Start with the data you actually use. Look at a few complete recharge or billing periods, including a busy one, before deciding whether a larger allowance is worth paying for. Streaming settings, time away from Wi-Fi and laptop hotspot use can all change the answer.
Check your last three complete billing or recharge periods in your provider’s app. Compare plans that cover your busiest period with some room to spare, then check the price and what happens if you run out.
Before you begin: have your provider’s app open, and know whether you mostly use Wi-Fi at home and work.
Where the Data Actually Goes
The figures below are the estimates the services themselves publish. They vary with quality settings, screen size and the network, so treat them as a guide rather than a promise.
Source: Netflix’s profile playback settings give these upper estimates, not typical use; its mobile app also has separate data settings. Spotify’s approximate 320 kbit/s Very high setting converts to 0.144 decimal GB per hour of audio, excluding overhead. This is not its Lossless setting. Official support pages checked 10 September 2026.
View the data
| Label | GB per hour |
|---|---|
| Netflix Low (up to) | 0.3 |
| Netflix Medium (up to) | 0.7 |
| Netflix High SD (up to) | 1 |
| Netflix High HD (up to) | 3 |
| Netflix High 4K (up to) | 7 |
| Spotify Very high (audio estimate) | 0.144 |
These are settings for two services, not universal rates for every app. Use them to see how quality affects data use, then check the settings in the apps you use.
Check the mobile-data setting as well as playback quality. In Netflix, a greyed-out choice can mean Automatic is enabled or downloads are pending. Netflix says to turn off Automatic, or finish or cancel pending downloads, before trying again.
A Worked Four-week Budget
The next charts use one invented four-week budget totalling 19.4 GB. They show how to add up usage, not how much an average commuter uses. A four-week example is not a calendar month.
- Video
- Music
- Everything else
Source: invented four-week budget, not measured usage or a calculation from fixed viewing hours.
View the data
| Label | Video | Music | Everything else |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | 3.2 | 0.4 | 0.9 |
| Week 2 | 2.8 | 0.5 | 1.1 |
| Week 3 | 4.6 | 0.4 | 0.8 |
| Week 4 | 3.1 | 0.6 | 1 |
The four weeks total 19.4 GB: 13.7 GB of video, 1.9 GB of music and 3.8 GB for everything else. The breakdown below uses the same totals.
Source: the same worked example, split by app. Illustrative, not a measurement.
View the data
| Label | Series 1 |
|---|---|
| Video streaming | 13.7 |
| Social apps | 1.5 |
| Video calls | 1 |
| Music | 1.9 |
| Everything else | 1 |
| Maps | 0.3 |
Choosing a Plan Size
Which Plan Size Fits How You Use Your Phone?
Small (under 10 GB)
You are on Wi-Fi most of the day and use mobile data for messages, maps and music.
- A smaller allowance
- One binge on the train can use it up
Medium (10 to 40 GB)
You stream some video on the go and take video calls away from Wi-Fi.
- Room for occasional streaming
- Watch the HD setting
Large (40 GB and up)
You use your phone as your main internet, or hotspot a laptop.
- Room for HD video and hotspotting
- Easy to pay for data you never use
Work Out Your Number
Before comparing numbers, compare dates. A phone counter and your provider’s app may cover different periods. Write down the start and end dates beside each total, and avoid comparing a partly used recharge with a completed one. Keep a screenshot before resetting a phone counter.
Open your provider’s app and find the data usage history.
Expected result: usage totals and dates for three complete billing or recharge periods.
Note the highest month and add a little headroom.
Expected result: a target such as “I need about 25 GB”.
Check what your video apps are set to on mobile data.
Expected result: each app set to standard or data-saver, unless you deliberately want HD.
Compare plans one size above and below your target.
Expected result: you can see what the extra or saved dollars actually buy.
When Your Data Actually Gets Used
The schedule below is one way to spread the checks over a few days; it is not a provider’s switching timeframe. The heatmap breaks down the first 4.5 GB week of the invented budget.
An Optional Schedule for Comparing Plans
days
- Check your usageProvider app, last three months.
- Change app settingsVideo to standard, autoplay off.
- Compare plansOne size above and below your target.
- Switch or top upAsk when the change starts before paying.
Days are an optional planning example, not activation estimates. Your provider confirms when a change takes effect.
Example Week 1: Where the 4.5 GB Goes
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morning commute | |||||||
| Midday | |||||||
| Evening commute | |||||||
| Night |
Source: invented allocation of Week 1’s 4.5 GB across time slots. This is not observed commuter behaviour.
Before You Switch
Before You Switch Plans
Use these checks to compare your usage with the plan’s inclusions and extra charges.
How Much Mobile Data Do You Use in a Typical Month?
Anonymous. One vote per device.
Tap an option to vote. One vote per device.
Small Settings That Make a Big Difference
Download playlists and podcasts on Wi-Fi before you leave the house.
Download offline maps for areas you drive through often.
Turn off autoplay for video in social apps.
Set your phone’s “low data mode” or “data saver” when you are close to your limit.
Ran out of data much earlier than expected?
- Check
- Inspect each app’s usage and the dates covered by the counter. Compare with your provider’s usage record for the same period.
- Next
- Adjust the high-use app’s settings, then compare your provider’s top-up options with the cost of renewing. Check what happens to the remaining inclusions before paying.
Usage looks high even though you were on Wi-Fi?
- Check
- Whether the phone used mobile data when Wi-Fi was weak. On iPhone, look for Wi-Fi Assist. On Android, check your manufacturer’s guidance; settings vary.
- Next
- Review that setting and your Wi-Fi connection, then compare usage over the next complete recharge or billing period.
Where These Figures Come From
Official Pages Used
Check the current pages before relying on a number; services change their quality tiers.
FAQ
Questions People Ask About Mobile Data
Does 5G use more data than 4G?
Transferring the same file does not make the file larger because the connection is 5G. Your usage can still change with streaming quality and device settings. Check those settings before attributing a larger total to the network alone.
Does Wi-Fi calling or FaceTime over Wi-Fi use mobile data?
No. Anything sent over Wi-Fi does not count toward your mobile plan. The catch is phones that quietly switch to mobile data when Wi-Fi is weak, which is covered in the troubleshooting section above.
How much data does a hotspot use?
It depends on what the connected device does, not simply how long the hotspot is on. Before connecting a laptop, check for queued software downloads and cloud-file transfers. Note your usage before and after the session to spot an unexpectedly large transfer.
Is unlimited data worth it?
Compare its cost with an allowance that covers your recent usage. Check any speed cap, slowdown threshold and hotspot restrictions; the word unlimited does not tell you those conditions.
The Short Version
Use complete recharge or billing periods, allow for days away from Wi-Fi, and check the out-of-data terms. Choose an allowance and price that suit those numbers.
David Everson is Tech X Telco's mobile and broadband writer. He compares Australian mobile plans, NBN providers and prepaid deals, and tests the recharge processes, apps and tools readers ask about most. His focus is simple: helping Australians pay less for their phone and internet without losing the coverage they need.
Spotted something wrong? Corrections are recorded in the open. Report a correction
