Choosing an NBN plan shouldn't feel like a maths exam. But with speed tiers ranging from 25 Mbps all the way up to 2000 Mbps, it's easy to end up either overpaying for speeds you'll never use, or underpaying and wondering why Netflix keeps buffering on a Tuesday night.
This guide cuts through the jargon and helps you figure out exactly which plan suits your home. No tech degree required.
First, What Does "Mbps" Actually Mean?
Mbps stands for megabits per second — it's how fast data travels to and from your home. The higher the number, the faster your connection. You'll see two figures on most plans:
- Download speed: how fast you receive data (streaming, browsing, downloading files)
- Upload speed: how fast you send data (video calls, cloud backups, uploading files)
For most households, download speed is what you'll feel day-to-day. But upload speed is more important than people realise and it's often the figure that gets overlooked when comparing plans.
Here's when upload speed genuinely matters:
- Working from home: Video calls on Zoom, Teams, or Google Meet depend on your upload connection. A slow upload means you appear pixelated or choppy to others, even if your own screen looks fine. A stable 25 Mbps upload is the minimum for smooth video conferencing; more is better if multiple people in the house are on calls at the same time.
- Content creation: Uploading videos to YouTube, sending large files to clients, or syncing footage to cloud storage all rely on upload speed. A 4K video file that takes a couple of minutes to upload on a Fast 500 plan (50 Mbps upload) could take 20+ minutes on a Starter 50 plan (20 Mbps upload).
- Cloud backups: Services like iCloud, Google Drive, OneDrive, and Dropbox constantly sync files in the background. On a plan with a slow upload, this quietly eats into your available bandwidth while everything else is running.
- Gaming: Gaming is primarily a latency concern rather than a raw speed one, but upload still matters for online multiplayer. Most games only need 1–3 Mbps upload, but the issue is when others in the house are on video calls or running backups at the same time, leaving less for everyone.
If multiple people in your household work from home, or anyone regularly uploads large files, it's worth paying close attention to the upload figure, not just the headline download speed.
One more thing worth knowing: the speeds advertised on plans are the maximum possible — your actual speeds during the evening (7–11pm) will typically be a little lower due to network demand. That's why providers quote a "typical evening speed," which is the more honest figure to compare.
The NBN Speed Tiers in 2026
NBN Co overhauled its speed tiers in September 2025, significantly upgrading what you get for your money. Here's how the current tiers break down:
nbn® 25/10: Basic
Best for: Single users, light browsing, email, and occasional standard-definition streaming.
At 25 Mbps, you can stream one HD video at a time and browse the web comfortably, but only just. The moment a second person tries to jump on, things start to slow down. This tier made more sense five years ago when homes had far fewer devices connected to the internet. For most households today, it's likely to feel restrictive, especially if you have kids or work from home.
Verdict: Worth considering only if you're a solo user with very light internet habits or have strict budget constraints.
nbn® 50/20: Starter
Best for: Small households of 1–3 people with low usage.
Starter is the sweet spot for a lot of Aussie households where no one spends much time at home. It handles HD streaming on a couple of devices, video calls, social media scrolling, and general browsing without much fuss. You might notice some slowdown at peak hours if everyone's online at once, but for a small household it's generally reliable.
Verdict: A solid starting point for couples who don't use the internet heavily.
nbn® 100/40: Essentials (FTTC/FTTN)
Best for: Households on FTTC or FTTN connections who need more than NBN 50 but can't access the upgraded 500 Mbps tier.
Not everyone can get nbn® 500/50 — it requires an FTTP or HFC connection. If you're on FTTC or FTTN, the nbn® 100/40 plan is the next step up and a meaningful upgrade over nbn® 50/20. The 40 Mbps upload is where this plan really stands out: it's double what the nbn® 50/20 offers, making it a noticeably better option for households where someone is regularly on video calls or working with cloud-based tools.
In practical terms, nbn® 100/40 comfortably handles HD and 4K streaming on a few devices, smooth video conferencing, and general family internet use without feeling cramped. It won't match the raw speed of nbn® 500/50, but for connections where that tier isn't available, it's a solid mid-ground.
Verdict: The go-to option for FTTC and FTTN households who've outgrown nbn® 50. Worth checking if a fibre upgrade is available at your address, which could unlock nbn® 500/50 and above.
nbn® 500/50: Fast (formerly 100/20, upgraded in 2025)
Best for: Families of 3–5, households with multiple simultaneous streamers, WFH users.
This is where things get interesting. What used to be the nbn® 100/20 plan (the most popular tier in Australia) got a massive upgrade in September 2025, jumping to 500 Mbps download at no extra cost for eligible FTTP and HFC connections. That's five times faster than before.
At these speeds, you can stream 4K on 10+ devices simultaneously, download large files in seconds, and run video calls without a second thought — all at the same time. For most Australian families, nbn® 500/50 is genuinely the plan to be on.
Verdict: The new benchmark for family households. If your connection type supports it, this is where most people should land.
nbn® 750/50: Superfast (formerly 250/25, upgraded in 2025)
Best for: Larger households, heavy users, content creators, or anyone who streams and games simultaneously across multiple devices.
nbn® 750/50 offers headroom for households that are genuinely pushing their internet to the limit. Think 5+ people all online at once, someone running a small home business, or a household full of smart appliances, lighting and irrigation. The bump in upload speed (50 Mbps) is also useful if you regularly back up large files to the cloud or video conference in high quality.
Verdict: A great option for larger or more demanding households, especially if you've ever noticed slowdowns during peak hours on a lower tier.
nbn® 1000/100: Ultrafast
Best for: Power users, large households, home-based businesses, or anyone who just wants the absolute best.
Gigabit internet. A 10GB file downloads in under two minutes. 4K streaming on every screen in the house, gaming, cloud backup, video calls — all running simultaneously without a hint of slowdown. nbn® 1000/100 is available on FTTP and HFC connections only.
For most households, the honest truth is that you're unlikely to notice the difference between nbn® 750/50 and nbn® 1000/100 in everyday use. But if you want the best or run a high-demand home setup, it's there.
Verdict: Worth it for power users, large households, or anyone who simply doesn't want to think about internet speed ever again.
So, Which Plan Should You Choose?
Here's a simple guide based on your household:
Solo user — light usage — nbn® 25/10 or nbn® 50/20
Couple — light usage — nbn® 50/20 or nbn® 100/40
Family of 3–4 — regular streaming + WFH — nbn® 500/50
Large family — multiple 4K screens + gaming — nbn® 750/50
Power users or home businesses — nbn® 1000/100
A Few Things to Keep in Mind
Check your connection type first. The faster tiers (nbn® 500/50 and above) are only available on FTTP (Fibre to the Premises) and HFC connections. If you're on FTTN or FTTC, your maximum available speed will be lower. You can check your connection type at nbnco.com.au or simply enter your address on our nbn® plans page. It will tell you exactly what connection type you have and whether you're eligible to upgrade to FTTP for free.
More devices = more speed needed. A good rule of thumb: each 4K stream uses roughly 25 Mbps, each HD stream uses around 5–8 Mbps, and a video call uses about 2–4 Mbps. Add up what your household does simultaneously at peak time and you'll have a rough guide to what you need. Make sure to account for any smart home devices you have — it's always a good idea to add a buffer on top of the number you land on.
Evening speeds matter more than maximum speeds. When you're comparing nbn® plans, always look at the typical evening speed — usually found on the Critical Information Summary — not just the headline figure. That's the real-world performance you'll experience when everyone in the neighbourhood is online.
You don't have to lock in. At Ezi Broadband, all our plans are no lock-in contracts, so if you start on one tier and find it's not quite right, switching is easy with no fees and no hassle.
What Actually Affects Your Internet Speed?
Picking the right speed tier is only half the battle. Even on a fast plan, a few common factors can drag your real-world experience down.
Your connection type is the biggest one. The nbn® uses several different technologies to connect your home to the network, and they don't all perform equally:
- FTTP (Fibre to the Premises) — Fibre runs all the way to your home. The fastest and most reliable connection type, and one of the only ones that supports nbn® 500/50 and above.
- HFC (Hybrid Fibre Coaxial) — Uses the existing cable TV network for the last stretch. Also supports higher speed tiers, though performance can vary slightly during peak times.
- FTTC (Fibre to the Curb) — Fibre runs to a pit near your home, then copper for the last few metres. Generally reliable, though maximum speeds are capped lower than FTTP or HFC.
- FTTN (Fibre to the Node) — Fibre runs to a neighbourhood cabinet, then copper the rest of the way. The longer the copper run, the slower the speed. nbn® 500/50 and above are not available on this connection type.
On FTTC or FTTN and wishing you had faster speeds? You may be eligible for a free nbn® Fibre Upgrade, which replaces the copper portion of your connection with full fibre — effectively upgrading you to FTTP. Check if your address qualifies for a fibre upgrade here — it could be the single biggest improvement you can make to your home internet.
You can find out your current connection type by entering your address at nbnco.com.au or check it here on the Ezi Broadband website.
Peak hour performance and typical evening speeds. Internet traffic peaks between 7–11pm when everyone in your neighbourhood is online at once — streaming, gaming and scrolling. This is the single biggest cause of a connection that feels fast during the day but sluggish at night.
Because of this, Australian providers are required by the ACCC to advertise a "typical evening speed" alongside the maximum plan speed. This figure is far more useful when comparing plans as it tells you what you'll actually experience during that busy window, not just the theoretical ceiling.
As a rule of thumb, a well-run provider with good network capacity should deliver typical evening speeds of at least 80–90% of the plan maximum. If you're regularly seeing speeds in the evening that are less than half your plan speed, that's a sign of network congestion on your provider's end and a good reason to consider switching.
One practical tip: run a speed test both in the morning and again in the evening on the same day. A big gap between the two results points to congestion rather than a hardware or line issue.
Your modem and WiFi setup. Your nbn® connection comes into the home via your modem, and from there it's distributed wirelessly via WiFi. An older or budget modem can act as a bottleneck — even if the connection coming into your home is fast, a slow modem or poor WiFi signal can limit what you actually experience on your devices. As a general rule, we recommend upgrading your modem if it's older than 5 years to ensure it has the bandwidth to handle modern nbn® speeds.
Where your devices are in the house. WiFi signal weakens over distance and through walls. A device in the next room to your modem will generally get faster speeds than one at the other end of the house. If you have dead spots or weak signal in certain rooms, a WiFi extender or mesh system can help distribute the connection more evenly throughout your home.
The number of devices connected at once. Every device using your connection at the same time is drawing from the same pool of bandwidth. Smart TVs, phones, tablets, laptops, smart home devices — they all add up. If your household has grown its device count over the years but hasn't upgraded its plan, that's often the explanation for why things have started to feel slower.
How to Check Your Current Plan and Speed
Not sure what plan you're on, or whether you're actually getting the speeds you're paying for?
Find out what plan you're on. The easiest way is to check your monthly bill — your speed tier is usually listed there alongside your plan name. Alternatively, log into your provider's account portal where you should be able to see your current plan details. If neither of those make it clear, a quick call to your provider's support team will get you the answer in minutes.
Test your actual speeds. Run a speed test to see what you're getting right now. A few tips to get an accurate result:
- Connect your device directly to the modem via an ethernet cable if possible — WiFi adds variables
- Close other apps and pause any downloads or streaming before you run the test
- Run the test at different times of day (mid-morning and then again in the evening) to see if there's a significant difference
- Use a reliable tool like speedtest.net
What to do if your speeds are lower than expected. If your test results are consistently well below your plan's typical evening speed, it's worth contacting your provider. At Ezi Broadband, our local support team can run diagnostics on your connection and help identify whether the issue is with your hardware, your home setup, or something on the network side.
Ready to Find Your Plan?
Not sure which tier your address can access? Check your address here and we'll show you exactly what's available at your place.
Ezi Broadband is a 100% Australian owned and operated nbn® provider. No lock-in contracts, no hidden fees, and real local support when you need it.