What NBN Speed Do I Need?
Answer a few questions and we'll recommend the right NBN speed tier for your household.
NBN Speed Tiers Explained
NBN 25 (Basic)
- Download: 25 Mbps / Upload: 5-10 Mbps
- Cost: $60-$70/month
- Good for: 1-2 people, light browsing, SD streaming, emails
- Not good for: Multiple devices, HD streaming, video calls
NBN 50 (Standard)
- Download: 50 Mbps / Upload: 20 Mbps
- Cost: $70-$80/month
- Good for: 2-3 people, HD streaming (1 device), WFH, online gaming
- Most popular tier (~50% of Australians)
NBN 500 (Fast) — Replaces NBN 100
- Download: 500 Mbps / Upload: 40-50 Mbps
- Cost: $80-$95/month
- Good for: 3-5 people, multiple HD/4K streams, WFH, large downloads
- Best value for most families — 5x faster than old NBN 100 for the same price
- Requires: FTTP or HFC connection (check your address)
NBN 250 (Superfast)
- Download: 250 Mbps / Upload: 25-100 Mbps
- Cost: $100-$120/month
- Good for: 4K streaming, multiple WFH, large file uploads, gaming
- Requires: FTTP (Fibre to the Premises) or HFC connection
NBN 1000 (Ultra-fast / Gigabit)
- Download: 1000 Mbps (1 Gbps) / Upload: 50-400 Mbps
- Cost: $130-$150/month
- Good for: Tech enthusiasts, content creators, very large households
- Requires: FTTP only
- Overkill for most people
What affects NBN speed?
- Connection type: FTTP (best) > HFC > FTTC > FTTN (worst)
- Peak hours: 7-10pm speeds drop 10-30% on congested networks
- WiFi vs Ethernet: Wired connections are 2-3x faster than WiFi
- Router quality: Cheap routers bottleneck your speed
- CVC capacity: Your ISP's network capacity (Aussie Broadband > Telstra > cheap providers)
Common questions
Is NBN 50 enough for Netflix?
Yes. Netflix recommends 5 Mbps for HD and 25 Mbps for 4K. NBN 50 can handle 2 x 4K streams simultaneously.
What happened to NBN 100?
NBN 100 was replaced by NBN 500 in 2025 for FTTP/HFC connections. You now get 500 Mbps for the same $80-90/month price. If you have 3+ people or 2 people working from home, NBN 500 is perfect.
Is NBN 1000 worth it?
Only if you regularly download 100GB+ files or upload 4K video. For 99% of people, NBN 100 or 250 is plenty.
Why is my speed slower than advertised?
NBN speeds are "up to" not guaranteed. FTTN connections especially struggle to hit 100 Mbps. Check your line stats or upgrade to FTTP.