We pick the best internet providers based on their popularity with the hundreds of thousands of Australians who use WhistleOut each month.
Keep scrolling to compare plans from among the 33 providers in our database, which we've separated based on speed tier and internet technology such as fixed-line NBN, 5G and 4G home wireless, NBN Fixed Wireless, and NBN Satellite. If you're after a new home internet provider, there's a good chance we've got you covered.
If your search for the best internet service provider (ISP) is focused on speed, there's not much difference between most telcos for NBN 100 plans and under.
"Just about every internet provider in Australia reports typical evening speeds of 95Mbps or above for fixed-line NBN 100 plans.
Performance is more varied once you get to NBN 250. And for NBN 1000, there can be huge differences. So if you're after a Superfast or Ultrafast NBN plan, check the advertised typical evening speeds before signing up."
Alex Angove-Plumb, Digital Content Editor at WhistleOut
Best internet providers for NBN plans
Judging by popularity on WhistleOut, the 10 best internet providers for fixed-line NBN in our database last month were Dodo, Tangerine Telecom, Exetel, SpinTel, Superloop, Optus, Aussie Broadband, TPG, iiNet and Swoop. Given Telstra's huge market share, we've also included them in our comparison. Given its market share, we'll also include Telstra plans in our comparison.
Not every provider has a plan for each speed tier, but there's usually only a gap or two. Here are the current NBN plans from each of this month's top internet providers, sorted by plan popularity:
Fixed-line NBN internet plans are generally the most stable option for home internet in Australia. Connection strength doesn't tend to fluctuate as much as other technologies, and the average speeds of most internet providers get close to or equal their maximum for downloads and uploads, according to data from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). At least, this is the case for NBN 25, 50, and 100 plans. The ACCC currently doesn't provide substantial records for faster plans, but the advertised typical evening speeds vary quite a bit between internet providers for NBN 250 and NBN 1000.
Fibre to the Node (FTTN) muddies the waters a little. On the whole, FTTN connections are still fairly reliable, but are less likely to reach those max speeds (especially for NBN 100) than Fibre to the Premises (FTTP), Fibre to the Curb (FTTC), and Hybrid Fibre Coaxial (HFC). FTTN connections can't sign up to NBN 250 or NBN 1000.
For more plans from the most popular internet providers of last month, click these ISP buttons:
5G and 4G home internet providers
There aren't many major 5G and 4G home internet providers, so instead of looking at the most popular ones in our database, we'll rank them by price.
Home wireless internet plans are similar to regular 4G and 5G mobile phone plans. But unlike mobile plans, home wireless internet plans come with much more data (many are unlimited), as well as a WiFi router similar to the one you'd use for the NBN.
Check out home wireless plans to find out if home wireless is best for you:
Thanks to the quality of mobile networks in Australia, 4G and 5G home wireless can sometimes be better than fixed-line NBN internet plans, depending on where you live and what you need. If all you want is speed (i.e. bandwidth), 5G home internet plans can actually be better value than the NBN. It really just depends on the strength of your NBN connection compared to how well-serviced your property is by any of the Telstra, Optus, or Vodafone mobile networks.
But it's not all about speed. Wireless internet connections can be less stable than fixed-line, particularly during bad weather, causing connection strength to jump up and down. This isn't as much of a problem as it used to be, especially with 5G, but if you have gamers in the house they might notice fluctuations in ping.
For more plans from the most popular home wireless internet providers of last month, click these ISP buttons:
Fixed Wireless and Satellite NBN providers
There aren't nearly as many Fixed Wireless (FW) and Satellite NBN ISPs as there are for other connection types, so you don't have to sort through as many to find the one that best suits your needs.
Thankfully, we still have enough Fixed Wireless internet providers in our database to gather the five most popular from last month. They are: Swoop, Dodo, Tangerine Telecom, TPG, and iiNet.
Here are the current most-popular Fixed Wireless plans with at least 500GB data from our ISP shortlist, as well as a popular selection of NBN Satellite plans:
While Fixed Wireless NBN can be good enough for some, it can be frustrating in comparison to other internet technologies. If you've had trouble with it in the past, it's worth checking if a home wireless 5G or 4G plan might provide a better experience.
For NBN Satellite plans, the list of internet providers is already too short to trim down further based on popularity. On top of fewer providers to choose from, it's also possible you don't have any other viable technology options in your area, such as home wireless internet. As such, your ISP and connection choices are probably limited.
Internet provider pricing
When searching for the best internet provider for your needs, be careful to double-check the fine print around plan pricing. In particular, many or most NBN plans these days offer one price for the first six or so months, after which the monthly cost goes up.
Your chosen internet provider might also force or strongly encourage you to include a WiFi modem in your monthly repayments. In these cases, cancelling the plan within a given time frame can incur additional fees (to pay off the WiFi modem).
To get a more detailed overview of plan prices, click 'View full results' at the bottom of the comparison tables above.
How we pick the best internet providers
Popularity data is based on users who click a 'Go to site' button for plans on WhistleOut. This gives us a good indication of how popular each internet provider is with our visitors, but it also means we can't gauge the popularity of providers with which we don't have active affiliate links ('Go to site' buttons). As such, those providers can't be accurately included in our popularity roundups.
Our picks are updated each month, based on the previous month's popularity data.
FAQs for choosing an internet provider
Now you've had an introduction to some of Australia's internet providers, let's look at a few dos and don'ts when picking a new internet plan for your household.
How much data do you need?
Your data needs will depend on what you use your internet connection for, but the modern market makes it pretty easy – most home internet plans are either unlimited, so your usage doesn't really matter. There are still a few plans with large limits, such as 1TB, but only the most data-hungry households will come close to this.
Some internet providers still offer smaller plans, such as 200GB per month. This might cover your family, but it won't cost much more to get an unlimited data plan and use the internet worry free.
If you'd like more info, check out our in-depth guide on internet speed and data usage.
How fast should your internet plan be?
Choosing the speed of an internet plan is an important consideration, but it can be hard to find the sweet spot without experimentation.
For example, if you choose a 25Mbps NBN plan, and you have six people in your house regularly using the internet, if everyone is online at once then they're only getting about 4Mbps each, which will quickly start to fray those relationships.
For most homes, we recommend you start with NBN 50 or NBN 100 plans. While NBN 50 speeds are more than enough for many households, NBN 100 plans can be better value for money thanks to incentivised pricing from NBN Co.
Should you get an internet plan on contract?
For the most part, NBN plans are contract-free. Very few providers will ask you to commit to a longer contract, but in some cases, you can sign up to avoid paying a modem fee if you need new hardware.
This lack of contracts is great because many internet providers will charge a lower monthly price for the first six months, then raise your monthly payments thereafter. Changing providers every six months is a good way to save money (switching internet providers is usually pretty easy), but be sure to keep an eye on the calendar to avoid paying extra.
You should also check if you're required to include extra hardware in your monthly payments, such as a WiFi router. If you do, you'll still need to pay off the outstanding amount for the hardware if you decide to switch providers.
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