Keen to find a better deal on your home internet? We’ve compared the cheapest NBN plans from many of the biggest telcos to find the best deals for you in each speed category.
One of the best ways to save money on your internet bill is to shop around frequently. Many internet service providers (ISPs) offer introductory deals, including generous discounts for the first six months. Afterwards, it’s always worth comparing providers so you’re not left paying more than you should. Most ISPs don’t use lock-in contracts, making it relatively easy to swap to a better-value plan.
After the recent big NBN speed upgrade, it’s now easier than ever to enjoy fast internet at decent prices. Some older NBN plans got five times faster for the same price. Not a bad deal for those eligible.
But there’s not much point in paying for speeds you don’t need. Make sure you regularly assess whether your current internet plan serves your needs, as recommended by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).
With that in mind, here are the current cheapest NBN plans in Australia from a wide range of telcos. We also have some affordable tips and tricks on how to maximise your current internet speeds. Looking for a new phone plan, too? Compare the cheapest SIM plans to save even more money.
Contents
- Cheapest overall NBN plans
- NBN 12 plans
- NBN 25 plans
- NBN 50 plans
- NBN 100 and NBN 500 plans
- NBN 250 plans
- NBN 1000 plans
- NBN 2000 plans
- What you need to know
- Which NBN plan?
Cheapest overall NBN Plans
Here are the cheapest NBN plans at the time of writing, including a $39.90 per month deal on NBN 25 internet from Tangerine. We update this article monthly, but the prices listed in the tables update frequently, giving you up-to-date and accurate information.
Many of the retailers display promotional prices aimed at new and returning customers. These offers generally involve paying a discounted rate for six months before reverting to a standard price. To view the details of promotional offers, click on the green text labelled ‘deal’, which will also show the standard price.
Each plan featured here includes unlimited data. Some providers let you save a few dollars every month by choosing a plan with a data cap. If you know you don’t need much data, use this search tool to find plans with monthly data allowances.
NBN 12 plans
Aimed at people who only need the internet for browsing online and checking emails, an NBN 12 plan isn’t blazingly fast but saves money.
TPG currently sells the cheapest NBN 12 plan at $54.99 per month for the first six months. Its subsequent full price of $74.99 costs more than many NBN 25 plans, however.
For the most part, you’d be better off scrolling down and looking at faster speeds available for the same price or less.
NBN 25 plans
Suited for streaming videos in HD and basic online tasks, an NBN 25 plan gives you a bit more flexibility and much more value for money.
Tangerine stands out as the current cheapest NBN 25 plan, priced at just $39.90 per month for the first six months. That’s $30 off its regular $69.90 monthly price, saving you $180 over the discounted period.
There are a lot of good intro deals at the moment, including offers from Flip, SpinTel, Mate, Moose NBN, and Dodo. Over the long term, Southern Phone is the cheapest over 12 months. Its $47 monthly price lasts for a year before reverting to $59, which is also one of the cheaper full-priced NBN 25 plans.
Without discounts, the cheapest NBN 25 plans cost between $60 and $70 per month, so it’s a relatively cost-effective speed tier.
NBN 50 plans
Traditionally Australia’s most popular internet plan, NBN 50 balances value with performance. These plans support 4K video streaming and can sustain multiple simultaneous users.
There’s a lot of competition at this speed tier, led by Kogan ($60.90 per month) and Dodo ($60.99 per month). A large handful of telcos currently sell discounted NBN 50 plans for less than $70 per month. Considering most discounts are only valid for new customers, you have a lot of opportunities to save money elsewhere.
After promotional pricing, the cheapest NBN 50 plans sit close to $80 per month. Buddy Telco, which is being sold to Tangerine next year, is one of the cheapest non-discounted plans, priced at a flat $75 each month.
NBN 100 and NBN 500 plans
This is where the NBN speed upgrade starts to kick in. For customers with Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) or Hybrid Fibre Coaxial (HFC) connections, the NBN 100 tier becomes NBN 500 plans at no extra cost.
Both sets of speeds are ideal for streaming multiple 4K videos and downloading files quickly. If you get 500Mbps speeds, those downloads will be five times quicker. Only slightly more expensive than the 50Mbps tier, NBN 100 plans are still good value for most people; NBN 500 is even better value, given the small gap in pricing.
To start with, let’s look at the cheapest NBN 100 plans — these speeds apply to those with Fibre to the Node (FTTN), Fibre to the Building (FTTB), and Fibre to the Curb (FTTC) connections:
At the moment, Dodo is the cheapest, priced at $62.99 per month for the first six months. Over 12 months, however, Southern Phone works out to be the lowest price; its $75 monthly price lasts for a year, before reverting to $89 per month.
Flip has one of the cheapest standard prices, costing $83.90 per month. Most full-priced NBN 100 plans cost roughly $90 per month.
If you have a direct fibre connection, here are the cheapest NBN 500 plans:
As you can see, the prices are more or less the same as NBN 100, which makes it pretty good value for those who can get NBN 500 plans.
Dodo is again at the top, but the best long-term deal comes from SpinTel. For the first six months, SpinTel’s NBN 500 plan costs $64 per month. The telco’s standard $84.95 monthly price is one of the cheapest options, too.
NBN 750 plans
500Mbps download speeds aren’t fast enough for you? For even faster speeds, you could try NBN 750, which was NBN 250 before the wholesale speed upgrade. This is the tier you consider when you want to download the latest video game or save a whole bunch of media for offline viewing.
Dodo continues its consistent form of selling the cheapest discounted NBN plans, topping the NBN 750 list with a $74.99 monthly offer. The deal lasts for six months, before the price goes back to $99.99 per month.
Flip and SpinTel are good long-term prospects, selling discounted NBN 750 plans at a monthly price of $78 and $80 respectively. Both telcos are among the cheapest at full price, too, priced at $89.90 and $90.95 per month once the six-month discounts end.
Outside of that, expect to pay between $90 and $100 per month for most NBN 750 plans.
NBN 1000 plans
NBN 1000 plans now come with 100Mbps upload speeds, giving you fast downloads and a strong upload rate. Consider these plans if you regularly work with large files, like content creators, and don’t want to waste time waiting for downloads or uploads to finish.
You’ll notice that not every telco promises 1,000Mbps download speeds during peak times. That’s because the NBN speed upgrade is still relatively new, so the industry is still collecting real-world performance data. Rest assured, though, that these plans are fast.
For now, Southern Phone is the cheapest NBN 1000 plan, priced at $85 per month over 12 months. After that, it costs $95, which is still one of the cheapest. Most NBN 1000 plans cost between $100 and $110 per month, depending on the ISP.
NBN 2000 plans
One of the new additions following the speed upgrade, NBN 2000 plans, also known as ‘Hyperfast’, is for absolute power users. Capable of handling multiple 8K video streams and downloading large files in the blink of an eye, it’s much faster than anything previously available to the wider Australian public.
Because it’s new and a bit on the pricier side, not many ISPs sell NBN 2000 plans just yet. Still, there are some discounts available, with prices already varying between telcos.
Superloop currently has the cheapest NBN 2000 plan at $145 per month. That price lasts for six months before increasing to $165 per month thereafter. Southern Phone’s plan costs a static $149 per month, making it the cheapest long-term option.
With not as much competition as other speed tiers, some NBN 2000 plans are as expensive as $190 per month.
What you need to know
If you want broadband internet in Australia, your main and most reliable choice is via the National Broadband Network (NBN). Although the NBN provides the internet backbone, it does not sell plans directly to the public. Instead, telecommunication vendors package up retail and business plans, which include different features and levels of customer support.
NBN availability
The NBN is available to all Australians, but the way you access the NBN may be different. This might include a fixed cable into your home, wireless access via an antenna on your roof or a satellite dish.
To see what technology is available to you, start by visiting the NBN getting connected page. After entering your address, you will be shown the technology available at your address. You will also see which providers or NBN retailers sell access in your area. In Sydney alone, we were presented with 123 different retailers.
Speed and reliability
It is important to understand that the speed and reliability of your NBN plan can differ by retailer. Each buys internet capacity from the NBN. This capacity is then shared with a certain amount of the retailers’ customers. This means that a retailer may have faster speeds in one suburb versus another based on how many customers are accessing the overall capacity. It’s always good to ask your neighbours who they are with and their experience with a particular NBN retailer.
It’s also worth checking the ACCC website regularly. They publish quarterly broadband performance results, measuring how well telcos deliver on advertised internet speeds. You want to be certain that you’ll get the speeds you pay for, so this is a good starting point.
For those customers looking for an NBN alternative, we suggest the following GadgetGuy guides: How does 5G fixed-wireless stack up as an NBN alternative and Caravanner’s guide to connecting to the internet anywhere.
Having good internet speed is more than just a fast broadband connection. For more, be sure to check out GadgetGuy’s guide to improving your internet for more information.
Which NBN plan?
When evaluating an NBN plan, consider the following criteria:
- Data Limits – Is there a monthly download limit of data, or is the plan unlimited?
- Download Speed – Best measured at its busiest in megabits per second (Mbps) typical evening speed. Is it enough to watch Netflix? (Netflix requires 10-25Mbps depending on resolution quality.) Larger households with members using the internet simultaneously will require higher download speeds.
- Cost – How much do you pay each month, and is there a connection fee?
- Contract – Are you locking yourself to a retailer for a period, or is it month to month?
- Telephone – Is a fixed-line telephone service bundled into the plan?
- Customer service – What hours are supported, and is it an Australian-located call centre?
- Upload speed – Important for people who save large files online, like photos and videos.
Changing providers
If you wish to change internet providers, the process involves signing up with the new retailer in-store or online. You may receive a new Wi-Fi router, and you may have to return your old router to your previous retailer. The retailer-provided router is generally low quality but provides a fixed-line telephone connection if selected.
Your retailer might offer you an email address. Still, we recommend using a non-telco-specific email address such as Gmail or Hotmail, allowing you to easily change NBN retailers.
The NBN changeover process can take less than an hour, but depending on the location and NBN technology, it could take a few days. To take advantage of introductory offers, you could swap your provider every six months.
Suppose you do not wish to leave your existing provider. In that case, you may be able to negotiate a better rate by comparing it to cheaper offerings.
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