Starlink Data Plan Options

Starlink currently has four total plan categories, with some plans having
different tier levels.

The options can be confusing when it comes to what each offers and the
specific plan restrictions, like the ability to roam, in-motion use, data priority
levels, ocean use, etc.

The plans are generally categorized, with two being intended for a single
fixed location and two for on the go- ie. mobile or roam plans.

Here's a quick summary of the available plans and tiers for each, which
we'll cover in detail below:

 Fixed Location Plans:

 Standard - $120
 Priority:
 Priority 40GB - $140
 Priority 1TB - $250
 Priority 2TB - $500
 Mobile Plans:
 Mobile:
 Mobile Regional - $150
 Mobile Global - $200
 Mobile Priority
 Mobile Priority 50GB - $250
 Mobile Priority 1TB - $1,000
 Mobile Priority 5TB - $5,000

Here is a screenshot of Starlink's current plan offerings from its website,

followed by our description and analysis:
Starlink Data Plans and their options

Standard Plan
The Starlink Standard plan is a fixed location plan - meaning it will only
work at or near the registered service address. However, Starlink makes it
easy to change your service address, so don't let the fixed location terms
immediately scare you. This option comes with Standard priority level, so it
can be a good option for those who don't mind changing their service
address each time they move locations.
Currently, Starlink no longer has any waitlisted areas in the USA, so
moving the address anywhere in your home country is viable. However,
Starlink could close off congested areas in the future.

Starlink Standard Features:

 Data Terms and Priority: Unlimited data at Standard Priority
 Portability: Kinda - Intended for fixed locations, but you have to
change your service address when you change locations
 In-Motion Use: None
 International Use: None - can only be used in the home country
 Ocean Use: None - This plan is only for cells marked as land - "land"
includes many inland waterways and ocean areas adjacent to the
coast
 Other Features: None

Starlink Standard only includes one option, but the cost varies depending
on the capacity in your area

 Excess capacity areas: $90/month

 At capacity areas: $120/month (most people will pay $120/month)

Priority Plan
Starlink Priority plans are similar to Starlink Standard, except the highest
level Priority Data is available. The amount of Priority Data you get
depends on the plan tier you choose. Once used up, you have unlimited
data at Standard priority. Additional Priority Data can be purchased for a
reasonable 50 cents per GB.

 Data Terms and Priority: Tiered Priority Data followed by unlimited

data at Standard Priority
 Portability: Kinda - Intended for fixed locations, but you have to
change your service address when you change locations
 In-Motion Use: None
 International Use: None - can only be used in the home country
 Ocean Use: None - This plan is only for cells marked as land - "land"
includes many inland waterways and ocean areas adjacent to the
coast
 Other Features: Public IP address, priority customer service support
Priority Plan Tiers:
 40GB Priority Data - $140/mo
 1TB Priority Data - $250/mo
 2TB Priority Data - $500/mo
 6TB Priority Data - $1500/mo
 Additional Priority Data $.50/GB

Mobile Plan
Starlink Mobile plans come with two options - Mobile Regional and Mobile
Global. These are intended for mobile use either regionally (home
continent) or globally. No address change is needed when arriving to a new
land location. This plan is always at the lowest 'best effort' data priority level
unless you purchase Priority Data at $2 per GB.

 Data Terms and Priority: Unlimited data at Best Effort priority level
(lowest)
 Portability: Yes - no service address change needed
 In-Motion Use: Yes
 10 MPH or less standard
 High speed (greater than 10 MPH) when you opt-in for Mobile
Priority Data
 International Use: Yes
 Mobile Regional: Can roam anywhere on land on your home
continent, with theoretical limitations on how long you are in a
new country
 Mobile Global: Can roam anywhere on the globe on land where
Starlink provides service
 Ocean Use: None unless you opt-in to Mobile Priority data at $2/GB
 Other Features: Can pause service (no pro-rating)

Mobile Plan Tiers:

 Regional: $150/month
 Global: $200/month

Mobile Priority Plan

Starlink Mobile Priority is similar to the Mobile plans, but includes some
Mobile Priority Data. The main features include global usage on land and
water including open ocean, and high-speed in-motion data on both land
and water.

The amount of Priority Data you get depends on the plan tier you choose.
Once used up, you have unlimited data at Mobile Best Effort level (the
lowest priority level) and you fall back to the same restrictions as Mobile
with no ocean use and no high speed in motion use. Additional priority data
can be purchased $2 per GB.

Starlink Mobile Priority allows high-

speed, in-motion use

 Data Terms and Priority: Tiered Priority Data followed by unlimited

data at Best Effort (the lowest priority)
 Portability: Yes - does not require changing a service address
 In-Motion Use: Yes - can be used at high speed (greater than
10MPH), but require Mobile Priority data
 International Use: Yes - Can roam anywhere on the globe where
Starlink provides service
 Ocean Use: Yes, but it requires Mobile Priority data.
 Other Features: Can pause service (no pro-rating), priority customer
support

It's important to note - that if you don't need TBs of Mobile Priority data, it
may be more flexible to subscribe to a Mobile Plan, and purchase Mobile
Priority data as needed. Otherwise, on these Mobile Priority Plans, Mobile
Priority data is used first.

Note: Starlink has started to enforce that users on Mobile Regional

plans who are in cells marked as open who leave their region and
choose to opt-in to Mobile Priority data, must have the Mobile Global
as their base plan. Users opting in from the Mobile Regional plan who
leave their region are getting cut off and told to return to land to
change their plan.

Mobile Priority Plan Tiers:

 50GB Priority Data - $250/mo
 1TB Priority Data - $1000/mo
 5TB Priority Data - $5000/mo
 Additional Priority Data $2/GB

Which Plan Is Right For You?

With four main plan options and different tiers of service for most them, the
choices can get confusing. The Starlink website attempts to make this
clearer by guiding potential customers to specific options depending on
their use case. They also have personal and business listed on the
website, but there are not actually any distinctions besides the plan and
hardware recommended for each.

Regardless of personal, business, or your specific use case, in the end,

there are only 4 plan categories.

Mobile - The Sweet Spot For Most

Most nomadic users who travel in RVs and boats along inland waterways
will probably find the Mobile plan the most convenient since it just works
anywhere without having to change a service address. The main downside
is that this plan is always deprioritized unless you pay for expensive priority
data.

However, having the option to opt into Mobile Priority data to access
Starlink's highest data priority can be handy if you really need a better
connection in a congested area.

Opting into Mobile Priority data also allows you to stay connected while in
motion above 10MPH, as well as provide ocean coverage. But at $2 per
GB for Mobile Priority data, that can get expensive quickly. Remember to
turn it off when you don't need it to avoid a large, unexpected bill.

The Mobile plan is also a good option for part-time nomads since you can
pause service during the months you're not traveling, although it's easy to
cancel and restart service with Starlink fixed location plans too.

Standard and Priority - A Better Value But More

Inconvenient
Customers who don't mind the inconvenience of moving their service
address with each stop can find better value with the Standard or Priority
plans. The advantage of these plans is that they cost less than the Mobile
and Mobile Priority plans, and also come with a higher level of data priority.

But there are downsides. The most obvious is needing to change the
service address every time you move - a process that can take 5-15
minutes.

These plans also do not come with any in-motion usage at all, you cannot
pause service, and there is no international use outside of your home
country.

If these restrictions don't matter to you, and you don't mind changing your
service address, then these plans give you higher priority data at a lower
cost.

Don't Stress - Changing Plans is Easy

The great thing about Starlink plans is you can change your mind and
change plans as your needs change.

Starlink makes it relatively easy (with some caveats) to move to a different

plan that better fits your needs when your situation changes and you can
see our resource article: Switching Between Starlink Services.

Here are the caveats:

When moving between plans, plans that cost the same or more will switch
immediately when you choose the new plan. If it's a more expensive plan,
you will then be charged a prorated cost for the remainder of the billing
cycle. If the new plan includes a bucket of Priority Data, you get the full
amount even for a partial month - the Priority Data is not pro-rated.

You can use this to your advantage to move up to a higher tier plan at
a certain point in your billing cycle and still get all the Priority Data at
a reduced prorated cost.

When moving from a more expensive plan to a cheaper plan, the change
plan change will not happen until your next billing cycle begins. There is no
pro-rating, you remain on your current plan and wait for your billing cycle
for that change to occur.

Cancelling And Restarting Service Is A Viable

Strategy
In some cases, Starlink may not give you an option to directly change from
the plan you are on to another plan. However, since there are no contracts
with Starlink or long-term service obligations, you can cancel service and
then restart the service on a different plan. Just be aware that you should
cancel service near the end of your billing cycle to minimize the financial
loss as you won't get refunded for unused service if you cancel.

Additionally, while the fixed location plans cannot be paused like the Mobile
plans, Starlink currently allows you to cancel and restart service without
any penalties or activation fees, so it's almost like pausing.

So don't let the lack of a pause feature on the Standard and Priority plans
hold you back if you only need service periodically.

Starlink Billing Notes

All Starlink plans ordered directly from Starlink begin the billing cycle on the
day you power on your equipment attached to the plan, or within 30 days
after shipping if you don't turn it on. The billing continues until you cancel it,
which you can do at any time, as there is no contract or service obligation.
If you cancel service, then the service ends immediately, and there is no
refund for any unused service.

Billing is in the currency of the country your account is registered in. It's not
possible to move an account from one country to another - to do that you'd
need to cancel the account in your existing country, create a new account
(with a different email address) in the new country, transfer your
equipment, and restart your plan under the new account.

For plans that allow pausing service, the pause takes place at the end of
your current billing cycle. When you unpause service, it begins immediately
on the day you unpause, and you are immediately billed a prorated amount
for the number of days remaining in your billing cycle. Then you begin a
new billing cycle with the full, normal cost.

Payments for Monthly Service Subscription. You authorize Starlink to

charge your approved payment method for –
a) Monthly Service Fee. Monthly recurring charges for the Services
selected in your Order, starting on the earlier of (i) the date you
activate the Starlink Kit or (ii) 30 days after Starlink ships your
Starlink Kit (the “Payment Due Date”). Starlink will automatically
charge your approved payment method for the first month’s service
fee on the Payment Due Date. The service fee for the second month
and all subsequent months thereafter will be due on the monthly
anniversary of the Payment Due Date; and
b) Additional Priority or Mobile Priority Data. If applicable, additional
automatic charges per GB of data use, if you opt-in to purchasing
additional Priority or Mobile Priority data after hitting your data limit
under certain Service Plans. You can track your excess monthly data
usage and purchase additional Priority or Mobile Priority data at any
time via the Starlink App or via your Starlink account. Your excess
data usage per month will also be displayed on your next monthly
invoice. Once you opt-in, you will be automatically billed for
additional Priority or Mobile Priority data used until you opt-out,
including in following billing cycles. You may opt-out of purchasing
additional Priority or Mobile Priority at any time via your account in
the Starlink Customer Portal. Additional details can be found in the
Starlink FAQs and Starlink Fair Use Policy.
RECOMMENDED TOPICS
How do I opt in to additional data?
For service plans with Priority or Mobile Priority data options, you can
opt-in or opt-out at any time from your Starlink account page.

How to opt-in:

Starlink.com - Click "Manage" under "Your Starlinks", then select the

"Priority" or "Mobile Priority" toggle.
Starlink App - Click "Data Usage", then select the "Priority" or "Mobile
Priority" toggle.
How it works: You can opt in to ensure you automatically receive
additional Priority or Mobile Priority data upon exhausting your data
limit in a given month. Once you opt-in, you will be automatically
billed for data used above your plan's allotment until you opt-out,
including in following billing cycles. Additional data is charged per
GB used. You can track your monthly data usage in your account.
Your additional purchased data will be displayed and charged on your
next monthly invoice. Your bill may show less data than reflected in
your Data Tracker, as we substract data used by backend Starlink
operations (i.e. software updates). If your service is currently paused,
you must activate service to see the toggle.