28 SepStarlink Direct or Through a Reseller? What TelOne, Aura and Others Really Cost in 2026
If you live in Harare or Bulawayo and want Starlink, you have two real choices. You can buy directly from Starlink, which now sells Priority packages in both cities, or you can go through a local authorised reseller such as TelOne, Aura, Frampol, Utande (Dandemutande) or ZODSAT. The cheaper Residential plans remain unavailable in both cities, with Starlink still telling new customers that “only Priority Plans are available”.
The price gap between the two routes is large, but price is not the whole story. How you pay, who controls your account, and what happens when something goes wrong all matter. Here is what each option really costs and what you give up.
Monthly costs compared
Every Priority package, direct or through a reseller, comes with unlimited standard data. The GB or TB figure is how much priority data you get before your speeds may slow at busy times. Resellers rarely publish prices on their websites, so the dates below matter. TelOne’s prices come from its own Starlink portal and have not changed since November 2024. Aura’s are from its launch price list, Utande’s from our Utande price page, and Frampol’s from its January 2025 price list.
| Priority data | Starlink direct | Direct incl. tax and fees* | TelOne | Aura | Utande | Frampol |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40GB | not sold direct | not sold direct | US$115 | US$120 | US$120 | US$150 |
| 1TB | US$101 | about US$125 | US$160 | US$175 | US$170 | US$180 |
| 2TB | US$200 | about US$243 | US$320 | US$340 | US$340 | US$340 |
Even after tax and card fees, buying directly is roughly US$35 to US$55 a month cheaper on the popular 1TB plan, or about US$400 to US$650 a year depending on the reseller. On the 2TB plan, the saving is US$75 to US$100 a month. The small 40GB package is only sold through resellers, so it is the cheapest way into Priority if you use little data.
One warning: direct Priority sales have not always been open. Starlink has paused Priority sign-ups in some areas before, so check availability for your address on starlink.com before you plan around it.
Outside the big cities there is a cheaper reseller option. In May, TelOne launched Starlink BizConnect at US$50 a month plus tax with unlimited data, but only in listed remote areas. It is not available in congested areas such as Harare and Bulawayo, and comes with no service guarantee.
Kit prices
| Kit | Starlink direct | TelOne | Aura |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | US$389 + US$23 shipping | US$417 | US$420 |
| High Performance | US$1,500 | US$2,846 | US$2,999 |
| Bring your own kit | Free to register | Free migration | US$150 transfer fee |
The Standard kit costs about the same either way, and most resellers will also connect a kit you already own. You can also buy a kit locally from an authorised retailer such as Shona Prince, which was selling the Standard kit for US$360 and the Mini for US$250 in February, and then activate it on starlink.com under your own account. That gives you local purchase with direct billing. Some resellers push the High Performance kit, but you rarely need it: almost every home and small business in Zimbabwe runs on the Standard kit. Note that the Starlink Mini cannot be used on Priority plans in Zimbabwe, and TelOne charges extra for installation depending on how far you are from its nearest shop.
Why people still choose resellers
1. You can pay locally
Starlink direct needs a working USD Visa or Mastercard with international payments switched on. Many people do not have one, and cards get declined. TelOne lets you pay your Starlink bill with EcoCash through its digital shop, and resellers can issue invoices in the normal way. See our guide on how to pay for Starlink in Zimbabwe if you want to go direct.
2. No 15% digital tax, but VAT instead
Since January, banks and mobile money providers withhold 15% on payments to foreign digital services, and Starlink is one of the services targeted. Paying a local company avoids that tax, but local services carry VAT, which rose to 15.5% this year. So you are not escaping tax by using a reseller. For VAT-registered businesses, though, a reseller’s tax invoice can be claimed back, which can narrow the gap considerably.
3. Local support and installation
Resellers offer technicians, mounting and someone to call in your time zone. Starlink direct support is online only, through the app.
4. Capacity
This used to be the main reason. When Harare was fully “sold out”, resellers were the only official way in. That advantage has largely gone now that Starlink sells Priority directly. Resellers have also hit their own limits in the past: TelOne once stopped taking new Harare customers when it ran out of capacity.
What you give up with a reseller
Control of your account
When you buy through a reseller, the reseller holds the Starlink account and manages your service, billing and support. You cannot change plans, pause service or sort out problems with Starlink yourself. Everything goes through the reseller, at the reseller’s speed.
Read the contract, too. Aura’s Starlink terms and conditions set a 12-month minimum commitment that renews automatically unless you give 30 days’ written notice. Cancel early and you remain liable for the monthly fees for the rest of the year. Aura can also change prices on 7 days’ notice, and you must use the kit at the address in your agreement.
Leaving can also be harder. Starlink says a kit on another account must have its service cancelled before it can be transferred. Some resellers charge for this, like Aura’s US$150 transfer fee. Before you sign up, ask in writing how you would move your kit to your own account later.
Your billing date
Buying directly, your billing cycle starts on the day you activate. Activate on the 10th and every month runs from the 10th, so you always get a full month for what you pay. Upgrades are prorated, and downgrades wait until your next cycle.
Resellers do not publish their billing terms. Some customers have told us their reseller bills by calendar month, meaning that if you connect on the 20th, you may pay for a whole month but get service only until the end of it. We have not been able to confirm this with the resellers, so ask before you pay: when does my billing month start, is my first month prorated, and how many days’ grace do I get before I am cut off?
A second point of failure
With a reseller, your connection depends on the reseller paying Starlink on time. In 2025, many TelOne and ZODSAT Priority customers found their kits in “restricted mode” with “no active subscription”, even though they had paid. Service was restored, but they had no way of fixing it themselves.
Which should you choose?
- Go direct if you have a reliable USD card, want the lowest price, and want full control of your account and billing date. It saves around US$400 to US$450 a year on 1TB.
- Use a reseller if you cannot pay online, are a VAT-registered business that needs tax invoices, need professional installation, or only need the 40GB package. In remote areas, check whether TelOne’s US$50 BizConnect covers you.
- Consider fibre if you are a Harare business with fibre in your street. At these prices, fibre may make more sense than Starlink. Compare current packages on our internet prices page.
If you are still on a roaming kit registered abroad, the case for switching keeps growing. Starlink has cut roaming to 30 days, which means you never get a full month. TelOne offers free migration for roaming kits and kits from other resellers, while going direct means registering your kit to a Zimbabwe address.
For TelOne’s full list of home and business packages, see our TelOne prices page.
