Starlink Internet Plans, Pricing, and Review 2026

Starlink
Starlink
4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1
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    Starts at $55 per month*

  • pro
    Unlimited Data
  • pro
    High download speeds & low latency
  • pro
    Self-Installation
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Call (855) 288-1017

*Starlink Residential 200 Mbps and Residential 100 Mbps plans w/ promotional pricing are only available in select regions.

Andreas Rivera
By Andreas Rivera
Aug 11, 2026
Icon Time To Read6 min read

Starlink by SpaceX has quickly become the preferred choice of satellite and rural internet solutions. Its revolutionary technology has changed not only satellite internet but global communication as a whole.  It's a perfect solution for getting high-speed internet nearly anywhere, whether you live off-grid or are a globetrotter.

SatelliteInternet.com has a collective 15 years' worth of experience researching and writing about satellite internet to help people find the best internet solution, no matter where they are.

What's the best Starlink plan for you?

Home internet logo

Best for Home

Starlink Residential

  • Starts at $55 per month* 
  • $349 for Starlink Standard Dish
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Hotspot logo

Best for Travel

Starlink Roam

  • Starts at $55 per month
  • $199 for Starlink Mini Dish (Standard Dish compatible)
View Plans View Plans
DSL provider

Best for Business

Starlink Priority

  • $290 per month for 1TB
  • $1,999 for Starlink High Performance
View Plans View Plans

*Low-cost plans not available in all regions.

Starlink Pros & Cons

Starlink Pros
pro Low latency
pro 30-day money back guarantee
pro 99% availability in the U.S.
pro Easy setup
pro Mobile option
Starlink Cons
con Poor customer service
con Expensive equipment costs
con Congestion charges in some regions
con Performance varies by location

Starlink plans and pricing

Call (855) 288-1017
Plan
Price
Download Speed
Latency
Equipment fee
Residential 100 Mbps*$55/mo.Up to 100Mbps30—40ms$349 or free rental
Residential 200 Mbps*$85/mo.Up to 200Mbps30—40ms$349 or free rental
Residential MAX$130/mo.Up to 400Mbps30—40ms$349 or free rental
Roam 100 GB$55/mo.Up to 260Mbps<99ms$199–$349
Roam 300 GB$80/mo.Up to 260Mbps<99ms$199–$349
Roam Unlimited$175/mo.Up to 260Mbps<99ms$199–$349

Top speeds not guaranteed during peak hours
*Plan not available in all regions

Explore Residential Plans
Explore Roam Plans
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Starlink for Business

Starlink is becoming a viable solution for rural and maritime businesses, as well as airlines. While a Starlink High Performance dish with the Priority plan can be bought standalone, you can work with Starlink to customize a plan that includes the equipment that fits your business's needs. There's a lot to customize, so it's easy to overpay. Read our review and guide to Starlink for Business.

Everything that comes with the Standard Starlink kit, including dish, gateway, power supply, and cables. Everything needed to get online. | Photo by Allaina Jefferys for SatelliteInternet.com

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Starlink Deals

Free Starlink Mini rental: New customers who sign up for Starlink's Residential MAX plan, the highest-tier plan, will also get a free Starlink Mini rental. After purchasing the plan, customers will receive an email detailing the sign-up plan. As with Starlink's other rentals, if you cancel your account, you will need to return the equipment.

Rental kits: Starlink is offering free rental plans in select areas for Residential customers. You can rent a Standard kit for $0 per month. If you cancel service, you must return the equipment undamaged, or you will be charged the full amount.

Explore Starlink Deals

Our expert Starlink review

I've used and tested Starlink for several years in different locations. I also spoke with more than a dozen customers in various parts of the world to understand how Starlink meets their needs. I also drew from proprietary data on speeds and pricing, as well as research into the satellite internet industry and the technology that drives it.

How we rate and compare satellite internet providers

We break down our reviews of satellite internet providers into four categories. To keep a fair comparison, we rate satellite internet providers only against other satellite internet competitors.
Icon System Benefit
Speed & Latency

During my testing, download speeds consistently landed between 100–200 Mbps, occasionally topping 300 Mbps, with latency around 20ms — matching what customers reported in interviews. Starlink's low-orbit satellites give it a clear edge over Hughesnet and Viasat: latency nationally runs 30–40ms versus up to 800ms for geostationary competitors. That gap is what makes buffer-free streaming and online gaming realistic on Starlink but not on the others.

I tested this myself, playing online games and watching live TV over Starlink with no noticeable delay or disconnection — performance on par with a traditional home connection.

Icon System Limited Time
Data

Starlink markets its residential plans as unlimited, and functionally that's held up: customers I interviewed said they rarely see slowdowns even at heavy usage. The catch is Starlink's Fair Use Policy, which can throttle top users during congestion but — unlike Viasat, which sets its threshold at 850GB/month — doesn't publish a specific cap. Business-focused Priority plans work differently: they're tiered by data allotment, with the option to buy more if you exceed it.

Icon System Details
Reliability

Reliability is Starlink's weakest category, driven almost entirely by thin customer support. Submitting a ticket through the app is the only real contact option, and customers told me responses were slow. When I tested the support site myself with hypothetical issues, I was routed to a chatbot.

That said, several customers I interviewed said they rarely need support and prefer the hands-off approach. Signal reliability itself has held up well in my experience, with no major outages. Setup, by contrast, is a strength: I self-installed my kit in about 30 minutes, and most customers I spoke with found permanent mounting manageable in an afternoon.

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Value

Most customers I interviewed were on the $130/mo. Residential MAX plan, and found the speed more than adequate even for households running businesses or multiple heavy users at once. Nearly everyone said the cost was worth it — for most, satellite was their only option.

Starlink remains the priciest satellite provider once you factor in equipment costs, though pricing has eased: SpaceX introduced lower-tiered, affordable plans. Starlink requires no contract, and used kits can be resold or bought secondhand for savings.

Starlink customer reviews

5 out of 5 stars
5

"This is the fastest Wi-Fi connection I’ve ever had the pleasure of using. Very happy with the stable internet connection."

William P

5 out of 5 stars
5

"My Starlink speed is as high as 275 [Mbps], and as low as 75 [Mbps]. That’s amazing."

Richard F

5 out of 5 stars
5

"Setup was extremely easy and fast! No dislikes whatsoever, and I have Internet access in all weather conditions."

Mark S

Your choices for Starlink hardware

Starlink is one of the only internet providers that requires you to purchase the necessary hardware needed to get online. It has multiple versions of its hardware for purchase.

Starlink Standard

  • Current Price: $349, Free rental
  • Features: Kickstand for on-the-go setup, lightweight, improved Wi-Fi 
  • Compatible plans: Residential, Roam, Priority
  • Download speed: Up to 400Mbps
  • Best for: Rural home internet, casual travel, small business
  • Size: 23.4 in x 15.07 in
  • Weight: 7 lb

Starlink Mini

  • Current Price: $199
  • Features: Wi-Fi router built into the dish, size and weight of a laptop
  • Compatible plans: Roam only
  • Download speed: Up to 100Mbps
  • Best for: Backpackers, emergency responders, backup internet
  • Size: 11.75 in x 10.2 in
  • Weight: 2.56 lb
  • Read Starlink Mini review

 High-Performance

  • Current Price: $1,999
  • Features: Higher power input and improved field of view for better reliability while moving at high speeds. 
  • Compatible plans: Local Priority, Global Priority
  • Download speed:  400Mbps and above, depending on location
  • Best for: Businesses, emergency responders, maritime use
  • Size: 22.6 in x 20.1 in
  • Weight: 13 lb

How does Starlink installation work?

Starlink is engineered to be self-installed. You can set up your Starlink in less than 30 minutes. However, for a permanent installation on your home or vehicle, Starlink also sells additional equipment, such as mounts, longer cables, and wall routing kits, on its website. Starlink also provides professional installation through a third-party provider, but pricing and availability vary by region. Installation is included when signing up for the Residential MAX plan.

What is the Starlink congestion fee?

According to the FCC National Broadband Map, Starlink's internet service is available in 99% of the United States. However, due to network congestion, Starlink sometimes attaches a one-time surcharge in regions with dwindling bandwidth. This Starlink congestion charge can range from $100 to $1,500. Certain promotions and plans are also not available in these regions. Check your address and see if the charge is added to your checkout, especially if you intend to purchase from a third-party retailer.

Starlink as backup internet

Starlink doesn't have to be your primary internet and can keep you online if your main provider has an outage. Starlink has a unique mode you can switch on anytime called Standby Mode. For $10 per month, your dish will remain online with minimal speeds (about 0.5 Mbps). It's enough to ensure you can stay in communication, whether it's to contact your provider, contact loved ones, or keep your online business running.

How do Starlink’s price, speed, and data compare to satellite internet rivals?

Before Starlink hit the scene in 2020, there were only two major satellite internet providers, Hughesnet and Viasat. They were the only way to get internet to places with no other options. The biggest difference between them and Starlink is that they use geostationary satellites that cover wide areas, but suffer from high latency.

Starlink was a game-changer, with its numerous low-Earth-orbit satellites that drastically improved speed and latency. Its unique business model also differed from those of the two traditional providers. The sudden popularity of Starlink spurred the competition to offer more affordable plans and more plan choices.

Provider
Price
Speed
High-speed data
See more
ViasatViasat
$39.99–$69.99 for first three months12–150Mbps150GB–UnlimitedView Plans
Hughesnet
$39.99–$94.99/mo. for first 12 months25–100Mbps100—200GBView Plans
StarlinkStarlink
$55.00–$130.00/mo.20–400MbpsUnlimitedView Plans

How does Starlink stack up against non-satellite alternatives?

While Starlink and other satellite providers can be used nearly anywhere in the U.S., there are other options for rural internet. 5G home internet is another wireless internet type that uses the terrestrial cellular towers most cellphone providers rely on. Depending on how remote you are, these internet options could be faster or slower than satellite, but they're almost always more value. With no upfront hardware costs and pricing bundles with voice plans, they can save you money for similar performance to Starlink.

Provider
Price
Data
Download speed
Learn more
T-Mobile 5G Home InternetT-Mobile 5G Home Internet
$35.00–$55.00/mo. w/AutoPlay & voice line, fees & taxesUnlimitedUp to 498Mbps averageView Plans
VerizonVerizon Home Internet
$35.00–$80.00/mo. w/ Auto Pay and select 5G mobile plansUnlimited***Up to 1,000MbpsView Plans
AT&T Internet AirAT&T Internet Air
$55.00/mo.Unlimited75—225MbpsView Plans
EarthlinkEarthLink
$39.95-$159.95Unlimited18-5000 MbpsView Plans
StarlinkStarlink
$55.00—$130.00/mo.100GB—UnlimitedUp to 400MbpsView plans
With a 12 month contract.

*w/ Auto Pay and qualifying mobile plan. Regulatory fees included in monthly price for qualified accounts. See full terms.

**w/ Auto Pay. Available in select areas.

***Consumer data usage is subject to the usage restrictions set forth in Verizon's terms of service; visit: https://www.verizon.com/support/customer-agreement/ for more information about 5G Home and LTE Home Internet or https://www.verizon.com/about/terms-conditions/verizon-customer-agreement for Fios internet.

Explore more info on Starlink

Starlink FAQ

You can use it in your RV with Starlink Roam. You can take it anywhere and use your phone app to connect your dish to the internet. Just go to Starlink’s website to sign up for the portable internet you’ve hoped for.

Starlink's greatest advantage over its competitors is its low latency. High download speeds don't necessarily mean faster internet. High latency can make the internet perform more slowly, especially for things like streaming, video chatting, and online gaming. 

Satellite internet latency can go up to 600ms. Meanwhile, Starlink's satellites are low-earth orbiting (LEO), allowing it to bring latency down to 25 to 60ms. To compare, fiber internet has latency in the range of 11 to 14ms.

Starlink's low latency makes streaming buffer-free, video calls high quality, and gaming smooth.

Starlink is easily the best choice for gaming over satellite internet. Latency can make or break your multiplayer gaming experience, especially in games that require fast reactions, such as first-person shooters, racers, and fighting games. Starlink solves the high-latency problem with its LEO satellite technology, allowing for more responsive internet.

Starlink is designed to work in snow, extreme heat (122 degrees Fahrenheit), extreme cold (-22 degrees Fahrenheit), heavy rain, sleet, and hail. The dish is hydrophobic and has the ability to melt snow, although that warmth might make it attractive to cats.

Starlink is working with astronomers to resolve concerns about Starlink satellites obstructing the natural night sky. Some efforts include updating Starlink software to adjust positioning to make them invisible to the naked eye and deploying sun visors that darken satellites from sun reflections.

Andreas Rivera
Written by
Andreas Rivera
Andreas Rivera is a lifelong writer with a decade-spanning career in journalism and marketing. He comes to SatelliteInternet.com with several years of experience writing about business and technology. His passion for researching the latest advancements in tech, especially the now essential need for reliable internet access, fuels his goal of educating others about how these innovations affect and improve our everyday lives. When not researching and writing about SatelliteInternet.com, you’ll likely find him buried in a good book or enjoying the great outdoors with a fishing rod.