The best mobile phone plans in Australia (July 2024)

This page is dedicated to the three main kinds of mobile phone plans. Our categories cover some of the best SIM-only mobile plans, a selection of the best prepaid mobile plans, and we also cater to those in the market for a new iPhone 15.

We track more than 100 plans in our comparison engine from dozens of Aussie mobile providers. In terms of costs, you can nab a cheap mobile plan for around $10 or go beyond $50 if you’re after a whole lot of data. Expect to pay at least $85 per month to pair a postpaid mobile plan with a shiny new iPhone.

Scroll on to discover the best mobile plans for July.

Based on our experiences and research, most Australian mobile users will comfortably get by with 30GB of data each month. That’s the data minimum we start with for plan comparisons in this category, with credit given to plans that have discounted pricing and great dollar-to-data value.

Moose Mobile may’ve been all the rage last month, but iiNet makes a strong return in the new financial year with its Mobile 40GB Plan. That 40GB of Vodafone 4G data normally costs $29.99 per month, but new iiNet customers pay half that price ($15) for the first six months. If you want a SIM card, iiNet offers free express delivery; if you’ve got an eSIM-compatible mobile phone, iiNet supports that, too. For great-value SIM-only alternatives, consider these pricier picks with the same monthly data: the Kogan Mobile Medium Monthly Plan or the Moose Mobile 20.80 Promo.

Compare the winner above with these popular SIM-only plans below that don’t have initial pricing beyond $40 (at least initially) and have at least 30GB.

If you find that you’re regularly falling short of your monthly data allocation, it’s worth considering a cheaper SIM-only mobile plan. For light-data users or people whose phones are almost always connected to WiFi, there are bucks to be saved with a plan that has between 10GB and 30GB of monthly data.

Kogan Mobile takes out the top spot this month with its straightforward Small Monthly Plan. What it lacks in promotional pricing and a wealth of perks, it makes up for with a low $15 monthly cost for 10GB of Vodafone 4G data. There’s also 200GB of data rollover if you don’t use all of your allowance, plus eSIM support if you want to activate your plan faster. For low-cost alternatives, consider the Spintel $22 Mobile Plan or the iiNet Mobile 16GB Plan.

If you want other cheap SIM-only options, the popular plans below are capped at $25 monthly fees (at least initially) and come with a minimum of 10GB of data.

If you’re in the market for a new smartphone, you can pay off an interest-free handset over two or three years with a participating mobile provider. We use the iPhone 15 128GB as our comparison handset, but you can easily sub in any other available smartphone you prefer. The monthly cost will go up or down depending on the mobile phone, though, and whether you want to pay it off over 24 or 36 months.

While the typically incumbent Vodafone $49 Small Plan is the cheapest way to pay off an iPhone 15 128GB mobile phone, we like the value of the $52 Optus Choice Plus Plan for a few bucks more each month. This Optus mobile plan costs $93.62 with an iPhone 15, and it comes with 50GB of speedy Optus 5G data. If you use up all your max-speed data, there aren’t any excess-usage fees, though speeds are capped at 1.5Mbps for the rest of the billing month. For postpaid alternatives, consider the Vodafone $49 Small Plan for a cheaper option or the Telstra $72 Essential Upfront Mobile Plan for more data on the Telstra 5G network.

Check out more popular mobile plans on 36-month repayment terms with the iPhone 15 128GB.

We consider 30GB of data plenty of everyday users, but we double that minimum allowance for those with heavy data needs. Big-data plans are best for people who use mobile data every day, particularly when it comes to streaming video. All of our big-data contenders are SIM-only plans with at least 60GB of data.

The Southern Phone Large 5G SIM Plan rises to the top at the start of the new financial year. Typical pricing is $34 a month, but new users pay a cheaper $29 monthly fee (for six months) if you sign up by 12 August 2024. Either price includes 80GB of Optus 5G data, which is capped at still-practical 100Mbps download speeds. This Southern Phone winner also comes with $50 of international call credit. For more monthly data, also consider the Moose Mobile 27.80 Promo plan or the Spintel $35 Mobile Plan, both of which have 100GB.

For more big-data alternatives, the SIM-only plans below don’t cost more than $55 (at least initially) and have at least 60GB of data.

Prepaid plans are meant for people who want full control over their mobile phone bills. For our best prepaid category, we set the data slider at 30GB but favour any plan that offers more data. Note that in prepaid terms, a ‘month’ may be an actual month, or it may be either 30-day or 28-day recharges. The fewer the monthly days, the more recharges you need per year.

This month, the TPG 45GB Mobile Plan takes out the top spot yet again. Part of what we like is monthly recharges instead of 28 or 30 days, which helps with first-year value. Additionally, that 45GB of prepaid data typically costs $30 per month, but new sign-ups pay half that monthly fee for the first six months. We also like that TPG offers eSIM support so you don’t have to wait for a physical SIM card to arrive. Alternatively, get more data with the Felix Mobile 50GB Mobile Plan or slightly cheaper typical pricing with the Yomojo Unlimited Voice & SMS + 40GB plan.

Check out these other prepaid plans with at least 30GB of data and a max $40 fee per recharge (at least initially).

As Australia’s 5G mobile networks continue to expand, mobile plans that support the latest mobile connectivity are becoming more common. We track more than 60 5G plans in our database, across prepaid and SIM-only configurations. We lean towards SIM-only plans for this category, though, as they tend to have better perks and, therefore, better overall value.

For a killer 5G deal, start comparisons with the Moose Mobile 44.80 Promo plan. This Moose winner comes with 200GB of data, which boasts uncapped speeds on the Optus 5G network. If you don’t use up that hefty data allowance, there’s a 200GB data bank to squirrel away gigabytes for heavier-use months. New Moose customers pay a cheaper $44.80 monthly fee for the first six months before reverting to the $54.80 typical monthly cost. Plus, you also get $400 of international call credit to anywhere in the world. For 5G alternatives on the Telstra 5G network, consider the Mate Soul Mates 5G plan or the Belong 100GB Mobile Plan.

For comparison, check out these 5G plans, which may be prepaid or SIM-only, that come with minimum 60GB and don’t cost more than $60 per month.

If you want to buy a Telstra plan, you can expect to pay a premium to access Australia’s most widespread network. Still, given the ubiquity of the Telstra network, it’s unsurprising that Telstra mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs)—other telcos that aren’t Telstra—are a popular pick for mobile users across SIM-only and prepaid plans.

At the start of the month, the Belong 25GB Mobile Plan was yet again the most popular pick across prepaid and SIM-only plans on the Telstra network. That 25GB of data costs $29 per month ($30 from 30 July 2024), with speeds up to 150Mbps on the Telstra 5G network. Post-25GB data is capped at 1Mbps for the rest of the month, so no excess data charges. If you don’t use up all of your monthly allowance with this SIM-only plan, gift unused gigabytes to other Belong customers. As for other popular Telstra network plans, the Superloop SuperSim Save 4G Plan (prepaid) and the More 12GB Mobile Plan (SIM-only) were also popular at the start of the month.

For other popular Telstar network picks, check out these mobile plans.

The Optus network isn’t quite as widespread as the Telstra network, but it still has great coverage and its MVNOs offer competitively priced plans with a decent chunk of data. Typically, popular Optus network plans may change based on whichever telco is offering the best deal at the time.

At the start of the month, the Catch Connect 365 Day Plan – 120GB was the most popular for Optus network SIM-only and prepaid plans in our comparison engine. This prepaid plan costs $150 for a 365-day recharge, which comes with 120GB of Optus 4G data (10GB per month). Outside of the basics, this Catch Connect plan isn’t particularly big on perks, though you can add 100 international call minutes to 32 selected destinations for $5 extra per month. The big drawcard for this plan, though, is that if you sign up before 30 July, you'll get another 60GB of bonus data bringing your data allowance to 180GB.

The $52 Optus Choice Plus Plan (SIM-only) and the Amaysim Unlimited 32GB Plan (prepaid) were also popular Optus network picks at the start of the month.

The list below showcases the most popular prepaid and SIM-only plans on the Optus network today.

The Vodafone 4G and 5G networks aren’t as widespread as the Telstra or Optus networks. Still, the Vodafone network is available to 24 million Australians, so it’s not exactly small. Typically, SIM-only and prepaid mobile plans on the Vodafone network offer competitive pricing with a comparatively healthy amount of data.

At the start of the month, the TPG 12GB Mobile Plan was yet again the most popular pick in our database for Vodafone plans. This TPG prepaid plan has a monthly recharge cycle and comes with 12GB of Vodafone 4G data. New customers pay $10 per month for the first six recharges, otherwise it’s $20 per monthly recharge. It’s also great to see TPG supporting eSIM for faster activation (and no need to wait for a SIM card delivery) with compatible mobile phones. The Felix Mobile 25GB Mobile Plan and the Lebara Mobile Extra Small Plan – 360 Days were the two other popular plans on the Vodafone network at the start of the month.

You can see the other popular Vodafone network prepaid and SIM-only plans below.

The first question to answer before getting to which mobile plan is right for you is whether you’re using an existing mobile phone or want a new one. If you want a new one, you’ll either have to purchase a compatible prepaid handset or pair a SIM-only mobile plan with a new iPhone or other option. New-model mobile phones can be paid off over 24 or 36 months from participating telcos like Telstra, Optus and Vodafone.

For those happy to use their existing mobile phone, it’s either prepaid or SIM-only. Prepaid plans are great for people who want to control their spending and aren’t overly interested in perks. While prepaid plans are paid in advance of use SIM-only plans are paid at the end of a billing month (except for Telstra Upfront plans).

SIM-only plans are always monthly offerings but prepaid mobile plans have a range of durations, from a day or few to a month-ish—28 days, 30 days or an actual month—and beyond to long-expiry options for 90 days, half a year or a full 12 months. Generally, once prepaid data is exhausted, you have to recharge again, so take into account how much data you need before buying.

With SIM-only mobile plans, you’re more likely to find telcos that offer data banking or data rollover for carrying over unused gigabytes or capped plan speeds if you exhaust your max-speed allocation. Coverage is an important consideration, too. Telstra has the largest mobile network followed by Optus and Vodafone. But if you live in a populous part of Australia, the chances are good you can pick between all three.

That trio may be the respective network owners but there are dozens of telcos that use their networks to offer more competitively priced plans. Effectively, you may be able to get the coverage perks of the network you want without having to pay a premium for it.

Basically every mobile plan these days comes with unlimited national talk and text but if international calls and messaging are important to you, keep an eye out for those. It’s a similar story for international roaming if you like to travel and want the option to use mobile data abroad. There are a range of other perks to help separate closely competing plans, with eSIM being one of the better ones that uses a digital SIM rather than needing to wait for a physical SIM card to arrive.