You get $100. So do I.
Starlink pays both of us, as cash or service credit, when you order through my referral link and stay two months. Same price either way.
Look for the green $100 banner on Starlink's page, then finish your order in that same tab. How the $100 works
HughesNet and Viasat both advertise $39.99 a month for the first 12 months; Starlink Residential starts at $55. Viasat lists $69.99 after its promotion. The bigger difference is orbit: HughesNet and Viasat sit about 35,786 km up, Starlink about 550 km. Prices checked 18 October 2026 (Starlink, 6 October).
I run Starlink at my house in Chesapeake Beach, Maryland. I haven't used HughesNet or Viasat, so everything below about them comes from their own websites, linked in each section.
Prices, from each company's own site
| Provider | Advertised price | What the page says |
|---|---|---|
| HughesNet | From $39.99/mo for 12 months | "Offer and plan availability may vary by geographic area." Elite plan up to 100 Mbps; unlimited data, with Standard Data possibly slower at high-traffic times. Price after month 12 not shown on that page. |
| Viasat | $39.99/mo for 12 months, then $69.99/mo | Essentials plan; "additional terms apply." |
| Starlink | From $55 / $85 / $130 a month | Residential 100 Mbps, 200 Mbps and Max; unlimited data on all three; varies by address. |
Sources: HughesNet home plans and Viasat satellite internet (both read 18 October 2026), and Starlink Residential (6 October 2026). For the detail on Starlink's three plans, see how much Starlink costs.
Read the HughesNet and Viasat prices as first-year prices. Viasat says outright that Essentials goes from $39.99 to $69.99 after 12 months. Compare what you'd pay in year two, not month one.
The difference price can't fix: distance
HughesNet and Viasat use satellites in geostationary orbit, about 35,786 km above the equator. A signal has to go up and back down twice for every request, which puts the theoretical minimum round trip near 477 ms before any real-world delay. Starlink's satellites orbit at about 550 km, so the same calculation gives roughly 7 ms. Those are floors, not real-world readings, but no amount of engineering shortens the geostationary path. I walk through the arithmetic on my comparison page.
HughesNet effectively acknowledges this: its Fusion plan "combines satellite and wireless technologies for reduced latency," according to its own plans page.
Why it matters: video calls, online games and anything interactive feel the delay. Streaming a movie mostly doesn't.
Where HughesNet and Viasat win on paper
- Lower first-year price. $39.99 a month against Starlink's $55 starting price.
- Installation offers. HughesNet advertises free standard professional installation for new lease customers (not with the purchase option), as a limited-time offer.
Where Starlink wins
- Latency, by a margin set by physics rather than marketing.
- A 30-day trial with a full refund, per Starlink's Residential page.
- My own experience: 100 Mbps down and 15 up measured on 26 September 2026, and it has stayed up through Chesapeake Bay storms. One house, not a promise for yours.
How I'd decide
If all three are offered at your address, compare year-two prices, then weigh how much you care about responsiveness. If you're on video calls or gaming, the orbit difference will matter more than the monthly gap. If fiber reaches you, take that instead; I explain why on "Don't buy Starlink if…".
Common questions
What people ask me about this
Is Starlink better than HughesNet or Viasat?
On latency, yes, and by a margin set by physics. HughesNet and Viasat use geostationary satellites about 35,786 km up, which puts the theoretical minimum round trip near 477 ms. Starlink's satellites orbit around 550 km up. HughesNet and Viasat both advertise lower introductory prices, so check what you'd pay after the first year.
How much do HughesNet and Viasat cost?
HughesNet advertises plans starting at $39.99 a month for 12 months, with availability varying by area (hughesnet.com, 18 October 2026). Viasat advertises its Essentials plan at $39.99 a month with a 12-month promotion, then $69.99 a month (viasat.com, 18 October 2026).
Is there a Starlink promo code or discount?
There is no Starlink coupon code — Starlink does not issue them, and any site advertising one is guessing. The only standing discount is the referral program: order through someone's referral link and you and the person who referred you each get $100 in the US, as cash or service credit. There is no code to type at checkout; the link does it, and Starlink shows a green banner confirming the $100 when the page opens. Mine is https://starlink.com?referral=RC-586189-74623-26 — the price is identical either way. You pay your first month as normal, and the $100 is issued once you have been subscribed for two months.
Does HughesNet have unlimited data?
HughesNet's plans page lists unlimited data with a footnote: Standard Data may be slower than other traffic during high-traffic periods. Starlink's Help Center says all Starlink Residential plans include unlimited data.
Have you used HughesNet or Viasat?
No. I've had Xfinity cable and now Starlink at my house in Chesapeake Beach, Maryland. Everything here about HughesNet and Viasat comes from their own websites, read on 18 October 2026.
If Starlink is the one you want
Check your address on Starlink's site. Ordering through my link gets you $100, as cash or service credit — and I get the same.
Look for the green $100 banner when Starlink's page opens — that confirms the code took. You pay month one as normal; the $100 is issued once you have been subscribed for two months. Finish your order in the same tab — the referral can be lost if you close it and come back later. Here's the full timeline.
Get the $100 →