Telstra vs Optus vs Vodafone coverage: what is the best network in Australia?

Telstra's market-leading mobile coverage is the very reason many Australians choose to pay a premium for the provider's plans. For years, Telstra's title has gone unchallenged, and rightly so.

Telstra's coverage is still the most reliable option for many Australians living outside of heavily populated areas, as coverage in remote Australia can be patchy at best. But over the last decade, the gap between Telstra, Optus, and Vodafone's coverage has narrowed significantly. Now, more than ever, Australians who once had Buckley's chance of receiving a signal with smaller, more affordable networks might find Optus and Vodafone a reliable alternative.

Then there are the MVNOs and their coverage. If you find that you do need access to the Telstra network, you could easily find yourself a viable budget alternative to the network with the best mobile coverage in one of the many providers that use Telstra's wholesale network, such as ALDI Mobile and Woolworths Mobile, which covers around 98.8% of the population.

There are a few steps you can (and should) take before committing to a new network if you're struggling to get coverage or merely looking to switch to a more affordable provider.

The percentages below represent each network's 3G and 4G coverage footprint in Australia. That said, it's important to note that these percentages aren't representative of landmass, rather Australia's populated areas.

Now that you know how much coverage each major telco offers, the next questions is how much you're willing to pay to access the coverage provided by each of Australia's mobile networks?

To make finding your answer to this question easier, here's a quick round-up of the big three telcos' most popular SIM plans. It should help give you an idea of how much going with a given network will cost and the call and data inclusions that going with either Telstra, Vodafone or Optus will get you.

Telstra is still the prime candidate for the best mobile coverage, but Optus and Vodafone's plans can often offer almost the same amount value. Be sure to carefully consider each provider's perks and features before making a decision either way.

Still stumped? Be sure to read on for more specifics on each provider's network and coverage.

• 99.5% of populated Australia
• Best choice for regional Australia

If you're not completely satisfied with Optus or Vodafone 4G coverage, it might be time to consider switching to the big blue or a Telstra-powered MVNO like MATE.

Before you do, it's worth checking the map below to find out whether Telstra offers sufficient coverage in your area. Our map also includes Telstra 5G coverage, which now covers over 80% of the population.

If your area is swimming in a sea of purple, you should have no issue accessing Telstra's 4G network. Here's a quick look at the telco's prepaid and Upfront SIM-only plans.

And if you're happy with Telstra's still-impressive Wholesale Network coverage, here's a rundown of the most popular plans on other providers who use the Telstra network.

Most MVNOs have limited access to the Telstra network. However, Boost Mobile is the one provider that Telstra offers unbridled 3G and 4G coverage too. Boost and Telstra have a strong partnership which gives the MVNO complete access to the best mobile network (in terms of coverage). You can even get 5G on select plans.

Here's a quick look at all of Boost Mobile's prepaid plans.

• 98.5% of the Australian population
• Great for metropolitan areas and populated regional towns
• Might not service the back of Bourke

Next up, we've got Australia's second-largest mobile provider, Optus.

Optus claims it covers 98.5% of populated Australia. Compared with Telstra's 99.5% coverage, that might not seem like much of a difference. But if we apply those percentages to Australia's total population, the gap starts to look more pronounced. Theoretically speaking, the Optus network reaches 256,900 less people than Telstra. If you're on those unlucky individuals, the absence of coverage from the best mobile network in Australia can sometimes feel like a personal attack.

Thankfully, it's easy to find out ahead of time. There's no need for stressful guesswork when you can search your area in the Optus coverage map above. Take a look and see if your hometown has significant Optus 4G coverage (or even Optus 5G coverage, if you're lucky) with the provider.

If you like what you see, here's a look at Optus' prepaid and postpaid plan options.

As with those piggybacking on Telstra's network, Optus MVNOs have the same coverage as Optus.

Because of this, there's no reason not to compare plans between the two. Best case scenario: It might save you a chunk of change. The only thing you don't get access to with Optus MVNOs are perks like a discounted rate on Optus Sport or the ability to bundle in a new phone. If you're eyeing up an MVNO like Amaysim then it might be worth asking how valuable these inclusions really are.

To give you a sense of the market, here are the most popular plans with other providers on the Optus network with 10GB of data or more.

• 96% of populated Australia
• Often a cheaper choice for metro areas

Lastly, there's Vodafone. It's no secret that network footprint for Vodafone coverage pales in comparison to Telstra and Optus. But if you look at the numbers, the overwhelming majority of Australians can still get a reliable signal on Vodafone nowadays.

The same goes for the various MVNOs (TPG, Kogan Mobile, etc.) who rely on the same network for Vodafone coverage. Like Optus, the coverage of Vodafone's MVNOs is the identical to that of its 4G network.

If you're still worried about whether you have Vodafone coverage in your area,  take a look at your stomping ground in the coverage map below. If your address (and the places you regularly visit) are covered in purple, you should be good to go. There are still other factors that might impact your signal, but the map above is a reliable indication of Vodafone coverage in Australia.

You can also check if your area is one of the few with Vodafone 5G coverage by checking the 5G box.

Confident with that coverage? Then take a look at Vodafone's prepaid and postpaid mobile plans.

Still not sure? No worries. It's best to trial a Vodafone MVNO prepaid or month-to-month SIM plan for a little while anyway. If you're not happy with the coverage, you can always cancel (or, in the case of prepaid, stop paying for recharges) and jump ship to another network.

In the meantime, here's a healthy mix of prepaid and SIM-only deals from other providers on the Vodafone Mobile network.

As opposed to 4G and 3G, there aren't any clean percentages available to help us compare and contrast the 5G coverage of Australia's mobile networks.

While Telstra has been loud and proud about achieving a 5G footprint that covers 85% of Australia's population, both Optus and Vodafone have yet to put a comparable number on the size of their respective efforts. That alone can suggest something about where Telstra sits relative to the other two, but without any actual numbers to compare it is difficult to draw any definitive conclusions about 5G network coverage.

Even if we had access to such clean numbers, those rarely tell the whole story when it comes to finding out who has the best mobile coverage for you. Whether a given provider has the best possible coverage might not matter as much as whether your mobile network covers the specific places that you want (or need) 5G connectivity.

To help with that, we've embedded a map widget that allows you to get a closer look at what areas are covered by each of Australia's big three 5G networks. Click the big orange button, select your desired network provider from the dropdown (e.g. Telstra, Optus or Vodafone).

To find out if you have 5G coverage in your area, use the (+) and (-) icons in the top-left corner of the map to navigate to your area. For example, if you want to search for 5G coverage in Sydney, zoom right in and drag the map with your cursor to zero in on your address.