How Aussie Broadband’s New NBN Plans Stack Up Against the Competition

How Aussie Broadband’s New NBN Plans Stack Up Against the Competition
Contributor: Alex Choros
At Gizmodo, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you'll like too. We have affiliate and advertising partnerships, which means we may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. BTW – prices are accurate and items in stock at the time of posting.

Aussie Broadband has quietly increased its NBN plan evening speeds, making it one the fastest providers around for most speed tiers.

The telco is now advertising typical evening speeds of 248Mbps on NBN 250 plans, 99Mbps on NBN 100 plans, 50Mbps on NBN 50 plans, 25Mbps on NBN 25 plans, and 12Mbps on NBN 12 plans. In short, Aussie is saying customers should essentially get the maximum speed their plan is capable of the vast majority of the time.

Typical evening speeds refer to the NBN performance customers can expect between 7pm and 11pm – the busiest part of the day. While speeds are typically slower than the maximum speed your plan is capable of, Aussie customers shouldn’t see any difference in performance.

Given Aussie Broadband plans to attract a premium price-tag, all-but-congestion-free performance certainly helps make them more appealing. With that in mind, we’re going to take a look at how they stack to the rest of the market.

Aussie Broadband plans

Before we start, here’s the complete range of unlimited Aussie Broadband plans:

Unlimited NBN 250 plans compared

Aussie Broadband is now reporting typical evening speeds of 248Mbps on NBN 250 plans, making it the fastest provider on this speed tier by quite some margin. Aussie Broadband’s NBN 250 plan will set you back $129 per month.

For comparison, other major providers like Telstra, Optus, and Superloop only report typical evening speeds of 215Mbps on NBN 250 plans. Superloop is the cheapest of these, charging $99.95 per month for your first six months and then $119.95 per month thereafter. This offer is only available until January 31, however.

Excluding timed discounts, MyRepublic has the cheapest NBN 250 plan around – billed at $109 per month – but only reports typical evening speeds of 150Mbps.

Unlimited NBN 100 plans compared

Aussie Broadband’s new speed claims make it the second fastest major NBN provider around, bested only by Telstra. Telstra is promising typical evening speeds of 100Mbps on NBN 100 plans, 1Mbps faster than Aussie.

Telstra is however also pricier than Aussie. Aussie Broadband charges $99 per month for its NBN 100 plan, while Telstra charges $110 per month. Telstra is however running a promotional where you’ll save $10 per month for your first six months, bringing your initial bill to $100 per month. Just be aware that while Telstra’s plan is contract-free, you’ll need to pay out a modem fee if you leave within your first two years. This is equivalent to $9 multiplied by the number of months left in your term.

Aussie Broadband’s plan is completely contract-free.

TPG and iiNet sit in equal third when it comes to evening speeds, both promising 95Mbps on their NBN 100 plans. Both providers also have promos going. TPG is doing a discount on your first six months, where you’ll pay $79.99 per month initially, and $89.99 per month thereafter.

You’ll need to commit to a six-month contract to get this deal.

iiNet will charge you $89.99 per month for your first year, and $99.99 per month thereafter. The plan is completely contract-free.

On the other side of the pricing spectrum, you could look at Superloop and SpinTel who both report still respectable typical evening speeds of 90Mbps. Superloop will charge you $74.95 per month for your first six months, and $89.95 per month thereafter. This offer ends on January 31, however. SpinTel will charge you $74 per month for your first six months, and $84.95 per month thereafter.

When you avoid timed promos, MATE is your cheapest option at a flat $79 per month. You can also save a further $10 per month by bundling a MATE Telstra-powered SIM-only plan onto your account. These start at $20 per month with 5GB, but the $25 per month plan with 18GB is a much better buy. MATE reports typical evening speeds of 83Mbps.

Unlimited NBN 50 plans compared

Aussie is essentially promising no congestion at all on its NBN 50 plan, with its new typical evening speeds of 50Mbps. This puts it in equal first place alongside Telstra, the only other telco to make such a bold speed claim.

You’ll certainly pay for the privilege however, with an Aussie NBN 50 plan setting you back $79 per month. Telstra’s NBN 50 plan will set you back $80 per month for your first six months, and then $90 per month thereafter.

Both plans are contract-free but if you’ll pay a modem fee if you leave Telstra within your first two years. This is equivalent to $9 multiplied by the number of months left in your term.

iiNet and TPG once again sit in second place, reporting identical typical evening speeds of 48Mbps. You’ll pay $69.99 per month on TPG, or $74.99 per month on iiNet. TPG requires you to sign a six-month contract (which also gets you a modem), whereas iiNet’s plan is contract-free.

Vodafone and Kogan now sit in third place for NBN 50 plan evening speeds, reporting 46Mbps. Kogan is the cheaper of the pair, charging $63.90 per month for your first six months, and $71.90 per month thereafter.

Vodafone has its own promo: you’ll pay $65 per month for your first six months, and $75 per month thereafter. If you’re a Vodafone mobile customer, you’re eligible for discounts on your NBN if you also go with Vodafone. Vodafone will knock 5% off your total monthly bill for every postpaid service you have on your account after the first, up to a maximum discount of 20% if you have five services.

And if you’re after something cheaper, consider SpinTel’s NBN 50 plan. You’ll pay $59 per month for your first six months and $64.95 per month thereafter. Even at full price, it’s one of the cheapest NBN 50 plans around, and better yet, you’ll still get very respectable evening speeds of 45Mbps.


Alex Choros is Managing Editor at WhistleOut, Australia’s phone and internet comparison website.


The Cheapest NBN 50 Plans

It’s the most popular NBN speed in Australia for a reason. Here are the cheapest plans available.

At Gizmodo, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you'll like too. We have affiliate and advertising partnerships, which means we may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. BTW – prices are accurate and items in stock at the time of posting.