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Are you looking for the top satellite internet? If yes, then you would like to know about the three best options- Starlink, Viasat, and HughesNet. However, all these satellite internet service providers USA supply high-speed satellite internet connections. In addition, satellite internet is not popular for being as proficient as other networks like cable or fiber internet.
But it is popular for its high latency. High latency is its biggest selling point. Therefore, satellite internet is available almost everywhere in the United States. Hence, the regions of the US that don’t have other internet choices can still connect to the satellite internet.
A satellite internet connection is the best choice if you are looking for uploading, downloading, video streaming, and gaming. But some gaming strategies can be tough with satellite internet because of its high latency.
Note : Satellite internet has gained popularity day by day overall on the earth, being used by the emergency and military services during the Russian-Ukrainian war that started in February 2022.
Since data caps are transferred by the number of customers, satellite internet offers data caps to certify customers can get what they are purchased for. No matter if you are a gamer or an everyday user, you will need the capacity to manage the usage of data so you can use the internet within your budget and avoid extra fees. In this scenario, data usage management caps can assist you in managing your budget by setting data usage limits and notifying your billing cycles.
Both Viasat and HughesNet internet packages have monthly data allowances, but the Viasat service package offers higher monthly data charges than HughesNet. On the contrary, Starlink does not offer data caps currently, but that might change as the plan expands.
Viasat and HughesNet, both internet service providers, offer “unlimited” data plans.
Luckily, both Viasat and HughesNet plans are available without any hard data limits. Once you have exhausted your data limit, you will experience throttled or reduced internet speeds. But not a change in fees or services for going over the data limit. Meanwhile, your regular intern speed will continue after the billing period.
These Best Satellite Internet Providers give you a choice to buy additional data caps if you don’t want to experience low speed. Data amount and price for data differ by internet providers and data packages.
To give you a basic idea of how many data caps you will require every day. So, here is a basic estimate of data usage for different online activities.
If you are concerned about reaching your monthly data limit, you can take advantage of the “Bonus Zone” by HughesNet. It offers you extra 50GB of data per month between the time ranges of 2 am to 8 am. Thus, this will be a great pick for you if you want to download movies or games without spending your month’s data limit. Closing background applications on your phone and computer is also a better way to avoid excess data usage.
HughesNet and Viasat are great choices if you want to use the best satellite internet service provider in a rural region. If your region is eligible for Starlink, then we suggest you try it once for the lower latency and faster speed, but check out its price range, as it is higher than Viasat and HughesNet. Let’s compare satellite internet plans for a better understanding!
Starting price
$64.99/mo
Download speeds
25 Mbps
Monthly data
15 GB
Starting price
$64.99/mo.
Download speeds
25 Mbps
Monthly data
30 GB
Starting price
$89.99/mo.
Download speeds
25 Mbps
Monthly data
45 GB
Starting price
$149.99/mo.
Download speeds
25 Mbps
Monthly data
75 GB
Plan name | Best for | Starting Price | Download Speed | Monthly Data Allowances |
---|---|---|---|---|
15 GB | Single-subscribers who browse | $64.99/mo. | 25 Mbps | 15 GB |
30GB | Small households that don’t stream video | $74.99/mo. | 25 Mbps | 30 GB |
50 GB | Mid-sized households who stream some TV | $89.99/mo. | 25 Mbps | 45 GB |
100 GB | Households who work and learn from home | $149.99/mo. | 25 Mbps | 75 GB |
HughesNet supplies the same speed no matter where you are located.
Speed consistency and plan price – HughesNet offers a standard speed of up to 25 Mbps and is the best satellite internet plans pricing starting at $64.99 per month.
“Bonus Zone” data – The customer of HughesNet, can experience an extra 50GB per month of data which is available from 2 am to 8 am. This is the key feature of HughesNet that Viasat does not offer.
Low equipment fees – HughesNet equipment charges start from $10 per month, some amount cheaper than the Viasat equipment fees.
Advertised vs. actual speeds – HughesNet is one of some internet service providers that actually offer higher speeds than what is mentioned. As per the report of FCC, HughesNet has a 31.27 Mbps download speed for its advertised 25 Mbps package.
Price After 3 Mos.
$84.99/mo.
Download speeds
12 Mbps
Data Cap
40 GB
Price After 3 Mos.
$119.99/mo.
Download speeds
25 Mbps
Data Cap
60 GB
Price After 3 Mos.
$169.99/mo.
Download speeds
50 Mbps
Data Cap
100 GB
Price After 3 Mos.
$249.99/mo.
Download speeds
100 Mbps
Data Cap
150 GB
Plans | Intro Price | Price After 3 Mos. | Download Speed | Data cap |
---|---|---|---|---|
Unlimited Bronze 12 | $64.99/mo. | $84.99/mo. | 12 Mbps | 40 GB |
Unlimited Silver 25 | $84.99/mo. | $119.99/mo. | 25 Mbps | 60 GB |
Unlimited Gold 50 | $119.99/mo. | $169.99/mo. | 50 Mbps | 100GB |
Unlimited Platinum 100 | $169.99/mo. | $249.99/mo. | 100 Mbps | 150 GB |
Viasat offers faster internet speed than HughesNet, but its coverage area is limited.
Despite available speeds, consumers will enjoy faster internet allowances than what is offered by HughesNet, plus a two-year price guarantee.
Speeds up to 100 Mbps – Viasat provides four times higher speed than HughesNet, but for the selected regions. Available speeds for some regions may top out at 12, 30, or 50 Mbps.
Higher data allowances – With the data packages starting from 40 to 150 GB, Viasat packages offer you more internet for the rate compared to HughesNet.
Two-year contract – Viasat internet package needs a two-year contract, but your charges will be assured for the length of it once the three-month starting pricing ends. HughesNet users might see a price upturn after six months of service.
Advertised vs. actual speeds – Expect Viasat internet plans to be slower than what is advertised. As per the FCC report, the Viasat advertised speed is 12 Mbps, and the actual speed is 10.75 Mbps.
Download speeds
100-200 Mbps
Data Cap
Unlimited
Equipment Costs
$599
Plans | Intro Price | Download Speed | Latency | Data cap | Equipment Costs |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Starlink | $110.00/mo | 100-200 Mbps | 40-60 ms | Unlimited | $599 |
Starlink internet service provider is a game changer in the world of satellite internet. With the highest speed internet services, unlimited data, and lower latency, Starlink will allow people of rural regions unable to learn and work remotely to enjoy the high internet speed finally. The only drawback of Starlink is its price. Its price is higher than Viasat or HughesNet. Its starting price is $110 per month with an extra $599 for the equipment charges.
Furthermore, it is not available in the whole United States. Therefore, Starlink has presented a new plan tier with more speed and tier that offers.
Speeds Up To 500 Mbps – Starlink speeds presently range between 100 to 500 Mbps.
Low Latency – The bigger difference between Starlink and other services is its latency. Starlink offers latency that is considerably lower than Viasat or HughesNet, which means it will be simple for users to learn and work remotely using Starlink.
Unlimited Data – Moreover, Starlink is not imposing data caps yet. Well, it is not completely clear, but it will remain true after its beta phase. Starlink has specified only that there are no data caps available at this time.
Availability: The availability of satellite internet is available in almost every region in the United States.
Speed: Satellite internet is generally faster than dial-up or DSL internet, but if we talk about cable or fiber internet, then satellite internet speed is comparatively low.
Flexibility: Satellite internet is great for emailing, browsing, and also video streaming.
Cons Of Satellite Internet
Data caps: Once you reach the data cap limit, your internet speed will be slow.
Latency: Transferring information to space and reverting takes some additional time, which means it has high latency.
Cost: The satellite internet average cost around $100 per month. Its cost is higher than other kinds of internet services.
Is it possible to stream TV with the cheapest satellite internet provider?
The available speed of satellite internet is 12 to 100 Mbps which is good for streaming videos, but it's high latency makes it a little bit challenging to stream live TV. Remember, streaming videos require a lot of data which may quickly exhaust.
Is There A Way To Boost My Satellite Internet?
Extensive cloud coverage and bad weather can affect your satellite internet signal, however, that does not seem to be a concern.
Can You Play Online Games With Satellite Internet?
Playing live online games with the use of satellite internet services is impractical as it has high latency. In addition, turn-based online games will work well.
Which Satellite Internet Service Offers The Fastest Speed?
If Viasat is available in your area, then you can get fast satellite internet services with better download speeds of around 100 Mbps. These speeds are not accessible for all Viasat service regions. Thus, in some regions, Viasat only provides speed up to 12 Mbps which makes HughesNet the fastest internet service provider in the region with speed up to 25 Mbps.