NBN 500 is one of the fastest new types of NBN plan that rolled out as part of NBN Co's speed upgrades. It's also the cheapest of what we'll call fast NBN plans.
In most cases, NBN 500 effectively replaces NBN 100 for those on Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) and Hybrid Fibre Coaxial (HFC) connection types with five times the speed.
Best NBN 500 plan this month
Each month, our team of experts selects the best NBN plan across each speed tier. Here's this month's pick for best NBN 500 plan:
We look at the price over 12 months; this factors in the end of any honeymoon discounts.
We consider NBN 500 plans with the fastest download speeds.
Finally, we consider plans that offer zero-risk trials, the flexibility to bundle home phone plans or networking gear and of course whether they offer local Australian support.
If this plan doesn't suit you, here are some of the most popular NBN 500 plans in the last seven days from our database of 34 internet providers:
Keep an eye out for introductory deals. Many (perhaps most) NBN providers offer new customers a lower price for the first six or so months, after which the fee increases to an "ongoing" price. You can often save a lot by changing internet providers a couple of times per year.
Presented by: Anula Wiwatowska - WhistleOut telco expert:
Stop settling for NBN100. When you can get speeds 5x faster for the same price. I’m serious - NBN 500 is the same price as NBN 100. Sometimes it is even cheaper.
I’ve pulled together the top 3 NBN 500 deals running this month. All of these have a typical evening speed of 500Mbps, and are totally contract free. So if you don’t like it, you can switch to a different one.
TPG Home Fast Unlimited Plan
It is normally $94.99/mth, but TPG has discounted it to $74.99/mth for the first 12 months. You can bring your own modem, or get the TPG WiFi Max WiFi 7 modem for free with the plan. If you stay for 2 years you get to keep it, or if you leave earlier you can send it back.This is the EXACT same deal TPG has running for its NBN 100 plan. So choose wisely.
Next up is the Gold Plus Unlimited plan from Kogan
The plan normally costs $85.90/mth, but you’ll get $16/mth off for the first 12 months. That brings the monthly price down to $69.90.Again, this is the same pricing as Kogan’s NBN 100 plan.
And finally we have Moose Mobile’s NBN 500/50 Turbo plan
This one usually costs $86.80 per month, but it goes down to $63.80 for the first six months. With the discount, that averages out to $75.30 per month for the first year. Just a little bit more expensive than TPG’s deal.Do you want to guess how much Moose’s NBN 100 plan costs?
Yeah it’s the same. Come on, you know this game now.These are the three cheapest NBN 500 plans in our database right now, but they might not be by the time you watch this. Click over to WhistleOut to see more info about these plans, and compare them with the rest. I’ve popped some links in the caption for you.
Thanks for watching, I’m Anula, your local telco nerd for WhistleOut. Like and subscribe so the next time you need help with your phone or internet plan, you know where to find me. Catch you on the next one.
How fast is an NBN 500 plan?
NBN 500 plans come with a maximum download speed of 500Mbps. Most NBN providers in our database report typical evening download speeds in line with the maximum. Essentially, that means that during the busiest period of the day (between 7pm and 11pm) you shouldn't see much variation in your download speed. NBN 500 plans have maximum upload speeds of 50Mbps, but it's more common to see typical evening upload speeds between 40 and 42Mbps.
Here is a list of common file downloads and how much they differ across the many NBN speed tiers.
See how download times compare across NBN speed tiers. Choose what you're downloading:
Take our quiz to see what NBN speed tier we recommend for your household.
NBN SPEED TIER CHECK
Are you on the right NBN speed?
NBN 500 plans vs. faster plans
Hybrid-Fibre Coaxial (HFC) and Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) customers have a whole range of fast NBN speeds available to them. From NBN 500, you can rev up to NBN 750 or you can technically double your speed to NBN 1000.
There are also a couple of NBN 2000 plans available in market, but these are very expensive compared to everything else and probably way more speed than a household could ever need.
The main differences between these three NBN speed tiers (NBN 500, NBN 750 and NBN 1000) is the difference in download speeds and even then you're really only saving minutes between these tiers compared to the hours downloads can take at lower speeds. There's no difference in day-to-day usage like browsing the web, streaming or gaming because these faster plans don't have low latency (or ping).
Another difference in price. With discounted pricing NBN 500 plans start around the $60 to $70 mark, NBN 750 plans start from around $70 to $80, and NBN 1000 plans starting prices range from between $90 and $100.
NBN Co data shows that NBN 500 is by far most popular speed tier among households that can get the faster speeds, followed by NBN 1000 and then NBN 750. It makes sense that most households who want more speed will foot the bill for NBN 1000 and skip NBN 750 entirely.
Here's a look at NBN 500, NBN 750 and NBN 1000 plans sorted by lowest price over 12 months:
Curious about other speed tiers? Here's a breakdown of how many users can fit comfortably on each NBN speed tier and the speeds you can expect from each:
| Speed tier | Best for | Max. speeds |
|---|---|---|
| NBN 12 | Lone, low internet users | 12Mbps |
| NBN 25 | Budget pick for 1-2 people | 25Mbps |
| NBN 50 | All-rounder for small households of 2-4 people | 50Mbps |
| NBN 100 | For WFH and larger households | 100Mbps |
| NBN 250 | Faster speeds for WFH and larger households | 250Mbps |
| NBN 500 | Seamless internet experience when everyone is online | 500Mbps |
| NBN 750 | Even faster speeds for simultaneous use | 750Mbps |
| NBN 1000 | The fastest speeds you can get for less than $100 per month | 1000Mbps |
| NBN 2000 | The fastest speeds you can get right now, at a premium | 2000Mbps |
What equipment do you need for an NBN 500 plan?
If you haven't upgraded your modem or router for a while, there's a chance you may need new networking hardware to get the maximum speeds an NBN 500 plan is capable of. WiFi 5 may be fast enough for 1Gbps speeds, but if you're buying a new device, you'll want WiFi 6 at a minimum. There are now also more affordable WiFi 7 routers on the market. If you're still using a WiFi 4 modem or router (also known as WiFi 802.11n), you'll definitely want to upgrade.
How to upgrade to an NBN 500 plan
If you weren't automatically upgraded from an NBN 100 plan that may not be the case forever.
Since the end of 2025, over five million Fibre to the Node (FTTN) and Fibre to the Curb (FTTC) addresses are able upgrade to FTTP for free. Rather than upgrading all customers automatically, NBN Co delivers the upgrade on request once the technology is live in a given area.
Find your NBN Technology Type
Your address will be used to check against the nbn’s technology type database. It will not be stored by us.
If you're already eligible for an upgrade, all you need to do to trigger the upgrade is order an NBN 500 plan or faster. Upgrading to FTTP will allow FTTN and FTTC customers to get an NBN 500 plan. Read more about the process of requesting a free FTTP upgrade here.
Looking further forward, a further 622,000 FTTN premises will become eligible for a free upgrade by 2030. Most of these will be able to upgrade to FTTP, but 5% of these remaining premises may be upgraded to a different technology type.
Unfortunately, there's no free upgrade pathway at the moment for Fibre to the Building (FTTB) customers.
FAQs
Is NBN 500 fast enough for streaming in 4K?
Yes, an NBN 500 plan is plenty fast for streaming in 4K. With an NBN 500 plan you could have six or more 4K Netflix streams running simultaneously.
Is NBN 500 fast enough for gaming?
Yes, with an NBN 500 plan online games should run seamlessly, even when other members of your household are online. Downloads are exceptionally fast. For example, a large game download (130GB) should take around 40 minutes, while a single large game update (20GB) can take as little as 10 minutes.
Is NBN 500 fast enough for working from home?
Yes, an NBN 500 plan is fast enough for households working from home. Video conferencing apps such as Zoom or Google Meet should work well even if others are online simultaneously. The extra bandwidth available on an NBN 500 plan is especially useful if you need to download or upload large work files.
Alex Choros
Thousands of internet plans unpacked. All the facts. No surprises.
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