Fastest NBN plans: 100, 250 and 1,000Mbps internet plans compared

NBN logo on fibre optic background
(Image credit: NBN Co / Getty Images)

The fastest NBN plans are those that deliver download speeds of 100Mbps of faster. Currently, there are three speed tiers available to households that are considered high-speed NBN plans: NBN 1000, NBN 250 and NBN 100. These numbers indicate the theoretical maximum download speed available on each plan, in megabytes per second. NBN Co has confirmed even faster 2Gbps 'Hyperfast' NBN plans will arrive in September 2025.

However, while many internet service providers (ISPs) claim to deliver maximum speeds on NBN 100 and NBN 250 plans, there is still just a handful of providers that quote speeds close to the 1,000Mbps potential of NBN 1000 – although the situation is definitely improving. 

For some time Telstra had the fastest NBN plan for consumers with a promised typical evening speed of 700Mbps, but as of October 2024, we've seen a few NBN providers making serious improvements to their advertised typical evening speed figures. At the time of writing, Swoop is the telco with the fastest claimed speed of 969Mbps on its NBN 1000 plan. Superloop isn't too far behind, claiming 811Mbps, and TPG, iiNet and Optus also all outmuscle Telstra's 700Mbps claim.

However, while telcos will advertise a typical evening speed figure, it doesn't always paint the full picture. By this we mean the figure quoted is just what you can expect during the busy evening hours of 7pm to 11pm, and in some cases you may well achieve much faster (or even much slower). We can't truly understand how well a provider will perform unless we sign-up to each of them, so instead we can use official data collected by Australia's consumer watchdog to gain a greater insight into the real world performance of select providers.

The good news is that prices of the fastest NBN plans have been slowly coming down in 2024 and the average monthly cost for an NBN 1000 plan has dropped by just over AU$20 since December 2023. 

Our recommendations for the fastest NBN plans come from crunching the numbers, and finding plans which offer top speeds in their respective tiers for a fair price. We’ve partnered with WhistleOut to compare NBN plans from over 30 Aussie providers to make our top picks on this page – you can also skip ahead to the speed you want by clicking on the links below:

Jump to:
Best NBN 100 plan – AU$68.99p/m from Exetel (first 6m, then AU$84.99p/m)
Best NBN 250 plan – AU$85p/m from Superloop (first 6m, then AU$104.90p/m)
Best NBN 1000 plan – AU$99p/m from Superloop (first 6m, then AU$109p/m)

Can you get NBN 250 or NBN 1000?

Not everybody will be able to sign up for a high-speed NBN 250 or NBN 1000 plan. These speed tiers are only available on two types of NBN connection – fibre to the premises (FTTP) and hybrid fibre coaxial (HFC). If your household is serviced by an FTTP or HFC installation, you should be able to sign up to an NBN 250 or NBN 1000 plan.

All NBN connection types should be able to support 100Mbps speeds, but if you want to be sure, then you'll want to see if you can get a free fibre upgrade and have FTTP technology installed at your premises.

Noteworthy fast NBN deals

Below we’ll run through our top plan picks, but first, check out these ace offers currently available on fast NBN plans:

Best fast NBN plans

Best NBN 100 plan

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Our choice for large households and those who want a little extra speed
NBN 100 plans are the most broadly available fast plans, with the telcos reporting a typical evening speed of 97Mbps on average.

Exetel100MbpsAU$68.99p/m

Exetel | 100Mbps | AU$68.99p/m (first 6 months, then AU$84.99p/m)

Exetel is our top pick when it comes to the fastest NBN 100 plan, due to the extra Speed Boost feature it provides. This lets you boost your download speed to the NBN 250 tier for free for 24 hours, five times a month, provided you’ve got the connection to support it. This is great if you need to download large files, for example.

• AU$68.99 minimum cost
• AU$923.88 first year cost
• AU$1,019.88 ongoing yearly cost

• See more: Best NBN 100 plans

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Best NBN 250 plan

The go-to for lightning-quick broadband
The availability of NBN 250 plans is now almost on par with that of NBN 100, with telcos reporting a typical evening speed of 237Mbps on average.

Since we first created this guide to the fastest NBN plans, the number of internet service providers quoting close-to maximum typical evening speeds on the NBN 250 has increased considerably, creating greater competition in the process.

Telstra and AGL plans are on the more expensive side, and Southern Phone has such bad reviews online that we feel we can't recommend it. We've therefore look at the remaining NBN providers and taken into account other factors they offer to settle on an overall pick. 

Spintel is our top pick in the overall best NBN plans, but if you want the absolute fastest speeds, Superloop is our pick. 

Superloop | 250Mbps | AU$85p/m

Superloop | 250Mbps | AU$85p/m (first 6 months, then AU$99p/m)

Superloop has been a firm favourite of ours for some time. The telco also offers five free Speed Boost days each month meaning customers should be able to bump up the speed of their service to the NBN 1000 tier – right now, Superloop advertises 811Mbps typical evening speeds at this tier. Superloop's regular ongoing cost of AU$99p/m is also below the current average of AU$106.

• AU$85 minimum cost
• AU$1,104 first year cost
• AU$1,188 ongoing yearly cost

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Best NBN 1000 plan

The fastest you can get, but only available in select locations
The once sparse NBN 1000 tier is growing in availability, with an average typical evening speed of 690Mbps reported by the telcos.

Superloop811Mbps 1000AU$99p/m

Superloop | 811Mbps 1000 | AU$99p/m (first 6 months, then AU$109p/m)

Superloop is our overall pick for an NBN 1000 plan, although we're also loving TPG's plan right now, and it's a great second choice. But, Superloop claims it because of the slightly faster advertised download speeds of 811Mbps – the second-fastest in the country right now. It's also got a great intro price of AU$99, and the ongoing AU$109 is still well below the AU$122 average.

• AU$99 minimum cost
• AU$1,248 first year cost
• AU$1,308 ongoing yearly cost

• See more: Best NBN 1000 plans

Fast NBN plans: major telcos

When it comes to the big three internet providers, these are the best fast plans available:

Optus' best high-speed NBN plans

TPG's best high-speed NBN plans

Telstra's best high-speed NBN plans

Fast NBN FAQ

What are NBN 1000 real world speeds?

The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission conducts quarterly reports focusing on the broadband performance in Australia. Its latest report, published in September 2024, found the average download speed ranged across the day from 837Mbps to 859Mbps.

These are undeniably fast, but still a fair way off the theoretical top speed available on these plans of 1,000Mbps. Outside of the peak busy period, we’ve seen real-world speed test results that are much higher at 900Mbps, though still not reaching the maximum amount.

What are NBN 250 real world speeds?

The second-fastest tier is NBN 250, which the NBN Co refers to as 'Superfast'. The amount of providers which offer an NBN 250 plan has grown significantly in the past two years, and it’s now almost on par with the number which offer NBN 100 plans. Among the telcos we monitor, the average download speed on these plans is 235Mbps during the evening hours. Actual speed does vary among the internet providers with NBN 250 plans, so be sure to read the fine print.

What are NBN 100 real world speeds?

The NBN 100 tier is the most affordable option from the fastest NBN category, and you can expect a typical evening speed of 98Mbps on average. While the tiers mentioned above are leaps and bounds ahead in terms of speed, they are also limited in their availability – only FTTP and HFC connections can sign up to NBN 1000 and NBN 250 in most cases.

NBN 100 is referred to as 'Fast' by the NBN Co – it’s available for most connection types, and is often the fastest option available for the millions of Australians using fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) technology. If you want the top typical evening speed of 100Mbps for your NBN 100 plan, only a select few providers offer it: Telstra, Optus, Belong, Dodo, Exetel, Pennytel, Southern Phone and Spintel.

You can read more about each connection type in our guide to the best NBN plans.

Max Langridge
Staff Writer

Max is a senior staff writer for TechRadar who covers home entertainment and audio first, NBN second and virtually anything else that falls under the consumer electronics umbrella third. He's also a bit of an ecommerce fiend, particularly when it comes to finding the latest coupon codes for a variety of retailers. Hailing from the United Kingdom, Max spent a combined five years writing for What Hi-Fi? and Pocket-lint, before moving to Australia in 2018. After a brief stint writing for men’s lifestyle publications, Max is back to working on his first passion of technology.

With contributions from