8 Best Internet Providers in Forest Lake, MN

Compare Providers Ranked by Coverage, Speed, and Customer Ratings

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

All Providers

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 Forest Lake ratings may vary and are shown below.

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Who is the Best Internet Provider in Forest Lake, MN?

AT&T is the best internet provider in Forest Lake based on Minnesota customer satisfaction ratings and reviews. Based on our extensive and unbiased survey, AT&T had the best reviews at the local, state, and national levels versus all available providers in Forest Lake, making it a solid recommendation among providers with reviews. AT&T is an option for 97.22% of the city.

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

Top Rated Internet Providers in Forest Lake

Local, State, and National Ratings for all Forest Lake Internet Providers

Based on 39 reviews from Minnesota internet customers, AT&T is the best internet service provider for Forest Lake residents. AT&T was rated at an average of 5.00 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 99.2% coverage in Forest Lake.

At a national level, based on 2351 national reviews for any of the providers listed above, Midco is rated higher than any other provider, with a rating of 3.74 out of 5.

Who is the Fastest Internet Provider in Forest Lake?

According to unbiased feedback from real internet customers in the city, they reported being happiest with speeds provided by Frontier Communications. On the other hand, based on data provided by the internet providers to the FCC, Quantum Fiber 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 Forest Lake

	ISP / Tech Type	Max Advertised Speed
	Quantum Fiber	8,000 Mbps
	Midco	5,000 Mbps
	Centurylink	1,000 Mbps
	Verizon	300 Mbps
	Frontier Communications	115 Mbps
	AT&T	100 Mbps
	EarthLink	100 Mbps
	T-Mobile Home Internet	100 Mbps
	Viasat	100 Mbps
	HughesNet	25 Mbps

Customer Ratings for Internet Provider Speeds in Forest Lake

Based on data reported by Forest Lake ISPs to the FCC, the fastest speeds in the city are available through Quantum Fiber. The company offers speeds up to 8,000 Mbps in Forest Lake. Therefore, the average customer can get up to 6,434 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 Frontier Communications. This indicates Frontier reliably delivers speeds expected by the customer based on the plan they are paying for.

Who is the Cheapest Internet Provider in Forest Lake?

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. Frontier Communications is rated in second place for affordability by the company’s Forest Lake customers with an average price rating of 4.00 out of 5.

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

Rated Affordability in Forest Lake

Forest Lake 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 Forest Lake below, including the metrics used and how Forest Lake compares to the rest of Minnesota and nation.

Forest Lake ISP Report Card: B-

	Metric (hover for details)	Forest Lake	Minnesota	USA
	Fiber Availability Percent The percentage of households in Forest Lake that have a Fiber internet connection available to their home.	26.72%	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.	2,569 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 Forest Lake.	6.1	6.3	6.8

 

Forest Lake Digital Connectivity Index: 79 / 100

	Metric (hover for details)	Forest Lake	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.	2.6	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.	16%	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.	97%	96%	95%
	Households with InternetA higher percentage of households with internet indicates a higher need for usage and connectivity in people’s daily lives.	95%	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.	82%	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.	82%	77%	76%

Forest Lake ISP Report Card & Digital Connectivity Index

The ISP Report Card in Forest Lake is B-, which is much better than other cities. The local demand for broadband internet connectivity in Forest Lake is high with a score of 79 / 100 in our Digital Connectivity Index. This means that internet service providers operating in Forest Lake have done a good job meeting the needs of its residents.

The Forest Lake 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.

95% of Forest Lake households have an internet connection despite having 99.97% availability. 82% of households have fiber, cable, or DSL, 7% have satellite, 0% are still on dial-up, and 1% 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 82% of households have a broadband connection such as fiber, cable or DSL available to their home, 82% subscribe to it. A very large amount of Forest Lake 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 Forest Lake?

How Much Speed does a Forest Lake Household Need?

Higher speed is typically preferred, but that comes at a higher price. The average size of a household in Forest Lake is 2.6, which is larger than the Minnesota average of 2.5 and smaller than the national average of 2.7. Forest Lake's average household income is $101,884 which is higher than the Minnesota average of $97,862 and much higher than the national average of $90,606. Homes with more people living in them and with higher incomes tend to indicate more devices being used more often.

Forest Lake also has 16% of its population enrolled in school between the 6th grade and college level, this is higher than the Minnesota average of 16%. Additionally, 16% of residents work from home, which is higher 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 Forest Lake has a very high need for internet connectivity and speeds.

Compared to the rest of the country, Forest Lake households are more technology-engaged. 97% of households have some sort of computing device, 91% have desktops or laptops in the home, and 92% have smartphones. To see what speeds you are currently getting, please visit our internet speed test tool.

Which Fiber Internet Providers are Available in Forest Lake?

Which Cable Internet Providers are Available in Forest Lake?

Which DSL Internet Providers are Available in Forest Lake?

Which Fixed Wireless and LTE Internet Providers are Available in Forest Lake?

Which ISP Should You Choose in Forest Lake?

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 Forest Lake is AT&T.
• The fastest internet provider should be Quantum Fiber. Considering speed for the money and reliability in speeds, Frontier Communications may be a better choice based on real-world local customer feedback.
• The most affordable internet provider in Forest Lake is T-Mobile Home Internet.
• Viasat, Midco, and HughesNet has the broadest coverage in Forest Lake, 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 Forest Lake compare to other cities with a similar population?

To see how Forest Lake 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 Forest Lake's B- ISP Report Card and 79 / 100 Digital Connectivity Index.