Best internet deals in Australia (June 2023)

There are a lot of providers offering a wide range of internet deals, making it difficult to know which plan is right for you. Some are super cheap, while others offer fast speeds at a higher cost. Each ISP has a selling point that makes it worth your time.

• Telstra: best for fast speeds and optional add-ons
• Optus: one of the best performing internet providers overall
• TPG: best for reliable speed at a bargain price
• Aussie Broadband: high speeds, local support and flexible plans
• Tangerine: one of the cheapest providers for internet plans
• Internode: a historical enthusiast-favourite

Spintel has one of the cheapest internet deals on offer, with an introductory price of AU$44 a month for your first six months, after which it increases to AU$49.95 a month ongoing. This plan will get you a typical evening speed of 20Mbps, which is good for the price.

NBN speeds are represented as megabits per second (Mbps), and generally speaking, the higher Mbps, the faster the speed. Do keep in mind though that the advertised typical evening speed is the 'average' and doesn’t necessarily reflect the actual download speed you’ll receive during peak periods. For the most part, that varies depending on your connection type.

0-12Mbps. This is considered entry-level broadband, and at 12Mbps is equivalent to just over 1MB per second. It should be fast enough for small households where only one or two people are using the internet at once. Be aware that if you stream TV, you may experience the some buffering interruptions.

25-50Mbps. Every major internet provider offers 25-50Mbps broadband, and you’ll commonly see it referred to as an NBN 25 plan and an NBN 50 plan. This is the sweet spot between fast speeds and good value, and should comfortably suit a household with three to five users who are streaming, gaming or working from home all at once.

50-100Mbps. If you want to stream in 4K, or have five or more people using your internet connection at the same time, then it may be worth shelling out for the extra speed. It will cost you more, but you’ll experience much less lag, and providers may sweeten the deal with added extras and rewards.

250Mbps. Now we’re getting really fast. An NBN 250 plan is best-suited to a busy household that wants lightning-quick broadband. You’ll only really get value out of this if you want to download large files, have multiple devices online at the same time, or if multiple users want to stream in 4K or 8K simultaneously.

1,000Mbps. If money is no object, then 1Gbps download speed is the best broadband you can get. It’s a relatively new speed tier in Australia, and as such, the small number of telcos who provide it report a typical evening speed of 454Mbps on average. However, in real world tests it’s often much higher; we’ve seen speed test results of over 900Mbps. With this kind of speed, you can expect to do everything highlighted above without incident, and have exceptionally fast downloads.

According to the Speedtest Global Index, the median download speed of internet in Australia is 53.06Mbps, which places Australia at number 73 among all the countries ranked. 

You won’t personally receive that kind of speed unless you sign up to an NBN 50 plan or higher (where typical evening speeds are 49Mbps on average). But also note that your connection type and location can affect the final speed you receive, so it’s best to double check with any prospective providers to see exactly what their minimum speed provisions and conditions are.

Every internet service provider (ISP) in Australia is required to state each of its NBN plans' typical evening speed, so look out for this number when signing up to a new plan.

The simplest way to see if the NBN is available in your area is check your address directly on NBN Co’s website. This will tell you what type of connection is available at your address, so you know what to look for when comparing NBN plans.

Now that the NBN rollout has officially been declared complete, the vast majority of Australians should now have access to the National Broadband Network in some form. You can also take a look at the NBN rollout map to see what is available and where.

Most internet providers offer month-to-month plans with no lock-in contracts. Some providers do give you the option of signing up to a six or 12-month contract, though it is certainly less common than rolling month-to-month terms. Given the flexibility that month-to-month contracts provide, we wouldn’t recommend signing up to a lock-in contract.

No lock-in contracts are much more popular though, and most of them do give you the option of using your own modem if you have one. While some telcos will require you to pay set-up fees, the benefit of a no lock-in contract is that the minimum you could pay might be as little as a one-month term.

Possibly. Known interchangeably as 'activation', 'connection', 'setup' or 'upfront' fees, most of the major internet providers ask for some payment when you kick off your contract, even if it’s just to cover the cost of delivering your new modem.

But plenty of providers have now scrapped their set-up fees completely (Telstra, for example, will waive its connection fee if you sign-up online), while others run promotions where they temporarily scrap their upfront cost.

There may be other added extras, too. If you want an internet and entertainment package, you might be charged for the set-top box – that could be worth it if you don’t have a device to pause and record live TV.

If you use a home landline to make and receive calls, many broadband providers give you the option of including a phone line, with some even including one at no extra cost.

Telstra’s NBN plans all include a home phone landline at no extra cost, and you’ll also get unlimited calls to Australian mobiles and standard lines included for free.

Optus offers you an optional phone line with all its NBN plans, with calls billed on a PAYG basis. Alternatively, you can choose to add a phone line with unlimited calls to standard numbers and mobiles in Australia for an extra AU$10 a month.

TPG is much the same, offering PAYG calls. For an additional AU$10 a month, you can add unlimited calls to standard numbers and mobiles in Australia.

Yes and no. For many of the broadband deals we've listed above, you will be getting a Wi-Fi modem-router alongside a broadband connection. 

Wi-Fi is what enables you to connect your laptop and phone to the internet through wireless connections within and around your home. This is achieved thanks to the modem-router that comes with your broadband package.

Broadband is the external connection that allows your modem-router to access the internet, which can be via a physical cable (such as a fibre-optics based NBN connection) or via a fixed-wireless connection, such as satellite or even a 4G- or 5G-based connection.

Cancelling your internet plan early is possible, and is especially easy if you’ve signed up to a no lock-in contract.

Whether or not you’ll have to pay any exit fees depends on the specifics of your plan. If you’re on a no lock-in contract and are using your own modem, or you paid for it upfront, chances are you can jump ship without facing a fee.

If you’re on a rolling month-to-month contract but haven’t yet paid off your modem, you’ll often be required to pay out what is remaining for the device.

Cancelling an internet plan that you’ve signed a six or 12-month contract for can be harder, and you’ll almost certainly have to pay an exit fee. You may need to pay out the monthly cost for each month you have remaining, a percentage of it, or a flat fee.

While you can cancel early, if you are able to ride it out, it’s likely the better option and will save you a decent amount of money.

Yes, always yes! When internet contracts come to an end, your plan will end up rolling on, and often the costs have sky-rocketed up. This could leave you paying significantly more for the same plan.

When your internet package is coming to an end, take a look at what is available and see if you could get better speeds, prices or freebies somewhere else.

In recent years, alternatives have been proposed to the NBN, offering more flexible solutions, cheaper plans and other options.

Of the alternatives, 4G home internet has proven to be the most popular and effective. It works by placing a SIM card inside a modem, amplifying its connection through a house.

It offers a few key benefits that standard internet deals can’t quite achieve. Primarily, it doesn’t require a set-up process, it can be taken anywhere there’s a power socket and it offers flexibility for renters or travellers.

It’s not as powerful as regular internet, but if you're unhappy with the NBN connection where you live, are in need of a temporary solution or any other factor that applies, this could be the perfect way to go.

The most common freebie you’ll get with your internet plan is a free modem, though this usually requires you to stay connected to the plan for around 24 months.

Telstra and Optus are the most likely to include other added perks, such as a free streaming subscription to your plan. Telstra currently offers a two-month free subscription to Binge, three months of Apple TV Plus and four months of Spotify Premium.