There isn't one “best” broadband plan
We often get asked: “What is the best broadband plan in New Zealand?”
The honest answer is: there isn't one.
The right broadband plan depends on what you need from your connection, where you live and what matters most to you. A family streaming, gaming and working from home will have very different requirements from someone who mainly uses the internet for email and browsing.
That's why Broadband Compare doesn't simply pick one provider or plan and call it “the best”. We match broadband plans to your individual requirements and rank them based on the value they offer for those requirements.
Every broadband plan receives a Broadband Compare score from 0–100. This score is calculated using our comparison algorithm, which assesses the features and characteristics of the plan.
The algorithm considers factors that we believe can benefit consumers.
For example:
The aim is to reward plans that provide genuine value and flexibility, rather than simply rewarding the lowest headline price.
The plan's feature score is then considered alongside its price to determine its overall ranking.
This is important because the plan with the most features isn't necessarily the best value.
For example, if two plans have exactly the same features, customer reviews and other relevant characteristics, the cheaper plan will rank higher.
Equally, a slightly more expensive plan may rank higher if it provides significantly better features or is more suitable for your particular needs.
Imagine two plans:
Plan A: $65 per month, 100Mbps, open term
Plan B: $95 per month, 950Mbps, open term
If you mainly browse the web and stream occasionally, Plan A may offer better value.
If you have a busy household with multiple people gaming, streaming 4K video and working from home, the additional performance offered by Plan B may make it the better choice for you.
Our ranking is designed to reflect value and suitability - not just price.
Your address is an important part of the comparison.
Not every broadband technology or plan is available everywhere in New Zealand. Depending on where you live, you may have access to fibre, VDSL, 4G or 5G wireless broadband or other connection options.
When you provide your address, Broadband Compare can take the available connection types into account when determining which plans are suitable for you.
Your requirements can also include things such as:
That's why two households next door to each other can receive different recommendations if their needs are different.
You can browse Broadband Compare without entering an address or applying personal requirements.
In this case, you'll see more general rankings based on the information available about the plans themselves.
These rankings are useful for exploring the market, but they don't represent a personalised recommendation because we don't yet know which connection technology is available at your property or what you need from your broadband connection.
Broadband providers offer different plans and strengths, and a provider that is ideal for one household may not be right for another.
Our job isn't to tell everyone to choose the same provider.
Our job is to help you find the plan that offers the best combination of features, price and value for your particular requirements.
The higher a plan's Broadband Compare rating, the more closely we believe it matches the requirements you've provided.
Some broadband providers offer discounts when you combine your broadband with power, mobile or other services. These deals can look particularly attractive because the broadband price may be heavily discounted or even appear to be exceptionally cheap.
But a cheap broadband price doesn't necessarily mean the overall bundle is the best value.
When comparing a bundle, it's important to look at the cost and value of every service you're signing up for. For example, a provider might offer $10 or $20 off your broadband if you move your power to them, but if their electricity rates are higher than another power provider, you could end up paying more overall. The same principle applies to mobile plans.
In other words, one part of a bundle can effectively be used as a loss leader to attract you to the other services. The discount on broadband might look impressive, but it doesn't tell you whether the combined cost of broadband + power or broadband + mobile represents good value.
That's why, when considering a bundle, you should ask:
That doesn't mean bundles are a bad idea.
Having one provider, one account and one bill can make life considerably easier. Some people will quite reasonably decide that this convenience is worth paying a little more for.
The important thing is to understand how much you're actually saving - or paying - for that convenience and decide whether it's worth it to you.
Our comparison tools take the relevant features and value of plans into account, but when considering a multi-service bundle, we encourage you to look beyond the headline broadband price and consider the total cost and value of the complete package.
The cheapest broadband in a bundle isn't necessarily the cheapest overall household solution. And the best bundle isn't necessarily the one with the biggest advertised discount - it's the one that delivers the combination of services, price, flexibility and convenience that's right for you.
If price is your most important consideration, you don't have to use the Broadband Compare rating to order your results.
Simply change the “Sort by” option to Price and we'll show the plans from the lowest advertised price upwards.
However, the cheapest monthly price isn't always the cheapest option overall, so it's worth looking beyond the headline price before signing up.
Pay particular attention to:
Sorting by price gives you a different way to explore the market, but it's still important to check what you're getting for that price.
Our rating is designed to consider the overall value and suitability of a plan, whereas sorting by price simply answers a different question: “Which plans cost the least?”
Ultimately, the choice is yours. You can use our rating to find the plans we think offer the best overall fit for your requirements, or sort by price if getting the lowest monthly broadband cost is your priority.
Our technology can assess tens of thousands of potential combinations of consumer requirements and broadband plans, helping us provide a more personalised comparison rather than a one-size-fits-all “best broadband” list.
And because our comparison is designed around your requirements, the plan at the top of your results isn't necessarily the cheapest plan available. It will be the plan we believe offers the best overall fit and value for what you've told us you need.
