The best NBN provider in Australia is one that delivers great value, speeds, perks or latency (or all of those).
Best NBN providers in Australia | 2025
In this guide to SIM only plans:
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In this guide, you’ll find our ranking of the best NBN providers in Australia. Our product team monitors the comings and goings of the Australian broadband market to help build our recommendations. We give each provider a score out of five stars, based on 50+ considerations across value, customer service, speed (downloads and uploads), plan features, support pathways and reported customer satisfaction.
Below are our top picks for the best NBN providers in Australia across four categories: value, speed, perks, and gaming.
Best NBN provider for value
How we chose the best NBN provider for value: We looked at around 80 NBN plans from our database across the NBN speed tiers available to most Australians: NBN 12, NBN 25, NBN 50 and NBN 100. Typical pricing was the main focus for analysis, though we did favour NBN providers with low ongoing prices. For close competitors, we used our in-depth NBN schema to consider speeds, perks, available support pathways and more.
Winner: iiNet
- Tends to offer promotional pricing
- Competitive typical pricing
- Offers every major speed tier
- Fast reported download speeds
- Option for a 4G-backup modem
- Reported upload speeds behind competitors
- Slowest ACCC-tracked speeds
- Highest ACCC-tracked latency
- No CVC transparency
- No referral scheme
iiNet is a great place to start if you’re looking for great value in an NBN plan. For starters, iiNet offers NBN plans for every major speed tier, including the speediest NBN 1000 tier and the slowest bare-bolts NBN 12 one. We recommend starting with an NBN 50 plan because it's a good mixture of price vs. speed and should suit most households. But given NBN 100 is pretty close in price, that's also a good option if you need a little extra juice.
Promotional pricing is usually available for iiNet NBN plans, but typical pricing is also comparatively competitive. iiNet NBN plans have fast self-reported download speeds, plus you can optionally grab a modem-router (compatible with all NBN technologies) add-on, which has 4G backup via the Vodafone network.
Runner up: Moose NBN
- Tends to offer promotional pricing
- Competitive typical pricing
- All popular speed tiers covered
- Fast reported download speeds
- Fast reported upload speeds
- No plans beyond NBN 100
- Not an ACCC-tracked provider
- Home phone line not offered
- Very light on features
Moose NBN has a reputation for offering new-customer discounts across its NBN and mobile plans. But sticking with a Moose NBN plan means some of the cheapest ongoing prices in our database. Unless you’re after NBN 250 or NBN 1000 plans, Moose has every other NBN speed tier covered. Moose NBN plans also have fast self-reported typical evening download and upload speeds.
Best NBN provider for speed
How we chose the best NBN provider for value: We used the latest available ACCC data from the Measuring Broadband Australia program, which ranks NBN providers in real-world conditions based on a range of metrics, including speed. Because download speed is generally more important than upload speed for online tasks, we favour participating NBN providers that offer the highest percentages for download speeds during peak (busy, 7:00pm to 11:00pm) and off-peak hours. Upload speeds are also considered, but are typically at least 10% below max attainable plan speeds.
Winner: Exetel
- Fast ACCC-tracked download speeds
- Fast ACCC-tracked upload speeds
- Low ACCC-tracked latency
Tends to offer new-customer discounts - Competitive typical pricing
- Offers an NBN 100/40 plan
- Referral scheme available
- Optional add-on modem isn’t great
- Doesn’t offer fastest (and slowest) NBN speed tiers
- Low reported customer satisfaction (Google and Product Review)
- Comparatively slow initial connection time
- 30-day cancellation required to churn
If you want consistently fast download and upload speeds, you want to look at an Exetel NBN plan. Exetel has a knack of nabbing the pole position for download speeds in the ACCC’s quarterly Measuring Broadband Australia reports. Latency is also consistently among the lowest of the NBN providers that are part of the Measuring Broadband Australia program.
Despite the speed perks, Exetel also usually offers discounts to new customers, plus it has competitive typical pricing for its plans. There’s also a referral scheme to earn bill credit. Exetel offers a plan for every NBN speed tier outside of the slowest (NBN 12) and fastest (NBN 1000). If you want the fastest NBN plan available to most homes, Exetel offers an NBN 100/40 plan, which has up to twice the upload speeds of NBN 100/20 (which it also has if you want a cheaper alternative).
ACCC speed results
While NBN providers are required to self-report typical evening download and upload speeds – between 7:00pm and 11:00pm daily when the internet is most in demand – we lean towards the ones who are part of the ACCC’s Measuring Broadband Australia program. Below is a breakdown of these participating NBN service providers, from fastest overall downloads to slowest, represented as percentages of the max wholesale speeds (e.g. NBN 50 is 50Mbps download and 20Mbps upload).
For an idea of pricing, below you can compare NBN 100 plans from providers in the ACCC's measuring program, ranked by introductory price for the first six months. Unfortunately, we don't have Launtel in our database, but we do compare the other 10.
Best NBN provider: Perks and features
How we chose the Best NBN provider for perks and features: Our NBN schema has more than a dozen criteria for plan features. We like NBN suppliers that offer no contracts, zero setup fees, discounts for bundled plans and referral credit. More important are internet-specific features like preconfigured routers, modem-routers or mesh WiFi systems, either included by default or available as a plan add-on. ACCC tracking is preferred, as is CVC transparency and internet plans outside the norm, like NBN 100/40, Fixed Wireless NBN and Sky Muster satellite or private fibre (like Opticomm).
Winner: Superloop
- Tends to offer promotional pricing
- Competitive typical pricing
- Offers every major speed tier
- Fast non-peak download speeds
- Optional mesh WiFi add-on
- CVC transparency
- Offers all major support pathways
- Offers an NBN 100/40 plan
- Optional modem-router add-on isn't great
- Low reported customer satisfaction on Google
- Exetel is a cheaper, faster subsidiary
Superloop is a great all-rounder NBN provider, offering every major NBN speed tier except for the one we advise against (NBN 12). There’s an NBN 100/40 plan, too, for the fastest available speeds to most Aussie homes. On the price front, Superloop typically offers promotional pricing for new customers and competitive ongoing fees. Plan speeds are great, too, for ACCC-recorded downloads, uploads and latency.
As for features and perks, Superloop has some great practical inclusions. Keep plan prices low with a BYO NBN-compatible router or modem-router; optionally, add a mesh WiFi system or a mesh-compatible modem-router (though we advise against the TP-Link VX230v). Superloop offers advanced features like CVC transparency as well as member tools for network diagnostics. If you need support, Superloop offers every major pathway outside of retail stores, including phone assistance, online chat and a blog for self-paced help.
Runner up: Telstra
- Fast ACCC-tracked download speeds
- Fast ACCC-tracked upload speeds
- Included modem-router with 4G backup
- Telstra Rewards
- Offers all major support pathways
- Promotional pricing is uncommon
- Typical prices are comparatively expensive
- Towards the bottom for ACCC-tracked latency
- Plans require upfront payment
- No referral scheme
- Low reported customer satisfaction (Product Review and Trustpilot)
Being a Telstra customer means paying the "Telstra Tax", but it comes with meaningful extras for NBN plans. That means fast ACCC-tracked download and upload speeds for starters. Telstra NBN plans come with a preconfigured Telstra Smart Modem 3: a WiFi 6 modem-router with 4G backup via the Telstra network.
Customers earn Telstra Plus Rewards points for paying their bill and other purchases, which can be put towards products or discounts. And if you need support, Telstra has a near-comprehensive offering, including online chat, phone help and retail stores.
Best NBN provider for gaming
How we chose the Best NBN provider for gaming: Primarily, the best NBN provider for gaming is determined by the one that has the lowest latency according to the ACCC – but we also consider ACCC-tracked download and upload speeds. Preference goes to NBN providers that offer NBN 100/40 plans because they’re the fastest available to most homes.
Winner: Exetel
- Fast ACCC-tracked download speeds
- Fast ACCC-tracked upload speeds
- Included modem-router with 4G backup
- Telstra Rewards
- Offers all major support pathways
- Promotional pricing is uncommon
- Typical prices are comparatively expensive
- Towards the bottom for ACCC-tracked latency
- Plans require upfront payment
- No referral scheme
- Low reported customer satisfaction (Product Review and Trustpilot)
On top of great NBN speeds, Exetel also offers consistently low latency (or “ping” if you prefer the common misnomer). Low latency is important for responsive online gaming, video and voice calls, and any other online tasks that are sensitive to real-time data transfers. According to ACCC data, Exetel is second only behind Leaptel for peak and off-peak latency, with a negligible difference of fractions of a millisecond.
Despite the latency silver medal, Exetel beats all other ACCC-tracked NBN providers for peak and off-peak download speeds, with the highest percentage of preserved upload speeds during the typical evening busy period. For gamers not in Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) or Hybrid Fibre Coaxial (HFC) homes, Exetel also offers an NBN 100/40 plan, which is the fastest one available to other NBN technologies, and one that offers faster uploading of clips or higher-resolution streaming to platforms like Twitch, YouTube and Kick.
ACCC latency results
The ACCC tracks latency from participating NBN providers during peak (7:00pm to 11:00pm) and off-peak times (all other hours). Latency values are measured in milliseconds, where lower is better. The table below ranks the participating NBN providers in terms of latency during peak hours, from fastest to slowest. Note that “slowest” here is still very usable latency.
How to change NBN providers
Whatever your reason for looking to switch NBN supplier, there are a few things you’ll want to do before you swap from your current NBN provider to a new one.
The first step is to find a new NBN provider. Ideally, one that better suits your needs. If you’ve got any specific grievances or shortcomings with your current NBN service provider, that’s usually the best place to start. Consider an NBN supplier that offers cheaper pricing—promotional or, more importantly, ongoing—or one that offers faster speeds, maybe even one that offers a speed tier your current provider doesn’t.
Before switching, keep an eye out for hidden fees. Exetel, for instance, requires 30 days’ notice before switching, so time your exit accordingly. NBN providers like Telstra might ask you to return your preconfigured modem-router or pay a pro-rata cost. Ask your current NBN provider about any exit fees and plan your switch accordingly.
The last step here is to sign up with your new NBN provider. For some switches, you may not have to cancel your existing plan, but other providers may require you to cancel your existing NBN plan.
Whatever your reason for looking to switch NBN supplier, there are a few things you’ll want to do before you swap from your current NBN provider to a new one.
The first step is to find a new NBN provider. Ideally, one that better suits your needs. If you’ve got any specific grievances or shortcomings with your current NBN service provider, that’s usually the best place to start. Consider an NBN supplier that offers cheaper pricing—promotional or, more importantly, ongoing—or one that offers faster speeds, maybe even one that offers a speed tier your current provider doesn’t.
Before switching, keep an eye out for hidden fees. Exetel, for instance, requires 30 days’ notice before switching, so time your exit accordingly. NBN providers like Telstra might ask you to return your preconfigured modem-router or pay a pro-rata cost. Ask your current NBN provider about any exit fees and plan your switch accordingly.
The last step here is to sign up with your new NBN provider. For some switches, you may not have to cancel your existing plan, but other providers may require you to cancel your existing NBN plan.
Best NBN provider FAQs
Yes, there are NBN alternatives, including 4G and 5G Home Internet plans or private fibre via providers like Opticomm. Alternatively, consider Starlink for high-speed satellite internet.
NBN speed tiers used to be talked about in terms of people, but it’s better to think in terms of device needs and specific use cases. NBN 12 shouldn’t be in the equation, but NBN 25 is a cheap option for homes with low internet needs. NBN 50 is a great balance of price and performance, while NBN 100 offers double the speed and is available to most homes.
If you live in an FTTP or HFC home, consider an NBN 250 or NBN 1000 plan for faster download speeds. Outside of quicker downloads and uploads, faster NBN speed tiers will let you stream to multiple devices at 4K resolution. NBN 25, for instance, can handle one 4K stream but NBN 100 can handle up to four simultaneous 4K streams.
Customer service is a tricky metric to gauge for NBN providers because personal experiences can vary greatly. A speedy issue resolution with a provider for one person may be a drawn-out and frustrating headache for another. Our NBN schema does use available real-world customer information from Product Review, Trustpilot, Google and Facebook, but not every provider is available on all of those platforms.
Additionally, people typically use these places to highlight negative experiences rather than positive ones, meaning more popular providers typically have lower scores. That’s why we appraise NBN providers in terms of the number of available support ways as a gauge of how much a provider has invested in helping its customers. For NBN providers with lots of support pathways, consider Optus, Telstra, iiNet, Superloop and Vodafone.
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