NBN speeds explained: Which tier do you need?

The NBN speed tier is often the biggest determiner of your online experience. While there’s a laundry list of reasons why you might be experiencing broadband speeds slower than what you signed up for, the hard speed limitations of your NBN plan can only be improved by upgrading to a faster one. And just how fast you can go very much depends on your NBN connection technology.

But it's not just about grabbing the fastest plan possible. There's no reason to pay for more speed than you need, especially if you have access to the new, faster options.

So, which NBN speed tier do you pick? We've put together a complete guide to each fixed-line NBN speed tier and which NBN plan best suits you.

Despite being far from the fastest available, NBN 50 (or Standard) is a still a good option for small households that don't have unusually high internet needs.

Believe it or not, 50Mbps is still enough to watch one 4K stream and a couple of HD streams at the same time, possibly with a little leftover to post your hot takes on Twitter. If you mostly stick to streaming videos or music, using social media, browsing the web and downloading the occasional large file, 50Mbps should do you fine. And with 20Mbps of upload speeds, your video calls should be crisp and clear.

The downside of NBN 50 is its speed-to-dollar value. NBN 100 is usually a very similar price to NBN 100 – you can often double your download speed for a few dollars extra per month. And if you have an HFC or FTTP connection, it's the same story for NBN 500, but this time it's 10 times the speed for (often) about the price of a coffee per month.

But there really is no point paying for speed you don't need. And given NBN plans don't tend to come with lock-in contracts, it's easy to upgrade or switch providers if you find 50Mbps doesn't get the job done.

See the cheapest NBN 50 deals from our database in our coparison table below.

NBN 100 is trickier to summarise than it once was, thanks to the NBN speed upgrades in September 2025. It's still the fastest speed tier available to the twisted-pair technologies of FTTN, FTTB, and FTTC premises, but might not even be offered by your provider for the more-capable HFC and FTTP technologies. Instead, many providers now offer NBN 100 to twisted pair households, and NBN 500 to HFC and FTTP households for the same price. It's possible you might see it on offer for those two other technologies – it's just not the norm.

But if you're stuck with FTTN, FTTB or FTTC, it's worth noting NBN 100 is still plenty fast for most online tasks. And if that doesn't describe your needs, well, there's not much you can do beside trying your luck with 5G home internet.

NBN 100 should be enough for each member of the household to get their work done, watch their favourite TV show and play the occasional online game. The only time it should struggle is during large file downloads or if you have half a dozen or so people competing for bandwidth at the same time.

NBN 100/40 is a rarer option that comes with the same download limit, but double the upload speeds. It's a popular choice among keen online gamers, streamers and content creators since the potential for up to 40Mbps upload speed makes for ultra-smooth live streaming and video uploads.

If you think NBN Fast is right for you, here are the cheapest NBN 100 plans in our database right now.

For those who can get it, NBN 500 is enough to do pretty much anything online, and do it blazingly fast. Since the NBN speed upgrades in September, NBN 500 has essentially replaced NBN 100 for HFC and FTTP households – the same or very similar pricing, but 5x faster. Upload speeds also increased from 20Mbps (for NBN 100) to 50Mbps. Essentially, it's just great value all round.

500Mbps isn't only well beyond what the vast majority of households in Australia need, it's so fast many mightn't be able to hit that limit if they tried (though with a quick bit of googling, you could probably teach yourself how pretty quick).

On top of that, 50Mbps uploads is also great, even if you make liberal use of cloud storage, upload videos, or stream yourself live. To see if you're eligible for one of the NBN 500 plans below, click the 'Go' link next to it and punch in your address.

NBN 750 is a bit of an odd duck. With its maximum downloads of 500Mbps and uploads of 50Mbps, it sits awkwardly between the very-affordable NBN 500 (which also has 50Mbps max uploads) and NBN 1000, which has double the upload speeds.

Given most households don't even need 500Mbps, it's unlikely you'll need just enough more that NBN 750 is the sweet spot. We'd advise given NBN 500 a go first and only upgrading to 750 if you're running into problems.

750Mbps is way more than you need for day-to-day activities. It's even faster than you'd need for many large file downloads, given a lot of servers won't even give you the file as fast as you can take it. 

The 50Mbps uploads are also great, even if you make liberal use of cloud storage, upload videos, or stream yourself live. To see if you're eligible for one of the NBN 500 plans below, click the 'Go' link next to it and punch in your address.

While no longer the fastest NBN speed tier around, NBN 1000 did at least recent a small upgrade as part of its demotion package – its maximum upload limit doubled from 50Mbps to 100Mbps. This could be an important deciding factor for upload-heavy users, given NBN 1000 is the cheapest speed tier with uploads this fast.

Those upload speeds also make it a more appealing upgrade option for people who find NBN 500 a bit too constricting. Compared to NBN 500, NBN 1000 has has double the downloads and double the uploads, versus the mere 50% download increase offered by NBN 750.

But ultimately, NBN 1000 is still way faster than all but the most data hungry households need. We'd recommend starting off with NBN 500 and working your way up through the speed tiers if you're not sure what will do the trick.

You'll find the cheapest NBN 1000 plans below. Just click 'Go' next to the plan you like, enter your address and see if it'll work with your setup.

There's pretty much nothing you can't do with download and upload speeds this fast. Like NBN 1000, NBN 2000 plans are only available to FTTP and selected HFC connections.

This speed tier technically maxes out at 2000Mbps (or 2Gbps), but it's still to early to really say what real-world performance is like. Plans (and likely performance) vary considerably between providers. And even your maximum potential uploads are different depending on your technology – 100Mbps maximum uploads for HFC or 200Mbps maximum uploads for FTTP. But whatever your real-world speeds end up being, they're far, far beyond what almost any household needs right now.

Really, there are three reasons to sign up to NBN 2000:

1. You actually need it – if you know, you know. If you don't know, you don't need it
2. You never want to worry about speed again and don't mind paying for overkill – but you can probably silence that little voice with NBN 1000 or even NBN 750
3. Bragging rights

If any of the above sounds like you, you'll find the cheapest NBN 2000 plans in our database below. Just click 'Go' next to the plan you like, enter your address and see if it'll work with your setup.

NBN 25 offers download speeds of up to 25Mbps, which is fine for many who live alone (and may also suffice for lighter usage two-person households). Unless you find yourself frequently doing something that requires a lot of bandwidth (e.g. if you're a streamer, video editor, or regularly download large game updates), 25Mbps is enough to stream any TV show or movie in HD with enough left over to do some online shopping or uni work at the same time.

On the downside, because most streaming services that offer 4K content require a minimum of 25Mbps to do so, you'll likely experience buffering – especially if you plan on using the internet for any other reason simultaneously. That, or you might force yourself to suffer through 1080p streaming.

An NBN upload speed of 5Mbps isn't anything to write home about, but it's be enough to conduct reasonably clear video calls and upload the odd medium-sized file. Some providers have 10Mbps maximums, which is much more advisable. Even if you don't think you need a lot of upload bandwidth, keep in mind that all internet traffic is two-way, to a degree. So maxing out your uploads also brings your downloads to a grinding halt.

But while 10Mbps should get many people by, if your job requires you to upload lots of large files on a regular basis, the (at best) 10Mbps NBN 25 probably won't be fast enough.

Below are the cheapest NBN 25 plans in our database right now.

As the slowest available NBN speed tier, customers on NBN 12 (Basic I) plans can expect a maximum download speed of 12Mbps. That's enough for one device to watch Netflix in high definition, but if you like browsing the web while bingeing your favourite TV shows, NBN 12 will struggle to keep up.

A big sticking point will likely be that tiny 1Mbps upload limit. Most internet devices regularly send little updates off into the cloud, or even automatically back up files and photos.

This is a problem because maxing out your uploads will also max out your downloads until the upload ends. This can easily lead to extended periods of slow-to-no connectivity or regular dropouts that can quickly become infuriating.

But the main sticking point might be its poor value. NBN 12 plans are often basically the same price as NBN 25, which has more than double the maximum download speeds and between five and ten times the uploads.

We only recommend NBN 12 plans for those who only require the internet for sending and receiving emails, online shopping and streaming the occasional movie. It's a popular tier among seniors and those on a strict budget, but since it often comes with a small monthly data allowance instead of unlimited data, it certainly won't suit most users. And it's certainly out of the question if you're planning on using it for video calls.

Regardless, if you think NBN 12 will work for you, here are the most cheapest plans in that speed tier.

A good NBN speed is one that meets your needs, and according to the data, NBN 50 is generally the best choice for most households.

Unless you live alone or in a home with a couple of people who don’t really use the internet all that much, this tier provides the right amount of NBN upload speeds and NBN download speeds for everyday use at a reasonable price.

That said, if you needs are a little more heavier and you don't mind paying a little bit more then NBN 100 is absolutely the way to go. It’s rare you will hit the maximum potential NBN download speeds for any speed tier but if you’re paying for Fast NBN 100 and regularly hit 100Mbps, then that's what we'd consider a great NBN speed.

Each NBN speed tier has a maximum potential speed that looks pretty on paper but there many opposing forces that keep that maximum speed out of reach: the NBN technology used at your address, congestion on the network during busy hours and the available CVC at your POI all have an impact on your speed. This is why the ACCC has encouraged Australian ISPs to advertise their typical evening speeds for a more accurate figure.

If your speed test results are anywhere between the average and the maximum potential speed, let’s say 85 to 100Mbps for Fast NBN 100, you’re getting your money’s worth.

Here’s a rough guide to give you an idea of whether your current speed tier is delivering the goods. Run an NBN speed test while connected to your home Wi-Fi using the widget below and compare your NBN fixed wireless speed results with the table underneath.

If your internet connection is delivering NBN fixed wireless speed within the Poor range, get in touch with your provider and work through some basic troubleshooting. If your speeds don’t improve, it might be time to consider another provider.

It’s possible your current provider hasn’t purchased enough CVC in your area’s POI, causing congestion on the network.