Choosing the best NBN plan for your household isn’t always simple. While NBN may be one of the best internet plan options you can get in Australia, you have a number of factors to consider.
Firstly, you need to find an internet service provider (ISP) that falls into your budget, but you also need to consider the NBN speed that will allow you and your household to surf, stream and download, without getting overloaded.
There are multiple NBN providers in Australia all vying for your custom including the three major telcos: Telstra, Optus and TPG. But there’s also an increasing number of other ISPs that offer great service, including Tangerine, Exetel and Aussie Broadband, to name just a few.
These smaller companies can, in some instances, be more affordable than the 'Big 3', offer aggressive introductory pricing, or even provide a faster service. Tasmanian-based ISP Launtel, for example, has previously bettered both Telstra and Optus when it comes to download speeds.
You’ll likely find that most NBN providers will discount the first six months of your internet plan, while others may offer an ongoing discount if you sign up to other utility services they offer. If you're keen to save as much as you can, be sure to check out our cheapest NBN plans guide.
Here at Tom’s Guide, we’ve partnered with WhistleOut to compare NBN plans from over 30 Australian providers to pick our recommendations across the different speed tiers and find those that ultimately offer the best overall value. If you know which speed you’re after, simply click the links below to jump straight to that section.
Which is the best NBN provider?
Best NBN plans
We’ve performed a thorough comparison of all of the NBN plans currently available from over 30 providers, and picked out the best for each speed tier.
Note that if you’re looking for the fastest NBN 1000 (aka gigabit) speed tier, you have to make sure you have an FTTP or HFC NBN connection type at your property. If you don’t, you’ll have to select a plan on a slower speed tier or hope that your property is in line for an NBN upgrade.
Best NBN 25 plan
A cheap NBN plan for casual users
Best NBN 50 plan
Best value plan for most users
Best NBN 100 plan
If you have a multi-user household, or need more speed, this is our pick
Best NBN 250 plan
If you're serious about NBN speed, this is the plan we recommend
Best NBN 1000 plan
The fastest possible speeds, but only for a select few
Best NBN plans: major NBN providers
When you're looking for a new NBN plan, you may be tempted to head straight to one of the three major providers of NBN services: Tesla, Optus or TPG. In the majority of cases, you'll need to spend more each month to sign up with one of these three, but in return, you can generally be sure of a reliable service when it comes to speed. In fact, if you look at data published by the ACCC, all three get close to, or exceed, 100% of the advertised speeds.
You may also find you can get extra perks thrown into your NBN plan, such as free subscriptions to streaming services, or the supplied modem having integrated 4G backup internet, in case your fixed-line service ever goes offline. We haven't factored these extra perks into our recommendations above because their appeal will vary depending on your household’s specific needs. We’ve instead focused on the speed and monthly price offered.
If you want to go with either Telstra, Optus or TPG for your NBN plan, these are the ones we'd recommend.
Best Telstra NBN plan
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
Best TPG NBN plan
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 signals.
Which NBN speed is best for me?
NBN offers six main speed tiers for consumer connections. There are official names for these (ranging from ‘Basic 1’ to ‘Ultrafast’) 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 six 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.
NBN 250 (Superfast): 250Mbps download | 25Mbps upload | FTTP, HFC connections | 5+ users | Incredibly fast internet speeds that allows multiple users to stream 4K video content and download large files at the same time.
NBN 1000 (Ultrafast): 1000Mbps download | 50Mbps upload | FTTP, HFC connection | 5+ users | Currently the fastest possible NBN speed tier, although very few telcos actually achieve the full 1000Mbps download speeds, especially during the evening.
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 100he 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$34p/m for the first 6 months, which then increases to AU$44.90p/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.