Netflix offers three versions of video quality for streaming—Standard Quality (SD) streaming, High-Definition (HD) streaming, and Ultra-High Definition (UHD), and each video quality takes up a different amount of your mobile data. As you probably guessed, the lower the video quality on your Netflix streaming, the less wireless data you use.

But let’s get real, who really wants to watch Stranger Things in standard definition video quality? Not me. Let’s take a look at Netflix data usage, how to change Netflix data usage settings, and answer the question “Does Netflix use a lot of data?”

How much data does streaming Netflix use?

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As with other video streaming services, when you think about data usage and Netflix you have to factor in the video quality you use to stream content. Let’s break down how much data Netflix uses per hour depending on your streaming quality.

How much data does Netflix use?

Depending upon your streaming quality, you can burn somewhere between. 3GB/hour for low-quality streaming and a whopping 7GB/hour for Ultra HD streaming. 

So, if you’re wondering how much data does a Netflix movie use, let’s use the classic movie Legally Blonde as an example. The run-time for Legally Blonde

is one hour and 37 minutes, which is a pretty average length for a movie. Here’s how much data you would burn watching Netflix content for a little over an hour and a half:

Depending upon your cell phone plan, streaming Netflix content can take up tons of your mobile data or it can take a small percentage. Obviously, we need to make sure you stream Netflix on the right video quality so you can manage your data as efficiently as possible.

How to manage Netflix data usage

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If you’re concerned about how much data you use while streaming Netflix, there’s a few tricks to make sure you don’t run out of data while watching your favorite shows. Need to remove an embarrassing title from your watch list or prune your recommendations? Learn how to delete your Netflix history and manage a different type of Netflix data.

Change video streaming quality

As you can tell in the tables above, your Netflix video quality dictates how much data streaming will cost you. Thankfully, you can easily change your data usage settings on the Netflix app. Here’s how to change your streaming quality on the Netflix app:

1. Open the Netflix app and tap your profile icon in the top right corner.

   

2. Tap App Settings.
3. Select Video Quality.

   

4. Select your preferred video quality.

It’s always going to be tempting to choose the best streaming quality possible, but remember that the higher the video quality, the more wireless data you’ll use. As a rule of thumb, if you’re on a cell phone plan with a data cap and you’re using cellular data, you should keep your Netflix streaming on standard quality. You can always check your data usage settings in the app to set your preferred playback settings.

Always stream Netflix on Wi-Fi

Whether you’re streaming on the Netflix app, YouTube app, the Hulu app, or any other streaming service, you should always make sure you’re connected to Wi-Fi. Streaming from Wi-Fi prevents your cellular data from draining and will likely improve your streaming quality as well. So if you’re waiting at the airport, killing time waiting for your car to be repaired, or just hanging around the house, connect to Wi-Fi to stream your favorite TV shows. 

If you’re streaming Netflix from your home Wi-Fi, you’ll want to make sure you have enough internet speed to go around. Here are the recommended data speeds for every Netflix stream connected to your Wi-Fi internet speeds.

Netflix minimum speed requirements

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You’ll want to make sure you have enough internet speed to go around for an entire household to stream simultaneously. Obviously the more streamers you have under the same roof, the more internet speeds you’ll need. If you’re not satisfied with your current internet speeds, you can always switch internet service providers and potentially get a much better experience. Here’s a look at the most popular internet service providers in the country:

Download Netflix content in advance

You can always download your favorite TV shows and movies off Netflix when you're connected to Wi-Fi, and then stream them later without using any cellular data. You can actually watch downloaded Netflix content without any internet connection at all. That means you can download Netflix content before a flight or camping trip and enjoy it without needing cell service. 

Here’s how to download shows and watch Netflix on your phone without using any data:

1. Open the Netflix app and log in.
2. Select the content you want to download.
3. Click the Download button right below the Play button. 

   

Now your phone will begin downloading the Netflix content of your choice. Every hour of Netflix content you download will take up about 1GB of data on your phone. 

Netflix downloads can expire, at which point you will either need to renew the download or watch the content using data. Time limits on downloaded content vary as do the number of times you can renew a download. Make sure to check if your download is still valid before you disconnect from Wi-Fi. 

Best cell phone plans for streaming

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If you don’t want to worry about how much data Netflix uses while streaming, you can opt for an unlimited data cell phone plan. You can even get free or discounted subscriptions to streaming services with certain cell phone plans. Here are the cell phone plans that offer streaming services:

Verizon unlimited plans

All of Verizon's postpaid unlimited plans come with unlimited data and some form of video streaming included. Plus, you can also add on streaming perks like the Disney Bundle, which includes subscriptions to Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Select, and Apple Music Family for $10/month for each. Yes, Verizon unlimited plans fall on the pricier end of the wireless spectrum, but when you add together the price you would pay for those streaming services, the plans feel much more affordable.

T-Mobile Experience More and Experience Beyond Unlimited plans

If you choose the T-Mobile Experience More or Experience Beyond unlimited plans, you get a free Netflix subscription. T-Mobile plans tend to be a bit cheaper than Verizon plans, so if you find yourself using Netflix more than any Disney-owned streaming service, either T-Mobile unlimited plan makes a lot of sense.

AT&T Premium 2.0

The top-tier AT&T Premium 2.0 plan doesn't come with any streaming perks. But with up to 4K UHD video streaming on mobile internet, it's a great choice for streaming enthusiasts.

Other unlimited plans

You can always forgo the free streaming perks and opt for a cheaper unlimited plan. After all, you don’t need a subscription to stream YouTube videos. Take a look at the most popular unlimited cell phone plans right now:

Netflix data use: FAQs

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How do I cancel my Netflix subscription?

Here are the steps to cancel your Netflix subscription. 

My Netflix isn’t loading—how do I fix it?

The common issues with Netflix not loading can usually be solved by one of the following actions:

Does YouTube use more data than Netflix?

• 360p—.3GB/hour
• 480p—.5GB/hour
• 720p—1.5GB/hour
• 1080p—3GB/hour

Here’s another look at the Netflix data usage streaming breakdown for reference:

As you can see, the data usage numbers look similar between Netflix and YouTube for the low, medium, and high streaming qualities. So, just like Netflix, you’ll want to keep an eye on how much YouTube you stream if you’re on your data connection.