Survey says Starlink users are happier than the average ISP customer

Starlink customers are among the most satisfied in the industry, outperforming cable, fiber and fixed wireless providers, according to a new report from the research firm Exploratory analysis.

The company collected data from over 153,000 respondents between May 12, 2023 and July 5, 2024, of which 1,300 were Starlink customers.

Since the satellite internet company owned by Elon Musk’s SpaceX began launching satellites in 2019, it has maintained a passionate fan base. That’s rare in an industry that typically scores lower on customer satisfaction than airlines, hospitals and social media companies. Still, the high scores are somewhat surprising.

Starlink offers both high prices and modest speeds. Users typically get download speeds between 25 and 220 Mbps, and monthly pricing starts at $120 — well above the $63 U.S. average. Customers must also purchase a satellite dish upfront for $499 (currently on sale for $299).

So why is Starlink so beloved, even with its mediocre stats? It’s all about the alternatives. Most customers (85%) live in rural areas, where DSL and slower satellite providers are often the only other options. Some customers (11%) had never had a home internet connection before Starlink.

“When you have no other options, even expensive internet seems worth it,” explains Roger Entner, author of the Recon Analytics report.

The report comes at a time of rapid growth for Starlink. recently surpassed 3 million subscribers worldwide and 1.4 million in the US, surpassing satellite rivals Hughesnet (1 million subscribers) and Viasat (257,000).

High marks for reliability and performance

Rural internet is usually synonymous with unreliable internet, but Starlink appears to have flipped that script. About 30% of Starlink customers reported that their internet had gone out at some point in the past 90 days, which is lower than cable and DSL providers, but higher than fiber and fixed wireless.

It also appears to be the most stable of the bunch, with few customers noticing slowdowns or disconnected devices. And while resetting the router is a common experience for most people, only one in five Starlink customers have had to take this step.

Source: Recon Analytics

“Considering that Starlink is a service that requires a direct line of sight to a passing satellite, these statistics are impressive,” Entner wrote. “It has also proven capable of managing bandwidth, even during peak hours.”

Starlink also scored highly in technical performance, with the app scoring highest for the full experience, streaming video, and establishing and maintaining a Wi-Fi connection.

Source: Recon Analytics

“It’s very similar to fixed wireless access in that if it works, it works very well, and if it doesn’t work, the service provider makes it easy to return the product within 30 days for a full refund or you only have to pay for the services provided,” Entner said.

There are probably some low expectations at work here too. For example, it’s unlikely that Starlink is actually better for gaming than a fiber connection. Ookla speed test data shows that Starlink is a average latency of 58 ms in November 2023; fiber providers such as Verizon Fios (15 ms) and Frontier (17 ms) came out on top a fraction of that time.

One caveat: Customer service

The only area where Starlink didn’t get high marks is customer service. It’s not that it’s bad, it’s that it’s non-existent.

The company doesn’t have physical stores or even a phone number you can call, so you’ll have to play the online chat game through Starlink’s app or website. This doesn’t actually connect you to a real person, but you can file a service ticket and hope for a quick response. PCMag has a handy guide for contact Starlink customer service here.

The heart of the matter

While these results are a clear win for Starlink, that doesn’t mean you should automatically switch internet service providers. Fixed wireless, another big winner in the Recon Analytics report, also outperformed cable and fiber in a J.D. Power survey from earlier this year, and fiber came out on top in this year’s American Customer Satisfaction Index results. (Starlink wasn’t included in either survey.)

But there’s no denying that Starlink users are extremely excited about the satellite internet service. It all comes down to options. Starlink is often miles ahead of other internet options available in rural areas, but it doesn’t make as much sense in areas where cable, fiber, and 5G home internet are widely available.