Starlink Internet Canada Review: Plans, Prices, and Speeds

Starlink is a division of SpaceX that offers satellite internet service to Canada and the rest of the world. The company recently expanded services to cover the entire country.

Starlink’s $140/month Residential plan delivers unlimited data and download speeds up to 150Mbps, making it a great option for those in remote areas looking for faster internet service.

Now that Starlink satellite internet service is available throughout Canada, we’ve broken down everything you need to know about the service, from its price, its performance, and whether or not you’ll need to spend any time on a waiting list.

---

Starlink internet plans and pricing

---

Starlink offers three connection types for its satellite internet: Residential, Roam, and Boat. The Residential option offers two plan packages in Standard (best for households) and Priority (best for offices/businesses).

Pros

Availability in remote areas

Starlink internet is available in remote areas of Canada that most other internet plans don’t reach. We’re also impressed with the fact that Starlink provides these areas with fast download and upload speeds, which can compete with some of the most popular internet plans available in urban centres.

Fast download speeds

Starlink says Standard Residential users can expect download speeds from 50 to 150Mbps with very low latency, better known as service delays. While Starlink’s speeds are slower than some of the best internet plans in Canada, like Bell’s Gigabit Fibe 1.5, they’re remarkably fast for rural areas and will allow you to browse the web and stream content with ease.

Starlink also provides its users with unlimited data. Like most unlimited data plans, this comes with an asterisk: Starlink users receive 1TB of “Priority Access” to their unlimited data. After that, their data is de-prioritized or throttled to slower speeds.

Quick and easy setup

The Starlink app walks customers through the setup of the hardware provided in the Starlink kit, including determining the ideal location for the Starlink dish and configuring the Wi-Fi network settings. If you need to place your Starlink dish on your roof or the side of your house, Starlink provides additional equipment for mounting hardware in its online store.

We love that this process is one you can do yourself without much of a hassle. Most users report setup times of 10 minutes or less.

Cons

High upfront cost

The typical price for Starlink's Residential hardware is $499, though the company recently lowered the price in select provinces: you can get new Starlink hardware for $99 in Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec, and Saskatchewan, or snag refurbished hardware for $299 in Alberta, British Columbia, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Ontario, and the Yukon.

Inconsistent connectivity

While Starlink’s beta users were happy with the provider’s fast internet speeds in rural areas, they also mentioned frustration with periodic drops in service. This unfortunately still plagues the service, with bandwidth-intensive activities like video-conferencing and gaming leading to the most problems. 

Starlink internet coverage and availability

---

Starlink first arrived in Canada in late 2022, beginning with rural areas that'd historically been provided few options for internet access. The ISP's coverage map began expanding in 2023 and, by the end of the year, covered the entirety of the country. 

Starlink internet vs. competitors

---

If you’re looking for internet coverage with coverage in remote areas, you’ve got a few options in addition to Starlink.

Starlink internet vs. Xplore

Xplore is a rural internet provider with plans that are much cheaper than Starlink’s, though the plans’ speeds are considerably slower than Starlink’s. Xplore’s best option is the Xplore 5G 50 Truly Unlimited Data, which offers 50MBps downloads and unlimited data. If you go with Xplore, you’ll pay less per month and considerably less for hardware, but you’ll sacrifice a great deal of speed.

Starlink internet vs. Execulink

Execulink is a rural internet provider serving Ontario with a wide range of plans, including several high-speed hybrid fibre plans. The best Execulink plans are both faster and cheaper than Starlink. You can get 1Gbps downloads and unlimited data with their Hybrid Fibre Internet 1GB plan or 500Mbps and unlimited data with their Hybrid Fibre Internet 500 plan. Execulink’s hardware is free and you're welcome to install it yourself. If you can't, you'll pay $49.99 for professional installation. The one downside is that Execulink is only available in select areas of Ontario.

Starlink internet vs. SaskTel

SaskTel provides DSL and fibre internet to Saskatchewan, including some of the province's rural areas. Plans start at $39.97/month and top out at $214.90/month. SaskTel's infiNET 150 plan offers 150Mbps downloads, 75Mbps uploads, and unlimited data for a price comparable to Starlink. The crucial difference between SaskTel's high-speed plans and Starlink is connection: SaskTel uses fibre, which is not available in more remote stretches of the country. Considering Starlink's satellite system can provide you with high-speed internet no matter where you are, we think it's the better option.

Starlink Roam for RVs

---

Starlink Roam, previously called Starlink RV, is a Starlink service that provides the company’s satellite internet for RVs and travelers. The Starlink Roam Regional plan costs $170/month and allows you to access Starlink's satellite constellation from anywhere on your home continent, allowing passengers to surf the web while on the road or campers to access the Starlink network wherever they set up for the night. 

Roam customers can typically purchase a $499 Standard Actuated dish, which can be set up at numerous locations. For a limited-time, though, Starlink is offering these Roam dishes for $299 in select provinces.   

The $3,170 Flat High Performance hardware allows you to access Starlink while in motion. If you imagine using the internet while traveling in an RV, you'll want the Flat High Performance hardware. 

Starlink Roam is not as fast as Starlink Residential because its plans are deprioritized on the Starlink network, leading to download speeds of 5 to 50Mbps and upload speeds of 2 to 10Mbps. These speeds may increase as Starlink continues to add more satellites to its constellation, but for the time being, you can expect your internet to be slower than it would be at home.

Starlink Mini

Starlink recently announced Starlink Mini, a mobile dish and Wi-Fi router combination that's slightly thicker than an iPad (298.5 x 259 x 38.5mm) and weighs only 1.1kg. Despite its small size, it can deliver speeds over 100Mbps.

The Mini will be an add-on to Residential plans, like a more compact version of Starlink Roam. As its name implies, it's much more portable than the typical Roam dish, which means it's ideal for backpackers and campers. The biggest difference is in data: Starlink Mini will only provide up to 50GB of mobile data per month compared to the standard Roam's unlimited allotment. We're hopeful that will change as time goes on.

Starlink Mini is not yet available in Canada, though it is now available in the U.S. We're excited to see it make its way north.

---

Methodology: How WhistleOut rates internet plans

WhistleOut evaluates internet plans based on the following criteria:

• Price & value: Not all cheap plans are “bad,” and not all expensive plans are worth it. We look at everything a plan includes and compare it both to other plans from the same provider, as well as similar plans from competitors in the market, to determine whether the value is consistent with the price.
• Speed & data: Faster upload and download speeds usually mean a better user experience, but not every household needs the fastest plan available. Additionally, the more guaranteed high-speed data the plan includes, the better the plan—but there’s also usually a limit to how much you actually need, and we ensure that you’re not overpaying for services or data that will go unused.
• Coverage & network reliability: The breadth of an ISP’s network determines your reception and service. We value ISPs with large coverage maps who can provide quality internet to more Canadians.
• Plan extras and perks: In addition to the basics—speeds and data—some plans throw in freebies like modems, installation, entertainment subscriptions, or service discounts.

Our internet experts leveraged proprietary data and real-world customer feedback to evaluate Starlink internet, analyzing their coverage, cost, and plan options. We considered plan-specific elements, including perks, premium data allowances, and upload/download speeds. After performing extensive research, including customer feedback, we compared Telcan to other comparable ISPs (Execulink, Xplore, and SaskTel) in order to place Starlink's services in context.

Looking for more options for your next internet plan? Be sure to check out our guides to the best internet service providers and the best internet plans in Canada.

Starlink Internet Canada Review: FAQs