Are you looking for a new internet service provider?
Fortunately, as time has gone on we’ve had more and more options become available to us.
In this article, we’ll be comparing both Starlink as well as Comcast / Xfinity, across many different categories and benchmarks. That way, you can decide which is best for you!
Without any further ado, let’s get to it!
Starlink Vs Comcast – Internet Speeds
Comcast and Starlink both offer comparable internet speeds, depending on the package that you purchase. That being said, you’ll get a better value with Comcast.
Generally speaking, Starlink’s residential service ranges from 50 to 250 mbps, depending on coverage in your area, time of day, and network congestion.
Comcast on the other hand offers packages ranging from 50 mbps all the way up to 2000 mbps for areas that support it.
For the same price as Starlink ($110 per month), you can get up to 1,200 mbps and still have extra money left over – in addition to not having to pay the upfront $500 cost for a Starlink dish.
To learn more about why Starlink is so expensive, click here!
Starlink Vs Comcast – Ping And Latency
Being a satellite internet service, Starlink unfortunately suffers from much worse ping and latency than Comcast.
Although Starlink is about as good as it gets when it comes to satellite internet services, it still cannot compare with cable or fiber options that Comcast offers.
Ping on Starlink tends to be 50-100 ms slower than on a comparable Comcast plan.
While this won’t have any effect on the majority of your internet usage, it can cause problems if you use your internet for tasks that require low ping, like competitive online gaming or real-time stock trading.
To learn more about about Starlink and gaming (including examples with specific games), click here!
Comcast Vs Starlink – Data Caps
We’re happy to share that Starlink is the winner in this category!
Unlike Comcast, Starlink has no data caps whatsoever for residential internet for most areas of the world, nor do they throttle your internet speeds after you’ve passed a certain amount of bandwidth. This means that you are free to download or upload as much as you want without any restrictions.
Comcast on the other hand has a data cap of 1.2 terabytes per month, unless you are on their business internet plan. While this was quite a lot of data in the past, it is no longer all that much considering the size of today’s games for example, or the adoption of 4K streaming – which can blow through 1.2 terabytes in as little as 3 hours of streaming per day on just 1 device!
Note that if you plan on using a lot of data or regularly hit the data caps, Comcast / Xfinity does offer unlimited data for an extra $30 a month.
Comcast Vs Starlink – Reliability
Between Starlink and Comcast, which internet provider is more likely to experience service outages or interruptions?
While both are fairly reliable, the winner in this category is Comcast.
Starlink is more prone to being affected by weather, network congestion, and peak usage hours during the day. During these periods, Starlink’s internet speed may drastically diminish, or outages may occur entirely.
While I personally tend to experience outages with Starlink more than once a day, I almost never had them with Comcast.
That being said, in certain areas Comcast likes to upgrade their infrastructure without any warning, sending entire neighborhoods down without internet for hours at a time. Typically, Starlink outages are resolved rather quickly.
Still, reliability is one of Starlink’s primary drawbacks, and this is just the unfortunate reality of being a satellite internet provider.
Comcast Vs Starlink – Customer Service
Customer service is another area where Starlink wins.
Starlink customer service tends to respond quite quickly, and gives far more thoughtful responses than you’re likely to receive with Comcast or Xfinity.
Their customer support staff seem to have a far better grasp on your problem, and are more likely to take your issue seriously and work with you to solve it in a timely manner.
While Xfinity does have 24/7 phone support where Starlink doesn’t, you’re likely to spend much more time on hold and may not have your problem solved in a timely manner. This can be quite frustrating!
On the other hand, while Starlink doesn’t offer phone support, you can get in contact via email and get a call back from a support representative when one is available.
To learn how easy it is to contact Starlink support, click here!
Starlink Vs Comcast – Overall Assessment
Now that we’ve looked over how the two companies compare in speed, latency, reliability, customer service, data caps and other important measures, we now come to the final question.
Which internet service provider should you go with?
As much as I love Starlink, if you have Comcast available to you, than you should go with it just about every time.
The fact of the matter is, Starlink is built for rural communities that do not have cable or fiber internet services – nor the population density to support that infrastructure being built.
Having been a former Comcast customer for years and now living in the rural country side, losing access to gigabit fiber internet has definitely been one of the hardest parts of living here.
While Starlink is wonderful to have available, I only use it because my next best option is a 12.5 mbps DSL line.
If you have cable or fiber internet available in your area (like Comcast, Xfinity or Spectrum), you can get the same or higher speeds with much lower latency, and far higher reliability than you would with Starlink.
Conclusion
Starlink and Comcast both are great options for internet, despite the fact that they serve two completely different markets.
If you are in an urban area where Comcast is available, than you should definitely purchase them rather than Starlink.
However, if cable or fiber internet isn’t an option, than Starlink makes an excellent choice.
I hope that you’ve found this article helpful. If you have any other questions about either Starlink or Comcast, please ask them using the comment form below.
Wishing you the best,
– James McAllister
Not sure if you have actually tried out Starlink but Comcast really can’t compete as much as you want it to.
C(Quote)
Hello, and thank you for your comment!
I’m currently using Starlink as my internet provider, and used Comcast for years before that. Starlink is fantastic for what it is, but expecting it to compete with land-based fiber is just unrealistic.
It is technologically impossible for Starlink to match the ping / latency of fiber, and fiber is not affected by obstructions, weather, or to the same degree network congestion, that causes slowdowns and disconnects with satellite internet.
Speed tests show Comcast (and most other cable / fiber providers) beating all satellite internet providers, Starlink included. For the most recent data, visit Ookla, the company behind SpeedTest.net
Again, I love Starlink and am very grateful to have it, but it’s just an objective fact that cable / fiber ISPs are almost always a superior choice if you have the option between them.
James McAllister(Quote)