Free kit offers
Free Starlink dish: real, with a catch
A $0 Starlink kit has been offered three ways: with a 12-month commitment, as a rental, and as a perk on the priciest plan. None is free money. Here's what each one costs you instead.
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Is the free dish real? (Oct 5, 2026)
Yes, but right now it's a rental: starlink.com's national listing shows the Standard kit with $0 up front, and you return it if you cancel. The last $0 kit you kept needed a 12-month commitment and ended Jun 25, 2025.
The three kinds of "free", and the catch in each
| Offer | You own the kit? | What you agree to | If you leave | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $0 kit + 12-month commitment | Yes | 12 months of Residential | a prorated change fee if you leave a 12-month commitment offer early | Ended Jun 25, 2025 |
| $0-up-front rental | No | Rental terms; maybe a monthly fee ($0/mo in select areas) | return the kit within 30 days of cancelling, or pay its full retail price | Live (national listing) |
| Free Mini with Residential Max | No (rental) | Keep Max at $130/mo | The Mini goes back | Live |
Free kit or buy the kit?
| Your situation | Better choice |
|---|---|
| Year-round home, you'll keep service for years | Rental with $0 up front, if the monthly fee is $0 at your address |
| Seasonal place, you'll pause for months | Buy a kit: Standby is not available on select rental kits |
| Not sure you'll keep it a year | Avoid commitment offers; use the 30-day return instead |
| You want a Mini for travel | Buy the Mini at $149, unless you already want Max |
Every free-kit offer we've logged
Aug 7, 2026No end date stated
Mini at no charge with Residential Max (rental)
The catch: The Mini is a rental you return, not a kit you keep, and it comes with the most expensive Residential plan.
Source: SpaceX restores free Starlink Mini perk in Canada and the U.S. (Tesla North) (Aug 7, 2026) · checked
$0needs re-check
Live
Jul 20, 2026No end date stated
Monthly rental fee dropped to $0 in select areas
The catch: Shipping of about $20 is reported. The $10/mo fee added in June still applies where this isn't offered.
Sources: Starlink rental: what it costs (satelliteinternet.com) (Jul 20, 2026); Starlink implements $10 rental fee for Residential plans (RV Mobile Internet) (Jun 16, 2026) · checked
$0/moneeds re-check
Live
Seen Oct 5, 2026No end date shown
Standard kit rental with $0 up front
The catch: You never own the kit. Return it within 30 days of cancelling or pay its full price. Standby isn't available on some rental kits.
Source: Residential plans and kits, US national listing (starlink.com public data) · checked
$0needs re-check
Live
Sep 22, 2026No end date stated
Free Mini rental reported for every Residential plan
The catch: Reported by one outlet. starlink.com's national listing on Oct 5 didn't show it for plans other than Max.
Source: Starlink expands free Mini rentals to more Residential customers (Tesla North) (Sep 22, 2026) · checked
$0needs re-check
Unclear
May 5, 2026to May 10, 2026
$29/mo for 3 months (100 Mbps) with free dish rental
The catch: After 3 months the plan returned to full price.
Sources: Starlink drops prices further: new $29/month promotion (satelliteinternet.com) (May 5, 2026); Starlink slashes 100 Mbps promotional price to $29 a month with free hardware (Broadband Breakfast) (May 6, 2026) · checked
$29/moneeds re-check$50
Ended on May 10, 2026
Sep 13, 2025No end date published
$89 Standard kit in low-demand areas
The catch: Sources disagree on which plan was $59 a month.
Source: SpaceX drops Starlink Standard dish to lowest price ever (Tesla North) (Sep 13, 2025) · checked
$89needs re-check$349
Ended
Apr 30, 2025to Jun 25, 2025
$0 Standard kit with a 12-month Residential commitment
The catch: One source gave a later end date (Jul 14, 2025).
Sources: Starlink waives equipment fee in select areas with 12-month commitment (Broadband Breakfast) (Apr 30, 2025); Starlink ending free equipment promotion (Broadband Breakfast) (Jun 13, 2025); Starlink launches aggressive new offer: free hardware (5Gstore) (May 5, 2025) · checked
$0needs re-check$349
Ended on Jun 25, 2025
No offers match these filters. That usually means none is sourced right now, not that none exists. Regional offers show only at starlink.com checkout for your address.
Before you take a free-kit offer
- Read whether it's a purchase, a rental or a commitment. Checkout says which.
- Find the early-exit cost: the change fee or the unreturned-kit price.
- Check the monthly plan price after any promo months end.
- Ask whether your address has a demand surcharge: a one-time charge in high-demand areas when you buy, activate, change plan or move into one; refunded with a 30-day return.
When this is the wrong choice
- If you might cancel within a year, a commitment offer can cost more than buying the kit.
- If you need Standby for a seasonal home, a rental kit may not allow it.
- If money is tight, "free hardware" doesn't make the monthly plan cheaper. Compare lower-cost internet options first.
Questions people ask
Is the free Starlink dish real?
Yes, in two forms. starlink.com has offered a $0 kit with a 12-month commitment in select areas (Apr to Jun 2025), and its national listing on Oct 5, 2026 shows a Standard kit rental with $0 up front. Either way you pay in another form: a commitment, or a kit you rent and must return.
What's the catch with a free Starlink kit?
With a commitment offer, leaving early costs a prorated change fee. With a rental, Starlink owns the kit: you return it within 30 days of cancelling or pay its full price, and Standby isn't available on some rental kits.
Can I get a free Starlink kit at my address?
Only starlink.com checkout can say. The rental and any regional offer depend on your address. We never ask for it.
Is the free Mini with Residential Max a good deal?
Only if you wanted Max anyway. The Mini is a rental that stays free while Max (the most expensive Residential plan) stays active.
Sources
- Residential plans and kits, US national listing (starlink.com public data)official · read Oct 5, 2026
- Starlink rental: what it costs (satelliteinternet.com)secondary · published Jul 20, 2026 · read Oct 5, 2026
- Starlink implements $10 rental fee for Residential plans (RV Mobile Internet)secondary · published Jun 16, 2026 · read Oct 5, 2026
- SpaceX restores free Starlink Mini perk in Canada and the U.S. (Tesla North)secondary · published Aug 7, 2026 · read Oct 5, 2026
- Starlink expands free Mini rentals to more Residential customers (Tesla North)secondary · published Sep 22, 2026 · read Oct 5, 2026
- Starlink drops prices further: new $29/month promotion (satelliteinternet.com)secondary · published May 5, 2026 · read Oct 5, 2026
- Starlink slashes 100 Mbps promotional price to $29 a month with free hardware (Broadband Breakfast)secondary · published May 6, 2026 · read Oct 5, 2026
- SpaceX drops Starlink Standard dish to lowest price ever (Tesla North)secondary · published Sep 13, 2025 · read Oct 5, 2026
- Starlink waives equipment fee in select areas with 12-month commitment (Broadband Breakfast)secondary · published Apr 30, 2025 · read Oct 5, 2026
- Starlink ending free equipment promotion (Broadband Breakfast)secondary · published Jun 13, 2025 · read Oct 5, 2026
- Starlink launches aggressive new offer: free hardware (5Gstore)secondary · published May 5, 2025 · read Oct 5, 2026
- 12-month commitment offers and the change fee (Starlink support)official · read Oct 5, 2026
- Returns and the 30-day policy (Starlink support)official · published Apr 9, 2026 · read Oct 5, 2026
- Standby Mode (Starlink support)official · read Oct 5, 2026
- What are the Residential plans? (Starlink support)official · read Oct 5, 2026
- Demand surcharge (Starlink support)official · read Oct 5, 2026