Internet provider satisfaction survey 2026: Starlink, Aussie Broadband and Vodafone top the list

Our world is a connected one, and the ease with which you can access services, files and friends online makes a big difference to your daily routine. Internet service providers (ISPs) are the gatekeepers of this aspect of our lives, so it’s important that you’re happy with your plan.

But even if you’re ready to try a new ISP, how do you know whether the new one will be any better than the last? We gathered feedback from more than 1800 people to find out what Australians think of their ISP.

You might already be with one of the best providers out there, meaning you can stay put with confidence, but don’t just settle for the devil you know without having all the information.

On this page:

• Australia’s best overall ISP for customer satisfaction
• Australia’s best NBN provider for customer satisfaction
• The internet in Australia
• ISP market share in Australia
• Satisfaction survey: What we’re looking for

Australia’s best overall ISP for customer satisfaction

Aussie Broadband was the highest scorer in most of the 11 satisfaction categories, though not always by a wide margin.

Starlink scored highest for overall satisfaction, but this was with small sample sizes, so there were no scores for four out of the 11 categories. Vodafone has significantly improved since our last survey, and is now equal with Aussie Broadband, with 80% for overall satisfaction.

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Australia’s best NBN provider for customer satisfaction

If we separate the results out to NBN providers, Vodafone had the most satisfied customers for NBN plans with a score of 80%, followed closely by AGL and Aussie Broadband on 79%.

Satisfaction survey: What we’re looking for

We asked people how satisfied they were with their ISP across 11 categories:

●      overall satisfaction

●      connection speed

●      data allowance relative to price

●      reliable, consistent connection

●      bill clarity

●      ease of initial setup

●      customer service/technical support

●      ping/latency

●      connection speed relative to price

●      data privacy and security measures

●      sustainability and ethical conduct.

Where we had fewer than 30 responses for a single provider, we grouped ISPs into “other”.

The internet in Australia

The internet landscape in Australia has been uncharacteristically stable over the past two years, possibly because the NBN is close to saturation.

Between 2017 and 2021, our surveys saw active NBN connections soar from 28% to 80%. But this meteoric rise hit a wall – NBN connections stagnated after 2021 and there has been a slight drop from 79% in our 2023 survey to 75% in 2026.

ISP market share in Australia

Telstra’s combined market share with its subsidiary Belong has shrunk from 36% in our 2023 survey to 28% in 2026. Optus trails behind with 14%. Combined, TPG and its subsidiary iiNet also account for 16%, the same as in 2023. 

Aussie Broadband continued its gradual rise in market share from 1% in 2019, to 5% in 2023 and 8% in our 2026 survey.

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Why we've partnered with WhistleOut

We've partnered with search engine WhistleOut to help you find and buy the right plan for you.  While we make money if you buy through WhistleOut, this doesn't influence our rankings. 100% of the money we make goes straight back into our nonprofit mission.

Most common problems

Almost half (45%) of respondents experienced problems with their ISP within the six months leading up to the survey. A total 30% of respondents said their issues were related to speed and connection, including:

●      disconnections, dropouts or variable performance (17%)

●      very slow speeds (13%)

Other common problems were increases in price or charges (12%) and long wait times with customer service (8%).

Note: Some respondents reported multiple issues..

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Why do people change providers?

The number one reason people switch is because of cost. Of the people who switched providers in the last 12 months, 50% did so because they found a cheaper plan. This was far ahead of the other main reasons for people to switch, which included:

●      reliability/consistency of connection (23%)

●      connection speed (22%)

●      moved houses/states and the ISP wasn’t available in the area (20%)

●      better data allowance / better plan (16%)

●      poor technical/customer support (10%).

What factors do people consider when choosing a provider?

While the main reason to switch is cost, there are more factors than just price when it comes to choosing an ISP.

By far the largest factor people consider when looking for a new internet provider is the reliability of a connection (59%) – though this information can be hard to come by. One of the best ways to find out about connection reliability is to ask customers to report on their experiences with a given provider.

The next two factors concern the interplay between price and value – connection speed relative to price (38%) and data allowance relative to price (30%).

Customer service/technical support (30%) comes in fourth. Strong data privacy and security (28%) and actual connection speed relative to the advertised speed (20%) are also significant factors.

How often do people change ISP?

Despite almost half of the people we surveyed experiencing problems, Australians don’t change ISPs often. Only 12% of respondents had switched within the previous 12 months. By contrast, 26% had been with their current provider for 3–5 years, and 30% for more than 10 years.

Telstra customers in particular are in for the long haul, with over half (58%) staying put for more than a decade.

Can you stay and save?

Many people switch to sign up to a cheaper plan, but if you’re happy with your current ISP, have you considered downgrading your data allowance to save some money instead?

People may overestimate how much data they need each month, which means they pay more than they need to. Check how much you actually use via your provider’s website or app.

Tips for switching providers

If you do decide to switch, check that your new provider has a no-contract option with limited or no sign-up fees. This can let you dip your toe in without getting stuck for a year or more.

Consider switching to a smaller provider to save money. While we don’t have enough statistics on most of them to single out any individually, as a group they performed well for overall customer satisfaction.

If you’re on the NBN, you can also check out our analysis of the ACCC’s broadband monitoring program results. We collect the raw data and apply our own scoring system to find out which NBN providers perform best.

Why we've partnered with WhistleOut

We've partnered with search engine WhistleOut to help you find and buy the right plan for you.  While we make money if you buy through WhistleOut, this doesn't influence our rankings. 100% of the money we make goes straight back into our nonprofit mission.

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Jodi Bird

Jodi Bird is the Managing Financial Content Editor at CHOICE. Previously at CHOICE, he worked as Travel project lead and as a Finance specialist. Jodi has extensive experience in financial services, having worked with major banks such as CBA, Westpac and Credit Suisse. He enjoys breaking down complex consumer decisions into easy to understand steps and holding companies to account for failing their customers. He is regularly called upon for expert commentary by major broadcasters such as the ABC, SBS, and Channels 7, 9, and 10. Jodi has a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Economics from the University of Wollongong. He is RG146 compliance certified to provide general advice for General Insurance and is a Responsible Manager on CHOICE's Australian Financial Services License. LinkedIn

Jodi Bird is the Managing Financial Content Editor at CHOICE. Previously at CHOICE, he worked as Travel project lead and as a Finance specialist. Jodi has extensive experience in financial services, having worked with major banks such as CBA, Westpac and Credit Suisse. He enjoys breaking down complex consumer decisions into easy to understand steps and holding companies to account for failing their customers. He is regularly called upon for expert commentary by major broadcasters such as the ABC, SBS, and Channels 7, 9, and 10. Jodi has a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Economics from the University of Wollongong. He is RG146 compliance certified to provide general advice for General Insurance and is a Responsible Manager on CHOICE's Australian Financial Services License. LinkedIn