<p>Starch-based films are becoming increasingly important to eliminate the negative effects of plastics on the environment. However, the starches used in the production of starch-based films must also be modified using environmentally friendly green methods. Herein, dry pea starch (DPS) was modified using ultrasound and acid treatments and the effects of this starch modification on the structural, technological, thermal and pasting properties of starch were evaluated and the use of modified starch in starch-based film production was investigated. With increasing treatment times, the content of apparent amylose, the extent of damage to the granule structure, and the solubility increased, whereas the swelling power, thermal stability, and starch clarity decreased. Although the C-type crystalline structure of DPS remained unchanged after the treatments, the relative crystallinity decreased. The Fourier transform infrared spectra of DPS remained unchanged after the treatments. The films based on DPS samples after acid and ultrasound treatments exhibited significantly (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.05) higher burst strengths (3904.26–4330.72 and 2378.29–4188.32&#xa0;g, respectively) compared to DPS–based films (2379.11<i>&#xa0;g</i>). However, the modified starch–based films exhibited lower distances at burst compared to natural starch–based films, indicating the higher fragility of the former. Although the thicknesses of the modified starch–based films were higher, the increments were statistically insignificant. Further, with increasing treatment times, the water vapor permeability of the resultant films increased. These results may encourage the use of ultrasound application on starch-based edible films instead of acid treatments.</p> Graphical abstract <p></p>