As TechRadar's resident NBN expert, I spend a lot of time tracking the prices of the best NBN plans. And while there are often some fantastic internet deals that can change monthly, one constant I've noticed is how expensive Telstra's plan costs can be.
I have never shied away from criticizing the country's largest telco for its exorbitant prices, which have long been the most expensive of all the NBN providers I oversee.
You can imagine the look on my face when I recently realized that Telstra actually reduced prices across their range of plans, up to AU$14 in some cases. Of course, my surprise was short-lived, since despite the reductions, Telstra is still among the most expensive providers. So it's still hard to recommend if you're looking for a great value NBN plan.
NB 25
- Telstra price: AU$85 per month
- Flip Price: AU$44p/m (first 8 months, then AU$59.90p/m)
- First year savings: AU$428.40
An NBN 25 plan provides basic internet access and is best suited for one- or two-person households that only need to surf the web, stream the occasional HD or 4K video, and browse social media. Virtually every provider offering an NBN 25 plan promises top download speeds during all hours of the day, so in my opinion there's no point in signing up for Telstra when you can pay over AU$400 less each year with Flip.
50 NBN
- Telstra price: AU$95 per month
- Tangerine price: AU$64.90 p/m (first 12 months, then AU$84.90 p/m)
- First year savings: AU$361.20
NBN 50 remains the most popular option in Australia at the time of writing, although I expect this to change in the near future given the arrival of NBN 500 plans, which in my opinion offer the best overall value. This Tangerine NBN 50 plan offers enough speed to comfortably stream 4K video, but if you have a lot of connected devices in your home, you'll want to consider a faster plan to ensure you have enough bandwidth for everyone.
NBN 100 and NBN 500
- Telstra Price: AU$99p/m
- Tangerine price: AU$ 68.90 p/m (first 12 months, then AU$ 88.90 p/m)
- First year savings: AU$361.20
I've grouped the NBN 100 and NBN 500 speed tiers together because, in general, telcos now charge the same price for them. This is because NBN 500 is essentially a no-cost speed boost to 100Mbps plans that is available to homes connecting to the fixed line network via fiber to the premises (FTTP) or hybrid fiber coaxial (HFC). If your home doesn't connect through any of these, then NBN 100 is the fastest you can get, but you'll pay the same (generally) as customers who can get NBN 500.
Once again, Tangerine is the cheapest Telstra alternative for the first year thanks to a 12-month discount that is available for a limited time; However, access it quickly as it will expire on December 14.
NBN 750
- Telstra Price: AU$119p/m
- Dodo Price: AU$79.99 p/m (first 12 months, then AU$99.99 p/m)
- First year savings: AU$468.12
I'm still undecided about the need for NBN speed tier 750. An NBN 500 plan provides more than enough speed for most households for much less. And if you want to get a really fast plan, you have the option of NBN 1000 for not much more money.
Still, if you think that's the ideal speed for you, you can't ignore Dodo's current 12-month promotion. The telco only claims typical nighttime speeds of 700Mbps, compared to the top speeds Telstra promises, but with over AU$460 in savings up for grabs, Dodo offers much better value for money.
1000 NBN
- Telstra Price: AU$129
- Friend price: AU$99 (first month free)
- First year savings: AU$459
An NBN 1000 plan is a great option for power users with a particularly high number of connected devices or who want to multitask with a lot of data. It will also be ideal for gamers who want to quickly download large game files. I've noticed that the average monthly cost of an NBN 1000 plan has decreased slightly over the last 12 months, from AU$120 in December 2024 to just over AU$115 today.
Buddy's gigabit plan has been my favorite since the provider launched in July 2024 due to its low monthly fee of AU$99. And right now, you can get your first month free, making it even more affordable.
As you can see, there are potentially hundreds of dollars in savings available when looking for a new NBN plan. And as a side note, Telstra's current prices are under the “Christmas Sale” banner, so there's no guarantee these lower prices will be permanent. If they go back to their previous prices, you'll obviously be able to save even more.
