These Are the Cheapest NBN Plans Available Right Now

Contributor: Alex Choros, Chris Neill

At Gizmodo, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you’ll like too. We have affiliate and advertising partnerships, which means we may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. BTW – prices are accurate and items in stock at the time of posting.

If you’re on the hunt for a cheap NBN plan but don’t want to sacrifice download speeds, there are a fair few plans available that’ll give you a fast connection at a discount price. In fact, most internet providers are offering introductory discounts that last for the first six months of your connection.

Here are some of the cheapest NBN providers across every speed tier, many of which include introductory discount offers.

The cheapest NBN plans available right now

The cheapest NBN 1000 plans in Australia

“Cheap NBN 1000 plans” is a bit of an oxymoron. Unsurprisingly, you have to pay for the privilege of a gigabit internet connection. If you do plan on signing up for an NBN 1000 plan, make sure your home has the right connection to support it. NBN 1000 plans are only available to customers with Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) or Hybrid-Fibre Coaxial (HFC) connections.

Superloop has the cheapest plan at the time of writing, where you’ll pay $99 per month for your first six months and $109 per month thereafter. Superloop also happens to have one of the fastest NBN 1000 plans going, with typical evening speeds of 600/42 Mbps.

If you stay connected for at least 18 months, Superloop will also chuck in a free Amazon eero 6+ router. If you leave before those 18 months end, you’ll need to pay a modem clawback fee that’s equal to $8 per remaining month.

Swoop is in a similar boat. It has an NBN 1000 plan that’s $99 per month for your first six months, before making a sharp jump to $139 per month after the promotional period expires. Swoop is reporting slightly slower typical evening speeds of 582/42 Mbps. Still, it’s not a bad choice if you want a cheap plan, provided you leave it before the price increases.

If you want a connection that’s a little bit faster, Southern Phone currently has the fastest NBN 1000 plan available. The internet provider is currently reporting typical evening speeds of 650/43 Mbps and its plan will set you back $115 per month for the first 12 months, and then $135 per month thereafter.

The cheapest NBN 250 plans in Australia

NBN 250 plans aren’t exactly cheap, but there are still cheaper options if you want to get download speeds as fast as 250Mbps. It’s also worth noting that NBN 250 plans are only available to customers with FTTP or HFC connections.

Spintel currently has the cheapest option, where you’ll pay $75 per month for your first six months and $85.95 per month thereafter. Spintel has typical evening speeds of 211 Mbps, so it’s a bit slower compared to some of the cheaper NBN 250 plans.

If you connect to Exetel‘s NBN 250 plan, you’ll only pay $83.99 per month for the first six months, before it jumps up to $98.99 per month. The provider is currently reporting typical evening speeds of 225/21 Mbps. Exetel will also give you five daily speed boosts per month, which will bump up your speeds to that of an NBN 1000 connection (400/42 Mbps).

Swoop is also running an introductory offer where your first six months with the provider will set you back $84 per month. Swoop is currently reporting typical evening speeds of 250/25 Mbps, which makes this plan the cheapest congestion-free option available at the time of writing. However, once this introductory period ends, the cost of Swoop’s NBN 250 plan will increase to $119 per month.

Superloop is a hair more expensive, billing $85 per month for your first six months but with typical evening speeds of 240/21 Mbps. Superloop’s NBN 250 plan will set you back $99 per month after this discount period ends, making it one of the cheapest full-price plans in this speed tier. Superloop’s bonus eero 6+ router offer also applies here too.

The cheapest NBN 100 plans in Australia

NBN 100 is the fastest widely available speed tier, with download speeds of up to 100Mbps. Most NBN 100 plans have upload speeds of 20Mbps, but some providers still offer NBN 100 plans with 40Mbps of upload. Aussie Broadband, Exetel and Superloop have 100/40 plans, but these tend to cost extra per month.

Exetel currently has the cheapest NBN 100 plan available at $68.99 per month for the first six months you’re connected. After this discount period ends, Exetel’s monthly price will jump up to $84.99 per month. Exetel is reporting congestion-free evening speeds of 100/17 Mbps. You’ll also get five speed boosts per month, but you’ll need to make sure you have the proper FTTP or HFC for an NBN 250 connection.

SpinTel is currently offering a similar deal where your monthly bill will be $69 per month for the first six months, and then $79.95 per month thereafter. Spintel is also reporting typical evening speeds of 100Mbps.

With Superloop, you’ll be paying $69 per month for the first six months you’re connected and then $85 per month. However, Superloop is currently reporting slightly slower typical evening speeds of 95/17 Mbps. That’s not bad per se, but it’s not the congestion-free speeds of the previous two options.

The cheapest NBN 50 plans in Australia

NBN 50 plans tend to be the best value NBN plan option, offering much faster speeds than ADSL at a price that’s a bit more reasonable than NBN 100. Expect download speeds of up to 50Mbps, and upload speeds of up to 20Mbps.

Tangerine has the cheapest plans available in this speed tier at $59.90 per month for the first six months but then increases to $79.90 per month. This plan is contract-free, so you’re able to jump to another provider once that discount period ends. Tangerine is currently reporting speeds of 50/17 Mbps.

Exetel is a hair more expensive than Tangerine at $60.99 per month for the first six months, but the full post-deal price is $78.99 per month. Exetel also offers five speed boosts per month on this tier as well.

Spintel is up next; you’ll pay $64 per month for your first six months for an unlimited plan, and $74.95 per month thereafter. Spintel is reporting typical evening speeds of 50Mbps.

Superloop comes in at just $65 per month for your first six months, and then $79 per month thereafter. The provider is currently reporting typical evening speeds of 48/17 Mbps. Superloop’s Amazon eero 6+ router offer is also valid with this plan.

The cheapest NBN 25 plans in Australia

NBN 25 plans boast download speeds of up to 25Mbps. That’s a far cry slower than NBN 50, but NBN 25 plans are still more than enough for most online activities – including streaming Netflix in 4K. The main way you’d stretch an NBN 25 plan thin is if you’ve got more than two people in your household trying to stream at the same time or if you’re regularly downloading large files.

The slower speeds do mean that NBN 25 plans are cheaper. Better yet, pretty much every NBN 25 plan now has unlimited data. Going for a more affordable plan doesn’t mean you’ll miss out on downloading to your heart’s content.

The biggest catch with NBN 25 is upload speeds. These are capped at 5Mbps, although some providers are reporting higher upload speeds. In any case, this isn’t great if you’re uploading large files regularly.

The best NBN 25 deals are all timed discounts. Tangerine is up first, offering its NBN 25 plan for $49.90 per month for your first six months and $64.90 per month thereafter.

Exetel follows at $53.99 per month for your first six months and $64.99 per month thereafter. Both providers report typical evening speeds of 25/8.5 Mbps on NBN 25 plans.

Southern Phone’s NBN 25 plan is also worthwhile due to its longer deal period. Unlike the previously mentioned providers, Southern Phone’s introductory discounts will last for the first 12 months of your connection. You’ll pay $55 for the first year you’re on this plan, and then $65 per month after that.

Alex Choros is Managing Editor at WhistleOut, Australia’s phone and internet comparison website.

Image: Disney