Our Viasat Business internet review
Viasat Business is a great tool for you to meet your customers where they are. For locations like farms, construction sites, or far-flung shops, satellite internet is a way to keep them connected to the rest of the company. Satellite can also serve as a valuable backup connection when going offline for even a few minutes could cost the company a lot of money.
Viasat offers a number of different plans to suit the needs of a range of businesses, from small shops that only need the bare minimum to run a credit card, to a modest sized company that has higher demands for both data and speed. Although it offers fast speeds for a satellite provider, 100Mbps doesn’t go that far once you start splitting it between more than a handful of employees.
Viasat Business also suffers from the usual issues that face satellite connections, such as high latency and high monthly costs when compared to other connection types. It is notable for offering plans with unlimited data, which definitely gives it a leg up on the competition.
Pros
- Wide availability in remote areas
- Persistent IP addresses
- Business support
Cons
- Low top speeds
- High latency
Jump to: Plans and pricing | Speed and data caps | Fees | Installation, equipment, and contracts | Customer ratings | Viasat Business vs. the competition | Bottom line | FAQ
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Compare Viasat Business internet plans and pricing
Package | Price* | Speed | View on Viasat site |
---|---|---|---|
Business Unlimited 35 | $175/mo. | 35Mbps | |
Business Unlimited 60 | $300/mo. | 60Mbps | |
Business Unlimited 100 | $500/mo. | 100Mbps | |
Business Metered 1 GB | $50/mo. | 35Mbps | |
Business Metered 10 GB | $80/mo. | 35Mbps | |
Business Metered 20 GB | $100/mo. | 35Mbps | |
Business Metered 50 GB | $150/mo. | 35Mbps | |
Business Metered 200 GB | $400/mo. | 35Mbps |
Data effective 5/10/2023. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
*Minimum 24-month service term. One-time standard installation fee is $300 (before limited time discount). Non- standard installations may result in additional charges. Monthly service fee includes $10.00/mo. equipment lease fee. All fees are subject to taxes. Speeds are “up to,” will vary and are not guaranteed. Service is not available in all areas. All offers may be changed or withdrawn at any time.
Viasat Business speeds: What’s best for you?
Viasat speeds range from 35Mbps to 100Mbps. Although these speeds are definitely on the slow end when compared with current residential speeds, 35Mbps is still enough speed for a single device to do just about anything online, even bandwidth-intensive activities like streaming 4K video.
Furthermore, many business solutions, like point-of-sale systems, don’t actually require much in the way of internet speed. An entire office building full of employees running credit cards as fast as they can couldn’t create as much throughput as one one teenager watching YouTube videos on their phone.
That said, there are businesses that need a lot more speed. If you have multiple employees that need to use the internet at the same time or just want to offer public Wi-Fi in your coffee shop, even Viasat’s premium 100Mbps plan will be spread pretty thin.
Viasat Business data caps
Viasat Business offers several plans with unlimited data—a feature not available in its residential plans. Although these plans start off more expensive than most of the metered plans, they save a lot of hassle and even money that would otherwise have to be spent buying additional data usage on months you exceed your data cap.
On the other hand, if your business uses the internet in more limited and predictable ways, metered plans offer a more affordable option. Just make sure that you know exactly how much data your business will burn through every month, as buying too much or too little data will end up wasting money every month.
Is Viasat Business internet the best fit for your business?
Enter your zip code below to see all the options available for business internet in your area.
Our favorite plan: Viasat Business Unlimited 35.
Viasat business plans fall into two broad categories—metered data and unlimited data. Metered plans have a download speed of 35Mbps and a fixed monthly data allowance. Upgrading to a more expensive metered plan gives you more data, but also reduces the cost of purchasing additional data for the month.
Unlimited plans, as you’d expect, do not have data caps and also offer higher speeds. These plans are the clear choice for businesses that need the additional speed, but are also a better value for businesses that use large amounts of data or have data usage that could fluctuate dramatically from month to month.
Viasat Business internet fees
Cost | |
---|---|
Standard Installation fee | $300 |
Equipment lease fee | $10/mo. |
Additional Data | $2–$10/GB |
Early Termination fee | $15 per month remaining on contract |
Data effective 5/11/2023. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
Viasat Business has some pretty hefty up-front fees with its installation, but most of its fees are pretty reasonable and transparent. It’s also worth noting that features like a persistent IP address, priority connection, and business-class support all come included with the service at no additional cost.
Viasat Business internet installation, equipment, and contracts
Having the internet beamed to your home from space is a very cool technological feat, but it’s not without some significant drawbacks. While many people recognize the comparatively high monthly costs of satellite internet, it’s important to expect up-front costs and fees as well. Viasat is definitely ahead of the competition in many of these categories, but its high installation fee is a potential pain point for new customers.
Viasat Business installation and equipment
Viasat’s installation fee is among the highest around, though the provider often offers limited-time discounts to make the up-front cost a bit more palatable. This installation cost can also go up for “non-standard” installations, so if you plan to put your dish anywhere other than the roof of your building, make sure to get an estimate first.
Viasat Business internet contracts
Viasat plans come with a 24-month contract, which is fairly standard for satellite plans, but not a commitment you should make lightly. We aren’t fans of long-term contracts, but at least Viasat is very transparent and reasonable with its termination fees, so breaking a contract feels a bit more like a typical cost/benefit analysis, rather than stumbling into a trap.
Viasat internet customer ratings
Overall Rating | Speed Rating | Reliability Rating | Customer Service Rating | Price Rating | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Viasat customer satisfaction rating | 3.1/5 | 3.0/5 | 3.0/5 | 3.2/5 | 2.5/5 |
Average rating* | 3.7/5 | 3.3/5 | 3.7/5 | 3.7/5 | 3.3/5 |
*Based on our annual customer satisfaction survey
Viasat tied with HughesNet for overall customer satisfaction in our annual survey, though it lagged slightly behind its main competitor in most other categories. Viasat’s lowest score was in the price category, which is understandable for a provider that focuses on offering plans that provide higher performance at a premium cost.
However, our customer satisfaction survey only collected data from residential internet customers, so these scores don’t necessarily reflect providers’ business offerings. Viasat business plans differ considerably from its residential offerings, especially when it comes to features like unlimited data.
Viasat Business vs. the competition
Speed | Price | Customer rating* | Order online | |
---|---|---|---|---|
35–100Mbps | $50.00–$500.00/mo.* | 3.1/5 | ||
25Mbps | $84.99–$164.99/mo.* | 3.1/5 | ||
| Up to 220Mbps | $500.00/mo.‡ | N/A | Shop Plans |
Data effective 5/10/2023. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
*Minimum 24-month service term. One-time standard installation fee is $300 (before limited time discount). Non- standard installations may result in additional charges. Monthly service fee includes $10.00/mo. equipment lease fee. All fees are subject to taxes. Speeds are “up to,” will vary and are not guaranteed. Service is not available in all areas. All offers may be changed or withdrawn at any time.
†Pricing for the first 6 months. Service plans require a 24-month commitment. Pricing not available in all areas.
‡Plus hardware, shipping & handling fees, and tax. Fully refundable. Depending on location, some orders may take 6 months or more to fulfill.
§According to our annual customer satisfaction survey.
Viasat and Starlink are both good options for business internet in situations where the need for higher speeds justifies the cost. With a wide range of plans, Viasat also spans the middle ground between HughesNet and Starlink, a great option for small businesses who don’t need to be on the cutting edge but want a bit more than the basics.
Read our full reviews of Viasat vs. its main internet competitors
Is Viasat Business internet right for you?
Satellite internet has a lot of drawbacks, but small businesses know how to make the best out of less-than-ideal circumstances. Viasat gives you plenty of options to find a solution that best fits the needs of your business, regardless of whether you need speed, data, or monthly cost.
When focusing purely on speed, Starlink does pull ahead of Viasat, while staying similar in price. If, on the other hand, you’re trying to balance performance and cost, you might find a Viasat plan that’s a better fit than Starlink’s one-size-fits-all solution.
FAQ about Viasat Business
What’s the difference between Viasat Business internet and Viasat residential internet?
Methodology
Our HighSpeedInternet.com editorial team bases our analyses on customer input from our annual customer satisfaction survey, results from our speed test tool, and proprietary internet provider data on speeds and pricing. To strengthen our research, we look closely at provider contracts to get hard-to-find information on price hikes, data caps, and extra fees, and we keep tabs on the latest news reports and online reviews. When applicable, we also rely on our personal experiences testing these services.