Data has become an important part of our daily lives. You can even go so far as to say that we can’t live without it. Yes! WiFi is essential, but have you ever had the need to go online when outside a WiFi zone and realised you’ve run out of data and have no way of connecting? It’s terrifying. How else would you occupy yourself in awkward social situations, or avoid having to make awkward small talk with an overly friendly stranger? I mean you can only pretend to text people on your calculator for so long. Clearly, data is vital, however, you have to find the right balance. On the one hand, you don’t want to run out of data, but on the other, you don’t want to spend money on data you won’t use. So how much data do I need?
To help, we’ve gathered all the information needed for you to determine how much data you need as an individual, since not everyone uses their data the same way. One person might use it all for WhatsApp, while others are addicted to watching YouTube videos. There is no one size that fits all.
Let’s take a look at the different data amounts you can get and which activities use the most data to decide how many gigabytes of data are is suitable for you.
Data Allowances
Most mobile networks have mobile phone price plans with varying amounts of data, depending on the contract. More affordable price plans will usually give you around 500 MB (half a Gigabytes) of data. As you pay more for a plan, the amount of data you receive also increases, with a few of the more high-end contracts offering up to 100 GB of data per month. Some plans may even go so far as to offer an unlimited amount of data. However, these are typically quite pricy, and few people use more than 4.5 GB of data per month, so it is unnecessary for most people to have this much data.
What Can You Do With Various Data Allowances?
Most networks give you a monthly data allowance that expires at the end of each month, even if you have not used it all. This is why it is essential that you figure out the right amount of data you need for the activities you do.
Also read about Legal Network Boosters in UK if you are having week mobile signal.
How Long Does 1GB of Data Last?
1GB (1000 MB) is suitable for light users who use their mobiles for basic activities such as sending emails, listening to music apps or browsing the web. 1GB of data won’t be enough for people that are very active on social media or who frequently stream videos, as these apps will devour such a small amount of data within a few hours.
1GB of data allows for one of the following:
- 12 hours of web browsing
- 20 minutes of social media a day
- 2000 emails/instant messages with attachments
- 22 hours of music
- Up to 2 low-quality films
How Long Does 2GB of Data Last?
While significantly more than 1GB, 2GB is still not enough data for people glued to their mobiles. This amount is aimed at people who don’t need to use data too often. And while it is suitable for browsing the web and social media, it is not recommended for those who like to stream many videos.
2GB of data allows for one of the following:
- 24 hours of web browsing
- 40 minutes of social media a day
- 4000 emails/instant messages with attachments
- 45 hours of music
- Up to 4 films
How Long Does 4GB of Data Last?
With 4 GB, you don’t have to worry about running out of data. If you don’t spend all day on your mobile, that is. This amount of data even allows you to stream a few films each month if you keep an eye on how much data you use for each activity.
4GB of data allows for one of the following:
- 48 hours of web browsing
- 90 minutes of social media a day
- 8000 emails/instant messages with attachments
- 90 hours of music
- Up to 8 films
How Long Does 8GB of Data Last?
With 8 GB, you can comfortably use data and stream videos without worrying about running out. If you’re someone who likes spending time on YouTube or is obsessed with social media, this amount of data is right up your alley.
8GB of data allows for one of the following:
- 96 hours of web browsing
- 3 hours of social media a day
- 16 000 emails/instant messages with attachments
- 180 hours of music
- Up to 16 films
How Long Does 20GB of Data Last?
20GB of data gives you the opportunity to do so much more on your mobile. Streaming, browsing and messaging daily is no problem, and you will rarely run out of data with such a high amount, especially if you are only browsing the web.
20GB of data allows for:
- 240 hours of web browsing
- 40 000 emails/instant messages with attachments
- Or 2 hours of web browsing, 2 hours of video and 4 hours of streaming music daily
How Long Does 50GB of Data Last?
Few people need as much as 50GB data, but it is ideal for people who don’t have WiFi at home or spend hours commuting each day.
50 GB of data allows for:
- 600 hours of web browsing
- 100 000 emails/instant messages with attachments
- Or 3 hours of web browsing, 3 hours of music and 2 films daily
How Long Does 100GB of Data Last?
100 GB of data allows you to stream and browse to your heart’s content. So much data allows you to stream both music and videos for hours each day, without the risk of running out of data. In fact, you will probably have data left at the end of the month.
While such a high abundance of data is unnecessary for most people, it is nice to know you can stream or browse anywhere at any time.
100GB of data allows for:
- 1200 hours of web browsing
- 200 000 emails/instant messages with attachments
- Or 30 hours of high-quality video streaming
Which Activities Use the Most Data?
The main activities that use data on your mobile phone are:
- Web browsing
- Social media
- Email/Instant messaging
- Video calling
- Music streaming
- Video streaming
- Online gaming
How much data you buy should depend on which apps you use the most. If you only browse the web or send emails or instant messages, a lower amount of data, such as 2GB, may be suitable. However, if you are very active on social media or like streaming videos and music, a higher amount, such as 20GB, is recommended.
Does 5G Use More Data Than 4G??
While 5G doesn’t use more data than 4G, it does download faster, which means it is more likely to download bigger files and stream higher quality, which will tempt you to use more data. With a 5G connection, streaming apps are likely to default to higher quality which will use more data, so make sure you keep an eye on the settings so that you can switch to a lower quality if you need to save data.
Conclusion
As seen above, if you’re a light user who tends to use data to occasionally browse the web or send emails, having less data is no problem for you. However, if you’re someone who is constantly on their phone, use it to stream or for online gaming, a higher amount of data is best, with at least 20GB being suitable. We can estimate, an average person uses 10GB – 20GB of mobile data per month.
With this information in mind, log into your network’s app or website to see how much data you use and how much you need to get by without excess each month.
FAQs
How long will my mobile data last? ›
Exactly how quickly you'll burn through it will depend on what you're doing on your phone, with it lasting roughly an hour and a half if you're streaming standard-definition video, around eight hours if you're streaming music, through to several weeks if you're only sending and receiving basic emails.
How much mobile data is enough for a day? ›Even 2GB will be cutting it close, so for some breathing room we'd generally suggest at least 3GB. Meanwhile, if you're using mobile data much of the day, every day, or using data intensive things like video streaming and tethering regularly, you'll probably want at least 50GB – and even that might not be enough.
How much mobile data is sufficient for a month? ›To ensure you never run out of data, you'll probably need a monthly data allowance of around 20GB.
How long will 50 GB of data last? ›As you can see, 50GB of data would allow you to browse the internet for 833 hours, which exceeds how many hours are in a month. Similarly, you would be able to use social media without an internet connection for almost the entire month before your data ran out.
How many hours does 1GB of data last? ›A 1GB data plan will allow you to browse the internet for around 12 hours, to stream 200 songs or to watch 2 hours of standard-definition video.
Is 1GB of data enough for a month? ›Time duration with 1GB*
As you can see, a 1GB bundle is quite small, and doesn't allow you to do a lot each month before it runs out. For reference, there are 720 hours in an average month, so if you watched one hour-long Netflix episode in standard definition, you'd be out of data!
Browsing the net with 2GB will last for around 33 hours. So you could browse for around one hour per day before reaching your limit. Similarly, you could use social media for less than an hour each day.
Is 15GB of data enough for a month? ›By most standards, 15GB is considered a fairly large data bundle. According to Ofcom's 2021 Market Report, the average monthly data used per mobile data connection was 4.5 GB. Considering this, 15GB is over triple the average!
How many GB of data does someone use a month? ›On average, North American internet users consumed 536 GB of broadband data per month in 2021. That's an 11% increase from the same time period in 2020. Trends show that internet users are consuming more internet data each year compared to the year before.
What uses a lot of data? ›Activities that use a lot of data
Video conferencing, like FaceTime® and Skype® (480MB per hour) Standard-definition video streaming (240MB per hour) Online interactive gaming (60MB per hour) Streaming music (30MB per hour)
Is 10GB a lot of data for a month? ›
How much is 10GB of data? According to Ofcom, the average person uses around 2.9GB of data per month, a statistic which is rising each year with the evolution of technology. That means 10GB is most likely more than enough for the average phone user.
Is 5GB data enough for a month? ›For most trips, 3GB or 5GB of data will be enough to cover common internet usage. However, if you are planning on using the internet more or if you are traveling for a month or longer, you might want to consider cards with up to 7GB of data.
Is 20 GB enough for a month? ›20GB per month is considered to be a fairly large amount of mobile data, alongside 30GB and 50GB.
Will 100GB data last a month? ›Your data should normally refresh every month or 30 days, so theoretically you have an average of 720 hours to fill a month. 100GB can last almost non-stop for the entire month, so you'd never have to connect to Wi-Fi if you didn't want to.
How much GB is unlimited data? ›Fair usage and unlimited data explained
This means that those networks with fair usage caps on their unlimited plans actually apply a very accommodating usage limit of somewhere between 650GB-1000GB per month.
How much is 1GB of data? GB is short for Gigabyte - and is equivalent to 1024 megabytes (MB) or 1,048,576 kilobytes (KB). As a rough guide, 1GB of data would let you do one of the following: Watch one hour and 20 minutes of video at Standard Definition.
Is 25 GB data enough for a month? ›With 25GB of data, you could stream audio for a very long time each month, though it's unlikely you'd find time to listen to 578 hours of music! Needless to say, you would have more than enough data to browse the internet and social media. You'd also have plenty of room to watch videos too.
Is 40 GB data enough for a month? ›With your 40GB of data, you'll be able to browse the internet for approximately 480 hours per month, to stream 8,000 songs online or to watch 80 hours of online video in standard definition.
What uses the most data on cell phone? ›Apps. Apps are likely the biggest data users on your phone. Anything that needs to connect to the Web to update, refresh, or download will use cell data. This means all your social media and streaming apps, from Facebook to Twitter, Spotify to Netflix, will quietly eat up your data.
Is 3GB data enough for a day? ›A 3GB data plan will allow you to browse the internet for around 36 hours, to stream 600 songs or to watch 6 hours of standard-definition video.
How long does 5GB of data last on iPhone? ›
A 5GB data plan will allow you to browse the internet for around 60 hours, to stream 1,000 songs or to watch 10 hours of standard-definition video.
What happens if I go over my 2GB data? ›A home internet provider usually won't charge extra if you use more than your allowed amount of data. Instead, the system will automatically slow down your internet, so it can only be used for basic things like web pages or reading text. Some internet providers call this shaping your connection.
Is 2GB data enough for 3 days? ›A 2GB data plan will allow you to browse the internet for around 24 hours, to stream 400 songs or to watch 4 hours of standard-definition video.
How long does 10GB of data last? ›A 10GB data plan will allow you to browse the internet for around 120 hours, to stream 2,000 songs or to watch 20 hours of standard-definition video.
How many hours does 15GB last? ›Normal internet tasks, like browsing websites, emailing, chatting, etc. uses about 15MB per hour. 15GB of data would give you 1,000 hours of web browsing.
How long does 15GB of mobile data last? ›With 15GB, you can send roughly 300 emails daily, access 165 websites, download 12 apps, and stream 10 minutes of video and 75 minutes of music.
How far does 15GB of data go? ›With 15GB you'll be able to download 12 apps, stream 10 minutes of video & 75 minutes of music, visit 165 web pages and send about 300 emails per day.
How much is unlimited data? ›| Carrier | Unlimited data monthly cost | Data limit |
|---|---|---|
| AT&T Unlimited &More | $70 | 22GB/month |
| Verizon "gounlimited" | $75 | none |
| T-Mobile One Plus | $80 | 50GB/month |
| AT&T Unlimited &More Premium | $80 | 22GB/month |
Data usage is how much data your phone uploads or downloads using mobile data. To make sure that you're not using too much data on your data plan, you can check and change your data usage.
Is 1.2 TB of data enough for a month? ›What can I do with 1.2 terabytes of data in a month? With that much data, you can video conference for 3,500 hours, watch 1,200 hours of distance learning videos, stream 500 hours of high-definition video content a month, or play more than 34,000 hours of online games.
What eats a lot of data? ›
The activities listed above can use up a surprisingly large amount of data! For example, streaming high-quality audio can use up to 115 MB of data each hour. Video calling can use up to 1.5 GB of data each hour. Streaming HD-quality video can use 3-7 GB of data each hour!
What drains your data usage? ›Updating and downloading apps are the two obvious ones, but there's a lot of death-by-a-thousand-paper-cuts kind of data drains too. Try to save your streaming, online gaming, and TikTok scrolling for when you're connected to Wi-Fi.
Does taking pictures use data? ›When you're uploading that hilarious photo or amazing video to your favorite social media app, remember that you're using data. An 8-megapixel photo on your smartphone can approach 5 megabytes, and some smartphones have more than 8 megapixels.
How many GB is 2 hour movie? ›Streaming Movies or TV
A 1080p HD 60 fps 2-hour movie averages 6 GB in file size. A 1080p HD 30 fps 2-hour movie averages 3 GB in file size. A 720p HD 2-hour movie averages 2 GB in file size. A Standard Definition (SD) 2-hour movie averages 1 GB in file size.
How long does 30GB of data last? For most people, 30GB of data will be more than enough to last for an entire month's allowance. When you're out and about, your phone needs to consume data to complete tasks you ask of it, such as browsing the internet or watching videos.
Is 4gb data enough for a month? ›With a monthly plan that includes 4 GB of data, you can watch 300 minutes of video per month (the equivalent of ten 30-minute sitcoms), surf 50 web pages daily, upload 10 pictures, stream 15 minutes of music and send 50 emails every day.
How many hours does 5GB of data last? ›How long does 5GB last? 5GB can allow for almost 3 and a half days of internet browsing, over 2 days of social media scrolling, almost a day and a half of streaming music, or up to 16 hours+ of Netflix.
What happens if you run out of data on your phone? ›Carriers also tend to include this information on their websites. Generally speaking, two things can happen when you reach your data cap: Your data speeds will temporarily be slowed until the next billing cycle. Your data will be cut off and you won't have access to data until the next month.
Why does my data run out so fast? ›Your browser tends to consume your data rapidly. This is because browsers provide high-quality pictures and also allow ads that swallow up your data in a short period of time. To avoid this, turn on the data saving mode on these apps.
Is 100 GB enough for a year? ›100GB is enough for most people in 2022, but it depends on which internet activities you do the most on a daily basis. Video streaming uses the most data, while email and browsing social media uses a lot less data.
How many days does 20GB of data last? ›
Mobile Data Limits. A 20GB data plan will allow you to browse the internet for around 240 hours, to stream 4,000 songs or to watch 40 hours of standard-definition video.
What happens if you use 100 GB of data? ›With your 100GB of data, you'll be able to browse the internet for approximately 1200 hours per month, to stream 20,000 songs online or to watch 200 hours of online video in standard definition.
Can I use 100 GB data in a day? ›On the highest quality setting that can use 1GB of data or more every 20 minutes – so at least 3GB per hour. That means that you could watch at most around 33 hours of content with 100GB of data. So that's only actually just over 1 hour each day.
Is 200 GB a month a lot? ›200 GB should be enough for an average user for about one month, but for a heavy internet user such as a gamer or someone who streams videos frequently, it may not be enough.
Is 50gb a lot of data for a month? ›50 GB is a lot of data when it comes to most internet activities. Using up 50 GB is a difficult task without using some really data-heavy tasks. If all you're doing is browsing websites, you'd have to browse for about 83 hours per day to use all 50 GB in a month.
Does data run out if you have unlimited? ›It's common practice for unlimited plans to only allow access to high-speed data for a set amount, such as 25GB. After you use that much data, your speed gets throttled down. In reality, the only thing that's actually “unlimited” is how much data you can use.
Does unlimited data really mean unlimited? ›In legal terms, cellular unlimited means any connection to the internet but not at any specific speed. Unlimited to a customer buying a data plan means they can get consistently fast internet connection speeds for as long as they want, and for whatever internet activity that they want to use it for.
How long does 10GB of mobile data last? ›A 10GB data plan will allow you to browse the internet for around 120 hours, to stream 2,000 songs or to watch 20 hours of standard-definition video. Nowadays, the key difference between mobile phone price plans is how many gigabytes of data it comes with.
How many days will 4GB of data last? ›A 4GB data plan will allow you to browse the internet for around 48 hours, to stream 800 songs or to watch 8 hours of standard-definition video.
Is 100GB data enough for 1 month? ›A data cap of 100 GB per month is probably not enough for home internet nowadays. You can burn through that much data in a matter of days—possibly even hours—if you're not careful. But you don't need to worry as much if you mostly do things like browsing and checking email while online.
How many GB of data do you use a month? ›
Indeed, according to NPD, the average U.S. smartphone user now consumes a total of 31.4 GB of data on a monthly basis (a figure that includes both Wi-Fi and cellular consumption). That's up fully 25% from a year prior.