How Much Data Do Apps Use? Per-Hour Data Usage Guide (2026)
How much data does an hour of Netflix, Spotify or Zoom actually burn? This table answers that for the apps travelers use most — and is scrupulous about sourcing: figures published by the apps themselves are marked Official, and everything else is marked Estimate, so you know exactly what you're citing.
Video streaming (per hour)
Video is by far the biggest data consumer. Netflix publishes exact per-hour figures by quality; YouTube only documents its quality settings, so YouTube numbers are estimates.
| Activity | Data / hour | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Netflix — Low (Data Saver) | 0.3 GB | Official |
| Netflix — Medium | 0.7 GB | Official |
| Netflix — High (SD) | 1 GB | Official |
| Netflix — High (HD 1080p) | 3 GB | Official |
| Netflix — 4K Ultra HD | 7 GB | Official |
| YouTube — 480p | ~0.5 GB | Estimate |
| YouTube — 1080p | ~2 GB | Estimate |
| YouTube — 4K | ~10 GB+ | Estimate |
Music streaming (per hour)
Music is light by comparison. Spotify's tier bitrates are official; the per-hour data is a direct conversion (MB/hr ≈ kbps × 0.45).
| Activity | Data / hour | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Spotify — Low (24 kbps) | ~11 MB | Official |
| Spotify — Normal (96 kbps) | ~43 MB | Official |
| Spotify — High (160 kbps) | ~72 MB | Official |
| Spotify — Very High (320 kbps) | ~144 MB | Official |
| Apple Music — High (256 kbps) | ~115 MB | Estimate |
Video calls (per hour)
Zoom publishes bandwidth requirements (official); the per-hour data is derived (GB/hr ≈ Mbps × 0.45). Other platforms' figures are estimates.
| Activity | Data / hour | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Zoom 1:1 — 720p HD | ~0.54 GB | Official |
| Zoom 1:1 — 1080p HD | ~1.5 GB | Official |
| Zoom group — HD | ~0.8–1.5 GB | Official |
| Google Meet — HD | ~2.6 GB | Estimate |
| WhatsApp / FaceTime — video | ~0.3 GB | Estimate |
| WhatsApp / FaceTime — voice only | ~30 MB | Estimate |
Social media (per hour)
No social platform publishes per-hour consumption, so all of these are estimates — video-heavy feeds (TikTok, Reels) consume the most.
| Activity | Data / hour | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| TikTok — autoplay video | ~0.7–1 GB | Estimate |
| Instagram — feed | ~380 MB | Estimate |
| Instagram — Reels | ~1 GB | Estimate |
| Facebook — feed / video | ~80–160 MB | Estimate |
Navigation, browsing & messaging
| Activity | Data | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Google Maps — turn-by-turn nav | ~3–5 MB | Estimate |
| Web browsing | ~60–75 MB | Estimate |
| Email (no attachment) | ~20 KB each | Estimate |
| Messaging (text) | negligible | Estimate |
A typical day of travel
| Profile | Per day | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Light | 200–500 MB / day | Maps, messaging, email, light browsing |
| Moderate | 0.5–1 GB / day | + social scrolling, some music, occasional video |
| Heavy | 2 GB+ / day | Frequent streaming, video calls, heavy Reels/TikTok |
Methodology & notes
Figures marked OFFICIAL come directly from the provider (Netflix per-hour figures; Spotify bitrates; Zoom bandwidth). Figures marked ESTIMATE are third-party or derived — YouTube, social media and Google Maps do not publish per-hour consumption. Conversions are shown transparently: MB/hr ≈ kbps × 0.45 for audio, and GB/hr ≈ Mbps × 0.45 for video-call bandwidth. Actual usage varies with resolution, signal and app version, so treat all numbers as typical rather than exact.
Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with a link to this page.
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