The best NBN 50 plans offer enough speed for a household of two to four people to use the internet comfortably, and all for a relatively affordable price. Although, it must be said that the best NBN 100 plans, which offer double the download speeds, cost less than AU$10 extra a month on average, making them a viable, better-value alternative.
Still, given the continued popularity of the NBN 50 tier – there are just under 3.5 million active connections according to the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission's latest Wholesale Market report – it would be fair to say that they're at the top of the best NBN plans list.
How long they'll remain there remains to be seen, especially as, since July 1, wholesale costs have gone up which have had a knock-on effect on plan pricing. As a result, NBN 50 plans are now more expensive than ever and perhaps not quite as good value as they once were.
Regardless, we've compared the latest NBN 50 plan prices to help you decide which is the best option for you.
Best NBN 50 plans
Please note that all plans listed 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.
Best overall NBN 50 plan
Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you're buying the best. Find out more about how we test.
Best fast NBN 50 plan
Cheapest NBN 50 plan
- Telstra vs Optus NBN: who has better broadband?
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.
