Starlink vs. Hughesnet vs. Viasat: Which Satellite Internet Provider Is Best? (2025)

Need a new internet service provider? The old adage about real estate dictates your choices: location, location, and location. You're at the mercy of whichever service providers happen to offer connectivity in your city, town, or neighborhood, and moving to get better service probably isn't an option. Plus, in many rural areas, cable and fiber providers are simply nonexistent, leaving you stuck using either phone-line-based DSL or satellite internet.

That's one of the major reasons that SpaceX's Starlink internet has gotten people so excited. A relative newcomer in the satellite ISP space, Starlink promises speedy internet pretty much anywhere on the planet. We've tested it, proving that it does indeed offer speeds that will let you work, stream, and even game online, all using an internet service that you can literally take with you on a road trip.

But what people want to know isn't merely "Does Starlink work?" The real question is whether it's better than whatever other ISP options they're considering, especially competing satellite ISPs like Hughesnet or Viasat. (If you're considering Starlink where you live, it's likely that the other satellite ISPs are your only other good alternatives.)

Based on each company's plans, stated speeds, and our own Starlink testing data, we can compare Starlink speeds with those of other major competitors. We have also gathered data from FCC broadband disclosure labels and coverage maps. We're specifically looking at the key indicators for internet performance: download speeds, upload speeds, and latency. By comparing these claims and data, we can get a pretty good idea of how these competing services will perform for any US-based users considering satellite internet service.

First Off: What Is Starlink?

Starlink is a satellite internet system developed by Elon Musk's SpaceX that uses a vast network of more than 6,000 low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites and self-adjusting receiver dishes to provide high-speed internet. The speeds range from 50Mbps to 200Mbps. The system is becoming increasingly popular among users worldwide, with an estimated 5 million subscribers from various regions, including more than 1.4 million in the US.

(Credit: Starlink/Brian Westover)

Starlink is a viable solution for users living in rural or remote areas that lack traditional broadband services, as it only requires a clear view of the sky for reception. As Starlink has grown, it has expanded to more than 100 countries and is offered in nearly every part of the US. (FCC data says that Starlink covers 99.7% of households in the US.)

But Starlink is, in some ways, the victim of its own success. In several metro areas across the country, potential new customers are currently being put on waitlists. Starlink's network capacity is limited, and when there are too many users in one area, the service slows considerably. (We'll talk more about this later.)

(Credit: Starlink/Brian Westover)

At the time of this writing, we're seeing these "sold out" waitlists in place for the following cities:

• Austin, Texas

• Phoenix, Ariz.

• Portland, Ore.

• Sacramento, Calif.

• San Diego, Calif.

• Seattle, Wash.

• Spokane, Wash.

• Tacoma, Wash.

Starlink also has waitlists in parts of Florida, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.

These waitlisted areas highlight one of the few drawbacks of Starlink: It's not a great option for highly populated areas. That said, Starlink claims that it is upgrading its infrastructure to accommodate more users and provide better service, regardless of location, so waitlists will likely be temporary.

Because Starlink requires nothing more than a clear view of the sky to connect its orbiting satellites to its users' small Starlink dishes on the ground, it can be set up virtually anywhere—even parts of the country where buried cables and cell towers may not reach. Whether you are surrounded by farmland or mountains, living on a remote island, or road-tripping as a nomad in an RV or van, Starlink can provide speedy internet access where it hasn't been available before.

Starlink currently offers several different service plans, as well as two different equipment options (the stationary residential installation kit and the portable Starlink Mini). For this story, we'll be focused on the Starlink residential equipment and plans.

For basic residential service, Starlink requires a one-time equipment purchase ($349) as well as a monthly service fee ($120). It's month-to-month, with no long-term contract or fees for early cancellation. You can read more about it in our Starlink review, which includes observations from my own daily use of the service, as well as hands-on testing of the speeds and performance.

Starlink Alternatives: What Other Satellite ISPs Are Out There?

While most people think of cable, fiber, or even dial-up when they talk about internet service providers (ISPs), rural users frequently find themselves without those options. Due to the spread-out geography of agricultural communities and the expense of running physical cables to far-flung homes and neighborhoods, satellite internet has become the ISP of last resort for people all over the country.

While Starlink is obviously a popular and growing satellite internet option, it's not the only one. In fact, the two biggest competitors in the satellite space have been around for decades: Hughesnet and Viasat. Like Starlink, Viasat and Hughesnet use a dish to communicate with satellites in space.

Also, the shortlist of competitors is set to grow in the future. Amazon's Project Kuiper is working to developits own constellation of satellites to compete directly with Starlink, and French company Eutelsat is working on OneWeb, a similar offering that mixes LEO and higher-orbit satellites in a hybrid network. But these alternatives are still in the early days and aren't yet true competitors to Starlink in the US.

How Satellite Internet Works

All satellite internet works in the same basic way. Instead of directly connecting your home to the broader internet through a physical cable, it beams the data wirelessly through satellites in space. The dish or antenna on your home sends data to the satellite, which then sends the signal back to Earth through a dedicated ground station, which is connected to the internet. Data from the internet then traverses the opposite direction, through the ground station, up to the satellite, and back down to your home, completing the loop. With a constant back and forth of data between your home, the satellite, and the ground station, you can have an active internet connection without needing the physical transmission lines used by cable or fiber.

Several key differences set the major satellite internet providers apart, both in terms of the technology they use, and how it's deployed. All of those differences translate into better or worse performance. Let's look at the major differentiators among the three services.

(Credit: Viasat)

Number of Satellites

The first major differentiator is in the number of satellites. Hughesnet uses a trio of satellites named Jupiter. Jupiter 1 was launched in 2012, offering Hughesnet's first major high-speed satellite internet service. In 2016, the company added Jupiter 2, which expanded North American coverage and supported speeds up to 25Mbps.

In 2023, Jupiter 3 became the third of these satellites for the service, extending service across North America (including Canada and Mexico) and South America. This third satellite boosted user speeds up to 100Mbps and opened up new service tiers for Hughesnet customers.

(Credit: Viasat)

Viasat currently has three satellites covering North America, with plans for additional satellites in the future. ViaSat 1 was launched in 2011, and it covers much of North America, specifically the continental US, Hawaii, and Alaska, as well as Canada. In 2017, ViaSat 2 launched, expanding coverage to Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and parts of South America.

ViaSat-3 F1 (also called ViaSat-3 Americas) launched in 2023, but due to issues with the satellite's signal reflector, the new satellite hasn't been able to provide the 100Mbps speeds that were planned. Additional ViaSat 3 satellites were planned to offer high-speed coverage in the rest of the world, but they are now planned to shift coverage due to the F1's limitations.

On the other hand, Starlink, according to third-party estimates, has 6,165 active satellites in orbit as of this writing. And, because Starlink is a part of Elon Musk's SpaceX rocket company, it is able to launch more satellites more frequently than competitors. Of those 6,165 satellites, more than 2,600 are Starlink's second-generation LEO satellites, offering more bandwidth and increased capacity, which translates into better speeds for more users. The FCC has approved SpaceX to operate up to 7,500 second-generation Starlink satellites.

Position and Distance

When you put a satellite into space, you have to take a few things into account. First, how far from the planet's surface will your satellite orbit? Second, will it orbit around the Earth or with the Earth, maintaining a static position above the ground (called geosynchronous or geostationary)? These two decisions account for much of the difference between Starlink and competitors Hughesnet and Viasat.

Hughesnet and Viasat use satellites in high Earth orbit (HEO), roughly 22,000 miles overhead. They are also in geosynchronous orbit, meaning that they rotate in the same direction and speed as the Earth's orbit, allowing the satellites to stay in one position.

(Credit: Satellitemap.space)

Starlink uses a low Earth orbit that is much closer to Earth, but they're non-geosynchronous, meaning that the satellites pass overhead regularly. With the satellites orbiting roughly 342 miles above the Earth, the shorter distance allows for much lower latency and higher throughput. The trade-off is that Starlink's approach requires many more satellites, plus dish technology that can continually adjust. The dish must be able to send and receive signals from different satellites and reacquire signals when one satellite passes and another comesoverhead.

The distance from Earth is crucial when you consider that every bit of data (whether it's text from an email, images in a news story, or videos on YouTube) has to travel twice the distance—once from your home to the satellite, and again from the satellite to the provider, and then back again. For Hughesnet and Viasat, that combined distance is 44,000 miles. For Starlink, it's 684 miles. And all of that distance has to be traversed just to connect to the rest of the internet here on Earth.

That extra distance dramatically increases the latency on Viasat and Hughesnet, allowing Starlink to offer a better experience for tasks like video chats and online gaming, which require faster, lower-latency connections for real-time interaction.

Dish and Transmission Technology

Finally, there's the equipment itself. While the satellite companies don't make a lot of information public about the technology used in those satellites, we do know a fair bit about the dishes here on Earth.

Hughesnet and Viasat both rely on a traditional dish design, similar to what you'd see with satellite TV and other satellite-based services. There's the dish itself, called an antenna reflector. But there's also a smaller device mounted on an arm in front of the dish, called a low-noise block downconverter (LNB), which does the actual receiving and transmitting of radio signals. All of this is used to convert the radio signals into usable internet, which is then fed to your home router to connect your home network to the internet.

Because Hughesnet and Viasat satellites are in geosynchronous orbit, they remain in the same position in the sky, and your dish has to be properly positioned once to align with that satellite to send and receive signals. This makes the initial setup more complicated, requiring professional installation. But it also means that once it's set, it should just work.

Starlink dishes, on the other hand, must track moving satellites because the constellation operates in low Earth orbit, traveling at speeds exceeding 17,000mph. As the satellites pass overhead, your dish automatically locks onto one, follows it automatically as it moves across the sky, and then seamlessly switches to the next satellite when the first one moves out of range.

(Credit: Brian Westover)

Actually, calling it a "dish" at all is a bit of a misnomer since the design doesn't use a reflector but instead a phased antenna array—a giant circuit board with hundreds of chips and hundreds of tiny antennas on the surface. Instead of a long aerial, each antenna is a sandwiched stack of components, grouped together in a large, flat plane. This makes up the phased array, which combines these antennas together for a powerful single beam of transmission. That beam can then be swept back and forth across the sky, angling as needed. This process, called beam steering, is done automatically, letting the array stay in contact with a satellite anywhere within a 100-degree field of view. If the phased array is pointed at the sky with an unobstructed view, it can stay in contact with all of the Starlink satellites that pass overhead.

More satellites, with better technology, in a closer orbit, with superior receiver dishes in customers' hands: Theoretically, that all adds up to a substantial lead for Starlink, despite being the newcomer of the group. Indeed, when you look at the actual performance numbers to see if elements combine for a better user experience, the results are clear.

Let's now take a closer look at how each service works and how it performs. In the process, we'll answer some of the most common questions that prospective subscribers have when considering a satellite internet service.

Head-to-Head Comparison: Performance and Reach

While the descriptions above cover some of the more nuanced differences among Starlink, Hughesnet, and Viasat, we still need to offer a direct comparison.

The following table summarizes typical speeds, latency, and coverage based on our regular testing of Starlink residential performance, as well as FCC disclosures from Hughesnet and ViaSat regarding plan speeds and latency. We also reference FCC data about nationwide coverage, which is available as part of the FCC National Broadband Map.

A mere glance at each table should tell you pretty clearly that Starlink is in a class all its own. Comparing just the numbers cited in FCC consumer disclosures (which can be conservative or optimistic), we see that Starlink stands head and shoulders above other satellite providers, offering faster download speeds, faster uploads, and dramatically better latency.

In fairness, Hughesnet has matched the Startlink Residential Lite plan in terms of download speeds in its Elite and Fusion offerings. Even more critically, Hughesnet Fusion delivers the best latency of the non-Starlink options. But as we'll see, that doesn't automatically make these plans the best options.

Finally, coverage varies widely. Both Hughesnet and Viasat fail to fully cover a good chunk of the United States, while Starlink manages to offer essentially full coverage.

Additionally, we gathered specifics for each provider's major residential satellite internet offerings. We'll break out the specifics as we discuss each provider, but here's the key information, all gathered in one place...

Starlink's Advantage, Explained

We've been testing and reviewing Starlink since 2022. In the years since, we've seen impressive performance, which has steadily improved thanks to new satellites, terrestrial infrastructure, and residential equipment. But it's not just our experience that's been good. Starlink has repeatedly been named one of the best ISPs (2023, 2024), including a top spot in the 2024 Readers' Choice for Top ISPs in North America.

The sheer number of satellites Starlink has available to use allows more throughput per satellite, and thus more bandwidth per user, but limits to this performance still exist. Starlink's satellites can handle only a certain number of users at a time, and your overall speed will drop as more people in your area use the service.

That said, in our testing of Starlink, which included both daily use and extensive performance analysis, we saw that the speeds were generally faster than even those shown in FCC disclosure data. The biggest issue we had during testing was the stability of the connection, as the constant switching from one satellite to the next can occasionally lead to moments where the otherwise speedy connection hangs and buffers as it re-establishes connectivity with a different satellite.

(Credit: Brian Westover)

Whether you're looking for a residential internet plan or something for your RV, Starlink charges up front for equipment ($349 for the residential dish, router, and cables, plus mounting hardware and accessories) and bills you monthly for service—currently $120 for standard residential or $80 for the Residential Lite plan. That up-front equipment expense may be hard to swallow compared with the smaller monthly equipment rental fees that Hughesnet and Viasat incorporate into their plans.

If you need something smaller and more portable for mobile use, the Starlink Mini ($599) is a better option, with a more compact, travel-friendly design. Starlink's Roam mobile service plans are sometimes more expensive than the residential plans ($50 for 50GB of data, or $165 for unlimited data), and the service itself is slower, though the Mini can be easily packed around and even used in a moving vehicle. This nomad-friendly option isn't a great option for residential use (the standard dish and plan are much better), but that travel-ready design and portability is something Hughesnet and Viasat can't match.

(Credit: FCC.gov/Brian Westover)

Availability is broad—the FCC reports coverage for 99.68% of the country—and you can easily purchase equipment online directly from Starlink, or from a growing number of big-name retailers, such as Best Buy, Home Depot, Target, and Walmart.

Starlink installation used to be a bit of a hurdle since it was initially DIY-only, but installers are now available for anyone who's willing to pay a little extra to have a pro set up their dish and router. (And the DIY option is exceedingly simple if you still want to go that route.) The only real drawback for new customers getting set up is that Starlink accessories, like mounting hardware, are sold exclusively through the Starlink web store and may need to be ordered separately if you bought your dish from a retailer.

Does Starlink Have Data Limits?

Of all the satellite service providers compared here, only Starlink has a claim to being truly unlimited. The standard residential plan has no firm data cap and no allotted data limit for full-speed service. The only caveat to this is that Starlink does say that some users may experience temporary speed reductions during peak usage times if their bandwidth consumption is unusually high, as part of Starlink's fair use policy.

The Residential Lite plan is similarly unlimited in total data capacity but will be more limited in speed from the get-go. Because the plan offers "deprioritized" service, with speeds of up to 100Mbps, it's expected that use during peak hours might be further slowed for high-consumption users.

Can Starlink Stream Video?

Yes, even at 4K. Netflix requires speeds of 15Mbps for 4K streaming, which Starlink easily surpasses. In practice, it's great for everything from short clips on TikTok and YouTube to full 4K films on streaming services like Netflix and Disney+.

Is Starlink Good for Gaming?

In a word: Yes! Not only do the speed and latency meet the threshold needed for gaming (see the data above; it's a drastic difference), but we were able to use it for both high-end gaming on a powerful desktop and cloud-based gaming using Nvidia GeForce Now. Check out our guide to gaming on Starlink to learn more.

Starlink vs. Hughesnet, Compared

As mentioned earlier, Hughesnet differs greatly from Starlink in that it uses high-earth-orbit (HEO) geosynchronous satellites. The entire global constellation Hughesnet offers is based on three satellites, and the user hardware requires professional installation.

(Credit: Maxar Technologies)

Hughesnet Plans and Pricing

Service packages vary in price based on speeds and data, and they include an equipment leasing fee for the dish and router. Professional installation takes care of the first-time setup, but speeds are typically limited to 50Mbps or 100Mbps downloads and 5Mbps uploads, regardless of which plan you choose.

Hughesnet offers three different plans to US customers. Two options are pure satellite internet (Select and Elite), and a third option (Fusion) pairs satellite internet with local wireless to reduce latency and improve reliability for things like browsing, streaming, and even gaming. However, this hybrid plan isn't available everywhere, so check with Hughesnet to see if it's an option in your area.

These plans range from $50 to $95 per month in the first year. But don't get too excited about those prices since all plans require a two-year contract, and prices bump up by $25 per month in the second year. Oh, and you'll also be charged early-termination fees if you cancel early—up to $400, depending on how the math works out for your remaining contract.

(Credit: FCC.gov/Brian Westover)

Finally, there's availability. Hughesnet covers 88.49% of the United States, according to the FCC. The East Coast and Midwest have plenty of coverage, but things get spotty west of Denver.

Does Hughesnet Have Data Limits?

Hughesnet doesn't have hard data limits. It won't cut off your service or automatically charge you for using additional data after a certain bandwidth threshold is reached. But that doesn't mean that you'll have that same unrestricted access to data throughout the billing cycle.

Instead, your plan will have an allotment of priority data (100GB or 200GB, depending on the plan), and once you reach that point, you'll see speeds drop dramatically. You can still browse and access the internet after using up your priority data, but it may be too slow for the things you want to do. The solution is to purchase additional Priority Data Tokens, which return your connection to full speed…until that data limit is hit. Then you're back in the slow lane.

Hughesnet does offer unlimited data during off-peak hours (2 a.m. to 8 a.m. local time), where data use won't count against your limits. Obviously, that is not when most customers will want to use their data for work and play, but it could work for things like scheduling software updates or large downloads.

Can Hughesnet Stream Video?

Hughesnet will let you stream video at resolutions up to 4K, but it will default to stream at "DVD quality" (480p) unless you specifically turn off the throttling in the Hughesnet app. The video data limits can be turned off temporarily or permanently, but frequent high-resolution streaming will chew through the allotted data in your plan. That's an especially big caveat for subscribers to the faster Fusion plan, which is still subject to the same data allotments.

Is Hughesnet Good for Gaming?

The Fusion plan offers faster speeds and low-latency wireless data, which allows you to play games online. However, Hughesnet warns that console gaming isn't ideal with its pure satellite plans (Select and Elite). The company says, "We do not recommend console-based gaming activities because they quickly consume your Priority Data."

Starlink vs. Viasat, Compared

Like Hughesnet, Viasat relies on HEO geosynchronous satellites to provide users with internet. It's available almost anywhere, but it does require professional installation.

(Credit: Viasat)

Viasat Plans and Pricing

The main residential offering for US households is Viasat Unleashed, and in many ways it's the best alternative to Starlink, thanks to its decent download speeds and generous data cap. It also doesn't require a contract, letting you pay from month to month, including a $15 equipment rental fee if you don't want to pay the $250 to buy your equipment outright.

If you've gotten ads for Viasat's Unleashed plan, you might also have been intrigued by the $99 monthly subscription cost. However, read the fine print—that's actually just the introductory price, and after three months, the price bumps up to $130 per month.

(Credit: FCC.gov/Brian Westover)

Viasat availability is a little spotty in some areas, with FCC data showing coverage for just 87.23% of the country. In some locations, the Unleashed plan is not available, in which case there are much slower service options available. Plans like Unlimited Gold 12 are offered to some potential customers, but not advertised. Given that the "12" in the name refers to 12Mbps download speeds, it's not hard to see why Viasat has stopped highlighting these low-tier options, as they are really only suitable for people needing a connection just for email.

Does Viasat Have Data Limits?

Technically, Viasat is allowed to say that it offers unlimited data since it never cuts you off after a certain point. However, it does have a soft data cap, at which point your service will be markedly slower and even unusable for things like video streaming and gaming. Unlike Hughesnet, though, Viasat's soft cap is an impressive 850GB per month. For many households, that's more than enough.

Can Viasat Stream Video?

Yes. With speed options ranging up to 150Mbps, Viasat's speeds are well-suited to streaming, even in HD and 4K, though streaming at higher resolution will use up data faster. Streaming on multiple devices is also an option, but the more devices you have streaming at one time, the lower your available bandwidth will be.

Is Viasat Good for Gaming?

Despite the reasonably high download speed (well, reasonable as satellite internet goes), you might assume that Viasat would also be a good option for online gaming. However, due to the higher latency that Viasat's HEO satellites have, it's not well suited to online gaming.

Though nominally faster than Hughesnet, Viasat's 642ms average latency will leave you at a standstill in most online games, making Viasat's service best suited to slower-paced games. Viasat's recommendation? "Mobile games like Candy Crush Soda Saga generally work best."

That said, the download speed and higher data limits do make it better suited to downloading games for local play from online stores like Steam, making it a better choice than the equally high-latency, lower-bandwidth Hughesnet.

And The Winner Is...

Overall, Starlink is the leading satellite internet provider for most users, particularly those in rural and remote areas. Starlink's combination of better technology and vastly more numerous satellites delivers lower latency and generally higher download and upload speeds compared with Hughesnet and Viasat. And that means customers enjoy a better experience for real-time activities like video conferencing and online gaming, along with smooth 4K streaming. It's simpler, too—Starlink's Standard residential plan offers truly unlimited data (subject to a fair use policy), a major advantage over competitors' capped or throttled approaches, all without requiring a long-term contract.

Hughesnet and Viasat, on the other hand, offer lower initial costs, often bundling equipment lease fees into monthly payments or offering cheaper purchase options. Viasat's Unleashed plan, with its generous 850GB soft data cap and no contract requirement, presents the most compelling alternative to Starlink, though its high-latency satellites still limit real-time applications. And Hughesnet's hybrid satellite and wireless Fusion plan presents a compelling path forward for competing satellite internet providers, making low-latency use possible without overhauling its satellite infrastructure.

Ultimately, this is just a snapshot of where the various services are today, and the reality will evolve. Both Hughesnet and Viasat are continuing to launch new satellites, and finding new ways to enhance their services with better capabilities. And with an Amazon-led service gearing up for launch, the satellite internet landscape will continue to change.

The bottom line is that all three satellite ISPs are worthwhile, and while we recommend Starlink today, the increased competition could bring big changes in the near future.