Starlink says its users typically get 25–220 Mbps download, with most above 100 Mbps, and 5–20 Mbps upload. Latency is usually 25–60 ms on land. That's fast enough for streaming, video calls and most online gaming, and far better than older satellite internet. Upload is the weak spot.
What Starlink publishes
The figures come from Starlink's specifications page, which also breaks the numbers down by plan:
| Plan | Download | Upload | Latency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard (fixed) | 25–100 Mbps | 5–10 Mbps | 25–60 ms |
| Priority (fixed) | 40–220 Mbps | 8–25 Mbps | 25–60 ms |
| Mobile | 5–50 Mbps | 2–10 Mbps | under 99 ms |
| Mobile Priority | 40–220 Mbps | 8–25 Mbps | under 99 ms |
Starlink says latency can be 100 ms or more in some remote places, such as islands, oceans, Alaska and northern Canada. The spec document differs by country and changes over time, so check the version for your region before you buy.
Most homes are on the Standard plan, so a typical home result is somewhere between 25 and 100 Mbps down and 5 to 10 Mbps up.
Why Starlink is faster than older satellite
Traditional satellite internet uses geostationary satellites about 36,000 km above the equator. A ping goes up and down twice, roughly 144,000 km, which takes close to half a second even at the speed of light (144,000 ÷ 300,000 ≈ 0.48 seconds). Starlink uses a large network of satellites in low Earth orbit, much closer to the ground, which is why its latency is in the same range as many wired connections. Types of internet connection compares it with fiber, cable, DSL and 5G.
Is Starlink good for gaming?
For most online games, yes. 25–60 ms is a playable ping for nearly every genre. What is a good ping sets out the bands. Two things matter more than the average:
- Jitter. Starlink's dish switches between satellites as they move across the sky. Ping can vary more from moment to moment than on a cable or fiber line, and that's what makes aim and movement feel inconsistent.
- Brief interruptions. Starlink says objects such as a tree branch, pole or roof that block the dish's view may cause service interruptions. A dropout of a few seconds can disconnect you from a match.
Cloud gaming is tighter. NVIDIA requires under 80 ms for GeForce NOW and recommends under 40 ms. Starlink's typical range straddles that line, so results vary by location and time of day.
The other gaming cost is downloads. At 75 Mbps, a 50 GB game takes about 1.5 hours at full speed (50 × 8,000 ÷ 75 ≈ 5,300 seconds).
Upload: the real limit
5–10 Mbps on the Standard plan is enough for video calls. Zoom recommends 3.8 Mbps up for 1080p one-to-one calls. It's tight for:
- Live streaming. Twitch lists 6,000 kbps (6 Mbps) for 1080p at 60 fps, which would use most of a 5–10 Mbps upload.
- Cloud backup. 10 GB of photos takes about 2 hours 13 minutes at 10 Mbps (10 × 8,000 ÷ 10 = 8,000 seconds).
- Several uploaders at once. One person sending large files can make everyone else's calls stutter.
If you upload a lot, compare the Priority plan's 8–25 Mbps with your needs, and read is 20 Mbps upload good for what that range handles.
How to get the most out of Starlink
- Clear the view. Use the "Check for Obstructions" tool in the Starlink app before you mount the dish, and move it if trees or roofs are in the way. The app also builds an obstructions map once the dish is online.
- Mount it high. Starlink says many customers get the best service from a permanent mount on a roof, pole or wall.
- Fix the Wi-Fi. The dish may deliver 100 Mbps while a far bedroom gets 20. Test near the router first.
- Pause big uploads during calls and games. With 5–10 Mbps of upload, a single backup can fill the line.
How to lower ping has more general fixes for lag.
How to test Starlink
Run several tests. A single result on a satellite link tells you little.
- Run the speed test on a device next to the router or connected by Ethernet.
- Test in the morning and again around 8–10 pm, when more people in your area are online.
- Write down download, upload, ping and jitter each time.
- Compare with your plan's range from the table above, not with the 220 Mbps headline.
SpeedMetric measures idle ping and jitter, not latency while the line is busy. If calls only break up when someone uploads, the cause may be queuing on the connection; what is bufferbloat explains it. If you're weighing Starlink against a 5G home plan, how fast is 5G home internet has the official figures for T-Mobile and Verizon.
Common questions
Why is my Starlink speed lower than 100 Mbps?
The Standard plan's typical range is 25–100 Mbps, so results below 100 Mbps are normal on it. Obstructions, a busy area or slow Wi-Fi in the home can push results lower still.
Is Starlink good for Zoom and Teams calls?
Generally, yes. Zoom recommends 3.8 Mbps up for 1080p one-to-one calls, well inside Starlink's typical upload, and 25–60 ms latency works for calls. Obstructions cause the dropouts people notice most.