Best NBN 50 plans

NBN 50 is called NBN Standard for a reason. It’s not the slowest or cheapest internet option out there but it is the best place for most Aussies to start. It’s little surprise that it's the people's choice when it comes to internet plans.

So which NBN 50 plans are the best? The answer depends on your needs but it won’t take long to find thanks to this round-up of the best NBN 50 providers and deals.  Here’s everything you need to know about NBN 50 plans in Australia when it comes to value, price and upload speeds.

Buddy Telco is one of the newest providers in the mix when it comes to NBN plans in Australia. However, it’s quickly making a name for itself with promotions like the one attached to its NBN 50 plan. 

This plan comes with unlimited data, typical evening speeds of 49Mbps and self-reported upload speeds of 16Mbps. In addition to coming with unlimited data, this plan is a no-contract option. If it doesn't work out for you, you're free to cancel at any time without incurring any additional costs. 

If you sign up before 18 May 2025 and use the code BUDDY50 at checkout, you'll be able to score $12 off the usual price for the first six months. After that, you’re looking at $75 per month to stick with the plan. Over the course of a year, you’re paying $828 rather than the usual $900. 

Our database tracks the prices and speeds attached to NBN 50 plans from over 30 different providers. When it comes time to make our monthly pick for the best NBN 50 plans, we favor the plan with the lowest price, unlimited data, no contract and a higher typical evening download speeds.

Our comparison of the best 50Mbps NBN plans also tended to focus on and highlight introductory deals because that's the easiest way to save money when choosing any NBN plan. The other reason we compare NBN plans this way rather than over a longer period of time is that the cost of NBN tends to change every July, which makes longer term predictions less reliable and useful.

For a snapshot of how our current pick for the best NBN 50 plans compares to the most popular NBN 50 plans in our database, check out the widget below.

These days, most NBN 50 plans offer a fairly comparable level of performance. Despite that, there’s often a big difference in the prices attached to each provider. At the time of writing, signing up for an NBN 50 plan starts at around $60 per month (without any discounts) with prices going as as high as $95 per month depending on the provider.

What does paying more get you? More often than not, the answer is faster upload speeds. Relative to some of the other NBN speed tiers, there’s a decent amount of variety when it comes to the upload speeds offered by NBN 50 providers. The highest offer the full 20Mbps that this speed tier is capable of achieving, but many others fall short of that mark and end up somewhere around 17Mbps. 

Depending on what you plan on using your NBN 50 connection to do, that might not be a massive issue though. For many customers, the opportunity to save an extra $10 or $15 per month is going to make more sense than squeezing an extra megabit or so out of their fixed-line internet connection.

Even more can be saved by taking advantage of the usual promotions available for new customers. Most NBN 50 providers will give your first handful of months at a discount before bumping you up to the regular price. If you stick with the same provider for too long, you might end up paying for it. Fortunately, most NBN 50 plans in Australia are no-contract so you can always shop around for a better deal once the honeymoon period is over. The only catch here is that unless you’re bringing your own modem along, you might be slugged with some hardware fees on your way out.

For that reason it can be smart to investigate what kind of bundles, discounts and NBN modems each provider offers. Some NBN 50 providers offer strictly BYO (Bring-Your-Own) modem plans, while others supply one for a once-off fee. But a select few will allow you to bundle a modem (or mobile phone) with your NBN 50 plan, allowing you to pay your hardware costs over a set period of time. If you switch to a new provider before then, you’ll have to pay off the remaining balance.

If you’re after a cheap NBN 50 plan in Australia, chances are you’ll end up taking a look at Dodo.

At the time of writing, this provider’s NBN50 Unlimited Plan is available at a discounted price of $59.80 for the first six months. This plan comes with unlimited data, typical download speeds of up to 50Mbps and upload speeds up to 17Mbps. As far as perks go, the most notable one is the ability to save by bundling your electricity and gas. 

After the promo pricing ends, you’re looking at ongoing pricing of $83.90 per month. However, if you don’t like the idea of paying that price you can always shop around for a better deal since this is a no-contract NBN plan. For a sense of how this plan compares to other NBN 50 plans when it comes to intro pricing, check out the widget below.

As with other speed tiers, the price you pay when you sign up for a new NBN 50 plan as a new customer is usually more generous than the one you'll end up paying after your first few months are up. If you prefer to set and forget but don’t want to pay more for that peace of mind, it might make sense to go with an NBN 50 plan that comes with cheaper ongoing pricing but costs a little more up-front.

If that’s how you prefer to play things then the Flip Unlimited Family NBN50 plan might be a good fit. New customers who sign up before 31 May 2025 will pay just $64 per month for the first 4 months. 

Once the promo period ends, you’re looking at $73.90 per month. That makes this the cheapest NBN 50 plan for ongoing pricing in our database at the time of writing. For your money, you’re looking at 50Mbps typical evening download speeds and 17Mbps upload speeds.

If you’re on the fence, there’s also a 14-day Satisfaction Guarantee. For a sense of how this plan compares to other cheap NBN 50 plans, check out the widget below.

Just how much faster is NBN 50 than NBN 25? How much slower is it than NBN 100? These common NBN comparison questions have straightforward answers. Simply check out the table below to compare how fast NBN 50 is versus the other options.

Besides the obvious option of up-selling yourself to a faster NBN speed tier, the natural next best choice is going to be a home wireless internet plan. Powered by either the same kind of 4G or 5G connection found in most mobile phones, this type of internet might be able to offer you better bang for your buck.

These days, there are plenty of 5G home internet plans that can offer superior speeds at a lower price than some NBN 50 plans. Check out the widget below for a round-up of the cheapest options so that you can compare 5G home internet against the best NBN 50 plans.