLink | (0) | (0) | (15) | View Plans | ||
| Viasat | (0) | (0) | (12) | View Plans |
Customer Reviews for Internet Service Providers in Minnesota
Customer Reviews
A St. Paul, MN Customer
Verizon Fixed Wireless
June 06, 2026 A Minneapolis, MN Customer
CenturyLink Fiber
May 16, 2026 A Newfolden, MN Customer
Wiktel Fiber
May 09, 2026 A Burnsville, MN Customer
XFINITY Cable
April 15, 2026 I am currently on a promotional rate at $58/month. In a few months, I expect Xfinity to raise my rate significantly, in which case I will be extremely unsatisfied. Currently I am very happy with my rate and I get quality internet in return. I have had very few outages and have not even needed to reach out to customer support in the 20 months that I have been a customer.
Scott G
XFINITY Cable
April 13, 2026 I've had some frustration with Comcast in terms of their pricing. I've been a customer for about five years and they regularly raise their rates. As far as I can tell, these rate changes happen arbitrarily and without notice. Though the service has been good and consistent, I feel like they're just incrementally up-charging their customers. They likely feel they can get away with it since there are not many other competing internet providers in the area, and the one who do exist don't have the same infrastructure as Comcast does.
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Which ISP Should You Choose in Brainerd?
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 Brainerd is T-Mobile Home Internet.
- The fastest internet provider should be CTC (Minnesota) and Spectrum. Considering speed for the money and reliability in speeds, CenturyLink may be a better choice based on real-world local customer feedback.
- The most affordable internet provider in Brainerd is T-Mobile Home Internet.
- Viasat, T-Mobile Home Internet, and HughesNet has the broadest coverage in Brainerd, available to 94.1% of homes, and is most likely to cover your home. To find out exactly what’s available at your home, please use our address search tool.