Starlink Roam vs renting — which one wins?
Starlink Roam is Canada's mobile Starlink plan. It requires you to buy the dish first ($349–$599) and then pay $65–$165 per month for data. For any trip shorter than 6 months, renting is almost always cheaper — and you don't get stuck with the hardware after.
- Roam: $599 hardware + $65–$165/mo, minimum 1 month billed
- Rental: $45/day, $149/week, $399/month — unlimited data included
- Break-even is around 8 months of continuous use
- Rentals have zero standing cost between trips
Starlink Mini kits from $45/day · unlimited data · refundable deposit · pickup in St. John's or NL-wide shipping.
Check Rental AvailabilityYou save $615 by renting.
The real cost of Starlink Roam
Starlink advertises Roam as $65/month, which is technically true — but only if you never actually roam. The 50GB tier throttles you to unusable speeds after 50GB, which one film crew or a family streaming Netflix burns in a weekend. The realistic tier for most Canadians is Roam Unlimited at $165/month. Then you're on the hook for hardware: $349 for the base Mini, $599 for the full kit with cables and mount.
When ownership makes sense
If you're going to use Starlink continuously for 8+ months — a live-aboard boat, a full RV season, a remote work-from-cabin setup — buy the dish. Otherwise you're paying for hardware that sits in a closet 10 months of the year and depreciates in the meantime.
When renting wins
Salmon fishing week, hunt trip, film shoot, festival, ice-fishing weekend, hurricane-outage stopgap, "I need to test whether this works at my cabin before I buy" — renting. Every time.
Frequently asked
As of 2026: Roam 50GB $65/mo, Roam Unlimited $165/mo. Both require you to buy the dish separately — $349 for standard Mini or up to $599 for the full kit.
For any trip under about 6 months of continuous use, yes. A one-week rental is $149 vs $349–$599 hardware + $65+ month one on Roam. See the calculator on this page.
You can, but pausing takes effect on the next billing cycle and reactivating counts as a full month. Rentals have zero standing cost — you pay only for the days you use.