Bandwidth vs. Latency: What’s the difference and why it matters for internet speed

Angelo Ilumba Senior Writer

Updated 03 January 2025

In this Guide:

What is bandwidth?
What is latency?
Bandwidth vs. latency: Which is more important?
Bandwidth vs. latency: Internet connection types
What is good bandwidth?
What is good latency?
Test your internet speed

Internet bandwidth is how much data can be transferred per second, while latency, or ping, is how long it takes for a signal to travel back and forth. Together, bandwidth and latency determine how fast your internet connection is. Bandwidth is important when large amounts of data are being transferred. Latency is important when reaction times need to be quick, like in gaming

When you shop and compare internet plans, you’ll notice that internet service providers always advertise their internet speeds. The number they show you is the bandwidth their service provides. Bandwidth, however, is only part of the equation of internet speeds. Latency plays a big role in how fast your internet reacts and feels.

What Is Bandwidth? How it affects your internet speed

Bandwidth is the amount of data that can be transferred over a period of time (usually one second). If you think about your internet connection as a water pipe, bandwidth is all the water that can travel through the pipe in a second. The bigger the pipe is, the more water that can be transferred over a set period of time. Typically, internet bandwidth is measured in megabytes per second, or Mbps. In general, high bandwidth means faster internet, as less time is needed for all the data to be transferred.

What is Latency? How it impacts your internet experience

Latency, or ping, is the time between you sending a request for data (like opening a web page), and that data getting back to you (that page starts to load on your browser). Again, think of your internet connection as a water pipe, and also think of your computer or phone as a hose connected to that water pipe. Latency would be the time it takes for you to start seeing water come out of that hose after you turn the water on. Unlike bandwidth, with latency, you’re looking for the smallest number possible. Latency is usually measured in milliseconds.

Is bandwidth or latency more important for internet speed?

As you can see bandwidth and latency both play roles in internet speeds, but which is more important? In general, bandwidth plays the larger part in how fast internet is—this is why internet companies advertise bandwidth—but latency largely affects how reactive your connection is, and how fast it feels. Really, latency and bandwidth are more teammates than competitors. Ideally, you want high bandwidth and low latency, but depending on what are doing on the internet, one might be slightly more important than the other.

Streaming Video and Music

When you are watching shows or movies on streaming services like Netflix and Hulu, or listening to music on services like Spotify, the biggest factor impacting your experience is bandwidth. Having long latency might give you a small delay before your video or song starts playing, but with good bandwidth, things should be pretty smooth once the stream gets going. If you have low bandwidth, however, you’re likely to experience poor video and audio quality, or disruptive buffering.

On the other hand, if you are streaming content—like on Twitch or YouTube Live—latency holds a bit more weight. Long latency time will cause delays between what you do and what your viewers see. This could get pretty confusing if you are following the reactions of your viewers—they’ll be reacting to something you did relatively long ago.

Gaming

While bandwidth can help in providing a good online gaming experience, gamers are especially impacted by latency. Reaction time is a gigantic part of 99.99% of video games—you want actions to happen as instantly as possible—and a long latency will absolutely ruin the experience. Latency could be the difference between victory and defeat.

Video Conferencing

With remote work becoming more common, so is video conferencing on apps like Zoom. Since you are watching streaming video and also streaming video out, both bandwidth and latency are important. You want high bandwidth to ensure good video quality and low latency to mitigate delays.

How bandwidth and latency vary across internet connection types

You’re probably aware that there are different types of internet connections, and that overall quality level varies between each type. Differences in bandwidth and latency are big reasons why one internet connection type might be better or worse than another.

Fiber internet offers the best bandwidth and latency

Fiber internet is considered the best type of home internet connection. This is in large part because it offers unmatched bandwidth. Going back to the pipe analogy, fiber internet provides the biggest pipes. However, it’s not always the case that fiber provides the lowest latency.

In most cases, fiber does deliver the best latency, but there are instances where cable might beat it out. Unfortunately, ISPs do not advertise or publish latency specs. So, if you are choosing between fiber and cable in your area, try to do a little online research and find reviews that might give you a better idea of which local connection provides the best latency.

#1	Kinetic	Kinetic 100 Mbps Fiber 100/100 Mbps Unlimited Data $24.99/mo for 12 months. This advertised price includes a $5.00 credit for AutoPay enrollment. for 12 months. This advertised price includes a $5.00 credit for AutoPay enrollment. View Plan	$24.99/mo for 12 months. This advertised price includes a $5.00 credit for AutoPay enrollment. for 12 months. This advertised price includes a $5.00 credit for AutoPay enrollment.	View Plan
#2	Frontier	Frontier Fiber 500 Internet Fiber 500/500 Mbps Unlimited Data $29.99/mo with AutoPay with AutoPay View Plan	$29.99/mo with AutoPay with AutoPay	View Plan
#3	Brightspeed	Brightspeed 200 Mbps Fiber 200/200 Mbps Unlimited Data $29.99/mo Limited availability/areas. Taxes and fees extra. Autopay required. Pricing Subject to change. Limited availability/areas. Taxes and fees extra. Autopay required. Pricing Subject to change. View Plan	$29.99/mo Limited availability/areas. Taxes and fees extra. Autopay required. Pricing Subject to change. Limited availability/areas. Taxes and fees extra. Autopay required. Pricing Subject to change.	View Plan
#4	Astound	Astound 300 Mbps Internet Fiber 300/20 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Get one line of Unlimited Mobile FREE for 12 months $30/mo Observed speeds may vary \| One-time fees extra \| Restrictions apply \| Not available in all areas \| New residential customers only + $14.99 Upfront Observed speeds may vary \| One-time fees extra \| Restrictions apply \| Not available in all areas \| New residential customers only View Plan	$30/mo Observed speeds may vary \| One-time fees extra \| Restrictions apply \| Not available in all areas \| New residential customers only + $14.99 Upfront Observed speeds may vary \| One-time fees extra \| Restrictions apply \| Not available in all areas \| New residential customers only	View Plan
#5	Fidium	Fidium 300M Fiber 300/300 Mbps Unlimited Data $30/mo With AutoPay. Available in select locations. + $199 Upfront With AutoPay. Available in select locations. View Plan	$30/mo With AutoPay. Available in select locations. + $199 Upfront With AutoPay. Available in select locations.	View Plan

Cable internet comes in as a close second to Fiber

In the hierarchy of internet connections, cable falls just below fiber. Cable internet can provide high bandwidth, just not quite as high as fiber can. As for latency, signals can theoretically travel faster over cable’s cooper wires; however, over long distances, a lot of that momentum is lost, which is why fiber typically offers slightly better latency.

#1	WOW!	WOW! Internet 300 Cable 300/20 Mbps Unlimited Data $20/mo with AutoPay + $10 Upfront with AutoPay View Plan	$20/mo with AutoPay + $10 Upfront with AutoPay	View Plan
#2	Breezeline	Breezeline Internet 100 Cable 100/10 Mbps Unlimited Data $20/mo for 24 months then $45.00/month. Includes $10/mo EcoSave/ AutoPay discount. for 24 months then $45.00/month. Includes $10/mo EcoSave/ AutoPay discount. View Plan	$20/mo for 24 months then $45.00/month. Includes $10/mo EcoSave/ AutoPay discount. for 24 months then $45.00/month. Includes $10/mo EcoSave/ AutoPay discount.	View Plan
#3	Optimum	Optimum 300 Mbps Internet Cable 300/300 Mbps Unlimited Data $25/mo with $10/month eligible Auto Pay & Paperless Bill. Wired connection. WiFi speeds may vary. Not available in all areas. with $10/month eligible Auto Pay & Paperless Bill. Wired connection. WiFi speeds may vary. Not available in all areas. View Plan	$25/mo with $10/month eligible Auto Pay & Paperless Bill. Wired connection. WiFi speeds may vary. Not available in all areas. with $10/month eligible Auto Pay & Paperless Bill. Wired connection. WiFi speeds may vary. Not available in all areas.	View Plan
#4	Armstrong	Armstrong Zoom Express Cable 25/4 Mbps Unlimited Data $34.95/mo Available in select locations Available in select locations View Plan	$34.95/mo Available in select locations Available in select locations	View Plan
#5	Xfinity	Xfinity 300 Mbps Cable 300/35 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Get simple, seamless WiFi with 99% reliability. $40/mo for 5 years. No contracts, no data caps + equipment included. $40/mo 5 year price guarantee 5 year price guarantee View Plan	$40/mo 5 year price guarantee 5 year price guarantee	View Plan

Satellite Internet struggles with bandwidth and latency

As far as bandwidth is concerned, satellite internet can be considered fast, at times beating out DSL’s peak speeds. However, satellite suffers from very poor latency. Think about the signal having to travel back and forth from your house to, well, outer space. Satellite latency is so poor, it’s essentially not an option for gamers and live streamers. Technological advances are being developed to solve satellite’s latency issues, but until those advances are more widely available, satellite internet will continue to sit at the bottom rung of the broadband internet connection ladder.

#1	Hughesnet	Hughesnet Lite Satellite 25/3 Mbps 100GB Data Contract (12 mths) $49.98/mo ($39.99 plan + $9.99 modem) for 12 months. Service plan availability varies based on geographic area. All plans are subject to the Hughesnet Subscriber Agreement. + $99 Upfront for 12 months. Service plan availability varies based on geographic area. All plans are subject to the Hughesnet Subscriber Agreement. View Plan	$49.98/mo ($39.99 plan + $9.99 modem) for 12 months. Service plan availability varies based on geographic area. All plans are subject to the Hughesnet Subscriber Agreement. + $99 Upfront for 12 months. Service plan availability varies based on geographic area. All plans are subject to the Hughesnet Subscriber Agreement.	View Plan
#2	Starlink	Starlink Residential 100 Mbps Satellite 100/35 Mbps Unlimited Data $55/mo Available in select locations + $369 Upfront Available in select locations View Plan	$55/mo Available in select locations + $369 Upfront Available in select locations	View Plan
#3	Viasat	Viasat Viasat Essentials Satellite 50/5 Mbps Unlimited Data Contract (12 mths) Deal: New customers get a $300 Mastercard Reward Card $71.22/mo for 12 months. Contract required. for 12 months. Contract required. View Plan	$71.22/mo for 12 months. Contract required. for 12 months. Contract required.	View Plan

What is good bandwidth and how much do you need?

The answer to this really depends on how you use the internet. Consider how many people are in your home and how often each person uses the internet. Here are some general guidelines.

Single-person home (one connected device)—5-10Mbps
1-2 individuals (multiple device connected)—25-60Mbps
3+ individuals—100Mbps-1Gbps

What is good latency for your internet needs?

For general web browsing, latency lower than 100ms will provide you with a fairly smooth experience. Gamers could get by with latency below 100ms but will have a better advantage with latency below 40ms.

Test your internet speed to measure bandwidth and latency

If you want to a better idea of what your internet speeds are, you can test your connection on one of the many online speed tests. Most will primarily show you what your bandwidth is, but many will also show your connection latency. To find latency results in WhistleOut’s internet speed test, click on the “Show More Info” after you see your initial bandwidth results.

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Angelo Ilumba

Senior Writer

Angelo is a highly experienced writer for WhistleOut, specializing in unraveling the complexities of the mobile and tech world so that readers can easily understand what is relevant to them. Angelo has been featured on several publications such as MoneyTalksNews, Yahoo Finance, NPR and more.

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