Telstra vs Optus

Telstra and Optus are the two biggest networks in Australia, and unlike most comparisons on this site, neither one is a reseller of the other. Both own and run their own towers. So this isn't a question of coverage versus no coverage. It's a question of how much extra reach Telstra actually buys you, and whether that reach is worth paying for where you live.

Coverage, the thing people actually pick between

Telstra covers about 99.7% of the Australian population and Optus about 98.5%. That sounds close, and in a city it is. The 1.2-point gap is almost entirely regional towns, rural properties, highways between centres, and the kind of country where one bar versus none is the difference between a working phone and a paperweight.

Optus has spent years closing that gap and its 5G is mature across the capitals and rolled out through most major regional centres. If you live and work in a metro area or a large regional town, you will most likely never notice a coverage difference between the two. Drive four hours inland and you will.

One more thing worth weighing: Optus's 2023 national outage took the whole network down for most of a day. Telstra has had incidents too, but its reputation for staying up is a genuine part of what the premium buys. If your phone is a work tool you can't afford to lose for an afternoon, that matters.

What each one costs right now

Telstra's SIM-only Upfront plans, month-to-month, no lock-in:

Optus Choice Plus, also month-to-month, no lock-in:

Line the tiers up and Optus wins on price at every one. Its entry plan gives you more data than Telstra's ($60 for 60GB against $74 for 50GB), and the gap grows in the middle of the range, where $70 buys 240GB on Optus against 180GB for $84 on Telstra. Telstra's Premium plan at $99 for 300GB is beaten by Optus's Large at $90 for 480GB on both counts. The Telstra price is the cost of the coverage, and nothing else on the plan justifies it.

Both run frequent promos, usually a discount for the first 12 months, so the price on the plan card is often lower than the ongoing rate above. Budget for the ongoing number.

Where Telstra earns its price

Coverage is the main one, already covered. Two others matter for specific people.

Telstra gives eligible Health Care Card, DVA Gold Card and pensioner concession card holders 10% off any plan, which is the one concrete concession discount we've been able to verify against a provider's own terms. On the Basic plan that brings the real cost to about $67 a month. Optus has no equivalent.

Telstra Plus also earns rewards points on your spend, redeemable against devices and accessories, and Telstra's retail store network means there's somewhere to walk in and get help. Optus has stores too, fewer of them, and its loyalty benefit is a discount on partner subscriptions rather than points.

The honest verdict

If you regularly spend time outside the major regional centres, or your phone is a work tool that can't go dark for an afternoon, or you hold a concession card, Telstra is worth the premium. That's a real set of reasons, not a marketing one.

For everyone else, and that's most people, Optus is the better buy. Same practical coverage in the places you actually spend your time, meaningfully more data for less money, and international talk and text built into the mid and top plans. Check both providers' current promo pricing first, since the headline offers rotate. See the full lineups on Telstra's provider page and Optus's provider page, or browse every plan sorted by price.