Best NBN 250 plans

NBN 250 is a great option for those who want faster internet. You're getting more than twice the download speeds of NBN 100 and you're paying a much better price than the one that comes with a NBN 1000 plan. Naturally, that makes it a great choice for homes that download big files or like no-compromise streaming across multiple and larger screens like 4K TVs.

These days, NBN 250 plans aren't too hard to find and the big name providers like Telstra and Optus aren't the only game in town. We track more than 20 NBN 250 providers in our comparison engine, with promotional pricing starting at around $80 per month and typical pricing reaching up to roughly $140 per month.

Scroll on for the best NBN 250 plans in Australia.

Dodo takes out the top spot in this category with its NBN Home Superfast Plan. This Dodo NBN 250 plan normally costs $98.90 a month, and the sub-$100 pricing is among the cheapest in our database.

At the time of writing, new sign-ups were paying a $83.90 monthly fee for the first twelve months, which means better first-year value. Anyone who signs up for this Dodo plan can expect great 250Mbps download speeds and solid 21Mbps upload speeds during the busy evening period.

Our database tracks the prices and speeds attached to NBN 250 plans from 30 different providers. When it comes time to make our monthly pick for the best NBN 250 plans, we favor the plan with the lowest price, unlimited data, no contract and a minimum of 200Mbps for typical evening download speeds.

Our comparison of NBN 250 plans also tends 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 250 plan compares to the most popular NBN 250 plans in our database, check out the widget below.

Not all NBN 250 providers offer the same level of performance during peak hours and the gap between the most expensive and thriftiest internet options isn’t always matched by the difference in cost. At the end of the day, even a slower NBN 250 plan is still a significant upgrade on the internet speeds that you can get from NBN 100 and spending more doesn’t always directly translate into better service or faster downloads. 

NBN 250 plans are typically more expensive than slower speed tiers, like NBN 50 and NBN 25. But while you should expect to pay more overall, it doesn’t mean you need to pay more than $100 per month for those faster speeds and just because you want the faster internet speeds that NBN 250 offers doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re willing to pay any price for it. 

When it comes to the NBN 250 plans tracked in our database, typical evening download speeds range from as low as 220Mbps to as high as 250Mbps. Meanwhile, prices for an NBN 250 plan start at $80 per month and go as high as $130 per month. 

Another thing that you'll want to keep in mind if you're in the market for a cheap NBN 250 plan is that the price when you sign up isn't necessarily the price you'll end up paying over the long run. Most NBN 250 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. 

To account for that difference, we divide our recommendations for the best NBN 250 plans into two tiers. The first covers the plan with the cheapest monthly intro price. The second covers the cheapest NBN 250 plan in our database as per typical pricing. If you want to save money in the short term, the former might be a better fit. Looking for a more term solution you can set, forget and save money with? Then our second choice is going to be the way to go.

While it’s not the fastest NBN 250 plan you can find nowadays, the Tangerine SuperSpeedy internet plan is the cheapest option in our books when it comes to intro pricing.

Normally priced at $104.90 per month, this NBN 250 plan is currently available for just $79.90 for the first six months if you sign up before 31 March 2025. There’s no set up or cancellation fees and you’re looking at download speeds of 250Mbps and upload speeds of up to 21MBps.

The main catch here is that you have to move fast if you want to cash in on the Summer Sale promo pricing. For a sense of how this plan compares to other cheap NBN 250 plans when it comes to intro pricing, check out the widget below.

SpinTel’s Unlimited NBN 250 plan is an easy winner when it comes to value at the moment. A 9.95 per month lifetime discount (for new customers) puts it well ahead of most of the competition. For $80 per month, you get 240Mbps typical evening download speeds and 22Mbps upload speeds.

There's no contract or set up fee here but if there are any issues, SpinTel offers customer support via a call centre that's open seven days a week. For a sense of how this plan compares to other cheap NBN 250 plans, check out the widget below.

If you’re signing up for an NBN 250 plan instead of an NBN 100 one, chances are that the reason why is speed. This speed tier is a standout option if you live in a household where multiple users might be looking to stream in 4K or download larger video games. However, not all NBN providers are born equal. That rule applies just as much to this speed tier as the other options. 

Enter the Tangerine SuperSpeedy NBN plan. Priced at $104.90 per month, this NBN 250 plan boasts impressive 250Mbps typical evening download speeds and 21Mbps upload speeds. That’s as fast as NBN 250 gets, even if it does mean that you’re paying a little bit more than you might for an internet plan at this speed tier. That said, at the time of writing, Tangerine will give you six months of discounted pricing at $79.90 apiece if you get in before 31 March 2025. 

For a sense of how this compares to the competition, here are the speediest NBN 250 plans in our comparison engine.

NBN 25 and NBN 50 plans are technically fast enough for online gaming, you’ll just have to wait a lot longer for increasingly larger digital games and their subsequent multi-gigabyte updates to download. By comparison, NBN offers much faster download speeds. However, if you play a lot of online games and want the best experience possible then you probably already know that's not the only metric that matters.

For many gamers, the next critical consideration for online gamers after download speeds is latency. For that reason, we’re recommending the Exetel Superfast NBN 250 plan as the best pick for this category.

This NBN 250 plan normally costs $98.99 per month but Exetel has a reputation for ongoing promotional pricing for the first six months ($80.99 per month at the time of writing). While the speeds could be faster—220Mbps downloads and 21Mbps uploads—the latency hangs is under 8ms, which is very fast and something that no other provider can match.

We based our pick for the best NBN 250 plan on the latest data available for the ACCC’s Measuring Broadband Australia program. This quarterly report ranks NBN providers in real-world conditions based on a range of metrics, including speed and reliability.

Our comparison favored NBN providers that offered the lowest latency during peak hours. Latency values are measured in milliseconds, where lower is better. We also considered which provider had the highest percentage for download speeds during peak (7:00pm to 11:00pm) and off-peak hours. Upload speeds are also considered, but given less weight.

Below is a breakdown of these participating NBN service providers, which shows how they compare when it comes to download speeds, upload speeds and latency.

If you don’t need all that speed, you might want to consider one of the other gamer-friendly NBN plans from other low-latency providers below.

As NBN plans tend to change in price every July, a longer-term comparison might not be as reliable as one that compares first-year pricing so we've opted for that. The other thing to note is that our database doesn't include plans for Leaptel so you won't find it in the widget below.

Head to the NBN Co website and enter your address to see which technology type is connecting your home. It’ll either be FTTP, HFC, Fibre-to-the-Curb (FTTC), Fibre-to-the-Building (FTTB), Fibre-to-the-Node (FTTN), Fixed Wireless NBN or NBN Sky Muster satellite on the results page (look under the ‘Technology used in your connection’ section). FTTP and HFC homes can sign up for an NBN 250 plan from a participating provider, but none of those other NBN technologies can at this stage.

That said, there are upgrade pathways for those technologies. Sky Muster satellite, Fixed Wireless and FTTB homes can upgrade via the NBN Technology Choice Program, but that can cost thousands. Requesting a quote for most homes is free, though.

The better news for FTTC and FTTN homes is NBN Co is currently in the process of upgrading those addresses without the exorbitant cost. But there is a catch. To nab the free upgrade to FTTP, eligible FTTN homes need to at least order an NBN 100 plan, while FTTC homes must order at least an NBN 250 plan. Note that strata-managed buildings are more complicated for the FTTP upgrade than individual premises.

If none of the above helps you out, there are other options to get internet that’s the equivalent (or faster) of NBN 250 plans. Eligible homes may be able to opt for Opticomm internet, which is an NBN competitor that effectively offers fibre to the home and similarly priced NBN 250-type plans from participating providers. Alternatively, those who live in areas with coverage can consider a home wireless broadband plan, where speeds can exceed 250Mbps on uncapped plans.