Get the cheapest NBN Internet broadband plans in Australia
We make it easy to compare the cheapest NBN plans from leading providers using our custom search tool.
Written by:
Alex KidmanGetting the best value out of your NBN plan doesn’t have to involve poring over endless spreadsheets. You don't even have to check countless NBN providers for their best deals. We make it easy for you to find the right plan for your needs.
Cheapest is only good for you if it actually provides for your Internet needs. And because everyone’s needs are different, it’s worth considering your needs first before comparing plans at every NBN speed tier.
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Written by:
Alex KidmanCompare the cheapest Internet plans at every speed tier
- Cheap NBN 25 Plans: Under $50 per Month
- Cheap NBN 50 Plans: Under $65 per Month
- Cheap NBN 100 Plans: Under $75 per Month
- Cheap NBN 250 Plans: Under $100 per Month
- Cheap NBN 1000 Plans: Under $125 per Month
- What to Expect from a Cheap NBN Plan
- Pros and Cons of Cheap NBN Plans
- How to Choose the Best Cheap NBN Broadband Plan
- How to Switch to a Cheaper NBN Broadband Plan
If you’ve already got a good idea of which NBN speed tiers are suitable for you and available in your location, we’ve assembled the lowest-cost currently available plans for each NBN speed tier below.
Bear in mind that it’s well worth considering other factors such as data inclusions, contract length and typical evening speeds when choosing a plan.
Cheap NBN 25 Plans: Under $50 per Month
The cheapest current NBN tier of notable value sits at NBN 25 speed tier. These plans are a good match for basic internet use such as web browsing, email and a single video streaming service at a time.
Some providers do offer NBN 12 plans, but these are often matched or beaten by the value you can get at the NBN 25 tier – and there’s no point paying the same money for a slower service.
- Unlimited
- 25/8 Mbps
- Deal: $47.90 for first 6 months, then $67.90 ongoing
- Unlimited
- 25/8 Mbps
- Deal: $47.90 for first 6 months, then $67.90 ongoing
What to look for in a cheap NBN 25 plan
Price is clearly paramount here, but if you’re after a NBN plan under $50 per month, you’ve also got to have some flexibility to move.
Most plans under that price cap are for promotional periods only – typically six months or less – at which point they revert to a higher price point.
If you’re happy to change NBN providers twice a year this can be a great way to save money. We’d would generally advise you should at the very least be checking your NBN plan costs a couple of times a year in any case.
Also consider factors such as data caps, because some providers do still work to those at this speed tier.
Typical evening speeds don’t tend to vary much across NBN 25 plans, because they’re quite easy for NBN ISPs to provide at that lower rate.
Cheap NBN 50 Plans: Under $65 per Month
NBN 50 plans for most households hit the absolute sweet spot of price and speed. There’s a lot of competition among NBN ISPs at this price tier, and that’s great for you if you’re seeking a bargain.
NBN 50 plans match up well to multi-person households for everything from basic web use to video streaming and gaming pursuits. They’re also generally available across most NBN technology types.
- Unlimited
- 50/17 Mbps
- Deal: $62.90 for first 6 months, then $82.90 ongoing
- Unlimited
- 50/17 Mbps
- Deal: $62.90 for first 6 months, then $82.90 ongoing
- Unlimited Data
- 50/17 Mbps
- Deal: $63.90 for first 12 months, then $83.90 ongoing
- Unlimited Data
- 50/17 Mbps
- Deal: $63.90 for first 12 months, then $83.90 ongoing
What to look for in a cheap NBN 50 plan
Competition does mean that you’ll often see promotional price cuts at the NBN 50 tier, sometimes even cheaper than NBN 25 for some providers. That’s great for saving money as long as you remember to switch or check for better deals when your promotional term is up.
It’s less common to see data caps for NBN 50 plans, but not unheard of. If you need speed more than lots of data, a cap isn’t automatically a bad deal. But it’s still worth checking your regular monthly usage to get an idea of whether a data cap will work for you.
Cheap NBN 100 Plans: Under $75 per Month
Cheap NBN 100 plans can make a lot of sense for busier households with lots of online devices, especially during peak evening periods.
An NBN 100 plan should have no problems with high definition video streams, larger game downloads or even just simple application installations on a dynamic basis.
It’s worth bearing in mind that some NBN connection types may struggle to reach peak NBN 100 speeds, however, and if you’re on an NBN FTTN connection, it could be worth checking if you’re eligible for an NBN FTTP upgrade.
- Unlimited
- 100/17 Mbps
- Deal: $60.90 for first 6 months, then $85.90 ongoing
- Unlimited
- 100/17 Mbps
- Deal: $60.90 for first 6 months, then $85.90 ongoing
- Unlimited Data
- 100/17 Mbps
- Deal: $68.90 for first 12 months, then $88.90 ongoing
- Unlimited Data
- 100/17 Mbps
- Deal: $68.90 for first 12 months, then $88.90 ongoing
- Unlimited
- 98/17 Mbps
- Deal: $69 for first 12 months, then $89 ongoing
- Unlimited
- 98/17 Mbps
- Deal: $69 for first 12 months, then $89 ongoing
- Unlimited
- 98/17 Mbps
- Deal: $69 for first 12 months, then $89 ongoing
- Unlimited
- 98/17 Mbps
- Deal: $69 for first 12 months, then $89 ongoing
- Unlimited
- 100/34 Mbps
- Deal: $69.90 for first 6 months, then $89.90 ongoing
- Unlimited
- 100/34 Mbps
- Deal: $69.90 for first 6 months, then $89.90 ongoing
What to look for in a cheap NBN 100 plan
It might seem ridiculous to suggest that NBN 100 plans were “cheap”, but the reality here is that you can score better deals on NBN 100 plans depending on providers, and especially typical speeds for both downloads and uploads.
At the NBN 100 level providers may offer a baseline 100Mbps down 20Mbps up tier (commonly referenced at 100/20), or possibly 100Mbps down and 40Mbps up (100/40).
100/40 plans do offer faster uploads, but unless you’re constantly streaming video to services such as YouTube or Twitch, that might be money better spent elsewhere.
Cheap NBN 250 Plans: Under $100 per Month
At the NBN 250 tier, we’re getting up into the fast lanes of Australian broadband, and it does get a little trickier to score bargains.
There’s less competition here, and it’s also a speed tier that you can only get on FTTP and HFC connections.
If you’re part of the larger part of the NBN rollout on FTTN, check if you can get an FTTP upgrade before considering NBN 250 plans.
- Unlimited Data
- 250/21 Mbps
- Deal: $78.90 for first 12 months, then $98.90 ongoing
- Unlimited Data
- 250/21 Mbps
- Deal: $78.90 for first 12 months, then $98.90 ongoing
- Unlimited
- 250/21 Mbps
- Deal: $79 for first 12 months, then $99 ongoing
- Unlimited
- 250/21 Mbps
- Deal: $79 for first 12 months, then $99 ongoing
- Unlimited
- 245/21 Mbps
- Deal: $79.90 for first 6 months, then $104.90 ongoing
- Unlimited
- 245/21 Mbps
- Deal: $79.90 for first 6 months, then $104.90 ongoing
- Unlimited Data
- 245/22 Mbps
- Deal: $89 for first 6 months, then $119 ongoing
- Unlimited Data
- 245/22 Mbps
- Deal: $89 for first 6 months, then $119 ongoing
- Unlimited
- 250/21 Mbps
- Deal: $94 for first 6 months, then $104 ongoing
- Unlimited
- 250/21 Mbps
- Deal: $94 for first 6 months, then $104 ongoing
What to look for in a cheap NBN 250 plan
Unlimited data provisions are the norm for NBN 250 plans, because there’d be no point in having all that speed if you could burn through your data in no time flat.
What you may find with a lot of NBN 250 providers is a lot of variance in typical evening speeds.
Remember that these are just estimates, but consider carefully your precise speed needs when comparing price at this speed tier.
Cheap NBN 1000 Plans: Under $125 per Month
NBN 1000 is currently the fastest NBN speed tier for consumers, available only for connections using FTTP or HFC connections.
NBN 1000 plans offer the best speeds, so it’s not surprising at all that they’re also the highest priced plans from every provider.
That doesn’t mean that there aren’t any plans that are cheaper in this tier, but you do have to budget accordingly if it’s speed you crave.
- Unlimited Data
- 811/42 Mbps
- Deal: $89 for first 12 months, then $109 ongoing
- Unlimited Data
- 811/42 Mbps
- Deal: $89 for first 12 months, then $109 ongoing
- Unlimited
- 650/42 Mbps
- Deal: $94.90 for first 6 months, then $124.90 ongoing
- Unlimited
- 650/42 Mbps
- Deal: $94.90 for first 6 months, then $124.90 ongoing
- Unlimited Data
- 780/40 Mbps
- Deal: $99 for first 6 months, then $129 onging
- Unlimited Data
- 780/40 Mbps
- Deal: $99 for first 6 months, then $129 onging
- Unlimited
- 700/42 Mbps
- Deal: $109 for first 6 months, then $124 ongoing
- Unlimited
- 700/42 Mbps
- Deal: $109 for first 6 months, then $124 ongoing
What to look for in a cheap NBN 1000 plan
The most important consideration for NBN 1000 plans has to be the claimed speeds from each provider, because there’s a lot of variance here.
Speeds are just estimates, but it’s perfectly possible to score a bargain if you’re happier with slightly lower typical evening speeds with your NBN 1000 plan.
There’s been increasing competition in this space as well, so it’s become more common to see limited time promotions that can help you save even more.
What to expect from a cheap NBN Plan
It always makes sense to shop for a bargain whether you’re after groceries, shoes, hats, or indeed broadband services.
While many people might equate “cheap” with “of lesser quality”, when it comes to the NBN what you’re most often facing are differences in speeds available to you, especially at peak evening times.
However, that doesn’t mean that the rest of your experience is compromised; nobody’s coming round to trim the NBN cables in your street because you only signed up for an NBN 25 plan.
The trick here is to match what you want out of your online experiences to your budget. If you’re only a moderate internet user, an NBN 250 or NBN 1000 plan would be wasted money and unused speed.
Conversely if you’ve got a big household full of always-online teenagers, NBN 12 or NBN 25 might be poor value for you if there’s a better NBN 50 or NBN 100 plan you could score.
What to expect from an NBN 12 plan
NBN 12 is the lowest tier of NBN plans with the lowest speeds for downloads and uploads as a result. Some providers don’t make it easy to find their NBN 12 plans, preferring to have more customers on the NBN 25 tier.
It’s often the case that NBN 12 plans sit at the same prices as their NBN 25 counterparts, so always check. Why pay the same for a slower speed plan?
| Best for: Single person, light usage households on strict budgets Not good for: Busier households or individuals who need lots of data usage Expect to pay: $40-$60 per month on a month-to-month basis |
What to expect from a cheap NBN 25 plan
NBN 25 plans often represent a good value “cheap” option for households feeling the financial pinch.
They’re a little cheaper than NBN 50, yet still deliver enough speed for the internet basics as well as services such as streaming video.
You’ll often see a mix of unlimited data plans and some quota plans that can be a little cheaper at this tier. It’s worth knowing what your household's typical usage is before signing up to those.
| Best for: Small households with moderate internet usage Not good for: Larger households, fans of 4K video or heavy online gaming Expect to pay: $40-$60 per month on a month-to-month basis |
What to expect from a cheap NBN 50 plan
NBN 50 is often where you’ll see a good mix between price points and inclusions, which is probably why they’re the most popular plans for most users.
If you’ve got a busy household with a variety of needs, from HD video streaming to gaming, maybe a little work from home videoconferencing or file uploading, then an NBN 50 plan will be a good match for your needs without sapping your wallet too heavily.
| Best for: Moderate size households that need a little more speed Not good for: Single users unless they’re very demanding Expect to pay: $50-$75 per month on a month-to-month basis |
What to expect from an NBN 100 plan (or faster)
We’re bundling in the higher speed NBN plans here because none of them can really be called “cheap”. There are certainly providers offering NBN 100 plans at cheaper rates than their competitors, though.
The other challenge here is that these speeds are typically only available for FTTP and HFC NBN customers, though some FTTN services may be able to peak towards NBN 100 speeds.
| Best for: Bigger households who need both speed and plenty of data use all at once Not good for: Saving lots of money on a monthly basis Expect to pay: $100+ per month on a month-to-month basis |
Pros and cons of cheap NBN plans
If you’re looking to lower your household bills, opting for an NBN plan that costs you less per month can be a fine way to help with that goal.
If you’re happy to work within the lower speed tiers of the NBN, you can save anywhere from $10-50 per month over the cost of higher speed tiers.
$10 per month might not seem like much, but that’s $120 a year staying in your pocket just by checking for lower cost plans.
However, there are some considerations and pros and cons to take into account. Here’s what you should consider:
|
Pros |
Cons |
|
They’re cheap – often under $50 per month |
Cheaper plans are typically slower plans |
|
With a cheap month-to-month plan it’s easier to switch providers or speed tiers as your needs change. |
Many cheaper NBN plans come with data quotas, which could work badly for you if you’re online a lot. |
|
Promotional deals can bring you higher speed tiers at significant discounts |
Promotional deals are typically only for a few months, so you need to be ready to change when they end, or pay higher prices. |
How to choose the best cheap NBN broadband plan
Buying a cheap NBN plan shouldn’t just be a matter of finding the provider with the lowest price. You may end up with a cheap plan, but it could be wildly out of whack with your actual needs. It’s “cheap”, but it’s not good for you, which means you’re getting bad value for money.
That’s why you should consider factors such as your realistic NBN speed needs as well as the data needs for your most common online activities, such as video streaming.
At Compare Broadband, we provide you with all the information you need to make the right choice for your perfect cheap NBN plan. That means you can quickly and easily pick an NBN plan that will meet your needs and please your wallet at the same time.
How to Switch to a Cheaper NBN Broadband Plan
Switching providers – or being ready to switch providers – can be a great way to save money on your broadband bill, especially as most plans these days are offered on month-to-month (sometimes called “no-contract”) terms.
You’re generally not tied to a specific provider for a very long period of time, and that means you can get a cheaper NBN plan with relatively little fuss.
Here’s a few quick tips to consider when switching to a new NBN provider:
- Check cancellation fees and modem costs. Some NBN providers will require a cancellation fee, especially if you’re not already on month-to-month terms. There could also be payout costs on a modem if one was provided to you. In some cases you may be able to return that modem without additional cost. Cancellation fees shouldn’t lock you into a poor value provider, but it’s worth crunching the numbers to ensure you’re not wasting money.
- Research your options. Consider your needs for data inclusions and speeds to find the best NBN plan for you. Consider which NBN speed tiers are available to you based on your NBN technology, which providers service your area and any applicable contract or installation fees that may apply.
- Prepare to switch. Unless you’ve got a very locked-down NBN modem, switching over can be achieved quite quickly, often within a couple of working days. It’s worth having a plan in place if you do need to get additional hardware or your provider needs extra steps to transition you away from your existing provider. That being said, some NBN provider switches can take less than an hour.
About the author
 |
Alex Kidman is a multi-award winning Australian technology journalist who has been covering the Internet and communications space for more than 25 years across a wide variety of print and online publications, as well as on radio and TV. |
FAQs
What is the cheapest way to have an internet at home?
The cheapest NBN plan tiers are typically either NBN 12 or NBN 25 plans, often on promotional discounts. Checking and comparing prices on NBN plans on a regular basis is a smart move that can make it very easy to score the cheapest possible NBN plan.
It is worth noting that some mobile broadband SIMs can be even cheaper if all you need is simple access, but these plans typically have much lower data quotas, and are not usually recommended for general everyday use.
Who is the cheapest NBN provider?
There’s fierce competition among NBN providers, which means that this is a question whose answer shifts over time. Generally speaking there’s stronger competition among the challenger brands in the NBN space – service providers such as Tangerine, Exetel, Aussie Broadband, Dodo or Spintel to name just a few – than with the bigger established telcos such as Telstra, Optus or Vodafone.
What is the cost of NBN?
NBN plan pricing varies by speed, data inclusions and other factors like bundled 4G backup, phone plans or streaming video subscriptions. The cheapest NBN plans typically come in at between $40-$60 per month on a rolling month-to-month basis, but faster NBN speed tiers attract higher monthly prices.
Who has the best NBN deals?
This is variable, because deals come and go. Other factors like customer service or bundles can make one deal shine for you while being less appealing to others. It’s always worth checking on a regular basis to see if you can get a better home NBN deal.
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