Viasat Review 2023: Plans, Prices, and More
Viasat is the best internet you can get if you live outside of DSL and cable service areas.
Is Viasat any good?
Viasat (formerly Excede) is the best satellite internet internet service provider right now. It has faster speeds and higher data caps than HughesNet, so it’s our top satellite pick for best rural internet providers in the United States.
But if you need to replace your land-based internet, like Xfinity, AT&T, or CenturyLink, look elsewhere. Viasat has too many shortcomings to give you a good bang for your buck, and its latency is a total drag.
Viasat pros and cons
Pros
- High-speed rural internet
- Reliable service
- Flexibility for leaves of absence
Cons
- High latency
- Prices vary by area
- Misleading pricing
Viasat internet plans and prices
| Package | 3-month promo price* | Price after 3 mos.* | Download speeds up to | Data cap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Choice 25 | $39.99/mo. | $59.99/mo. | 25 Mbps | 100 GB | View Plans for Viasat |
| Choice 50 | $59.99/mo. | $79.99/mo. | 50 Mbps | 200 GB | View Plans for Viasat |
| Choice 100 | $69.99/mo. | $119.00/mo. | 100 Mbps | 400 GB | View Plans for Viasat |
| Choice 150 | $109.99/mo. | $159.99/mo. | 150 Mbps | Unlimiited | View Plans for Viasat |
Data effective as of publish date. Offers and availability vary by location and are subject to change.
* Installation fees, monthly equipment lease fees, and taxes may apply. After 100 GB of High-Speed Data usage, you still have unlimited access to Standard Data, which may result in slower speed.
The plans above are listed from worst to best—shoot for a plan with the most speed and data you can afford.
Unfortunately, Viasat’s plans and internet prices vary by area. The only way to know your specific plan options is checking your address on Viasat’s website. You will likely see different speeds, data caps, and prices than the ones in the table above.
And while Viasat’s Unlimited plans offer higher speeds and data usage, keep in mind that all its internet prices rise after three months. Viasat’s cheaper plans don’t offer the amount of speed and data most people need. If you have the option, fork out the extra cash to avoid the headaches that come with slow internet.
Also, keep in mind that Viasat offers only internet service, so you’ll have to look elsewhere for TV service. Go for DISH and DIRECTV for satellite TV—you can compare them both in our head-to-head review.
Viasat data caps
One of Viasat’s biggest problems is its data caps. Even the Viasat Unlimited plans, which give you “unlimited data,” slow your internet speeds dramatically once you hit your data cap.
The best way to avoid slowing is to choose a plan with a lot of data. While Choice 150 isn’t available in all areas, its data allowance and zippy download speeds are the best we’ve seen from Viasat. If you can get it at your home, it’s the one we’d recommend—as long as you can handle the enormous monthly bills.
If you’re considering switching over from the one other satellite internet provider, HughesNet, you may want to take a look at Viasat’s Choice 25 plan. It’s a close match to HughesNet’s best plans—same speeds, but in many areas it comes with more data at a lower price.
Viasat internet deals and promotions
Viasat offers promotional pricing, but these deals last only for the first three months of your two-year contract. After that, your price could jump anywhere from $20 to $80 more per month depending on your plan. Gross.
However, we are fans of Viasat’s Hibernation Plan. After you’ve been a Viasat customer for one month, you can switch to the $9.99-per-month Hibernation Plan for two to six months. This leave of absence is a great way to save money if you live at your Viasat residence for only a few months out of the year.
Viasat internet equipment
Unlike DSL and cable internet, satellite internet doesn’t have standardized technology for modems. That means you won’t be able to find a third-party modem—you have to use what Viasat provides.
You have to lease your equipment from Viasat for $12.99 per month or buy it outright for $299.99. Heads up—Viasat’s combo modem/Wi-Fi router will provide wireless coverage, or you can use your own wireless router.
These equipment rental prices are pretty typical for internet providers, but we’re extra bummed to see them from Viasat. Since there’s no option to buy this equipment elsewhere, we’d rather see it included in the Viasat internet cost from the get-go.
Viasat Voice
Viasat also offers an internet/phone bundle under the name Viasat Voice. The Voice half of the bundle is $19.99 per month for the first six months—a $10 savings, and not a bad price compared to similar providers.
Viasat Voice isn’t a traditional landline or cell plan. It’s a VoIP, or Voice over Internet Protocol. This means that it relies on your satellite internet connection instead of phone lines and cell towers. It might be a good option if you would otherwise have a spotty cell connection in your area. It also offers unlimited local and long distance calling in the United States and Canada, none of which will count against your monthly data caps.
Final take: Is Viasat worth it?
Internet is an essential utility, so if your home doesn’t connect to land-based internet networks, we recommend Viasat’s satellite internet over dial-up internet. You’ll have access to the internet, home of the sum of human knowledge (and our friendly website).
But Viasat comes with high costs (monetarily), and the data caps mean significant slowing after you hit your limits. So if you’re thinking of getting Viasat for your weekend getaway cabin rather than a primary residence, consider if the cost is worth it. Maybe you should forfeit streaming capabilities for more time listening to the birds sing.
Before you make your final decision, be sure to double check for other internet providers near you. Cable and DSL services are your better bet for quality internet. If you enter your zip code below, we’ll pull up a list of all the providers in your area. Don’t worry—we don’t keep or share your information.
Viasat FAQ
Why is Viasat internet so slow?
If you’re experiencing slow speeds with Viasat, it could be because you’ve reached your data cap. After you reach that threshold–100 GB on its cheapest plan—Viasat will throttle your connection, causing slow internet. When this happens, Viasat recommends either waiting for your allowance to reset the next month or purchasing additional data directly.
But many Viasat users still experience slowness in the form of latency—the round-trip time it takes for information to go from you to the internet and back to your computer.
Every time you click on a new web link, that request has to go to Viasat’s satellite in outer space, then down to its network operation center. The info you requested then has to go up to the satellite and down to your house.
This journey is an incredible undertaking, so it’s a massive feat of human ingenuity that your latency can be counted in only milliseconds. But with that much latency, we don’t recommend satellite internet for online gaming.
Is Viasat satellite internet good for Netflix?
Viasat can be a good option for Netflix, but you have to be careful not to use all your data. Set your Netflix quality to Medium (this will look as good as a VHS), and you’ll use only 0.7 GB per hour. But if you want to watch lots of Netflix, pick a Viasat plan with plenty of data.
If you go with the smallest Viasat plan, Choice 25, you may have up to 100 GB of data each month, which means you could watch 142 hours of Netflix before your internet speed slows dramatically.
But on Choice 400, you may have up to 400 GB. Each month, you could watch 571 hours of Netflix before you see any slowing—about 23 days of nonstop TV.
Of course, if you do things on the internet other than watch Netflix, you could run out of data sooner. Viewing pictures, checking email, and visiting web pages uses your data too. With Viasat, you have to be as miserly with your data as Scrooge McDuck with his mountain of gold.
Check out our full guide for better Netflix internet options.
Is Viasat internet service really unlimited?
Because Viasat won’t charge you or cut off your internet usage entirely when you go over your allocated data, Viasat plans are considered unlimited. But once you hit your data cap, you’re likely to notice your download speeds become starkly slower.
Viasat won’t prioritize your internet usage again until the next month, so other users who haven’t hit their data caps will get to cut ahead of you. But slow internet is still internet, and it will be handy to have in an emergency. It just might not be as fun to stream TV while it spends a long time buffering.
Is Viasat better than HughesNet?
We generally recommend Viasat over HughesNet, because Viasat offers faster download speeds of up to 150 Mbps. You’re limited to download speeds of up to 25 Mbps on HughesNet, although HughesNet has some plans that are cheaper than Viasat’s 25 Mbps plans.
Is Viasat good for streaming movies?
Viasat can stream high-definition TV shows or movies, which typically need a download speed of at least 5 Mbps. But if you’re regularly streaming content, you’ll need to watch your data usage to ensure you don’t hit Viasat’s data caps.
Check out our article for “Is Satellite Internet Good for Streaming?” to get more information.
Methodology
The experts at CableTV.com have spent hours comparing satellite internet prices and plans to bring you the best deals on the market. Our editorial ratings focus on prices, speeds, reliability, customer satisfaction, and equipment, among other things. For more information, check out How We Rank.
