Best unlimited NBN plans: our expert picks based on speed, price and service

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Best Unlimited NBN 25 Plan
Best Unlimited NBN 50 Plan
Best Unlimited NBN 100 Plan
Best Unlimited NBN 250 Plan
Best Unlimited NBN 500 Plan
Best Unlimited NBN 750 Plan
Best Unlimited NBN 1000 Plan
Best Unlimited NBN 2000 Plan
NBN FAQ

Finding a good NBN deal worth your hard-earned cash can be quite the challenge. You'll need to get everything sorted first, like your preferred speed tier, monthly budget, and connection type, before diving into detailed NBN plan research.

But another factor of note — and one that most people forget about — is data, especially if you are an online gamer, heavy internet user or often take video calls or meetings from home. Thankfully, the best NBN providers include unlimited data in their home internet plans, especially if you're worried you'll exceed your monthly cap.

Best Unlimited NBN 25 Plan

Most Australian homes connected to a fixed-line NBN connection should be able to achieve speeds of at least 50Mbps. But some users will get by perfectly on a 25Mbps plan. Particularly good for single-person households, NBN 25 plans tend to be among the most affordable.

Flip | AU$44p/m (for 8 months, then AU$59.90p/m)

The best unlimited NBN 25 plan, in our opinion, is this one from Flip. Not only does it offer unlimited monthly data usage, but it's also the cheapest NBN plan to claim the maximum 25Mbps download speeds during the busier evening hours of 7pm to 11pm, coming in at under AU$600 for the first 12 months.

Online reviews also paint a relatively positive picture for Flip, so it's certainly well worth considering if you're looking for an affordable 25Mbps NBN plan.

Total minimum cost: AU$39 | Total first year cost: AU$591.60 | Total yearly cost: AU$718.80

Best Unlimited NBN 50 Plan

The NBN 50 speed tier accounts for nearly half of all active NBN plans in Australia. The 50Mbps option is more than capable of allowing multiple users to stream and download at the same time, and considering only certain NBN connection types are capable of supporting the faster NBN 100 speed tier and beyond, NBN 50 is the one to go for.

Tangerine | AU$61.90p/m (for 6 months, then AU$84.90p/m)

Right now, fruity provider, Tangerine, has one of the cheapest NBN 50 offerings. You'll save AU$23 a month over your first six months — that’s AU$138 total — before the price increases to AU$84.90p/m.

Tangerine is also currently offering a referral bonus of AU$50 if you refer someone to the service, so you’ll both get AU$25 credit towards your monthly NBN bills.

Total minimum cost: AU$61.90 | Total first year cost: AU$880.80 | Yearly cost after discount: AU$1,018.80

Best Unlimited NBN 100 Plan

NBN 100 plans offer theoretical maximum download speeds of 100Mbps, and are the fastest achievable tier for all NBN connection types. The NBN Co is keen to get more Australians connected to 100Mbps NBN plans, and as a result, is still in the process of rolling out a free fibre upgrade program.

SpinTel | AU$73p/m (for 6 months, then AU$86.95p/m)

SpinTel features again in our NBN 100 category, as it offers sensational value for a low cost. Across all NBN 100 plans, the offering has a low first-year price of AU$959.70 and one of the cheapest ongoing costs after the introductory discount ends.

If you have an FTTP or HFC connection, SpinTel has dropped a killer AU$64p/m deal on the NBN 500 tier, which makes it cheaper than this plan (and has 5x more speeds!). If you have FTTN/C, however, this plan is still a great deal.

There’s little in the way of extra features with this plan – which will likely go some way to explaining the low cost – but if you’re after a no-frills NBN plan to get you connected, SpinTel is well worth your attention.

Total minimum cost: AU$73 | Total first year cost: AU$959.70 | Total yearly cost: AU$1,043.40

Best Unlimited NBN 250 Plan

Through our partnership with WhistleOut, we can determine that most NBN providers offer the full 250Mbps download speeds on an NBN 250 plan. However, these NBN plans are either incredibly expensive, the provider(s) have negative reviews, or there are just better value alternatives, such as the plan from Dodo we've mentioned below.

Superloop | AU$85p/m (for 6 months, then AU$99p/m)

Advertising theoretical maximum speeds of 250Mbps during the evening hours, Superloop's NBN 250 plan is down to just AU$85p/m for the first 6 months. This AU$14p/m discount makes it one of the cheapest superfast offerings, with plans averaging AU$106.93p/m. This plan also packs supercharged upload speeds of 85Mbps, which is above the average of 25Mbps on the tier.

You can also boost your speeds to ultrafast heights if you like, by using the five free Speed Boost days every month. Do note, this deal is only available to those with FTTP or HFC connection types.

Total minimum cost: AU$85 | Total first year cost: AU$1,104 | Yearly cost after discount: AU$1,188

Best Unlimited NBN 500 Plan

Great for families with multiple devices, gaming, 4K streaming and more, the new NBN 500 tier propels existing 100Mbps plans on FTTP and HFC connection to now reach 500Mbps download speeds.

Exetel | AU$80p/m

Exetel's One plan (a.k.a. its only plan) advertises massive speeds of 500Mbps download and 40Mbps upload during typical evening hours. If you're a heavy internet user, gamer or streamer, Exetel's plan should offer plenty of download bandwidth and no interruptions.

Typically, introductory offers are the factor that prompts us to recommend one NBN plan over another. But the low ongoing rate undercuts most NBN 100 plans by five times the speed, and still comes in at a total yearly cost under AU$1,000.

Total minimum cost: AU$80 | Total yearly cost: AU$960

Best Unlimited NBN 750 Plan

A step up from 500Mbps, NBN 750 is a perfect median for high-speed homes with multiple users, smart devices, 4K streaming and gaming. Much like the NBN 500 plans above, this tier boosts current 250Mbps plans to 750Mbps maximum speeds. This tier, however, will soon replace the slower superfast tier.

Flip | AU$78p/m (for 8 months, then AU$89.90p/m)

Flip currently offers the cheapest NBN 750 plan, saving you AU$95.20 in the first year, thanks to an extended introductory offer. Flip's Super Speed plan (which advertises typical evening downloads of 750Mbps) will set you back just over AU$980 for the first 12 months.

And don't assume that a cheap plan means a cheap service, as there's a wealth of positive reviews online at ProductReview.com.au. If you have the connection type to support it, this budget-friendly plan could be the right option for you.

Total minimum cost: AU$78 | Total first year cost: AU$983.60 | Yearly cost after discount: AU$1,078.80

Best Unlimited NBN 1000 Plan

Despite NBN making 1Gbps speeds available on the NBN 1000 speed tier, you’re unlikely to be able to get the full gigabit download speeds from your NBN provider. However, some providers are getting closer to that magic number, with several advertising speeds over 850Mbps, which is pretty astonishing.

Best Unlimited NBN 2000 Plan

NBN 2000 is now the fastest NBN speed available, but only for customers with FTTP and select HFC connections. This plan advertises theoretical maximum speeds of 2,000Mbps; however, there's insufficient speed data available to back those claims just yet. This plan probably won't be the most popular choice in Aussie homes because of the high costs, but it might appeal to those wanting more from their current ultrafast plan.

Superloop | AU$145p/m (for 6 months, then AU$165p/m)

Hot off the press is Superloop's Hyperspeed plan, which advertises theoretical maximum potential speeds of 2,000/200Mbps on FTTP, or 2,000/100Mbps on HFC. These seriously hyperfast speeds can accommodate the largest of families with the most demanding users, providing more than enough bandwidth for high-res streaming, gaming and video calls at the same time.

Slicing AU$20p/m off the price for the first six months, you'll save an impressive AU$120 in total. Considering NBN 2000 plans average around AU$174p/m right now (based on our calculations using seven providers), this is a good deal shy of that.

So, if you're keen to have all the megabits on offer with a 2Gbps plan, Superloop's has our tentative stamp of approval.

Total minimum cost: AU$145 | Total first year cost: AU$1,860 | Total yearly cost: AU$1,980

NBN FAQ

What is the NBN?

The National Broadband Network (NBN) is Australia’s national infrastructure for phone and internet services. As a government initiative, it was first proposed in 2007 and as of 2020, NBN Co. had completed the rollout. NBN services are now available to virtually all Australians, although not all can access a fixed-line service. For those who can't, a fixed-wireless service, which uses towers emitting 4G signals should be available, or satellite internet services.

Which NBN speed is best for me?

NBN offers nine main speed tiers for consumer connections. There are official names for these (ranging from ‘Basic 1’ to ‘Hyperfast’), but most providers refer to them as a number, relating to the expected download speed. The speed of internet service you can achieve at your property is determined by the physical connection type you have.

The nine main NBN speed tiers available are:

NBN 12 (Basic 1): 12Mbps download | 1Mbps upload | All NBN connection types | 1 user
NBN 12 is best suited for a single-person household. Even then, the 12Mbps maximum download speed is only going to be good for browsing the internet, sending emails and watching video content in up to 1080p quality. If you want to stream 4K video content (or to multiple devices simultaneously) on services like Netflix, then NBN 12 likely won't be fast enough.

NBN 25 (Basic II): 25Mbps download | 5Mbps upload | All NBN connection types | 1-2 users
With NBN 25, up to two people can comfortably browse the internet at the same time and stream a range of music and video content in up to 1080p quality. You may be able to watch 4K streaming video, but only on a single device at a time.

NBN 50 (Standard): 50Mbps download | 20Mbps upload | All NBN connection types | 2-4 users
The most popular NBN speed tier, NBN 50 is designed to allow up to four users to browse, stream and download content with ease. NBN 50 is also a good speed tier for people needing to use video chat a lot at home. NBN 50 is the most popular NBN plan in Australia.

NBN 100 (Fast): 100Mbps download | 20Mbps upload | All NBN connection types | 5+ users
Well suited to 4K video streaming and allowing for multiple users to be online at the same time. While all NBN connection types are theoretically capable of achieving 100Mbps speeds, those with FTTN connection types may struggle, depending on the distance of the premises from the node.

NBN 250 (Superfast): 250Mbps download | 25Mbps upload | FTTP, HFC connections | 5+ users
Incredibly fast internet speeds that allow multiple users to stream 4K video content and download large files at the same time.

NBN 500 (Fast II): 500Mbps download | 50Mbps upload | FTTP, HFC connection | 10+ users
This new tier increases the wholesale speeds on NBN 100 plans with FTTP or HFC connections to 500Mbps downloads. They suit large households best, with plenty of bandwidth for up to 10 users, multiple devices, 4K streaming, online gaming and more.

NBN 750 (Superfast): 750Mbps download | 50Mbps upload | FTTP, HFC connection | 10+ users
Upgrading the current 'superfast' tier, NBN 750 boosts 250Mbps plans to 750Mbps downloads and 50Mbps uploads, offering 3x faster speeds.

NBN 1000 (Ultrafast): 1000Mbps download | 50Mbps upload | FTTP, HFC connection | 10+ users
Currently the fastest possible NBN speed tier, although very few telcos actually achieve the full 1000Mbps download speeds, especially during the evening.

NBN 2000 (Hyperfast): 2000Mbps download | 200Mbps upload | FTTP, HFC connection | 10+ users
NBN 2000 now houses the fastest internet speeds available in Australia, claiming to reach theoretical maximums of 2,000Mbps downloads. However, due to the infancy of the tier, true speed data has yet to be recorded.

What does 'typical evening speed' mean?

You'll see the term 'typical evening speed' advertised against all NBN plans (we've mentioned it a lot in this article, too). This refers to the average download speed you can expect to realistically achieve during the identified peak evening hours of 7pm - 11pm.

Different NBN providers may advertise different typical evening speeds, so be sure to keep an eye out for this figure when searching for a new plan. On speed tiers ranging up to NBN 100, the typical evening speed figure is less important than it used to be, since most will deliver the full amount.

The speeds realistically achievable in Australia have improved in recent years, and you'll now find some internet service providers will advertise the maximum possible speed of the NBN tier you're on. In some cases, your evening speed could actually exceed the theoretical maximum limit of your tier.

Lucy Scotting is a digital content writer for Tom’s Guide in Australia, primarily covering NBN and internet-related news. Lucy started her career writing for HR and staffing industry publications, with articles covering emerging tech, business and finance. In her spare time, Lucy can be found watching sci-fi movies, working on her dystopian fiction novel or hanging out with her dog, Fletcher.