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

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.

CONTENTS:

• What is Starlink

• Installing Starlink on a boat

• Starlink plans available

• Types of Starlink dishes

• Cost for having Starlink on a boat

• FAQ

Starlink recently launched a referral program so if you use this link to sign up for a Residential or Roam Unlimited plan, you could get 1 month free and so would we!

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 for Maritime

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.

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

For existing users there's also a $10 for $10GB Roam Plan, offered a low cost option for people who don't use their Starlink that often, for example weekend boaters.

What's included with Starlink Roam

Here is what's included with the 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

In regards to the 2 month rule, the current anecdotal reports are that the 2 month rule is only being applied when people spend 2 months in a country where Starlink's currently not authorised.

Getting Priority Data on Roam

Currently with Roam there is an option for people to switch on mobile priority data and pay by the GB, which enables you to use it during crossings. There was an attempt to remove the toggle in October 2024 which was ultimately reversed, but there is uncertainty among cruisers as to whether this option will continue to be available in future.

Starlink for Maritime

Previously there was an option on the Starlink website for Starlink Boats. The marketing for this has changed to Starlink for Maritime and it seems directed more towards commercial vessels like fishing boats and cargo ships. That said, I do know cruisers using these plans after having their Roam account suspended for being outside a supported country for 2 months.

Under the Starlink for Maritime category there are 4 main plans which include normal and priority data. Sometimes these plans are marketed simply as the Global Priority Plans.

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

• Global Priority 500GB Plan - Unlimited data inland + 500GB per month of priority data

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

• Global Priority 2TB Plan - Unlimited data inland + 2TB 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.

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 fou types of dish listed on their website.

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.

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

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.

• Operational Wind Speed: 96 kph+ (60 mph+)

• Environment Rating: IP67 Type 4

• Power Consumption: 25-40 W on average

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 April 2025.

Country	Standard Dish	Mini Dish
France	349 EUR = 377 USD	299 EUR = 323 USD
United States	349 USD	499 USD
Trinidad & Tobago	2599 TTD = 383 USD	Not available
Australia	549 AUD = 345 USD	599 AUD = 377 USD
Saint Martin	349 EUR = 377 USD	399 EUR = 431 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 or Global Priority in various countries around the world, as of April 2025

Country	Roam 50 GB	Roam Unlimited	Global Priority 50 GB
United States	$50 USD	$165 USD	$250 USD
Trinidad & Tobago	Not available	590 TTD = 86.96 USD	1965 TTD = 289 USD
Saint Martin	40 EUR = 43 USD	90 EUR = 97 USD	250 EUR = 270 USD
Australia	80 AUD = 50 USD	195 AUD = 122 USD	450 AUD = 283 USD
Philippines	Not available	4100 PHP = 71 USD	16,400 PHP = 285 USD
UK	50 GBP = 65 USD	96 GBP = 124 USD	206 GBP = 266 USD
France	40 EUR = 43 USD	72 EUR = 77 USD	290 EUR = 313 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 Global Priority

The pricing structure for Global Priority underwent a revamp in March 2025, with the some users seeing the price for the 50GB option being broken into a 150 USD connection fee and 100 USD fee for a 50GB block of data.

These are the USD prices for American customers as listed on the Starlink website:

Base Package	Additional Data Blocks
Global Priority 50GB = $250 Global Priority 500 GB = $650 Global Priority 1TB = $1150 Global Priority 2TB = $2150	Add 50GB = $100 Add 500GB = $500

As you can see these plans are quite expensive, more than the average cruiser would be willing to pay for that amount of data.

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 Maritime so expensive?

The included priority data is part of the reason Starlink Maritime 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?

Currently Roam plan users still have access to the Mobile Priority Data toggle so activating that will allow for ocean internet use.

People on Global Priority plans always have access to offshore data, so their internet will work even if they're sailing across an ocean.

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.

1. Login to your Starlink account

2. Go to "Your Starlinks" and press "Manage" next to the dish you're transferring

3. Write down the Starlink identifier, as you will need it later

4. Click "Cancel Service"

5. Go to "Device", choose the Starlink and press "Transfer" before confirming the conditions

6. 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.