Business vs. Residential NBN Plans: Which Should You Pick?

Nathan Lawrence - Freelance Contributor

Last updated 07 April 2022

It’s much more straightforward to buy a mobile phone plan for your business than it is an NBN plan. The differences between residential and business mobile phone plans are basically non-existent. There are, however, some key differences to consider when it comes to weighing up the best residential NBN plans with business NBN plans.

Before we dive into comparing NBN business plans with residential ones, here’s a look at some popular business NBN plans from our comparison engine:

#1	Aussie Broadband	Aussie Broadband 250/89 Mbps typical evening speed Unlimited Data $114/mth Min. cost $114	100%	Go to Site
#2	Telstra Business	Telstra Business 250/80 Mbps typical evening speed Unlimited Data $110/mth Min. cost $209	89%	Link not supplied
#3	More	More 250/85 Mbps typical evening speed Unlimited Data $125/mth Min. cost $125 Deal: Get 20% off on Business nbn® plan for 12 months if you are a CommBank customer - $120/mth for first 12 months	67%	Link not supplied
#4	Exetel	Exetel 50/17 Mbps typical evening speed Unlimited Data $94/mth Min. cost $94	67%	Link not supplied
#5	Vodafone Business	Vodafone Business 885/85 Mbps typical evening speed Unlimited Data $119/mth Min. cost $119 Deal: Save $10/mth on this nbn® plan if you already have a mobile phone plan with Vodafone	67%	Link not supplied
#6	Optus Business	Optus Business 50/17 Mbps typical evening speed Unlimited Data $97/mth Min. cost $97 Deal: Bundle Bonus: Get $15/mth off any internet plan for 12mths when you add to your existing eligible Optus Service. T&Cs apply	44%	Link not supplied
#7	SpinTel	SpinTel 500/50 Mbps typical evening speed Unlimited Data $94/mth Min. cost $94	22%	Link not supplied

And here’s a list of some daily updating popular picks for residential NBN plans from our database:

#1	Dodo	Dodo 500/48 Mbps typical evening speed Unlimited Data $62.99/mth Min. cost $62.99 Deal: Incl. $30/mth discount for 6 months based on the standard price $92.99/mth*. Ends 08.12.26. T&Cs apply.	100%	Go to Site
#2	SpinTel	SpinTel 25/8 Mbps typical evening speed Unlimited Data $41/mth Min. cost $41 WhistleOut Special: Includes $28.95 off your plan for first 6 months! $41/mth for first 6 months, then $69.95/mth	63%	Go to Site
#3	Tangerine Telecom	Tangerine Telecom 500/42.5 Mbps typical evening speed Unlimited Data $59.90/mth Min. cost $59.90 Deal: Includes $33/mth off for the first 6 mths, $59.90/mth for first 6 mths, then $92.90/mth. Ends 30.10.26	52%	Go to Site
#4	Superloop	Superloop 500/45 Mbps typical evening speed Unlimited Data $74/mth Min. cost $74 Deal: Incl. $21/mth off for 6 mths! $74/mth for 6 mths, then $95/mth + Bundle & Save	34%	Go to Site
#5	amaysim	amaysim 500/43 Mbps typical evening speed Unlimited Data $50/mth Min. cost $50 Deal: Includes $40/mth off for the first 6 months ($30 NBN Sale + $10 Standard Intro Offer), then $90/mth. Ends 20.10.26	27%	Go to Site
#6	TPG	TPG 500/42 Mbps typical evening speed Unlimited Data $74.99/mth Min. cost $74.99 Deal: Save $240 over 12mths! $74.99/mth for first 12 months, then $94.99/mth. Min cost $84.99 if modem returned. T&Cs apply	23%	Link not supplied
#7	Flip	Flip 25/8 Mbps typical evening speed Unlimited Data $48/mth Min. cost $48 Deal: Incl. $17.90/mth off for 12 months - $48/mth for first 12 mths then $65.90/mth. New customers only. Ends 31.10.26. T&Cs apply.	15%	Go to Site
#8	iiNet	iiNet 500/42 Mbps typical evening speed Unlimited Data $69.99/mth Min. cost $79.99 Deal: Includes $25/mth off for 6 mths - $69.99/mth for first 6 months, then $94.99/mth. Use code SAVE25FOR6	12%	Link not supplied
#9	Exetel	Exetel 500/45 Mbps typical evening speed Unlimited Data $80/mth Min. cost $80	10%	Go to Site
#10	Belong	Belong 500/40 Mbps typical evening speed Unlimited Data $59/mth Min. cost $59 Deal: Includes $36 off for 6 months - $59/mth for first 6 mths, then $95/mth (Offer ends 04.11.26) + Free $80 Mobile SIM	9%	Go to Site

Business NBN vs. residential NBN: Speeds and tiers

On the all-important speed front, business NBN plans forego the bare-bolts NBN 12 plans and start off with NBN 25 speeds, which should be considered the minimum for most small businesses. NBN 50 plans offer a great mix of upload/download speed and price, while NBN 100 plans are the fastest speed tier available to metro offices not connected by Hybrid Fibre Coaxial (HFC) or Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) technologies.

If your office is connected to the NBN via HFC or FTTP, you may be eligible to sign up to NBN 250, and NBN 1000 plans. The other big difference for speed considerations is that business NBN plans have download speeds that tend to be advertised in terms of business hours (9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday) whereas residential plans are advertised in terms of after-hours speeds (7pm to 11pm every night).

Providers like SpinTel have specific plans with expected speeds split between different time,s which, in the case of SpinTel, is 100Mbps from midnight to 7pm AEST for its NBN 100 plan and 50Mbps from 7pm to midnight AEST.

Business NBN vs. residential NBN: Plan prices

Residential NBN plans tend to be cheaper than business NBN plans, with better first-year pricing for certain residential NBN plans thanks to the trend of the popularity of six months of promotional pricing. Let’s take a closer look at some comparisons.

With promotional pricing, the cheapest residential NBN 25 plans in our comparison engine are initially at least $20 cheaper than the cheapest business NBN 25 plans.

Here’s a look at the cheapest residential NBN 25 plans:

#1	SpinTel	SpinTel All Fixed Line nbn® Home Starter 25/10 All Fixed Line nbn® nbn® 25/8 Mbps Unlimited Data WhistleOut Special: Includes $28.95 off your plan for first 6 months! $41/mth for first 6 months, then $69.95/mth $41/mth for first 6 mths, then $69.95/mth Min. cost $41 Go to Site	$41/mth for first 6 mths, then $69.95/mth Min. cost $41	Go to Site
#2	Tangerine Telecom	Tangerine Telecom All Fixed Line nbn® Value NBN 25/10 All Fixed Line nbn® nbn® 25/8.5 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $30/mth off for the first 6 mths, $42.90/month for first 6 months, then $72.90/month. Ends 30.10.26 $42.90/mth for first 6 mths, then $72.90/mth Min. cost $42.90 Go to Site	$42.90/mth for first 6 mths, then $72.90/mth Min. cost $42.90	Go to Site
#3	Dodo	Dodo All Fixed Line nbn® nbn25 Unlimited Plan All Fixed Line nbn® nbn® 25/9 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Incl. $30/mth discount for 6 months based on the standard price $73.99/mth. Ends 08.12.26. T&Cs apply. $43.99/mth for first 6 mths, then $73.99/mth Min. cost $43.99 Go to Site*	$43.99/mth for first 6 mths, then $73.99/mth Min. cost $43.99	Go to Site
#4	Moose NBN	Moose NBN All Fixed Line nbn® nbn 25/10 Value All Fixed Line nbn® nbn® 25/9 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $20/mth off for first 6 months - $44.80/mth for 6mths, then $64.80/mth + Get eero 7 modem for only $175 (RRP $249). $44.80/mth for first 6 mths, then $64.80/mth Min. cost $44.80 Link not supplied	$44.80/mth for first 6 mths, then $64.80/mth Min. cost $44.80	Link not supplied
#5	Flip Editor's Pick	Flip All Fixed Line nbn® Editor's Pick Unlimited Premium nbn25 All Fixed Line nbn® nbn® 25/8 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Incl. $17.90/mth off for 12 months - $48/mth for first 12 mths then $65.90/mth. New customers only. Ends 31.10.26. T&Cs apply. $48/mth for first 12 mths then $65.90/mth Min. cost $48 Go to Site	$48/mth for first 12 mths then $65.90/mth Min. cost $48	Go to Site

And below is a snapshot of the cheapest business NBN 25 plans:

All Fixed Line nbn®

Business Basic Plus 25/10

All Fixed Line nbn®

nbn® 23/9 Mbps
Unlimited Data
Deal: Includes $25 off for the first 6 months. Promo code SAVEBIZ25. $83/mth after promo ends 15.11.26

$58/mth

Min. cost $58

Go to Site

$58/mth

Min. cost $58

Go to Site

The typical pricing for residential NBN 25 plans from Tangerine, SpinTel, Moose Mobile, Superloop, Exetel, Southern Phone, Mate, Belong, Aussie Broadband, Kogan and Dodo are all cheaper than the cheapest business NBN 25 plan.

If you ignore promotional pricing for residential plans, it’s a tighter competition for NBN 50 plans. In fact, most residential NBN 50 plans have comparable pricing to business NBN 50 plans.

Check out a handful of the cheapest residential NBN 50 plans below (note: they likely have promotional pricing):

#1	amaysim	amaysim All Fixed Line nbn® NBN50 All Fixed Line nbn® nbn® 50/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $40/mth off for the first 6 months ($30 NBN Sale + $10 Standard Intro offer), then $85/mth. Ends 04.10.26 $45/mth for first 6 months, then $85/mth Min. cost $45 Go to Site	$45/mth for first 6 months, then $85/mth Min. cost $45	Go to Site
#2	Belong	Belong All Fixed Line nbn® NBN Standard Plus – Unlimited All Fixed Line nbn® nbn® 50/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $36 off for 6 months - $55/mth for first 6 mths, then $91/mth (Offer ends 04.11.26) + Free $80 Mobile SIM $55/mth for first 6 mths, then $91/mth Min. cost $55 Go to Site	$55/mth for first 6 mths, then $91/mth Min. cost $55	Go to Site
#3	Dodo Editor's Pick	Dodo All Fixed Line nbn® Editor's Pick nbn50 Unlimited Plan All Fixed Line nbn® nbn® 50/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Incl. $30/mth discount for 6 months based on the standard price $87.99/mth. Ends 08.12.26. T&Cs apply. $57.99/mth for first 6 mths, then $87.99/mth Min. cost $57.99 Go to Site*	$57.99/mth for first 6 mths, then $87.99/mth Min. cost $57.99	Go to Site
#4	Moose NBN	Moose NBN All Fixed Line nbn® nbn 50/20 Premium All Fixed Line nbn® nbn® 50/18 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $24/mth off for first 6 months - $59.80/mth for 6mths, then $83.80/mth + Get eero 7 modem for only $175 (RRP $249). $59.80/mth for first 6 mths, then $83.80/mth Min. cost $59.80 Link not supplied	$59.80/mth for first 6 mths, then $83.80/mth Min. cost $59.80	Link not supplied
#5	Tangerine Telecom	Tangerine Telecom All Fixed Line nbn® Value Plus NBN 50/20 All Fixed Line nbn® nbn® 50/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $25/mth off for the first 6 mths, $64.90/month for first 6 months, then $89.90/month. $64.90/mth for first 6 mths, then $89.90/mth Min. cost $64.90 Go to Site	$64.90/mth for first 6 mths, then $89.90/mth Min. cost $64.90	Go to Site

And here’s a look at a few of the cheapest business NBN 50 plans:

#1	Aussie Broadband	Aussie Broadband All Fixed Line nbn® Business Value 50/20 All Fixed Line nbn® nbn® 47/18 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $25 off for the first 6 months. Promo code SAVEBIZ25. $95/mth after promo ends 15.11.26 $70/mth for first 6 months, then $95/mth Min. cost $70 Go to Site	$70/mth for first 6 months, then $95/mth Min. cost $70	Go to Site
#2	Exetel	Exetel All Fixed Line nbn® Home Business nbn50/20 All Fixed Line nbn® nbn® 50/17 Mbps Unlimited Data $94/mth Min. cost $94 Link not supplied	$94/mth Min. cost $94	Link not supplied
#3	Vodafone Business	Vodafone Business All Fixed Line nbn® Essential+ nbn® Business Plan All Fixed Line nbn® nbn® 50/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Save $10/mth on this nbn® plan if you already have a mobile phone plan with Vodafone $94/mth Min. cost $94 Link not supplied	$94/mth Min. cost $94	Link not supplied
#4	Optus Business	Optus Business All Fixed Line nbn® Business nbn® Starter All Fixed Line nbn® nbn® 50/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Bundle Bonus: Get $15/mth off any internet plan for 12mths when you add to your existing eligible Optus Service. T&Cs apply $97/mth Min. cost $97 Link not supplied	$97/mth Min. cost $97	Link not supplied
#5	Telstra Business	Telstra Business All Fixed Line nbn® Business Essential Internet Only All Fixed Line nbn® nbn® 50/17 Mbps Unlimited Data $110/mth + $99 Upfront Min. cost $209 Link not supplied	$110/mth + $99 Upfront Min. cost $209	Link not supplied

There are also additional business-specific perks that come with the extra monthly cost (more on these below), which helps to add to the overall value.

Business NBN vs. residential NBN: Data allowances

Data allowances start out with business NBN plans having a slight edge. All of the business NBN 25 plans in our comparison engine have unlimited data, whereas there are a couple of custom Aussie Broadband residential NBN 25 plans that have data limits.

That same Aussie Broadband disclaimer applies for NBN 50 plans, except iiNet also offers a couple of data-capped business NBN 50 plans. All other residential and business NBN plans in our comparison engine have unlimited data.

Unlimited data is well and truly the trend when you get to NBN 100 plans, with iiNet and Aussie Broadband offering data-capped plans for business and residential options, respectively. For offices and homes that can sign up to NBN 250 or NBN 1000 plans, data caps are a rarity across business and residential NBN plans. The only exception is for the Superloop residential NBN 500 plan, which has a 3TB data cap.

Long story short, unlimited data is the norm, so there’s not much of a difference whether you opt for a business or residential NBN plan in this regard.

Business NBN vs. residential NBN: Special perks

The add-ons for residential and business NBN plans are quite different. Residential plans have access to plan bundle discounts, bundled streaming services (e.g. Fetch TV and Optus Sport), or points for reward programs (e.g. Qantas Points with Kogan). NBN providers like Tangerine, Moose Mobile, Mate and Vodafone offer limited-time trials with money-back guarantees (Vodafone offers this for business customers, too).

The other big perk costs extra and it’s for gaming-related residential NBN plans that have access to features like traffic prioritisation, custom routing, and static IP addresses. Offering a static IP address is a popular inclusion among business NBN plans, too.

You can see a selection of residential NBN 100 plans below that have some of these extras:

#1	Tangerine Telecom	Tangerine Telecom FTTN, FTTB, FTTC Speedy NBN 100/20 FTTN, FTTB, FTTC nbn® 100/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $25/mth off for the first 6 mths, $67.90/mth for first 6 months, then $92.90/mth. $67.90/mth for first 6 mths, then $92.90/mth Min. cost $67.90 Go to Site	$67.90/mth for first 6 mths, then $92.90/mth Min. cost $67.90	Go to Site
#2	Kogan Internet	Kogan Internet FTTN, FTTB, FTTC Gold Unlimited FTTN, FTTB, FTTC nbn® 98/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Incl. $16/mth off for 12mths. $69.90/mth for first 12 months then revert back to $85.90/mth. Offer available until withdrawn. $69.90/mth for first 12 mths, then $85.90/mth Min. cost $69.90 Go to Site	$69.90/mth for first 12 mths, then $85.90/mth Min. cost $69.90	Go to Site

And below is a handful of business NBN 100 plans in terms of extras:

#1	Aussie Broadband	Aussie Broadband FTTN, FTTB, FTTC Business Fast 100/20 FTTN, FTTB, FTTC nbn® 94/18 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $20 off for the first 6 months. Promo code SAVEBIZ20. $99/mth after promo ends 15.11.26 $79/mth for first 6 months, then $99/mth Min. cost $79 Go to Site	$79/mth for first 6 months, then $99/mth Min. cost $79	Go to Site
#2	Vodafone Business	Vodafone Business FTTN, FTTB, FTTC Home Fast nbn® Business Plan FTTN, FTTB, FTTC nbn® 100/34 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Save $10/mth on this nbn® plan if you already have a mobile phone plan with Vodafone $99/mth Min. cost $99 Link not supplied	$99/mth Min. cost $99	Link not supplied
#3	Optus Business	Optus Business All Fixed Line nbn® Business nbn® Essential All Fixed Line nbn® nbn® 100/34 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Bundle Bonus: Get $15/mth off any internet plan for 12mths when you add to your existing eligible Optus Service. T&Cs apply $109/mth Min. cost $109 Link not supplied	$109/mth Min. cost $109	Link not supplied
#4	More	More All Fixed Line nbn® Business Fast NBN All Fixed Line nbn® nbn® 100/34 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Get 20% off on Business nbn® plan for 12 months if you are a CommBank customer - $84/mth for first 12 months $115/mth Min. cost $115 Link not supplied	$115/mth Min. cost $115	Link not supplied

For something speedier, check out some residential NBN 250 plans below:

And you can see business NBN 250 plans below:

FTTP

Business nbn® Pro

FTTP

nbn® 250/85 Mbps
Unlimited Data
Deal: Bundle Bonus: Get $15/mth off any internet plan for 12mths when you add to your existing eligible Optus Service. T&Cs apply

$109/mth

Min. cost $109

Link not supplied

$109/mth

Min. cost $109

Link not supplied

FTTP, HFC

Business Superfast Plus 250/100 with Bronze eSLA

FTTP, HFC

nbn® 250/89 Mbps
Unlimited Data

$114/mth

Min. cost $114

Go to Site

$114/mth

Min. cost $114

Go to Site

FTTP, HFC

Business Superfast NBN

FTTP, HFC

nbn® 250/85 Mbps
Unlimited Data
Deal: Get 20% off on Business nbn® plan for 12 months if you are a CommBank customer - $120/mth for first 12 months

$125/mth

Min. cost $125

Link not supplied

$125/mth

Min. cost $125

Link not supplied

If you’re after business extras with your NBN plan, it’s likely that inclusions such as a static IP address, an included phone line (sometimes with calls), and dedicated support channels are more valuable than residential perks.

Business NBN vs. residential NBN: Modems and phones

One way that a lot of residential NBN providers keep costs low is by offering a mix of BYO modem and/or phone plans that cost extra. For business NBN plans, NBN-compatible modems are more common, though you may have to opt for a contract to have one included. Similarly, phone plans tend to be included as default, which may start as PAYG but can also include (or be upgraded to include) national calls.

Below is a handful of business NBN plans that include a modem and phone plan:

All Fixed Line nbn®

Business Value 50/20

All Fixed Line nbn®

nbn® 47/18 Mbps
Unlimited Data
Deal: Includes $25 off for the first 6 months. Promo code SAVEBIZ25. $95/mth after promo ends 15.11.26

$70/mth

+ $180 Upfront

Min. cost $250

Go to Site

$70/mth

+ $180 Upfront

Min. cost $250

Go to Site

All Fixed Line nbn®

Business nbn® Starter

All Fixed Line nbn®

nbn® 50/17 Mbps
Unlimited Data
Deal: Bundle Bonus: Get $15/mth off any internet plan for 12mths when you add to your existing eligible Optus Service. T&Cs apply

$97/mth

Min. cost $97

Link not supplied

$97/mth

Min. cost $97

Link not supplied

All Fixed Line nbn®

Business Essential nbn

All Fixed Line nbn®

nbn® 50/17 Mbps
Unlimited Data

$125/mth

+ $99 Upfront

Min. cost $224

Link not supplied

$125/mth

+ $99 Upfront

Min. cost $224

Link not supplied

And here’s a look at popular residential NBN plans that come with a modem and phone line:

#1	Optus Business	Optus Business 50/17 Mbps typical evening speed Unlimited Data $97/mth Min. cost $97 Deal: Bundle Bonus: Get $15/mth off any internet plan for 12mths when you add to your existing eligible Optus Service. T&Cs apply	100%	Link not supplied
#2	Vodafone Business	Vodafone Business 50/17 Mbps typical evening speed Unlimited Data $94/mth Min. cost $94 Deal: Save $10/mth on this nbn® plan if you already have a mobile phone plan with Vodafone	100%	Link not supplied
#3	Telstra Business	Telstra Business 50/17 Mbps typical evening speed Unlimited Data $125/mth Min. cost $224	75%	Link not supplied
#4	Aussie Broadband	Aussie Broadband 47/18 Mbps typical evening speed Unlimited Data $70/mth Min. cost $250 Deal: Includes $25 off for the first 6 months. Promo code SAVEBIZ25. $95/mth after promo ends 15.11.26	3%	Go to Site

Business NBN vs. residential NBN: Support differences

The best form of support for residential NBN plans is offered seven days a week. For business NBN plans, priority support from a dedicated team is the gold standard. Providers like Aussie Broadband offer Australian support staff across residential and business plans, but Southern Phone, Mate, Superloop, and Origin Broadband also offer this support perk for residential plans.

Nathan Lawrence

Freelance Contributor

Nathan Lawrence is a freelance writer with over 11 years of experience. He has contributed to publications including WhistleOut Australia, Review.org/au, IGN, STACK, Fandom, Red Bull, and AusGamers. Nathan specialises in researching, writing, and editing content around technology, telecommunications, and gaming.

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