Best NBN 250 plans: our top picks for superfast 250Mbps internet

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The best NBN 250 plans are made for those who live in large households of four people or more, who all want to be online at the same time – gaming, streaming, or working.

NBN Co refers to this speed tier as Superfast, and it can offer unlimited downloads at speeds of up to 250Mbps. However, most providers which offer NBN 250 plans don’t offer this speed during the peak busy period between 7-11pm, but Telstra, AGL and Swoop are notable exceptions.

NBN 250 plans are also becoming a little more affordable following changes at NBN Co – it officially reduced the wholesale price of the fastest NBN plans back in December 2023, and we’ve seen some providers such as Aussie Broadband, iPrimus, Origin and others pass on those savings to consumers. You can also get excellent NBN discounts at the moment, such as the crazy-cheap offering from Spintel highlighted below.

Noteworthy NBN 250 deals

We’ve hand-picked our top NBN 250 plan recommendations below, but we also want to point out some excellent discounts that are now available on the 250Mbps tier:

Best NBN 250 plans

Best overall NBN 250 plan

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SpintelNBN 250Unlimited dataNo lock-in contractAU$75p/m (first 6 months, then AU$85.95p/m)

<a href="https://techradar.whistleout.com.au/Transact?pai=2&si=454&gi=1792&pi=13311&ct=0&ci=17106&byo=true&ai=42&ppt=0&subtag=hawk-custom-tracking&r=hawk-article-url" data-link-merchant="whistleout.com.au"">Spintel | NBN 250 | Unlimited data | No lock-in contract | AU$75p/m (first 6 months, then AU$85.95p/m)

This Spintel plan is now insanely cheap, so it’s our new pick for the best NBN 250 plan you can get. You’ll initially pay AU$75 a month for your first six months on the connection, which is actually cheaper than the average cost of the NBN 50 plans we monitor. Considering this Spintel plan is more than four times faster than a 50Mbps plan, it’s incredibly good value. Your monthly bill will increase up to AU$85.95 after the first half-year, but it’s the lowest ongoing monthly price we can find.

Total minimum cost: AU$75 | Total cost for first year: AU$965.70 | Yearly cost after discount: AU$1,031.40

Best fast NBN 250 plan

SuperloopNBN 250Unlimited dataNo lock-in contractAU$85p/m (first 6 months, then AU$99p/m)

<a href="https://techradar.whistleout.com.au/Transact?pai=2&si=581&gi=2156&pi=12425&ct=0&ci=10585&byo=true&ai=42&ppt=0&subtag=hawk-custom-tracking&r=hawk-article-url" data-link-merchant="whistleout.com.au"">Superloop | NBN 250 | Unlimited data | No lock-in contract | AU$85p/m (first 6 months, then AU$99p/m)

Superloop remains our pick for the best fast NBN 250 plan, though its typical evening speed isn’t as high as it used to be. The provider now reports a typical evening speed of 230Mbps (down from 240Mbps) so it’s a little while away from reaching the top speed available in the time between 7pm to 11pm. We still think that Superloop offers a highly competitive price, and the Speed Boost feature is very appealing. It lets you upgrade to NBN 1000 for five days each month, which comes with a typical evening speed of 700Mbps.

Total minimum cost: AU$85 | Total cost for first year: AU$1,104 | Yearly cost after discount: AU$1,188

Cheapest NBN 250 plan

SpintelNBN 250Unlimited dataNo lock-in contractAU$75p/m (first 6 months, then AU$85.95p/m)

<a href="https://techradar.whistleout.com.au/Transact?pai=2&si=454&gi=1792&pi=13311&ct=0&ci=17106&byo=true&ai=42&ppt=0&subtag=hawk-custom-tracking&r=hawk-article-url" data-link-merchant="whistleout.com.au"">Spintel | NBN 250 | Unlimited data | No lock-in contract | AU$75p/m (first 6 months, then AU$85.95p/m)

Spintel is our new recommendation for cheapest NBN 250 plan thanks to its wildly cheap offering. You’ll pay AU$75 a month for your first six months, which is a bit less than what you’d pay for a much slower 50Mbps plan at full price. That alone makes this plan incredibly appealing. The discounted price holds for your first half-year, after which your monthly bill will increase to AU$85.95 ongoing. The typical evening speed is quoted at 211Mbps, which is a little below average for this tier, but it’s hard to argue with the price.

Total minimum cost: AU$75 | Total cost for first year: AU$965.70 | Yearly cost after discount: AU$1,031.40

NBN 250 FAQ

How fast is NBN 250?

NBN 250 plans offer a maximum download speed of 250Mbps, though the majority of the NBN providers which offer this tier aren’t promising this as typical evening speed. Instead, the average typical speed during the evening hours is 228Mbps among telcos monitored by us.

There’s some considerable variation in speed between the providers in the NBN 250 tier. For example, only Telstra, AGL, Southern Phone and Swoop advertise a maxed-out speed of 250Mbps during the evening hours. Other providers such as Optus are not too far behind, with Optus offering 240Mbps.

Compare that to Kogan and Tangerine, which both report a typical evening speed of 200Mbps. Meanwhile, Mate’s affordable NBN 250 plan – which costs AU$110 a month – only promises a typical speed of 202Mbps during the busy evening hours. The gap between the high-performing telcos and their slower competitors is quite stark. Across this tier, you can generally expect an upload speed of 25Mbps.

How much does NBN 250 cost?

Cost may be the deciding factor for many, and prices for NBN 250 plans start at AU$85.95 from Spintel, and stretch as high as AU$135 a month for Telstra’s offering. As with all other NBN speed tiers, most telcos will offer you a six-month discount on your plan when you first sign up, and we’ve seen these introductory prices drop as low as AU$75 a month.

For a 250/25 plan with one of the major telcos, you’ll generally be paying around AU$120 a month. If you were hoping for more affordable high-speed broadband, you might be better served by our fastest NBN plans page which takes a look at some of the best NBN 100 plans as well.

Can I get NBN 250?

Not all connection types will have access to this super-fast broadband. It’s available to those with a fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) connection, and in some cases, also those with hybrid fibre coaxial (HFC) cable, but be sure to check with the provider.

What providers have NBN 250?

The providers who are offering NBN 250 plans include the major telcos including Telstra, Optus and TPG, as well as Aussie Broadband, Exetel, iiNet, Internode, Mate, Superloop and Tangerine just to name a few. We fully expect more to get onboard in the near future.

Jasmine Gearie
Ecommerce Editor

Jasmine Gearie is an Ecommerce Editor at TechRadar Australia, with a primary focus on helping readers cut through the jargon to find the best mobile and internet plans for their needs. She crunches the numbers to maintain dedicated guides to the latest phones, NBN and broadband plans of all types, and covers the important telco industry news. She also hunts down tech deals on laptops, phones, gaming consoles and more, so readers know where to buy the products they want for the cheapest prices.