Starlink Business vs. Residential: which do you need?
Both run on the same satellites. The difference is priority data, a service agreement and a public IP.
Choose Residential (from $55, Max at $130) for a home or small office with heavy daily use. Choose Business Local Priority (from $55 for 50 GB) when you need an SLA, a public IP or priority during congestion, or as a cheap backup line.
Side by side
Which to choose
- Small office, daily use: Residential Max at $130 is unlimited with standard priority; 1 TB of Business priority data costs $280.
- Backup line: Business 50 GB at $55 includes the SLA and public IP and only uses data when your main line is down. See business internet failover.
- Remote access to cameras or a server: Business, for the public IP. See static IPs and SLAs.
- Harsh sites, vehicles: Business with the $1,999 Performance kit.
See our Starlink Business review and Starlink review.
How priority data works
Starlink Business plans are sold by the amount of priority data. Priority data is used first and holds its speed when the network is busy. When it runs out, the connection keeps working at 1 Mbps down and 0.5 Mbps up until the next billing period, which is enough for card payments and messages but not for video. Residential plans have no priority allowance: Max keeps standard priority all month, while the 100 and 200 Mbps plans are deprioritized whenever the network is busy.
Estimating how much Business data you need
- Backup line only: 50 GB ($55) covers occasional outages for card payments, email and cloud apps.
- Small shop as a primary line: 500 GB ($155) to 1 TB ($280), depending on video calls and cloud backups.
- Office with several staff: 1 TB to 2 TB ($530), or Residential Max if you don't need the SLA and public IP.
- Check last month's usage on your current router or provider app before you choose.
Hardware and setup
The Standard kit, from $349, is the same dish sold for homes and suits most fixed sites. The Performance kit at $1,999 is rugged aluminum for harsh weather, vehicles and remote sites, runs on AC or DC power, and comes with a 3-year warranty. Both use the same app for setup and monitoring. For boats and use outside the US, Starlink sells Global Priority plans from $250 to $2,150 a month.
Questions
Is Starlink Business faster than Residential?
Not inherently: both use the same network. Business data has priority, so it holds up better when the network is busy, until the priority data runs out.
Can I use Starlink Residential for a business?
Many small offices do. Residential has no SLA or public IP; Business adds both.
What happens when Starlink Business priority data runs out?
The connection keeps working at 1 Mbps down and 0.5 Mbps up until the next billing period. You can buy more priority data or move to a larger plan.
Sources (2)
- Plan pages and Broadband Facts labels from Starlink Business, Starlink Residential, checked Oct 2026
- Company press releases and regulatory filings on the ownership changes mentioned
Prices and offers change often; confirm at your address before you order. How we research
Jean founded ShopHighSpeed after trying to find one straight answer about business internet in his own town. He has been a Comcast and Verizon Fios customer, and ranks providers on what they actually deliver, not on what they advertise.