Starlink vs. cable: which actually wins in 2026?
We ran both side by side for a month. Here's exactly when satellite beats cable — and when it doesn't.
If cable or fiber reaches your address, take it — it's cheaper and faster. Choose Starlink when your only wired option is slow DSL, or you need internet somewhere a cable never will.
Speed & latency
Cable is still the speed king in cities. Our Xfinity line hit 1.2 Gbps down with 12 ms latency — comfortably ahead of Starlink's 220 Mbps and 35 ms. For competitive gaming and huge downloads, cable wins outright.
But 220 Mbps is plenty for a household streaming 4K on several TVs at once. Unless you're moving very large files daily, you likely won't feel the difference day to day.
Price over three years
This is where cable pulls ahead. A $50/mo cable plan costs about $1,800 over three years. Starlink runs $120/mo plus $349 hardware — roughly $4,700. That gap is hard to justify if you have a wired option.
So, which should you buy?
Run your address through our checker first. If a fiber or cable provider shows up, start there. If your only wired results are DSL under 100 Mbps — or nothing at all — Starlink is the clear winner despite the price.
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