Australia’s best mobile phone plan providers

We asked you to rate your satisfaction with your current mobile phone plan, looking at network reliability, value for money and more. So which mobile network in Australia has the most satisfied customers?

Best SIM-only phone plan provider: Amaysim

Amaysim scored highest for overall satisfaction and in several other categories, followed closely by ALDImobile. 

Of the mobile phone plan providers we had enough data to report on, the major three – Telstra, Vodafone and Optus – were the only ones to score below average for SIM-only plans, taking the last three places for overall satisfaction, as well as in some other categories.

Best SIM + handset phone plan provider: Telstra

Telstra scored highest for overall satisfaction, but not by much. While no provider in this category scored significantly better or worse than the next mobile service provider above or below them for overall satisfaction, the lowest scorer – Optus (69%) – was significantly below Vodafone’s 74%.

The number of mobile service providers with SIM + handset plans that we could report on is limited, both because of our responses but also because there are fewer players in this section of the market.

How is the best phone provider calculated?

Overall satisfaction score

Our mobile satisfaction survey rates providers based on their own customers’ feedback on how they’re performing. Our 2023 survey covered a range of questions such as call clarity, internet speed, customer service and how clear the bill is to understand. We also asked people how satisfied they were with their provider overall.

What matters to you

When it comes to selecting a SIM and phone provider, the most important factors respondents listed were: value for money (61%), network reliability (46%), network coverage (45%), and internet connectivity (23%).

SIM-only plans dominated – 69% of respondents had one, which is identical to our 2021/22 survey results. SIM and mobile handset plans made up 42% of responses.

No-contract plans have stabilised in popularity. In our 2023 survey, 69% of people were off-contract, using prepaid, post-paid or pay-as-you-go plans. The number of people locked into a contract has dropped from 57% in 2019 to 30%.

Scoring the satisfaction rating

Satisfaction scores are calculated out of 100 by asking respondents to rate their service provider on various attributes and overall satisfaction on a seven-point scale ranging from terrible to excellent. The results are tested for statistical significance to verify scores that are statistically higher or lower than the average.

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Denis

Denis Gallagher is a Senior project officer for Digital home products and also works on test projects for the laundry and fridge labs. He produces tests for gadgets, phones, cameras and home entertainment gear as well as TVs, washing machines, dishwashers and fridges.  Previously at CHOICE, Denis worked as a Content producer for digital products. Prior to CHOICE, Denis worked as an Assistant editor on Golf Australia magazine and Editor for Multimedia and Videocamera magazine.  Denis has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of New South Wales and a Diploma of Journalism from Macleay College. Find Denis on LinkedIn.

Denis Gallagher is a Senior project officer for Digital home products and also works on test projects for the laundry and fridge labs. He produces tests for gadgets, phones, cameras and home entertainment gear as well as TVs, washing machines, dishwashers and fridges.  Previously at CHOICE, Denis worked as a Content producer for digital products. Prior to CHOICE, Denis worked as an Assistant editor on Golf Australia magazine and Editor for Multimedia and Videocamera magazine.  Denis has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of New South Wales and a Diploma of Journalism from Macleay College. Find Denis on LinkedIn.