Compare satellite internet providers

The top 3 satellite internet providers

*Pricing per month plus taxes for length of contract. Additional fees and terms may apply. Pricing varies by location and availability. All prices subject to change at any time. May or may not be available based on service address. Speeds may vary. As of 05/25/22. **Actual speeds may vary and are not guaranteed.

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What satellite internet providers are available to you?

When shopping for satellite internet, you’ll likely find three available options: HughesNet, Viasat and Starlink. Although all three satellite providers do offer high-speed internet options, satellite internet is not known for being as efficient as other connection types, such as fiber or cable internet. This is due to its high latency. Its biggest selling point, however, is that satellite internet is available nearly everywhere in the U.S. so areas of the country that do not have other internet options are still able to connect to the internet.

How satellite internet works

Satellite internet is an internet connection that uses satellite signals to send and receive data. For example, HughesNet and Viasat use geostationary (fixed position) satellites that are about 22,000 miles above the Earth’s surface, whereas Starlink uses low-orbit satellites at 340 miles above Earth. 

Satellite tech

Satellite internet is a different technology from wired tech like fiber that has cables directly to your house or 5G that will often have a nearby cell tower connecting to your router and modem. Satellite users should know their service comes with slower speeds and lower latency, but that it is widely available and helps connect rural areas. 

Fiber is definitely the fastest option available right now, but years of infrastructure building and planning precede your neighborhood getting fiber connectivity. Right now, internet service is getting to underserved areas faster with satellite launches and the range is slowly getting to 500 Mbps by Starlink.

Starlink is leading the low-orbit service right now, but Amazon’s Kuiper is hoping to also be a major player soon.

Additionally, 22,000 miles is a long way for data to travel, which is why some satellite internet has such high latency (600+ ms). This high latency makes real-time online gaming and live streaming difficult if not impossible. 

From this height, a single satellite can cover a broad area. However, since so many customers are connected to the same satellite, access to data is shared by potentially thousands of customers at once. With so many people connected at once, satellite internet providers use data caps to help ensure there is enough bandwidth for all.

Gaming with satellite internet

You can use a satellite internet connection for downloading, on-demand video streaming, uploading and some gaming (turn-based strategy games are best for satellite internet).

Viasat explains the tricky world of gaming with a satellite connection, “Some games have performance problems or are unplayable, or use up a lot of data on your internet plan.”

The company says that mobile or single-player games are the best to play on their service. Multi-player games can be harder to play ​​because of the high latency issue.

Manage that data cap

If you do pick satellite internet, you’ll want the ability to manage your data usage, especially as a gamer. Techiexpert.com says, “If you want to stay within budget and don’t want to pay extra for data limits, you can simply manage the usage. It is only possible with the best data monitoring apps that allow you to keep track of your daily online usage and activities.” 

They recommend using an app like DataEye that will compress images for you into smaller packets or Data Monitor that allows you to set the limits and remind you of the billing cycle. Check out more data usage management apps here. 

How we evaluated satellite internet providers 

Although satellite internet is not competitive when compared to fiber or cable internet providers, it still gets the job done in areas of the country that lack the infrastructure needed for other connection types. Starlink is beginning to change how we see satellite internet since its latency is considerably lower than Hughesnet and Viasat. This means Zoom calls and live streaming are much more realistic options. 

When comparing Viasat, Hughesnet and Starlink to one another, we considered cost, speeds, latency, contracts and data caps. Below is a breakdown of the three providers.

Our opinion on satellite internet providers

If you’re looking for reliable satellite internet in a rural area, Viasat or HughesNet (and in some areas, Starlink) are your best options. If your address is eligible for Starlink, we’d recommend trying it out to experience the faster speeds and lower latency, but beware that starting pricing is higher than HughesNet or Viasat.

HughesNet: Best for speed consistency

HughesNet internet plans

*Pricing per month plus taxes for length of contract. Additional fees and terms may apply. Pricing varies by location and availability. All prices subject to change at any time. May or may not be available based on service address. **Actual speeds may vary and are not guaranteed. ***If you exceed your monthly plan data, you will experience reduced data speeds, which are typically in the range of 1-3 Mbps, until your next billing period. As of 5/25/22.

HughesNet offers the same speeds no matter where you live, which is not true of Viasat.

• Plan price and speed consistency – HughesNet speeds (up to 25 Mbps) are standard, as is plan pricing at $64.99/mo.
• “Bonus Zone” data – HughesNet customers can enjoy an extra 50GB of data/mo. available from the hours of 2 a.m. to 8 a.m. – a feature that Viasat doesn’t have.
• Low equipment fees – HughesNet equipment lease starts around $10/mo., a few bucks cheaper than the Viasat rental fee.
• Actual vs. advertised speeds – HughesNet is one of the few ISPs that actually provides faster speeds than what is advertised. The FCC reported that HughesNet’s median download speed is 31.27 Mbps for its advertised 25 Mbps plan.

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Viasat: Higher data limits

Viasat internet plans

*Pricing per month plus taxes for length of contract. Additional fees and terms may apply. Pricing varies by location and availability. All prices subject to change at any time. May or may not be available based on service address. Speeds may vary. As of 05/25/22.

Viasat offers faster speeds than HughesNet, but only in select areas. Regardless of available speeds, customers will appreciate higher data allowances than what’s available with most HughesNet plans, plus a two-year price guarantee.

• Speeds up to 100 Mbps – Viasat offers four times the speed of HughesNet, but only in select areas. In some locations, available speeds may top out at 50, 30 or 12 Mbps.
• Higher data allowances – With data plans ranging from 40-150GB, Viasat plans give you more data for the price compared to HughesNet.
• Two-year contract – Viasat plans require a two-year contract lock, but your price will be guaranteed for the length of it once the three-month introductory pricing ends. HughesNet customers may see a price increase after six months of service.
• Actual vs. advertised speeds – Expect Viasat’s service to be slightly slower than what is advertised. The FCC reported that the median download speed for Viasat’s advertised 12 Mbps plan is 10.75 Mbps (89.6% of the advertised speed). 

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Starlink: Best overall

Starlink internet plans

*Pricing per month plus taxes for length of contract. Additional fees and terms may apply. Pricing varies by location and availability. All prices subject to change at any time. May or may not be available based on service address. Speeds may vary. As of 05/25/22.

Starlink internet is a game-changer for satellite internet. With faster speeds, lower latency and unlimited data, Starlink will allow residents of rural households who currently are unable to work and learn remotely, to finally be able to do so. Starlink’s only downside is that it is pricier than HughesNet or Viasat, with prices starting at $110/mo., with $599 down for the equipment.

Although not available everywhere yet, Starlink has introduced a new plan tier with more range and speed that offers, according to CNET, “a scan array that’s twice as big as the standard plan and with download speeds ranging from 150-500 Mbps. That tier costs $500 per month, plus an initial payment of $2,500 for the equipment. Starlink is taking orders for that tier now, and plans to launch the service later in 2022.”

• Speeds up to 500 Mbps – Starlink speeds currently range between 100 and 500 Mbps.
• Low latency– The greatest difference between Starlink and other satellite companies has to do with latency. Starlink’s latency is significantly lower than HughesNet or Viasat, which means it will be easier for users to work or learn from home using Starlink. 
• Unlimited data – Although Starlink is currently not imposing data caps, it is unclear whether this will remain true after its beta phase. Starlink has only stated that there are no data caps “at this time.”

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What to know about satellite internet data caps

Both HughesNet and Viasat plans have monthly data allowances. Viasat plans tend to offer a higher monthly data allowance than HughesNet. 

Viasat plans generally come with more data than HughesNet – 40-150GB/mo. vs 15-75GB/mo. – but data allowances from both providers are significantly lower than other internet types which tend to offer 1 TB/mo. or more.

Starlink does not have data caps currently, but that may change as the program expands.

HughesNet and Viasat both offer “unlimited” data

Fortunately, both HughesNet and Viasat plans come with no hard data limits. Once you reach your data limit, you will experience reduced, or throttled internet speeds, but not an interruption in service or fees for going over your data limit. Your regular speeds will resume after the billing period in which you’ve gone over your limit ends.

Both providers also give you the option to purchase additional data “tokens” if you don’t want the speed reductions. Price and data amount for data tokens varies by satellite internet provider and plans. However, if you do not want to go over your data allowance, you can read about how to beat low data caps.

You can also purchase more data if needed

Both HughesNet and Viasat sell extra data blocks if you think you’ll need to use the internet more some months. Viasat charges $10 for 1GB, $48 for 5GB, $67 for 7GB and $95 for 10GB. HughesNet is a little cheaper, with 3GB of extra data for $9, 5GB for $15, 10GB for $30 and 25GB for $75.

How much data do I need?

To give you an idea of how much data you’ll need with your satellite internet plan, here is an estimate of data consumption for various online activities.

• Browsing the web/social media for 200 hours – 3GB
• Streaming 200 hours of music – 0.8GB
• Streaming 50 hours of SD video – 35GB
• Streaming 20 hours of HD video – 50GB
• Downloading a full-length SD movie – 4GB
• Downloading a full-length HD movie – 10GB
• Downloading a video game – 40+GB

If you’re worried about running over your monthly data cap, you can take advantage of HughesNet’s “Bonus Zone,” which gives you 50GB of extra data per month between 2am-8am local time. If you want to download games or movies without using all of the month’s data allowance, this is a great workaround. Closing background apps on your computer and phone is also an effective way to avoid excess data consumption.

Source: AT&T data calculator, Forbes.com

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Satellite internet FAQs

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