Starlink for Boats - The Plans, Dishes & What it Costs For Cruisers

Sep 11, 20247 min read

Updated: Jan 3

Starlink has revolutionised liveaboard cruising by providing high-speed satellite internet to your boat, no matter where in the world you are. It allows cruisers to stay in touch with family, work online (read more on that here) and gain easy access to the latest weather forecasting.

In this article we're going to explore what there is to know about Starlink for boats, including how to order it, what plans and dishes are available, and what it costs.

What is Starlink

Starlink is a satellite internet constellation that provides high speed internet access to underserved and remote areas around the world, as well as enhanced internet connectivity in populated areas.

The constellation consists of thousands of small satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) that are launched by SpaceX. These satellites communicate with ground stations and user terminals (commonly referred to as dishy or Starlink dishes) to provide internet access.

Installing Starlink on a boat

Installing a Starlink satellite dish is a simple way to be able to get reliable internet on a boat. To get Starlink you can go to their website, select the plan and dish you want, then place an order. Once the Starlink kit arrives you follow the guide to setup the system and use the app or your online portal to manage the plan and payments.

It's also possible to buy second hand dishes (be wary of scammers!) or get them from a reseller like West Marine, but the account will still run through Starlink.

Which plans does Starlink have available

At the moment Starlink has 3 user categories each of which has access to different plans.

Starlink Residential
Starlink Roam
Starlink Boats

Let's take a look at each of those, breaking down what type of user they're designed for and which plans there are to choose from.

Starlink Residential

Starting with Starlink Residential, this type of account is for use at home providing unlimited data to one location. It is the cheapest option available and includes unlimited high-speed data, but because the dish is meant to stay within a certain distance of the registered address it's not appropriate for use on boats.

Starlink Roam

For people who are on the go or want to use their Starlink in more than one location there's Starlink Roam. Among live aboard cruisers and casual boaters this is one of the most talked about categories as it remains relatively affordable and is adequate if you're mostly cruising up coastlines, rivers or lakes.

An overhaul of this plan was announced in September of 2024, with the previous Mobile Regional and Mobile Global plans being replaced with two new options.

Roam 50GB - Allowance of 50GB per billing cycle with the option to purchase additional data by the GB

Roam Unlimited - Unlimited data anywhere the roam plan is available

Here is what's included in both of these Roam plans, aside from the data allowance.

Country wide coverage within the country of registration
In motion use up to 100 Mph (160 Km/h)
International travel in available markets up to 2 months per trip
Coastal coverage in territorial waters up to 2 months per trip

Previously with Roam there was an option for people to switch on mobile priority data and pay by the GB, which enabled you to use it during crossings. Initially this plan did not include it, but Starlink rolled back the change and for now the priority toggle is still available.

Starlink Boats

Under the Starlink Boats category there are 2 main plans which include normal and priority data.

Mobile Priority 50GB Plan - Unlimited data inland + 50GB per month of priority data

Mobile Priority 1TB Plan - Unlimited data inland + 1TB per month of priority data

Due to the priority data allowance it's possible to use this plan during crossings, and you can upgrade to it from the Roam plan through your Starlink account.

Something to keep in mind is that for now there's no way to toggle the priority data on and off with this plan, and at this stage the priority data allowance is used up first. Hopefully this changes as it makes it difficult if you're planning a passage towards the end of a billing cycle, when the initial allowance may have been used up.

A breakdown of the Starlink dishes

Over time Starlink has offered various dishes which are superseded when something new comes out. At the moment there are four types of dish listed on their website.

Standard Dish (Model V4)

This dish is best suited for residential and everyday use. Released in December 2023 it uses software assisted manual orientation rather than an actuator.

Operational Wind Speed: 96 kph+ (60 mph+)
Environment Rating: IP67 Type 4
Power Consumption: 75-100 W on average

Standard Actuated Dish

In use from 2021, the Standard Actuated Dish has now been superseded so it will likely become difficult to find a new one in future. It had a motorized system to self orientate that a number of cruisers reported they'd disabled to improve performance.

Environment Rating: IP54
Power Consumption: 50-75 W on average

High Performance Dish

The HP dish is for land based use by businesses and enterprises. It was designed to operate at high temperatures, have better satellite connection and be more resilient to harsh conditions.

Environment Rating: IP56
Power Consumption: 110-150 W on average

Flat High Performance Dish

The Flat High Performance Dish is for in-motion use and use in challenging locations, such as the marine environment. It has better GPS capabilities and can connect to a greater number of satellites, which helps it maintain connection while the dish is moving.

Operational Wind Speed: 280 kph+ (174 mph+)
Environment Rating: IP56
Power Consumption: 110-150 W on average

When you go to buy a plan Starlink will tell you which dishes are available and recommended for the plan you want. Not all dishes are available in all countries, but the power supply is 100-240V at 2.5A and 50-60 Hz as standard.

Starlink Mini

Introduced in 2024, the Starlink Mini dish is small in size, designed to be more portable than the larger dishes. There is nothing stopping you using it on a boat, especially if your only cruising coastal or inland waters.

The cost to have Starlink on a boat

How much it costs to have Starlink on a boat varies depending on which plan you have, the dish you want and where your service address is located. To give you an idea, here's some comparisons that were accurate at the time of publishing.

This is what the Starlink hardware cost in four different countries, as of the plan updates released in September 2024. From the update it appears it's no longer possible to order the Flat High Performance dish on a Roam plan.

	Standard Dish	Flat High Performance
France	349 EUR = 381 USD	2867 EUR = 3133 USD
United States	299 USD (V4)	2500 USD
Trinidad & Tobago	2400 TTD (Actuated) = 354 USD	19,082 TTD = 2817 USD
Australia	599 AUD (V4) = 395 USD	3740 AUD = 2463 USD

Once the hardware is paid for, you then need to pay a monthly subscription to maintain internet connection. This is how much it currently costs to have Starlink Roam and Starlink Boat in various countries around the world, after the September 2024 plan changes were applied.

	Roam Unlimited	Mobile Priority 50 GB
United States	165 USD	250 USD
Trinidad & Tobago	590 TTD = 87 USD	1908 TTD = 282 USD
Martinique	83 EUR = 91 USD	259 EUR = 285 USD
Australia	195 AUD = 130 USD	374 AUD = 250 USD
Philippines	4107 PHP = 73 USD	15,394 PHP = 275 USD
Britain	96 GBP = 125 USD	247 GBP = 321 USD
France	72 EUR = 80 USD	287 EUR = 312 USD

You can switch between plans in your Starlink account and plans can be paused for billing cycles if you need to.

The cost for Starlink Mini

The plans available for the Starlink Mini are limited and vary between countries. Accounts registered to the United States can purchase the hardware for $599 USD, and have a choice between Roam Unlimited and Roam 50GB.

FAQ for having Starlink on a boat

Here's the answers to a few questions you might still have about having Starlink satellite internet on a boat.

Will Starlink work on boats?

Yes, provided it's installed correctly and you have a valid plan for the area you're cruising in.

Why is Starlink Boats so expensive?

The included priority data is part of the reason Starlink Boats is so much more expensive that Starlink Residential and Starlink Roam. Most liveaboard yacht cruisers and boaters are fine with Roam, using the priority data toggle when out at open sea.

How fast is Starlink for boats?

Download speeds range between 25 and 220 Mbps, with most users getting somewhere around 100 Mbps. If you take a look on YouTube you'll see various sailing channels hosting video chats, live streams and uploading episodes from the middle of the ocean.

Can I have internet in my sail boat in the middle of the ocean?

Previously if you had Mobile Priority Data toggled on then it was possible to get internet offshore. Now it seems you may need to have the Starlink Boat plan and have priority data remaining or buy additional data if you've used it all. No doubt this will become clearer as the change over date of October 10, 2024, draws nearer.

Can I change my Starlink address to a different country?

Yes you can, but to change your Starlink's registered country you need to set up a new account with a new address, and transfer the dish over.

Here's a step by step run through of how to transfer a Starlink between accounts.

Login to your Starlink account
Go to "Your Starlinks" and press "Manage" next to the dish you're transferring
Write down the Starlink identifier, as you will need it later
Click "Cancel Service"
Go to "Device", choose the Starlink and press "Transfer" before confirming the conditions
If you want, you can enter the new email address it will be registered to, to make the setup easier

From there you go through the activation process in the new account.

Something to be aware of is you can run into problems in some places if the billing address on the account doesn't match the billing address on your card, for example dishes with service addresses in the United States.