Starlink vs. Starlink Business: Is Starlink Business Worth the Money

Choosing between Starlink vs. Starlink Business is not hard to decide because these two plans target different applications. However, Starlink Business offers the best speed among Starlink plans, unlimited data, low latency, and no cancellation …

Internet satellite broadcast around the earth

Choosing between Starlink vs. Starlink Business is not hard to decide because these two plans target different applications.

However, Starlink Business offers the best speed among Starlink plans, unlimited data, low latency, and no cancellation fees.

This makes many people inquire whether it is worth the investment. 

Table of Contents

Starlink Business is just one of the plans offered by Starlink for commercial use.

Currently, SpaceX offers three internet plans for Starlinks, including, Residential, RV, and Business.

The business Plan is the most stable option offering the best speed and low latency without a data cap.

The plan is the most expensive and has no contract or cancellation fees. 

A technician installing Starlink dish in a business setting

Performance

Starlink and Starlink Business differ in terms of speed.

Starlink Business Plan has a greater download and upload speed than other plans.

The download speed for the Starlink business can go up to 300mbps.

This is faster than the Residential plan or RV Starlink, which ranges between 20-100 Mbps and 5-50 Mbps, respectively. 

SpaceX had large organizations and government offices in mind when developing the Starlink Business Plan.

However, Residential and Starlink Business latency tends to be the same.

Here is a summary of the performance between Starlink and Starlink Business. 

Starlink PlansDownload SpeedUpload SpeedLatency
Starlink20-100 Mbps5-15 Mbps25-50 ms
Starlink Business40-300 Mbps8-85 Mbps25-50 ms
A satellite on the roof of a simple wooden dwelling.

A satellite on the roof of a simple wooden dwelling.

Security

As mentioned before, SpaceX developed the Starlink Business Plan for secure internet connection in commercial and government institutions.

As such, you should expect a more encrypted internet connection.

Though the Residential plan is also well secure, the Starlink Business plan is a better option to protect sensitive data. 

Reliability

Regarding stability, Starlink Business is better than the consumer service level.

This is because it can access a stronger network and additional satellites.

On the other hand,

Starlink connection is more prone to outages compared to Starlink business. 

Cost

Starlink Business is by far more expensive than Standard Starlink.

We can calculate your purchase hardware cost to the expected monthly service charges.

Hardware Cost: The standard Starlink hardware cost is around $499 per month.

On the other hand, Starlink business can cost up to $2,500, around five times that of Standard Starlink. 

Service Cost: Standard Starlink service can cost you only $99 per month, while Starlink Business cost can go up to $ 500 depending on the data plan.

For instance, a 1 TB plan can cost as low as $250. 

That said, you can only pick a Starlink Business plan if you want to use it in a commercial or government office.

For residential use, you will need a cheaper option which is Standard Starlink. 

To help you decide whether Starlink Business is worth it for your project, let’s see the summary of its benefits and downside about Standard Starlink. 

Pros

  • The Starlink Business has a download speed of 1Gbps compared to 100Mbps of the Standard Starlink.
  • The business plan offers unlimited data, compared to the Residential with a 150GB data usage limit. 
  • Setting up and troubleshooting the Starlink Business is easy through their dedicated account manager. However, the setup is not easier compared to Standard Starlink.

Cons

  • Starlink Business’ high cost is the main drawback. This makes it suitable for only large enterprises.
  • SpaceX only launched the Starlink business recently, so there may be some technical issues with the service. 

SpaceX launched Starlink in 2019 and later developed a premium version in 2022 named Starlink Business.

The consumer version already has coverage in more than 53 countries.

However, Starlink Business is still new and doesn’t have as much coverage. 

Starlink Business can cost five times as much as Starlink Residential.

The good news is Starlink comes with a free trial regardless of the service level. 

Due to its high cost, Starlink Business is only ideal for commercial or government offices. Using it for residential purposes offers no value.

This is because the cost is five times more than Residential Starlink, but the speed isn’t five times better than the standard Starlink.

The latency is also the same, so using Standard Starlink for a residential internet connection makes more sense. 

You can only access Starlink in some selected areas as of now.

Starlink Business is the newest plan and has the most limited coverage.

You can make a pre-order and wait for their service to reach your area.

The good thing is that Starlink is making a speedy expansion.

Just visit their site and see if your area is available. 

These two Starlink service levels are ideal for you. It all depends on where you want to use them.

For a stable and more reliable internet speed in your business or government office, Starlink business is ideal.

It has the fastest speed with no data cap, which will help enhance productivity in your business.

However, using the standard Starlink in your home is more economical due to availability.