The best NBN 50 plans offer enough speed for a household of two to four people to use the internet comfortably.
That being said, an NBN 50 plan is becoming increasingly harder to recommend, as it's now possible to get an NBN 500 plan – which offers 10x the download speeds – for an average of around AU$10 more each month.
You need a specific connection type to access those NBN 500 plans though – fibre to the premises (FTTP) or hybrid fibre coax (HFC). If you don't have either of these, you may be eligible for NBN Co's free fibre upgrade program, which would get you access to the faster plan.
Maximum download speed (theoretical) | 50Mbps |
Maximum upload speed (theoretical) | 20Mbps |
Suitable for | 1-2 users |
Average plan price per month (09/25) | AU$87.57 |
Cheapest price per month (10/25) |
Best NBN 50 plans
All the NBN 50 plans I've recommended below offer unlimited data and run on a no lock-in contract basis. This means you're free to switch to another provider whenever you want if the service you receive doesn't meet your expectations – or you just find a better deal.
Best NBN 50 plan overall
Cheapest NBN 50 plan
Best fast NBN 50 plan
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How we review NBN plans
When we recommend NBN plans here at TechRadar, we consider three main factors: cost, quoted typical evening speed and the reputation of a provider.
Price, naturally, plays the most important role in our decision making, which is weighed against the average cost for its specific NBN speed tier and any introductory discounts taken into consideration. We also calculate a total first year cost as well as an ongoing yearly cost (after discounts end) so we can do apples-to-apples comparisons between providers.
Typical evening speeds are the key measure we use to compare different providers performance, and when possible we use ACCC's quarterly Measuring Broadband reports to provide additional details or confirm a provider's claims.
Within a given NBN tier, many retail service providers (RSPs) tend to quote similar typical evening speeds, so we don't see why you should pay potentially hundreds of dollars more each year for a specific provider if you can get the same or similar service for much less.
When it comes to real world performance, we can't feasibly test out every single NBN service in our own homes, nor would it necessarily be a good indicator of the service you would receive from the same provider in a different location and on a different NBN technology type.
For reputation around performance and service, we therefore lean upon genuine customer reviews from sites including Product Review and Whirlpool to gauge whether an RSP is worth recommending. If a provider receives predominantly negative reviews, we don't recommend it.
NBN 50 FAQ
How fast is NBN 50?
NBN 50 as a speed tier offers up to 50Mbps download and 20Mbps upload speeds, and while this doesn’t mean you’ll be hitting that rate at all times, it’s becoming more likely.
With many providers now advertising a typical evening speed of 50Mbps, you’re more likely to be getting that max speed during the busy peak periods (that’s between 7pm–11pm). We’ve compared the typical evening speed among NBN providers monitored by TechRadar, and found the average to be 49Mbps.
The speed you experience could vary with multiple factors, however, including your specific NBN connection type.
How much does NBN 50 cost?
NBN 50 plans are the most popular choice for Australians signed up to the internet, and because of this, most providers offering NBN 50 plans have some very competitive offers and discounts, particularly for your first six months on the service.
Standard prices on the NBN 50 tier range between AU$75 to AU$105 a month, but when welcome discounts are available, you can sign up for as little as AU$60 a month for your first six months. Among the telcos we monitor, the average monthly price for an NBN 50 plan currently sits at just over AU$87.
Telstra’s NBN 50 plan is the most expensive in the market, with an ongoing rate of AU$109 a month. While that’s significantly above the average cost, Telstra offers other incentives to get you to sign up with its service, such as a modem with 4G back up.
Can I get NBN 50?
If you’re not in a rural or remote area of Australia, or one of the few other locations that haven’t had a fixed line NBN service set up, then you’ll be able to get an NBN 50 connection.
All connection types, such as fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) and hybrid fibre coaxial (HFC), are able to support NBN 50, but some of them are likely to perform more reliably.
Which providers have NBN 50?
There are very few (if any) providers at this stage which are not offering NBN 50 plans, given its immense popularity and ability to be connected to, and supported by, a vast majority of Aussies homes.
This means that Telstra, Optus, TPG, Aussie Broadband, Belong, Dodo, Exetel, iiNet, Spintel, Tangerine and plenty of others all have compelling NBN 50 plans to choose from.
NBN 50 vs NBN 100?
As with any purchasing decision, the 'better' option won’t be better for everyone. For light internet users, such as households with two to four users that stream in high definition and don’t plan to use it for anything more intensive, NBN 50 is likely to be more than enough.
But for anyone experiencing congestion issues, or anyone that wants their download time drastically cut down, an NBN 100 plan may be a better option. And, because of price fluctuations, going faster no longer costs that much more. In fact, some of the cheapest NBN 100 plans are more affordable than the more expensive 50Mbps plans.
