Picking Starlink over waiting for Leo? Through our referral link, Starlink credits $100 on your second monthly bill, and we earn a reward too.Our referral link: $100 Starlink credit, and we earn a reward tooHow it works (the $100 referral reward)

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Starlink vs LeoBuy or wait?
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Choosing Starlink now? Our referral link adds $100 in credit

How it works, per Starlink: if you're new to Starlink in the US and sign up on starlink.com for a Residential or Roam plan via a referral link, $100 of account credit lands on your second monthly invoice (its help center says as soon as 60 days after activation). The first month is billed in full. Starlink's terms are silent on rented kits. This site's owner receives an equal reward.

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Decision tool

Buy Starlink now, or wait for Amazon Leo?

Five short questions plus two optional ones, one dated answer, and every rule printed on the page. No address or email; your answers aren’t stored or sent.

Start the five questions
By Starlink vs LeoFacts checked How we checked

Photo: NPS Photo / National Park Service (public domain)

The dated verdict · as of

Order Starlink now only if your home needs dependable internet now and you'll keep it every month for at least a year. It's the only low-orbit service a US home can buy; Amazon Leo has no US home price (Not announced) or start date (Not announced). If your connection works and nothing is urgent, waiting costs little.

Answer the five questions

Your answers

No address, ZIP or email. Your answers stay in this browser tab and are never stored or sent.

01How well does your internet work today?
02How soon do you need better internet?
03Would you keep the service every month, without pausing, for at least a year?
04If Amazon Leo opened for homes like yours, would you switch to it?
05Does the monthly price fit your budget?

Your address sets your price. Starlink's no-address national list, read Nov 3, 2026, had Residential Max at $143/mo and Residential 100 Mbps (available in select areas) at $49.50/mo; a rented kit adds a monthly rental fee shown at checkout, plus one-time fees.

Your result

Answer questions 01 to 05; 06 and 07 are optional (Alaska, or taking it with you). All four possible results are listed below, A to D.

In Alaska: Amazon Leo's first-generation network isn't designed to reach most of the state. By our calculation its satellites reach about 58.7 degrees N Our calculation at most, which leaves out 87.6% Our calculation of Alaskans. The Alaska page has the detail.

On the move: Amazon hasn't announced consumer in-motion use for Leo (Not announced). For Starlink: In-motion use not permitted on Residential plans; its Roam plans start at $55/mo, and the Mini kit is $149 checked .

On a tight budget: Amazon's CEO has said only that Leo will cost less than alternatives, with no figures Announced, and Amazon has published no price (Not announced). Unless you need internet now, seeing Amazon's price first is reasonable.

Optional: in Alaska, or taking it with you?
06Do you need to take it with you?
07Which state is the home in?

Used only for the Alaska coverage note. Territories aren't listed: Starlink sells separate plans there.

The four results

A Result A

Who should wait

Wait instead if…

  • You’d switch networks the week Amazon Leo opens in the US.
  • Fiber, cable or fixed wireless is due on your road within about a year.
  • Your need is seasonal or for one trip, not year-round, or you’d pause service (Standby) between trips or seasons.
  • The monthly price would stretch your budget.

Our verdict · checked

Order Starlink now

You need dependable internet soon and you'll keep it every month for at least a year. Waiting for Amazon Leo means waiting for a US home service with no start date (Not announced) and no price (Not announced).

  • Starlink is the only low-orbit service a US home can order today. starlink.com checks your address first: some areas are sold out.
  • Contract terms: Month-to-month plans without long-term commitments; some offers in select markets require one checked .

B Result B

Our verdict · checked

Waiting is reasonable

Your connection works for now, or nothing is urgent, so waiting costs you little. You can decide once Amazon publishes US prices and dates, or once your needs change.

  • Amazon Leo for a US home: Not available to order for homes (no consumer sales). Price Not announced, start date Not announced.
  • Amazon's latest target: Initial service later in 2026 Announced (Oct 29, 2026). It hasn't named the locations or said whether the US is among them.
  • Its own US site says the antennas need FCC authorization before they can be sold or leased Confirmed.
  • Amazon's Join the list is an email list for news, not a place in line.

What would change this answer

  • The home is in Alaska: pick it under question 07 above. Leo's first network won't reach most of the state (result C).
  • Your connection gets worse, or work or school starts needing more from it.
  • Amazon publishes a US price, plans and a start date that include your area. The tracker logs it the day it happens.
  • A wired or fixed-wireless provider gives your road a date. The FCC National Broadband Map lists the providers that report serving your address.

C Result C

Our verdict · checked

In most of Alaska, Leo’s first network won’t reach you

When it approved Amazon's first-generation design (Jul 30, 2020), the FCC wrote: Given the proposed design of the Kuiper system, service cannot be provided to the majority of Alaska. Waiting for Amazon Leo isn't a real option for most Alaskan homes yet, so decide on your own needs.

  • The edge of coverage is about 58.7 degrees N Our calculation, worked out from Amazon's filed minimum elevation of 35 degrees.
  • 87.6% Our calculation of Alaskans live north of that line (2020 Census).
  • Polar satellites that could reach the far north: 1,292 satellites authorized on Feb 10, 2026, none launched yet. Half are due by Feb 10, 2032, all by Feb 10, 2035.
  • Starlink: Serves Alaska, with higher latency than the lower 48. Where fiber or fixed wireless reaches you, compare it too.

Where the line falls Our calculation checked

North of the edge

Beyond reach of every first-generation shell.

  • Anchorage municipality (61.17°N)
  • Fairbanks city (64.84°N)
  • Knik-Fairview CDP (61.51°N)
  • Badger CDP (64.80°N)
  • College CDP (64.87°N)
  • North Lakes CDP (61.62°N)
  • Meadow Lakes CDP (61.64°N)
  • Wasilla city (61.58°N)

Between 56°N and the edge

Reachable on paper, but outside the band Amazon filed for continuous coverage.

  • Juneau city and borough (58.37°N)
  • Sitka city and borough (57.19°N)
  • Kodiak city (57.79°N)
  • Mill Bay CDP (57.82°N)
  • Petersburg CDP (56.76°N)
  • Wrangell city and borough (56.18°N)

South of 56°N

Inside the filed band; Amazon hasn’t said when or whether it will serve them.

  • Ketchikan city (55.36°N)
  • Unalaska city (53.91°N)
  • Akutan city (54.14°N)
  • Metlakatla CDP (55.12°N)
  • Craig city (55.49°N)
  • King Cove city (55.09°N)

Larger towns only (2020 Census places). The full lists and the math are on the Alaska page.

D Result D

Our verdict · checked

Neither fits yet

Amazon Leo has nothing to order yet, and Starlink suits homes that keep it every month.

  • The monthly price doesn't fit your budget. The FCC National Broadband Map lists the providers that report serving your address: compare wired or fixed-wireless options there.
  • Your budget is tight and you'd switch to Amazon Leo if it were clearly cheaper or better, but Amazon hasn't published a price (Not announced). Seeing its price first is reasonable; the tracker logs it the day Amazon publishes one.
  • You'd switch to Amazon Leo as soon as you could, and Amazon has no US date or price yet. Amazon's Join the list is an email list for news, not a place in line, and the tracker logs every change. Meanwhile, the FCC National Broadband Map lists other providers at your address.
  • You need internet soon, but not every month for a year, or you aren't sure. If fiber, cable or 5G home internet reaches your address, compare it first; for a trip or a season, a phone hotspot may cover light use.
  • Amazon Leo for a US home: Not available to order for homes (no consumer sales); price Not announced.
  • Starlink: your address sets your price. Its national list, read Nov 3, 2026, had Residential Max at $143/mo and Residential 100 Mbps (available in select areas) at $49.50/mo; a rented kit adds $0, $99 or $199 in one-time activation and a monthly rental fee shown at checkout.

What would change this answer

  • Amazon publishes a US price you can compare.
  • Your need becomes year-round and long-term.
  • Your budget changes.

The rules

How does the buy-or-wait tool decide?

It checks the rules below in order and stops at the first that fits your answers, using facts checked as of Nov 3, 2026. Only result A suggests ordering Starlink now; B, C and D explain why waiting for Amazon Leo, or something else, fits better, and every result shows the dated facts it rests on. The rules run in your browser: nothing you choose is stored or sent, and the answers never reach our analytics.

  1. Rule 1

    The monthly price doesn’t fit your budget.

    Result D: Neither fits yet
  2. Rule 2

    Your budget is tight, and you’d switch to Amazon Leo if it were clearly cheaper or better; Amazon hasn’t published a price.

    Result D: Neither fits yet
  3. Rule 3

    You need better internet now, or within a few months while your current connection is missing or unreliable; you’ll keep the service every month, without pausing, for at least a year; you wouldn’t switch to Amazon Leo as soon as it opened; and the price fits (a tight budget counts only if you need it now).

    Result A: Order Starlink now
  4. Rule 4

    The home is in Alaska and none of the rules above applies.

    Result C: In most of Alaska, Leo’s first network won’t reach you
  5. Rule 5

    You need better internet soon, but you’d switch to Amazon Leo as soon as you could.

    Result D: Neither fits yet
  6. Rule 6

    You need better internet soon, but you won’t keep it every month for a year (only part of the year, or with pauses), or you aren’t sure.

    Result D: Neither fits yet
  7. Rule 7

    Everything else: your connection works for now, you can wait, or the price is tight and you’re not in a hurry.

    Result B: Waiting is reasonable

Why these thresholds: the one-time fees are paid up front, so ordering only pays off for a home that will keep the service. Result A needs a real need, a year or more of use without pausing, no plan to switch the moment Amazon Leo opens, and a price that fits. “Within a few months” counts as urgent only without a working connection. Alaska gets its own result because Leo's first network isn't built to reach most of it.

Doubts about waiting, answered

Should I wait for Amazon Leo?

Wait if your connection works and nothing is urgent: Amazon Leo has no US home price (Not announced) or start date (Not announced) yet, and you lose little by watching. If you need dependable internet now and will keep it at least a year, waiting means going without for an unknown time. In most of Alaska, Leo's first network won't reach you at all. The tool above applies exactly these rules.

Can I switch from Starlink to Amazon Leo later?

If you already expect to switch when Amazon Leo opens, result D or B probably fits you better than ordering now. Leaving later has costs. Starlink's usual home plans: Month-to-month plans without long-term commitments; some offers in select markets require one checked . Renting or buying the kit depends on the offer for your address (every Residential plan on Starlink’s national list rented it on Nov 3, 2026). A rented kit has to be returned undamaged within 30 days after you cancel, or Starlink bills its full price, and rented kits can't be paused.

On the Leo side there is nothing to compare yet: Amazon has published no US price, contract or equipment terms (Not announced checked ).

Does the referral reward change whether I should wait?

No. The tool's rules leave it out, and so should you. Starlink gives it only to first-time customers ordering on starlink.com via a referral link, and only on the second monthly invoice. Decide on what you need and how long you'll keep it: if you'd switch the week Amazon Leo opens, waiting fits you better.

What happens if Leo launches next month?

Amazon hasn't announced a US home date (Not announced). Its latest wording is Initial service later in 2026 Announced (Oct 29, 2026), for locations it hasn't named. Before it can sell to US homes, its own US site says the antennas need FCC authorization: These devices have not been authorized as required by the rules of the Federal Communications Commission. These devices are not, and may not be, offered for sale or lease, or sold or leased, until authorization is obtained.

If Amazon opens US home service, it will have to publish prices, plans and where it serves. We'll log it on the tracker, update the facts this tool uses, and the results here will change with them.

How these facts were checked

Every price, date and status on this page is read from a dated source listed at the foot of the page when the site is built, and carries a label that says how sure it is. Starlink prices, plans and referral rules come from Starlink's own pages and published order data (prices checked 2026-11-03). Amazon Leo items come from Amazon's own pages and FCC filings. Satellite counts come from public trackers and are labeled as tracker counts. Read the editorial policy.

FCC orders and Census data files are fixed public records whose text can't change, so the "Facts checked" date leaves them out. We read them on Oct 25, 2026; each one is listed at the foot of the page.

Where each fact comes from

  1. Starlink order data: Residential, no address (primary source) · checked
  2. Starlink help: the Residential plans (primary source) · checked · read from the published data
  3. Starlink help: renting a kit (primary source) · checked · read from the published data
  4. s2.q4cdn.com/299287126/files/doc_earnings/2026/q3/earnings-resu… (primary source) · checked
  5. leo.amazon.com (primary source) · checked
  6. docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-20-102A1.pdf (primary source) · checked
  7. www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial/2020/data/01-Redistr… (primary source) · checked
  8. cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/AmazonLeo-Gen2.pdf (primary source) · checked
  9. eutelsat.com (primary source) · checked
  10. obj.ca/telesat-to-use-space-x-rockets-for-lightspeed-launch (secondary report) · checked
  11. ses.com/sites/default/files/2024-12/SES_O3bmPOWER_PressFactshee… (primary source) · checked
  12. ast-science.com/faqs (primary source) · checked
  13. aboutamazon.com/news/company-news/amazon-globalstar-apple (primary source) · checked
  14. lightreading.com/satellite/software-failure-triggers-nationwide… (secondary report) · checked
  15. legal.hughesnet.com/node/811 (primary source) · checked
  16. viasat.com/content/dam/us-site/legal/documents/Legal_Disclaimer… (primary source) · checked
  17. planet4589.org/space/con/qf/stats.html (secondary report) · checked
  18. space.com/space-exploration/satellites/jeff-bezos-blue-origin-p… (secondary report) · checked
  19. docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-419052A1.pdf (primary source) · checked
  20. aboutamazon.com/news/company-news/amazon-ceo-andy-jassy-2025-le… (primary source) · checked
  21. cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Kuiper-Technical.pdf (primary source) · checked
  22. Starlink help center article (primary source) · checked
  23. Starlink order data: Roam, no address (primary source) · checked
  24. Starlink help: how referral rewards work (primary source) · checked · read from the published data
  25. Starlink help: the demand surcharge (primary source) · checked · read from the published data
  26. Starlink help: US stores that sell kits (primary source) · checked · read from the published data
  27. Starlink's US referral terms (DOC-1882-84808-83) (primary source) · checked · read from the published data
  28. aboutamazon.com/news/amazon-leo/amazon-leo-uzbekistan (primary source) · checked
  29. Starlink help center article (primary source) · checked
  30. leo.amazon.com/technology (primary source) · checked
  31. docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DA-26-553A1.pdf (primary source) · checked
  32. Starlink spec sheet (DOC-DF-1915-15313-48) (primary source) · checked