The best dishwasher tablets in Australia are all in one tablets, and Finish Ultimate Plus All in 1 is our best overall at 4.8 stars from 688 Amazon reviews. We compare them by pack size, rating and review count.
We pulled Amazon Australia star ratings and review counts for the tablets first home buyers actually reach for. The short version: a 100 pack that looks expensive beats a smaller pack per wash when its price divided by its tablet count comes out lower. Here is how the tablets compare, and which pack we would put in the cupboard.
Which dishwashing tablet should you buy?
For most homes, the Finish Ultimate Plus All in 1 is the safe pick: it is an all in one tablet with built in rinse aid and salt action, it is our best overall pick at 4.8 stars from 688 reviews, and it clears burnt on food without a pre rinse. For a bigger stash, the Finish Powerball Ultimate Plus 100 pack is our bulk pick. One other tablet we compared, the Fairy Platinum Lemon 70 pack, could not be bought on Amazon Australia on 15 October 2026, so check its card before you plan around it.
Because the Finish Ultimate Plus All in 1 is an all in one tablet, you can skip buying separate rinse aid and dishwasher salt unless your water is very hard. The rest of this guide shows how to work out cost per wash from the pack price and tablet count, explains all in one versus plain tablets, and covers the bulk buy and other options worth knowing about.
How do dishwasher tablet prices really compare?
Answer first: a big number on the front of the pack, such as the 100 count, does not make it the right choice for your kitchen. The table below lists pack size and rating; divide any pack price by the tablets inside to sanity check it against a supermarket shelf.
| Tablet | Pack | Rating |
|---|
| Finish Ultimate Plus All in 1 | 56 | 4.8 (688) |
| Fairy Platinum Lemon (could not be bought on 15 October 2026) | 70 | None shown |
| Finish Ultimate Pro 0% | 48 | 4.6 (90) |
| Finish Powerball Ultimate Plus | 100 | 5.0 (18) |
| Ecostore Ultra Power All in One (could not be bought on 15 October 2026) | 88 | 4.2 (24) |
| Fairy Platinum Capsules (could not be bought on 15 October 2026) | 113 | 4.1 (8) |
| Finish Ultimate | 112 | 4.7 (301) |
| Finish Power | 160 | 4.7 (134) |
| Morning Fresh Advanced Clean | 84 | 4.6 (83) |
The last three rows are newer additions, so check the product card for their stock and seller. The Amazon AU listing for the Finish Ultimate Plus All in 1 56 pack states a product weight of 1 kg.
One check is worth making: divide each pack price by its tablet count to see whether the 100 count works out cheaper per load than the 56 count of the same brand family. The same arithmetic applies in the laundry: our guide to laundry detergent explains the same cost per wash method.
How did we choose these dishwashing tablets?
Last checked: 15 October 2026, covering the stock, seller and rating of every listing on Amazon Australia.
NestPath does not run a test lab, and we will never pretend to. What we do is aggregate the evidence a careful shopper would gather if they had a spare weekend: current Amazon Australia listings, verified-purchase review counts and star ratings, ingredient and dosage information straight off each product page, and the published findings of Australia's major consumer-testing bodies.
From there we applied a few hard rules. Every pick has to sell on Amazon Australia at a sane price and hold a real star rating with at least a handful of reviews, and be a genuine dishwasher tablet or capsule rather than a rinse aid, a machine cleaner or a hand-wash liquid dressed up in similar packaging. We deduplicated the listings too: Finish and Fairy sell the same tablet in five or six pack sizes, so we compared products, not box sizes, and then reported the pack that gives the best value. The Fairy listing we carried could not be bought on Amazon Australia on 15 October 2026, because it now opens a different product. Supermarket stock moves faster than anything else in this category, so we re-check every listing against Amazon Australia regularly rather than treating one snapshot as permanent. Where a listing makes an eco or phosphate claim, we repeat what the label says. We also read the maker copy on the Finish and Morning Fresh listings, CHOICE's published dishwasher detergent results at choice.com.au, Canstar Blue's guide to the types of dishwasher detergent and the National Health and Medical Research Council's Australian Drinking Water Guidelines for water hardness.
Best overall: Finish Ultimate Plus All in 1 Dishwasher Tablets, Lemon Sparkle, 56 Tablets
The Finish Ultimate Plus All in 1 in the 56 tablet pack is our best overall pick and the one we would put in most kitchens. It is an all-in-one tablet, so a single tab handles detergent, rinse-aid shine and glass protection in one drop, and Finish says it breaks down 48-hour dried-on food without a pre-rinse. In the 56 pack, with 688 reviews at 4.8 stars, it is the most reviewed Finish tablet in this guide, which matters when you are trusting a product to run unattended most nights.
What makes it the default rather than a compromise is the balance. The wrapper is biodegradable and fully water-soluble, so there is nothing to unwrap with wet hands, and the tab is pressed with about 15 percent less chemical weight than Finish's older powder tablets while still handling short 1-hour, 65-degree cycles. Reviewers repeatedly mention that a single tablet copes with a fully packed machine and that it is noticeably cheaper on Amazon than the same box at the big supermarkets. Several also call out that the lemon scent is present but not overpowering, which is a common complaint with cheaper tablets that leave a citrus tang on glassware.
It is an all-in-one, so unless you live in a genuinely hard-water area you can leave the separate rinse aid and dishwasher salt on the shelf. That simplicity is a big part of why it suits a first kitchen: one product, one tab per wash, no fiddling.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
If pure running cost is your priority, divide the 56 pack price by its 56 tablets and do the same for the Finish 100 count before you choose. A few reviewers with older or budget machines note that all-in-one tabs occasionally leave residue on short, cold cycles, which is usually fixed by running a slightly warmer program or adding a cheap rinse aid. And the price does move around, so it is worth checking the cost per wash against whatever pack size is on special the day you buy.
Could not be bought on 15 October 2026: Fairy Platinum Lemon Dishwasher Tablets (70 Pack)
If you judge tablets by what each wash costs, divide the pack price by the tablet count; the Fairy Platinum Lemon 70 pack could not be bought on Amazon Australia on 15 October 2026, when its link opened a 52 pack listing.
Cost per wash is only part of the picture. This is a Procter and Gamble all-in-one tablet with a built-in rinse aid, and Fairy pitches it as tough on dried-on grease with enough cleaning agent to help clear the dishwasher filter as it runs. Long time reviewers who switched from powder describe dishes coming out dry and spot free with no residue on cutlery. To see where the pack lands on cost, divide its price by the 70 tablets inside, and check its card for stock first.
Because it is an all-in-one, the same rule applies: you can skip standalone rinse aid and salt in most homes. The 70 pack is also a sensible size to start with, big enough to be good value but not so large that you are committing to a brand before you know it suits your machine.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
The Fairy Platinum Lemon listing we carried could not be bought on Amazon Australia on 15 October 2026, because its page now opens a different product. Its name tells us the scent is lemon, which is worth noting if you prefer fragrance free, but we have no saved check of how the tablet film rinses or how strong the scent is, so we make no claim on either. Choose a tablet you can buy today.
Finish Ultimate Pro 0% Dishwasher Tablets (48 Pack)
The Finish Ultimate Pro 0% 48 pack is the option for two very different shoppers: anyone on a tight budget, and anyone who hates the perfume that clings to dishes from scented tabs. Per the listing it is free from perfume and unnecessary additives, and it still holds a 4.6 star rating over 90 reviews, so you are not trading cleaning power for a shorter ingredient list.
It is the same intensive all-in-one chemistry as our top pick, tuned for short 1-hour, 65-degree cycles and eco programs, with the wrapper-free, water-soluble film that makes loading painless. Reviewers like that it is the supermarket product at a lower price, and one happy buyer stacking two boxes worked out it would last a full year. If you already know Finish suits your machine and you would rather not think about detergent again for a few months, this is the efficient way to buy it.
It is not our outright number one because of review depth: with 18 reviews it has a shorter track record on Amazon than the 56 count, even though the underlying tablet is a known quantity. Buy the small pack first if you are new to the brand, then step up to the 100 count once you are confident.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
Committing to 100 tablets only pays off if the tab suits your dishwasher, so it is a poor first purchase and a great second one. The large box also takes real cupboard space, and because it is an all-in-one built around warmer cycles, very short cold programs are where the occasional residue complaint surfaces. None of that is a dealbreaker once you know the tablet works for you.
Could not be bought on 15 October 2026: Ecostore Ultra Power All in One
For buyers who want a plant and mineral based tablet, the Ecostore Ultra Power All-in-One multipack is the plant and mineral based tablet we compared, and it could not be bought on Amazon Australia on 15 October 2026, so check its card. The listing states it contains no phosphates, no polyethylene glycols, no chlorine and no synthetic dyes, it is suitable for septic tanks, and it holds a 4.2 star rating across 24 reviews. The four pack of 22 tablets is a values led buy, chosen for the greener formula.
It gives you a large stash in one order, and dividing its pack price by the 113 tablets shows how it compares with the all rounder and the bulk Finish. Buyers who received the full count are happy, calling it great value for money, and the capsule format dissolves quickly and drops neatly into the dispenser. It is the one to look at for shoppers who specifically prefer capsules over pressed tabs and want to buy a big batch at once, but check its card for stock first.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
This is the thinnest track record in the guide, with a 4.1 star rating across just 8 reviews, so treat it as a promising option rather than a proven staple. The bigger issue is listing clarity: at least one buyer reported receiving a single 113 pack when the wording implied a larger bundle, so check exactly what you are ordering and confirm the count before you commit, since that number is what your cost per wash depends on.
Gel capsules or pressed tablets?
Canstar Blue lists three benefits of gel dishwasher pods: a non abrasive make up that avoids the small scratches a powder can cause, easy dissolving once the wash starts, and a consistent measured dose for each wash. Pressed tablets, the format of most picks here, also deliver a precise detergent dosage, so the choice comes down to the formula the listing describes and the format your dishwasher dispenser handles.
Which Finish dishwasher tablet is worth buying?
Five of the nine tablets here are Finish, and they are not interchangeable. The main Finish picks compare like this. The Finish Ultimate Plus All in 1 56 pack is the all round pick, and it is the most reviewed Finish tablet in this guide at 4.8 stars from 688 ratings. The Finish Powerball Ultimate Plus 100 pack is the bulk buy of the two. The Finish Ultimate Pro 0% 48 pack is the free from perfume option, rated 4.6 stars from 90 reviews. Put simply: buy the 100 pack if you have the cupboard space and the cash up front, and the 56 pack if you want the safest default.
What does Choice rate as the best dishwasher detergent?
Choice runs a laboratory test on dishwasher detergent and publishes the scores to its members, and its results page holds the top organic result on this search in Australia. We are not going to reprint those scores, because they are what members pay for. What their published summaries have consistently shown is that a supermarket house brand can beat a premium tablet on cleaning. What we add to that story is the method nobody else spells out: divide the pack price by the tablets inside to get a cost per wash, so you can set a Choice score and a running cost side by side before you buy.
What should you look for in a dishwasher tablet?
Start with cost per wash, then work through four factors that decide whether a tablet actually suits your home.
All-in-one versus plain tablets. All-in-one tabs (sometimes badged 5-in-1 or Ultimate) bundle detergent, rinse-aid shine and water-softening salt action into one drop. Plain tablets are detergent only, and expect you to add separate rinse aid and dishwasher salt. Most picks in this guide are all in one tablets, which is why many people can skip the rinse aid and salt aisle, but the Finish Power and Morning Fresh listings do not describe an all in one formula, so keep a rinse aid on hand for those. If you buy plain tabs to save money, factor the extra products back into the running cost.
Water hardness. Australian water varies a lot by region: the National Health and Medical Research Council says total hardness in major Australian reticulated supplies ranges between about 5 mg/L and about 380 mg/L as calcium carbonate. Soft-water cities let all-in-one tabs handle everything, but genuinely hard water can leave a cloudy film on glass that even a good tablet will not fully beat. If your glasses go permanently hazy, adding dishwasher salt is the fix, regardless of what the tablet promises.
Cycle and temperature. Residue complaints often trace back to short, cold or eco cycles rather than the tablet itself. Tabs are formulated to dissolve at a certain temperature, so if you run very quick programs and see undissolved film, step up to a warmer or longer cycle before you switch products. Residue is as often the machine and the water as the tablet, which is worth knowing before you change brands again, and our guide to the best dishwashers in Australia covers what a better machine actually fixes.
Fragrance and additives. If dishes come out smelling of chemical lemon, a fragrance free tablet is the fix to look for. The Finish Ultimate Pro 0% is one: its listing says it is free from perfume and unnecessary additives. If you want to keep phosphates and synthetic dyes out of your wastewater, read the ingredient list and choose a plant-based option that states the claim, rather than trusting a green-looking box.
How should you store and use dishwasher tablets?
Answer first: keep tablets bone dry, dose one per wash, and store the pack up high and sealed. The water-soluble film that wraps most modern tabs starts to soften the moment it meets moisture, so handle tablets with dry hands only and reseal the bag or lid after every use. A tab that has gone tacky in a humid cupboard will clump to the next one and can gum up the dispenser.
Load the tablet into the machine's dry detergent dispenser rather than tossing it in the base, unless your manual says otherwise, so it releases at the right point in the cycle. Scrape plates but skip the pre-rinse: modern tabs are built to work on real food residue, and a rinsed-clean load can actually confuse sensor cycles. Run your machine's own cleaning cycle every month or so with a dedicated dishwasher cleaner to keep the filter and spray arms clear, which does more for wash quality than upgrading tablets.
One safety note: dishwasher tablets and capsules can look like sweets or toys to small children, and the concentrated formula is not something you want handled or mouthed. Store them well out of reach of children and pets, keep the pack sealed, and always follow the dosage and safety directions on the label.
What else do you need for a spotless dishwasher? Rinse aid and dishwasher salt
All-in-one tablets cover most homes, but a few low-cost extras genuinely lift results, especially in hard-water areas or older machines. If plates come out wet rather than dirty, the fix is rinse aid and a decent tea towel, not a dearer tablet. These are the accessories we would pair with the tablets above.
What about the tablets we did not pick?
A few names come up constantly in Australian dishwasher research and deserve a straight answer. Australia's major consumer testing body has rated some cheap supermarket house brand tablets as standout budget performers. The catch is that we have not checked them on Amazon, so we cannot include one as a pick here; a house brand from your local supermarket is well worth a look on price alone.
Finish Quantum is another Finish line, but the Amazon listings we relied on did not show a firm price, so it did not clear our own rule of a quotable, in stock number.
Finally, dishwasher detergent sheets and loose dishwasher powder are two formats people often ask about once they have ruled out the tablets above. Both get their own section further down, because neither is a straight swap for an all-in-one tab.
Are dishwasher sheets better than tablets?
Not for the main job, no. Dishwasher sheets are the thin, pre-dosed strips marketed as plastic-free and lightweight, and they are genuinely convenient: a stack of sixty takes less cupboard room than one box of tablets and there is no wrapper to think about. On raw cleaning power against baked on Australian dinners, though, the pressed tablets and capsules above are the safer choice for baked on dinners, because a sheet simply carries less active detergent than a compressed tablet. Treat sheets as a travel, caravan or small-household convenience rather than a straight swap for your everyday tablet. And if plastic is the reason you are looking, note that the Finish Ultimate Plus wrapper is already biodegradable and fully water-soluble.
What about dishwasher powder?
Powder is the oldest format and the one that still lets you dose by hand, which is why it can work out cheaper on light loads where a whole tablet is overkill. The trade off is that you lose the rinse aid shine and salt action the all in one picks in this guide have built in, so a powder household usually ends up buying separate rinse aid and dishwasher salt as well. Add those back into the arithmetic before you decide powder is the cheaper option. It is worth a try if tablets keep leaving residue in your machine, and Kin Kin Naturals dishwasher powder is the Australian-made one we would start with.
Dishwashing tablet questions, answered
Which dishwashing tablets are the best in Australia?
The best dishwasher tablet for most Australian homes is the Finish Ultimate Plus All in 1, our best overall pick: it is an all in one, clears dried on food without a pre rinse, and holds 4.8 stars from 688 Amazon reviews. The Fairy Platinum Lemon 70 pack could not be bought on Amazon Australia on 15 October 2026.
Are expensive dishwasher tablets worth it?
Not always. Divide each pack price by its tablet count, because the dearest pack is not necessarily the dearest per wash, and Australia's consumer testers have found cheap supermarket tablets beating premium brands on cleaning. Premium all-in-one tabs earn their price through convenience and shine additives, but a mid-priced tablet plus a separate rinse aid often matches them for less.
What is the difference between all in one and plain dishwasher tablets?
All-in-one tablets combine detergent, rinse-aid shine and salt action in one tab, so most homes can skip buying separate rinse aid and dishwasher salt. Plain tablets are detergent only and expect you to add those extras yourself. Most picks in this guide are all in one tablets, which is why the running cost stays simple.
Do you still need rinse aid and dishwasher salt with all in one tablets?
In soft-water areas, usually not: the all-in-one tab handles it. In genuinely hard-water regions, adding dishwasher salt is still the reliable fix for permanently cloudy glassware, and a little rinse aid sharpens drying on fragrance-free or eco tablets that hold back on shine additives.
Why do my dishwasher tablets leave residue?
A common cause is a cycle that is too short or too cold for the tablet to dissolve fully, not a faulty tab. Try a warmer or longer program first. Residue can also come from an overloaded machine blocking the spray arms, or a clogged filter that needs a monthly machine clean.
Why do dishwasher tablets not dissolve?
Nearly always the cycle, not the tablet. Tabs are formulated to dissolve at a set temperature, so a short, cold or eco program can finish before the wrapper and the pressed powder have fully broken down. Step up to a warmer or longer cycle first. The other two causes are moisture and loading: a tablet that has gone tacky in a humid cupboard will not break up cleanly, and a dispenser blocked by a tall plate cannot open at the right point in the wash. Keep the pack sealed, handle tabs with dry hands, and leave the dispenser flap clear.
What is the best dish detergent in Australia?
For a machine, the best dishwasher detergent for most Australian homes is the Finish Ultimate Plus All in 1, because it is an all in one that clears dried on food without a pre rinse and it is the most reviewed Finish pick here at 4.8 stars from 688 ratings. The Fairy Platinum Lemon 70 pack could not be bought on Amazon Australia on 15 October 2026. Note the wording: dish detergent for hand washing at the sink is a different product entirely.
What are the best dishwasher tablets?
The best dishwasher tablets for most Australian homes are all in one tablets, led by the Finish Ultimate Plus All in 1, our best overall pick at 4.8 stars from 688 reviews. The Finish Powerball Ultimate Plus 100 count suits bulk buyers.
Do dishwasher tablets work?
Yes, dishwasher tablets work when the cycle is warm and long enough for them to dissolve. CHOICE tested 42 products in its labs to compare dishwasher detergents, and the Finish Ultimate Plus listing says its tablet cleans dishes without the need to pre rinse.
What are the differences between Finish Quantum and Finish Ultimate Plus?
Finish sells them as separate lines. Canstar Blue says Quantum adds silver protection and a combined power of gel and powder, while the Amazon AU listing calls the Finish Ultimate Plus its most powerful tablet. Compare the action claims on each pack, because we found no maker side by side.
What are the best budget dishwasher tablets?
The best budget dishwasher tablets are the ones with the lowest cost per wash, which you find by dividing the pack price by the tablet count. Large packs help, such as the Finish Power 160 pack and the Morning Fresh Advanced Clean 84 tablet pack, and Amazon AU sells both.
What are the cleanest dishwasher tablets?
The Ecostore Ultra Power All in One is the tablet here that markets itself on its ingredients: its listing says it uses plant and mineral based ingredients, readily biodegradable surfactants suitable for septic tanks and a naturally derived lemon fragrance, although it could not be bought on Amazon Australia on 15 October 2026, so check its card. Check the label of any tablet you buy, and store all tablets out of reach of children.
Are supermarket dishwasher tablets as good as Finish?
CHOICE's lab results have found that cheap supermarket tablets can beat premium brands on cleaning, so compare a tablet's CHOICE score with its cost per wash before you pay for a premium pack. We have not checked supermarket tablets on Amazon, so none of them is one of our picks.
Which Fairy dishwasher tablets are the best?
Fairy Platinum Lemon is the Fairy tablet we compare, an all in one with a built in rinse aid, but the Fairy 70 pack could not be bought on Amazon Australia on 15 October 2026, when its link opened a 52 pack listing. Check the pack size on the product card before you buy.
What to set up next in your kitchen
Sorting your detergent is one line on a much longer new-kitchen list. If you are still kitting out the room, these NestPath guides pair naturally with this one:
About the author
Anish Puri founded NestPath in 2026 after going through the Australian first-home-buyer process himself. NestPath focuses on Australian first-home buyers because the existing review sites are American, generic, or both. Anish handles editorial selection across the homeowner hub. Reach out: hello@nestpath.com.au
