Starlink on a boat: which plan should you choose?

To choose the right Starlink antenna and plan for a boat, you need to consider several factors:

• the antenna's power consumption
• the cost of the antenna
• service coverage in the areas where you plan to sail.

1. The antenna

You have three antenna options to choose from:

The Starlink Mini and Standard (V4) antennas work for most uses (boat, sailboat, camper van), whereas the Starlink Performance antenna is built for harsh environments, use on the move and heavy vibration.

For more information on which Starlink antenna to choose, read our articles Starlink Mini or Standard (V4) antenna and Standard or Performance.

Power consumption

Power consumption varies greatly from one antenna to another. Starlink states an average consumption of 25 to 40 W for the Starlink Mini (Mini X), 75 to 100 W for the Standard (V4) and 75 to 100 W for the Performance.

To reduce power consumption, we recommend converting to 12V (or 24V) with one of our kits:

• for the Mini antenna: the StarWifi Mini 12V / 24V kit,
• for the Standard V4 antenna: the Plug & Play V4 kit or the Plug & Play V4 pack with wifi router,
• for the Performance antenna: the Maritime 2-in-1 kit.

We also recommend using a wifi 6 router or a wifi 7 router: low-power (12V or 24V), compact and ultra powerful.

All prices in this article are based on hardware purchased and a plan subscribed to in metropolitan France. Hardware and plan prices vary from country to country, so check the cost in the country of your service address.

Cost

• Starlink Mini X: €199 on starlink.com. The kit includes the antenna (built-in Wi-Fi 5) and an external Mini router (Wi-Fi 6).
• Starlink Standard (V4): €349.99 from authorized resellers (Fnac, Boulanger, Darty) or via the Business page.
• Starlink Performance: €2,160 on starlink.com/business, without a router: you need to add a Starlink router or a third-party router.

2. Choosing a plan and service coverage

For roaming use (boat or camper van), Starlink offers two families of plans: Roam and Priority.

Starlink Roam

Starlink Roam is an internet plan designed for travelers. It lets you take Starlink anywhere and stay connected in the areas covered by Starlink.

It works on the move, including in coastal and international waters (with Maritime mode).

The recommended hardware for these plans is the Mini X antenna. You can also buy a Starlink Standard (V4) antenna via the Business tab (then select Standard) or from an authorized reseller (Fnac, Darty, Boulanger...).

Two options are available:

• Roam 100 GB at €45 / month: 100 GB of high-speed data, then unlimited data at low speed (emails, calls...). This plan is limited to your home country and Europe (if your home country is in Europe).
• Roam Unlimited at €95 / month: unlimited high-speed data, which can also be used outside Europe for up to 30 consecutive days (see below), with Maritime mode available (offshore sailing).

The service can be paused and resumed at any time thanks to Standby Mode (€10 / month), which offers unlimited data at low speed. This lets you check emails and the weather, or access the Starlink website or app. Standby Mode does not work on the move or more than 12 nautical miles from the coast.

Coastal cruising, sailing in the Mediterranean or the European Atlantic

For coastal cruising, the Roam plan is recommended because it works across all of Europe (including the Canary Islands, the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Norway). The Mini kit or the Standard V4 kit are both suitable for this use.

Sailing on the open sea

Beyond 12 nautical miles from the coast, you need to activate Maritime mode (formerly Ocean mode), which is reserved for Roam Unlimited or Priority subscribers. It is billed at €6.25 / GB on top of your subscription.

Remember to turn off Maritime mode once you are back in coastal waters, because every GB you use will be charged (even near the coast).

Read our article on How to activate Maritime mode.

Priority plans

For long crossings and international travel, Starlink offers Priority plans. They include priority data and a public IP address. Once your data runs out, the connection remains unlimited, but is capped at 1 Mbit/s download.

• Global Priority (€250 to €2,150/month for 50 GB to 2 TB): no time limit internationally, designed for use at sea. Ideal for international trips of more than 60 days in vans and boats.

For these plans, we recommend the Starlink Standard (V4) antenna with its Plug & Play V4 kit, or the Starlink Performance antenna with its Maritime 2-in-1 kit.

Transatlantic: leaving Europe - Canary Islands, Cape Verde, then the Caribbean

For a Starlink account registered in Europe, sailing as far as the Canary Islands does not start any clock. The 30-day countdown starts as soon as you leave Europe, for example for the African continent, Cape Verde or the French Caribbean (the French Caribbean and French Polynesia do not count as France for this rule).

With Roam Unlimited, you get 30 consecutive days outside your home country, with mandatory travel registration. Roam 100 GB cannot be used outside Europe.

To spend the season in the Caribbean or French Polynesia (beyond 30 days, outside the Europe zone), the right plan is Global Priority.

Until now, Starlink has been known for not enforcing its terms of sale, but that could change.

After 30 days, your options are:

1. Switch to a Global Priority plan: no time limit and suited to sailing at sea.
2. Return to your home country, which resets the 30 days to zero.
3. Transfer your account to a new country : you can "move" your Starlink address to a new address in one of the countries of your new cruising area, which will give you another 30 days. The transfer is not allowed until 120 days after purchase or 90 days after activation. See the Starlink procedure.
4. Keep a backup solution: a local SIM card or eSIM with a 4G/5G router. Read our article How to get an uninterrupted Starlink connection.