If you’re someone who craves a speedy internet connection above all else, then you probably know that a fast NBN plan doesn’t come cheap. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t nab an NBN 250 or NBN 1000 plan with a nice discount. Most internet providers offer some form of introductory discount for their respective connections. As a general rule of thumb, we recommend swapping internet providers every six months to take advantage of these new customer offers.
Whether you’re after a fast plan, a cheap plan, or both, we’re going to take a look at the best NBN 250 and NBN 1000 plans, breaking them down by download speeds and price.
This article has been updated since its original publication.
Table of contents
Check your connection first
If you’re upgrading from a slower speed tier, you’ll need to check whether or not your NBN connection can support these faster plans. Currently, NBN 250 plans are only available to Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) and Hybrid Fibre-Coaxial (HFC) addresses, while NBN 1000 plans are only available to FTTP addresses and over 95 per cent of HFC addresses.
Comparing NBN 1000 plans
The cheapest NBN 1000 plans
If you’re after the cheapest NBN 1000 plan going, that honour belongs to Spintel. You’ll pay just $95 per month for your first six months and $105.95 per month thereafter. Spintel reports typical evening speeds of 650Mbps, which is fairly average for this speed tier.
Superloop is offering its NBN 1000 plan for $99 per month for the first six months you’re connected, and is reporting typical evening speeds of 811Mbps. While it isn’t the fastest NBN 1000 plan, it isn’t far from the top (more on that in a moment). Once this introductory period ends the price will increase to $109 per month, which is still on the cheaper side of things for this speed tier.
There’s also TPG‘s NBN 1000 plan, which will set you back a flat rate of $104.99 per month. If you sign up before July 9, the internet provider will also cover one month’s worth of fees. TPG is reporting typical evening speeds of 800Mbps.
Southern Phone is reporting typical evening speeds of 650Mbps, which is being offered at a flat rate of $105 per month. While Southern Phone isn’t as fast as Superloop, iiNet or TPG, it has the advantage of being one of the cheapest full-price NBN 1000 plans. The only provider that outdoes Southern Phone in price is TPG.
The fastest NBN 1000 plans
If you’re looking for the fastest NBN 1000 plans around, then your key choices are Swoop, Superloop, Optus, Telstra, iiNet and TPG, in that order.
Swoop is currently reporting typical evening speeds of 969Mbps, making it the fastest NBN 1000 plan by a considerable amount. You’ll be paying $119 per month for the first six months you’re connected to this Swoop plan, and then $139 per month.
We’ve already covered how Superloop has the second fastest NBN 1000 plan and one of the overall cheapest.
After that, you’ve got TPG and iiNet, which are both reporting typical evening speeds of 800Mbps. We’ve already covered TPG above, and as for iiNet, the NBN provider is offering its NBN 1000 plan for $109.99 per month.
Up next is Optus, which is reporting typical evening speeds of 780Mbps. The internet provider is running an introductory deal where you’ll pay $109 per month for the first six months you’re connected with its NBN 1000 plan. Once this discount period ends, you’ll be paying $129 per month.
However, if you leave Optus within 36 months, you’ll need to pay a modem fee that is equal to $8.50 per remaining month (to a total of $306).
While Telstra has recently reduced the price of its NBN 1000 plan, it’s still the most expensive option available. You’ll be paying a flat rate of $150 per month and score typical evening speeds of 700Mbps.
Comparing NBN 250 plans
The cheapest NBN 250 plans
Spintel is offering the cheapest NBN 250 plan on the market, both in terms of an introductory offer and full price. With Spintel, you’ll pay $79 per month for the first six months of your plan, and then $89.95 per month after that. The provider is currently reporting typical evening speeds of 211Mbps.
Exetel is reporting typical evening speeds of 220Mbps and is offering a discounted plan for new customers. For the first six months that you’re with the provider, you’ll only pay $83.99 per month, and then $98.99 per month after the deal period ends.
Exetel also offers five daily speed boosts every month, which will allow you to increase your connection to the provider’s NBN 500 speeds.
Once again, Swoop is another cheap choice if you’re after superfast NBN. You’ll pay $84 per month for its NBN 250 plan, and it has a typical evening speed of 230Mbps. However, the full price of Swoop’s plan is quite steep, increasing to $119 per month once the discount period ends.
Tangerine‘s NBN 250 plan is also worth considering. New customers will pay $84.90 for the first six months of their plan, and then $104.90 per month after that. Tangerine is also reporting typical evening speeds of 245Mbps, so while it isn’t congestion-free, it’s certainly close.
The fastest NBN 250 plans
If you’re after the fastest NBN 250 plans around, there are a few providers currently offering connections with typical evening speeds of 250Mbps.
Superloop has the cheapest congestion-free plan on offer. You’ll pay $85 per month for the first six months of your connection, and then $99 per month after that.
After that, you’ve got TPG, which has an NBN 250 plan priced at a flat rate of $94.99 per month. If you sign up for this plan before July 9, TPG will cover a month of fees for you.
Southern Phone is offering its plan at a flat rate of $95 per month, which is some pretty decent value – especially if you want to keep your NBN 250 plan under $100 per month.
Image: Toei
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