diff --git a/platforms/common/uORB/SubscriptionInterval.hpp b/platforms/common/uORB/SubscriptionInterval.hpp
index 36e629f26d..31d1b0a7af 100644
--- a/platforms/common/uORB/SubscriptionInterval.hpp
+++ b/platforms/common/uORB/SubscriptionInterval.hpp
@@ -152,6 +152,11 @@ public:
 	 */
 	void		set_interval_ms(uint32_t interval) { _interval_us = interval * 1000; }
 
+	/**
+	 * Set the last data update
+	 * @param t should be in range [now, now - _interval_us]
+	 */
+	void		set_last_update(hrt_abstime t) { _last_update = t; }
 protected:
 
 	Subscription	_subscription;
diff --git a/src/modules/logger/logger.cpp b/src/modules/logger/logger.cpp
index 8ba403e41d..a745b69f27 100644
--- a/src/modules/logger/logger.cpp
+++ b/src/modules/logger/logger.cpp
@@ -665,6 +665,8 @@ void Logger::run()
 		_lockstep_component = px4_lockstep_register_component();
 	}
 
+	bool was_started = false;
+
 	while (!should_exit()) {
 		// Start/stop logging (depending on logging mode, by default when arming/disarming)
 		const bool logging_started = start_stop_logging();
@@ -689,6 +691,10 @@ void Logger::run()
 
 		if (_writer.is_started(LogType::Full)) { // mission log only runs when full log is also started
 
+			if (!was_started) {
+				adjust_subscription_updates();
+			}
+
 			/* check if we need to output the process load */
 			if (_next_load_print != 0 && loop_time >= _next_load_print) {
 				_next_load_print = 0;
@@ -835,6 +841,8 @@ void Logger::run()
 
 			debug_print_buffer(total_bytes, timer_start);
 
+			was_started = true;
+
 		} else { // not logging
 
 			// try to subscribe to new topics, even if we don't log, so that:
@@ -853,6 +861,8 @@ void Logger::run()
 			} else if (loop_time > next_subscribe_check) {
 				next_subscribe_topic_index = 0;
 			}
+
+			was_started = false;
 		}
 
 		update_params();
@@ -1025,6 +1035,26 @@ void Logger::publish_logger_status()
 	}
 }
 
+void Logger::adjust_subscription_updates()
+{
+	// we want subscriptions to update evenly distributed over time to avoid
+	// data bursts. This is particularly important for low-rate topics
+	hrt_abstime now = hrt_absolute_time();
+	int j = 0;
+
+	for (int i = 0; i < _num_subscriptions; ++i) {
+		if (_subscriptions[i].get_interval_us() >= 500_ms) {
+			hrt_abstime adjustment = (_log_interval * j) % 500_ms;
+
+			if (adjustment < now) {
+				_subscriptions[i].set_last_update(now - adjustment);
+			}
+
+			++j;
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 bool Logger::get_disable_boot_logging()
 {
 	if (_param_sdlog_boot_bat.get()) {
@@ -1386,6 +1416,8 @@ void Logger::start_log_mavlink()
 	_writer.set_need_reliable_transfer(false);
 	_writer.unselect_write_backend();
 	_writer.notify();
+
+	adjust_subscription_updates(); // redistribute updates as sending the header can take some time
 }
 
 void Logger::stop_log_mavlink()
diff --git a/src/modules/logger/logger.h b/src/modules/logger/logger.h
index 7bf990b828..e2aaf8d5a7 100644
--- a/src/modules/logger/logger.h
+++ b/src/modules/logger/logger.h
@@ -318,6 +318,8 @@ private:
 	 */
 	bool handle_event_updates(uint32_t &total_bytes);
 
+	void adjust_subscription_updates();
+
 	uint8_t						*_msg_buffer{nullptr};
 	int						_msg_buffer_len{0};