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Starlink has plied its business for the last several years, offering both residential and roaming internet that is meant to be accessible from anywhere. The residential package, in particular, has been appealing because it comes with a free Starlink Standard receiver dish, a nice little perk. Unfortunately, on the heels of SpaceX's titanic IPO (and Elon Musk's massive share payday), not only has that nice little perk been rescinded, but it has been replaced with a monthly dish rental fee. Moreover, the additional perks of the most expensive Residential plan have been pared back as well.
Earlier in June 2026, users spotted a change in the terms of subscriptions: the offer for a free dish disappeared, and instead, you have to pay $10 a month to rent the dish, on top of your base subscription fees. A support article corroborating this change appeared on the Starlink website shortly after. Additionally, two of the perks that come with the most expensive Residential Max tier – a free Starlink Mini dish and discounted access to the Roaming plans — have been unceremoniously axed, generally lowering the value of the entire plan.
The Standard kit now costs $10 a month
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When Starlink first launched in 2020, it charged a flat rate of $499 for the necessary equipment, including one of the required Starlink dish types. In 2025, it was replaced with an attractive offer: anyone who signs up for a Residential plan would receive a Standard dish kit free of charge, on the condition that they're subscribed for a year. Technically, this offer was only available in certain parts of the U.S. and some supported countries. In a separate offer, those subscribed to the Residential Max plan at $130 monthly could claim a free Mini dish kit, as well as a discounted rate for one of Starlink's Roaming plans if they wanted to take their service on the go with them.
All three of these perks have been discontinued as of June 15, 2026. In order to use Starlink internet now, you need to subscribe to a Residential plan for at least $55 monthly, as well as pay an additional $10 equipment rental fee to receive a Standard dish. This $10 fee applies to all three tiers of Residential service, essentially inflating each of their price tags by $10. Subscribers to the Max tier will no longer receive any discounts for the Roaming plans either, and if they want a Mini dish, they'll have to purchase it separately.
The hardware rental is available in "select markets," and that equipment rental allows for more flexible Starlink usage in "select countries," though it does not actually say which markets or countries are affected here. According to PC Magazine, this article has appeared to new users from the U.S., U.K., Canada, France, Australia, and Mexico.