How Does Starlink Compare To Other Satellite Providers?

If you live in a rural area, you may be considering satellite internet service as a way to stay connected to the world. Although satellite internet isn’t as fast or affordable as landline internet connections, it’s better than no internet at all. Starlink is one of the newer and popular entrants in the satellite internet space, as it has fast speeds for a satellite ISP, but its high costs can be hard to swallow for homes on a budget.

Are you interested in satellite internet that’s widely available and can cover you on the road? Do you need large data caps and fast download speeds that can support your rural household? Whether you’re in the country or on the road, we can help you determine whether or not Starlink satellite internet is the best fit for your household.

How do other satellite providers compare to Starlink?

While satellite internet is different from your average cable or fiber internet provider, price and download speeds are still the most important features to consider when you’re looking for a satellite internet package. You’ll also want to think about how much data you need each month. Let’s break down what the competition offers compared to Starlink.

Earthlink

In addition to its DSL, mobile data, and fiber internet services, EarthLink also offers satellite internet service for rural internet customers. By the numbers, EarthLink’s satellite internet plan covers the expected bases. EarthLink offers basic download speeds up to 100Mbps, which’ll cover basic web browsing but struggle to handle streaming for more than a few people. EarthLink’s maximum data cap of 300 GB is fairly generous, and with satellite internet speeds, you’ll be hard pressed to hit the cap during a monthly billing cycle.

However, EarthLink’s satellite internet prices are less transparent than we’d like to see. Although they start at $49.99/mo., exact pricing heavily depends on your location and how much data you’d need for your household.

Hughesnet

If you’re looking to spend the least amount of money on just a smidge of internet capability, Hughesnet is the way to go. They won’t get you as much speed or data as most of Viasat’s plans, but Hughesnet’s cheapest plan is less than Viasat’s. Hughesnet has another advantage over Viasat: transparent pricing. Hughesnet’s satellite internet plans aren’t fantastic, but they at least spell out what you’re getting more clearly.

As mentioned earlier, allotted GBs of data will affect your internet speed at least as much as Mbps. Also, the download speed Hughesnet offers across its plans is between 50–100 Mbps—there’s no way to slap a “Gold” or “Platinum” moniker on that. Hughesnet states plainly in its basic 100 GB data plan that if you go over 100 GB within the billing month, it will throttle down your internet speed from 50 Mbps to 1–3 Mbps.

Hughesnet’s plans have price guarantees for one year, with no surprise price bumps after three months like Viasat. That’s one more small but positive check in the Hughesnet column.

Viasat

As you’re looking into getting a Viasat plan, keep in mind that they cost more than double a comparably speed-rated cable or DSL plan. Plus, the satellite’s signal strength to your home will determine whether you actually get that full 150 Mbps. Viasat’s one plan has unlimited data, but once you hit 850GB of data in a month, they reserve the right to throttle your data and slow your internet down in high-traffic periods.

Viasat Unleashed’s prices and speeds vary by area, so the only way to know the actual speeds you’ll get is by entering your address on Viasat’s website. If you can get more than 100 Mbps where you live, you’ll be in good shape. Still, we’ve selected Viasat for best overall because it beats out Hughesnet for speed and bang-for-your buck. And unlike Starlink, Viasat is a well-established, fully-functional satellite internet provider, and you can get it almost anywhere in the US.

And while Viasat’s satellite tech is nothing to sneeze at, data transfer remains satellite internet’s biggest frustration—and Viasat’s not immune. Since data travels out of the stratosphere and back, there’s latency, or lag. Streaming HD movies or gaming over satellite internet can make you feel like you’re in the dial-up ’90s (ask your parents—or go watch Captain Marvel again).

What to look for in satellite internet packages and deals

Price

Satellite internet costs an average of about $85 per month—more expensive than most land-based internet services, which usually run about $50 per month.

In the case of satellite internet, your costs will often go up based on both the internet speeds and the data allowance you select. So when considering satellite internet coverage, factor in your budget along with what type of tasks (answering emails, watching movies) you’ll need internet access for.

Download speeds

Download speeds, or bandwidth, affect how quickly you can download online content. The listed download speed for an internet package gets split among every user in your home, so make sure to invest in a bigger package if multiple people use your internet. A 25 Mbps connection will be fast for one person but slow for a five-person house.

No matter how much bandwidth you pay for, satellite internet is usually slower than land-based internet services because of latency. Bandwidth is how much information your internet transfers at once, while latency is how long that info takes to travel from a server to your computer. Check out our latency vs. bandwidth article to learn more.

Since data sent over satellite information has to go to space and back, satellite internet always comes with a lot of latency. High latency is why satellite internet isn’t an ideal choice for online gaming—the data packets just can’t travel fast enough to stay competitive in real-time.

Data allowances

Data allowances are how much data you can use per month before the carrier slows down your internet. While regular internet browsing requires little data, you can quickly hit a low cap with activities like regularly streaming movies.

You might be able to get away with a small data package if you use your internet only to check your email. But even scrolling through Instagram takes a bunch of data, so with satellite internet, you browse at your own risk.