Compare Optus vs Telstra mobile phone plans

About Optus vs Telstra

Telstra and Optus have a lot in common as Australia’s two largest mobile network operators. Both offer a wide selection of new phones available to bundle on a plan, along with a range of SIM-only mobile plans.

While Telstra is the largest network provider, Optus isn’t far behind when it comes to network coverage. Both telcos have also rolled out 5G mobile networks throughout Australia.

The biggest difference between Telstra vs Optus is what kind of value you can get for your money. Plan prices and data inclusions are different between the two, with Optus typically slightly cheaper than Telstra.

Telstra vs Optus: Phone plans and prices compared

Both Telstra and Optus offer a full suite of plans, with prepaid and postpaid SIM-only plans, along with phone-on-a-plan options. Comparing what each telco offers will help you get a better idea as to which plan — and telco — is going to be best for you.

Neither Optus or Telstra are known for offering cheap phone plans; in fact, both typically offer some of the most expensive plans on the market.

However, if you’re tossing up between the two telcos, Optus is generally more affordable. Optus offers its cheapest postpaid plan for $15 less per month than Telstra’s cheapest postpaid plan. These plans are available SIM-only, as well as bundled with a new phone.

When it comes to prepaid, both telcos offer plans at similar price points.

Optus phone plans

Optus offers a full suite of prepaid, postpaid and phone-on-a-plan bundle plans to choose from ranging from month-to-month, 7-day, 28-day, 186-day and 365-day expiry terms depending on which type of plan you choose. All of Optus’ plans include unlimited standard national calls and SMS and mobile data inclusions, along with 5G network coverage, although speeds may be capped on some plans.

Optus’ six Flex Plus prepaid plans are great for those wanting flexibility. Data options range from 5GB to 300GB depending on the plan, with data rollover up to 200GB is available on all six plans. Varying international talk and text balances are available on most of Optus’ prepaid plans to be used in select countries.

While Optus’ Choice Plus month-to-month postpaid plans don’t include data rollover, they do include data sharing, which means you can gift any unused data to other people on the same Optus account. Selected plans include set amounts of international talk and text balances, and international roaming is also available to be purchased for $5 a day to be used in select countries.

Optus also offers the option to bundle a new phone on a plan with devices available from brands like Apple, Samsung, Google and more. Customers can buy on a 12, 24 or 36-month device payment plan, or buy outright.

Telstra phone plans

Telstra offers a range of prepaid, postpaid and phone-on-a-plan bundle plans. All plans include unlimited standard national calls and SMS and mobile data inclusions, along with 5G network coverage, although speeds may be capped on some plans.

The three postpaid ‘Upfront’ plans start from a data inclusion of 50GB and go up to 300GB per month. All postpaid plans include unlimited international SMS and 30 minutes of calls to select countries.

Telstra has seven prepaid plans with 7-day to 12-month expiry term options, each with a variety of data inclusions. Most plans also include some amount of international SMS and call balances to use in select countries.

Most plans, with the exception of the two long-expiry plans, include continuous data rollover up to 200GB. This means that if you recharge before your current expiry, any data you haven’t used will roll over for future use as long as you have an active recharge.

Telstra also offers a prepaid Casual plan, which is designed for people who don’t use their phone too often. It has a six-month expiry period and has a small amount of call, SMS and data inclusions. This plan is also a good option if you’re overseas for an extended period and want to keep your Australian phone number active.

Telstra customers on a postpaid plan have the option to bundle some of the latest phones from brands like Apple, Samsung, Google and more. You can choose between a 12, 24 or 36-month device payment plan, or you can buy the device outright.

Optus vs Telstra coverage

Both Telstra and Optus operate mobile networks across Australia. Telstra owns and operates the largest mobile network in Australia with coverage to 99.7% of the population (while using an external antenna). Optus is slightly behind Telstra when it comes to network coverage, with coverage to 98.5% of the population.

While Telstra does have the advantage of a bigger mobile network — including its 5G network — Optus isn’t far behind, so most Australians will find coverage from both telcos in their area.

Determining which is the best mobile network will ultimately depend on whether you can get coverage in your area. You can check your address and any areas you frequent on the network coverage maps on each telco’s website.

Which telco has the best mobile network?

Telstra has the larger network of the two; however, Optus was named the best network for overall experience, consistent quality and 5G experience in the April 2024 Opensignal Mobile Experience Awards. Optus scored an average 5G download speed of  208.7 megabits per second (Mbps), with Telstra achieving an average of 180.1Mbps.

Of course, choosing which network is ‘best’ is subjective, as every person will have a different experience. Performance is dependent on a range of factors including the network technology, location, device being used, etc.

5G mobile networks

5G is now much more widely available, with both Telstra and Optus operating 5G mobile networks. Telstra was the first telco to launch its 5G network, with Optus following suit shortly after.

An ACCC report released in 2021 showed Telstra was well and truly leading the 5G race with twice as many 5G sites live as Optus, but Optus still had a substantial number of sites live across the country.

As the 5G networks for Telstra and Optus are still rolling out, you might find 5G coverage in your area is still limited and you may only have the choice of one telco.

Which telco has the best 5G network?

Choosing the best 5G network depends on what is more important to you. Telstra does have the larger network coverage, but both Telstra and Optus are still very much in the rollout phase of building their 5G networks.

Opensignal named Optus its best network for 5G video, 5G live video, 5G gaming, and 5G download speeds in its 2024 Mobile Network Experience report. In comparison, Telstra was Opensignal’s best-performing telco for overall coverage experience and 5G coverage specifically.

Plan extras and bonuses

As previously mentioned, both telcos have rather expensive phone plans compared to other providers. But what the telcos lack in cheap plans are made up in extras and perks.

Looking at extras, Optus includes access to its SubHub subscription bundling service that includes discounts on subscription costs when you bundle more services, such as Netflix, BINGE and more.

Telstra on the other hand, offers the option to add on entertainment to your plans, but generally without any discounts on the monthly cost, although Telstra does run offers with free subscriptions from time to time. Customers on an eligible Telstra plan will also be able to access to its rewards program, Telstra Plus, with your rewards points being redeemable in the Rewards Store, along with access to event ticket presales, discounted movie tickets and more.

Both telcos include ‘unlimited’ throttled data on all postpaid mobile plans, which caps your data use to 1.5Mbps after you’ve used your monthly allowance of full-speed gigabytes.

Telstra vs Optus: MVNOs compared

As both Telstra and Optus own and operate their own mobile networks, both telcos also offer smaller telcos access to these respective networks to offer their own phone plans.

Known as Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs), these smaller telcos are able to offer cheaper phone plans than the big telcos, as they don’t have the costs associated with building, upgrading and maintaining the mobile network infrastructure.

Both Telstra and Optus have a range of MVNOs using their respective mobile networks. If you’re finding the cost of a Telstra or Optus plan to be a little too steep — or you just like having more options to choose from — signing up with an MVNO could be the way to go.

One thing to keep in mind is that even though you’ll technically have Telstra or Optus mobile network coverage, you might not have access to the full network (including 5G). Telstra typically only allows MVNOs (with the exception of Boost Mobile) access to a portion of the Telstra network, so you’ll want to check the MVNO’s coverage map before signing up to a plan to ensure you’ll have coverage.

Here is a selection of some well-known and popular MVNOs operating on the Telstra and Optus mobile networks.

Telstra MVNOs:

• ALDI Mobile
• Belong
• Boost Mobile
• NuMobile
• TeleChoice
• Everyday Mobile

Optus MVNOs:

• Amaysim
• Aussie Broadband
• Dodo
• Moose Mobile
• Southern Phone
• Yomojo

Which MVNOs are the best?

If you’re leaning towards an MVNO using either the Telstra or Optus network, it will be a similar process to compare these telcos as it is comparing plans between Optus and Telstra.

Ultimately, you’ll need to look at which telco offers you the right plan type, the price and inclusions. If you’re dedicated to choosing one mobile network over the other, then you’ll want to compare MVNOs offering plans on that network. Otherwise, you’ve got a wide range of providers and plans to compare and choose from.

One thing to keep in mind is that Optus is typically more generous with how much mobile network the MVNOs are able to access, while Telstra limits this access. Both telcos also allow MVNOs to access the 5G network, but Optus has had this offer available for longer than Telstra. Also, choosing a plan from an MVNO could simply come down to which provider has the best mobile coverage for you.

Which telco has the most satisfied customers, Optus or Telstra?

After comparing plan prices, networks and inclusions, and you’re still unsure about which telco to go with, you might want to take into account what customers think about Telstra vs Optus.

While everyone will have a different experience with their telco, at Canstar Blue, we survey thousands of Aussies to find out what they think about their phone plan provider. Customers rate their telco across a range of factors including customer service, value for money, network coverage and overall satisfaction. Each year, we publish ratings for prepaid SIM-only plans, postpaid SIM-only plans and mobile phone on a plan options.

Telstra was rated three stars for overall satisfaction across our ratings for both prepaid and postpaid SIM-only plans, while it scored four stars for phone-on-a-plan. While Telstra typically scored three stars across most categories including value for money and billing, it did achieve five stars for network coverage for prepaid and phone on a plan, while it scored four stars for postpaid.

Optus achieved three stars for overall satisfaction across all three of our phone plan ratings. It scored mostly three stars across the prepaid and postpaid, however it scored four stars for most categories for phone on a plan, including value for money and network coverage.

Optus vs Telstra: Which is better?

As you would have seen, both telcos offer very similar phone plans when it comes to the basics, so you need to look into further detail to work out which provider is going to have the best plan for you.

Telstra does have the wider network coverage, but the majority of Australians would still find coverage from Optus. Optus on the other hand is a little cheaper than Telstra if you’re looking at postpaid plans, but neither of these providers are exactly cheap, and certainly not where you should look if you’re after a cheap phone plan.

Both telcos offer access to extras and bonuses, so that might be where you want to compare value for money. Does the Optus SubHub offer enough value to you, or would you benefit more from Telstra’s rewards program?

Ultimately, when comparing phone plans from Optus vs Telstra, you’ll want to consider what is going to suit your needs more. It’s a close race between the two, and determining which telco is best will come down to what you want from a phone plan.

About our phone experts

Jasmine Tait: Utilities Content Assistant

Jasmine Tait is a Content Assistant within Canstar Blue’s editorial team. Jasmine graduated from the Queensland University of Technology with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, majoring in Creative Writing with a minor in Communications.

Jasmine has previously edited for a variety of publications including ScratchThat Magazine and Seaglass Literary.

When Jasmine isn’t working, you can usually find her reading or spending time with her friends and family.

Josh Filosi: Data Insights Analyst

Josh Filosi is Canstar’s Data Insights Analyst, and helps develop and deliver the methodology for Canstar Blue’s Value Rankings and Awards for the telco industry. He holds a double-major in Economics and Behavioral Science, and enjoys interpreting complex data. Connect with Josh on LinkedIn.