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1. The list in brief
2. Best provider
3. Major telco plans
4. How we choose
5. NBN FAQ
Howdy! If you're after the best NBN deal for your home or business, let me introduce myself. I'm Lucy, Tom's Guide's resident NBN expert. Each month, I review the top NBN plans from over 30 ISPs and share my top picks below.
After months of waiting, the latest high-speed NBN tiers officially landed in September 2025, turbocharging Aussie speeds. There are plenty of noteworthy deals across all three tiers — NBN 500, NBN 750 and NBN 2000.
Thanks to some incredible introductory rates, the best NBN internet plans in February offer great value and fast speeds. Ranging from the 'basic I' 25Mbps tier to the 'hyperfast' 2,000Mbps tier, it's easier to find the right plan for your home internet needs if you know which NBN connection type you have — i.e. FTTP, FTTN, FTTC or HFC.
Generally, this choice depends entirely on the speed tier you require. You might need a simple NBN 50 plan for you and your housemate, or at least 500Mbps during peak hours to keep the whole family (and their multiple devices) entertained.
But enough waffling on — scroll to check out my recommendations for different speed tiers, best value and more, this month.
Meet Lucy - Tom's Guide Australia's resident expert in all things internet and NBN plans. She curates this page every month with the best NBN deals from Australia's top providers. She loves to keep tabs on all the NBN speed data and pricing research so you don't have to!
The best NBN plans in Australia right now
Below you'll find a roundup of my picks for the best NBN plans in Australia right now. I've made selections covering all speed tiers, specific uses and budgets, to help you find the NBN plan best suited to your household.
Best value NBN plan (NBN 500)
• AU$72.99p/m (for 12 months, then AU$92.99p/m)
• First year: AU$875.88
• Ongoing: AU$1,115.88
Dodo currently offers one of the most attractive NBN 500 plans, slashing a massive AU$240 off the first 12 months with this low introductory rate of AU$72.99p/m, before the price increases to AU$92.99p/m ongoing.
Clocking in theoretical maximums of 500Mbps downloads and 48Mbps uploads, you and your family (and the next-door neighbours, if I'm honest) will be set with high, lag-free speeds during the busy evening hours.
This plan costs the same as Dodo's NBN 100 offer, so if you have an FTTP or HFC connection at home, Dodo's got you sorted with 5x more speed for an identical low price.
Best NBN plan for gaming (NBN 1000)
• AU$79p/m (for 6 months, then AU$109p/m)
• First year: AU$1,128
• Ongoing: AU$1,308
Right now, Superloop's gigabit plan has been slashed by a massive AU$30p/m over the first six months, offering a nice AU$180 discount.
Advertising lightning-fast speeds of 860Mbps in the busy evening hours, Superloop's speed claims are some of the fastest available on the tier, coming in just behind Flip's 900Mbps, Swoop's 890Mbps and Buddy Telco's 875Mbps.
This deal offers incredible value for money, as the AU$79p/m cost is far cheaper than some of the major telcos’ 50Mbps plans — and delivers 17.2 times the maximum speeds. If you need all the megabits, Superloop's got ‘em.
Best NBN plan for streaming (NBN 750)
• AU$84.90p/m (for 12 months, then AU$94.90p/m)
• First year: AU$1,018.80
• Ongoing: AU$1,138.80
Kogan's Platinum Unlimited NBN 750 clocks in with evening speeds of 740Mbps and 42Mbps uploads, which is pretty typical across this newer speed tier. However, thanks to this initial discount offer, you'll save AU$10p/m over the first 12 months — or a total of AU$120 — before the price increases next February.
The plan's first-year cost of AU$1,018.80 is one of the cheapest available on the newly minted tier. But what makes it even better is that Kogan also offers an Internet Price Pledge, so if you find a better price on the same speed NBN plan (from an approved provider), the telco will give you back double the difference.
Best NBN plan for heavy users (NBN 500)
• AU$80p/m
• Total yearly cost: AU$960
Exetel's One plan (a.k.a. its only plan) advertises massive speeds of 500Mbps download and 40Mbps upload during typical evening hours. That's a strong promise, although real-world speeds may still vary due to factors outside Exetel's control, such as the speed of the internet servers that send the content to end users. However, 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 me to recommend one NBN plan over another. However, being one of the first NBN 500 plans to market, the lack of a discount doesn't raise any alarm bells, as 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.
The only caveat is that you'll need a fibre to the premises (FTTP) or hybrid fibre coax (HFC) connection type to order this plan, as other NBN technologies simply aren't equipped to handle the speeds.
Best NBN plan for light users (NBN 50)
• AU$65.99p/m (for 12 months, then AU$84.90p/m)
• First year: AU$791.88
• Ongoing: AU$1,031.88
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 Dodo's rave reviews for its customer service.
Best NBN plan for large households — 4+ people (NBN 500)
• AU$72.99p/m (for 12 months, then AU$92.99p/m)
• First year: AU$875.88
• Ongoing: AU$1,115.88
I hardly ever see a plan so nice that I have to recommend it twice, so this Dodo NBN 500 offer is surely not one to miss if you have a large household. With ample amounts of internet for up to 10 people with multiple devices, you and your family will have little to no interruptions.
What makes this deal even more enticing is that it comes with a massive 12-month introductory rate, meaning you'll save AU$240 over the first year. What a win.
Which is the best NBN provider?
Best NBN plans: major telcos
When searching for NBN plans, you may be inclined to automatically look at the three major telcos of Telstra, Optus and TPG. But most of the time, these three are usually among the most expensive options. However, if you do sign with any of the major three telcos, you are likely to get a reliable and high-performing service, and this is backed up by reporting data from the ACCC.
What's more, Telstra and Optus often throw in additional perks for free. Such benefits include modems with 4G data backup, allowing you to stay connected if your fixed line NBN connection suffers an outage, as well as free trials to various streaming services.
If you’re looking for an NBN plan from Telstra, Optus or TPG these are our plan recommendations:
Best Telstra NBN plan for most people
Why you can trust Tom's Guide Our writers and editors spend hours analyzing and reviewing products, services, and apps to help find what's best for you. Find out more about how we test, analyze, and rate.
Best Optus NBN plan for most people
Best TPG NBN plan for most people
- Want to see other NBN plans? You can use our NBN plan finder to compare a huge range of Australian NBN plans
How we choose
How I judge the best NBN plans
To select my picks for the best NBN plans, I consider and weigh the following key aspects of fixed-line NBN plans:
Speed: Each speed tier indicates the maximum speed available; for example, an NBN 50 plan can reach download speeds of 50Mbps. However, not every provider can reach the maximum speed available during the busiest evening hours, which fall between 7–11pm. NBN providers are required to report their typical evening speeds, so I first look for plans that advertise the maximum speeds during these busier hours. For the Ultrafast NBN 1000 and Hyperfast NBN 2000 plans, no provider currently advertises the theoretical maximums offered on these high-speed tiers. The fastest speed I've seen advertised so far is Flip's 900Mbps.
Price: Price is perhaps the most important factor in my decision-making. I initially look for the cheapest plans across each speed tier, and then if I don't think the download speed is worth it, i.e. it's too slow, I'll then look to the next cheapest to see how it compares. The majority of NBN providers offer 6-month introductory discounts on their plans, and these prices can sometimes be deceptive. This is why I give you information relating to the yearly cost you can expect to pay once that introductory discount expires.
Data allowance: The majority of fixed-line NBN plans offer unlimited data, so in all but exceptional cases, I only recommend plans with an unlimited data allowance.
Performance: The ACCC monitors the performance of some of the top NBN providers in Australia, so I always take this data into account when making my recommendations. If the ACCC doesn’t monitor a particular internet provider, I also look at the feedback provided by real users on sites such as Whirlpool.
Perks: I consider perks as nice to have, but they carry less weight compared to other factors in my decision-making. Some examples of perks include Australian-based customer support, or the ability to include a home phone service. Other perks can enhance the performance of your service, such as the ability to bump your plan’s regular speed up to the next available tier on five days of your choosing – a feature offered by Superloop.
NBN FAQ
What is the NBN?
The NBN (National Broadband Network) is Australia’s national infrastructure for phone and internet services. The government initiative was first proposed in 2007 and was deemed to be 90% complete in 2020. NBN services are now available to virtually all Australians in some form, whether it be a fixed-line service, facilitated by optical fibre cables or a fixed-wireless service, which uses towers emitting 4G or 5G signals.
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 allows for multiple users to be online at the same time. As of September 2025, all FTTP and HFC connections on this tier have received a wholesale speed boost to NBN 500.
NBN 250 (Superfast): 250Mbps download | 25Mbps upload | FTTP, HFC connections | 5+ users
Incredibly fast internet speeds allow multiple users to stream 4K video content and download large files at the same time. As of September 2025, all plans on this tier have received a wholesale speed boost to NBN 750.
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 | 100Mbps upload | FTTP, HFC connection | 10+ users
Currently, the second-fastest possible NBN speed tier, although very few telcos actually achieve the full 1,000Mbps 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, and it refers to the average download speed you can expect to realistically achieve during the busy evening hours of 7pm - 11pm.
Different providers of NBN plans 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.
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.
Which NBN provider is the cheapest?
The NBN speed tier you're considering will determine which NBN provider is the cheapest. A fast NBN 100 plan will naturally cost you a fair amount each month. But within these fast NBN plans, you can find some good deals that will save you money.
The cheapest NBN plan available in Australia is Flip Connect's NBN 12 plan, which costs AU$39p/m for the first 6 months, before increasing to AU$52.90p/m.
Head to our best NBN deals page for a regularly updated list of popular, affordable internet plans.
Is there an alternative to NBN?
Yes, there is, in the form of 5G home internet. 5G home internet uses a modem to connect to nearby 5G mobile towers, which then delivers internet around your home via Wi-Fi. It can have multiple benefits, including being easy to install, achieving superfast speeds and being competitively priced.
Other NBN alternatives include satellite internet for people who live in rural and remote parts of Australia and can't get connected to a fixed-line NBN service.
