There’s no denying the popularity of Netflix, with millions of Australians signing up since the streaming service was officially launched locally in March 2015. We obviously love to watch content on demand, with shows like Stranger Things, The Witcher and Riverdale dominating our TV screens in place of traditional, free-to-air television. But in order to watch your favourite shows and movies properly, you’ll need to have a fast and reliable internet connection.
On this page:
- Who are the best internet provides for Netflix?
- How does Netflix speed indexing work?
- Netflix streaming with Aussie Broadband
- Netflix streaming with iiNet
- Netflix streaming with Optus
- Netflix streaming with Telstra
- Netflix streaming with TPG
- Netflix streaming with Dodo/iPrimus
- Netflix streaming with Exetel
- Netflix streaming with Vodafone
- How does Australian Netflix streaming compare globally?
- Is it worth upgrading my internet for Netflix?
Who are the best internet providers for Netflix?
Netflix has ranked the top internet providers for streaming in Australia, with figures correct as at March 2024.
Top-ranked ISPs (in alphabetical order):
- Aussie Broadband: 3.0Mbps
- Dodo/iPrimus: 3.0Mbps
- Exetel: 3.0Mbps
- iiNet: 3.0Mbps
- iiNet (non-NBN): 3.0Mbps
- Optus: 3.0Mbps
- Optus (non-NBN): 3.0Mbps
- Telstra: 3.0Mbps
- TPG: 3.0Mbps
- TPG (non-NBN): 3.0Mbps
Second-place ISPs (in alphabetical order):
- Vodafone: 2.8Mbps
The Netflix ISP speed index lists the average prime time bit-rate for content streamed to Netflix subscribers each month. To compile the rankings, Netflix measure for all available end-user devices in Megabits per second (Mbps). You can then choose the country (in this case Australia) that you want to compare service providers for, and the website brings up the necessary information, with a few disclosures:
- Netflix download speeds are likely to be slower during prime time hours (i.e. evenings from 7pm – 11pm). So the speeds cited above may actually be higher at certain points, like early morning and mid-afternoon, as fewer people are likely to be streaming.
- The absolute minimum internet speed required watching Netflix is 0.5Mbps, but this will give a poor image quality. The higher your speed, the more consistently high-quality your stream will be.
Sponsored NBN Plans
The following table shows a selection of sponsored unlimited data Standard Plus Evening Speed (NBN 50), and Premium Evening Speed (NBN 100) plans on Canstar Blue’s database with links to referral partners..
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1 Month Contract (1 month min. cost $65.90) Typical evening speed of 100Mbps
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Unlimited Data/month |
$65.90 Cost/month |
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1 Month Contract (1 month min. cost $69) Typical evening speed of 100Mbps
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Unlimited Data/month |
$69 Cost/month |
Go to Site |
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1 Month Contract (1 month min. cost $63.90) Typical evening speed of 50Mbps
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Unlimited Data/month |
$63.90 Cost/month |
Go to Site |
Unlimited Home Standard (NBN 50) Plans
The following table shows a selection of published unlimited NBN 50 plans on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of standard monthly cost (excluding discounts), from the lowest to highest, and then by alphabetical order of provider. Use our comparison tool above to see plans from a range of other providers. This is a selection of products with links to referral partners.
Unlimited Home Fast (NBN 100) Plans
The table below shows a selection of published unlimited NBN 100 plans on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of monthly cost, from the lowest to highest, and then by alphabetical order of provider. Use our comparison tool to see plans from a range of other providers. This is a selection of products with links to referral partners.
A selection of big data plans on our database
The following table shows a selection of unlimited Standard Plus Evening Speed (NBN 50) plans on Canstar Blue’s database from the above providers, listed in order of monthly cost, from the lowest to highest, and then by alphabetical order of provider. Use our comparison tool to see plans from a range of other providers. This table may contain links to referral partners.
How does Netflix speed indexing work?
Netflix periodically publishes its own speed index to measure and rank the performance of each of the biggest Australian internet service provider in terms of how well they stream its content. Netflix notes that this is a measure of ‘prime time’ Netflix streaming performance of the top six ISPs in Australia. This is not a measure of overall performance of a network, rather just how fast each service can download Netflix.
Some things to be aware of:
- Your ISP may prioritise traffic differently.
- Your particular exchange may have different contention ratios (the number of users sharing the same bandwidth) to those in other neighbourhoods.
- Peak times are generally between 7pm and 11pm. Note that streaming outside of these hours may yield different results.
If you’re in the market for a broadband plan that will deliver the best Netflix-watching experience, we’ve taken a look at the top nine telcos below.
Netflix streaming with Aussie Broadband
Aussie Broadband frequently tops speed tests for its fast, industry-leading NBN. Its offers a range of high-speed plans, so it’s no surprise the telco consistently ranks high in Netflix’s speed listings. Aussie Broadband is also well-regarded for its customer service, which is Australia-based.
Netflix streaming with iiNet
Way back in June 2015, iiNet was the number-one ranked ISP on this list, but this does not mean iiNet has slipped – rather, the others have just caught up. iiNet offers a good range of unlimited data NBN plans at competitive prices.
Netflix streaming with Optus
Optus is one of the providers at the top of Netflix’s Aussie ISP speed index. Like Telstra, Optus offers a range of fast plans with above-average evening speeds that are ideal for streaming and keeping the family entertained.
Netflix streaming with Telstra
Telstra is one of the consistently fast-performing NBN providers and was formerly the number-one brand on Netflix’s Australian speed index. The telco features a large range of speed options, and was among the first to be more realistic about the speeds customers can expect in peak times.
One of Telstra’s main selling points is that it has huge contracts with various entertainment companies to provide users with entertainment bundles. You can bundle your service with Foxtel, Foxtel Now, BINGE or Kayo, or include Telstra TV in your plan. Telstra also has unlimited data internet plans which takes some of the concern out of consistent Netflix streaming.
Netflix streaming with TPG
TPG tends to be pretty steady in this middle position, but still generally performs quite well. The telco remains one of the more popular ISPs in Australia, despite it still being seen as an underdog compared to Telstra and Optus.
Netflix streaming with Dodo/iPrimus
Dodo and iPrimus – as part of the Vocus Communications group – offer similar speeds, and currently you can expect a Netflix streaming performance on par with more expensive providers such as Telstra. Both Dodo and Primus both tend to offer some of the cheaper and simpler unlimited plans out there along with a range of speed tiers.
Netflix streaming with Exetel
Exetel continues to improve, holding its own against more widely-known ISPs and offering strong average speeds on faster plans. Exetel not only provides mobile phone plans and some of the cheapest NBN plans out there.
Netflix streaming with Vodafone
Vodafone is lagging slightly behind bigger NBN providers such as Telstra and Optus. However, it remains one of the more affordable big-name options for Netflix fans, with the option to save on your monthly bill if you’re also a Vodafone phone plan customer.
How does Australian internet compare globally?
To put it frankly, Australian internet in terms of Netflix speeds has, until recently, been lacklustre. Even compared to internet providers in New Zealand – thanks to the country’s fibre infrastructure that spans most of the nation – Australia appeared to be falling behind. However, in spite of recent challenges – such as the requirement for NBN providers to pay CVC costs – Australia’s average Netflix speeds are steadily increasing, putting us on par with the top-performing countries worldwide.
To see how Australia ranks, we’ve listed the average speeds for other countries below over the last six months. Keep in mind that this list isn’t a measure of general broadband speed, just a measurement of the prime time Netflix performance of included ISPs.
- 3.0Mbps: Australia, Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Sweden, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States
- 2.8Mbps: Argentina, Chile, France, Greece, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Poland, South Africa, Taiwan
- 2.6Mbps: Bolivia, Honduras, Jamaica, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia
- 2.4Mbps: Dominican Republic, Pakistan
Although European countries traditionally do quite well in speed rankings, Australia is beginning to catch up. Our major providers are averaging peak time Netflix speeds of 3.0Mbps and up, on par with other leading Western countries. While Australia on a global scale has a bit of work to do, speeds are definitely improving.
Is it worth upgrading my internet for Netflix?
Spending money to save money is almost never an instant process. Say you’ve already found an NBN plan that is great value with adequate data that suits your budget: it likely makes little sense to upgrade to a more expensive plan just for the sake of getting unmetered Netflix. However, if you’re reaching the end of the month pulling your hair out trying to conserve gigabytes, or tired of frequent buffering and low-quality streams, you might find it worth your money to upgrade to a faster unlimited data plan.
The best option is to find a plan that is similar in price to your current one. Generally, most Netflix watchers will get a great experience from Standard Evening Speed (NBN 25) plans, but if you’re in a multi-user household, you may benefit from a bump to Standard Plus (NBN 50) or even Premium (NBN 100) or faster; you can read more about NBN evening speeds here.
Overall, broadband plans and prices in Australia are improving – so if Netflix is your main entertainment option, there’s plenty of great NBN plans and deals out there to keep your streaming stress-free.
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