Starry Vs Starlink – What’s the Difference?

Starry Vs Starlink: The internet market has been buzzing, with ISPs coming up twice as much over the past few decades. 

Major providers such as Starlink and Starry have numerous clients and decent service, slowly contributing to their expansive network.

Despite both providers offering internet services, they have a lot of differences, which we’ll look at in this article.

 We’ll discuss the various internet plans and how the two compare in terms of performance, connectivity, availability, and more. 

Starry Vs Starlink: Definition

Starry was formed in 2016 as an internet provider that uses wireless antennas to communicate across five markets in the US. 

The company initially started with 7 markets but now focuses on New York City, Los Angeles, Denver, Boston, and Washington, DC. 

Starry offers up to 300 Mbps in its higher-end plan with unlimited data and zero caps. It has already connected more than 85,000 households in its five core markets. 

Starlink is a popular internet provider with a global market of about 2 million subscribers.

 It is a branch of the tech company SpaceX and has since used satellite technology to provide internet to even the most remote areas. 

Starlink uses low earth orbit satellites, providing high-speed internet with low latency. 

While the hardware costs are a bit high, the pricing is reasonable. 

The highest plans offer up to 200 Mbps, and latency can go as low as 25 ms. 

Starry Vs. Starlink: Product

Both companies offer different internet plans for home, business, and commercial use. Let’s look at how they compare. 

Satellites in constellation 

Satellites in constellation 

Starry 

  • Starry Basic. The basic Starry plan costs $30 and is suitable for home users who don’t browse much. This plan can allow light browsing and watching videos. Speeds go to a maximum of 50 Mbps.  
  • Starry Plus. The next tier is the Starry Plus, which also comes in a standard router providing internet speeds of up to 200 Mbps. $50 per month, this plan is suitable for medium browsing and does not come with data caps. 
  • Starry Pro. The third plan costs $65 monthly and comes with a Pro Router. Download speeds go up to 500 Mbps and 250 Mbps upload speeds. 
  • Starry Gigabit. The final plan comes at $80 monthly and has the highest data plan of up to 1000 Mbps. Starry Gigabit is suitable for businesses and commercial use with high-speed browsing and video streaming. 

SpaceX Starlink

  • Residential. Starlink residential is the lowest plan suitable for homes and small families with moderate browsing. It offers up to 50 Mbps download speeds at $120 monthly and an additional $599 for equipment paid once. 
  • Roam. The roam was essentially Starlink RV designed for travel use and browsing in motion. The plan costs $150 monthly and has a standard $599 equipment rate. 
  • Business. As the name suggests, this plan is suitable for commercial use or businesses which require heavy browsing. Internet speeds range from 100 to 220 Mbps with low latency. The Starlink Business costs $250 per month. 
  • Mobility. The mobility plan also offers up to 200 Mbps for remote areas. At $250 per month, you can get unlimited internet. You also need to pay a one-time fee of $2500 for equipment. 
  • Maritime. The maritime plan is for use on the ocean. It has a similar priority as the mobility plan regarding price and hardware costs. The only issue is that once data is completed, you can’t access the internet. 
  • Aviation. Targeting planes and jets, the aviation plan offers up to 350 Mbps of fast internet and a 20 ms latency. It uses aero terminal tech to transmit the internet through LEO satellites. The plan costs $12,000 to $25,000 monthly, depending on the priority. 

Starry Vs. Starlink: Availability

Illustration of a communication satellite dish 

Illustration of a communication satellite dish 

Starlink is available in over 60 countries thanks to the 4000+ low earth orbit satellites in the constellation.

 The tech company still plans to launch more satellites to achieve global coverage. 

On the other hand, Starry is available in selected areas in the US, including Ohio, Los Angeles, New York, Washington, and Denver. 

While it seems more concentrated in these markets, some buildings may not get reception. So, contact their homepage to check if it’s available in your area. 

Starry and Starlink: Pros and Cons

Pros Cons
Starry -Reasonable pricing and great value -Zero data caps -Free Installation -Company almost going bankrupt-Slower internet speeds -Low performance during bad weather conditions
Starlink-High-speed internet with low latency-Global network coverage-Options for aviation connectivity -Expensive equipment cost -Poor customer service-Slightly slower internet speeds than promised

Starry Vs Starlink: Subscription Cost

Subscription badge 

Subscription badge 

While both internet providers have reasonable plans, Starry offers the cheapest at $30 monthly. The largest plan provides 1000 Mbps and only costs $80 per month.

 Meanwhile, Starlink’s cheapest plan is $120 monthly, and the top tier costs up to $25,000 for aviation users. 

Also, equipment costs $599 to $2500 dispensing on the internet plan. 

Starry Vs Starlink: Bundles and Deals

3D illustration of price tag and discount icon

3D illustration of price tag and discount icon

Since Starlink offers unlimited data plans, it has no data plans or deals. However, there is a monthly 1TB priority data plan in case your unlimited plan is depleted.

 The maritime and mobility plans also offer up to 5TB of data as an after-service for its plan. 

Starry doesn’t have offers well. However, they contain numerous deals and offers for their customers.

 For instance, you can add more upload speeds at only $5 per month, 

Conclusion

While Starlink costs seem relatively high, it offers reliable internet across remote locations worldwide. 

Starry has affordable plans and charges as low as $30 per month. However, it is only available in five locations in the US, which is incredibly low compared to Starlink. 

Ultimately, the provider you choose depends on your preference, availability, and your location. 

We hope this article has provided insights into the differences between Starlink and Starry.