A device (1) for starting a motor (4) for alternating current, in particular for a compressor (5), wherein the motor (4) has at least one feed line (3) for the electrical power supply. The device comprises an actuator element (10) for limiting the current in the feed line (3), a switching element (18) for bypassing the actuator element (10), a current-monitoring element (15) for monitoring the current in the feed line (3), and a controller (18) for controlling the switching element (16). The actuator element (10) comprises at least a first start-up element (11) and a second start-up element (12) as well as a switch-over element (14) for switching over between the at least first and second start-up elements (11, 12).