Compare fibre broadband providers in New Zealand at Canstar Blue. Now, Skinny, Spark, Sky Broadband, Orcon, 2degrees, Slingshot and One NZ were compared on Overall Satisfaction, Bill Clarity, Clarity of Contract, Customer Service, Flexibility of Contract, Network Performance and Value for Money.
See our Ratings Methodology.
For the fourth time in five years, Now has been rated No.1 for customer satisfaction by Kiwi broadband consumers.
Our review compares providers that offer standalone fibre broadband on customer satisfaction, so you can discover what other Kiwis think about our compared fibre broadband providers before you sign on with one of them. Think of it like asking hundreds of your closest friends and family which fibre broadband provider they think is best!
Canstar Blue surveyed 2279 Kiwis who have an account with a fibre broadband provider and asked for their feedback on their broadband provider.
Respondents rate their satisfaction with their providers from zero to ten, where zero is extremely dissatisfied and ten is extremely satisfied. Brand satisfaction was rated by respondents on the following criteria:
The winning brand is the one that receives the highest Overall Satisfaction rating once all the scores from the Overall Satisfaction criteria are combined and averaged.
Brands must have received at least 30 responses to be included, so not all brands available in the market have been compared in this survey. The brands rated in this survey are listed below in order of best overall satisfaction.
Find more information on our Most Satisfied Customer methodology.
This year marks four award wins out of five for Now, which once again dominates our Fibre Broadband Award earning top praise from its customers. It’s the only broadband provider to earn a top 5-Star rating for Overall Satisfaction, a result it replicates across the board, including in the all-important categories of Value for Money and Customer Service.
It’s an even more remarkable achievement given that no other broadband provider in our ratings earns any 5-Star ratings. Congratulations to Now, truly New Zealand’s best-rated fibre broadband provider and No.1 for Customer Satisfaction.
Now has come a long way since its establishment nearly 20 years ago, as a rural provider in Hawke’s Bay. Since then, it’s grown into a nationwide company with offices across the country. Now offers a range of VDSL and fibre broadband plans. Extra charges apply for a modem:
Plans come with access to the great Now Assist app that provides clear prompts to help fix common internet problems. It also links through to Now’s support team, should you need one-on-one assistance with your home broadband.
Given its great value prepaid phone deals, it’s perhaps no surprise that Skinny earns a top 5-Star rating for Value for Money from Kiwi consumers for its fibre broadband deals. While it earns a 3-Star rating for Customer Service, it achieves great 4-Star ratings across all other categories, including for Overall Satisfaction.
Alongside its no-frills prepaid plans, Skinny offers a great range of broadband plans across fixed and wireless plans. Free modem on 12-month contract, plus save $10 per month on broadband plans while you have an active eligible Skinny mobile plan.
Spark is one of the country’s biggest telcos, and earns an almost clean sweep of 4-Star ratings across all categories on our awards table. However, for Value for Money, Spark earns a 3-Star rating.
Spark offers a range of fixed and wireless unlimited broadband plans. Although it’s worth noting that a modem is an extra $150, or you can BYO on fibre plans:
*Benefits include Netflix Standard ($20.99/month) and McAfee Security Standard ($4.95/month).
Extras: add Neon to your plan for $15.99 per month.
Sky Broadband is a relative newcomer to the broadband market, but it has made a big impact on Canstar Blue’s awards, winning our Most Satisfied Customers Award last year and placing forth on our awards table this year. Across all our award categories, except Network Performance, it earns great 4-Star ratings from its customers.
Sky Broadband is available for both Sky TV subscribers and non-subscribers. There are three fibre plans to choose from, all of which are available on 12-month contracts. The basic details for each plan are:
| Plan | Monthly data | Download/upload | Cost (per month) |
| Fibre Pro | Unlimited | Up to 900/400Mbps |
Sky TV subscriber: $90 Non-subscriber: $110 |
| Fibre Everyday | Unlimited | Up to 300/100Mbps |
Sky TV subscriber: $80 Non-subscriber: $90 |
| Fibre Starter | Unlimited | Up to 50/10Mbps |
Sky TV subscriber: $60 Non-subscriber: $60 |
As the final column shows, the price difference for Sky TV subscribers and non-subscribers works out to $20 per month for the Fibre Pro plan and $10 per month for the Fibre Everyday plan.
Of course, keep in mind the additional Sky TV subscription costs when weighing up the bundle price. Sky Starter (the base Sky TV package) is $25.99 per month. This means that the minimum bundle price per month is:
On top of these prices, if you’re a Sky TV subscriber there is the possibility of other costs, such as additional channel packages, and added Sky Box box functionality.
Orcon earns predominantly 4-Star ratings from its customers, plus two 3-Star ratings for Flexibility of Contract and Clarity of Contract Terms.
It’s understandable that Orcon scores 3 Stars for contract flexibility because it only offers unlimited fast fibre on 12-month plans:
Plans come with free routers, a $14.95 delivery fee applies. Exit fees apply.
2degrees’ no-frills broadband plans deliver the telco company a 4-Star rating in the all-important category of Value for Money. Across all other categories 2degrees’ customers award it 3-Star ratings.
2degrees has a selection of no-frills fibre and wireless broadband plans to meet all budgets and internet usage needs:
BYO modem or rent an Orbi Wi-Fi6 for just $5/month ($15 shipping fee).
Includes free modem on 12-month contract ($15 shipping fee).
$10/month discount across all plans if you have an eligible 2degrees pay monthly phone plan. Power discounts also available.
Slingshot earns predominantly 3-Star ratings. However it achieves 4 Stars for Customer Service.
Slingshot has been a player in the NZ broadband market since 2001. It’s now owned by Vocus, the same company that owns Orcon. It has a range of wireless and fibre plans, plus bundle savings:
Minimum six-month terms. Exit fee applies. All plans, except 150GB plan, available on pay weekly or fortnightly, at slightly different price points. BYO modem, or $5/month ($15 delivery fee) on fibre plans.
Formerly known as Vodafone, One NZ rounds out our awards table with a clean sweep of 3-Star ratings across all categories. While not a top rating, 3 Stars is by no means a measure of dissatisfaction, rather is shows One NZ’s customers are content with the levels of value and service they receive.
One NZ offers a range of fibre, VDSL and wireless broadband plans:
Modem rental $4 p/m on 12-month contract plus $14.95 delivery fee, or BYO.
Modem rental $4 p/m on 12-month contract plus $14.95 delivery fee, or BYO with no fixed term.
Note: All prices correct as of 24/06/2024 and don’t include special offers. For further details, visit individual providers’ websites.
Other broadband providersNot all broadband providers in the market qualify for our ratings (based on minimum survey sample size), but that doesn’t mean they’re not worth considering. Here are more broadband providers to check out before making a decision.
BigpipeBigpipe broadband is a no-frills broadband provider that is owned by Spark NZ. It was one of the first broadband providers to offer UFB with no data caps. It offers four unlimited-data broadband plans:
$79/month & $89/month
BYO modems only. $49 connection fee on open term plans.
CompassCompass is a smaller, independent Kiwi telco company. It offers fibre and hyperfibre plans:
One-off connection fee of $34.99 applies to weekly plans. Router fees apply.
Canstar Blue also rates and reviews Wireless Broadband providers, including Starlink, Skinny, 2degrees, Slingshot, Spark and One NZ. For our latest Wireless Broadband Awards click here.
Many power companies now offer deals that bundle broadband with electricity, these firms include Electric Kiwi, Nova Energy, Genesis, Slingshot, Contact and Mercury. For Canstar Blue’s latest Bundled Utilities Award click here.
Value for Money is always a top consideration for all consumers in Canstar Blue’s awards, so it’s no surprise to see it rated a No.1 concern for fibre broadband customers – on a par with Network Performance.
However, it’s interesting to see that Customer Service runs a close second: 26% say it’s the most important factor when considering their satisfaction with their broadband provider.
Overall, here’s what the consumers in our survey say are their most important considerations when rating their broadband providers:
First, it pays to run an internet speed test. Start by connecting a device straight into your router with a LAN cable. This will reveal if it’s a problem with your internet supply.
Then run the test on multiple devices in different parts of your home. If the problem isn’t restricted to just one area of your home, or a particular device, it could be that your household’s data demands could be too demanding for your internet plan (particularly if you’re not on fibre).
For example, 4G fixed wireless only hits around 40Mbps, which can struggle with even a single UHD Netflix stream. Although if you’re on fibre 300 and above, it’s unlikely you’re too demanding for your internet connection, unless you’re really pushing your bandwidth. For even fibre 300 can stream four UHD Netflix shows simultaneously without issue.
If the speed tests reveal your internet is, indeed, the problem, and your speeds are below where they should be, there are a few common reasons for this. Note that the problem could be a combination of a few issues:
Wi-fi routers aren’t the prettiest of devices. As a result, many of us tuck them away out of sight, or set them up in little-used rooms. But this is going to hinder your internet connection. When it comes to a strong wi-fi signal, walls and distances aren’t your friends.
Place your router high up, in an unobstructed location, and near your demanding devices, such as computers, smart TVs and gaming consoles.
Depending on the size of your property (or the density of your walls), it may be that one router isn’t up to the job. If your wi-fi is flying next to the router, but stuttering down the hall and in your bedroom, it may just be the signal is struggling to reach that far.
Wi-fi extenders can help. These don’t extend your wi-fi per se, rather they use your existing wi-fi connection to broadcast their own one. As a result, you’ll have more than one wi-fi network in your home. Your regular network, and the one broadcast by the extender(s).
Mesh routers, on the other hand, deliver a single cohesive wi-fi network that utilises a main router and then several nodes to boost the network around the home.
Mesh routers provide a better internet experience, but are more expensive than wi-fi extenders. However, some providers offer mesh routers as part of their broadband plans.
Router technology is constantly improving. An old router might still connect you to wi-fi, but it may do so at a slower rate. It can also leave your connection open to security risks, and might lack features that could improve your connection.
Modern routers feature a host of features that can improve your home’s wi-fi experience, such as:
If your router is getting old, it could be time to upgrade.
If your router has two networks for you to choose from – 2.4GHz and 5GHz – (as most routers do) this means you have a dual-band router.
Your router uses radio frequencies to transmit internet to your devices, and 2.4GHz and 5GHz refer to the frequency of those radio signals. To get the best out of your wi-fi connection, you need to utilise both in the correct way:
For this reason, it pays to set up your router close to your most demanding devices (gaming consoles, smart TV, work computers, etc.) so they can utilise the 5GHz network.
You can then connect most other things on 2GHz, which is perfect for devices far from the router, as well as things that don’t require much bandwidth. For example, most smart appliances can happily stay on 2GHz, even if they are close to the router.
Furthermore, try plugging demanding devices directly into the router via LAN cables. Not only does this improve the connection to those devices, but it frees up bandwidth for wireless devices. However, this may be impractical if your ONT and router are away from your bandwidth-hungry devices.
This report was written by Canstar’s Editor, Bruce Pitchers. Bruce has three decades’ experience as a journalist and has worked for major media companies in the UK and Australasia, including ACP, Bauer Media Group, Fairfax, Pacific Magazines, News Corp and TVNZ. Prior to Canstar, he worked as a freelancer, including for The Australian Financial Review, the NZ Financial Markets Authority, and for real estate companies on both sides of the Tasman.
Currently subscribe to a paid video streaming service: 54%
Broadband provides value for money: 41%
Worry about safety of online personal data: 39%
Get all entertainment online: 37%
Been target of online scam: 34%
Worry children can access unsuitable content too easily online: 27%
Spend more time socialising online than in person: 26%
Spending more time working online at home: 23%
Worry about time their children spend online: 16%
Watch all TV online: 27%
Watch >50% TV online: 28%
Watch <50% TV online: 27%
Watch no TV online: 15%
Canstar Blue surveyed 5127 New Zealand consumers across a range of categories to measure and track customer satisfaction, via ISO 26362 accredited research panels managed by Qualtrics. The outcomes reported are the results from respondents who have a broadband internet account. In this case, 2279 New Zealanders. Brands must have received at least 30 responses to be included. Results are comparative and it should be noted that brands receiving three stars have still achieved a satisfaction measure of at least six out of 10. Not all brands available in the market have been compared in this survey. The ratings table is first sorted by star ratings and then by mean overall satisfaction. A rated brand may receive a ‘N/A’ (Not Applicable) rating if it does not receive the minimum number of responses for that criterion.
The past winners from Canstar Blue’s Broadband ratings:
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