Starlink is offering free rental hardware (again)

Dylan Crismale - Digital Content Editor

Last updated 03 August 2026

Starlink has quietly walked-back the $15 per month fee to rent the hardware you need for use with its Residential plans.

WhistleOut has verified this by testing a couple of different addresses. At the time of writing, customers signing up to Starlink may see different terms in their cart such as a $0 Upfront Hardware Cost, $0 per month, Monthly Kit Fee, or a -$15 Rental Adjustment.

Starlink's discounts are often subject to availability in select areas, you should always check your sign-up cart carefully to see which promotions are available to you.

Effectively that's a $15 per month saving compared to if you'd signed up just a few months ago. Starlink first introduced the $0 hardware kit rental option back in November 2025 before introducing a rental fee this past June.

The Standard Starlink hardware kit used to be sold at $549 outright and contains everything customers need to get connected to the LEO satellites including a dish and router.

Under the rental terms, if you cancel your plan, you need to return the hardware kit in good working order or pay the full cost.

Here's a look at Starlink's Residential plans:

Starlink	Starlink Starlink Residential 100 Mbps Satellite Download Speeds: Up to 100 Mbps (typically 80-100 Mbps) Upload Speeds: 15-35 Mbps Unlimited Data $75/mth Min. cost $75 Go to Site	$75/mth Min. cost $75	Go to Site
Starlink	Starlink Starlink Residential 200 Mbps Satellite Download Speeds: Up to 200 Mbps (typically 140-200 Mbps) Upload Speeds: 15-35 Mbps Unlimited Data $110/mth Min. cost $110 Go to Site	$110/mth Min. cost $110	Go to Site
Starlink	Starlink Starlink Residential Max Satellite Download Speeds: Up to 400+ Mbps (typically 170-320 Mbps) Upload Speeds: 20-40 Mbps Unlimited Data $150/mth Min. cost $150 Go to Site	$150/mth Min. cost $150	Go to Site

Dylan Crismale

Digital Content Editor

Dylan Crismale is a Digital Content Editor at WhistleOut, has been writing for almost a decade across a variety of Australian publications. He previously worked as a writer at Finder covering energy, internet and mobile plans. Dylan is passionate about finding the best deals to save people money and educating people about tech. When he's not sat at his desk Dylan loves working out, bingeing TV and hanging out with friends.

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