- Cheapest overall
- Alinta, usually: 12% to 25% below the DMO against Origin's 5% to 18%.
- Closest like-for-like
- Origin Max (12% to 18%, needs direct debit and email billing) against Alinta No Fuss (12% to 20%, no conditions).
- Customer ratings
- Origin 1.5/5 on Google; Alinta 4.5/5 on Trustpilot. Different platforms, so read the direction, not the exact gap.
- Best for bundling
- Origin (electricity, gas, solar, broadband and LPG). Alinta sells electricity and gas only.
Cheapest current plan, side by side
Each retailer's cheapest current electricity plan for a 4,000 kWh/year household, sourced from official plan data and refreshed weekly. Not personalised to your address, enter your postcode below for that.
| Origin Energy | Alinta Energy | |
|---|---|---|
| Plan | Origin Affinity Variable Ongoing - One Click Switch | HomeDeal Next - Single Rate |
| Usage rate | 24.73c/kWh | 19.89c/kWh |
| Daily supply charge | 105.92c/day | 86.63c/day |
| Solar feed-in | 5.0c/kWh | 0.0c/kWh |
| Contract | No lock-in | No lock-in |
| Est. annual cost* | $1,376 | $1,112 |
*Estimate only, for comparing plans against each other. Enter your postcode below for pricing specific to your address and usage.
The short answer
Alinta is cheaper than Origin at most addresses, and the reason is simple: its plans start where Origin's best conditional plan ends. Alinta's No Fuss plan runs 12% to 20% below the Default Market Offer (DMO) reference price with no conditions, and its Deal plan reaches 15% to 25% below. Origin Go, its no-conditions plan, sits 5% to 12% below, and only Origin Max (12% to 18% below) gets close, because it asks for direct debit and email billing. Origin's case rests on breadth and scale rather than price: gas, solar, broadband and LPG under one brand.
Who they are
Origin Energy is ASX-listed (ORG) and one of the Big 3 retailers. It also owns the Eraring coal-fired power station in NSW, whose closure has been extended to April 2029, and is investing in solar and batteries. Alinta Energy is a mid-tier retailer serving NSW, Victoria, SEQ Queensland, South Australia and the ACT. It is owned by Singapore-based Sembcorp Industries, which completed its acquisition from Chow Tai Fook Enterprises in June 2026.
Plans compared
Origin offers Origin Go (flat rate, no conditions, 5% to 12% below the DMO), Origin Max (12% to 18% below, with direct debit and email billing), Solar Boost (a higher feed-in tariff with a slightly higher usage rate) and Spike (wholesale pass-through pricing that can be cheap but carries real bill risk in heatwaves).
Alinta keeps two structures. No Fuss is a flat rate with no conditional discounts on a month-to-month contract. Deal adds a pay-on-time or direct debit condition for a deeper discount. Neither has an equivalent of Origin's wholesale Spike plan.
Worked example: SEQ Energex network, 4,000 kWh/year. The 2026-27 DMO 8 reference price is $1,988 per year (AER, effective 1 July 2026). Origin Go at 8% below lands around $1,829. Origin Max at 15% below lands around $1,690. Alinta No Fuss at 16% below lands around $1,670, and Alinta Deal at 20% below around $1,590. The gap between Alinta's unconditional plan and Origin's unconditional plan is roughly $160 a year, and Origin only closes it by accepting the Max conditions.
Beyond price
Service. Alinta's 4.5/5 on Trustpilot sits well above the industry norm, while Origin's 1.5/5 on Google is typical of retailers serving millions of accounts. The platforms differ and retailers can invite happy customers to review on Trustpilot, so treat the gap as a direction, not a measurement. It is still consistent with what we see across platforms.
Breadth. If you want electricity, gas, solar and broadband from one provider, Origin can do that and Alinta cannot.
Ownership. Origin is Australian-listed and Alinta is foreign-owned. Neither changes your regulated protections, your network, or the reliability of supply, which is set by your distributor.
See both at your address
Rates for Origin Energy and Alinta Energy vary by distribution network. The only comparison that matters is the one at your postcode.
Compare plans nowWhen each one wins
Choose Alinta if you want a low price on a simple, unconditional plan and a retailer with well-rated service. For most households comparing these two, Alinta wins on cost.
Choose Origin if you want gas, solar or broadband on the same account, you are on a feed-in tariff plan that suits your system, or a current Origin offer beats Alinta at your address and you will re-compare when it ends.
Our verdict: Origin Energy or Alinta Energy?
This is one of the easier calls in the market. Alinta has built its position on sharp, simple pricing, and Origin has built its position on scale and range. If your question is "who supplies my electricity for less", Alinta is usually the answer, often by $100 to $250 a year, and without the conditions Origin needs to get anywhere near it.
Origin earns its place when you value the bundle. Just confirm it at your postcode: network pricing varies, and at some addresses a third retailer beats both.