Starlink vs. Verizon 5G Home Internet: Which is the Better Choice?

Starlink’s residential internet plan costs $120 per month. It’s among the most expensive monthly plans compared to other providers. However, there is no mandatory commitment, so you can cancel anytime if you find a better option or are not impressed with the service. Starlink’s more considerable cost comes from its upfront hardware costs.

Unlike most providers that lease any hardware alongside the monthly service, you must purchase your Starlink equipment, which includes the dish, router, and cables. The regular price of the Standard Starlink dish is $349. However, Starlink often discounts its equipment in certain areas, so you should check if your address qualifies for a reduced price. You can return your equipment within 30 days for a full refund if you’re unhappy with the internet quality. Plus, since you own your Starlink equipment, you’re free to sell and transfer it to someone else in the future.

Verizon 5G Internet has two tiers of pricing, one for Verizon mobile customers and one for internet-only. You’ll save money if you’re already a Verizon customer or plan to switch your mobile plan for one of those. $35 per month for the base 5G Home plan is among one of the cheaper internet plans available as long as you have a voice line (which starts at $65 per month for a single line) and enable autopay. Overall, you’ll pay less without a mobile plan, but you might as well get the discount if you need mobile and home internet. Additionally, equipment leasing is included in both plans. 

The base plan is affordable, but for $10 more, the 5G Home Plus includes perks such as a Wi-Fi extender, faster speeds, and a three-year price guarantee. Either plan is much cheaper than Starlink’s monthly plan and equipment. However, you’re paying for Starlink’s unparalleled availability over Verizon’s network.

Starlink’s Residential plan with a standard dish can offer download speeds that often surpass its expected top speed of 220Mbps. It’s not as fast as a fiber connection, which can reach gigabyte-level speeds. However, low latency genuinely makes Starlink shine, especially over competing satellite internet providers. Lower latency means your internet will be more responsive, with less buffering when streaming video.

Your final speed will depend on your location as well as the placement of your Starlink dish. It will also depend on how much bandwidth is available in your area. You’re essentially competing with your neighbors for a room on the Starlink network.

Verizon uses its fixed-wireless 5G network to deliver internet to home gateways and Wi-Fi routers. According to Verizon, the base plan offers speeds up to 300Mbps, and the Plus plan offers speeds up to 1,000Mbps. However, the strength of the 5G signal depends on your proximity to Verizon’s cell towers. According to Verizon’s broadband nutrition label, typical speeds for the two plans are 25–300Mbps and 85–1,000Mbps, respectively. 

To get the best speeds with Verizon, the placement of your gateway device is essential. Placing it near a window with a clear view is the best way to optimize your signal. Since Verizon 5G Home uses the same network it uses for its mobile 5G service, it takes priority over home internet service, so speeds during peak hours may be slow.

Starlink is readily available throughout most of the U.S.; anyone can buy a kit and activate the service. According to the FCC, Starlink provides 99.5 percent of coverage in the U.S. and is also usable throughout most of the globe.

Verizon is a different story due to its availability, which relies on its 5G coverage. It’s expansive across the U.S. but far from the same coverage of Starlink. Verizon’s signal is centered around populated areas and will likely be unavailable in the most remote locations. According to the FCC, it provides about 22 percent of the U.S. You can check on Verizon’s site if your address is in the coverage zone and how fast you can expect it to be by checking the nutrition label.

Starlink has multiple dishes for different use cases, but I recommend the Standard dish fixed, residential use. It’s the most affordable and easy to set up and use. Starlink does not offer professional installation. The equipment and service were engineered to be easy to set up and work right out of the box. If you’re looking for a more permanent installation in your home, you’ll need some extra equipment and tools. Hiring third-party installers is possible, but from what we’ve seen on the web, these typically cost hundreds of dollars.

On the other hand, Verizon offers professional installation, even though the only equipment needed is the 5G gateway router. Installation is free for new customers, and the installer can determine the best spot for your router and Wi-Fi extender.

Unlike wired internet, both Starlink and Verizon’s reliability are affected by the weather. Rain, snow, and even overcast will affect performance, which is part of the reality of wireless internet. Starlink dishes have a self-heating feature to keep snow from accumulating, but heavy wind can affect its positioning.

Like many mobile carriers, Verizon has a history of mass outages that have affected thousands of customers. Various factors, including overloaded networks, technical glitches, and infrastructure damage, cause these outages. For many Verizon customers, these happen too often, which is unacceptable when you need reliable internet.

Another big part of reliability is how responsive and helpful a provider’s customer support is when issues inevitably arise. Starlink has lagged in this field and has received the most customer complaints. Support is primarily provided through a help center portal where customers submit tickets. Customers we’ve spoken to and those who have shared their experiences on the web have described their experience with Starlink support as frustrating and slow. They’ve only recently made minor improvements by adding a tech support-only phone line.

Like most mobile carriers, Verizon’s customer support has received mixed reception. However, customers have more options for contacting support. On its phone support line, instead of remaining on hold, they can request a call from a support agent. Unlike T-Mobile, the more expensive Plus plan doesn’t come with priority support.

Starlink is the more expensive option, but its satellite service covers you anywhere in the U.S., no matter how remote you are. Verizon 5G Home Internet is the more affordable option, with a download speed comparable to Starlink. However, its network doesn’t nearly have as much reach as Starlink and other 5G providers. The more remote you are, your signal and speed will be worse.  

For a deeper dive into these providers, read our full reviews: