Broadband is the hardest household bill to compare honestly: the product is invisible, the jargon is thick, and most comparison sites are paid by the providers they rank. Here’s a method that cuts through it.
First, know what you’re buying: the speed tier
Most NBN plans sell one headline number (the download tier): 25, 50, 100, 250 or 1000 Mbps. Rough guidance by household:
| Speed tier | Best for |
|---|---|
| 25 Mbps | One or two people, browsing and streaming one show at a time |
| 50 Mbps | The default family tier: a couple of streams plus browsing and calls |
| 100 Mbps | Busy households, big downloads, several simultaneous streams |
| 250+ Mbps | Heavy use, and only worth it if your connection type can deliver it |
Paying for a tier your household never fills is the most common broadband overspend. Check your current usage before upgrading, not after.
The number that matters more: typical evening speed
Every provider advertises a typical evening speed: what the plan actually delivers during the 7–11pm busy hours. Two “NBN 50” plans from different providers can behave differently when it counts. This one disclosure, pushed by the ACCC, is the closest thing to an honest benchmark. The ACCC also publishes independent Measuring Broadband Australia reports showing how the big providers really perform against their claims: worth a look before choosing.
Read the CIS, not the banner
Every plan has a one-page Critical Information Summary: the legally required plain summary of price, speed, and conditions. It’s where the banner price’s asterisks live: six-month discounts that expire (hello, loyalty tax), modem costs, contract terms. If the CIS and the ad disagree, the CIS is the truth.
Why comparison sites don’t show everything
Most broadband comparison sites earn a commission when you sign up through them, and they generally rank only providers that pay. That doesn’t make their listings false. But some of the market’s cheapest providers simply aren’t on them. Treat any commercial comparison as a shortlist, not the market.
(Since this site compares bills too, our own position, stated plainly: fuel results here carry no commissions at all. If we ever add broadband comparison with referral links, that relationship will be disclosed on the page, where it happens.)
The 20-minute method
- Pick your tier from household size, not marketing.
- Shortlist 4–6 providers: a couple of big names, a couple of cheap independents that comparison sites skip.
- Compare typical evening speed and the CIS, not banner prices.
- Note every discount’s expiry and set a reminder to recheck then. Broadband deals decay faster than any other bill.
- Switching is low-risk: most NBN plans are month-to-month with no lock-in, and the new provider handles the changeover on the same line.