Viasat Internet Review 2023: Is Viasat Satellite Internet Your Best Option?

Viasat will be launching new terabit-ready GEO satellites in April of this year from Cape Canaveral, Florida. With this launch, Viasat speeds are anticipated to increase across affected regions. Will it get to the same level as Starlink, as Starlink speeds are decreasing? We can hope!

The best Unlimited Viasat plan is the Unlimited Platinum 100, boasting download speeds up to 100 Mbps. It costs $149.99 per month for the first three months and $199.99 thereafter. Viasat’s Unlimited Platinum 100 plan includes 300 GB of full-speed data per month, which is the most generous data allotment you’ll find anywhere with satellite service.

If your household needs a plan that balances performance and cost, we’d recommend Unlimited Gold 50. With a sizable 200 GB data cap and download speeds of up to 50 Mbps, it’s fast enough to support multiple users at once.

By comparison, Viasat’s entry-level plan is the Unlimited Bronze 12 plan, which isn’t considered high-speed internet. This plan gives you speeds up to 12 Mbps and  80 GB per month. It costs $49.99 per month for the first three months and $69.99 thereafter. It’s far from the fastest Viasat plan, but it’s a good value if you simply need basic and affordable satellite internet service.

We’ve separated unlimited Viasat’s unlimited plans from Viasat internet plans with low data thresholds into two separate tables below.

If you pick a Viasat plan with speeds of 25 Mbps, 50 Mbps, or 100 Mbps, your Viasat internet service can support video streaming (as long as you don’t run out of data). Speeds over 25 Mbps can even support several people browsing the internet at the same time or streaming on multiple devices (although this will eat up your data quickly).

But—that said—keep in mind that the fastest speeds aren’t available everywhere. Many rural areas still top out at 12 Mbps or 25 Mbps Viasat speeds. So you’ll want to find out which speeds are available in your area before you sign a 2-year contract.

For most households, we’d recommend getting at least a 25 Mbps internet plan. Viasat’s 12 Mbps plans can be serviceable if you just need the internet for basic tasks like emails, but they can’t handle more than several internet users at the same time.

Check out our recommended download speeds for more tips on figuring out how much internet speed and data your household needs.

Most satellite internet plans have data restrictions, and Viasat plans are no different. Even Viasat plans that are advertised as unlimited will actually give you only a limited amount of priority data (full-speed data).

If you exceed your monthly data allotment, you’ll still have unlimited data but your speeds will be slowed down to 1–3 Mbps for the remainder of the month. That's what most satellite providers call "standard data." These speeds won’t support most streaming video services, but you’ll still be able to check your email and browse the web (albeit slowly). You can also sometimes stream music at lower quality settings.

We don’t usually recommend plans like Viasat Liberty 12 because very few households will use this little data.

Viasat Liberty plans also have a hard data cap, which means that if you exceed your data limit, your service will stop for the rest of the billing period unless you pay for more data. Buying extra data is priced at $10 for 1 GB, $48 for 5 GB, $67 for 7 GB, or $95 for 10 GB. The only instances where such a small data cap would work are in vacation homes where you visit periodically and need only a basic internet connection.

For folks who like video or music streaming, opt for the Viasat Internet plan with the largest data cap you can afford. Streaming video content can eat up 1–7 GB of data per hour, depending on video quality. (Yikes!) That’s why we recommend getting most of your entertainment with a satellite TV service like DIRECTV or watching free local stations with a TV antenna.

Viasat’s best unlimited internet plans offer between 100–300 GB of data per month. The data caps on these plans will be enough for most households, although you might hit your cap if multiple people are doing activities like lengthy Spotify sessions, downloading large games, or streaming 4K video on a daily basis.

Unless you have very slim internet needs, we recommend avoiding Viasat’s plans with data caps of less than 100 GB. Most people on low data plans end up frustrated by extra data fees or slow speeds when the data allowance is reached. Your speed might not be throttled if fewer people are online (like in the wee hours of the morning). But for most households, it’ll be more practical to upgrade your data cap rather than exclusively use the internet after 2:00 a.m.

If you want to keep your satellite bill low but still have a usable amount of data, we recommend getting the Viasat Unlimited Silver 25 plan for $69.99 a month for the first three months. This plan offers 120 GB of full-speed data every month instead of just 12 GB on the Liberty Bronze plan.

The good news is that you can upgrade your Viasat Internet service to a plan with more data at any time. So, if you decide to start with a small plan and see how much data you really use, you can easily bump up to a bigger plan without altering your contract or incurring fees.

Viasat Internet prices jump by $20–$50 a month after the first three months, while HughesNet keeps prices locked for the entire two-year contract. HughesNet also has its Bonus Zone data policy, which triples your data cap during the middle of the night to avoid network congestion.

But Viasat offers the fastest speeds and the largest data caps of any nationwide satellite internet provider. HughesNet’s best internet plan includes 25 Mbps download speeds and a 50 GB cap, while Viasat offers up to 100 Mbps download speeds and a 300 GB cap. You’ll be able to do more and have more data with Viasat than with HughesNet. Viasat offers up to six times more data than HughesNet for the same price.

Check out our full Viasat vs. HughesNet breakdown to learn more about each satellite internet provider.

Although Viasat’s internet plans are pricier than HughesNet’s, you’ll get larger data caps and faster speeds with Viasat that’ll let you regularly download files or watch online videos.

But when it comes to price and performance, satellite internet providers can’t help but be a step behind other internet options like cable and fiber. 

You can get Viasat almost anywhere in the US, including some areas of Hawaii and Alaska. Viasat’s available plans vary by location due to satellite capacity limitations, but most areas of the country will have at least two or three Viasat plans to choose from. Your home needs to have a clear view of the sky facing south because the satellite dish will be pointed in that direction.

Also, your home needs to be stationary in order to get a residential Viasat service plan. So, if you travel in an RV, you can’t get Viasat residential service—although portable internet might be coming with the ViaSat-3 constellation launch next year.

To find out which Viasat plans are available in your area, enter your address below.

Viasat offers free installation, which is helpful since self-installation is not recommended with satellite internet. You do not need phone wiring to get Viasat satellite internet, since your installation technician will install a small satellite dish on your house and run wiring from the dish to a modem and router combination device inside your home.

• Viasat Wi-Fi Modem monthly lease: $5.00/mo.
• Viasat Wi-Fi Modem purchase price: $299.00
• Viasat installation: Free

You’ll also need a Viasat Wi-Fi Modem (a modem/router combo) from Viasat. A typical modem from the store won’t work with satellite internet—you need the Viasat Wi-Fi Modem to connect to Viasat’s satellite internet signal. The modem/router will broadcast a Wi-Fi signal throughout your home, but you can use your own router to customize your home network if you choose.

If you want to purchase the Viasat Wi-Fi Gateway rather than rent it, you can buy it for $300. If you’re not sure how long you’ll stay with Viasat, we recommend renting. Plus, at the end of a two-year period (the length of a Viasat contract), renting is cheaper than buying.

Viasat Shield is ViaSat Inc.'s security service app meant to complement its satellite internet service, so you can only get Viasat Shield  if you're already an customer.

The Viasat Shield app allows you to monitor devices connected to your home internet, including their bandwidth usage, and warns you about current cyberattacks on your network. Viasat claims Shield is easy to setup and gives you a central overview of your satellite internet connection.

All that said, Viasat Shield is nice to have and pretty useful, but it's a bit basic and won't protect you against malware or major breaks in your device security.

Is Viasat Shield free?

Viasat Shield is free, so we recommend all Viasat users check it out and download the app. The additional security can't hurt, but don't expect it to protect you from malware, hacking, or phishing attempts. Viasat saves those powerful features for Viasat Shield Premium—which isn't free.

What is Viasat Shield premium?

Viasat Shield Premium gives you everything that Viasat Shield offers, then adds browser protections (to combat malware and unsafe websites), BitDefender virus scanning and removal for up to seven devices, and the ability to turn devices connected to your network on and off at will.

BitDefender is a trusted name in antivirus software, so Viasat Shield Premium has some pretty strong muscle to protect you out there in the wild internet wastelands. But you're certainly paying for it at $8.99/mo.

Now don't get us wrong, $8.99 isn't bad for an online security service, but the equivalent software from BitDefender costs only $3 a month ($39.99 a year, with a one-year agreement). You're paying more for ease-of-integration with Viasat Shield Premium, since it's connected directly to your satellite internet services, devices, and Viasat account.

So if convenience is what you want, and you've got the cash, Viasat Shield Premium is as good an option as any. But if you're more interested in pure online safety and best bang for your buck, going directly through BitDefender or another trustworthy antivirus software will better fit your needs.

Viasat EasyCare is like an extra subscription service that provides customers with a better customer support experience and waived fees on a few big-ticket items for $8.99 a month.

Here's what you'll get specifically if you subscribe to Viasat EasyCare:

• A special, dedicated customer service phone line with real humans to help solve your problems
• Service calls that normally cost $95 per visit are free
• $105 off the normally $200 annual satellite dish relocation service (for a total cost of $95)   

Do we think it would be better if these things were just included in Viasat's normal service? Sure. But since that's not likely to happen, you might consider Viasat EasyCare, particularly if you've been burned by bad customer care or expensive service calls before.

Speaking of Viasat customer service (the standard kind, not Viasat EasyCare's), Viasat has a basic support hub for common problems like slow internet speeds and logging into your account. We recommend starting there or using our Viasat Troubleshooting Guide before jumping on the phone. It could actually save you some time.

After that, you can also contact Viasat via agent chat or phone at +1-855-463-9333.

• Viasat vs. HughesNet
• Best High-Speed Internet in Rural Areas
• How Much Does Satellite Internet Cost?

Viasat satellite internet is a good option for people who live in rural areas and don’t have access to cable, fiber, and other internet options. Viasat satellite internet is available to 99% of the US and offers speeds up to 100 Mbps.

Viasat does not require a phone line to get satellite internet service.

You can get Viasat Voice as an add-on service to your internet plan for $29.99 per month (and $39.99 per month thereafter). Viasat Voice is a VoIP service that lets you use your internet connection for phone service. To learn more about Viasat’s VoIP service, check out our Viasat VoIP review.

You can stream with Viasat satellite internet but your video quality will depend on your plan’s download speed.

Viasat does offer general streaming quality recommendations for its plans:

• Unlimited Bronze 25: 360p
• Unlimited Silver 25: 480p
• Unlimited Gold 30: 720p
• Unlimited Gold 50: 720p
• Unlimited Platinum 100: 1080p

You can pair your Viasat Internet service with satellite TV from DISH or DIRECTV. But, satellite TV requires its own satellite dish.

You can use Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) with Viasat, but it will use up your data unless you use Viasat Voice ($29.99 per month).

It’s possible to use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) with Viasat, but it will probably not perform well. Satellite internet is susceptible to high latency (lag) and VPNs work best on low-latency services like cable and fiber internet

You can play online games with Viasat, but your performance will depend on the type of games you’re playing. Satellite internet comes with a delay time that makes it difficult to play games like first-person shooters that require real-time reactions. For tips about playing video games online using satellite internet, check out our guide to online gaming on satellite internet.

Viasat offers a wide array of rural business internet solutions that are ideal for anything from small businesses to airlines.

Viasat plans offer maximum download speeds of 12 Mbps all the way up to 100 Mbps. All Viasat plans advertise 3 Mbps upload speeds.

The best Viasat plans cost between $50.00 per month and $169.99 per month and include at least 80 GB of monthly data. Bargain plans may cost only $30.00 per month but will give you only a few days worth of data.

Viasat Internet services require a two-year agreement. If you cancel your service before the end of that two-year period, Viasat will charge $15 for every month remaining on the contract.

Viasat Internet requires professional installation to mount and align the satellite dish that receives the signal. There is no self-installation option. You’ll schedule an installation time when you order your service and the technician will also help set up your computer.

Viasat will provide a satellite dish and modem with a built-in Wi-Fi router. You can also use a third-party router if you prefer, but you must use the modem issued by Viasat. Viasat charges a monthly equipment lease fee of $9.99.

Check out our Viasat customer service guide for more help with Viasat billing and payment questions.

You can use your own Wi-Fi router with your Viasat internet. But you’ll still need to use Viasat’s modem and pay the monthly equipment fee.

Viasat used to offer satellite internet service under the name Exede Internet. But it dropped the name Exede in 2017 and now uses the name Viasat Internet for all its residential internet services.

ViaSat-2 is the satellite launched by Viasat in 2017 that went live for service in 2018. It allows Viasat to provide satellite internet service to airlines and other large corporate clients while still offering up to 100 Mbps download speeds to residential customers

Scheduled to launch in the first half of 2022, the ViaSat-3 satellites will bring faster speeds to customers and expand internet coverage areas for Viasat customers.³