NBN 750 vs 1000: Which Gigabit Plan Offers Better Value?

When shopping for high-speed NBN plans in Australia, the choice between NBN 750 and NBN 1000 can be tricky. A new analysis by TechRadar Australia's NBN expert, Max, breaks down the numbers to see which tier delivers more bang for your buck.

Max compared average monthly prices and typical evening speeds (TES) from major providers. He found that NBN 1000 plans, on average, deliver only 83.5% of their advertised 1,000Mbps, whereas NBN 750 plans hit 97.4% of their 750Mbps target. The gap is stark: NBN 1000 falls short by about 165Mbps, while NBN 750 misses by just 20Mbps.

Despite this, the cost per megabit tells a different story. NBN 1000 averages 13.8 cents per Mbps, slightly better than NBN 750's 14.5 cents. That means even though NBN 1000 costs more overall, you're getting more speed per dollar. The price difference between the two tiers is only about AU$9 per month on average.

For those leaning toward NBN 1000, Dodo and Superloop stand out with 13 cents per megabit. For NBN 750, Kogan Internet and Spintel offer the same value at 13 cents per megabit, with Spintel being the cheapest in the first year.

But what about NBN 500? NBN Co promotes it as the sweet spot, and Max agrees it's the best for most households. NBN 500 plans hit nearly 100% of their advertised speed (499.3Mbps average TES) and cost the least outright, averaging AU$95.75 per month. However, on a cost-per-megabit basis, NBN 500 is pricier at about 19.2 cents per Mbps, making it less efficient than the gigabit tiers. Exetel is Max's top pick for NBN 500, with 16 cents per Mbps, while Kogan Internet offers the lowest entry price.

The analysis highlights that if you need gigabit speeds and want the best value per megabit, NBN 1000 is slightly better than NBN 750. But for most households, NBN 500 remains the practical choice—unless you're regularly downloading huge files, where faster speeds save valuable time.

Max concludes that unless you're frequently using that extra speed, upgrading to gigabit may not be worth the cost. As data usage climbs, faster plans could become more essential.