Shopping for your next phone plan? If you're looking to pick up a shiny new mobile from a telco, you're probably thinking about signing up with one of Australia's three largest providers: Telstra, Optus or Vodafone.
But these days, choosing a phone plan comes with a lot to think about. Beyond the simple matter of talk, text and data, there's also handset repayment, excess data management, freebies and rewards to consider.
So to make your choice easier, we've look at the big three side-by-side, comparing:
But before we dive in, here's a quick look at the most popular SIM only plan from each of the three providers:
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#1
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Optus
$60 Optus Choice Plus Plan
$39.00/mth
Min. cost $39
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#2
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Vodafone
$58 Small SIM Only Plan
$45.00/mth
Min. cost $45
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#3
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Telstra
$84 Essential Upfront SIM Plan
$84.00/mth
Min. cost $84
Link not supplied
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Telstra vs. Optus vs. Vodafone: Data inclusions
When it comes to data, Telstra, Optus, and Vodafone plans tend to be fairly similar across the range. Plans start at around 10GB and tend to max out at between 120GB and 180GB per month, and make stops at 40GB-60GB and 80GB-100GB along the way. If you need more than 150GB of data, Optus also has a gold-class plan, known as Optus One, which comes with 500GB of data, and Telstra's Extra Large Plan also has 180GB included data.
All three providers offer plans with "unlimited data". These plans come with a limited amount of full-speed data, and an unlimited supply of speed-capped data which kicks in if you go over your allowance.
"Unlimited" data from Telstra and Optus is capped at speeds of 1.5Mbps, which is still fast enough to stream video in Standard Definition. But speeds may be slower during peak times when provider networks are congested.
Optus only recently introduced this offer as standard on December 11, 2020. Eligible postpaid customers with the telco prior to this date will need to opt in to the service through the My Optus app while new subscribers will automatically have the data.
Vodafone's unlimited data, dubbed "Infinite data" operates a little bit differently. Plans are split into three categories - Lite, Super and Ultra - each have different capped download speeds of 2Mbps, 10Mbps and 25Mbps respectively.
All of Telstra, Optus and Vodafone's postpaid plans come with this slower "unlimited" data included.
Here are Telstra's SIM-Only plans with unlimited data, which are now called Upfront Plans and are billed before your usage.
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Telstra
$74 Basic Upfront SIM Plan
$74.00/mth
Min. cost $74
Link not supplied
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And here are all of Vodafone's Infinite Plans with unlimited data included.
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#1
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Vodafone
$58 Small SIM Only Plan
$45.00/mth
Min. cost $45
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#2
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Vodafone
$68 Medium SIM Only Plan
$50.00/mth
Min. cost $50
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#3
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Vodafone
$78 Large SIM Only Plan
$55.00/mth
Min. cost $55
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Optus has another 'unlimited' option which looks a bit different to the others. As long as you're paying $30 or more per month for your prepaid or postpaid plan, you can add on a day of unlimited data for $5. Unlike Telstra and Vodafone this unlimited data runs at full speed, but is only valid for 24 hours from the purchase time.
Customers who want full speeds but have more than a day left in their billing cycle can still top up extra data at a fee:
- 2GB: $5
- 10GB: $10
- 30GB: $20
Here's Optus' SIM-Only plans.
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#1
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Optus
$60 Optus Choice Plus Plan
$39.00/mth
Min. cost $39
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#2
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Optus
$69 Optus Promo Plan
$69.00/mth
Min. cost $69
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#3
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Optus
$70 Optus Choice Plus Plan
$70.00/mth
Min. cost $70
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#4
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Optus
$90 Optus Choice Plus Plan
$90.00/mth
Min. cost $90
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Telstra vs. Optus vs. Vodafone: Plan basics
Up until pretty recently, if you were looking for a phone on a plan, you'd be looking at committing to a 24-month lock-in contract. But those days are officially over. Telstra, Optus and Vodafone have all revamped their plans to be completely modular and contract-free.
Each provider offers a core of base plans that you can take up SIM only or pair with a phone. Here's what each provider's core plans look like, paired with the popular iPhone 11 on 24-month repayments.
Once you choose your plan, you add your handset. While there is some variation in terms of which provider sells what phone, you can expect to find all the latest and greatest iPhones, Samsung and Google Pixel devices from all three, and options for Huawei and OPPO devices as well.
Browse plans for popular handsets:
iPhone 18 Pro 256GB
- 6.3 inch display
- Rear Cameras: 48MP, 48MP, 48MP
- Front Camera: 18MP
iPhone 18 Pro Max 256GB
- 6.9 inch display
- Rear Cameras: 48MP, 48MP, 48MP
- Front Camera: 18MP
iPhone 18 Pro 512GB
- 6.3 inch display
- Rear Cameras: 48MP, 48MP, 48MP
- Front Camera: 18MP
iPhone 18 Pro Max 512GB
- 6.9 inch display
- Rear Cameras: 48MP, 48MP, 48MP
- Front Camera: 18MP
iPhone 18 Pro 1TB
- 6.3 inch display
- Rear Cameras: 48MP, 48MP, 48MP
- Front Camera: 18MP
iPhone 18 Pro Max 1TB
- 6.9 inch display
- Rear Cameras: 48MP, 48MP, 48MP
- Front Camera: 18MP
iPhone 18 Pro 2TB
- 6.3 inch display
- Rear Cameras: 48MP, 48MP, 48MP
- Front Camera: 18MP
iPhone 18 Pro Max 2TB
- 6.9 inch display
- Rear Cameras: 48MP, 48MP, 48MP
- Front Camera: 18MP
iPhone 17 256GB
- 6.3 inch display
- Rear Cameras: 48MP, 48MP
- Front Camera: 18MP
iPhone 17e 256GB
- 6.1 inch display
- Rear Cameras: 48MP, 12MP
- Apple iOS 26.3
Whichever provider or phone you pick, you'll be able to pay it off over the interest-free period of your choice. With Optus and Vodafone you can pay off your phone over 12, 24 or 36 months. Telstra only offers 24-month repayment plans
Whichever repayment period you choose, you'll end up paying the same amount for your phone overall. That means you can happily make your repayment plan shorter or longer, without penalty. Choosing a 36-month plan will mean you'll pay a lower monthly bill but take three years to own your phone. Choosing a 12-month plan will mean higher monthly costs upfront, but owning your phone in a third of the time.
Plans from Telstra, Optus and Vodafone are all contract-free. This means you can step up or down plan tiers month-to-month, if you need more data or less, for example, or want more of other inclusions like international calls. It also means you can leave your telco entirely without paying an early exit fee. But be aware that if you do want to leave, you'll have to pay out the remaining value of your handset.
For example, say you've bought a new iPhone from Vodafone but decide you prefer Telstra instead. You can't just hop on over to a Telstra SIM card and keep up your monthly iPhone repayments to Vodafone. Instead, you'll have to pay Vodafone whatever you still owe on your handset as a lump sum.
Telstra vs. Optus vs. Vodafone: Coverage
Of course, how much your plan costs and how much data comes with it is not really relevant if you can't get a signal. Telstra, Optus, and Vodafone each have their own mobile networks, and so coverage can differ from provider to provider.
Telstra is generally recognised as the best Australian mobile network, covering 99.4% of the Australian population. Optus and Vodafone aren't far behind, however, covering 98.5% and 96% respectively.
If you live in a large city or urban centre, the good news is, you'll probably get the same coverage from any one of the three. Those few percentage points of difference mostly affect regional and rural areas of Australia. See our coverage guide for a closer look at coverage maps for all three providers.
As well as having the largest Australian network, Telstra also lays claim to the title of "fastest" thanks to its 4GX network technology, with download speeds of up to 450Mbps. By comparison, standard 4G networks tend to be able to achieve speeds of between 20Mbps to 100Mbps, in real-world conditions. However, it's important to note that 4GX isn't available across Telstra's entire network.
If you want coverage even faster than 4GX, Telstra, Optus and Vodafone have started rolling out 5G networks across Australia, and have also started ranging 5G phones with plans. However, these 5G networks are still very much in their infancy, and coverage is still pretty limited at this stage. This should improve over the course of this and next year.
Telstra vs. Optus vs. Vodafone: International calls
As is the case with international roaming, Australia's big three telcos each handle international calling inclusions quite differently.
If you're looking at a plan with Telstra, you won't be able to get any international calls included as a standard feature on mobile phone bundles plans but you can on Upfront Plans. These new SIM-only deals come with 30 minutes standard talk to destinations outside of Australia and unlimited text.
If you're on any other Telstra postpaid plan instead, you'll have the option to add an international call pack on top of your plan, if you need it. Telstra's international call pack costs an extra $10 per month and comes with unlimited calls to 20 selected countries. You can also add these packs to your Upfront Plan if you love a chat.
Optus takes a different approach to international calls. All Optus mobile plans that cost $49 or more (not including handset repayments) come with unlimited international talk and text to 35 selected countries as a standard feature. If you want a smaller plan that still has international calls included, you can "build your own plan" with Optus, pairing the data and international calling inclusions of your choice.
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#1
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Optus
$69 Optus Promo Plan
$69.00/mth
Min. cost $69
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#2
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Optus
$70 Optus Choice Plus Plan
$70.00/mth
Min. cost $70
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#3
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Optus
$90 Optus Choice Plus Plan
$90.00/mth
Min. cost $90
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Vodafone plans are different again. On plans that cost $45 or more before discounts (handset repayments not included), international calls are included on a tiered system, with each plan including a large amount of international minutes to Vodafone's Zone 1 countries and a smaller amount of minutes to Vodafone's Zone 2 countries. The more you pay per month for your plan, the more minutes you will end up with to call Zone 1 and Zone 2 countries. No Vodafone plans come with unlimited international calls.
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#1
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Vodafone
$58 Small SIM Only Plan
$45.00/mth
Min. cost $45
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#2
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Vodafone
$68 Medium SIM Only Plan
$50.00/mth
Min. cost $50
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#3
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Vodafone
$78 Large SIM Only Plan
$55.00/mth
Min. cost $55
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Telstra vs. Optus vs. Vodafone: Free stuff
When you buy a phone on a plan, as well as scoring yourself a top-notch device without the pain of having to pay upfront, you also tend to nab yourself some freebies. Australian telcos have now long been in the game of pimping plans with perks.
Telstra did provide some of the highest value extras, but since the switch to Upfront Plans these have dwindled. Now all Upfront plans come with data-free music streaming through Apple Music but no longer have access to Telstra Air or the telco's public WiFi. Eventually every Telstra customer will be ported on to an Upfront Plan, until that time previous plan iterations should maintain their other perks unless the provider decides to yeet them early.
Optus also offers a decent haul of goodies with phone plans. While Optus' cheapest plan is fairly bare-bones, plans worth $49 or more (not including handset repayments) come with a free subscription to Optus Sport. This comes with streaming access to international football including the English Premier League and the UEFA Champions League.
Vodafone plans don't come with any free subscriptions or data-free streaming extras.
Telstra vs. Optus vs. Vodafone: International roaming
Telstra, Optus, and Vodafone take very different approaches when it comes to global roaming inclusions on phone plans.
Telstra doesn't include roaming on any plan. If you want to take your phone overseas with Telstra, you'll have to buy an International Day pass. It costs $5 if you're visiting New Zealand and $10 per day for other selected destinations, and includes 500MB of roaming day per day, plus unlimited talk and text (excluding MMS).
Optus, on the other hand, offers standard roaming inclusions with its higher-end mobile plans. If you get your phone with the $59 Optus plan, you'll get 2GB of roaming data plus unlimited roaming talk and text to use in Optus' "Zone 1" destinations (predominantly Asia Pacific, Europe, and North America). If you buy the $79 Optus plan your roaming data allowance increases to 4GB. If you buy Optus' $119 "Optus One" plan, your roaming data allowance will increase to 10GB.
If you want one of Optus' cheaper mobile plans, that doesn't mean you miss out on the opportunity to roam. But you will need to buy a roaming Travel Pack. Like the Telstra International Day Pass, an Optus Roaming Pass costs $10 per day and includes 1GB of roaming data, plus unlimited roaming talk and text, to use in Optus' Zone 1 countries. The catch however is that these inclusions are only valid for 24 hours. Alternatively, you can use Optus' "build your own plan" feature, which allows you to pair your preferred data allowance with your preferred roaming allowance, plus your preferred international calls allowance, and more.
The way Vodafone handles roaming on mobile plans is different again. All Vodafone plans come with the telco's signature $5 roaming deal. This means that if you travel to selected destinations overseas, you can continue using your plan and its inclusions just like you would at home, at the additional cost of $5 per day.
Telstra vs. Optus vs. Vodafone: Loyalty rewards
If all the data, the freebies, the international roaming and call inclusions that come with phone plans these days weren't enough for you, there's also telco customer rewards programs to consider.
All customers on Telstra mobile plans get the opportunity to benefit from the Telstra Plus program. Much like a frequent flyer program, on Telstra Plus with every dollar you spend on your monthly bill you'll accumulate points which can then be used to buy tech, including smartphones, wireless headphones and buds, smart speakers, and more.
On top of rewards points, with Telstra Plus you'll also get discounted movie tickets through Event and BCC cinemas, as well as discounts and presale tickets for selected concerts and events. Depending on how much you spend on your monthly bill, you may also gain entry to Telstra Plus silver or gold membership tiers which entitle you to extra tech support, Telstra TV Box Office credit and limited-time free subscriptions to Kayo Sport and Binge.
Optus mobile customers, on the other hand, get access to the Optus Perks program. Benefits include discounted movie tickets through Hoyts and selected independent cinemas, discounted tickets to selected theme parks and "experiences", as well as presale tickets to selected concerts and events. Optus One customers are eligible for extra perks, which include complimentary starters at over 300 restaurants around Australia, provided each person purchases a main meal or spends $50 per booking.
Vodafone doesn't run a perks or rewards program for its mobile customers. However, if you do go with Vodafone for your mobile plan, you can get a discount by bundling your plan with other services. Vodafone will take 5% off your monthly bill for every extra mobile plan, NBN plan or mobile broadband plan that you bundle, to a maximum of four bundled plans. The bundle discount is applied across all bundled plans, which means if you bundle your mobile and NBN plan, you'll get 5% off each.
Jacqui Dent
Editorial Strategist
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