The best NBN plans picked at the start of each month from Australia’s best providers, from cheaper NBN 25 to the fastest NBN 1000 plans.
These are the best NBN plans and deals available in February
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The best NBN plans and deals in Australia for February
- : Kogan Silver Unlimited
- : Exetel Everyday NBN 25
- : Spintel NBN Unlimited Premium 100
- : Spintel NBN Unlimited 250
- : Southern Phone NBN Ultrafast
- : Telstra Upfront Internet Plan Essential
- : Optus Plus Everyday Fast nbn
- : TPG NBN 50 Unlimited Plan
The best NBN plans tend to change each month based on providers competing over lower promotional pricing and faster download speeds. While NBN 12 is the entry-level speed tier, we ignore it on this page because NBN 12 plans aren’t practical for most homes. Additionally, NBN 25 plans are either cheaper or not that much more expensive, with prices starting at around $50 per month.
On the pricier end of town, NBN 100 plans start at around $65 and, for eligible homes, NBN 1000 plans kick off at roughly the $100 mark. We use a combination of dollar-per-data comparisons, an in-depth provider comparison schema and expert knowledge to pick the best NBN plans each month, all of which have unlimited data.
Read on for the best NBN plans in February.
The NBN plans listed below are our top picks for the month from every Australian fixed-line internet plan on the market that we track in our comparison engine. If you’d like to start your own search and compare your options, use our NBN plan search tool.
How we choose the best NBN plans
Our top picks go through a rigorous selection process each month. The best NBN plans and contenders are evaluated by typical evening speeds, monthly price, ongoing value, additional fees and more. Our overall scores for NBN providers also factor into the final decision. Read more about how we review NBN plans.
Best NBN 50 plan
Kogan Silver Unlimited
🔥 Deal: Save $10/mth: $58.90/mth for first three months, then $68.90/mth.
✓ How we chose this plan:
- We used dollar-to-speed comparisons to separate cheaper NBN 50 plans for first-year value. Plan features and our in-depth NBN provider schema are used for tie-breaks.
NBN 50 is the most popular speed tier in Australia, which is understandable given how it’s a good mix of price and speed. Nowadays, it’s trickier to separate NBN 50 plans on speeds, with 50Mbps self-reported typical evening download speeds common across providers. Upload speeds are self-reported nowadays, too, which is a great way to separate close-competing providers.
While the trend is for NBN providers to compete over six months of promotional pricing, Kogan Internet is offering a $10 discount on its already competitively priced Silver Unlimited NBN 50 plan. For a typical monthly fee of $68.90 you get 50Mbps download and 17Mbps self-reported upload speeds. Get in before the 3rd of March to nab the $10 discount for the first three months.
What is the best NBN plan?
Take it from the experts
"Most of us are on NBN 50 but you may not need to be. NBN 25 plans are widely available from a range of providers and can comfortably cater to the needs of one to two people."
Christie Graham
Digital Content Editor, WhistleOut
The best NBN plan is the one that pairs well with your monthly internet budget and the speed needs of your home. It might not be the speed tier you settle on, but NBN 50 is usually the best place to start. NBN 25 plans used to be a cheaper alternative but that’s not necessarily the case anymore, at least not during promotional periods.
NBN 50 internet plans are the most popular type of internet plan in our database because they offer a great mix of price and speed. Most homes can rev up to NBN 100 (or beyond) if they need more megabits-per-second.
Best cheap NBN (25) deal
Exetel Everyday NBN 25
🔥 Deal: Save $10/mth: $49.99/mth for first six months, then $59.99/mth.
✓ How we chose this plan:
- We used dollar-to-speed comparisons to separate cheaper NBN 25 plans for first-year value. Plan features and our in-depth NBN provider schema are used for tie-breaks.
We consider NBN 25 plans to be the real entry-level home internet option given the slow speeds on offer from NBN 12 plans. If you don’t mind shifting providers every six months, NBN 50 plans may have cheaper promotional pricing than NBN 25 typical monthly prices. Still, you can save a comparatively decent amount of money by sticking with an NBN 25 plan once ongoing pricing kicks in.
This month, our top pick is the Exetel Everyday NBN 25 plan. New customers can save $10 per month on the typical $59.99 plan fee, which is still low compared to competing NBN 25 plans. For that price you’ll get 25Mbps self-reported download speeds and 8.5Mbps upload speeds, the latter of which is around twice as fast as basic NBN 25 plans. This Exetel NBN 25 plan also includes a two-month Home Secure trial ($6 per month thereafter).
Best NBN 100 plan
Spintel NBN Unlimited Premium 100
🔥 Deal: Save $10.95/mth: $69/mth for first six months, then $79.95/mth.
✓ How we chose this plan:
- We used dollar-to-speed comparisons to separate cheaper NBN 100 plans for first-year value. Plan features and our in-depth NBN provider schema are used for tie-breaks.
NBN 100 plans are the fastest speed tier available to most fixed-line homes in Australia. The chances are good you’re in a fixed-line home if you live in a metropolitan area. NBN 100 plans come in two flavours: one with max 20Mbps upload and the other with 40Mbps. You really only need an NBN 100/40Mbps plan if you perform a lot of uploading tasks, like syncing large files with the cloud. Otherwise, save money with an NBN 100/20 plan.
The Spintel NBN Unlimited Premium 100 plan is our top pick this month. While its promotional pricing isn’t as cheap as Tangerine, Dodo or Exetel, the Spintel NBN 100 plan comes out on top with the best first-year pricing and the best dollar-to-speed value. Normally, $79.95 a month, new sign-ups get a $69 monthly fee for the first half year with 100Mbps self-reported download speeds and 18Mbps uploads.
Best NBN 250 plan
Spintel NBN Unlimited 250
🔥 Deal: Save $10.95/mth: $75/mth for first six months, then $85.95/mth.
✓ How we chose this plan:
- We used dollar-to-speed comparisons to separate cheaper NBN 250 plans for first-year value. Plan features and our in-depth NBN provider schema are used for tie-breaks.
NBN 250 plans are a good choice for a home whose internet speed needs go beyond 100Mbps downloads. For the NBN 250 plans we track, 200Mbps is the slowest typical evening download speed you can expect. Basically, an NBN 250 plan is worth considering if NBN 100 isn’t quite fast enough but the prospect of an NBN 1000 plan is too expensive.
Spintel returns to nab another speedy category this month, this time with its NBN Unlimited 250 plan. The price starts at a $75 monthly fee for new sign-ups for the first six months, then reverts to a comparatively cheap $85.95 monthly cost. That price nets you 211Mbps of download speed during the busy evening hours and 21Mbps upload speed. If you want a faster but pricier plan, consider the 240Mbps download speeds you get from the Superloop Superfast NBN 250/25 plan.
Best NBN 1000 plan
Southern Phone NBN Ultrafast
Note: NBN 1000 plans are only available to homes with NBN Hybrid Fibre Coaxial (HFC) or Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) technologies.
🔥Cheap $105 typical monthly pricing.
✓ How we chose this plan:
- We used dollar-to-speed comparisons to separate cheaper NBN 1000 plans for first-year value. Plan features and our in-depth NBN provider schema are used for tie-breaks.
The main reason to consider an NBN 1000 plan is you want no-compromise download speeds. Upload speeds are only marginally faster than an NBN 100/40 plan, hitting max 50Mbps speeds. But for download speeds, you’re looking at up to 10 times faster than an NBN 100 plan under the right conditions, which means significantly faster download times for large files.
While Superloop’s Lightspeed NBN 1000/50 is the cheapest in terms of first-year costs, we’re recommending the Southern Phone NBN Ultrafast plan for better dollar-to-speed value. The Southern Phone NBN 1000 plan doesn’t have promo pricing, but it is cheaper than Superloop for typical monthly fees. Plus, it’s faster: 650Mbps evening download speeds (vs Superloop’s 600Mbps) and 43Mbps (vs 42Mbps) upload speeds.
Most popular Telstra NBN plan
Telstra Upfront Internet Plan Essential
🔥Deal: Save $30: Get free device security protect for first 3 months, then $10/mth.
✓ How we chose this plan:
- We highlighted the most popular Telstra NBN plan on 6 February 2024.
We find that there’s a lot of internet search around the best Telstra NBN plans each month. While Telstra hasn’t taken out any of our curated categories above, we did want to acknowledge the provider’s popularity.
At the start of the month, the Telstra Upfront Internet Plan Essential was the most popular. It normally costs $100 a month but was reduced to a $95 monthly fee for the first half year. This Telstra NBN 50 plan comes with 50Mbps download and 17Mbps upload speeds, plus three months of Telstra Device Security. All Telstra NBN plans come with the Telstra Smart Modem.
Please note the most popular Telstra NBN plan below may differ from the one above at different points of this month.
Most popular Optus NBN plan
Optus Plus Everyday Fast NBN
🔥 Deal: Save $24/mth: $75/mth for first six months, then $99/mth.
✓ How we chose this plan:
- We ranked Optus plans with unlimited data by price and selected the most popular one.
Like Telstra, there are a lot of monthly Google searches for the best Optus NBN plans. We figure this is because people may believe that Telstra and Optus own mobile networks alongside the NBN, which isn’t the case. Our best NBN plan picks for the main speed tiers are above.
But if you want to know what people are leaning towards at the start of the month from Optus, it’s the Optus Plus Everyday Fast NBN plan. This Optus NBN 100 plan costs $75 per month initially (for six months), before reverting to its typical $99 monthly fee. It comes with 100Mbps downloads, 18Mbps uploads. Sign up by 27th March 2024 to nab the promo pricing.
Please note the most popular Optus NBN plan below may differ from the one above at different points of this month.
Most popular TPG NBN plan
TPG NBN 50 Unlimited Plan
✓ How we chose this plan:
- We ranked TPG plans with unlimited data by price and selected the most popular one.
Telstra, Optus and TPG are big-name internet brands in Australia, which is likely why they’re also the ones people search for the most when seeking an NBN plan. As you’ve hopefully seen above, though, there are more competitively priced NBN plans from other providers.
Still, if you want a TPG NBN plan, the most popular one at the start of the month was TPG’s NBN 50 Unlimited Plan. The first month is free for new sign-ups (expires 14th February, unless extended), otherwise it costs $74.99 per month for 50Mbps typical download speeds and 17Mbps uploads.
Please note the most popular TPG NBN plan below may differ from the one above at different points of this month.
What to look for in an NBN plan
There are several key factors to consider before signing up for a new NBN plan or switching from one provider to another.
- Download speeds: The faster the download speed, the speedier your connection. Unless you live alone or in a home with a couple of people who don’t really use the internet a lot, it’s best to start with NBN 50 and work up. NBN 50 plans aren’t much more expensive than NBN 25 plans, but they are noticeably faster.
- Upload speeds: Download speeds are, admittedly, more important than upload speeds, but if you're working from home, NBN plans with fast upload speeds are worth considering. For those after faster uploads, consider an NBN 100/40 plan from select providers. Alternatively, for the ultimate mix of download and upload speeds, NBN 1000 plans offer up to 50Mbps upload speeds.
- Promotional pricing: Some NBN providers offer a discounted rate for new customers. NBN plan promo pricing can make it easier to justify trying out a faster speed tier than the one you need before committing to a higher fee.
- Typical pricing: If you want a long-term NBN provider, factor in more than just the promo period. An otherwise-good discount might not be worth the short-term savings once you’re paying a lot more for the typical monthly fee.
- Provider speeds: NBN providers sell internet plans within determined speed tiers. But not all NBN providers offer the same download and upload speeds within those tiers. Alongside NBN providers’ respective self-reported typical evening download and upload speeds, be sure to check what the ACCC has to say about participating providers before you sign up.
- Extra costs: Contracts on NBN plans are rare these days and best avoided. Most NBN providers let new customers use a bring-your-own (BYO) NBN-compatible modem-router or router. Others offer preconfigured modem-routers or routers for purchase, while others still bundle a modem-router or router with their plans. Consider the costs involved with paying extra for a provider-recommended NBN networking device as well as potential hardware exit fees if you switch NBN providers.
Which NBN provider is the best?
For us, the best NBN provider is the one that ticks the right boxes based on what you need. If you’re after great pricing, look for a provider that offers promotional pricing and competitive typical monthly plan fees, like Spintel, Exetel, Swoop, Kogan, Tangerine and Superloop.
Download speeds are typically closely matched for plans up to NBN 100 but some providers tend to offer fast plan speeds, including Dodo, Southern Phone and Swoop. Upload speeds and latency are more closely matched but check in with providers tracked by the ACCC for the best typical upload speeds and lowest possible latencies. Even if an NBN provider isn’t part of the ACCC’s ‘Broadband performance data’ program, the results from participating providers are still a great guideline for what to expect from others.
Unlike SIM-only plans, NBN plans aren’t renowned for being particularly feature-rich. That said, while it’s common for providers to let customers use a BYO modem-router or router, you may want a preconfigured NBN-compatible modem-router or router that automatically updates. For that peace of mind, consider NBN providers like Telstra, Optus, iiNet and Internode, all of which offer plans with modem-routers that have 4G backup.
Speaking of peace of mind, those after an NBN provider with lots of support pathways should consider Optus, Telstra, iiNet and Vodafone. While customer review sites tend to be a haven for venting negative experiences, we’ve tracked great reported customer satisfaction for Aussie Broadband, Kogan Internet, Moose NBN and Tangerine.
If you’re after one NBN provider pick, Tangerine is our current favourite.
How much should I pay for NBN?
NBN 50 is the most popular speed tier and the one we recommend most homes start with for comparisons. Promotional pricing starts at around $60 but expect to pay at least $75 a month for a competitively priced cheaper NBN 50 option in terms of typical costs.
The cheapest NBN plans in our comparison engine start at around $50 with promotional pricing and closer to $60 per month for an NBN 25 plan. NBN 100 plans compete around the $70 mark for promo pricing but are upwards of $80 for cheap typical monthly pricing.
You might find cheap NBN 250 promotional pricing under $80 but expect to normally pay closer to $100 per month for most of the cheaper NBN 250 plans. NBN 1000 plans are around $100 during promotional periods but cost more than $100 during a typical month.
Here’s how much you should expect to pay for each NBN speed tier in terms of standard pricing.
- Satellite NBN: Monthly prices from $34.95
- Fixed Wireless NBN: Monthly prices from $54
- NBN 12: Monthly prices from $64.80
- NBN 25: Monthly prices from $49
- NBN 50: Monthly prices from $59.90
- NBN 100: Monthly prices from $64.90
- NBN 250: Monthly prices from $75
- NBN 1000: Monthly prices from $99
Which NBN provider is the cheapest?
The cheapest NBN provider may change month to month, depending on whichever promotional pricing is the lowest per speed tier. Generally, Tangerine, Exetel, Spintel, Superloop and Dodo closely compete on promotional pricing for popular speed tiers. In terms of typical pricing, consider Spintel, Tangerine, Kogan and Mate.
NBN frequently asked questions
Yes, NBN 25 is fast enough to stream all Netflix content, including 4K movies and TV shows. Netflix needs at least 15Mbps download speed for 4K content per device. So if you want to watch 4K Netflix content on four screens in your home, you’d need at least 60Mbps of available download speed for smooth streaming. Practically speaking, you’d need an NBN 100 plan for that four-streams scenario.
If your NBN plan speeds aren’t up to snuff, you should first consider a faster plan. Already have an NBN 100 plan? You can only shift to NBN 250 and NBN 1000 plans if your home is connected either via FTTP or HFC technologies. If you’re not in one of those homes, use the link below to see if your address is eligible for an upgrade from another NBN technology type to FTTP.
Some NBN providers offer discounts for bundling your NBN with other services. For example, you could get a discount for:
While a discount may sound nice, you’re still paying for two services to get a bundle discount, so make sure both services work for you first.
Discounts for older adults are available for mobile phones but are less common for NBN providers. Check in with a prospective NBN provider to see if they have a discount available at the time of sign-up.
Most NBN fixed-line plans come with unlimited data these days. There are, however, data caps for NBN Sky Muster satellite and some Fixed Wireless NBN plans. Note that unlimited-data plans typically come with a fair-use policy, technically restricting how much you can download in a month, this won’t impact most regular internet users.
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