- Cheap NBN 25 plans: from $45 per month
- Cheap NBN 50 plans: from $55 per month
- Cheap NBN 100 plans: from $64 per month
- Cheapest NBN 250 plans: from $79 per month
- Cheapest NBN 1000 plans: from $95 per month
- What about cheap NBN 12 Plans?
- How much can you save with a cheap NBN plan?
- Things to consider when signing up to a cheap NBN plan
- Cheap NBN plan FAQs
Looking for a cheap NBN plan that suits your budget? You've come to the right place, there are plenty of cheaper NBN plan options in the market that you can pick from.
The most affordable NBN plans we have in our database are due to promotional discounts - you’ll get a generous discount for a short period (usually at least six months) before it reverts to full price.
See cheap NBN plans across speed tiers
Here are the cheapest NBN plans from WhistleOut's database of 33 internet providers.
It's worth comparing across speed tiers. With wholesale NBN price changes over the last couple of years the difference between the price of an NBN 50 plan and NBN 100 plan for example has significantly narrowed. With the NBN 100 plan often coming in at better value for money for a few dollars extra per month.
Below we further outline the cheapest NBN plans in our database for each speed tier.
Cheap NBN 25 plans
Budget: $45-$85 per month
- Cheap internet deals as low as $49 per month
- No contracts
- Unlimited data
- Only suited for a maximum of two people
- Prices jump significantly after promo periods end
- Slow upload speeds can make working from home difficult
Households of two people or less with basic internet needs can get away with an NBN 25 plan (with max speeds of 25 Mbps). These aren’t the fastest NBN plans around but can accommodate almost all online activities for one person. The downside is the upload speeds. At a maximum upload speed of 5Mbps, sending large attachments and even online gaming can be difficult.
You can get some great deals, bringing NBN 25 prices down to around $50 per month in some cases. These prices only last for six months but the good news is that these cheap no-contract NBN plans mean you can always switch over once the promo is up. Plus save even more money when you bundle your internet with your mobile phone.
Currently, the cheapest NBN 25 plan in WhistleOut's database is: MATE's Crikey NBN plan.
It starts at $40 per month for the first six months, then $70 per month ongoing. Compare the cheapest NBN 25 plan with other cheap NBN 25 plans in our database:

Cheap NBN 50 plans
Budget: $55-$100 per month
- Great balance between affordability and speed
- Cheap unlimited data
- Plenty of NBN 50 deals around
- May still not be fast enough for large households
- Can get pricier once discounts run out
If you're struggling to work out what NBN speed you need, note that the majority of Australian households connected to the NBN are on an NBN 50 plan. This speed tier is the best of both worlds: it’s not too expensive and gets you good internet speeds. Generally, this tier should offer fast enough NBN speeds for a four-person household, provided that you don't all work from home together at the same time.
Although the price of an NBN 50 unlimited
plan is decent during the promotional period they do get more expensive once the discount
expires. You can pay around $59 per month for the cheapest NBN 50 plans or around $80 without a
promotional discount. To take advantage of the discounts long-term, look out for no-contract plans where you can
bring your own modem and think about switching after your discount is up. Another option to
save some dough would be to bundle your
internet with your home phone.
Currently, the cheapest NBN 50 plan in WhistleOut's database is: Dodo's NBN 50 Unlimited plan.
It starts at $59.75 per month for the first six months, then $83.90 per month ongoing. Compare the cheapest NBN 50 plan with other cheap NBN 50 plans in our database:
Cheap NBN 100 plans
Budget: $64-$110 per month
- The fastest NBN speed tier available for some technology types
- Should be enough for large households
- Not available on every NBN technology type
- Same upload speeds as NBN 50 plans
NBN 100 plans are super fast but unfortunately, not every NBN technology type can achieve NBN 100 speeds. Fibre to the Node (FTTN) connections further than 300m from the node won't be able to get these plans and it's just not available for those on Fixed Wireless and Satellite connections.
The cheapest NBN 100 plans can come down to around $64 per month while post-promotional pricing ranges between $85 and $110 per month.
If you're on the right technology type, then an NBN 100 plan should be more than enough for households of four people or more. The downside however is that most plans on this speed tier cap upload speeds at 20Mbps - the same as an NBN 50 plan. This can be a bottleneck if you regularly upload large files.
There are still NBN 100/40 options available, which doubles your maximum upload speed. But these are few and far between and negate the 'budget' aspect of an NBN plan.
Currently, the cheapest NBN 100/20 plan in WhistleOut's database is: MATE's No Worries plan.
It starts at $60 per month for the first six months, then $90 per month ongoing. Compare the cheapest NBN 100/20 plan with other cheap NBN 100/20 plans in our database:
Currently, the cheapest NBN 100/40 plan in WhistleOut's database is: MATE's You Beaut plan.
It starts at $70 per month for the first six months, then $100 per month ongoing. Compare the cheapest NBN 100/40 plan with other NBN 100/40 plans in our database:
"Because the bulk of deals only last the first six months it's a good idea to switch NBN providers when they end. Sometimes the price only goes up by $5 but other plans go up by a lot more.
There are so many providers that if you keep switching to a cheap NBN plan, you could likely avoid paying full price indefinitely."
Dylan Crismale, Digital Content Editor
Cheapest NBN 250 plans
Budget: $79-$115 per month
- Very fast download speeds, good upload speeds
- Plenty of no-contract options
- These plans aren't cheap
- Only available on FTTP and HFC
All Hybrid Fibre Coaxial (HFC) and Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) connection types can get speeds of up to 250Mbps with an NBN 250 plan, but no other technology type can achieve these downloads.
Customers can pay just over $75 per month for an NBN 250 plan but pricing after promotional discounts reach figures of $115 or higher, which is why we highly recommend choosing no-contract plans.
While faster speeds tend to come with more considerable fees, that doesn't mean that you can’t nab a bargain. Look out for promotional discounts, and get used to changing NBN providers every six months or so. It might seem like a big ask, but it’s not that hard to switch internet providers these days.
Currently, the cheapest NBN 250 plan in WhistleOut's database is: SpinTel's NBN Unlimited 250 plan.
It starts at $78 per month for the first six months, then $89.95 per month ongoing. Compare the cheapest NBN 250 plan with other cheap NBN 250 plans in our database:
Cheapest NBN 1000 plans
Budget: $95-$170 per month
- As fast as you can get
- 50Mbps maximum upload speeds
- Comes with bragging rights
- Typical evening speeds are still relatively low
- Only available on FTTP and HFC
- Not a budget option
Big NBN speeds normally mean big price tags, so when it comes to NBN 1000 plans you may need to abandon the idea of cheap NBN. In saying that, there are deals that do bring the monthly price down for a limited period. The cheapest NBN 1000 plans are available from $95 but they can climb to over $170 without a promo discount.
However, NBN 1000 plans come with their own rules. You'll need to be on an FTTP or HFC connection to access this speed tier. If you can, you'll get 50Mbps upload speeds as well, which is the fastest and some of the best upload speeds available on a consumer-grade NBN plan.
The downside however is that typical evening speeds for NBN 1000 plans still vary widely. Where NBN 50 plans tend to have typical evening speeds sitting between 48Mbps and 50Mbps, NBN 1000 plans can be as low as 250Mbps and up to 975Mbps.
Currently, the cheapest NBN 1000 plan in WhistleOut's database is: Superloop's Lightspeed plan, which starts at $89 for the first six months. After six months Superloop's plan costs $109 per month ongoing.
Compare the cheapest NBN 1000 plans with other cheap NBN 1000 plans in our database:
Note: The cheapest plans in our database are accurate as of time of writing. The plans within the database itself are updated on a daily basis.
What about cheap NBN 12 plans?
When it comes to cheap NBN plans you'd expect NBN 12 to be the cheapest option, but that's not currently the case. The cheapest NBN 12 speed tier plans in our database start at $47.80 per month. This is more expensive than the price of the cheapest NBN 25 plan, which comes in at as low $40 for the first six months. With these points in mind, we don't recommend signing up for one.
Here are the cheapest NBN 12 plans in our database:
How much can you save with a cheap NBN plan?
You don't have to switch to a lower speed tier to find a saving. If you've been with the one provider for over six months, chances are any discounts have ended and you're no longer on what we'd consider a "cheap NBN plan".
The table below shows the price of the cheapest NBN plan in our database compared to the most expensive plan. We've calculated the savings over 12 months if you were to switch. We've included any discounts that were active at the time of writing.
Speed tier | Cheapest plan | Most expensive plan | Savings per year |
---|---|---|---|
NBN 12 | $828/year | $849.88/year | $21.88 |
NBN 25 | $653.70/year | $1,068/year | $414.30 |
NBN 50 | $780/year | $1,260/year | $480 |
NBN 100/20 | $898.80/year | $1,368/year | $469.20 |
NBN 100/40 | $988.80/year | $1,320/year | $331.20 |
NBN 250 | $1,013.70/year | $1,380/year | $366.30 |
NBN 1000 | $1,205.70/year | $1,800/year | $594.30 |
As you can see the savings are significant. Remember to consider other perks and typical evening speeds when switching to a cheaper plan. Plus, our analysis only looks at the 12-month price of two individual plans. You may find further savings by switching to one cheaper plan for six months, followed by another.
Things to consider when signing up to a cheap NBN plan
There are a couple of things to consider when signing up for a cheap NBN plan.
Limited-time discounts
While new customer offers are good value for money they generally only last for 3-6 months before you'll need to pay full price. That's why we recommend switching every six months or so.
You can sort NBN plans by lowest 12 month cost in our database.
BYO modem
Many cheap NBN providers allow you to bring your own internet modem.
If you don't have your own you'll need to buy one, either from your provider or online. Just make sure it's compatible.
Fewer features
Generally, the list of perks that come with a cheap NBN plan is short.
You usually sacrifice things like: rewards programs, 4G back-up modems, bundling options and other benefits like optimisation for gaming.
Check out our handy table below to see how various providers compare in terms of extras:
Provider | Perks | Streaming offers | 4G Backup | Bundle discount | Referral bonus |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Aussie Broadband | - | - | - | ||
Belong | - | - | - | - | |
Dodo | - | - | - | - | |
Exetel | - | - | - | ||
iiNet | - | - | - | ||
iPrimus | - | - | - | - | |
Kogan | - | - | - | - | - |
MATE | - | - | - | ||
Moose | - | - | - | - | - |
Optus | - |
- | - | ||
Origin | - | - | - | - | |
SpinTel | - | - | - | ||
Superloop | - | - | - | ||
Tangerine | - | - | - | - | |
Telstra | - | - | |||
TPG | - | - | - | - | - |
Vodafone | - |
Last updated February 2025
Cheap NBN plan FAQs
What is the cheapest NBN plan in Australia?
The cheapest NBN plans in our database tend to be NBN 25 plans under $50 per month. Currently, that's MATE's Crikey NBN plan which costs $40 a month for the first six months, and $70 a month ongoing. Moose's NBN 12 plan is $47.80 per month. As it's much slower than an NBN 25 plan we wouldn't recommend signing up for it and paying extra.
What are the cheapest fast NBN plans?
These days, most internet plans are unlimited. This means once you reach your data limit the speeds will simply slow down. The NBN 100 speed tier is your cheapest option for what we’d consider a fast internet plan.
How much is an NBN 25 plan?
NBN 25 plans are usually the cheapest NBN plans available with prices starting from $40 per month with MATE. This is with MATE's introductory offer for the first six months, afterwards the price is around $70 ongoing.
Is NBN 50 fast enough?
NBN 50 is the most popular speed tier on the market because it is the sweet spot between affordability and good speeds. NBN 50 plans offer plenty of oomph for streaming content online, downloading games, checking socials and working comfortably from home.
Why are NBN plans so expensive?
Compared to other developed countries internet services the NBN is quite expensive. To a degree, NBN plans are expensive because the government needs to recoup the costs of the NBN set-up in the first place. NBN Co sets a standard price for plans wholesale.
New NBN wholesale pricing has every speed tier going up by at least $2 per month on July 1 this year.
How do I switch to a cheap NBN plan?
Switching to a cheaper NBN plan is easier and faster than you'd think! If you're sticking with the same provider, downgrading your plan can often be done with a quick phone call or in the app.
There are a few basic things to keep in mind before you do, especially if you switch providers completely. These include backing up data, getting all your equipment organised, making sure your contract period is up or if there's a good time to leave, for example at the end of a billing period.
For an in-depth step-by-step guide, we have an article detailing the whole process of how to switch NBN providers or sign up for a new plan.
Got questions? We've got answers. Whether you want to know what the NBN is, how to connect, if you have to connect, how much it will cost, what the alternatives are, or something else entirely, check out our complete guide to the NBN.
19/11/2024: We fact-checked this guide and updated it with the latest information regarding the cheapest NBN plans available at the time of writing on WhistleOut Australia.
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