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

Telicia
Jul 13
8 min read

Updated: Aug 24

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 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's 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, with occasional offshore passages.

In September of 2024, the previous Mobile Regional and Mobile Global plans were 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 was also a $10 for $10GB Roam Plan that was introduced for a short period of time, offered a low cost option for people who don't use their Starlink that often. That seems to be getting scrapped now, along with the free pause option, and is being replaced by a $5 standby low speed plan.

What's included with Starlink Roam

Here is what's included with the Roam plans.

Country wide coverage within the country of registration
In motion use regardless of hardware
International travel in available markets up to 2 months per trip
Opt in to Ocean Mode for cover beyond 12 NM

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. Personally we've spent years outside of our home country in other supported countries, with no issue.

Getting Priority Data on Roam

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 offshore passages and ocean crossings. There was an attempt to remove the toggle in October 2024, which was ultimately reversed after widespread community outcry. The priority data switch can be found in the app and is now labelled "Ocean Mode".

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. But, be aware there's no way to toggle the priority data on and off, and 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. 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.

Here are some of the models currently available:

Standard Dish (Model V4)

The Standard dish is best suited for residential and everyday use, but many people also have it on their boat. 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

Performance Dish (Gen 3)

Designed to operate at high temperatures, have better satellite connection and be more resilient to harsh conditions, the Performance dish is promising access to gigabyte speeds in future.

Survivable Wind Speed: 270kph+ (170 mph+)
Environment Rating: IP68
Power Consumption: 75-100 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

Due to a change in marketing, the Flat High Performance Dish is also referred to as the Starlink Performance Gen 2. The router for it is external and may not come with the dish.

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

We have one, and it's been great so far - you can read the complete review here.

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 August 2025.

Country	Standard Dish	Mini Dish
France	349 EUR = 377 USD	299 EUR = 323 USD
United States	175 USD	499 USD
Trinidad & Tobago	2599 TTD = 383 USD	Not available
Australia	275 AUD = 185 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 August 2025.

Country	Roam 50 GB	Roam Unlimited	Global Priority 50 GB
United States	$50 USD	$165 USD	$250 USD
Trinidad & Tobago	340 TTD = 50 USD	670 TTD = 100 USD	1965 TTD = 289 USD
Saint Martin	40 EUR = 47 USD	90 EUR = 105 USD	250 EUR = 270 USD
Australia	80 AUD = 50 USD	195 AUD = 122 USD	450 AUD = 283 USD
Philippines	3000 PHP = 53 USD	5700 PHP = 100 USD	16,400 PHP = 285 USD
UK	50 GBP = 67 USD	96 GBP = 130 USD	206 GBP = 266 USD
France	40 EUR = 43 USD	89 EUR = 99 USD	241 EUR = 282 USD

You can switch between plans in your Starlink account, but you can't change the service country without transferring the dish (more on that below).

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. Personally we've chosen to stay on the Roam plan and pay-per-GB for offshore 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?

Roam plan users have access to "Ocean Mode" 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.

Login to your Starlink account
Go to "Subscriptions" and select the relevant subscription
Under the "Servce Plans" box click "Cancel Service"
Go to "Device" and choose the Starlink
Write down the Starlink identifier, as you will need it later
Press "Transfer" before confirming the conditions

From there you go through the activation process in the new account, entering the Starlink identifier when prompted.

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.

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