There are three speed tiers available to households that are considered fast NBN plans: NBN 1000, NBN 250 and NBN 100. These numbers indicate the top download speed available on each plan, but it doesn’t mean the internet providers always reach it.
For some time Telstra had the fastest NBN plan for consumers with a promised typical evening speed of 700Mbps, but as of July 2024, we've seen a few NBN providers making serious improvements to their advertised typical evening speed figures. At the time of writing, Swoop is the telco with the fastest claimed speed of 969Mbps on its NBN 1000 plan. Superloop isn't too far behind, claiming 811Mbps, and TPG, iiNet and Optus also all outmuscle Telstra's 700Mbps claim.
However, while telcos will advertise a typical evening speed figure, it doesn't always paint the full picture, but we can use official data collected by Australia's consumer watchdog to gain a greater insight into the real world performance of select providers.
The good news is that prices of the fastest NBN plans have been slowly coming down in recent months, following the NBN Co's decision to cut the wholesale cost of 100Mbps plans and faster in December 2023. However, since the new financial year in Australia, these wholesale costs have increased by AU$2 to AU$3 per month, and this cost (plus extra) has inevitably been passed onto consumers.
Our recommendations for the fastest NBN plans come from crunching the numbers, and finding plans which offer top speeds in their respective tiers for a fair price. We’ve partnered with WhistleOut to compare NBN plans from over 30 Aussie providers to make our top picks on this page – you can also skip ahead to the speed you want by clicking on the links below:
Can you get NBN 250 or NBN 1000?
Not everybody will be able to sign up for a high-speed NBN 250 or NBN 1000 plan. These speed tiers are only available on two types of NBN connection – fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) and hybrid fibre coaxial (HFC). If your household is serviced by an FTTP or HFC installation, you should be able to sign up to an NBN 250 or NBN 1000 plan.
All NBN connection types should be able to support 100Mbps speeds, but if you want to be sure, then you'll want to see if you can get a free fibre upgrade and have FTTP technology installed at your premises.
Noteworthy fast NBN deals
Below we’ll run through our top plan picks, but first, check out these ace offers currently available on fast NBN plans:
- Spintel: save AU$10.95p/m for 6 months on NBN 250 plan (from AU$79)
- TPG: first month free on NBN 1000 plan (AU$104.99)
- Superloop: save AU$20p/m for 6 months on NBN 1000 plan (from AU$99)
Best fast NBN plans
Best NBN 100 plan
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Our choice for large households and those who want a little extra speed
• NBN 100 plans are the most broadly available fast plans, with the telcos reporting a typical evening speed of 97Mbps on average.
Also consider
Best NBN 250 plan
The go-to for lightning-quick broadband
• The availability of NBN 250 plans is now almost on par with that of NBN 100, with telcos reporting a typical evening speed of 237Mbps on average.
Selecting the best option fastest NBN 250 plan is tricky, because at the time of writing, only five NBN providers of the group we monitor advertise maximum speeds during the busier evening hours: Telstra, TPG, AGL, Superloop and Southern Phone.
Telstra and AGL plans are on the more expensive side, and Southern Phone has such bad reviews online that we feel we can't recommend it. We've therefore look at the remaining NBN providers and taken into account other factors they offer to settle on an overall pick.
Also consider
Best NBN 1000 plan
The fastest you can get, but only available in select locations
• The once sparse NBN 1000 tier is growing in availability, with an average typical evening speed of 690Mbps reported by the telcos.
Also consider
Fast NBN plans: major telcos
When it comes to the big three internet providers, these are the best fast plans available:
Optus' best high-speed NBN plans
- NBN 100 (100Mbps): AU$89p/m (first 6 months, then AU$99p/m)
- NBN 250 (245Mbps): AU$99p/m (first 6 months, then AU$119p/m)
- NBN 1000 (780Mbps): AU$109p/m (first 6 months, then AU$129p/m)
TPG's best high-speed NBN plans
- NBN 100 (100Mbps): AU$79.99p/m (first 6 months, then AU$89.99p/m + first month free)
- NBN 250 (250Mbps): AU$94.99p/m (first month free)
- NBN 1000 (800Mbps): AU$104.99p/m (first month free)
Telstra's best high-speed NBN plans
- NBN 100 (100Mbps): AU$105p/m (first 6 months, then AU$110p/m)
- NBN 250 (250Mbps): AU$130p/m
- NBN 1000 (700Mbps): AU$150p/m
- Telstra vs Optus NBN: who has better broadband?
Fast NBN FAQ
What are NBN 1000 real world speeds?
NBN 1000, which the NBN Co refers to as 'Ultrafast', is the fastest consumer NBN speed tier. The small but growing number of internet service providers which offer NBN 1000 plans advise a typical evening speed of 647Mbps on average. This is undeniably an improvement, but still a fair way off the theoretical top speed available on these plans of 1,000Mbps. Outside of the peak busy period, we’ve seen real-world speed test results that are much higher at 900Mbps, though still not reaching the maximum amount.
What are NBN 250 real world speeds?
The second-fastest tier is NBN 250, which the NBN Co refers to as 'Superfast'. The amount of providers which offer an NBN 250 plan has grown significantly in the past two years, and it’s now almost on par with the number which offer NBN 100 plans. Among the telcos we monitor, the average download speed on these plans is 235Mbps during the evening hours. Actual speed does vary among the internet providers with NBN 250 plans, so be sure to read the fine print.
What are NBN 100 real world speeds?
The NBN 100 tier is the most affordable option from the fastest NBN category, and you can expect a typical evening speed of 98Mbps on average. While the tiers mentioned above are leaps and bounds ahead in terms of speed, they are also limited in their availability – only FTTP and HFC connections can sign up to NBN 1000 and NBN 250 in most cases.
NBN 100 is referred to as 'Fast' by the NBN Co – it’s available for most connection types, and is often the fastest option available for the millions of Australians using fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) technology. If you want the top typical evening speed of 100Mbps for your NBN 100 plan, only a select few providers offer it: Telstra, Optus, Belong, Dodo, Exetel, Pennytel, Southern Phone and Spintel.
You can read more about each connection type in our guide to the best NBN plans.
