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Cut your internet bills: Australia’s cheapest NBN plans

Everyone wants to save money on their home home internet bills — but with well over one hundred providers offering thousands of NBN plans, it can hard to sort through the market to find the cheapest deal.

This where Canstar Blue comes in. If you’re on the hunt for the very cheapest NBN plans from providers big and small, we’ve got you covered. Using our extensive NBN database, we’ve picked out the cheapest unlimited data options for everyday users, family, speed lovers and more.

Whether you’re looking for the cheapest basic plans on offer, or wondering if you can get lower prices from Telstra, TPG and Optus, we’ve rounded up the most affordable NBN plans across several categories below.

The cheapest NBN plans in Australia

If you’re looking for bare-bones cheap plans that don’t include bells and whistles, and you don’t have excessive speed or bandwidth needs, you may find entry-level NBN 12 plans to be a perfect fit. This is NBN Co’s cheapest and most basic speed tier, with download speeds of up to 12Mbps and uploads up to 1Mbps, and is best suited for single-user homes, or customers who don’t use their connection for high-definition streaming, heavy downloading or intensive activity.

Prices in this speed range: Plans in this category start at around $45 per month for unlimited data, but be on the lookout for introductory offers than can bring this down to $35 for your first six months.

Cheap pick: The cheapest NBN 12 plan on Canstar Blue’s database is Flip’s Value 12 BYO, which is priced at $39 per month for six months, then $48.90 per month ongoing.

The five cheapest unlimited NBN plans on our database

The following table shows a selection of published unlimited NBN 12 plans on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of standard monthly cost (excluding discounts), from the lowest to highest, and then by alphabetical order of provider. Use our comparison tool above to see plans from a range of other providers. This is a selection of products with links to referral partners.

Cheap everyday NBN plans

If you’re part of a small household with average usage needs, but want a little more kick than a basic plan, NBN 25 balances affordability with function. These plan comes with a maximum download speed of 25Mbps — so twice as fast as NBN 25 — plus a faster upload speed of 5Mbps.

Prices in this speed range: NBN 25 is slightly more expensive than NBN 12, so you’re looking at about $50-$60 per month at the lowest end of the spectrum. However, this is another speed tier that frequently comes with new customer discounts.

Cheap pick: Flip is our cheapest unlimited data pick for this speed range, with its 25Mbps plan. Normally $54.90 per month, this plan is currently discounted to $44 per month for your first six months.

The five cheapest unlimited everyday NBN plans on our database

The following table shows a selection of published unlimited NBN 25 plans on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of standard monthly cost (excluding discounts), from the lowest to highest, and then by alphabetical order of provider. Use our comparison tool above to see plans from a range of other providers. This is a selection of products with links to referral partners.

Cheap family NBN plans

For larger homes, couples with bigger bandwidth needs, or anyone wanting a more congestion-proof connection, NBN 50 may be the sweet spot — offering download speeds of up to 50Mbps, with uploads up to 20Mbps. This speed tier gives you a little extra oomph, but is still relatively affordable, and is generally available to all NBN connection types.

Prices in this speed range: Standard NBN 50 pricing tends to start at around $65 per month, with $75 being about average. Providers also frequently discount this tier by $10-$15 per month for new sign-ups, so you can find introductory deals for as little as $55 for your first six or 12 months.

Cheap pick: Kogan is the cheapest unlimited provider on our database for NBN 50, with its Silver Unlimited plan priced at $68.90 per month. However, it’s currently discounted to $58.90 per month for three months for new customers.

If you’re a Seniors Card holder, you may also be eligible for Flip’s Senior Family 50 plan, which is priced at $59 per month for six months, then $65.70 per month ongoing.

The five cheapest unlimited family NBN plans on our database

The following table shows a selection of published unlimited NBN 50 plans on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of standard monthly cost (excluding discounts), from the lowest to highest, and then by alphabetical order of provider. Use our comparison tool above to see plans from a range of other providers. This is a selection of products with links to referral partners.


Related: How can I save money on my internet bill?


Cheap fast NBN plans

For something faster and likely to withstand those busy evening peak hour periods, NBN 100 gives you download speeds of up to 100Mbps, and (depending on the plan) uploads of 20Mbps or 40Mbps. So if you have a large household, with multiple people working from home or engaging in streaming or gaming, you may want to consider these plans if you’re happy to pay extra.

Note that while this isn’t the fastest NBN tier available to residential addresses — with NBN 250 and NBN 1000 also offered by many providers — faster plans are limited to FTTP and HFC connection types, and tend to start at over $100 per month.

Prices in this speed range: NBN 100 plans begin at around $80 monthly on the low end, although new customer offers can slash this to $70 or lower for introductory periods.

Cheap pick: Coming in at $64.90 per month for your first six months is Tangerine’s Speedy BYO plan. After the six-month introductory period, this plan reverts back to the standard price of $84.90 each month.

The five cheapest unlimited fast NBN plans on our database

The following table shows a selection of published unlimited NBN 100 plans on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of standard monthly cost (excluding discounts), from the lowest to highest, and then by alphabetical order of provider. Use our comparison tool above to see plans from a range of other providers. This is a selection of products with links to referral partners.

The cheapest NBN plans from Telstra, Optus and TPG

While there’s dozens of small telcos offering cut-throat pricing, a huge chunk of Aussies are still with one of the nation’s biggest three internet providers: Telstra, Optus, or TPG. These three brands and their subsidiaries own a comfortable majority of the Australian internet market share, and tend to throw in some of the perks and extras you won’t find from smaller providers.

Ultimately, this does mean pricing may be less competitive when compared to small names, particularly looking at Telstra and Optus. To give you a sense of how the bigger providers stack up, here’s the cheapest unlimited data plan on Canstar Blue’s database for each of the three major telcos.

The cheapest unlimited NBN plan from Telstra

  • Upfront Internet Plan Basic: $85 per month (NBN 25)

The cheapest unlimited NBN plan from Optus

  • Optus Plus Everyday Basic: $70 per month (NBN 25)

The cheapest unlimited NBN plan from TPG

  • NBN 12 Single Bundle BYO: $64.99 per month (NBN 12)
Tara Donnelly
Utilities Editor
Tara Donnelly is an internet and mobile expert - sectors she’s spent a decade covering - and also oversees energy and consumer technology content. She holds a Bachelor of Communications from the University of Canberra and has shared her expertise on national media including 9 News, 7 News, Sunrise and the ABC.

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