While more and more internet service providers are beginning to offer plans with unlimited data, many still have data caps. A data cap is essentially a limit to the amount of data that you can use every month. It’s important to know just how much data you are using so you can opt for a plan that suits you and your online habits.
The amount of data you use will vary based on what it is that you do online. If you stream a lot or are a big gamer, you’ll likely use a lot more data than if you were the type to just browse the web and send occasional emails.
How Much Data Do You Use up When You Stream?
Streaming, whether it’s music, movies, or TV shows, can use up a lot of data. Sites like Netflix typically use about 3 GB of data for every hour of streaming. If you stream your movies and shows in SD, you’ll use less data (usually 1 GB for every hour).
Streaming apps like Apple Music and Spotify use a lot less data than video streaming apps. Spotify, for instance, only uses 1 GB of data for every 7 hours of streaming.
How Much Data Do You Use up When You Game?
If you are an online gamer, it’s likely you are using up a good amount of data on a monthly basis. For a game like Fortnite, it takes around 1 GB to play a total of 42 rounds. And, one software update patch will likely use up anywhere between 1-3 GB of data.
If you purchase the digital version of the game, which many people do, you will have to download the entire game to play it. This can again take a lot of data. For instance, it takes about 27 GB of data to download Star Wars Battlefront.
How Much Data Do You Use up When Browsing and Sending Emails?
If you use the internet to simply stay connected, send emails, and browse the web occasionally, you will not need a lot of data. It only takes about 1 GB to send and receive about 1,000 emails. Surfing the web for a total of 20 hours uses up about 1 GB of data.
