No data caps or contracts with either service Nothing really to move the needle one way or the other here. Neither provider enforces data caps or requires a contract for service. Granted, Starlink has its Priority plan with varying amounts of data, but there is still no cap on your total usage. Once the priority data pool is depleted, customers fall to the Standard and still unlimited data plan. Starlink's availability is hard to beat Choosing an internet provider starts with what’s available in your area. Starlink has the availability advantage over T-Mobile 5G Home Internet and basically every other nonsatellite provider. According to the most recent Federal Communications Commission data, Starlink is available to 99.7% of US households. A few pockets across the US aren’t yet serviceable for Starlink, the biggest areas that lack availability are in west-central New Mexico and along the Virginia-West Virginia border. For the most part, Starlink is immediately available everywhere else. FCC/Mapbox T-Mobile 5G Home Internet’s availability has rapidly increased, and there’s no reason to expect the ISP will slow down anytime soon. Still, nationwide availability sits at just under 64% as of December 2024, per the most recent FCC data. Coverage is particularly low in the western states of Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Wyoming -- states where Starlink indicates its fastest speeds are available. About that waitlist Starlink booted it's nationwide waitlist in 2023, but select cities may still be waiting for service. T-Mobile's 5G Home internet, on the other hand, has over a million people currently in the queue. Even in areas largely serviceable for T-Mobile 5G Home Internet, availability can vary by address and the current network capacity. As a result, home internet service may not be available, even if you can get 5G on your phone. Starlink vs. T-Mobile roaming internet Along the lines of availability, Starlink also offers Roam internet with service intended for “RVs, nomads and campers” that allows you to take your internet connection essentially anywhere. Service starts at $50 to $165 a month for standard unlimited data, while priority data plans range from $250 to $1,000. The Roam Unlimited plan recently increased from $150 to $165 a month, but I'd say the added perks are worth the extra cost. In addition, Starlink also introduced a mini satellite dish that is best suited for travelers. Service starts at $50 or $165 monthly; this does not include the upfront equipment fee of $349. T-Mobile 5G Home Internet also launched a roaming plan of its own, T-Mobile Home Internet Away. At $110 a month for 200GB or $160 for unlimited data, the monthly rate is more in line with Starlink, although going with T-Mobile will save you a good bit on equipment costs. What do customers think of Starlink and T-Mobile? ACSI Both providers are fairly new to the home internet market, so there's limited historical data tracking customer satisfaction trends from Starlink or T-Mobile 5G Home Internet. But both seem to be off to a good start. For the first time ever, in 2025, T-Mobile matched AT&T Fiber in score in the American Customer Satisfaction Index survey. With a score of 78 out of 100, there was a three-point increase year over year and was well above the average for non-fiber providers (68) and T-Mobile took the top spot in the category. Starlink isn’t included in ACSI data, but an Ookla Speedtest Intelligence report from the first quarter of 2023 gives insight into customer reception and satisfaction. (Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.) Data from the report shows that Starlink had a significantly higher Net Promoter Score (a study of how likely a customer is to recommend a service) than the averaged score from all other ISPs despite having slower median download speeds. Starlink outperformed other ISPs exceptionally well in nonmetropolitan settings, which makes sense as the service is geared toward rural internet users. Starlink vs. T-Mobile 5G Home Internet recap Since entering the broadband space, Starlink and T-Mobile 5G Home Internet have improved high-speed availability and connectivity, particularly in areas where options have long been (and still are) highly limited. Both providers provide significant upgrades in speed and reliability compared with other rural internet services However, if given the option of the two, go with T-Mobile 5G Home Internet. It's considerably cheaper than Starlink, upfront and month to month, while service is potentially faster and easier to get started. T-Mobile 5G Home Internet isn’t available everywhere. In areas where it doesn't yet reach, Starlink is likely to be the best option for high-speed internet compared with geostationary satellite internet (Hughesnet, Viasat) or DSL internet. Starlink vs. T-Mobile 5G Home Internet FAQs Is Starlink or T-Mobile 5G Home Internet better? Starlink and T-Mobile Home Internet match up fairly evenly regarding speed, data caps and contracts. Starlink’s main advantage over T-Mobile Home Internet is availability, as the satellite ISP is available nationwide, whereas T-Mobile Home Internet currently covers just over half of US households. Where both providers are available, T-Mobile Home Internet will be the cheaper option. Service starts at half the cost of Starlink’s cheapest plan, and there are no equipment fees, saving customers $349 or possibly more in upfront costs compared with Starlink. Is Starlink or T-Mobile 5G Home Internet faster? Starlink’s Standard home internet service advertises a speed range of 30 to 150Mbps or 40 to 220Mbps, depending on your chosen service tier. T-Mobile Home Internet's new plans offer a slightly faster download speed range, 87 to 318Mbps or 133 to 415Mbps. Location, network congestion and other factors impact actual speeds from both providers, so Starlink may be faster in some locations while T-Mobile Home Internet is faster in others. Starlink’s Priority plan could deliver faster speeds and better reliability by giving users network precedence over Standard users, eliminating or mitigating slowed speeds due to network congestion. T-Mobile Home Internet doesn't offer a similar service tier, so customers may be more likely to experience speed issues during peak usage times or in areas with many users relying on the network. Does T-Mobile use Starlink for internet?