Start with Starlink Residential 100 Mbps if its download limit fits your household and the plan is available at your address. Consider 200 Mbps when you need more download capacity. Max adds higher Residential network priority as well as access to maximum available speeds, but it does not guarantee a particular speed or fix every WiFi problem.
This guide compares the current U.S. home-plan choices using official information checked November 4, 2026. It is not a hands-on speed test. Starlink’s live U.S. pages ask for an address before showing Residential pricing, so use your own USD quote rather than treating a price in an older review as a nationwide offer.
Starlink Residential plans compared
The U.S. Starlink service-plan page lists three Residential choices. The 100 Mbps and 200 Mbps plans are available only in selected areas. All three include unlimited data; the numbers in the two lower-tier names are download-speed ceilings, not monthly gigabyte allowances.
| Plan | Download limit | What to consider |
|---|---|---|
| Residential 100 Mbps | 100 Mbps maximum | Check whether this ceiling is enough for your simultaneous downloads and streaming |
| Residential 200 Mbps | 200 Mbps maximum | More download headroom, but still more vulnerable to congestion than Max |
| Residential Max | Maximum available speeds | Highest Residential network priority, not a guaranteed minimum speed |
Starlink’s formal service-plan descriptions explain that both capped plans are more likely than Max to slow during congestion. Max can also slow when the network is busy and remains subject to network management. Buying Max does not turn satellite internet into a connection with an uninterrupted-service guarantee.
How to compare the actual monthly and first-year cost
Enter your service address on Starlink’s U.S. home page and compare the plans it actually offers you. A lower tier appearing in someone else’s account does not establish that you can order it. Save the normal monthly rate, any introductory rate and the date the introductory rate ends.
For a quote that stays unchanged for twelve months, the service subtotal is twelve times the monthly price. If a promotion expires earlier, add the promotional payments and later regular payments separately. This arithmetic is not an annual-prepayment discount, a price lock or a prediction that Starlink will keep the same rates.
Then add the equipment purchase or recurring rental charge, activation, shipping, taxes and any applicable installation or accessory costs shown in the order. Check for a demand surcharge too. Compare the combined total, not just the service line. Our internet-plan hidden-fee checklist gives you a place to record those charges alongside a cable or cellular quote.
To price an upgrade, subtract the lower plan’s monthly quote from the higher plan’s quote, then multiply that difference by the number of months you expect to keep it. Value an included benefit only if you would otherwise pay for it. A travel-kit discount does not save your household money if you would never use a travel kit.
When 100 Mbps, 200 Mbps or Max makes sense
For a household that mostly browses, streams and makes occasional video calls, start by checking the 100 Mbps quote. Do not choose by counting every connected light bulb or idle phone. Think about what people do at the same time. A large download sharing the connection with a video call is a different demand from several devices sitting unused.
The 200 Mbps tier is worth comparing when the 100 Mbps ceiling would hold up downloads or leave too little capacity for your busiest periods. Its higher ceiling is not a promise that every download finishes twice as fast. If your current difficulty is evening congestion rather than reaching a speed cap, the difference in priority between a capped tier and Max matters more than the label alone.
Max deserves a closer look when several people need substantial capacity at once or interruptions during busy hours are particularly costly to your household. Still, do not buy it as a guaranteed cure for gaming lag, weak WiFi in a distant room or an obstructed antenna. Record whether the problem occurs near the router, elsewhere in the house or only at particular times before paying for an upgrade.
Installation, rental and old free-kit offers are different
The U.S. home page advertises professional installation with 200 Mbps and Max. Confirm that the offer appears in your order and ask what your property needs. Starlink’s installer guidance warns that longer cables, trenching, specialized routing, extended travel and certain home types can add costs. U.S. customers with a bundled installation schedule it through their Starlink account. A free standard installation does not mean every requested job is included.
If your offer is a rental, Starlink’s rental rules describe a monthly equipment charge in addition to service and any applicable activation charge. Rental customers cannot pause service, and returning the kit matters. Check the return deadline and non-return charge before relying on the arrangement for a seasonal cabin. Do not assume paying the internet bill means you own the antenna.
Also separate a rental from the old 12-month Residential service option. The current help page says that option is discontinued for new activations. Existing participants should check their confirmation email before changing plans or addresses: the legacy terms describe change fees. An older free-kit article is not evidence that the same offer is available for a new order today.
Does Max include a free Mini and travel service?
The optional Mini travel-kit terms describe eligible customers receiving a hardware rental with no monthly hardware charge, not automatic ownership or free unlimited travel service. Max gives eligible Roam plans a 50% discount. Where the offer is available with Residential 100 or 200, those plans receive a 20% discount instead. The claim email and account show the actual service price.
The offer requires an active Residential home line. Canceling it, putting the home line on Standby Mode or canceling the Mini’s service can end the offer. The Mini must then be returned or its retail price can be charged. Keeping the Mini itself on Standby Mode is different from putting the home line on standby. Read those conditions before counting a second kit as a saving.
Budget the home bill and the Mini’s separate service or standby bill together. If you mainly want internet for an RV or changing destinations, first compare Starlink Residential and Roam’s home-versus-travel rules; buying a home plan for a bundle is not the same as making that home service portable.
Four checks before you order or switch
Starlink’s Residential-plan help page says changes depend on availability and can take effect immediately or at the next billing cycle. An upgrade to Max can take effect immediately. Check your own change screen and any legacy commitment or bundle conditions before confirming.
- Save the available plans and full quote for your actual address, including the rate after a promotion ends.
- Identify whether the equipment is purchased or rented and record installation extras, return obligations and any change fee.
- Check your busiest normal household use, not just an isolated speed-test number. Note WiFi location and time of day when something fails.
- Before accepting an upgrade or downgrade, read its effective date, next payment and effect on any Mini discount. Keep the confirmation.
Choose the least expensive available tier that fits the work your household actually does, with equipment and offer conditions included. Pay more for a specific need you can name, rather than assuming that Max automatically solves the problem.