How much data does zoom use?

Video calling data usage varies, but depends mostly on the call quality and how many people are in it.

Key takeaways

  • The pandemic might be over, but video calling is here to stay.
  • Video calling is relatively data heavy, but it should be within the limit of most plans.
  • For a high quality call, expect to use between 500MB and 1.5GB per hour.

How much data does Zoom use per hour?

The amount of data Zoom uses depends on how many people are in the call and the video quality you're using. Keep in mind that 1080p video settings are only available to users with an Enterprise licence.

Data usage for a 2 person video call

For a 1:1 Zoom meeting, you'll spend somewhere between 500MB and 2GB per hour (around 10MB to 30MB per minute), depending on the quality of your video being streamed.

Video qualityDownloadUploadTotal data usage
High
270MB/hr
270MB/hr
540MB/hr
720p
540MB/hr
540MB/hr
1.08GB/hr
1080p
810MB/hr
810MB/hr
1.62GB/hr

Data usage for a group video call

For a group Zoom meeting, you'll spend somewhere between 800MB and 2.5GB per hour (around 13MB to 40MB per minute), depending on the quality of your video being streamed. Even on lower video settings, your data use will increase the more people are taking part in the meeting.

Video qualityDownloadUploadTotal data usage
High
450MB/hr
360MB/hr
810MB/hr
720p
675MB/hr
675MB/hr
1.35GB/hr
1080p
1.2GB/hr
1.2GB/hr
2.4GB/hr

As a point of reference, you'd use about 1GB an hour if you streamed Netflix on standard quality or 3GB an hour if you're streaming in HD. If you're in a 1:1 meeting, you'd definitely use less data over an hour on Zoom, but your data usage can easily spike when you're in a group Zoom.

Upload data usage of video calls like zoom

Downloads are when you pull data from the Internet, while uploads are when you send data to the internet. Most things you do on the internet are download-centric. However, video calls both send and receive a lot of data, in the form of video and audio information.

That's why video calling has so much higher data upload usage than other stuff you'll do on the net.

How much speed do you need for video calling?

Video calling, whether on Zoom, Google Meets or Facebook, required pretty fast internet. Without a decent speed, you'll be dealing with laggy or pixelated video, while the person you talk to sounds more and more like a robot.

At the very least, you'll want a 25Mbps connection. That's one of the basic NBN tiers in Australia, so it's available to pretty much everyone in the country. However, if you can spend and extra $10 or $20 a month, a 100Mbps connection is going to make you video calls way more reliable and high quality.

Rebecca Pike's headshot
Is 25Mbps enough for video calls?

"I use the internet pretty much all the time, either streaming music, playing PlayStation online or streaming video. I also make video calls pretty regularly for work, and to talk to my family in merry old England. I have a pretty cheap 25Mbps internet connection, and honestly it's more than fast enough for me. I'm sometimes surprised by that - I keep expecting to start having speed issues, but I haven't yet."

Senior Money Writer

Tips to reduce your Zoom data usage

  • Turn off your camera. Sending pure audio uses about a 10th of the data that having your video on uses. Keeping your camera off will cut your total data usage by around 40%.
  • Reduce your video quality. Lower video quality means lower data usage. You can lower the quality of your video on desktop in the Video Settings section of your account. Untick "HD Video" if it's selected. On a mobile, your stream quality is decided automatically and you can't change it.

How common is video buffering?

23% of people rarely get buffering, according to our consumer sentiment tracker (November 2023). NSW users experience the highest number of daily issues (17%) compared to South Australia and Tasmania (14%).

What type of Internet is best for Zoom?

The Internet connection you'll need for a smooth Zoom experience will depend on how often you use it and how many people are online at the same time. If you have two or more people in the house working from home simultaneously, you'll likely want an NBN50 plan for a good connection.

If you're on mobile data, your Zoom connection and quality will be reduced to match your connection type. Overall, it should use less data than on a desktop, although mobile data caps tend to be much lower than home Internet plans. Watch out for excessive data consumption, especially in group calls.

Compare NBN plans for working from home below

Luckily, most NBN plans come with unlimited data so if you're not already on an unlimited plan, check out the range below.

1 - 10 of 267
Name Product AUFBB-INT Data allowance Typical download speed Price Hid Compare Box!
Exetel NBN Extra Value
NBN
Month-to-month
$60.99/mth for the first 6 months, then $79.99/mth. Eligibility criteria, T&Cs apply. Ends 3.3.25
Finder Award
  • Month-to-month
  • BYO modem or purchase for $170
Unlimited Data
Data
Unlimited Data
50Mbps
nbnâ„¢50
Speed
50Mbps
nbnâ„¢50
$60.99
per month
$0 setup fees, $60.99 min. total cost
Price
$60.99 per month
$0 setup fees, $60.99 min. total cost
iiNet NBN50 Liimitless
NBN
Month-to-month
$74.99/mth for the first 6 months, then $84.99/mth. Use promo code SAVE10FOR6. Eligibility criteria, T&Cs apply. Ends 25.2.25
  • Month-to-month
  • BYO modem or $0 modem if you stay connected for 24 months. T&Cs apply
Unlimited Data
Data
Unlimited Data
50Mbps
nbnâ„¢50
Speed
50Mbps
nbnâ„¢50
$74.99
per month
$0 setup fees, $74.99 min. total cost
Price
$74.99 per month
$0 setup fees, $74.99 min. total cost
Buddy Telco NBN Speedy
NBN
Month-to-month
$79/mth for the first 6 months, then $85/mth. Eligibility criteria, T&Cs apply. Ends 17.3.25
  • Month-to-month
  • BYO modem or purchase for $180. T&Cs apply
Unlimited Data
Data
Unlimited Data
99Mbps
nbnâ„¢100
Speed
99Mbps
nbnâ„¢100
$79
per month
$0 setup fees, $79 min. total cost
Price
$79 per month
$0 setup fees, $79 min. total cost
TPG NBN50
NBN
Month-to-month
Get $50 credit on your second bill. Eligibility criteria, T&Cs apply. Ends 25.2.25
Finder Award
  • Month-to-month
  • BYO modem or purchase for $114.95
Unlimited Data
Data
Unlimited Data
50Mbps
nbnâ„¢50
Speed
50Mbps
nbnâ„¢50
$79.99
per month
$0 setup fees, $79.99 min. total cost
Price
$79.99 per month
$0 setup fees, $79.99 min. total cost
Belong NBN Premium
NBN
Month-to-month
$85/mth for the first 6 months, then $95/mth. Eligibility criteria, T&Cs apply. Ends 4.3.25
  • Month-to-month
  • BYO modem or purchase for $132. T&Cs apply
Unlimited Data
Data
Unlimited Data
100Mbps
nbnâ„¢100
Speed
100Mbps
nbnâ„¢100
$85
per month
$0 setup fees, $85 min. total cost
Price
$85 per month
$0 setup fees, $85 min. total cost
Southern Phone NBN Fast
NBN
Month-to-month
$65/mth for the first 6 months, then $89/mth. Eligibility criteria, T&Cs apply. Ends 8.4.25
  • Month-to-month
  • BYO modem or purchase for $156
Unlimited Data
Data
Unlimited Data
100Mbps
nbnâ„¢100
Speed
100Mbps
nbnâ„¢100
$65
per month
$0 setup fees, $65 min. total cost
Price
$65 per month
$0 setup fees, $65 min. total cost
iPrimus Premium
NBN
Month-to-month
$84/mth for the first 6 months, then $94/mth. Eligibility criteria, T&Cs apply. Ends 25.2.25
  • Month-to-month
  • $0 modem if you stay connected for 18 months. T&Cs apply
Unlimited Data
Data
Unlimited Data
100Mbps
nbnâ„¢100
Speed
100Mbps
nbnâ„¢100
$84
per month
$0 setup fees, $264 min. total cost
Price
$84 per month
$0 setup fees, $264 min. total cost
Exetel NBN Family
NBN
Month-to-month
$65.99/mth for the first 6 months, then $84.99/mth. Eligibility criteria, T&Cs apply. Ends 3.3.25
Finder Award
  • Month-to-month
  • BYO modem or purchase for $170
Unlimited Data
Data
Unlimited Data
100Mbps
nbnâ„¢100
Speed
100Mbps
nbnâ„¢100
$65.99
per month
$0 setup fees, $65.99 min. total cost
Price
$65.99 per month
$0 setup fees, $65.99 min. total cost
Dodo NBN100
NBN
Month-to-month
$73.90/mth for the first 12 months, then $88.90/mth. Eligibility criteria, T&Cs apply. Ends 29.4.25
  • Month-to-month
  • BYO modem or purchase for $79.90. Option to pay in monthly instalments.. T&Cs apply
Unlimited Data
Data
Unlimited Data
100Mbps
nbnâ„¢100
Speed
100Mbps
nbnâ„¢100
$73.90
per month
$0 setup fees, $73.90 min. total cost
Price
$73.90 per month
$0 setup fees, $73.90 min. total cost
Dodo NBN50
NBN
Month-to-month
$68.90/mth for the first 12 months, then $83.90/mth. Eligibility criteria, T&Cs apply. Ends 29.4.25
  • Month-to-month
  • BYO modem or purchase for $79.90. Option to pay in monthly instalments. T&Cs apply
Unlimited Data
Data
Unlimited Data
50Mbps
nbnâ„¢50
Speed
50Mbps
nbnâ„¢50
$68.90
per month
$0 setup fees, $68.90 min. total cost
Price
$68.90 per month
$0 setup fees, $68.90 min. total cost
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Tim's expertise
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Co-written by

Writer

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