With internet usage continuing to grow, many wonder if 100 GB is still enough data for a typical month. The answer depends on your usage habits and needs. For light to moderate users, 100 GB can be plenty, but for heavy media streaming and downloaders, it may fall short. Let’s take a closer look at how much data common online activities use and who is likely to fit within 100 GB.
How much data do online activities use?
Here are some estimates for how much data common online activities use per hour:
| Activity | Data Used |
| SD Video Streaming | 1-3 GB |
| HD Video Streaming | 3-5 GB |
| 4K Video Streaming | 7-15 GB |
| Video Chat | 0.5-1 GB |
| Music Streaming | 0.5-1 GB |
| Web Browsing and Email | 0.1-0.3 GB |
| Online Gaming | 0.5-1 GB |
| Operating System Updates | 0.5-1 GB |
As you can see, video streaming is by far the biggest data user, especially at higher resolutions like 4K. Just 10 hours of 4K streaming would use up to 150 GB of data! Music and web browsing use relatively little data, while gaming, video chat, and software updates fall somewhere in the middle.
Who can get by with 100 GB?
Light internet users who mainly stick to email, social media, web browsing, and music can easily stay under 100 GB per month. Even moderate users who stream some video or game online could potentially get by if they avoid high resolutions and limit streaming hours.
However, families with multiple users or heavy media streamers will likely blow through 100 GB quickly. For example, if there are 3 family members who each stream 10 hours of HD video plus some gaming and web use, that’s 150 GB right there. Those with data caps may need to pay overage fees or upgrade their plan.
Some ways to reduce data usage within 100 GB:
– Set video streaming to SD or HD instead of 4K
– Download content to watch offline when possible
– Limit gaming and video chat hours
– Disable auto-play on videos and music
– Use WiFi instead of mobile data when available
– Disable background app refresh
Typical data usage scenarios
Here are some examples of typical internet users and whether 100 GB would be enough in a month:
Single user who mainly browses and emails
With light web use of about 2 GB per week plus a few small software updates and music streaming, this user would likely use less than 30 GB per month. 100 GB would be plenty.
Parent who streams 1 hour of video daily
At 3 GB per hour for HD video, this comes out to about 90 GB per month for streaming. With some additional web browsing and other use, the 100 GB cap should still be fine.
Teenager who games and streams video
With online gaming using ~500 MB per hour plus streaming 10 hours of HD video per week, usage adds up to around 125 GB per month. The 100 GB cap may be exceeded unless video resolution or hours are reduced.
Family of 4 who streams HD shows and movies daily
At 1-2 hours of HD streaming per person per day, this family could easily use 500+ GB per month. They would almost certainly need to pay overages or upgrade their internet plan.
The bottom line on 100 GB data caps
For those with relatively light internet use, 100 GB is likely more than enough monthly data. But many moderate to high users will exceed this limit, especially families with multiple members streaming and gaming. Those who wish to stream high resolution video like 4K may need unlimited data plans to avoid overages.
In the end, carefully monitoring your usage and setting limits on streaming can help keep you under 100 GB. But heavy media users should consider plans with higher data caps or unlimited data to ensure they don’t run out before the month is up. As internet usage continues to increase, uncapped plans are becoming more necessary for many households.