Data Usage by App: Quick-Reference Table
| App | Low Quality | Standard/HD | Best/4K |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netflix | ~0.3 GB/hr | ~1 GB/hr (SD) to 3 GB/hr (HD) | ~7 GB/hr (4K) |
| YouTube | ~0.3 GB/hr (480p) | ~1 to 3 GB/hr (720p to 1080p) | ~7 to 16 GB/hr (4K) |
| Disney+ | ~0.4 GB/hr | ~2 GB/hr (HD) | ~7.7 GB/hr (4K) |
| Twitch | ~0.5 GB/hr (varies by streamer) | ~1.4 GB/hr | up to ~2.5 GB/hr |
| Zoom | ~0.54 GB/hr (1:1, standard) | ~1.08 GB/hr (1:1, HD) | up to ~2.4 GB/hr (group, HD gallery) |
| FaceTime | ~0.3 GB/hr (audio-only) | ~0.9 GB/hr (video) | up to ~1.8 GB/hr (HD video) |
| Spotify | ~40 MB/hr (Low) | ~72 MB/hr (Normal) | ~150 MB/hr (Very High) |
| TikTok | ~350 to 500 MB/hr (Data Saver) | ~800 to 950 MB/hr (default) | ~1.5 to 1.8 GB/hr (HD feed) |
| ~150 MB/day (light use) | ~500 MB to 1 GB/day (Stories + Reels) | ~2 GB+/day (heavy Reels use) | |
| Online Gaming | ~40 to 100 MB/hr (local play) | n/a | ~4 to 12 GB/hr (cloud gaming) |
| Smart TV | ~1 to 3 GB/month (idle) | n/a | adds on top of whatever you stream |
| Security Camera | ~1 to 4 GB/month (event based) | n/a | ~8 to 16 GB/month (continuous) |
These numbers come from the apps' own help documentation and independent testing, so treat them as solid planning figures rather than exact science, since your actual usage still shifts with screen size, codec, and how fast-moving the content is.
Which Apps Actually Eat Your Data the Fastest
If you're just trying to figure out what's draining your plan, here's the same information ranked by how much damage an hour does:
- 4K streaming and cloud gaming (Netflix, YouTube, Xbox Cloud Gaming): 7 to 16 GB an hour, nothing else comes close
- Group HD video calls: up to 2.4 GB an hour, easy to underestimate since it "just feels like a work call"
- HD streaming and Twitch: 1.4 to 3 GB an hour
- TikTok at default quality: 0.8 to 0.95 GB an hour, heavier than most people assume from "just scrolling"
- One-on-one HD video calls: about 1 GB an hour
- Standard definition streaming: 0.3 to 1 GB an hour
- Music, even at the best quality Spotify offers: under 0.15 GB an hour
- Local online gaming, meaning the game runs on your own hardware: 40 to 100 MB an hour, barely registers
Hourly Data Consumption Comparison (Peak Rates)
How Far Does a Single GB Actually Get You?
This is really the question behind the question. Nobody cares about GB per hour in the abstract, they care whether the 3 GB they have left will survive the drive home.
| Activity | Roughly How Long 1 GB Lasts |
|---|---|
| Local online gaming | About 14 hours |
| Spotify at Very High quality | Almost 7 hours |
| TikTok at default quality | About an hour |
| A 1:1 HD Zoom call | About 54 minutes |
| Twitch | About 42 minutes |
| YouTube at 1080p | About 30 minutes |
| A group HD Zoom call | About 24 minutes |
| Netflix at HD | About 20 minutes |
| Netflix or YouTube in 4K | About 6 minutes |
| Cloud gaming at 1080p | About 7 minutes |
Next time you're down to your last gig or two, this table tells you a lot more than the raw GB per hour numbers do.
Want the Full Picture for a Specific App?
Each of these has its own page with the complete quality-tier breakdown, the actual settings menu to change it, and questions specific to that app:
Checking Your Own Numbers Instead of Estimating
Two ways to see exactly what you've used rather than guess from a table:
- Your router or ISP app usually shows a running total for the billing cycle, and on some setups, a breakdown by device.
- The app itself. Netflix, YouTube, and most streaming apps quietly log your own usage under account or playback settings.
If you'd rather work from your connection speed than from an app, our Mbps to GB converter does that conversion in one step.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which uses more data, Netflix or YouTube?
They're close at equal quality settings. YouTube's range runs a bit wider because it's hosting content uploaded by millions of different people at different bitrates, while Netflix's four fixed tiers keep things more predictable.
Which uses more data, a video call or a video stream?
Streaming, in almost every case. An hour of 4K Netflix uses more than even the heaviest group HD Zoom call, since streamed video generally runs at a higher bitrate than a compressed call.
Is TikTok really that heavy compared to Instagram?
Yes, and it surprises most people. TikTok's feed is continuous autoplay video with no lighter mode built in, so it lands close to a gigabyte an hour by default. Instagram mixes in photos and text, which brings its average down.
What's the one change that saves the most data?
Dropping from 4K to HD on whatever streaming app you use most. That single setting affects the heaviest category on this whole page and usually cuts usage by 60 to 75 percent.
Does gaming use a lot of data?
Only cloud gaming does, and it's basically watching video since the game is rendered remotely and streamed to you. If you're playing locally on your own hardware, it's one of the lightest things you can do online.