How much data do I need?
Estimate your usage for your trip – pick your destination, enter how long you’re travelling and set how you use your phone on the go. We’ll recommend the right BuddySIM plan for you right away.
Enter trip & usage
All values are estimates – set the sliders to match how you typically use your phone.
All values are estimates – your actual usage depends on how you use your phone.
Not sure how much mobile data you’ll use on your trip? Our mobile data usage calculator can help! Tell us what you do online and for how long, and we’ll estimate your approximate data usage for you.
How we calculate your data usage
For each activity we assume an average consumption per hour. Multiplied by your daily usage time and the length of your trip, this gives your estimated total usage. Here’s how the reference values are made up:
| Activity | Usage per hour |
|---|---|
| Browsing & Social Media | ~ 120 MB |
| Music Streaming (e.g. Spotify) | ~ 90 MB |
| Navigation & Maps (e.g. Google Maps) | ~ 5 MB |
| Video Calls (e.g. Zoom) | ~ 350 MB |
| Video Streaming SD (480p) | ~ 300 MB |
| Video Streaming HD (1080p) | ~ 900 MB |
| Video Streaming 4K | ~ 3 GB |
All figures are averages. Your actual usage depends on app settings, streaming quality and network coverage.
Data usage of the most popular apps
Streaming data usage
Video streaming is the biggest data guzzler on the go. In SD quality (480p) you use around 0.3–0.7 GB per hour, in HD (1080p) about 1.5–3 GB and in 4K up to 7 GB per hour. Tip: lower the streaming quality in the app settings to save data.
Google Maps data usage
Navigating with Google Maps is economical: around 3–5 MB per hour is enough for live navigation. If you download offline maps in advance over Wi-Fi, you’ll use almost no mobile data on the go.
Spotify data usage
Music streaming with Spotify ranges from 40 MB (Normal, 96 kbit/s) to 150 MB per hour (Very high, 320 kbit/s) depending on quality. Downloaded playlists in offline mode use no data at all on the go.
Netflix data usage
Netflix uses around 0.3 GB in low quality, about 1 GB in standard and around 3 GB per hour in HD. In Ultra HD (4K) it can be up to 7 GB per hour. Download shows over Wi-Fi before your trip.
YouTube data usage
YouTube depends heavily on the resolution: 480p ≈ 0.5 GB/hr, 720p ≈ 1 GB/hr, 1080p ≈ 1.5–2.7 GB/hr and 4K up to 7 GB/hr. Reduce the quality to 480p to save data noticeably.
WhatsApp data usage
Text messages use practically no data. A WhatsApp voice call needs about 5 MB per hour, a video call around 300–350 MB per hour. Photos and voice messages only cost a few MB depending on size.
Instagram data usage
Scrolling through the feed uses about 100–150 MB per hour. Reels and Stories are more video-heavy and can climb to over 300 MB per hour. Enable data saver mode in the app settings.
TikTok data usage
TikTok is a real data guzzler: endless scrolling through videos costs around 0.7–0.9 GB per hour. The built-in data saver mode reduces usage significantly.
Zoom / video call data usage
A video call with Zoom, Teams or FaceTime uses about 350–800 MB per hour depending on quality. HD group calls are at the top end. Audio-only calls get by with under 50 MB per hour.