NBN typical evening speeds explained and compared

By Alex Choros

Last updated 23 July 2024

Contents

In this typical evening speed guide:

What are NBN typical evening speeds?
Which providers have the fastest NBN evening speeds?
Choosing the right NBN speed tier
Want more information about the NBN?
Typical evening speed FAQs

If you've been shopping around for a new plan you may have noticed that internet providers advertise their NBN plans' "evening speeds". Also known as "NBN peak hour speeds", these are often slower than the maximum you can expect on your plan and can vary greatly from provider to provider.

So what are NBN evening speeds, what do they mean for your connection and, most importantly, which providers have the fastest?

What are NBN typical evening speeds?

NBN connections can slow down when it gets busy. You can think of it like a traffic jam on the highway. However, instead of peak hour traffic when people are headed home at the end of the day it's everyone in the neighbourhood jumping online to browse, download and stream.

An NBN plan's typical evening speed is an indication of how fast your connection will be during the busiest period of the day. This is considered to be between 7pm and 11pm at night.

Just how much do NBN connections slow down during peak hours? It varies greatly from provider to provider. But as an example here are the ranges of typical evening speeds you might experience on your NBN plan, based on 33 providers in WhistleOut's database.

Typical evening speeds

Speed tier	Maximum speed	Typical evening speed range
NBN 12 (Basic I)	12Mbps	11-12Mbps	See NBN 12 plans
NBN 25 (Basic II)	25Mbps	22-25Mbps	See NBN 25 plans
NBN 50 (Standard)	50Mbps	48-50Mbps	See NBN 50 plans
NBN 100 (Fast)	100Mbps	90-100Mbps	See NBN 100 plans
NBN 250 (Superfast)	250Mbps	200-250Mbps	See NBN 250 plans
NBN 100 (Ultrafast)	1,000Mbps	250-969Mbps	See NBN 1000 plans

Note: Megabits per second (Mbps) is a measure of the speed at which data can be transferred over the network. The higher the Mbps, the faster your connection will be.

Looking at this table, you can see there's not much difference between the providers with the slowest and fastest reported typical evening speeds on the majority of NBN plans.

In fact, the majority of providers on the NBN 12 to NBN 100 speed tiers report typical evening speeds that are in line with the maximum possible.

It's a different story at the other end of the table. There's a great amount of variance between the slowest and fastest reported typical evening speeds on NBN 250 and NBN 1000 plans. These are the fastest speed tiers you can get. You can click to see plans on each speed tier for a deeper dive.

While it’s now very easy for providers to deliver consistently great speeds on NBN 50 and NBN 100 plans, it’s more challenging to do for NBN 250 and NBN 1000. Achieving high typical evening speeds on these tiers relies on a combination of factors like a provider’s physical infrastructure, network optimisation, and their connectivity to the broader internet.

Which providers have the fastest NBN evening speeds?

Looking for an NBN plan with the very best evening speeds? Want to know how your NBN plan provider compares to the rest?

We've broken down NBN plans by speed tier and organised them by who has the fastest typical evening download speeds. Where the typical evening download speed is the same, plans are ranked by cheapest instead.

#1	MATE	MATE Crikey nbn 25/10 nbn® 25/10 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $30/mth off for the first 6 mths (code MATE30) + 1-month money back guarantee + Bundle & Save $40/mth Min. cost $40 Link not supplied	$40/mth Min. cost $40	Link not supplied
#2	Southern Phone	Southern Phone nbn Basic nbn® 25/8 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $14/mth off for 12 months! $45/mth for 12 months, then $59/mth. Offer ends 05.08.25 $45/mth Min. cost $45 Link not supplied	$45/mth Min. cost $45	Link not supplied
#3	Moose NBN	Moose NBN nbn 25/10 Value nbn® 25/10 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $14/mth off for first 6 months, then $60.80/month. Ends 30.06.25 $46.80/mth Min. cost $46.80 Link not supplied	$46.80/mth Min. cost $46.80	Link not supplied
#4	Kogan Internet	Kogan Internet Bronze Unlimited nbn® 25/8 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: $46.90/mth for first 6 months and revert back to $68.90/mth thereafter. Offer ends 30.05.25 $46.90/mth Min. cost $46.90 Go to Site	$46.90/mth Min. cost $46.90	Go to Site
#5	SpinTel	SpinTel NBN Unlimited Entry 25 nbn® 25/8 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $12.95 off your plan for first 6 months! $47/mth for first 6 months, then $59.95/mth $47/mth Min. cost $47 Go to Site	$47/mth Min. cost $47	Go to Site
#6	Tangerine Telecom	Tangerine Telecom Value NBN nbn® 25/8.5 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $20/mth off for the first 6 mths, $47.90/month for first 6 months, then $67.90/month + 3 months BINGE. Ends 30.06.25 $47.90/mth Min. cost $47.90 Go to Site	$47.90/mth Min. cost $47.90	Go to Site
#7	amaysim	amaysim Unlimited nbn Quick As nbn® 25/8 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $20/mth off for first 6 months (Incl. Standard Intro Offer), $50/mth for first 6 months, then $70/mth. Ends 30.04.25 $50/mth Min. cost $50 Link not supplied	$50/mth Min. cost $50	Link not supplied
#8	Exetel	Exetel Everyday nbn25 nbn® 25/8.5 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $13/mth off for first 6 months - $50.99/mth for first 6 months, then $63.99/mth. $50.99/mth Min. cost $50.99 Go to Site	$50.99/mth Min. cost $50.99	Go to Site
#9	Dodo	Dodo nbn25 Unlimited Plan nbn® 25/4 Mbps Unlimited Data 12mths Deal: Incl. $15/mth discount for 12 months based on the standard price $68.90/mth. Ends 29.04.25. T&Cs apply. $53.90/mth Min. cost $53.90 Go to Site*	$53.90/mth Min. cost $53.90	Go to Site
#10	Swoop	Swoop nbn® Home Casual nbn® 25/10 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $15/mth off for 6 months with code LOVE15, $54/mth for first 6 months then $69/mth. Offer ends 30.04.25 $54/mth Min. cost $54 Link not supplied	$54/mth Min. cost $54	Link not supplied

#1	Kogan Internet	Kogan Internet Silver Unlimited nbn® 50/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: $59.90/mth for first 6 months and revert back to $78.90/mth thereafter. Offer ends 30.05.25 $59.90/mth Min. cost $59.90 Go to Site	$59.90/mth Min. cost $59.90	Go to Site
#2	Tangerine Telecom	Tangerine Telecom Value Plus NBN nbn® 50/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $23/mth off for the first 6 mths, $59.90/month for first 6 months, then $82.90/month + 3 months BINGE. Ends 30.06.25 $59.90/mth Min. cost $59.90 Go to Site	$59.90/mth Min. cost $59.90	Go to Site
#3	Exetel	Exetel Extra-value nbn50 nbn® 50/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $19/mth off for first 6 months - $60.99/mth for first 6 months, then $79.99/mth. $60.99/mth Min. cost $60.99 Go to Site	$60.99/mth Min. cost $60.99	Go to Site
#4	Moose NBN	Moose NBN nbn 50/20 Premium nbn® 50/20 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $16/mth off for first 6 months, then $79.80/month. Ends 30.06.25 $63.80/mth Min. cost $63.80 Link not supplied	$63.80/mth Min. cost $63.80	Link not supplied
#5	Superloop	Superloop Extra-value nbn50/20 nbn® 50/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Incl. $14/mth off for 6 months! $67/mth for 6 mths, then $81/mth + Free Amazon eero 6+ if you stay connected for 24 mths $67/mth Min. cost $67 Go to Site	$67/mth Min. cost $67	Go to Site
#6	Dodo	Dodo nbn50 Unlimited Plan nbn® 50/17 Mbps Unlimited Data 12mths Deal: Incl. $15/mth discount for 12 months based on the standard price $83.90/mth. Ends 29.04.25. T&Cs apply. $68.90/mth Min. cost $68.90 Go to Site*	$68.90/mth Min. cost $68.90	Go to Site
#7	Swoop	Swoop nbn® Home Everyday nbn® 50/20 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $15/mth off for 6 months with code LOVE15, $69/mth for first 6 months then $84/mth. Offer ends 30.04.25 $69/mth Min. cost $69 Link not supplied	$69/mth Min. cost $69	Link not supplied
#8	iiNet	iiNet nbn50 Liimitless nbn® 50/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $15/mth off for 6 mths – $69.99/mth for first 6 months, then $84.99/mth. Use code SAVE15FOR6. Ends 06.05.25 $69.99/mth Min. cost $69.99 Go to Site	$69.99/mth Min. cost $69.99	Go to Site
#9	TPG	TPG nbn50 Unlimited Plan nbn® 50/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Get Price Beat Guarantee + $69.99/mth for first 6 months, then $84.99/mth. T&Cs apply. $69.99/mth Min. cost $69.99 Go to Site	$69.99/mth Min. cost $69.99	Go to Site
#10	Flip	Flip Unlimited Family nbn50 nbn® 50/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Promotional pricing - $64/mth for first 4 months then $73.90/mth. Offer ends 30.04.25 $73.90/mth Min. cost $64 Go to Site	$73.90/mth Min. cost $64	Go to Site

#1	Southern Phone	Southern Phone nbn Fast nbn® 100/19 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $24/mth off for 12 months! $65/mth for 12 months, then $89/mth. Offer ends 05.08.25 $65/mth Min. cost $65 Link not supplied	$65/mth Min. cost $65	Link not supplied
#2	SpinTel Editor's Pick	SpinTel Editor's Pick NBN Unlimited Premium 100 nbn® 100/18 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $16.95 off your plan for first 6 months! $65/mth for first 6 months, then $81.95/mth $65/mth Min. cost $65 Go to Site	$65/mth Min. cost $65	Go to Site
#3	Moose NBN	Moose NBN nbn 100/20 Elite nbn® 100/20 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $19/mth off for first 6 months, then $84.80/month. Ends 30.06.25 $65.80/mth Min. cost $65.80 Link not supplied	$65.80/mth Min. cost $65.80	Link not supplied
#4	Kogan Internet	Kogan Internet Gold Unlimited nbn® 100/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: $65.90/mth for first 6 months and revert back to $83.90/mth thereafter. Offer ends 30.05.25 $65.90/mth Min. cost $65.90 Go to Site	$65.90/mth Min. cost $65.90	Go to Site
#5	Tangerine Telecom	Tangerine Telecom Speedy NBN nbn® 100/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $20/mth off for the first 6 mths, $65.90/mth for first 6 months, then $85.90/mth + 3 months BINGE. Ends 30.06.25 $65.90/mth Min. cost $65.90 Go to Site	$65.90/mth Min. cost $65.90	Go to Site
#6	Exetel	Exetel Family nbn100/20 nbn® 100/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $19/mth off for first 6 months - $65.99/mth for first 6 months, then $84.99/mth $65.99/mth Min. cost $65.99 Go to Site	$65.99/mth Min. cost $65.99	Go to Site
#7	amaysim	amaysim Unlimited nbn Fast As nbn® 100/18 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $20/mth off for first 6 months (Incl. Standard Intro Offer), $70/mth for first 6 months, then $90/mth. Ends 30.04.25 $70/mth Min. cost $70 Link not supplied	$70/mth Min. cost $70	Link not supplied
#8	Swoop	Swoop nbn® Home Fast nbn® 100/20 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $22/mth off for 6 months with code LOVE22, $72/mth for first 6 mths then $94/mth. Ends 30.04.25 $72/mth Min. cost $72 Link not supplied	$72/mth Min. cost $72	Link not supplied
#9	Dodo	Dodo nbn100 Unlimited Plan nbn® 100/17 Mbps Unlimited Data 12mths Deal: Incl. $15/mth discount for 12 months based on the standard price $88.90/mth. Ends 29.04.25. T&Cs apply. $73.90/mth Min. cost $73.90 Go to Site*	$73.90/mth Min. cost $73.90	Go to Site
#10	Superloop	Superloop Family nbn100/20 nbn® 100/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Incl. $14/mth off 6 months! $75/mth for 6 mths, then $89/mth + Free Amazon eero 6+ if you stay connected for 24 mths $75/mth Min. cost $75 Go to Site	$75/mth Min. cost $75	Go to Site

#1	Southern Phone	Southern Phone nbn Superfast nbn® 250/23 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $20/mth off for 12 months! $75/mth for 12 months, then $95/mth. Offer ends 05.08.25 $75/mth Min. cost $75 Link not supplied	$75/mth Min. cost $75	Link not supplied
#2	Dodo Editor's Pick	Dodo Editor's Pick nbn Home Superfast Plan nbn® 250/21 Mbps Unlimited Data 12mths Deal: Incl. $15/mth discount for 12 months based on the standard price $98.90/mth. Ends 29.04.25. T&Cs apply $83.90/mth Min. cost $83.90 Go to Site*	$83.90/mth Min. cost $83.90	Go to Site
#3	Vodafone	Vodafone Home Superfast nbn® nbn® 250/21 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Save $10/mth for 6 mths + Speed upgrade at no extra cost if you have a mobile phone plan with Vodafone $84/mth Min. cost $84 Link not supplied	$84/mth Min. cost $84	Link not supplied
#4	Kogan Internet	Kogan Internet nbn250 Platinum Unlimited nbn® 250/21 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: $84.90/mth for first 6 months and revert back to $94.90/mth thereafter. Offer ends 30.05.25 $84.90/mth Min. cost $84.90 Go to Site	$84.90/mth Min. cost $84.90	Go to Site
#5	Tangerine Telecom	Tangerine Telecom SuperSpeedy NBN nbn® 250/21 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $20/mth off for the first 6 mths, $84.90/month for first 6 months, then $104.90/month + 3 months BINGE. Ends 30.06.25 $84.90/mth Min. cost $84.90 Go to Site	$84.90/mth Min. cost $84.90	Go to Site
#6	iiNet	iiNet nbn Home Superfast Liimitless nbn® 250/21 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $15/mth off for 6 mths - $84.99/mth for first 6 months, then $99.99/mth. Use code SAVE15FOR6. Ends 06.05.25 $84.99/mth Min. cost $84.99 Go to Site	$84.99/mth Min. cost $84.99	Go to Site
#7	TPG	TPG nbn Home Superfast Unlimited Plan nbn® 250/21 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Get Price Beat Guarantee + $84.99/mth for first 6 months, then $99.99/mth. T&Cs apply. $84.99/mth Min. cost $84.99 Go to Site	$84.99/mth Min. cost $84.99	Go to Site
#8	Superloop	Superloop Superfast nbn250/25 nbn® 250/21 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Incl. $14/mth off for 6 months! $85/mth for 6 mths, then $99/mth + Free Amazon eero 6+ if you stay connected for 24 mths $85/mth Min. cost $85 Go to Site	$85/mth Min. cost $85	Go to Site
#9	Skymesh	Skymesh NBN Wireless Fast nbn® Wireless Superfast Speed Unlimited Data $89.95/mth Min. cost $89.95 Go to Site	$89.95/mth Min. cost $89.95	Go to Site
#10	iPrimus	iPrimus Home Superfast nbn250 Plan nbn® 250/21 Mbps Unlimited Data $104/mth Min. cost $104 Go to Site	$104/mth Min. cost $104	Go to Site

#1	Skymesh	Skymesh NBN Wireless Superfast nbn® Wireless Ultrafast Speed Unlimited Data $104.95/mth Min. cost $104.95 Go to Site	$104.95/mth Min. cost $104.95	Go to Site
#2	Flip	Flip Unlimited Ultra Speed nbn1000 nbn® 900/50 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Promotional pricing - $94/mth for first 4 months then $104.90/mth. Offer ends 30.04.25 $104.90/mth Min. cost $94 Go to Site	$104.90/mth Min. cost $94	Go to Site
#3	Swoop	Swoop nbn® Home Ultrafast nbn® 900/50 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $20/mth off for 6 months with code LOVE20, $119/mth for first 6 months then $139/mth. Offer ends 30.04.25 $119/mth Min. cost $119 Link not supplied	$119/mth Min. cost $119	Link not supplied
#4	Buddy Telco	Buddy Telco Zoomy nbn - Unlimited nbn® 875/42 Mbps Unlimited Data $99/mth Min. cost $99 Go to Site	$99/mth Min. cost $99	Go to Site
#5	Aussie Broadband	Aussie Broadband Ultra-Fast nbn - Unlimited nbn® 875/42 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $20 off for the first 6 months. Promo code BIG20. $129/mth after promo ends 30.04.25 $109/mth Min. cost $109 Link not supplied	$109/mth Min. cost $109	Link not supplied
#6	Southern Phone	Southern Phone nbn Ultrafast nbn® 860/43 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $20/mth off for 12 months! $85/mth for 12 months, then $105/mth. Offer ends 05.08.25 $85/mth Min. cost $85 Link not supplied	$85/mth Min. cost $85	Link not supplied
#7	Superloop	Superloop Lightspeed nbn1000/50 nbn® 860/42 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Incl. $10/mth off for 6 mths! $99/mth for 6 mths, then $109/mth + Free Amazon eero 6+ if you stay connected for 24 mths $99/mth Min. cost $99 Go to Site	$99/mth Min. cost $99	Go to Site
#8	AGL	AGL Home Ultrafast nbn nbn® 860/43 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: AGL Bundle Offer: $85/mth for the first 6 mths then $109/mth after that when you BYO modem and have AGL energy. $124/mth Min. cost $124 Link not supplied	$124/mth Min. cost $124	Link not supplied
#9	Origin Broadband	Origin Broadband Ultra fast nbn® 1000 nbn® 860/42 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Online only sign up includes 5,000 Everyday Rewards Points & 12mths of Paramount+ when you sign up to Origin internet $130/mth Min. cost $130 Link not supplied	$130/mth Min. cost $130	Link not supplied
#10	MATE	MATE Flamin' Fast nbn 1000/50 nbn® 831/49 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $30/mth off for the first 6 mths (use code MATE30) + 1-month money back guarantee on your Internet + Bundle & Save! $90/mth Min. cost $90 Link not supplied	$90/mth Min. cost $90	Link not supplied

Here are plans across the NBN 250 and NBN 1000 speed tiers:

What's the reason for the difference? NBN providers are actually able to control the amount of congestion on their network by purchasing the right amount of NBN bandwidth for their customer base. The NBN 50 plan is the most popular while the fastest two speed tiers aren't available to

To get an NBN 250 or NBN 1000 plan at your home you'll need either a Fibre to the Premise (FTTP) or Hybrid Fibre Coaxial (HFC) NBN connection types. If you're on Fibre to the Node (FTTN) or Fibre to the Curb (FTTC) connection type you may be eligible for a free upgrade to FTTP.

Choosing the right NBN speed tier

As we've already outlined, the NBN comes in six main speed tiers. These cater to different budgets and lifestyles.

NBN speed tier	Best for	Good speed	Avg speeds
NBN 12 (Basic I)	Lone, low internet users	12Mbps	10-12Mbps
NBN 25 (Basic II)	Budget pick for 1-2 people	25Mbps	19-25Mbps
NBN 50 (Standard)	A great all-rounder for 2-4 people	50Mbps	42-50Mbps
NBN 100 (Fast)	Internet lovers and big households	100Mbps	90-100Mbps
NBN 250 (Superfast)	Got the need for speed	248Mbps	200-230Mbps
NBN 1000 (Ultrafast)	Fastest you can get if you can get it	800Mbps	200-700Mbps

Most NBN plans come with no lock-in contract which means you don't need to stress if you sign up to a plan and later find you want to change.

As a rule of thumb, we actually suggest switching plans every six months. This means you can always be on a plan with a discount and avoid paying full price.

What NBN speed do you need?

Our guide can help you with choosing the right NBN speed tier for your household. Learn more about each NBN speed tier.

Want more information about the NBN?

Got questions? We have 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.

If you're already on a plan with good evening speeds but your connection seems slow, there might be other factors slowing down your connection, such as your connection type.

If you're looking for other ways to judge speed, the ACCC releases a quarterly report covering real-world download speeds in Australia.

Typical evening speed FAQs

What is a good typical evening speed for NBN?

As mentioned above, a good evening speed depends on your speed tier. If you're on an NBN 12 through to NBN 250 plan a good evening speed is going to be one close to the maximum. On NBN 1000 anything over 750Mbps is pretty good.

Do I need fast upload speeds?

The average Australian internet user is a lot more reliant on download speeds for the majority of their broadband usage. However, if you work from home, regularly use video chat, rely on cloud-based backup services such as Dropbox or Google Drive, or tend to send clients large files, you'll see big benefits from getting a connection with faster uploads speeds.

What's the difference between download speeds and upload speeds?

Your download speed refers to how quickly you're able to get files from the internet, while upload speeds relate to how fast you're able to send files to other places online. For example, your upload speeds will determine how long it takes to send an email with a large attachment, back your photos up to Google Drive, or plonk a big document on Dropbox.

Upload speeds can also affect video calls, Voice over IP, and gaming, as these use cases all require both sending and receiving data.

Why am I not getting my advertised NBN speeds?

While NBN plans are advertised with a theoretical maximum speed, your connection could be slower than what you're paying for.

If you've got an FTTN NBN connection, you may experience slower-than-advertised speeds due to your home's distance from the node. Customers within 400 metres of a node should be able to get speeds of up to 100Mbps, while customers further than 700 metres will start to see more significant speed degradation.

Congestion is another possible cause of slow-down. If you're only noticing slower speeds at certain times, it's probably because everyone else in your neighbourhood is trying to watch the latest Netflix hit simultaneously.

It's important to get the right modem for your high speed NBN plan. A faster modem may be required to properly utilise NBN 250 and NBN 1000 speeds.

A failing modem can also impact your internet speeds. If you're not sure what speeds you're actually getting, you can run a quick and easy speed test here.

Get the best telco deals first