Best NBN plans for singles: top picks for one-person households

Discovering a great and affordable NBN plan while living alone can be particularly difficult, especially if you're the only one fronting the bill.

Fortunately, living by yourself doesn’t necessarily mean you need to compromise service or quality when it comes to your NBN plan. Several of the best NBN providers offer fast and secure home internet plans for singles that won’t break the bank.

For most single-person households, an NBN 25Mbps plan will be your best bet where budget is concerned, but we’ve also seen some NBN 100 plans offering attractive introductory discounts and monthly prices as of late.

We’ve teamed up with WhistleOut to collect our recommendations for the best NBN plans for one person. All of the plans below are sure to give you the most bang for your buck and deliver some seriously fast speeds.

We’ve also included some NBN alternatives that singles may want to consider, such as 5G home internet, and we’ve listed any extra perks you may get if you sign up for one of these plans.

Best overall NBN plans for singles

Let’s face it, if you live alone, then the chances of you wanting to binge watch the latest and greatest TV shows are going to be pretty high. It’s for this reason that you’re going to need a decent NBN speed, and an NBN 50 plan (at a minimum) will help to provide the best buffer-free streaming experience.

But that doesn’t mean you have to dig deep into your back pocket, as there are a number of affordable NBN 50 plans all vying for your attention.

Cheapest Provider

Dodo | NBN 50 | Unlimited data | No lock-in contract | AU$65.99p/m (for 12 months, then AU$85.99p/m)

If there's one thing this flightless bird knows, it's a damn good deal. With a nice AU$240 discount over the first 12 months, Dodo's NBN 50 plan will net you 50Mbps downloads during the typical evening hours.

Sure, you'll spend AU$6p/m more than Tangerine's plan in the first 6 months, but that doesn't dismiss the AU$76.92 saving you'll net in your first year.

Total minimum cost: AU$65.99 | Total first year cost: AU$791.88 | Yearly cost after discount: AU$1,031.88

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Kogan | NBN 50 | Unlimited data | No lock-in contract | AU$70.90p/m (for 12 months, then AU$80.90p/m)

Kogan’s Silver Unlimited NBN 50 clocks in with evening speeds of 50Mbps and 17Mbps uploads, which is pretty typical across the speed tier. However, thanks to this initial discount offer, you'll save AU$10p/m over the first 12 months — that's AU$120 — before the price increases.

Moreover, the plan's first-year cost of AU$850.80 is one of the cheapest NBN 50 plans. Kogan also offers you its Internet Price Pledge, so if you find a better price on the same NBN plan, Kogan will give you back double the difference.

Total minimum cost: AU$70.90 | Total first year cost: AU$850.80 | Total yearly cost: AU$970.80

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Cheapest NBN plans for singles

Spintel | NBN 25 | Unlimited data | PAYG phone | AU$39p/m (for 6 months, then AU$64.95p/m)

Offering one of the cheapest phone and internet bundles we've seen, Spintel's NBN 25 offering can include a phone line to your plan for AU$0 per month, for free incoming calls and pay-as-you-go outgoing calls. But if you prefer, you can add on unlimited national and mobile calls for AU$10p/m, too.

Total minimum cost: AU$39 | Total cost for first 12 months: AU$623.70 | Yearly cost after discount: AU$779.40

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Tangerine | NBN 25 | Unlimited data | Optional calls pack | AU$44.90p/m (for 6 months, then AU$69.90p/m)

Tangerine regularly comes up as one of the most affordable NBN providers, and that’s certainly the case here. Tangerine’s NBN 25 plan is one of the most affordable on the market, and you can choose to add on a calls package for an extra AU$10p/m.

The calls package only includes national calls and calls to mobiles in Australia. Calls to 13/1300 numbers are charged at 45c per call, and international calls are only supported for 20 countries, and each is charged at individual rates.

Total minimum cost: AU$44.90 | Total cost for first 12 months: AU$688.80 | Yearly cost after discount: AU$838.80

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Best fast NBN plan for singles

You’re unlikely to need an NBN 100 plan living by yourself, but if you are going to be working from home a lot and you want to stream video content in glorious ultra high definition, then the 100Mbps download speeds will serve you well. It will cost you a fair bit more, of course, but if you can afford it, then it’s a worthwhile investment.

You may be able to boost to the NBN 500 tier if you have the right connection type (FTTP or HFC), as most providers have kept the costs the same as the 100Mbps tier.

Superloop | NBN 100 | Unlimited data | No lock-in contract | AU$75p/m (for 6 months, then AU$95p/m)

Superloop's plan advertises 98Mbps download speeds during the busy evening hours of 7pm to 11pm. The current discount knocks AU$20p/m off for the first 6 months, netting you AU$120 in savings.

Plus, you can turbocharge your speeds to the next tier of NBN 250 for five days every month or bank up to 30 days per year with Superloop's Speed Boost feature.

Superloop has a tasty deal on the NBN 500 tier for those on FTTP or HFC connections, but with 5x more speed.

Total minimum cost: AU$75 | Total first year cost: AU$984 | Yearly cost after discount: AU$1,140

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NBN alternatives for singles

5G home internet

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If you’re living alone, then we’d wager that you’re living in an apartment building. If this is you, and you live in a city, then you may want to consider a 5G home internet plan as an alternative to a fixed-line NBN connection.

A 5G home broadband plan can sometimes be more affordable than the NBN equivalent and is much easier for you to install at home. All you need to do is plug the supplied router into a power socket, wait for it to connect to the 5G network and you’re done.

Of course, 5G home internet does rely on you living in an area with good network coverage, however, the provider you want to go with will be able to tell you using their address checker feature.

Wireless internet

If you live in a regional or rural part of Australia, then you may not be able to get a fixed-line NBN connection. If this is the case, then you’ll need to sign-up for a wireless internet plan, such as NBN fixed-wireless or satellite internet services.

Fixed-wireless internet plans can often be more expensive than their fixed-line counterparts, and some plans also come with a maximum data allowance. But for people who are unable to get a fixed-line NBN connection, and who live in an area with poor 4G or 5G network coverage, wireless internet plans offer the only way to get online.

NBN for singles FAQ