In this story
Think that a few hours a day watching streamed video is no big deal on your monthly data plan? Better think again. Knowing that Netflix’s published guidance gives approximate data use per hour as 0.3 GB on Low, 0.7 GB on SD, 3 GB on HD, and 7 GB on 4K Ultra HD, you can already see that HD and 4K video can climb into multiple GB per hour for many households, making streaming one of the biggest drains on a capped plan.
YouTube is not far behind. Its default Auto setting was reported to use about 0.1 GB an hour on a phone, but higher quality settings raise that sharply: roughly 0.3 GB an hour at 360p, about 1.1 GB at 720p, about 2.3 GB at 1080p and anywhere from 9 to 16 GB in 4K.
It’s Netflix and YouTube that will drain your data the fastest
There’s a powerful pattern here: start with HD quality settings and you’re consuming a noticeable bite out of your data allowance within an hour. Based on Netflix’s quality guides and YouTube’s bandwidth figures, you’re looking at:
| Quality | Netflix (published) | YouTube (reported) |
|---|---|---|
| Low / 360p | 0.3 GB per hour | 0.3 GB per hour |
| Standard definition | 0.7 GB per hour | – |
| 720p | – | 1.1 GB per hour |
| HD 1080p | 3 GB per hour | 2.3 GB per hour |
| 4K | 7 GB per hour | 9–16 GB per hour |
Netflix's default Auto setting picks the best quality your connection can handle, so on fast fibre you may be using the higher figures without noticing. Both services let you cap quality in the app settings.
Video calls use less, but not nothing
Video calls are lighter than HD streaming. Based on Zoom's published bandwidth figures, a one-on-one video call uses roughly 540 MB to 1.6 GB an hour, and a group call roughly 810 MB to 2.5 GB, depending on video quality and how many people are on screen.
Converting hourly use into a monthly total
If you’re watching 4K Netflix for an hour a day, you’ll be done with an entire 100 GB/month plan before the month is half over. Simply multiply the GB per hour by the hours per day and then by the days per month, and you get dozens to hundreds of gigabytes out of each streaming plan.
What this table leaves out
Streaming video is not the only heavy user. Check these separately, using each service's own settings or your router's data counter:
- Disney+
- The various options for game streaming and downloads
- Cloud backup services
Game downloads are the big surprise: a single new game or major update can be larger than a small monthly plan.
Play it safe and make sure you aren’t surprised
On a capped plan, 2 GB an hour adds up quickly: two hours of HD video a night comes to about 120 GB a month. If your household streams in HD or 4K, lowering the quality setting in each app is the simplest way to keep your usage, and your bill, under control.
