Compare Internet Plans for NBN
Min Cost - $45 over 1 mth
- 1 mth money back guarantee
- Save $20 for 5 mths. Offer ends 30/06/24
- Use promo code: SAVE20
- No setup/plan change fees
- No Lock-in Contract
- 25Mbps/10mbps typical busy period speeds (7pm-11pm)
- Award-winning Aussie support
- Suits homes with 2-4 users
- Best for SD streaming, emails & basic browsing
Min Cost - $55 first mth (incl. $79 modem cost)
- 50% off for first mth. Ends 26/03/24
- No Lock-in Contract
- Get $20 off Dodo modem
- Manage account online with MyDodo
- 4K or 8K video streaming
- 245 Mbps; 21 Mbps upload. Typical evening speed (7pm-11pm). Speed may vary due to various factors and confirmed once connected
- 1-mth money-back guarantee
- No setup/plan change fees
- No Lock-in Contract
- 12Mbps peak download speed (7pm-11pm)
- Award-winning Aussie support
- Suits homes with 1-2 users
- Best for SD streaming, emails & basic browsing
- Get $20 off Dodo modem. Ends 26/03/24
- No Lock-in Contract
- Up to $10/mth off when bundled with energy
- Manage account online with MyDodo
- Stream SD video
- 15 Mbps download; 4 Mbps upload. Typical evening speed (7pm-11pm). Speed may vary due to various factors and confirmed once connected
Min Cost - $60 for the 1st 6 mths (incl. $79 modem cost)
- $5/mth off for 6 mths. Ends 26/03/24
- No Lock-in Contract
- Get $20 off Dodo modem.
- Up to $10/mth off when bundled with energy
- Manage account online with MyDodo
- 25 Mbps download; 4 Mbps upload. Typical evening speed (7pm-11pm). Speed may vary due to various factors and confirmed once connected
- HD video streaming
- Satisfaction Guarantee: Return modem within 21 days for a full refund
- No Lock-in Contract
- Typical evening speed of 11Mbps
- Optional modem for $99 w/ free delivery
- Canstar Blue 'Most Satisfied Customers' & 'Outstanding Value' Awards winner
Min Cost - $65 over 1 mth
- 1 mth money back guarantee
- Save $20 for 5 mths. Offer ends 30/06/24
- Use promo code: SAVE20
- No setup/plan change fees
- No Lock-in Contract
- 95Mbps/19Mbps typical busy period speeds (7pm-11pm)
- Award-winning Aussie support
- Suits larger homes with 6+ users
- Best for HD/4K streaming, downloading large files, & working from home
Min Cost - $65 for the 6 mths (incl. $79 modem cost)
- $15/mth off for 6 mths. Ends 26/03/24
- No Lock-in Contract
- Get $20 off Dodo modem
- Up to $10/mth off when bundled with energy
- Manage account online with MyDodo
- Stream 4K video
- Work from home
- 50 Mbps; 17 Mbps upload. Typical evening speed (7pm-11pm). Speed may vary due to various factors and confirmed once connected
- Satisfaction Guarantee: Return modem within 21 days for a full refund
- No Lock-in Contract
- Typical evening speed of 24Mbps
- Optional modem for $99 w/ free delivery
- Canstar Blue 'Most Satisfied Customers' & 'Outstanding Value' Awards winner
Min Cost - $70 for the 6 mths (incl. $79 modem cost)
- $15/mth off for 6 mths. Ends 26/03/24
- 50% off for the first mth. Deal sold separately
- No Lock-in Contract
- Get $20 off Dodo modem
- Up to $10/mth off when bundled with energy
- Manage account online with MyDodo
- 4K video streaming or multiple HD streams
- Work from home
- 100 Mbps; 17 Mbps upload. Typical evening speed (7pm-11pm). Speed may vary due to various factors and confirmed once connected
- Up to 6-9 devices
Min Cost - $75 over 1 mth
- 1 mth money back guarantee
- Save $20 for 5 mths. Offer ends 30/06/24
- Use promo code: SAVE20
- No setup/plan change fees
- No Lock-in Contract
- 95Mbps/36Mbps typical busy period speeds (7pm-11pm)
- Award-winning Aussie support
- Suits larger homes with 6+ users
- Best for fast upload speeds, HD/4K streaming & working from home
- 1 mth money back guarantee
- No setup/plan change fees
- No Lock-in Contract
- 48Mbps/19mbps typical busy period speeds (7pm-11pm)
- Award-winning Aussie support
- Suits larger homes with 4-6 users
- Best for HD streaming, music & online gaming
Min Cost - $391 incl. $306 modem cost and $85 (1mth of plan fee) if you stay connected for 1mth only. $0 modem if you stay connected for 36 mths.
- $75/mth for first 6 mths
- Offer Ends: 27/03/24
- Ultra WiFi 6 modem incl.
- No Lock-in Contract
- $0 Startup Fee
- 50/18Mbps typical busy period speeds (7pm-11pm)
- Suits homes with 3-4 people
- Access to Optus SubHub & Living Network
Min Cost - $395 incl. $306 modem cost and Introductory Offer if you stay connected for 1mth only. $0 modem if you stay connected for 36 mths.
- $75/mth for first 6 mths
- Offer Ends: 27/03/24
- Ultra WiFi 6 modem incl.
- No Lock-in Contract
- $0 Startup Fee
- 100/18Mbps Typical busy period speeds (7pm-11pm)
- Suits homes with 5+ people
- Access to Optus SubHub & Living Network
- Satisfaction Guarantee: Return modem within 21 days for a full refund
- No Lock-in Contract
- Typical evening speed of 47Mbps
- Optional modem for $99 w/ free delivery
- Canstar Blue 'Most Satisfied Customers' & 'Outstanding Value' Awards winner
Min Cost - Total Minimum Cost is $210 ($90/mth plan fee + $120 modem cost = $210)
- Save: $10/mth for first 6 mths. Offer ends 09/04/24
- Free Wi-Fi 6 modem if you stay connected for 12 mths. T&Cs apply
- No Lock-in Contract
- Typical evening speed of 100Mbps downstream and 17mbps upstream
- No set up fees
- 4K video streaming
- Medium and larger households who work-from-home, game online and stream movies.
- Free Wi-Fi 6 modem if you stay connected for 12 mths. T&Cs apply
- No Lock-in Contract
- Typical evening speed of 50Mbps downstream and 17mbps upstream
- No set up fees
- HD video streaming
- Smaller households with medium internet use such as streaming a movie.
Min Cost - $85 first for the 6 mths (incl. $79 modem cost)
- $25/mth off for 6 mths. Ends 26/03/24
- 50% off for first mth. Deal sold separately
- No Lock-in Contract
- Get $20 off Dodo modem
- Up to $10/mth off when bundled with energy
- Manage account online with MyDodo
- 4K or 8K video streaming
- 245 Mbps; 21 Mbps upload. Typical evening speed (7pm-11pm). Speed may vary due to various factors and confirmed once connected
Min Cost - $405 incl. $306 modem cost and Introductory Offer if you stay connected for 1mth only. $0 modem if you stay connected for 36 mths.
- $85/mth for first 6 mths
- Offer Ends: 27/03/24
- Ultra WiFi 6 modem incl.
- No Lock-in Contract
- $0 Startup Fee
- 240/22Mbps Typical busy period speeds (7pm -11pm)
- Suits homes with 5+ people
- Access to Optus SubHub & Living Network
Min Cost - $607 incl. $306 modem cost, $216 Booster cost and Introductory Offer if you stay connected for 1mth only. $0 modem/Booster if you stay connected for 36 mths.
- $85/mth for first 6 mths
- Offer Ends: 27/03/24
- Netflix incl. (RRP $16.99) via Optus Subhub
- Ultra WiFi 6 modem & WiFi Booster incl.
- No Lock-in Contract
- $0 Startup Fee
- 50/18Mbps Typical busy period speeds (7pm -11pm)
- Suits homes with 3-4 people
- Access to Optus SubHub & Living Network
- WIFI Secure powered by McAfee
- Option to add an Optus Plus Phone Extra service
Min Cost - Total Minimum Cost is $230 ($110/mth plan fee + $120 modem cost = $230)
- Save: $20/mth for first 6 mths. Offer ends 09/04/24
- Free Wi-Fi 6 modem if you stay connected for 12 mths. T&Cs apply
- No Lock-in Contract
- Typical evening speed of 245Mbps downstream and 21mbps upstream
- No set up fees
- Ideal for 8K video streaming
- Larger households with multiple people working-from-home, gaming online or streaming movies.
Min Cost - $90 over 1 mth
- 1 mth money back guarantee
- Save $20 for 5 months. Offer ends 30/06/24
- Use promo code: SAVE20
- No setup/plan change fees
- No Lock-in Contract
- 202Mbps/23Mbps typical busy period speeds (7pm-11pm)
- Award-winning Aussie support
- Suits larger homes with 6+ users
- Best for fast downloading & uploading large files, HD/4K streaming, online gaming & working from home
- Satisfaction Guarantee: Return modem within 21 days for a full refund
- No Lock-in Contract
- Typical evening speed of 95Mbps
- Optional modem for $99 w/ free delivery
- Canstar Blue 'Most Satisfied Customers' & 'Outstanding Value' Awards winner
Min Cost - $617 incl. $306 modem cost, $216 Booster cost and Introductory Offer if you stay connected for 1mth only. $0 modem/Booster if you stay connected for 36 mths.
- $95/mth for first 6 mths
- Offer Ends: 27/03/24
- Netflix incl. (RRP $16.99) via Optus Subhub
- Ultra WiFi 6 modem & WiFi Booster incl.
- No Lock-in Contract
- $0 Startup Fee
- 100/18Mbps Typical busy period speeds (7pm-11pm)
- Suits homes with 5+ people
- Access to Optus SubHub & Living Network
- WIFI Secure powered by McAfee
- Option to add an Optus Plus Phone Extra service
Min Cost - 405 incl. $306 modem cost and Introductory Offer if you stay connected for 1mth only. $0 modem if you stay connected for 36 mths.
- No Lock-in Contract
- No Sign-up Fees
- 240/22Mbps Typical busy period speeds (7pm -11pm)
- Suits homes with 5+ people
- Access to Optus SubHub & Living Network
- Option to add an Optus Plus Phone Extra service
Min Cost - $627 incl. $306 modem cost, $216 Booster cost and Introductory Offer if you stay connected for 1mth only. $0 modem/Booster if you stay connected for 36 mths.
- $105/mth for first 6 mths
- Offer Ends: 27/03/24
- Netflix incl. (RRP $16.99) via Optus Subhub
- Ultra WiFi 6 modem & WiFi Booster incl.
- No Lock-in Contract
- $0 Startup Fee
- 240/22Mbps Typical busy period speeds (7pm -11pm)
- Suits homes with 5+ people
- Access to Optus SubHub & Living Network
- WIFI Secure powered by McAfee
- Option to add an Optus Plus Phone Extra service
Min Cost - $415 incl. $306 modem cost and Introductory Offer if you stay connected for 1mth only. $0 modem if you stay connected for 36 mths.
- $109/mth for first 6 mths
- Offer Ends: 27/03/24
- Ultra WiFi 6 modem incl.
- No Lock-in Contract
- $0 Startup Fee
- 600/40Mbps Typical busy period speeds (7pm -11pm)
- Suits multiple users in larger homes
- Access to Optus SubHub & Living Network
Min Cost - Total Minimum Cost is $250 ($130/mth plan fee + $120 modem cost = $250)
- Save: $20/mth for first 6 mths. Offer ends 09/04/24
- Free Wi-Fi 6 modem if you stay connected for 12 mths. T&Cs apply
- No Lock-in Contract
- Typical evening speed of 650Mbps downstream and 42mbps upstream
- No set up fees
- Ideal for 8K video streaming
- Households with multiple heavy internet users or those who simply want the best!
Min Cost - $651 incl. $306 modem cost, $216 Booster cost and Introductory Offer if you stay connected for 1mth only. $0 modem/Booster if you stay connected for 36 mths.
- $129/mth for first 6 mths
- Offer Ends: 27/03/24
- Netflix incl. (RRP $16.99) via Optus Subhub
- Ultra WiFi 6 modem & WiFi Booster incl.
- No Lock-in Contract
- $0 Startup Fee
- 600/40Mbps Typical busy period speeds (7pm -11pm)
- Suits multiple users in larger homes
- Access to Optus SubHub & Living Network
- WIFI Secure powered by McAfee
- Option to add an Optus Plus Phone Extra service
Show all plans
Last audited 30th of September 2023
Compare NBN Internet Plans and Save Money
The days of having to choose from one or two providers for your internet are a thing of the past, thanks to the arrival of the NBN, which is now available to almost all Australians. With the NBN, not only will you be able to get a much faster internet connection, but you’ll now be able to choose your internet provider from a huge range of companies.
That means it’s much easier to find a plan that suits your needs at a price that’s right for you – and if you’re not happy with a provider you choose, it’s easy to switch. And if you still want to keep your home phone, the good news is you can – in fact, a home phone is provided free of charge with many plans. Check what’s on offer, and find your perfect NBN plan!
How to Choose an Internet Plan
Now that the NBN has almost finished rolling out across Australia, most people now have access to it in some form – though, for many, that’ll mean switching from an existing ADSL internet connection to the NBN. This happens when you order your first NBN service. A NBN technician will visit to make the necessary changes to your phone line and get you all set for the NBN (your home phone, if you’re keeping it, will plug into the NBN your internet provider sends you).
Once the NBN is available in your area, you have 18 months to switch over to it before the old phone lines are switched off. And with some really well-priced NBN internet plans on the market now, ADSL doesn’t make a lot of sense to keep any more (remember, too, that there’s no home phone line rental charge on the NBN!)
Important Things to Consider
Selecting one of many NBN providers might prove to be a tall task. The competition is immense.
Who is the best NBN provider? Who’s got the best Internet service for you? Let’s check it out!
Best Internet Deals and Offers
With so many competing internet providers looking for you to come to them for your NBN internet, there’s always some great limited-time deals and offers to be had, whether you’re connecting for the first time or thinking of switching to a new provider.
Unlimited Data
You’ll want to aim for plans with unlimited data – it’s pretty much the industry standard these days, and there’s a lot to say for not needing to worry about going over your monthly limit. There was a time when unlimited data plans were a sign of a potentially slow and congested network, but most providers seem to have that problem solved now.
NBN Plan Speed
The NBN has a series of preset maximum speeds you can choose from – and of course, faster is more expensive (test your internet speed here). They’re advertised using the form “NBN25” where 25 is the maximum download speed. For families, we recommend the most popular plan speed – NBN50. There’s also the faster NBN100 and NBN250, the latter being offered by such providers as iPrimus and Telstra. There’s even the speed add-on called Ultrafast that delivers up to 700Mbps download speeds!
Typical Evening Speed
Internet providers now have to disclose, by law, the typical speeds each plan can reach in the busy peak evening hours. This is a handy number to compare when you’re checking out plans, as it’ll give you some idea of whether there’s any chance of the dreaded evening “Netflix slowdown”. The closer this number comes to the plan speed, the better.
The Most Popular Internet Plans
No Contract
While there are many no-contract internet plans on the market these days, not all of them are truly contract-free – there might be a setup fee, or a modem you have to pay off if you leave early. Some internet service providers may waive the fee, but you’d need to BYO modem (Buy Your Own). Southern Phone‘s Unlimited Standard plan gives you contract-free NBN25 internet for only $65 a month with no setup fee.
High Speed
When it comes to fast internet, Telstra NBN is hard to beat – and if you’re after a high-speed internet plan, they’re the obvious choice, with their Premium Speed + Unlimited Data plan giving you a lightning-fast connection for $110/month with typical evening speeds of 100Mbps. It’s only available on FTTP and HFC connections.
Unlimited Data
One of the pioneers of unlimited data plans, iPrimus has a great deal for an NBN50 connection that you can optionally add Fetch TV too. The plan costs only $75/month and comes with a home phone with pay-as-you-go calls. The same goes for Dodo which offers the same uncapped data plan on the same speed tier also for $75/month.
Frequently Asked Questions about NBN
For many years, Australia depended on a network of phone lines owned by Telstra, and broadband equipment owned by a handful of companies, for both home phone and internet services. Not only was it slow, it limited consumers’ choice of providers. The NBN – National Broadband Network – replaces that with a high-speed national network for all communications, which all providers can offer services on. That keeps prices down – and thanks to newer technology, speeds are faster than ever possible before.
The rollout of the NBN, started in 2010, is now officially complete (though improvements and upgrades are ongoing). Most areas and households have either been switched over to it, or have access to it. You can check your NBN access and the type of connection you have using our interactive NBN rollout map.
Once the NBN is available in your area, you should get a letter in the mail letting you know you can switch over. At that point you can either contact your current provider to make the switch, or choose a new one – it’s good to compare NBN providers and plans before making a decision, as there are many great-value deals available.
Yes, usually they do. With the old copper phone network shutting down, your home phone will now work on the same connection as your NBN broadband and will need to be provided by the company that delivers your broadband. That’s not a bad thing – usually, you’ll find the home phone line is included at no extra charge. If you’re on Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) or Fixed Wireless NBN, you can have home phone and broadband with different providers, but the cost of doing so makes it better to stick with the one provider.
As a vast national network, the NBN itself is designed to never be “down” completely (though occasional technical problems can crop up). However, if you’re unable to access your NBN internet service it’s entirely possible that the NBN connection point you’re on may be having an outage, or your internet provider may be having technical issues. Your first port of call is your internet provider’s support line – they have access to all the info about the NBN and can tell you if there’s an outage and how long it may last, or get things fixed if there’s a fault in your service.
When the NBN is installed at your home or business, the NBN technicians will install all the things needed to get the connection into your home. Depending on your connection type, they will also possibly install a device known as a NTD where the connection enters the building, which is what you connect your modem or router to. With Fibre to the Curb connections, the NTD will usually be supplied by your internet provider, but sometimes may be installed when you have the NBN connected. In either case, it’s provided free of charge.
A vast broadband network that stretch across the entire country, the NBN works as a central hub that all internet providers can connect to via any of 121 connection points around the continent. It provides the pipelines and computing power needed to move data to and from each of those connection points, sending it to and receiving it from your chosen broadband provider. It’s an incredibly complex network that’s designed to be, for the end user, as simple as plugging a modem or router into a socket on the wall.
The NBN replaces the old copper phone network, and with it, your traditional phone line is also replaced. However, with some NBN technologies – Fibre to the Node, Fibre to the Curb and Fibre to the Building – existing phone lines are used to carry the NBN data from the street into your home. Because this is a far shorter length of traditional phone line, much faster speeds can be reached. When the NBN is installed at your place, the NBN technicians will make the needed changes to your phone line so it’ll work with the NBN.
While so far, most NBN connections have been limited to the NBN 100 tier as the top speed – that’s 100 Mbps downloads and 40 Mbps uploads – in 2020, new speed tiers were released, offering download speeds of 250 Mbps and 1000 Mbps (also known as “gigabit”). However, these speeds aren’t available for everyone just yet – in most cases, upgrades need to be made to the network to enable them for customers, and internet providers need to choose to offer them (at the moment, only a few do).
While you’re not required to have a NBN broadband connection or home phone if you don’t want one, the old copper phone network is being decommissioned and you will lose access to it once that happens in your area, making the NBN the only choice for wired broadband and phone. That’s not a bad thing, since it gives all consumers much more choice and cheaper prices, and the ability to switch providers easily without a lengthy waiting period.
There are several types of NBN in use around Australia, and which one you get depends on your location – you can’t choose which type you get. All connect to the same NBN in different ways and have different advantages and capabilities. To find out which type you have, search for your address on any NBN internet provider’s web site – it will instantly show you which connection type you have.
The NBN was a project started by the Rudd government a decade ago, and then modified and finished by the current government, as a publicly owned asset. At the moment, the NBN is still 100% government owned and run, but the longer-term plan has always been to sell it to recoup the huge cost of building it. While that will eventually happen, for the immediate future the NBN remains in public hands.
Telstra owns a huge infrastructure but the company doesn’t equate NBN Co, as the latter is a government body created to manage the whole NBN network. Telstra was so big back in the day that other NBN providers e. g. Aussie Broadband used their backhaul to provide their services. No wonder people confuse Telstra and NBN.
If you’re experiencing slow or unreliable broadband on the NBN, the actual NBN network is unlikely to be the problem. It’s possible your internet provider may be having technical issues or suffering from congestion, so call them first. It’s also possible that you’re suffering from a local fault, either with the cable out in your street or the cabling in your home; you ISP can help you diagnose that. If you’re using wi-fi, make sure you test your connection using a computer plugged into your modem/router via Ethernet first – wi-fi is notoriously prone to interference causing slowdowns.
TV and the internet are closely connected these days, and there are plenty of options if you’re looking to get some entertainment with your internet connection. Fetch TV can be added to unlimited plans from several providers (like iPrimus, mentioned above) or if you’re more of a streaming user, Telstra’s internet and TV bundle pulling together a Telstra TV box, free months of Binge and Foxtel Now, a home phone and unlimited broadband is TV value that’s hard to beat from $89/month. Telstra also offers well-priced bundles with Foxtel included. You can check out all the latest TV and internet bundles on our comparison page.
If money’s tight and you’re looking to get connected to the internet without breaking the bank, don’t worry – there are affordable plans available, and while they won’t break speed records, they’ll keep you connected just as well. Belong Broadband – which uses the Telstra network – has its Starter plan available for only $60/month, which gives you slightly more than NBN25 speed. It doesn’t get much cheaper than that – and they include a wi-fi modem too.
What’s best overall is going to depend on your specific needs, but the plan which gives the most bang for your buck is Telstra’s NBN50 Unlimited Data plan. It bundles a fast, reliable connection, a modem with 4G backup, a home phone with unlimited calls, free connection and one month of free Foxtel Now and three months of free BINGE (more if you join Telstra Plus!)
NBN plans and deals are divided into speed tiers so that Internet users can tell their speed right away. For example, the NBN speed tier “NBN50” means that the connection is capable of providing you with a 50 Mbps download speed and 20 Mbps upload speed. Here you have a list of speed tiers:
– NBN 25 – 25 Mbps download, 5 Mbps upload; TES – 18-24 Mbps,
– NBN 50 – 50 Mbps download, 20 Mbps upload; TES – 40 Mbps,
– NBN 100 – 100 Mbps download, 40 Mbps upload; TES – 80 Mbps
– NBN 250 – 250 Mbps download, 25 Mbps upload; TES – 200 Mbps,
– NBN 1000 – 1000 Mbps download, 50 Mbps upload; TES – 350 – 700 Mbps.
Recommended
-
Reviews
Telstra Plus Review
-
All Guides
Best Internet Provider Brisbane