How the rort scale works

Everything you need to know about how we compare NBN plans and calculate your rating.

The Rort Scale

After you enter your monthly price, we compare it against the cheapest available plan at the same speed tier. The overpay percentage determines your rating:

\text{Overpay \%} = \frac{P_{\text{you}} - P_{\text{cheapest}}}{P_{\text{cheapest}}} \times 100

Two ratings, not one

If you're on a promotional plan, we actually calculate two ratings:

Your current price

What you're paying right now — your promo rate. This is the main rating you see. If you're on a $53/mo promo and the cheapest plan is $54/mo, you're Winning.

After your promo ends

What your rating will be once the promo price expires and you're on the full ongoing rate. This is shown in an expandable section — so you know whether to start planning your next churn.

We don't blend these into a single "effective" rating because what matters most is what you're paying right now. The post-promo rating is there so you can set a reminder to churn before the price jumps.

The rort timeline

If you're on a promo, you'll also see a rort timeline — a visual track showing where you are now and what happens when your promo ends.

The timeline shows two segments: your promo period (coloured by your current rating) and the post-promo period (coloured by what your rating becomes at full price). The transition point is where your promo ends.

A "you are here" marker shows your current position. If your post-promo rating drops to Taking the Piss or worse, the timeline tells you exactly how many months you have to find a better deal before the price jumps.

Rating levels

Winning

You're paying less than the cheapest plan we track. Whatever you did, don't change a thing.

Sweet As

0–4% above the cheapest available plan. You're on a fair deal — no need to churn.

Bit Shit

5–14% above the cheapest available plan. Not the end of the world, but money's money — worth having a look around.

Taking the Piss

15–29% above the cheapest available plan. Your provider is having a laugh. Seriously consider churning.

Absolute Rort

30%+ above the cheapest available plan. Mate. You're getting absolutely done. Switch immediately.

How effective pricing works

Many ISPs advertise a low introductory price that reverts to a higher rate after a promo period, and some plans charge a one-off setup fee. Comparing the headline price alone is misleading.

To produce a fair comparison we calculate the effective monthly cost — the true average you'll pay over the commitment period:

C_{\text{eff}} = \frac{m_p \cdot P_{\text{promo}} + m_f \cdot P_{\text{full}} + F_{\text{setup}}}{M}

Where:

$m_p$ = promo months (capped to commitment period)
$P_{\text{promo}}$ = promotional monthly price
$m_f$ = remaining months at full price
$P_{\text{full}}$ = ongoing monthly price after promo
$F_{\text{setup}}$ = one-time setup fee
$M$ = total commitment period (3, 6, 12, or 24 months)

This means a plan with a great intro offer but a steep post-promo price may rank lower than one with a flat rate that's genuinely cheap — which is exactly what you want to know before signing up.

The commitment period selector

The commitment period selector (shown on each speed-tier page) lets you choose how many months you plan to stay with your next provider: 3, 6, 12, or 24 months. Changing it recalculates every plan's effective cost and re-ranks the table accordingly.

The Auto: cheapest default picks the horizon that produces the single lowest effective monthly cost across all plans. When two horizons tie, it picks the longer commitment period — on the assumption that a longer cheap streak is better.

The churn trick most people miss

Most NBN plans are no lock-in — you can leave whenever you like. That means a 12-month horizon only makes sense if you're actually planning to sit still for a year. If you're willing to churn every 6 months, set the selector to 6 months and pick the cheapest plan at that horizon. Ride out the promo, then switch again. Repeat. You'll consistently beat the plan that "Auto: cheapest" picks over 12 months.

Catch: always check the notice period before you churn. Some providers require 30 days' notice — so "month-to-month" doesn't always mean you can leave tomorrow. The notice period is listed in each plan's detail row on the comparison table, and you can filter to only show plans with no notice required.

Short-term: favour plans with long promo periods and no setup fee. Long-term: favour plans with low ongoing rates. The selector makes that trade-off obvious at a glance.

Where the data comes from

All plan data is sourced from NetBargains, an independent Australian site that tracks NBN and fixed-line internet plans across every provider. Prices are refreshed daily.

This site has no affiliate links, no ads, and no sponsored placements. Rankings are based purely on price. If you find this useful and want to support someone, consider chucking a few bucks at NetBargains — the legends who actually maintain the plan data.

Prices, availability, and plan details may be out of date, inaccurate, or wrong. Always check the provider's website before signing up.

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