Starlink vs HughesNet vs Viasat: The 2026 Satellite Internet Comparison
Starlink vs HughesNet vs Viasat compared for 2026: real prices, real speeds (400 vs 150 vs 100 Mbps), latency, data caps and contracts — and which to pick.
Founder & Network Telemetry Lead
Satellite internet used to be a two-horse race: HughesNet for budget, Viasat for speed. Both ran on satellites parked 22,000 miles up, both asked for two-year contracts, both throttled you after a data cap — and for millions of rural households, both were the only option that existed.
That race is over. Starlink changed the physics (low Earth orbit instead of geostationary), and in 2026 it changed the market structure too. One of the two old incumbents is now actively referring its customers to Starlink, and the other has retreated to a single flagship plan.
This comparison uses current US pricing and independent test data — not marketing claims — to show where each provider actually stands, and who should buy which one.
The 30-Second Answer
| Metric | Starlink | HughesNet | Viasat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Max download | Up to 400+ Mbps | Up to 100 Mbps | Up to 150 Mbps |
| Typical real-world | 100–200 Mbps | ~43 Mbps measured | Varies, up to 150 Mbps |
| Upload | 10–30 Mbps | 3–5 Mbps | 3 Mbps |
| Latency | 25–60 ms | 600+ ms (GEO) | 600+ ms (GEO) |
| Data | Unlimited, tiered speeds | Unlimited standard + 100–200 GB priority | Unlimited (Unleashed) |
| Contract | None — pause anytime | 24 months typical | None on Unleashed |
| Starting price | $55/mo | $39.99/mo (promo) | $39.99/mo (promo) |
| Hardware | $199–$349 purchase | ~$10–20/mo lease | ~$15/mo lease |
| Verdict | Winner for nearly everyone | Legacy budget option | Niche: true unlimited data |
Starlink: What You Actually Get in 2026
Home service is now three speed tiers, priced by ceiling:
| Plan | Price | Speed ceiling |
|---|---|---|
| Residential 100 Mbps | $55/mo | 100 Mbps (select areas) |
| Residential 200 Mbps | $85/mo | 200 Mbps (select areas) |
| Residential Max | $130/mo | Max available, top priority |
Official specs list download at up to 400+ Mbps, uploads at 10–30 Mbps, and land latency at 25–60 ms. Third-party hands-on testing has repeatedly measured 100–200 Mbps in ordinary conditions.
The core advantage is not raw speed — it's latency. Starlink's satellites orbit at roughly 340 miles, versus 22,000 miles for HughesNet and Viasat. That single difference is why Starlink's 25–60 ms feels like a normal internet connection while GEO satellite's 600+ ms makes video calls awkward and real-time gaming hopeless. If you've ever used HughesNet or Viasat and felt like the connection “hitches,” that's the round trip to space.
The second advantage: no contract, and Standby Mode. You can pause service for a small monthly fee and reactivate instantly. For seasonal households, that alone changes the economics.
The downsides are real too: up-front hardware cost ($199–$349), a dish that needs a genuinely clear view of the sky, and tiered priority — you're not guaranteed peak speed at 8 pm.
HughesNet: The Incumbent That's Winding Down Residential Service
HughesNet has long been the cheapest satellite option. Current US plans (promotional pricing for the first 12 months):
| Plan | Promo price | Speed | Priority data |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lite | $39.99/mo | Up to 25 Mbps | 100 GB |
| Select | $49.99/mo | Up to 50 Mbps | 100 GB |
| Elite | $64.99/mo | Up to 100 Mbps | 200 GB |
| Fusion | $94.99/mo | Up to 100 Mbps | 200 GB |
After the promo period, prices step up (Elite goes to $89.99, Fusion to $119.99), and most plans carry a 24-month contract with early-termination fees. Uploads run 3–5 Mbps. Equipment leases add roughly $10–20/month, plus about $99 for setup in many cases.
What independent testing shows is the problem: Third-party testers measured HughesNet's average download at around 43 Mbps — and found it couldn't reliably maintain 4K streaming, managing barely 480p. Stated speeds are explicitly “not guaranteed.” User ratings reflect this: HughesNet scores 2.80/5 across 6,344 submissions on BroadbandNow, versus 3.10 for Viasat.
Following the SpaceX–EchoStar spectrum deal, HughesNet has begun referring its own customers to Starlink — while its parent company restructures around the spectrum sale rather than residential internet growth. Industry reviewers have stopped recommending HughesNet for residential service entirely. That's not a knock on its engineers; it's a signal about where the market went.
Viasat: The Better of the Two Legacy Options
Viasat has consolidated around fewer, clearer plans:
| Plan | Price | Speed | Data |
|---|---|---|---|
| Viasat Essential | $69.99/mo | Up to 50 Mbps | Unlimited |
| Viasat Unleashed | $119.99/mo | Up to 150 Mbps | Unlimited, no contract |
Uploads sit at 3 Mbps. Equipment runs about $15/month to lease.
Viasat's genuine advantages are worth stating clearly:
- Unleashed is truly unlimited: No data caps, no throttling tiers, no overage charges. It's the most “normal internet”-feeling data policy in traditional satellite.
- No contract on Unleashed: You can leave without an early-termination penalty, unlike HughesNet's 24-month standard.
- Lower up-front cost: Leasing equipment costs about half of buying a Starlink kit outright, and installation promotions are common.
- Faster than HughesNet: Up to 150 Mbps versus 100 Mbps, and customer satisfaction ratings are consistently higher (3.10/5).
The catch is the same as HughesNet's: it's still geostationary. You're paying $119.99/month for a plan that's faster than HughesNet but still carries 600+ ms latency — meaning video calls lag, gaming is out, and interactive work feels sluggish. You're also committing to hardware and an install for a connection that a $55 Starlink tier outperforms on every interactive measure.
Head-to-Head: Where Each One Actually Wins
Which Should You Buy?
You want the connection that behaves like normal broadband. Calls, streaming, gaming, remote work, multiple devices — Starlink is the only satellite option that handles all of it. The $55 entry tier (where available) or $85 mid tier covers most households. If you travel, Roam plans start at $55 and can be paused. Check current plan details in our plans and pricing guide and confirm coverage first via our city status directory.
You need genuinely unlimited data at a lower up-front cost, latency genuinely doesn't matter for your usage (browsing, email, some streaming), and you'd rather lease than buy hardware. Viasat Unleashed at $119.99 is a defensible pick for a low-usage rural household that won't game or video-call.
Honestly, the case is narrow in 2026. Its cheapest plans undercut Starlink's monthly rate, and its southern-sky dish geometry sometimes works where a Starlink dish can't get a clear view. But with its residential business winding down and speeds that struggle with 4K, it's a hard recommendation unless price is the single dominant factor.
Before You Commit to Any of Them
Satellite performance is local. Two addresses in the same town can have completely different experiences based on obstructions, congestion, and network load. That's exactly why we run the Starlink Outage Map — real, user-reported connection quality by city, so you can see how service actually behaves where you live instead of trusting a national average.
Compare plans, check speed telemetry, and evaluate hardware kits:
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Raby
FounderRaby is the founder of Starlink Outage Map, an independent community outage tracker monitoring real-world Starlink performance by city. Pricing in this comparison was verified against Starlink's official pricing page and current US provider listings in September 2026; competitor speed and rating figures are drawn from published independent testing, cited inline. Track live service quality here.