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 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
SpinTel currently sells the cheapest NBN home internet plan in Australia, with a discounted rate of $39 per month for the first six months on its NBN 25 plan. Compared to the telco’s standard pricing, that’s an overall discount of $155.70.
Take a look at the widget below for more of the cheapest NBN plans. We update this article monthly, but the widget updates automatically, 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. Not many telcos sell NBN 12 plans these days, so there’s little competition for lower prices.
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.
As mentioned above, SpinTel’s NBN 25 plan is the cheapest, priced at $39 per month for the first six months. Once the discounted period ends, the plan costs $64.95 per month ongoing.
You can also get discounted NBN 25 plans for $40 per month from Amaysim and Dodo. Flip sells a cheap plan worth considering; its regular monthly price of $59.90 is one of the cheapest non-discounted plans, providing long-term savings.
After the glow of discounts ends, the cheapest NBN 25 plans cost between $65 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.
At the time of writing, Origin sells the cheapest NBN 50 plan, at $51.50 per month. It’s an interesting one, with Origin using Superloop’s wholesale broadband network, while going direct with Superloop is also cost-effective, with its discounted $55 monthly plan.
However, Origin is quite expensive once the six-month discount ends. Its full price is $103 per month, which can be discounted to $93 per month ongoing by bundling your internet and energy plans together.
Most full-priced NBN 50 plans can be found for around $85 per month, though, so it’s worth shopping around. Other discounted highlights in this tier include Dodo and Amaysim, which cost $54 and $55 per month, respectively.
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:
Origin sells the current cheapest NBN 100 plan, with a discounted monthly rate of $53.60 for the first six months, down from $107 per month. Like the NBN 50 tier, Origin’s full price is more expensive than many of its competitors.
The next cheapest offer comes from Dodo, with a $61 plan for the first six months. Multiple telcos sell NBN 100 plans for $65 or less per month for the first six months, including Moose NBN, Tangerine, TPG, iiNet, Belong, and Superloop.
Once the discounts end, NBN 100 plans start from around $85 per month, with Flip one of the cheapest options.
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.
Origin tops the list again, joined by Dodo, Moose NBN, SpinTel, Tangerine, iiNet, TPG, Superloop, and Belong for $65 or less per month for the first six months. As long as you have the technology to support faster speeds, the prices for NBN 500 plans are no more expensive than the slower NBN 100 tier.
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.
Origin has the current cheapest NBN 750 deal, charging $64.50 per month for the first six months. Just make sure you assess your options before the monthly price reverts to $129 once the discount ends.
Elsewhere, Dodo has a $68 deal, followed by iiNet ($69.99), and Amaysim ($70). Without factoring in discounts, expect to pay between $100 and $110 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, the cheapest NBN 1000 plan comes from Origin, which costs $69.50 per month for the first six months ($139 afterwards). Elsewhere, Dodo, Superloop, iiNet, Belong, and Amaysim cost $80 or less per month during the discounted period, so there are a few options to choose from.
Aside from SpinTel and a few others, like Southern Phone and Amaysim, most NBN 1000 plans cost upwards of $110 per month.
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.
With not as much competition as other speed tiers, some NBN 2000 plans are as expensive as $189 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 number 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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