Choose Starlink Residential if you want the cheapest internet for one fixed home. Choose Roam if you travel, live in an RV or van, or need to move your dish between locations. Residential is tied to your address and gets higher network priority; Roam works anywhere in your region, can be paused, and supports use in motion — at a higher price. Here's the full comparison.
Side-by-side comparison
| Feature | Residential | Roam |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Fixed home address | Travel, RV, van, multiple sites |
| Monthly price | $30–$130 (from) | ~$50+ (from) |
| Location | Single registered address | Anywhere in region (or global tier) |
| Use in motion | No | Yes (compatible hardware) |
| Pause anytime | No | Yes, month to month |
| Network priority | Higher | Lower (deprioritized at busy times) |
| Contract | None | None |
See live Residential prices → · See live Roam prices →
When Residential wins
Pick Residential if:
- You're connecting one home or property and it won't move.
- You want the lowest possible monthly price — in the US that's $55/mo on the 100 Mbps tier.
- You want the best network priority for video calls, gaming, and streaming during peak hours.
Residential's whole design is "best home internet for the lowest price," and it delivers that as long as you stay put.
When Roam wins
Pick Roam if:
- You live or travel in an RV, van, or boat-on-a-trailer and need internet in different places.
- You only travel part of the year — Roam's pause/resume means you don't pay for idle months.
- You need internet while moving (compatible hardware required).
- You manage multiple properties and want one dish you can carry between them.
The trade-offs: Roam costs more per month and its data is deprioritized behind Residential users when the network is busy, so peak-hour speeds in crowded areas can dip.
Price difference: a real example
For a US user who stays home, Residential at $85/mo costs ~$1,020/year. A part-time traveler on Roam who pauses for 6 months pays for only the active months — which can actually be cheaper than year-round Residential despite the higher monthly rate. That pause feature is the hidden lever:
- Full-time home use → Residential is cheaper.
- Seasonal travel → Roam can be cheaper thanks to pausing.
- Constant travel → Roam is the only one that works.
Run your own numbers with live prices in your currency.
What about the hardware?
Both plans use the standard Starlink kit (or the portable Mini kit for Roam). You don't need different hardware to switch — you change the plan, not the dish. The kit is a one-time $199–$599 purchase depending on country. See the full kit and cost breakdown.
The verdict
| Your situation | Best plan |
|---|---|
| Rural home, stays put | Residential |
| Full-time RV / van life | Roam |
| Seasonal traveler | Roam (pause off-season) |
| Multiple homes | Roam |
| Tightest budget, fixed address | Residential |
Still deciding between all six Starlink plans? Read Starlink plans explained, or check all plans available in your country.