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Best Satellite Internet Providers for 2024 – CNET

Hughesnet – Best satellite internet provider for reliable speeds

  • Prices: $50 – $150 per month
  • Speeds: 15 – 50Mbps
  • Key Info: No hard data cap, nationwide availability

Satellite internet is the one broadband connection type currently available to people in the rural areas of all 50 states. Serving as a solid alternative for those without access to DSL, cable or fiber internet, satellite internet involves linking a home internet modem to a satellite in space.

Provider Speed range Starting monthly cost Regular monthly cost Contract Monthly equipment costs Data cap CNET review score Hughesnet 50-100Mbps download, 5Mbps upload $50-$80 $75-$110 2 years $15-$20 a month or $300-$450 one-time purchase 100-200GB 6 Starlink 100-220Mbps download, 5-20Mbps upload $90-$120; $140-$1,500 (Priority); $150-$5,000 (Mobile) $90-$120; $250-$1,500 (Priority); $150-$5,000 (Mobile) None $599 one-time purchase (or $2,500 for Priority) Unlimited; 1TB-6TB (Priority) N/A Viasat 25-150Mbps download, 3Mbps upload $65-$250 $85-$350 2 years $15 or $300 one-time purchase 60-500GB 6.1

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Best satellite internet service providers

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Connection

Satellite Or call to learn more: (855) 874-8909

Check with Starlink

Speed range

20 – 250 Mbps

Price range

$90 – $120 per month

Starlink internet plans and prices

Speed range

15 – 50 Mbps

Price range

$50 – $150 per month

Our take – Hughesnet’s new plans score strong points for its download speeds and consistency. Hughesnet’s max download speed now matches its main competitor, Viasat, at 100Mbps. On top of that, Hughesnet is available to all customers in all remote areas. Moreover, a Federal Communications Commission report on broadband (the last time Hughesnet participated in the FCC study) noted that Hughesnet fared best among all participating providers for delivering actual median download speed at 150% or higher of the advertised speed.

Connection

Satellite

Provider Max download speeds Starting monthly cost Regular monthly cost Contract Data cap Select Plan 50Mbps download, 5Mbps upload $50 $75 Two years 100GB Elite Plan 100Mbps download, 5Mbps upload $65 $90 Two years 200GB Fusion Plan 100Mbps download, 5Mbps upload $80 $110 Two years 200GB

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

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Connection

Satellite Or call to learn more: (833) 312-9572

Check with Viasat

Speed range

12 – 150 Mbps

Price range

$70 – $300 per month

Viasat internet plans and prices

Satellite internet is a fairly reliable internet connection option for rural or less urbanized areas. While it may come with slower speeds than cable and fiber internet providers, it doesn’t rely on underground wiring like other connection types, which makes it accessible to more locations. On the flip side, bad weather can cause outages or spotty connections to a greater degree than other modes of broadband.

If you live in a remote or rural location, satellite internet may be your best (and possibly only) option for connection. It is the one type of broadband available to people in the rural areas of all 50 states, making it a solid option when other types of connectivity are simply unavailable.

The price of satellite internet can fluctuate based on where you’re located. If you’re in an area where providers are still developing, the price might be higher for connectivity. For Hughesnet, Viasat and Starlink, prices range from $50 to $5,000. In some cases, like Starlink, the monthly price can vary based on whether you’re in a high-demand or low-demand area. We recommend inputting your address on various providers’ websites to determine which will offer you the best value at your location.

Potentially, yes. If you’re a current user of Starlink internet service, you’re experiencing a broadband connection with higher maximum download and upload speeds than Viasat (220Mbps/20Mbps compared to 150Mbps/3Mbps). Starlink also has lower latency than Viasat (25-60ms vs. 450-700ms), making gaming and other online activities that require fast response times much more feasible on Starlink than Viasat.

Starlink also removed their waitlist throughout the country. So, potential customers can now access their products without waiting several months to receive their orders.

However, where Viasat wins is that it is cheaper than Starlink. Viasat Customers can expect to pay $65-$250 monthly vs. $90-$1,500 (Priority) and $150-$5,000 (Mobile) at Starlink. Suppose you’re in a rural or underserved area with few options for internet connectivity. In that case, Viasat can get you connected and may be a cheaper alternative, whereas Starlink could be an option down the road.

Technically, Hughesnet and Viasat do not. Each claims to offer “unlimited data” because neither charges overage fees, but each has a set data limit for its plans. If you hit that data limit before your monthly billing cycle ends, there won’t be monetary penalties, but you will experience much slower, throttled speeds for the remainder of that month. So, your data may not be capped, but I would call that practice limiting. 

Starlink offers truly unlimited data to its standard users. However, that significant advantage over its competitors changed for some customers in April 2023 when Starlink introduced its own data cap for priority users. The limit is a sizable 1 terabyte of data per month (well above the data limits of Hughesnet and Viasat), but it’s still a significant change from unlimited data.

Yes. Starlink customers can expect download speeds from 100Mbps to 220Mbps. CNET’s John Kim tested the service and experienced average download speeds of around 78Mbps; Ookla clocked its median download speed in early 2023 at 65Mbps.

Hughesnet, which relies on satellites in a much higher orbit than Starlink uses — which means data takes a little longer to travel back and forth — offers plans with maximum download speeds of 100Mbps. That’s faster than some of the plans available with Viasat, but no match for Starlink.

Although both are satellite internet service providers, Telesat is a Canadian-owned company, and OneWeb is made for those in the UK. Telesat and OneWeb are not options for US residents.

Since streaming videos requires more bandwidth, the best satellite internet for streaming must have a high enough download speed to support the action. We recommend Starlink for streaming, since the max download speeds are higher than Hughesnet and Viasat’s.

With gaming, you’ll want a provider with lower latency. That means a shorter delay in your data getting to the game’s server and back — less lag. Hughesnet and Viasat admit their services are not great for gaming, but Starlink boasts of lower lag (due to the lower orbit of its satellites) and claims that gamers can successfully use its service. CNET’s own John Kim tried gaming using Starlink’s service and was pleasantly surprised.

Regular weather, like sunny, cloudy or rainy skies, shouldn’t impact your internet. However, heavy thunderstorms or snow may cause interference with your signal and cause slower speeds or a temporary loss of connection. Even if the weather is fine at your location, it might not be where the satellite is located. But your internet service should return to normal as soon as the weather passes.

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